The Effect of Stretching on Ultraviolet Protection of Cotton and Cotton/Coolmax-Blended Weft Knitted Fabric in a Dry State

Materials

Chi-wai Kan¹  Lim-yung Yam¹ 

[1] Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong 852, China; E-Mail:

关键词: cotton;    coolmax;    weft knitted fabric;    ultraviolet protection factor (UPF);    dry;    relax;    stretching;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ma6114985

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

In this paper, the ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of weft knitted fabrics made from 20Ne cotton yarn, Coolmax yarn and their blends in dry, relaxed and stretched states were studied. According to the fibre composition, samples were divided into three groups: Group I (single cotton yarn); Group II (cotton/cotton combination); and Group III (Coolmax/cotton combination) for discussion. In addition, yarn and fabric properties such as yarn tenacity, yarn strength, fibre combination and water vapour transmission that affect the corresponding UPF values are used for formulating a prediction model in order to determine UPF. Generally speaking, when samples are measured under stretched conditions in a dry state, they exhibit a remarkable reduction in ultraviolet protective power, as pores are opened up and UV radiation can easily penetrate through these pores. In addition, greater stretch percentage came along with greater reduction in UPF. This can be explained by the fact that the amount and the size of pores increase when samples are subjected to greater tension.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.