Evaluation of the surface quality of spun materials using topothesy

Topothesy and fractal dimensions were calculated for poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) nanofibers mats obtained by electrospinning. These methods enable quantitatively describing and thus comparing solid-state surfaces and detecting fabric errors. The obtained variety of structural properties results from different substrates and after-treatments, e.g. stabilization and carbonization. The change in spatial morphology was reported for different magnification of images obtained with the use of Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM).

Low-cost test setup for motorcycle protective clothing abrasion examination

The personal protective equipment and protective clothing for motorcyclists reduce physical injuries to victims of road accidents. Therefore, it is important that the protective clothing complies with a number of test standards, which must be taken into account during the manufacturing process. However, the EN17092-1 to 6 standard does not necessarily correspond to a real accident situations and these testing procedures are time consuming. In this study, a simple and inexpensive self-constructed device for testing the abrasion resistance of motorcycle protective clothing was developed and evaluated. Different types of textiles and leather with and without coating were tested and compared. According to the results of this study, not only leather but also textiles offer good abrasion resistance results. The results show that the strength of an impact significantly changes the abrasion resistance. The developed test method can provide a good alternative as a low-cost and simple test method of abrasion resistance of motorcycle protective clothing.

Conversion of a conventional to a digital lecture under the conditions of Covid19 – an example from a bachelor lecture on finishing, dyeing & printing

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation during the years 2020 and 2021, the necessity occurred to convert conventional university lectures into digital ones, to avoid personal contacts between people and by this minimizing the spreading of the disease. Beside lectures, also exams have to be transferred to minimize personal contacts. This paper reports on a lecture in a bachelor course with more than 100 students and its conversion to digital format. The lecture is related to textile finishing processes – especially to dyeing and printing. The experience get during the digital lecture are compared with the results gained during the last decade with the same lecture in conventional style. Main tools of the digital format are video conferences and digital worksheets. Challenging are the contact to students by e-mail and the time management of the students especially during the final digital homework. In conclusion, digital lecture and exam are valuable tools to increase the number of participating students and their success in the exam. These tools could be also used successfully in post-corona times especially for lectures given for experienced students in higher semester.

Air drag coefficient of textile-covered elastic cylinders – preliminary aerodynamic studies

This paper presents preliminary experimental results on the influence on the aerodynamic drag of a cylinder from the cylinder type (i.e., rigid or soft) and its textile surface. Both a rigid cylinder and a soft-body cylinder, with a gelatin layer, each with five different textile surfaces were measured in the wind tunnel using force measurement technology. The drag coefficient was determined for several Reynolds numbers. The study shows that the elasticity of a cylinder has a significant influence on the drag force and the airflow type. However, the influence of the soft-body cylinder depends on the respective fabric. With the given measurements, no exact statements can yet be made to quantify the influence. This influence must be studied independently and in conjunction with the textile surface in order to gain understanding of the overall system of airflow, textile and elastic body.

Shape memory textiles – technological background and possible applications

While shape memory alloys (SMAs) and shape memory polymers (SMPs) can already be found in diverse applications, shape memory textiles are less often used. Nevertheless, they are regularly investigated. Typical ways to produce shape memory textiles (SMTs) are introducing shape memory wires, printing shape memory polymers on them (“4D printing”), or using textile materials such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA) which show shape memory properties on their own. This review gives a brief overview of these technological possibilities and possible applications of shape memory textiles.

Investigation of the visual appearance of different skirt styles and materials during the fitting simulation with Lectra Modaris

This paper examines the influence of different fabric types and material properties on the visual appearance of three types of skirt styles using numerical simulation. The purpose of the simulation is to present and analyze the appearance of virtual garments, create the best-fitting pattern pieces, and choose the appropriate fabric type based on the multiple clothing styles to achieve the intended design. The results show that when the type of fabric changes without changing the clothing style and on the other hand the style changes without changing the type of material, the appearance of the garment changes and the effect can be clearly seen with the 3d comparison result. These changes should be taken into account when choosing the right fabric for different styles.

Automated recognition and sorting of recycled textiles for sustainable fashion

The application of the principles of sustainable fashion is one of the solutions to reduce the amount of waste from textile production and the use of such fabrics. Spectrophotometric methods have effective application in this subject area. In the present work, an analysis of known methods and approaches applied so far using the techniques of spectral analysis. The proposed methods and procedures lead to improvement and facilitation of the process of classification of textile fibers in sorting and recycling of textile fabrics, in order to implement in automated systems. The proposed analysis tools do not require high cost equipment and complex calculation procedures. They can be implemented in portable devices and microprocessor-based recognition systems. It has been found that two principal components and two latent variables are sufficient to describe the variance in the data. This significantly reduces the amount of data used to analyze textile fibers by their spectral characteristics. It has been shown that the accuracy of textile fiber classification does not depend on the type of separation function of the classifier used. This accuracy depends on the spectral characteristics used, the method for reducing the volume of data, and the type of classifier. The obtained results can be used in the development of recognition systems for sorting textile fabrics depending on the composition of their fibers. In this way, the principles of sustainable fashion will be effectively applied. Also, the proposed methods and tools can be used in the training of future specialists in the subject area.

Applications of Smart Clothing – a Brief Overview

Smart clothing is the next evolutionary step in wearable devices. It integrates electronics and textiles to create functional, stylish and comfortable solutions for people's daily needs. The concept includes not only clothing, which is a covering mechanism for the body but also has the function of tracking body indicators in certain situations. The review introduces the classification and concept of smart clothing, the application areas such as sports, workwear, healthcare, military and fashion. It will also outline the current state of smart clothing and the latest developments in the field, and discuss future developments and challenges.

Influence of elastic 3D printed polymers on the mechanical properties and tribology of textile fabrics

Combining textile fabrics with 3D printing has been investigated intensively during the last years. Mostly, research concentrated on the adhesion between both partners of the composite or on the new freedom of design, enabled by combining these techniques. Here, we present examinations of the influence of elastic 3D printed patterns on the elongation and wearing out of elastic textile fabrics as well as on the tribological properties of the textile surface, comparing pure and imprinted textile fabrics. Therefore, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) was 3D printed in different patterns on diverse textile fabrics. Our study shows that for a sufficient adhesion, reached by small enough nozzle-fabric distance, elastic 3D printed patterns can indeed improve the surface resistance against wear.

Protection to thermal impact of solar radiation: evaluation of selected reflective fabrics

Prolonged exposure to solar radiation can cause considerable heat stress. The application of reflective materials in garments or sunscreens is generally considered as an appropriate protective strategy. In this study, we aimed to compare a range of reflective and control fabrics on their ability to reduce the thermal impact of solar radiation. We evaluated 16 reflective and 5 control fabrics, varying in applicability for garments and/or sunscreens. Transmission of ultraviolet, visible light and infrared radiation was studied using artificial solar light. Thermal impact reduction was first studied using artificial infrared light and secondly using natural sunlight, measuring temperature right at the back and 10 cm behind the fabric after a 10-minute exposure. Most samples showed comparably low radiation transmission (<10%). However, substantially higher transmission was observed in perforated and mesh-like reflective fabrics, as well as light-colored controls and coldblack® treated fabric. This resulted in larger temperature increases at 10 cm behind the fabric (+1-4°C in sunlight). Contact temperature at the back of the black fabrics ended up higher than at the back of the reflective and white control fabrics (T: 5-10°C in sunlight), the latter two showing minor mutual differences (T<3°C). In conclusion, the reflective fabrics (excluding perforated, mesh and coldblack®) showed minor mutual differences, lower heat absorption than the black control fabrics and lower heat transmission than the white ones. The results suggest that reflective or white fabrics are preferable for most garment applications, while reflective or possibly black fabrics are preferable for sunscreen applications.