The effect of weave type on dimensional stability of woven fabrics

Purpose - Testing the effect of machine washing and drying on dimensional stability produces information about the fabric types that satisfy consumers during end use. At present, it is a known fact that the weave patterns affect the dimensional stability property of woven fabrics. But the essential requirement is to determine the magnitude of this effect for weave types and establish the proper weave types for end use in definite tolerances. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the dimensional stability properties of 100 percent cotton woven fabrics as a function of weave type. Design/methodology/approach - In total, 12 woven fabrics with different weave derivatives are woven with 100 percent cotton and Ne 30/1 combed ring spun yam for this investigation. These samples are then washed and dried according to domestic washing and drying standard test procedures. The shrinkage values are measured and then expressed as a percentage of the initial dimensions. Findings - It was observed that weave pattern has a significant effect on the dimensional behavior of woven fabrics. Weave patterns with a high number of interlacings have lower shrinkage values. At the same time, lower yam crimp values restricted the fabric shrinkage and resulted in better dimensional stability. According to one way ANOVA results, the effect of weave type on dimensional stability is found to be significant (p < 0.01). In addition to these, Pearson correlation analysis showed that there is an important positive and fair relationship between the number of washing cycles and total :shrinkage. Research limitations/implications - The study covers 100 percent cotton woven fabrics with one type of warp and weft sett. The only finishing treatment applied to the sample fabrics was,desizing. No dyeing was carried out. Originality/value - Understanding the magnitude of the effect of weave type on dimensional stability of cotton woven fabrics produces more knowledge about products which satisfy the customers with respect to dimensional stability during usage.