THE BEHAVIOUR OF RIB 1:1 AND 2:2 KNITTED COTTON FABRICS DURING DIFFERENT SOLICITATIONS AND TREATMENTS.

The paper presents a study of the behaviour of rib 1:1 and 2:2 knitted fabrics made of 100 % cotton yarns during different solicitations and treatments. The studied knits were grey and finished fabrics obtained on large circular knitting machines in the form of tubular metreage. Grey knitted fabrics were deposited for relaxation, 72 hours in folded condition, in an air-conditioned room in accordance with standard atmosphere parameters. After relaxation, the knits were finished in regular factory parameters and optically brightened. Several aspects were analyzed, namely: vertical density and the mass per square meter; the tesile strength in the direction of the rows of stitches, hydrophilicity and whiteness degree. For grey rib 1:1 and 2:2 knitted fabrics, the vertical density after relaxation increases by 60 % compared to the vertical density on the knitting machine. By finishing, the values of vertical density have almost double values compared to the vertical density on the knitting machine. The established vertical density on the knitting machine is decisive for the mass per square meter, the dimensional stability and the shape after several cycles of wear and washing. The rib 2:2 structures combine elements specific for plain and rib knitted fabrics, which is why they are less balanced in terms of internal tensions. Because of that, this structure behaves differently than rib 1:1 structure during the tensile strength solicitations. The applied Uvitex BLH optical brightener gives to the cotton knitted fabrics an eminent appearance which is called whiter than the whites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]