Testing

Textile Testing | Importance of Testing in Textiles

Testing is a valuable aid for textile production, distribution, and consumption. Person engaged in textiles testing authority, should be a part scientist, as well as, a part statistician, part technologist, part diplomat in management and floor level. There are some question is raised while testing a textiles are –
1. Why do we test?
2. What do we test?
3. When do we test?
4. Who does the test?

Importance of Textile Testing:

1. Research Work: Test of the textiles helps the authority to decide the next route.
2. Selection of Raw Materials: During textiles testing the variation of a fibre or fabric i.e. length, color, fineness (in case of textile fibre), threads per inch, cover factor (in case of textile fabric), is detected properly. Thus proper raw materials are selected properly.
3. Process Control: Certain standard level should be maintained to control increase of waste, rise of cost etc. By textile testing we can easily detect the faults of machinery and materials during test of textiles.
4. Process Development: Research Institute, pilot plants can achieve process development through testing or exact investigation into better, cheaper and quicker methods.
5. Search for effective productivity: Continuous test of the textiles results a enhanced and efficient output of the production.
6. Specification Test: To meet up the customer requirement, specification is very useful. In this concept, testing plays a vital role.

Understanding Felts Fabric, Knit Goods, Braids & Laces, Woven Goods before Testing

Felts: Felts have no regular structure but consist of masses of fiber united together by chemical treatments. Textile Tests made on felt are usually for content and are chemical and optical tests. Thickness is the most important physical test. Porosity is sometimes determined.
Knit Goods: Knit goods consist of a series of loops of a single yarn; other yarns may be used to make stripes but usually only one strand at a time. Generally saying, looping one yarn about itself. The lengthwise loops of the fabric are known as Wales and the crosswise loops as courses knit goods are often made in tubular form so that there are needs. As hosiery and underwear form the bulk of the knit goods with their use as dress goods increasing in general, appearance is the most important property. Physical test, then are not as important on knit goods as they come on the market, most of the testing of knit goods is done in the process of manufacture and carried out on the yarn which goes into the goods.
Braids & Laces: Braids and Laces, also are used principally for ornamentation and again the most important tests are those made upon the constituent yarns. This class of fabrics is, in point of quantity relatively unimportant. Fabrics are made twisting many yarns about each other.
Woven Goods: Woven Goods are by far the most important group of fabrics. They are made in a loom by arranging a number of yarns under tension and capable of being lifted and dropped by the harness mechanism, each individual yarn of the warp passing between set combs called the reed. With some of the ends lifted and some dropped to form and angle, a shuttle files across carrying one yarn; these cross yarns are known as the filling. Different patterns are made by putting different yarns in the warp and in the filling, also by lifting the warp yarns in various combinations. The filling yarns change direction at each edge of the fabric and to keep them firmly in position at the edges, a special lot of warp yarns very close together is put in. Obviously, the cloth is firmer and in general different in properties near the selvedge, so it is a general rule that no physical tests shall be made nearer than one tenth the width of the fabric to the selvedge.
There is some woven goods like-
Tapes and Ribbons: These are made very narrow and on special looms.
Mechanical fabrics: These are ordinary wide goods of fairly simple weave where appearance is secondary to strength or other physical properties.
Dress goods, suiting, coatings, poplins, broadcloths, etc. These are fabrics of fairly simple wear but appearance is more important than in the other fabrics.
Print Goods: Theses are of fairly simple weave but with a complicated color pattern applied by a printing process.
Tapestries and other similar Fabrics: These are of very complicated weave produced by complex looms or jacquard looms. Appearance is usually the most important quality in these goods.
Pile fabrics: Pile fabrics such as pushes, velvets, corduroys, and carpets. These are fabrics in which some of the yarns are cut during or after weaving so that the cut ends form the f ace of the fabric.

Multi-ply Fabrics: These are as some collar materials. These are fabrics consisting of two separate warps and filling fabrics, united by another set of warp yarns which are common to both layer.

How we can easily detect the Face or Back Side of a Fabric properly?

When the fabric is laid down on a cutting table then it is sometimes feels to us troublesome to detect properly the face or back side of fabric. Sometimes it feels very difficult to mark out. The face side is the upper side of a fabric that will show the appearance of a fabric. And the back side is the inner side of a fabric. So the buyer can choose that what type of side he/she will be using as the face side.
However, there are some criteria from where we can easily identify the right or face side of a fabric.

1. In case of the brushed or peach fabric the face side is generally peached or brushed.
2. The face side of a fabric will be clearer and softer than the back side.
3. In case of textured fabric the texture will be more visible in the face side.
4. Twill lines will be more visible on the face side of the fabric.

5. If any special finishing agents is used than it is generally are used in the face side. So the face side of a fabric seems too distinct.

6. Fabrics with fancy design have smoother weaves on the face side. On the other hand in fancy fabric the back side of this becomes loose.

7. Face side of a fabric will be more shiner than the back side of a fabric.

By following these tips I hope one can easily detect the back or face side of a fabric.