Influence of some knitting and finishing parameters on the snag resistance of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) knit fabric

Abstract

To assess the effects of fabric take-up, yarn tension, feeder position, and yarn feeder material on the occurrence of snagging, fabrics produced with two different finishing processes, were subjected to longitudinal or transversal 100, 300, and 600 revolutions, and the degree of snagging was measured and compared afterwards with gray fabric. Our results showed that, during the knitting process, the use of ceramic yarn feeders resulted in significantly fewer snags compared with metal yarn feeders. The gray fabric, having no finishing, was fragile and easily snagged, whereas the fabric treated by a finishing process – either drying in relaxed condition (Treatment A) or under stress conditions (Treatment B) – was more resistant to snagging. Moreover, the snagging property of the gray fabric tended to increase with increasing longitudinal or transversal 100, 300, or 600 revolutions. Slight increases in snagging were also present in fabrics having Treatment A or Treatment B at the same revolutions, but the differences were not statistically important (P > 0.05). Frequency of snags was higher when revolutions were transversal rather than on longitudinal direction. Yarn tension and feeder position had no effect on snagging degree, while fabric take-up had limited effect. For acquiring a fabric resistant to snagging, the gray fabric produced with ceramic yarn guiders during the knitting process should be subjected to drying under relaxed condition. We also suggest that quality control tests be carried out taking the results of our study into consideration.