Journal of Textile Science & Engineering

This paper discusses the behaviour of Coir, Jute, Sisal and Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) blended needle punched fabrics in withstanding load as an application as geo textile material. The nonwoven fabrics were prepared through Needle punching technique. The fibers were blended in different composition in order to obtain four different fabric samples such as Coir/Jute/PET (CJP), Coir/Sisal/PET (CSP), Jute/Sisal/PET (JSP) and Coir/Jute/Sisal/PET (CJSP). The load withstanding capacity of the soil was analyzed by inserting the four different fabric samples. The comparison was made with the standard soil sample which had no fabric insertion. The study revealed that the soil inserted with fabric samples showed improved load withstanding capability when compared to the standard one. Whereas among the four different samples good withstanding capacity was observed in Jute/Sisal/PET (JSP).

Real (physical) objects melt together with information-processing (virtual) objects. These blends are called Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS). The German government identifies this technological revolution as the fourth step of industrialization (Industry 4.0). Through embedding of intelligent, self-optimizing CPPS in process chains, productivity of manufacturing companies and quality of goods can be increased. Textile producers especially in high-wage countries have to cope with the trend towards smaller lot sizes in combination with the demand for increasing product variations. One possibility to cope with these changing market trends consists in manufacturing with CPPS and cognitive machinery. This paper focuses on woven fabric production and presents a method for multiobjective self-optimization of the weaving process. Multi-objective self-optimization assists the operator in setting weaving machine parameters according to the objective functions warp tension, energy consumption and fabric quality. Individual preferences of customers and plant management are integrated into the optimization routine. The implementation of desirability functions together with Nelder/Mead algorithm in a software-based Programmable Logic Controller (soft-PLC) is presented. The self-optimization routine enables a weaving machine to calculate the optimal parameter settings autonomously. Set-up time is reduced by 75% and objective functions are improved by at least 14% compared to manual machine settings.

To produce the precursor fibers with nano-scale diameter for carbon nanofibers (CNFs), the electrospinning was attempted using water as the solvent of the spinning dope. For this purpose, directly carbonizable resolphenol formaldehyde resin not requiring its post cure treatment was used instead of conventional novolac type. The electrospinning could be made by hybridizing PVA and enhancing the electrospinnability. The as-electrospun fibers, however, were still so hydrophilic that the fibers were fused each other due to the moisture absorption. By hybridizing water-soluble feather keratin as a third component, whole fusion of electrospun fibers could be suppressed although some of the fibers were still partially fused. The electrospun fibers obtained will be applicable as a precursor for the production of non-woven CNF fabrics through direct carbonization.

This study is part of a research carried out in a company and is based on the analysis of quality tools for process analysis in a textile factory checking the contribution to the quality. The study focuses on examining practices, use industry resources and methods contributing to the process and also, meeting customers’ needs. In this context, process analysis helps finding problems hindering the management of production processes, causing rework and losses. Purpose, therefore, is to analyze, check practices, use tools that assist in the verification of problems. Research developed through case study was based on the organization’s reality. Data collected through investigation using tools, such as: interviews, questionnaires and secondary source (books, articles and magazines) were used as information basis and provided the due the necessary clarifications for reasoning.

Home Textiles is one of the most rapidly expanding sectors in the technical textile market. The scope of hometech envelops all textile materials used in home and hygiene applications should be sustainable and also free from hazards. The consumers are now increasingly aware of the hygienic life style and there is a necessity and expectation for a wide range of textile products finished with antimicrobial properties. From the plant kingdom, one of the abundant sources of strong natural fiber is Vetiveria zizanioides and it has numerous properties such as antimicrobial property and inherently filled with good aroma. The extract was prepared with Vetiveria zizanioides powder using the solvent. The chemical components and phytochemicals were identified and screened from the extract and then antimicrobial activity was analyzed on the extract against standard microorganisms. The quantitative and qualitative tests of antifungal activity were tested on the fabrics against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans fungi and antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 of both positive and negative bacteria. The test results depict the clear picture and benefits for medical and home textile applications.