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From Fiber To Fashion

Colour Fastness Tests

Crocking , Laundering, Dry cleaning

Burnt gas fumes

Light (Fastness)

Perspiration

Pressing, Sea water, Water, Chlorinated

pool water

Ozone

Colour Measurement

Colour Specification/Passing/Sorting

Whiteness, Colour difference

Dye strength

Dyeing and Finishing

Mercerization in Cotton

Identification of Dyeclass, Dye strength

Dyeing properties, Identification of

finishes

Evaluation of auxiliaries

Raw Materials and General

Fibre identification and content

Wool grade, Wool Fibre Length

Solvent extractable content

Feather/down mixtures (Lorch)

Non Fibrous Material on Fabric

Ash Content/Moisture Regain

Fibre Melting Point and Cross-Section

Pacifier Evaluation

Hazardous Products – Toys

Yarn Test

Linear density, Twist, Breaking Strength

Filament Count

Fabric Construction

Mass, Fabric Count, Weave, Yarn Crimp

Stitch length in knits, Yarn linear density

Fabric thickness

Frosting

Spectrophotometric Analysis

U.V. Radiation Transmittance, UPF Colour

Fabric Performance Test

Air permeability

Abrasion Resistance -

Accelerator/flex/Taber/ Martindale/Stoll/Stroll/Wyzenbeek

Blocking, Breaking strength, Bursting strength

Chlorine retention, Cold crack

Crease recovery (Angle method), dry or wet

Delamination of coating, Downproofness

Fabric Wrinkle Recovery

Microbiological resistance

Modulus (BSI)

Mothproofing Resistance (IWS)

Oil stain release, pH Value of Water Extract

Pilling resistance – Tumble Box, Random

tumble, Martindale or Brush

“R” / “Clo” value

Electrical Resistivity

Seam Slippage

Shrinkage on laundering,Domestic/Commercial

P.P. Rating

Shrinkage on wetting/steaming/dry cleaning

Snagging resistance, Static cling, Static decay

Stiffness (cantilever test)

Tearing strength – Elmendorf/Single rip or Trapezoid

Water absorption, Water permeability (k)

Water resistance

Water vapour transmission and Diffusion

Yarn shifting

Stretch and Recovery

Carpet Tests

CAN/CGSB-4.129M, CAN/CGSB-4.161M

Aachner (ISO 2551 dimensional stability)

Delamination, Density

Electrostatic properties

Hexapod, Pile face weight

Resilience to Static Load

Separate undercushion CAN/CGSB-20.23

Stain resistance

Tuft bind

Fabric Analysis and Troubleshooting

Warp streak analysis

Filling band analysis

Barré analysis (circular knits)

Foreign contaminant analysis

Analysis of off-shade dyeings

Cotton maturity evaluation

Determination of sources of fabric holes and weak yarns (finished fabric)

Fiber defect analysis

General Testing

Yarn crimp (woven)

Count and twist from yarn in fabric

Dye-on-fiber

Mock dyeing/leveling

Strip dye/re-dye

Color reflectance measurement

Blend analysis

Analysis of fiber distribution in yarn

Denier by microscopy

Yarn cross sections

Chemical damage assessment

Dye rate and capacity studies

PET density determination

Sonic modulus of filament or tow

ASTM Test Methods

Fiber identification

Qualitative textile analysis

Flammability of apparel textiles

Differential dyeing of cotton

Extractable matter determination

Moisture regain

Boiling water and dry-heat shrinkage

Moisture level in textiles

Bow and skewness test for woven and knitted fabric

Bulk determination for textured yarns

AATCC Test Methods

Absorbency of bleached textiles

Alkali in bleach baths containing hydrogen peroxide

Appearance of apparel and other home textiles after repeated launderings

Ash content of bleached cellulosic textiles

Instrumental color measurement of textiles

Colorfastness to acids and alkalis

Colorfastness to bleaching with chlorine

Colorfastness to bleaching with peroxide

Dimensional changes in automatic home laundering of woven or knitted fabrics

Dimensional changes in commercial laundering of woven or knit fabrics

Extractable content of greige and/or prepared textiles

Qualitative and quantitative fiber analysis

Gray scale for color change

Gray scale for staining

Mercerization in cotton

pH of water-extract from bleached textiles

Whiteness of textiles

Wrinkle-recovery of fabrics

What is a Textile?

The term textile can be applied to several types of materials under a couple of

related definitions. The most basic definition of a textile is a material that has been

fabricated by some type of weaving process. This definition is derived from the Latin

root of the work “textile,” textere, which means “to weave.” The term textile can also be

applied to materials manufactured by the interlacing of yarn-like materials, such as

objects made by braiding, knitting, and lacing, as well as some non-yarn based materials, such as felts, in which the fibres have gained coherence by mechanical treatments orchemical processes. In rare cases, pelts, hides, and plastics may also be considered textiles, especially when they are used in the manufacture of clothing items (Leene, 1972).

Textile Fibres

All textiles are made of fibres, that are technically defined as “a unit of matter

with a length at least 100 times its diameter, a structure of long chain molecules having adefinite preferred orientation, a diameter of 10-200 microns, and flexibility” (Landi,

1998, p. 8). Variations in fibres on both the microscopic and the visible levels can have a great impact on the behavior and deterioration of a textile object, and learning the basic properties of textiles can greatly aid in caring for them. There are three major factors that determine the final characteristics of any textile- the fibre form, the source of the fibre, and the method of constructing the final product (Landi, 1998).

Fibre Sources and Forms

Fibres come in one of two forms based on the length of the fibre. A filament is a

fibre of continuous length. Both natural and man made filaments can be extremely long.

Silk worm cocoons, for example, can contain about two miles of continuous twin

filaments, and man made filaments from spinning machines can be even longer. Filament yarns are typically thin, smooth, and lustrous. A staple, on the other hand, is a fibre of limited length ranging from about one-quarter of an inch to many inches in length. Staple fibre yarns tend to be thicker, fibrous, and non-lustrous. (Miller, 1969).

There are three catagories of fibres based on source- natural fibers, mineral fibers,

and man made fibers. Mineral fibres include glass and asbestos and are normally not

directly involved in textile production so only the natural and man-made fibres will be

discussed here. All natural and man-made fibres on a microscopic level are built of

organic polymers, large carbon based molecules composed of a single unit repeated many times. Different types of polymers result in different fibre, and eventually different

textile characteristics (Landi, 1998).

Natural Fibres

Among the natural fibers, silk and wool come from animal sources while the

common vegetable sources are cotton and flax (Landi, 1998 and Miller, 1969). The

silkworm, Bombyx mori, produces silk fibres when it spins a cocoon to protect itself in

the pupa stage (Finch and Putnam, 1985). The fibres are constructed from amino acids

that are cross-linked and generally oriented parallel to the fibre axis. This is referred to

as a crystalline chain structure, and this structure is responsible for the strength of silk

fibres. Wool fibres are also constructed of amino acids except they are arranged into long helical (spiral shaped) molecules making wool much more extensible than silk (Landi, 1998). The fibres, because of this structure, also tend to shrink and mat together when washed in hot, soapy water. This is referred to as felting (Miller, 1969). Wool fibres, like human hairs, are difficult to press into sharp folds, and permanent folds can only be achieved through chemical processes. The natural function of wool is to keep the animal on which is grows dry. Even when incorporated into a textile object, wool fibres retain the ability to absorb up to one-third of their own weight in water before feeling damp to the touch (Finch and Putnam, 1985).

Vegetable fibres are constructed of cellulose polymers which join together to

form long, flexible, and very strong long-chain molecules (Landi, 1998). The function of

flax is to hold the flax plant upright and carry moisture through the plant, thus linen

(fabric that is made from flax fibres) will have a tendency to draw moisture to itself.

Cotton fibres come from the seed heads of the cotton plant and surround the seed before it drops. Both cotton and flax are stronger when wet and humidity is a requirement for weaving cotton fibres (Finch and Putnam, 1985).

Man-Made and Metal Fibres

Man-made fibres were first developed in an attempt to make artificial silk, and

typically have a high degree of crystallinity like silk. While no true substitutes for silk

were ever developed, the research did lead to the development of several types of manmade fibres that can be produced via various chemical processes. These fibres can be divided into two categories- regenerated fibres and synthetic fibers.

Regenerated fibres are made from natural materials that have been dissolved and

then extruded as filaments. Regenerated fibres made from cellulose, commonly termed

rayon, have become the most commercially important. Synthetic fibres include

polyamides (commonly known as nylons), polyesters, and polyvinyls (Landi, 1998 and

Miller, 1969). Metal can also be fashioned into a filament like form and used in textiles.

Consequently, metal threads are sometimes classified as a type of fibre. Gold and silver

alloyed with baser metals such as copper are the most common materials used for metal thread production. The metal is beaten or drawn into very thin laminates and usually wound around a central fibre core that can either be silk, linen, or, in rare cases, cotton. Sometimes the laminate is attached to paper or an animal membrane before it is used. Metal fibres are typically more resistant to deterioration than organic fibres and are often the only intact parts of very ancient textiles (Landi, 1998).

 

From Fibre to Fabric

Yarn Based Structures

In all fabrics except bonded fabrics and felt, fibres are twisted into thicker

structures called yarns or threads before being used. The process of creating yarns is

called spinning. Yarns can be spun in either the clockwise or counter-clockwise

direction. One direction is termed the Z direction and one is termed the S direction.

After the initial yarn is spun, several yarns can then be twisted together to form ply yarns (i.e. two ply, three ply). These types of yarns are typically thicker and stronger than single ply yarns (Landi, 1998).

Yarns can be woven, knitted, braided, and laced or netted to create fabric. Each

type of structure has an effect on the elasticity and durability of the final product.

Diagrams of the different structures are provided in Appendix A. Woven fabrics consist

of two series of threads that are interlaced at right angles to one another. The two thread series are termed the warp and the weft, with the warp threads running the length of the fabric and the weft threads running the width of the fabric. The simplest form of weaving, plain weave, is shown in figure 1 of Appendix A. The edge on the long sides of a piece of woven fabric is termed the selvedge. The selvedge provides a neat edge to the fabric as well as a secure grip for finishing machinery in machine made fabric. It is often different in appearance and structure to the rest of the fabric. Depending on the method of weaving, the density and type of interlacing can vary, both of which affect the final appearance and handle of the fabric. In general, no matter what method of weaving is used, the fabric will show little capacity for stretching beyond the natural elasticity of the materials in either the warp or weft direction. Instead, a woven piece of fabric will stretch more easily in the bias direction, the diagonal of the fabric that is normally at a forty-five degree angle between the warp and the weft. Knitted structures are formed by interlocking loops of yarn, and, like weaving, there are several methods of knitting fabrics. A weft-knitted structure, so termed because it is constructed of horizontal rows of loops that are individually locked with the corresponding loop in the next horizontal row, is shown in figure 2 of Appendix A. Vertical rows of interlocked loops are termed wales and horizontal rows are termed courses. Knitted fabrics are much more susceptible to stretching and distortion than woven fabrics because any tension exerted on the fabric will distort the individual loops that form the fabric. Knitted fabrics are also easily unraveled, and significant damage can be caused by simply breaking one loop that, in turn, causes other loops to be released. Lacing and netting were formerly hand techniques in which yarns are twined or knotted around each other to form various open structures. Now most lace and netting is made by machine. A simple net structure is shown in figure 3 of Appendix A. Items made by lacing and netting are even more dimensionally unstable than knitted fabrics are (Miller, 1969) and the uses of such fabrics are limited; however, several types of banners were constructed with net bases in the nineteenth century. Advertisements for such

banners can be seen in figure 4 of Appendix A (Collins, 1979). Braiding involves the interlacing of yarns diagonally to form a narrow flat or tubular structure. A typical braid is illustrated in figure 5 of Appendix A. It is difficult to form large braided pieces either by hand or by machine due to the fact that all the constituent yarns must be kept in motion simultaneously and separately. Shoe laces and other kinds of cording as well as decorative braiding are common braided products. The diagonal direction of the yarns allows braids to be somewhat extensible in length and width (Miller, 1969).

Fibre Based Structures

Under the influence of heat, moisture, and mechanical pressure some types of

fibre can be made to mat together to form fabric without the need for yarn. Fabrics made in this way are called felts. Wool and a few other animal fibres are most suited to this type of fabric construction. Felt fabrics have no grain because the fibres do not lie in any particular direction, and because of this, felt can be cut in any direction without fraying or unraveling. Dense felts can be very strong and durable, but are generally stiff and do not drape well. Softer and suppler felts result from less dense fiber structures but there is also a loss of strength and a vulnerability to distortion associated with thinner felts that makes them unsuitable for most purposes (Miller, 1969). Pennants are a common type of historical felt textile in the United States (Collins, 1979). Fibres other than wool can also be bonded together through chemical rather than mechanical processes. These types of fabrics are referred to as bonded fibre fabrics. Bonded fibre fabrics are similar in structure to felt, although some types can be made with the majority of the fibres lying in one direction creating a fabric with a noticeable

grain. Bonded fibre research has not, however, been able to overcome the suppleness and durability problems shared with felt (Miller, 1969).

Textile Finishes

Any given textile will probably undergo one or more finishing processes before it

is used and many processes have been in use for hundreds of years. These processes are too numerous to list here, but they all serve at least one of the following purposes-

• to enhance the appearance of the fabric

• to improve the texture or weight

• to increase flexibility, durability, or ease of care

Finishing processes can be carried out either before or after the textile

construction process. Mercerizing, sizing, and weighing are some examples of finishing

processes that have been widely used for several centuries (Landi, 1998). Mercerizing isa finishing technique used on cotton yarn and cloth. Various concentrations of sodium

hydroxide, an alkali substance, are applied to make the finished textile piece more

lustrous, stronger, more absorbent, and easier to dye. Sizing is also a finishing technique for cotton. Gelatin sizing can be used to give the cotton a coated a papery look, and animal glue sizing made from fish skins can be used to give a greater luster (King, 1985). Weighting is “the process of loading either yarns or fabric with minerals, sugar, or other foreign matters mixed with the dyes, to make the goods look thick or feel heavy” (King, 1985, p.173). In silks this finish compensates for the loss of the natural compound sericin which is lost during the manufacturing process (Finch and Putnam, 1985). Other finishing methods were also used on silks to make lower quality silks appear more costly. These finishes employed gum, starch, oil, and wax based materials, most of which will not withstand washing (King, 1985).

Dyeing is another of the more common finishes with certain dyes becoming more

popular during certain periods. Early bandannas are often referred to as “turkey red”

bandannas because they were dyed a solid red color before a pattern was applied via

bleaching or printing. Figure 6 in Appendix A is an example of this technique (Collins,

1979). Early dyes were obtained from natural sources and varied greatly in quality and

ease of use. In 1856, W.H. Perkin, a British scientist discovered the fist synthetic dye by

accident and this lead to the development of a wide range of synthetic dyes that

eventually replaced natural dyes. Even with synthetic dyes, however, dying is a difficult

and complicated process due to the fact that many dyes on their own are not inclined to

be colorfast and most fabrics on their own are not capable of absorbing dyes, especially

in the case of man made fibres (Miller, 1968). Natural dyes, for example, almost always

required a metal salt to be applied to the cloth before dying to increase the affinity of the

dye for the cloth and, in some cases, to increase colorfastness or change the color of the dye (Landi, 1998).

 

Cut and Paste From

Basic Textile Care: Structure, Storage, and Display

Elizabeth Bittner

INF 392E Introduction to the Structure and Technology of Records Materials Pavelka Fall 2004

http://webspace.utexas.edu/ecb82/textile_care.doc

Lebih baik Mencoba tapi gagal daripada gagal mencoba

gagal

1831 – ia mengalami kebangkrutan dalam usahanya.
1832 – ia menderita kekalahan dalam pemilihan tingkat lokal.

1833 – ia kembali menderita kebangkrutan.
1835 – istrinya meninggal dunia.

1836 – ia menderita tekanan mental sedemikian rupa, sehingga hampir
saja masuk rumah sakit jiwa.

1837 – ia menderita kekalahan dalam suatu kontes pidato.
1840 – ia gagal dalam pemilihan anggota senat Amerika Serikat. 1842 -
ia menderita kekalahan untuk duduk di dalam kongres Amerika Serikat.

1848 – ia kalah lagi di konggres Amerika Serikat.
1855 – ia gagal lagi di senat Amerika Serikat.

1856 – ia kalah dalam pemilihan untuk menduduki kursi wakil presiden
Amerika Serikat.
1858 – ia kalah lagi di senat Amerika Serikat.

1860 – ia menjadi presiden Amerika Serikat.

kita mengenalnya sebagai Abraham Lincoln.

SOICHIRO HONDA : “Lihat Kegagalan Saya”

Saat merintis bisnisnya Soichiro Honda selalu diliputi
kegagalan.

Ia sempat jatuh sakit, kehabisan uang, dikeluarkan
dari kuliah.

Namun ia trus bermimpi dan bermimpi…

Cobalah amati kendaraan yang melintasi jalan raya.
Pasti, mata Anda selalu terbentur pada Honda, baik
berupa mobil maupun motor. Merk kendaran ini menyesaki
padatnya lalu lintas, sehingga layak dijuluki “raja
jalanan”.

Namun, pernahkah Anda tahu, sang pendiri “kerajaan”
Honda – Soichiro Honda – diliputi kegagalan. Ia juga
tidak menyandang gelar insinyur, lebih-lebih Profesor
seperti halnya B.J. Habibie, mantan Presiden RI. Ia
bukan siswa yang memiliki otak cemerlang. Di kelas,
duduknya tidak pernah di depan, selalu menjauh dari
pandangan guru.

“Nilaiku ?jelek di sekolah. Tapi saya tidak bersedih,
karena dunia saya disekitar mesin, motor dan sepeda,”
tutur tokoh ini, yang meninggal pada usia 84 tahun,
setelah dirawat di RS Juntendo, Tokyo, akibat mengidap
lever.

Kecintaannya kepada mesin, mungkin ‘warisan’ dari
ayahnya yang membuka bengkel reparasi pertanian, di
dusun Kamyo, distrik Shizuko, Jepang Tengah, tempat
kelahiran Soichiro Honda. Di bengkel, ayahnya memberi
cathut (kakak tua) untuk mencabut paku. Ia juga sering
bermain di tempat penggilingan padi melihat mesin
diesel yang menjadi motor penggeraknya.

Di situ, lelaki kelahiran 17 November 1906, ini dapat
berdiam diri berjam-jam. Di usia 8 tahun, ia mengayuh
sepeda sejauh 10 mil, hanya ingin menyaksikan pesawat
terbang.

Ternyata, minatnya pada mesin, tidak sia-sia. Ketika
usianya 12 tahun, Honda berhasil menciptakan sebuah
sepeda pancal dengan model rem kaki.

Tapi, benaknya tidak bermimpi menjadi usahawan
otomotif. Ia sadar berasal dari keluarga miskin.?
Apalagi fisiknya le! mah, tidak tampan, sehingga
membuatnya rendah diri.

Di usia 15 tahun, Honda hijrah ke Jepang, bekerja Hart
Shokai Company. Bosnya, Saka Kibara, sangat senang
melihat cara kerjanya. Honda teliti dan cekatan dalam
soal mesin. Setiap suara yang mencurigakan, setiap oli
yang bocor, tidak luput dari perhatiannya. Enam tahun
bekerja disitu, menambah wawasannya tentang
permesinan. Akhirnya, pada usia 21 tahun, bosnya
mengusulkan membuka suatu kantor cabang di Hamamatsu.

Tawaran ini tidak ditampiknya.

Di Hamamatsu prestasi kerjanya tetap membaik. Ia
selalu menerima reparasi yang ditolak oleh bengkel
lain. Kerjanya pun cepat memperbaiki mobil pelanggan
sehingga berjalan kembali. Karena itu, jam kerjanya
larut malam, dan terkadang sampai subuh. Otak
jeniusnya tetap kreatif.

Pada zaman itu, jari-jari mobil terbuat dari kayu,
! hingga tidak baik meredam goncangan. Ia punya gagasan
untuk menggantikan ruji-ruji itu dengan logam.
Hasilnya luarbiasa. Ruji-ruji logamnya laku keras, dan
diekspor ke seluruh dunia. Di usia 30, Honda
menandatangani patennya yang pertama.

Setelah menciptakan ruji, Honda ingin melepaskan diri
dari bosnya, membuat usaha bengkel sendiri. Ia mulai
berpikir, spesialis apa yang dipilih? Otaknya tertuju
kepada pembuatan Ring Pinston, yang dihasilkan oleh
bengkelnya sendiri pada tahun 1938. Sayang, karyanya
itu ditolak oleh Toyota, karena dianggap tidak
memenuhi standar. Ring buatannya tidak lentur, dan
tidak laku dijual. Ia ingat reaksi teman-temannya
terhadap kegagalan itu. Mereka menyesalkan dirinya
keluar dari bengkel.

Kuliah

Karena kegagalan itu, Honda jatuh sakit cukup serius.
Dua bulan kemudian, kesehatannya pulih kembali. Ia
kembali memimpin bengkelnya.

Tapi, soal Ring Pinston itu, belum juga ada solusinya.
Demi mencari jawaban, ia kuliah lagi untuk menambah
pengetahuannya tentang mesin. Siang hari, setelah
pulang kuliah – pagi hari, ia langsung ke bengkel,
mempraktekan pengetahuan yang baru diperoleh. Setelah
dua tahun menjadi mahasiswa, ia akhirnya dikeluarkan
karena jarang mengikuti kuliah.

“Saya merasa sekarat, karena ketika lapar tidak diberi
makan, melainkan dijejali penjelasan bertele-tele
tentang hukum makanan dan pengaruhnya,” ujar Honda,
yang gandrung balap mobil.

Kepada Rektornya, ia jelaskan maksudnya kuliah bukan
mencari ijasah. Melainkan pengetahuan. Penjelasan ini
justru dianggap penghinaan.

Berkat kerja kerasnya, desain Ring Pinston-nya
diterima. Pihak Toyota memberi! kan kontrak, sehingga
Honda berniat mendirikan pabrik. Eh malangnya, niatan
itu kandas. Jepang, karena siap perang, tidak
memberikan dana. Ia pun tidak kehabisan akal
mengumpulkan modal dari sekelompok orang untuk
mendirikan pabrik. Lagi-lagi musibah datang.

Setelah perang meletus, pabriknya terbakar dua kali.

Namun, Honda tidak patah semangat. Ia bergegas
mengumpulkan karyawannya. Mereka diperintahkan
mengambil sisa kaleng bensol yang dibuang oleh kapal
Amerika Serikat, digunakan sebagai bahan mendirikan
pabrik. Tanpa diduga, gempa bumi meletus menghancurkan
pabriknya, sehingga diputuskan menjual pabrik Ring
Pistonnya ke Toyota. Setelah itu, Honda mencoba
beberapa usaha lain. Sayang semuanya gagal.

Akhirnya, tahun 1947, setelah perang Jepang kekurangan
bensin. Di sini kondisi ekonomi Jepang porak-poranda.
Sampai-sampai Honda tidak dapat menjual mobilnya untuk
membeli makanan bagi keluarganya. Dalam keadaan
terdesak, ia memasang motor kecil pada sepeda.

Siapa sangka, “sepeda motor” – cikal bakal lahirnya
mobil Honda – itu diminati oleh para tetangga. Mereka
berbondong-bondong memesan, sehingga Honda kehabisan
stok. Disinilah, Honda kembali mendirikan pabrik
motor.

Sejak itu, kesuksesan tak pernah lepas dari tangannya.
Motor Honda berikut mobinya, menjadi “raja” jalanan
dunia, termasuk Indonesia.

Bagi Honda, janganlah melihat keberhasilan dalam
menggeluti industri otomotif. Tapi lihatlah
kegagalan-kegagalan yang dialaminya. “Orang melihat
kesuksesan saya hanya satu persen. Tapi, mereka tidak
melihat 99% kegagalan saya”, tuturnya