An investigation into the parameters of terry fabrics regarding the production

Abstract

This paper aims at introducing an approach for determining the constructional parameters of a terry fabric for weaving. Experimental work has been conducted with 72 different terry fabric samples designed and produced for this purpose. The weaving contractions of the terry fabrics are found to change between 1.5 -2.0% in both warp and weft directions. Contractions after washing are between 5.5% and 11.5 depending on the fabric construction. The weight per square metre, shearing waste and weft, ground warp and pile warp yarn ratios have been measured, and the effects of the constructional parameters of terry fabrics on these values are discussed. The shearing waste is found to amount to between 9.4% and 17.4% for different fabric constructions. Mathematical expressions are derived for the calculation of weight per square metre in terms of terry fabric constructional parameters, and for the required weft density and pile length satisfying a desired weight per square metre. A close agreement is found between the calculated and measured weight per square metre. A close match is also found between the measured pile lengths and the distance between the short and full beat-up points. It is concluded that the use of mathematical expressions, with the support of some experimental data such as the contractions, minimises or in some cases even eliminates the need for trial production.