The Effect of Heat-Setting Conditions On The Performance Characteristics of Warp Knitted Spacer Fabrics
The Effect of Heat-Setting Conditions On The Performance Characteristics of Warp Knitted Spacer Fabrics
The Effect of Heat-Setting Conditions On The Performance Characteristics of Warp Knitted Spacer Fabrics
Correspondence to:
Gözde Ertekin email: gozde.damci@ege.edu.tr
ABSTRACT
Spacer fabrics can be produced by using weaving or In the production of warp knitted spacer fabrics,
nonwoven techniques besides warp and weft knitting especially polyester multifilament and monofilament
processes. Warp knitted spacer fabrics are produced yarns are used as surface layers and spacer yarn,
by using polyester multifilament and monofilament respectively. These fabrics are taken from the
yarns for surface layers and spacer yarn, respectively. knitting machine in the form of closed structures.
After knitting process, surface layers of these fabrics After knitting process, the warp knitted spacer fabrics
are in the closed form. Then these fabrics are are normally subjected to a heat-setting treatment in
subjected to a heat-setting treatment in order to order to increase the structural stability and to
increase their structural stability and to achieve an achieve a determined open form. It is necessary to
open form with holes. In this study, it is aimed to point out that heat-setting of a spacer fabric is not
investigate the effect of heat-setting conditions on the easy to be processed because it is difficult to firmly
performance characteristics of the warp knitted catch the two selvages of the spacer fabric on a
spacer fabrics. Mass per unit area, thickness, air conventional heat-setting machine. In order to solve
permeability, compressibility, dimensional stability this problem, the selvages of both sides of spacer
and compression set properties were measured and fabrics were knitted without spacer yarns. Ye et al.
evaluated statistically in order to determine the mentioned that to extend these fabrics to the desired
effects of heat-setting conditions such as temperature, width during heat-setting process was difficult,
duration of heat-setting and stretching (the tension because of longer underlaps of the spacer yarns or
applied to the samples during heat-setting) on the higher thickness or weight of spacer fabrics [2].
performance characteristics. The results revealed that,
heat-setting process has significant effect on all Fabrics produced from synthetic fibres or from
measured performance characteristics of the samples. blends containing such fibres are subjected to a range
After heat-setting process, air permeability and of different heat treatments during the various stages
compressibility values increases while mass per unit of their production. Heat-setting is the most
area and compression set values decreases. important one, since it gives the product the desired
characteristics to make it suitable for further
INTRODUCTION processing and use by the consumer [3]. Karmakar
Spacer fabrics are three dimensional textile structures explained heat-setting as a heat treatment by which
consisted of two parallel knitted fabrics connected by shape retention, crease resistance, resilience and
a yarn layer called as spacer yarn. The spacer yarn elasticity are imparted to the fibres. It also brings
plays an important role of fabric’s special changes in strength, stretchability, softness,
characteristics. With these special properties like dyeability and sometimes on the colour of the
compression and impact resistance, high material [4]. According to Gacén et.al., heat-setting
breathability, high elastic recovery characteristic, improves the properties of the textile substrate
spacer fabrics offer a lot of possibilities in various (improves shrinkage resistance, removes any creases,
application areas such as medical textiles, automotive guarantees level dyeing and improves the fabric
textiles, geotextiles, protective textiles, sportswear handle) [3]. Militký states in his study the purpose of
and composites. It is possible to produce these fabrics the heat-setting process supported by Mukhopadhyay
by weaving or nonwoven techniques besides warp and Gacén et al. as stabilization of fibre dimensions,
and weft knitting processes. Knitting technology relaxation of internal stresses in the fibre and creation
especially warp knitting technique is the most or stabilization of the crystalline structure [3,5,6].
commonly known and applied technology for the The heat-setting process, which assists in improving
production of spacer fabrics [1]. the morphology of the fibre, is determined by the
FIGURE 1.(a, d) Surface views of a sample before and after heat-setting process, (b, e) cross-section views along the course direction before and
after heat-setting process, (c, f) cross-section view along the wale direction of a sample before and after heat-setting process.
Brückner (Vn-Sfp-24/6-Q99) heat-setting machine samples during heat-setting was arranged so that the
was used in order to increase the structural stability final width of the samples will be 110 and 160 cm
and to achieve a determined final width (stretching). while the width of unset fabrics which refers to the
The samples were horizontally (course-wise) pinned fabric width after knitting process was 60 cm. After
on the sliding aluminium frame pins and heat set at heat-setting, the fabric samples were allowed to cool
the temperatures of 150°C and 180°C for time down at room temperature for 24 hours. Details of
durations of 1.8 and 3min. The tension applied to the heat-setting process were given in Table II.
Distance
between the Mass per unit Thickness Air Perm. Compressibility Dim. stability Comp. set
Heat-setting conditions SD* SD* SD* SD*
needle beds area (g/m2 ) (mm) (lt/m2s) (kPa) % (% )
(mm)
Unset 1409.86(b) 14.26 11.43 0.077 1462(a) 82.92 4.31(a) 0.276 -1 39.73
Duration (min)
12.5 1.8 711.58(a) 14.46 11.14 0.045 5859(b) 115.45 16.45(b) 0.829 -3 25.52
3 685.6(a) 28.42 11.16 0.049 5994(b) 127.76 17.49(b) 0.434 -3 28.51
Unset 1512.61(b) 28.47 12.35 0.045 1548(a) 54 0.15(a) 0.16 -2 37.3
15
1.8 588.83(a) 6.35 12.76 0.073 6614(b) 106.79 8.74(b) 0.11 -3 33.4
3 578.85(a) 8.72 12.74 0.037 6739(b) 219.88 9.95(b) 0.073 -3 35.98
Unset 1409.86(c) 14.26 11.43 0.077 1462(a) 82.92 4.31(a) 0.276 -1 39.73
Stretching (cm)
12.5 110 711.58(b) 14.46 11.14 0.045 5859(b) 115.45 16.45(c) 0.829 -3 25.52
160 515.26(a) 11.54 10.67 0.07 6807(c) 137.19 11.96(b) 0.166 -3 27.56
Unset 1512.61(c) 28.47 12.35 0.045 1548(a) 54 0.15(a) 0.16 -2 37.3
15 110 731.04(b) 27.47 12.63 0.005 5644(b) 93.081 12.45(c) 0.475 -3 34.47
160 578.85(a) 8.72 12.74 0.037 6739(c) 219.88 9.95(b) 0.073 -3 35.98
Unset 1409.86(b) 14.26 11.43 0.077 1462(a) 82.92 4.31(a) 0.276 -1 39.73
Temperature ( C)
12.5 150 721.89(a) 9.79 11.41 0.056 5587(b) 90.01 13.71(b) 0.136 -3 28.02
0
180 711.58(a) 14.46 11.14 0.045 5859(c) 115.45 16.45(c) 0.829 -3 25.52
Unset 1512.61(b) 28.47 12.35 0.045 1548(a) 54 0.15(a) 0.16 -2 37.3
15 150 578.85(a) 8.72 12.74 0.037 6739(b) 219.88 9.95(b) 0.073 -3 35.98
180 553.28(a) 5.46 12.56 0.014 7009(c) 127.39 8.69(b) 0.139 -3 34.18
* Standard Deviation
Compressibility 0 0 0 0 0 .054*
The mean values of the mass per unit area showed knitting, the spacer yarns tended to relax into bended
that (Table III), unset fabrics have higher mass per forms. The bending of the spacer yarns resulted in the
unit area values and these values significantly decreasing of the fabric thickness.
decreased after heat-setting process. Statistical
From Figure 2, it can be seen that, heavier unset
evaluation revealed that, heat-setting temperature and
fabrics have lower air permeability values than heat-
duration of heat-setting parameters didn’t have any
set samples. Heat-setting process influences
significant effect on this parameter, on the other hand
statistically the air permeability values of the samples
the tension applied to the samples during heat-setting
significant, as shown in Table IV. While duration of
determined the surface structure and mass per unit
heat-setting doesn’t affect this parameter, heat-setting
area characteristics of the samples. The greater the
temperature and the tension or stretching creates
tension, the higher is the final width of the samples.
differences between air permeability values of the
Consequently, the holes became on fabric surface and
samples. With the increase of the final width of the
the amount of yarn per unit area is decreased.
samples, the size of holes on fabric surface and air
permeability of the samples increases also. The
It was found that the thicknesses of all fabrics were
bigger pores on the surface layer after stretching lead
smaller than the distance set (12.5 and 15 mm)
to passing of the air easily through the fabric
between the two needle bars of the machine. This is
surfaces. Additionally, the air permeability values of
an expected situation because during knitting process,
the fabrics increase as the heat-setting temperature
the spacer yarns were under tensioned states. After
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors wish to thank Ames Tekstil A.Ş. and
Ekoten Tekstil A.Ş. for the supports of production
FIGURE 5. Compression set values of the samples. and heat-setting process and to Ege University
Scientific Research Project Office for the financial
CONCLUSION support of project (No. 12-MUH-050) and to Prof.
This study performs an investigation of the effect of Dr. Kerim Duran for his valuable contributions.
heat-setting conditions on the performance
characteristics of the warp knitted spacer fabrics. REFERENCES
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