An investigation of the thermo-mechanical fusing process of innovative textile materials

The process of thermo-mechanical fusing (TMF) is one of the major technological processes in the sewing industry. The quality of the sewing article as a whole depends largely on the effective implementation of this process. The good appearance of the finished product and the preservation of the shapes given during the operation of the product depend on the proper choice of the parameters for the TMF. It is therefore important to carry out research to optimize this process. On the other hand, new and different textile materials (TM) with more complex structure and multicomponent composition have appeared in recent years. This determines the different properties of each TM. Therefore, it is extremely important to conduct numerous preliminary studies and analyses to determine the specific effective values for defining the TMF process for a particular type of TM. This is especially important namely for large-scale companies. In the context of the above, it is of particular interest to study the TMF process for an innovative TM (with complex structure and multicomponent composition) registered with a patent for an invention in recent years. The purpose of the present work is to investigate and analyse the nature of the change in temperature between basic and adhesive TM in TMF of innovative /complex in composition and structure/TM. As a result of the performed research and analysis, a method for establishing continuous feedback with the processed textile materials at TMF has been proposed. The nature of the temperature change of the treated innovative TM has been defined. The relationship between the time for conducting the TMF process and the temperature of the pressing plate for the respective innovative TM has been established.

Accidentally ingested textile foreign bodies, a cause of gastrointestinal obstruction in dogs and cats – a retrospective study

Gastrointestinal obstruction is a life-threatening condition that is usually caused by accidental ingestion of inedible objects, through play or food indiscretions. Ingested foreign objects generate the mechanical obstruction of the gastrointestinal segment, characterized by a relatively typical set of symptoms, depending on the location. The aim of this study was the clinical and imaging description of some cases of gastrointestinal obstruction in dogs and cats, caused by swallowing textile foreign bodies. The study included 12 dogs and 8 cats of different breeds and ages, belonging to both sexes, which showed clinical signs suggestive from a clinical-anamnestic point of view for gastrointestinal obstruction. These patients had symptoms with acute or chronic progressive evolution of the gastrointestinal tract, including restlessness, deviation, vomiting (single or repeated episodes), abdominal tenderness, constipation and tenesmus. The diagnosis was confirmed by radiographic examination, simple and with contrast medium, and ultrasound, completed in some situations with laparotomy. Ingested textile foreign bodies were represented by socks/stockings (5 dogs and 3 cats), underwear (3 dogs), rope (1 dog and 3 cats), carpet fragments (2 dog and 1 cat), toy fragments (1 dog and 1 cat), and they were located in the stomach (7/12; 58.33%, respectively 4/8; 50%), in the gastro-duodenal segment (2/12; 16.67%, respectively 3/8; 37.5%), in the jejunum (3/12; 25%, respectively 1/8; 12.5%) and in the colon (1/12; 8.33%, respectively 1/8; 12.5%). Gastrointestinal obstruction in pets, caused by accidental ingestion of textile foreign bodies, is a medical emergency and imaging examinations are the main diagnostic tool in the establishment of a subsequent therapy with maximum efficiency.

Impact of consumer Attitude towards purchase intention of the counterfeit products: a multigroup analysis between the user and non-user

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors which influence a consumer’s decision to buy counterfeit products. The factors are Attitude towards counterfeits by economic benefit, Attitude towards counterfeits by Hedonic benefits, Subjective norm and Perceived behaviour control and their impact on the purchase intention of the textile/clothing counterfeit product was analysed. A total of 120 questionnaires were distributed. Data was analysed using IBM Statistics 3.0. and SMART PLS. Attitude towards counterfeits by economic benefit and Perceived behaviour control had strong relationships with purchase intention of counterfeit products. Attitude towards counterfeits by Hedonic benefits didn’t show any significant relationship with purchase intention. Subjective norm had strong positive relationship with purchase intention of counterfeits. This study is useful for Developing Countries, especially in Impact of theory of planned behaviour on the purchase intention of the counterfeits and is examined on the user and non-user of the counterfeit product.

Contemporary customized clothes using folk motifs

More and more consumers are attracted to fashion brands that make an extra effort to offer them personalized experiences. The unique details, as well as the complexity of the decorative elements of the folk costume inspire the fashion designers to return to the folk motifs, which they reinterpret and resize while integrating them in the contemporary space, offering models adapted to the customers’ tastes, sizes and preferences and at the same time to make mass customization a profitable production. This study addresses the issue of personalizing clothing items with folk motifs. In order to collect information on consumer satisfaction regarding the use of folk motifs in contemporary clothing, an online survey about the clothing available on the market and about personalized clothes with folk motifs was developed and applied. The survey was applied to a number of 548 respondents from Romania, Bulgaria, Canada and Spain. To determine the correlation between the answers to the questions for the four countries and to analyse the answers in each country, the PCA method was used. Based on the answers to the survey, certain motifs from the folk costumes were selected, reinterpreted in a modern way and inserted in two fabric patterns. The fabrics were produced on a Loom Jacquard SMIT Textile GS900.

Comparison of sensorial comfort properties of different cotton fabrics using the Kawabata Evaluation System

Cotton fabrics are among the most preferred fabrics for both underwear and outerwear. The sensory comfort properties of the fabrics are important for consumers’ choice of clothing. The majority of consumers visually like the clothes that they buy and try to feel these features sensually by touching them, and then, they may want to try the garment or they can make direct purchasing decisions according to these tactile feelings. In this study, the sensorial properties of a double-layered cotton fabric developed for use as a garment were compared and evaluated with cotton plain woven and interlock fabrics currently used in the market for this purpose. Sensorial comfort properties of the fabrics were researched with KES-F Kawabata equipment.

Research on the origin of clothing from the perspective of the ancient Chinese character etymology and philosophy

The origin of clothing has always been one of the most important topics in the field of apparel culture research. However, academics have different opinions on this issue. Based on the dilemma analysis of the three research routes which include philology, archaeology, anthropology, we can study the essence of the origin of clothing by analysing ancient Chinese character and philosophy. The relative methods of characters etymology in ancient China, archaeology, anthropology and philosophy are adopted in this study in order to further study the origin of clothing. The research shows that: from etymology research on characters in ancient China, Chinese characters associated with clothing can reflect the objective needs of clothing-the carrying tools whose material are cortex. From the perspective of philosophical researches, clothing prototype originated in the cortical belt for carrying in the process of human evolution during the Palaeolithic. It is an important tool for primitive humans to increase their survival rate. And formed clothing is necessary for them to get out of the Africa and expand their living space. First of all, this paper systematically demonstrates the idea that clothing originated from tools based on the analysis of ancient Chinese characters. Secondly, from the perspective of philosophy, this paper demonstrates the great historical role of clothing as a survival tool, based on the viewpoint that the generation of clothing precedes the consciousness of clothing.

The discourse of Kurdish traditional textiles

Verbal communication is not the only way by which people can interact; people communicate with each other through different signs, colours, cultural symbols and costumes. One of the ways that people can communicate through is clothes or textiles. The language of textiles and its covert discourse have not been studied profoundly. Each bit of textile has its specific meaning. Through the discourse of their clothes, people try to show their nationality, age, gender, social status, geographical belonging etc. Kurdish traditional clothes are believed to be culturally rich, since they are dressed by a large number of people in the past and present. This study is an attempt to examine the relationship between discourse and clothes. It tries to study the hidden discourse of Kurdish traditional textiles. The study seeks to answer several questions, including: What do the clothes say about the people who wear them? How different types of clothes show different forms of people’s identity? How do clothes reveal the people’s nationality, age, gender, geographical territory and social class? The principles of discourse analysis, more specifically Foucault’s approach of material discourses, are used to investigate the collected data. The study uses a mixed approach of quantitative and qualitative methods. The data are collected in three ways: by analysing the photo albums, a survey and a site visit to Kurdish Textile Museum in Erbil. The study concludes that the pieces of textiles can be seen as linguistic elements in communications and Kurdish traditional clothes embraces specific cultural codes and symbols that can be used to reveal the discourses they embrace.

Deep insight on the behaviour of short fibres within a composite under uniaxial tensile

This work presents an investigation of the mechanical properties of a composite structure manufactured from polypropylene matrix reinforced with jute waste fibres collected from textile industry with extrusion followed by injection techniques. Mechanical tests under uniaxial strain shows that this lightweight vegetal fibre significantly enhanced the mechanical performances of the whole composite with a very slight quantity of compatibilizer which positively influences the final price of the composite. The fracture surfaces showed highly tethered as well as weakly anchored fibres to the matrix. Moreover, in order to have a deep insight on that anchoring behaviour, uniaxial tensile deformation was applied under Scanning Electron Microscopy and evidenced how the fibre/matrix interface plays a high role to strengthen the whole structure. The fibre and matrix interface is not simply resumed to high or weak anchoring but there is a combination of sticking and slipping of reinforcement on the polymeric walls.

Determinants of online clothing review helpfulness: the roles of review concreteness, variance and valence

Online reviews have emerged as an essential information source for online clothing purchasing behaviour. It is thus paramount for marketers to understand what makes online clothing review helpful to consumers. This research primarily aims to examine the relationship between review textual content factors and review helpfulness in the context of online clothing purchasing. Experiments on review concreteness (concrete or abstract), review variance (consistent or inconsistent) and review valence (positive or negative), between participants were conducted to explore the interaction effect. The findings suggest that online clothing review concreteness, variance and valence are significant factors affecting review helpfulness. Additionally, this study’s findings show that abstract review, negatively review and inconsistent review has a stronger effect on online clothing review helpfulness than concrete review, positively review and consistent review. The findings will help customers to write better clothing reviews, help retailers to manage their websites intelligently and aid customers in their product purchasing decisions.

Investigation of frictional impact on polyester yarn during knitting

The usage of polyester (PET) in fabrication is increasing day by day due to its properties, ease of physical and chemical modification. The aim of this work is to understand the effect of temperature on Polyester (PET) during knitting. For checking the rise of temperature Infrared (IR) camera is used. Microscopic images are used for studying the effect of temperature on fibre/yarn structure. Morphological analysis is also done by X-ray diffraction (XRD) which shows disturbance of polymeric chains, causing change in crystal size due to elevated temperature. The beads formation and filament breakage are clearly seen in images. Due to this knitting fault, shade variation after dyeing occurred. It is concluded that structural morphology of polyester yarn changes due to friction of yarn with knitting machine parts. Fabric appearance and fabric quality also disturbed which leads to rejections and high losses.