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A single-end sizing process was developed to eliminate the problems associated with the traditional sizing method. By keeping the yarns separated in slots in the single-end sizing apparatus and drying them individually, less damage to the yarns occurred. In this paper, the process and device developed for single-end sizing are described and the properties of single-end sized yarn are compared with unsized yarn and commercially sized yarn.

This paper is concerned with the image quality of lines that were inkjet printed on polyester woven fabric. Lines (ideal width of 0.1 mm) running in the warp and filling directions were inkjet printed on different fabrics, and print quality (line width, edge blurriness and edge raggedness) was assessed. The effects of fabric structural parameters (including fabric, yarn and fiber parameters), finishing (type and pick-up), and ink type on line image quality are discussed. Image quality depended on fabric construction, particularly for unfinished fabrics. The satin fabric had the worst image quality while the image quality on the plain fabric was best. Finishing can improve image quality; however, the type of finish was very important. Acrylic resin finish improved printing quality significantly, but results with polyurethane resin-finished fabric were not much better than for unfinished fabric. A volatile ink reduced wicking and improves line image quality; thus, image quality using the alcohol base ink was better than for the oil or glycol based inks.

The xerographic process is one of the digital printing technologies with a potential for textile printing. One barrier to the use of xerography for printing textiles is the lack of textile-specific toners that produce the required textile properties. Attempts have been made to produce textile-specific toners through mechanical grinding processes such as jet milling, but mechanical grinding requires that the toner resins be sufficiently brittle. In our previous work, toner compounds containing resins that are sufficiently flexible for the required textile properties could not be ground to the required particle size for xerography. In this paper, thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) is used to overcome this difficulty. Isotactic polypropylene (IPP) and poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) are converted into toners by means of TIPS. The EVA polymers meet the flexibility and colorfastness require ments of textile printing.

A new process is being developed to significantly shorten the current process sequence of short-staple yarn manufacturing. Measuring carded web density is critically important in this new process. Typical technologies that might be used to measure card eb density rely on significant density in order to have enough absorption of radiation to work properly. However, the card web has a very low density (about 13 g/m2) that provides very little absorption. In the absence of an inexpensive method for measuring card webs. the research discussed in this paper attempts to determine whether a digital image processing system can be used to measure card web density. The system consists of a camera focused on the web, illuminated by a light source. A good linear correlation is found between the reflected light from a section of card web and the weight of that section.

Air permeability is an important parameter in through-air drying of unbacked tufted carpet. The primary backing of tufted carpet is the dominant parameter determining carpet air permeability. Carpets of identical construction are tufted using woven and nonwoven primary backings, and the effects of primary backing type on air permeability and drying are studied. The carpet tufted with the nonwoven backing has significantly higher air permeability and significantly lower drying time for a constant pressure drop drying process.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a pilot-scale laboratory through-air dryer are used to study through-air drying of unbacked tufted nylon carpets. MRI is used to study the effect of the vacuum extraction procedure on local moisture distribution within the carpet and to measure local moisture profiles during through-air drying where airflow rate is held constant. The effects of several process and carpet construction parameters on drying are discussed.

Through-air dryers are widely used for drying unbacked tufted carpets after dyeing- steaming-washing processes. Since the drying rate depends greatly on air velocity, carpet air permeability is a very important parameter affecting drying time. We study the effects of several carpet construction and process parameters on the air permeability of unbacked cut-pile nylon carpets with woven polypropylene primary backing using a modified Frazier air permeability tester and a laboratory through-air dryer. We then present a model predicting pressure drop over the carpets versus apparent velocity.

A study of variations in IR absorption characteristics of fabrics with moisture regain and fiber type is discussed. Infrared spectral absorptivities of fabrics are measured over the range of wavelengths from 0.7 to 25 microns. These values are used with the normalized emission characteristics of blackbody emitters to calculate average absorptivities for blackbody emitter temperatures ranging from 500 to 3000 K. Overall radiant efficiencies of the blackbody emitters are calculated by multiplying average absorptivities by the radiant efficiencies of emitters in converting input power to IR radiant output power. The absorption characteristics of several fabrics such as polypropylene and wool are measured so that the behavior of hydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers can be compared. Correlation equations are presented for average absorptivities of several fabrics as a function of moisture regain.

We studied the feasibility of using a radio frequency (RF) oven to dry and cure latex adhesive backing on tufted nylon carpet. The drying and curing step in the backcoating operation often limits production speed. Numerous backcoating machines are running at relatively low speeds (in the neighborhood of 15 mpm), which cannot be increased by adding to the oven length because floor space is limited. Since RF ovens generally require much less floor space than convection ovens, we investigated increasing production speeds of dryer-limited backcoaters by retrofitting with RF ovens. Installing an RF oven along with a conventional convection oven, especially as a preheater, offers significant advantages in this regard.

A study in which energy measurements were made on a continuous carpet dyeing range is discussed. One objective of the study was to determine the energy con sumption per mass of carpet dyed on a typical range. To achieve this, the two kinds of energy, thermal and electrical, that are consumed in the continuous process were measured on the range. A second objective of the investigation was to identify the energy conservation potential of each step of the continuous dyeing process. Mea surements were made so that thermal balances on the components of the Kuster Range could be generated.

A study has been conducted to determine the frictional characteristics of several fabrics used in apparel. The objective was to generate fabric frictional data to help in developing automated assemblies for fabrics. The results revealed that the coefficients of static and dynamic friction between fabrics decreased as the normal force per unit area increased. Wilson's model relating frictional force to normal force and the apparent area of contact closely correlated the data.