Study On Wicking Behaviour Of Cotton Yarn And Fabric

Today moisture comfort is an important aspect for any garment used for sportswear and leisurewear.An average consumer may not understand what wicking is or the characteristics of a good wicking fabric.This research is expected to provide an insight not only to consumers but also to industry,on yarn and fabric properties that make up a good wicking garment.The thesis is concerned with development of new vertical wicking tester and the influence of the yarn and fabric parameters on the wicking behavior.In addition,thesis is concerned with the wickability and other mechanical properties of cotton yarn with different linear densities,twist levels,and tension levels and cotton fabrics with different warp,weft,and combination of warp and weft yarn densities and structures.Mechanical properties of yarns and fabrics were evaluated by using different testers and wickability was determined by a wicking tester which was specially construct for this research.The results show that Linear density was found to affect wickability in the sense that wickability was found to be higher for coarser yarns and lower for finer yarns.Twist had a significant effect on the wickability of cotton yarns.Tension imposed also showed a significant effect on wickability in that higher the tension,lower the wickability.Thus,in order to derive maximum comfort from the fabric,it is most essential to control twist,tension and linear density of the yarns.In the case of fabrics,warp and weft thread density was found a significant effect on the wickability of cotton fabric.On the other hand,a combination of warp and weft thread density gives an idea about the importance of space between warp and weft yarn,porosity and air gap.It was found that,in the analysis of wickability data,linear regression analysis was found to be a very useful tool.Use Washburn's equation and it is suggested that in studying wickability both the time exponents 'K'and intercept 'C' have to be considered to have a better understanding of wickability.A negative correlation between 'K' and 'C' has been obtained.The correlation coefficient was found to be higher when the relationship between height versus square root of time was examined compared with the logarithmic method.