CLASSIFICATION OF FABRICS

KNITTING:

Knitted fabric or knitwear is one that is woven into meshes by interlacing the threads. Basically, it
consists of passing a loop of thread through another loop, using needles, just as it is knitted by
hand. From the different ways of doing this, arise the different variants that the textile designer
uses to make his designs on knitted fabrics.

History of knitting
The origins date back to the ancient fishing villages that knotted thick threads to form nets. The
operation consisted of forming a network by interweaving threads using manual needles in a series
of loops linked together.

Weaving using needles was brought to Europe by the Arab people in

the 5th century. Later in the 14th and 15th centuries it developed
strongly in England and Scotland. And it was the Scots who are
credited with the introduction of mesh fabric in France. In 1589, the
English clergyman William Lee invented a machine for knitting
.
stockings, revolutionizing the activity that until then was manual.
Although Queen Elizabeth I of England denied William Lee a patent
for his invention, believing it to be a threat to weavers, the machine
was used in other European countries and formed the basis for future
improvements.

In 1757, a British cotton spinner named Jedediah Strutt invented an attachment for the stocking
frame that allowed ribbed fabrics to be made. Around 1800 the British engineer Marc I. Brunel
invented a circular hoop which he called the "tricoteur". Weaving thicker threads became possible
when Matthew Townsend incorporated a needle, equipped at one end with a hook with a closure.
This invention, fundamental in the development of circular knitting machines, was patented in 1858.
In 1864, William Cotton introduced an improvement in mechanical machines. He called them
'Cotton's system' and its improvement was that it could shape the heels and toes of stockings and
socks. In 1889, automatic knitting machines were introduced for the first time .

Types of designs in knitted fabrics

Considering an industrial approach, we will see that the design possibilities can be classified into two
large groups, according to the construction of the fabric: Weft-knitted fabrics and warp-knitted
fabrics. The characteristics of the products obtained and the production equipment used are
different.
CIRCULAR KNIT FABRIC : knitted fabric made on a circular machine formed by a cylinder; by
cylinder and plate or by two cylinders.

SINGLE KNIT FABRIC : Weft knit fabric that is made on looms that have a single set of needles;
meshes are observed on the beam, but not on the other side.

WEFT KNIT FABRIC : the mesh is interwoven across the width of the fabric, that is, in the direction
of the weft.

WARP KNIT FABRIC : the mesh is interlaced in the longitudinal or warp direction.

The following fabrics are warp knitted fabrics:

Charmeuse
Charmeuse is a double-sided warp knitted fabric, in which the stitch is worked in such a way that
on one side it generates a smooth surface and on the other a grainy surface. Charmeuse is used in
the production of light clothing: silk pajamas, women's underwear, ties, corsetry, wedding dresses
and evening dresses, among others.

Raschel Lace

Raschel lace is a simple warp fabric to produce with these machines, making it economical
compared to manually crocheted lace. Raschel knitting machines produce both flat and tubular
warp-knit fabrics, which resemble crochet and lace fabrics. Raschel lace is intended for lingerie and
corsetry and for decorating outer garments, while crochet lace is for decorative items and crafts.

Lace
The lace is a warp knitted fabric made by Raschel, which preserves a design of the Valencian style,
a type of French bobbin lace (artisanal), which is characterized by the rhombus mesh background,
and floral drawings. In reality, the lace is one of the fabrics, intended to finish the edge of the
garments, and the interlace is a similar one that is used to join two fabrics.

Adhesive interlining

Adhesive interlining is a warp knitted fabric that has the characteristic of having a thermoadhesive
on one of its sides (thousand points), to facilitate adhesion to a fabric. These are used, as their
name indicates, between two fabrics and their function is to provide padding and solidity.

Marquisette
The warp knitted fabric called marquisette is a very light, open mesh fabric, with the appearance
of a flat fabric. They look so similar that it is difficult to differentiate them when a garment is
made. It is made with very fine threads of cotton, silk or synthetic fibers. It is used for veils in
clothing and for light and transparent curtains.

Raschel openwork
Openwork Raschel is a variant of a basic Raschel fabric where the combination of comb threading
and needle jumping is performed, achieving very precise and varied openwork. It is used both for
clothing, where there must be high transparency, and for accessories and decorative items.

Tulle
The warp knitted fabric called tulle is the best known of the entire series of fabrics with
transparencies made on a Raschel machine. It is characteristic for the type of design of its meshes,
which form octagons along its entire length. It has two notable characteristics: light and rigid. It is
excellent for the base of embroidery that will enhance a wedding or evening dress. When it is not
intervened, it is used like the well-known bridal veil.

Velor
The warp knitted fabric called velor has a distinctive characteristic: it has one side with mesh and
the other with a velvety appearance. To achieve this, the Raschel machine is equipped with three
sets of combs. It has a wide range of applications such as: dresses, leisure equipment especially for
children, jackets, wallets, shoes, clothing accessories and decoration.

Basic ligaments
The basic ligaments of weft knitted fabrics are characterized by having only the basic unit of the
fabric, which is the mesh. They are: jersey, rib, interlock and link-link.

sweater
The jersey ligament is also called the right/reverse ligament or smooth stitch, because it presents a
smooth and uniform surface on the face with the appearance of a succession of v generated by the
sides of the stitches that appear uninterrupted in all the columns, and therefore a rough surface on
the inside, formed by the arches and feet of the tights, which are usually called worms.
The main characteristics of this design are that the front and back of the fabric are very
recognizable, its ease of stretching both vertically and horizontally, its fineness and its low weight.

Rib
The rib weave is obtained on a circular or rectilinear double-needle machine. In the same pass, knit
stitches (from one stitch) and purl stitches (from the other stitch) are formed. Then a fabric is
formed that has some columns with knit stitches and other columns with purl stitches, so an
appearance of channels or ribs appears. According to the arrangement of the needles, the designer
can produce a series of variants in the width of the cord and/or the separation between them,
obtaining variants called rib 1x1, rib 2x2, etc.
Other names for this fabric with two equal faces are right/straight or also ribbed. The characteristics
of the rib fabric are its ease of cutting and making garments, because it does not curve because it is
offset and it stretches widthwise. It is generally used in collars, collars, cuffs, etc.
A variant of the rib is the Morley fabric, which has the same weave but with different needle
arrangements, which allows obtaining a looser and more elastic fabric than the different types of
ribs.
Interlock
The interlock weave is also called "all needles" and is made on a double-needle machine, with the
needles of both facing each other and alternately making a pass of stitches on the even needles and
the next pass of stitches is done on the odd needles. Here the rib ligament is woven twice at the
same time. Within the variety of weft knitted fabrics, this one stands out for its texture, tightness
and comfort.
Its main characteristic is that the meshes are compensated from the structure, making it more
stable and firm than jersey fabric and has less elongation than it.

Links-Links
The links-links weave produces fabrics whose two sides look like the wrong side of the sweater,
which is why it is sometimes called: inside-out. It is characterized by alternating a row of knit
stitches with a row of purl stitches horizontally). But also in the columns knit stitches and purl
stitches appear alternately (vertically). To produce fabrics with links-links weave, special machines
with two cylinder-over-cylinder textures and double hook needles are used, which move from one
texture to another.
The links-links ligament has the characteristic of being very elastic in a vertical direction, which is
why it is widely used in baby clothing.

derived ligaments
The ligaments derived from weft knitting are those that contain the so-called loaded and floating
meshes. The best known are:

English Point
This ligament is made with double stitching, one front and one back. In one pass it knits in the front
stitch and makes loaded stitch in the back stitch and in the next pass the opposite happens. Allows a
good number of variations.

Perle Point
Also known as "middle English." In one pass she forms a mesh in the front stitching and in the back
she makes a loaded mesh and in the next pass she knits ribb weave.

Pique
In the piqué knit weave, which is also known as "false rib", simple tights are combined with loaded
tights. In fabrics with piqué weave, the formation of stable and very comfortable structures for the
user is achieved. This combination of loaded mesh with simple mesh, alternately or at regular
intervals, generates a regular texture in the fabric, forming reliefs and particular effects on the
surface of the fabric. An interesting feature is the variety of effects obtained by designing variants in
mesh combinations. Thus, fabrics known as single, double, crossed, pearl and mini piqué are sold.

NON-WOVEN FABRICS:
"Nonwoven fabric is a sheet of fibers of continuous filaments or cut yarns, of any nature or origin,
which formed a network by any means, and are joined together by any means, with the exception
of flat weaving or knitting." Nonwoven fabric is defined in this way by the ISO standard 9092 and
CEN EN 29092, and is accepted worldwide.

History of nonwoven fabrics

The first record of a nonwoven genre is in Greek mythology, with the golden fleece, in the legend
of Jason and the Argonauts. It was a veil of very special wool fibers that marked the beginning of a
textile article as a product of a literary fantasy. Then in real life, the mechanically felted lambswool
veil served as a man's coat for a long period of time.
Later in time, the Chinese with the mulberry liber (layer between the bark and the wood of the
tree), and the Egyptians with the papyrus plant, made cloaks of intertwined fibers, obtaining a
non-woven sheet.

In the first century of the Christian era, the existence of paper made from raffia, hemp and rag
fibers is documented.

In 800 AD the Chinese used clothing and paper handkerchiefs, but it was not until 1400 AD, the
development by the Germans of a machine to make paper pulp, with which the use began to
become widespread and production increased significantly.
Around 1850, several patents were registered in the USA and Great Britain for the consolidation of
fibrous webs with the use of glue, constituting the basis of the nonwoven manufacturing process
by chemical binding.
In 1936 the company "Freudemberg" in Germany obtained a patent for the aerodynamic
arrangement of the fibers in the veil.
In 1938 the method of impregnating the veil with chemical foam was implemented.
In 1942 Freudemberg once again marks a new milestone, with the patent for glued veils in layers.
The use of mixed veils is also developed, improving the performance of the products in terms of
swelling and thermoplasticity.
In 1948, the American Viscose Corp firm used for the first time a combined product of perforated
veils and thermoplastic fibers.
In 1955, metallized nonwoven fabrics, insulating nonwovens for pillow fillings that are warmer and
lighter than wool, and nonwoven fabrics made of reinforced glass fibers appeared for technical
purposes in the USA.
In 1960, patents were requested in Europe and America for the manufacture of nonwoven fabrics
by fusion.
From this time until the present, nonwoven fabrics have not stopped growing in production
volume and technological innovations, which allow the obtaining of specific products for the most
diverse sectors of the industry in general.

In the case of non-woven fabrics, the designer is required to previously create the design, to
identify which group of materials their project falls into, this will indicate what the final uses are,
the particular requirements and the durability or life time. usefulness of the product.

In this way we can establish three main types of nonwoven fabrics. The first is disposable items,
the second is low-performance (or economical) and the third is high-performance, also called
functional.
DISPOSABLE
The basis that supports these textile products is competitiveness, for which they must be very
cheap and it is inconceivable to increase their price with expensive refinement operations. For
disposable nonwoven fabrics, the field of action for the textile designer is very limited.

LOW PERFORMANCE
Nonwoven fabrics in this group are intended to replace traditional woven materials. In this case,
the main advantage of nonwoven fabric is the price. And although finishing procedures cannot
significantly increase costs, for this group they are necessary, since the nonwoven fabric must
compete with the traditional article in the most similar way possible in terms of presentation and
final characteristics. .

HIGH PERFORMANCE
High-performance (or functional) nonwoven fabrics allow textile designers to design and create
new items that meet new needs or trends. Here the low price is not the key to success, but rather
a more elaborate finish, which responds to certain needs and where there is no price competition.
As an example, we can mention the Alcantara fabric (registered trademark of Alcantara Spa Milan,
Italy), a non-woven fabric that perfectly imitates a leather suede, with a high degree of innovation
and characteristic features.
Finishing and dyeing are of capital importance, since these are items that require a functional
(finishing) and aesthetic (dyeing/printing) contribution. Textile designers must keep in mind,
however, that technical problems and certain limitations may arise that prevent the application of
certain traditional dyeing and finishing treatments, for example due to the chemical composition
of the binder-fiber complex, or due to a mechanical structure of the textile material. whose
resistance may be relatively weak to the stresses required by certain treatments.

Types of design in nonwoven fabrics

From the point of view of a textile designer, we have seen that the application possibilities of a
design must be approached from the perspective of ennoblement, which are those treatments
that give the material a set of aesthetic properties such as: color, touch, shine and of functional
properties such as fireproofing, waterproofing, anti-rot, etc. The designer must take into account
that in nonwoven fabrics, these treatments are more limited than in woven fabrics. On the other
hand, the appearance of the nonwoven will depend on the manufacturing method since its
structure and surface is variable between them. On the page: nonwoven fabric production
methods, each of them are developed in detail, so here we limit ourselves to briefly describing
them for a better understanding of the information provided on this page.

There are three main methods for the production of nonwoven fabrics: dry method, wet method
and melt method.

Wet production
The fibers used to construct the blanket are suspended in an aqueous medium, to which
thermoplastic fibers and/or adhesives are usually added that make the fibers stick together. The
fibers accumulate on a sieved conveyor belt, where water drains and the fibrous mass is
dehydrated. When the thermoplastic fibers have been incorporated, the formed blanket is passed
through a calender where it is subjected to high pressure and temperature, which causes the
fusion of the thermoplastic fibers with the rest of the fibers, reinforced by the glue that is present.

Dry production
In the dry production process, the fibers are processed through a card, obtaining a thin sheet of
fibers called a "veil" made up of parallel fibers with a weak intertwining with each other. The fibers
are deposited on a fabric or steel mesh and directed to a calender, where the cylinders of the
calender have hot geometric figures, which when they come into contact with the veil, melt the
fibers until they stick together.

Production via fusion

It consists of making the blanket from chips of thermoplastic material that is extruded, producing
continuous filaments that are dropped onto a belt that transports them to the next process where
they adhere to each other. The most common variants of this method are: spun bond, melt bond
and SMS (Spunbonding- Meltblown- Spunbonding).

Uses and characteristics of nonwoven fabrics

Below we will see the most important applications for nonwoven fabrics and the methods with
which they were produced in each case.

PRODUCTS FOR PERSONAL HYGIENE

The main market is for modern disposable absorbent hygiene products (known by the acronym
AHP). These products are led by three sectors: baby diapers, feminine hygiene and diapers for
seniors. Some examples:

·.Internal and external cover of baby diapers.

·.Ultra-thin baby diaper centers.
·.Baby diaper ear cover.
·.Feminine intimate hygiene products.
·.Wet and dry beauty towels (wipes)
·.Products for incontinence for older adults.
·.General hygiene absorbent cores.
...image: www.preo.it

Outstanding features: super-absorption, softness, softness, leak prevention, strength and

protection.
Production technologies: airlaid, dry process, spunmelt, SMS and spunbond.
Product category: disposable.

FLAT WEAVE
It is a fabric formed by two main threads, WARP (OR FOOT) AND WEFT; The warp refers to the
vertical thread and the weft refers to the horizontal thread that forms the fabric.
History of flat weaving:
Before the arrival of machines , spinning was done by hand with the spindle and the spinning wheel,
which consisted of a rod on which a portion (called a codend) of the fiber that was going to be spun
was fixed. The spinning wheel was held in the left hand or clipped to the belt. The spindle was a
smaller piece of approximately conical shape, which was rotated with the right hand, wrapping the
thread around it as it was twisted. Around the 13th and 14th centuries, spinning wheels were
introduced to Europe from India , which were an improvement over spinning wheels. In the spinning
wheel , the spindle, situated horizontally, is rotated by a wheel driven by a pedal, and produces a
single thread. To obtain a very fine thread, two yarns are necessary. In many developing countries,
hand spinning is still the main method used.

Spinning wheel
The spinning wheel, developed in India around 500 BC, was used until about 200 years ago, when it
was largely replaced by industrial machines. The lathe produces a fine and homogeneous thread by
maintaining a constant tension and a high speed .
The cotton industry suffered a revolution in Great Britain with the appearance of mechanical
spinning machines: the so-called spinning jenny , invented in 1764 by James Hargreaves, the roller
machine invented in (1769) by Richard Arkwright or the “spinning mule” developed in 1779 by
Samuel Crompton. The spinning jenny allowed several threads to be spun at the same time , and the
roller machine incorporated a system to stretch them. In the “mule”, the spindles were located on a
moving frame to reduce the tension of spinning with rollers, allowing finer yarns to be produced.
Although these processes are totally outdated today, except for a few “mules” that still operate, the
general principles of cotton spinning today are quite similar, and also involve the processes of
opening, carding and combing, drawing, twisting and spinning. With synthetic fibers, spinning mills
initially tended to use the machinery they already had. If they were cotton spinning mills, they used
cotton spinning machines, which required that the synthetic fibers be supplied in a length
compatible with these machines.
In recent years there have been numerous improvements in spinning machinery to respond to the
diversification brought about by the development of many new types of synthetic fibres, and there
are currently spinning machines that can only be used with synthetic fibres.

The flat weave is divided into Taffeta, Twill and Satin.

PLAIN TAFFETA (TAFFETA)

This word is probably derived from the Persian tafha, which means
"turn." The basic weaving method, in which each warp thread is
intertwined with the weft thread, is called plain or plain weave.
Some examples of these fabrics are: linen, chambray, cambric, blanket,
muslin, crepe, musina, veil and percel among others.
 SARGAS OR CROSSED

Cross weaving is characterized by very marked diagonal lines produced

by interlacing two warp threads with one weft thread in alternating
rows. This type of fabric provides the fabric with great resistance,
useful for work garments.

SATIN OR SATIN
The word satin is derived from the Chinese port of Chüanchow,
formerly called Zaytun, from where this type of fabric began to be
exported in the Middle Ages.

Satins have a denser texture than cross-woven fabrics, their main

characteristic being softness, which is achieved at the expense of
resistance. The smooth surface of satin weave is achieved by passing
the warp threads over a few weft threads, with minimal interlacing;
The exposure of light to the free threads produces their particular shine.
In a weft satin, the weft threads are passed over a few warp threads. As the weft threads are
normally less resistant than the warp threads, satin fabrics are weaker to abrasion, but despite this
they are very beautiful fabrics.
Some examples of these fabrics are: Crepe, angel skin, satin and damask.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FLAT WEAVE

1. The selvedge always runs along the length of the fabric (warp), it is that edge it has so that it
does not unravel in the roll.
2. Most fabrics stretch less in the warp direction.
3. The threads of the fabric in the warp direction are straighter and have fewer waves.

FLAT WEAVING PROCESS

The production process follows the following stages:
1. COURT
The cutting of the fabric and lining is carried out on a table. According to the model, the
fabric and lining are previously measured
2. FUSION
Once the fabric has been molded, it passes through the fusion machine to give body and
drape to the garment. A temperature of 169º C is used.
3. MAKING
It consists of assembling the garments in batches to obtain the final product. There are 29
knitting machines, of which 18 are automatic (producing 500 stitches per minute) and 11 are
mechanical (2800 stitches per minute).
4. STORAGE
All garments are finally bagged, registered and passed to the finished product warehouse.
EXAMPLES OF FLAT FABRICS:

Poplin: It is the most used fabric in shirting. Fine and regular threads are used, simply tied together.

TRENCH COAT

Cotton twill fabric or with a cotton and warp weft, which is visible producing an effect with diagonal
stripes. The gabardine type can have various thicknesses and can be made of natural or artificial
fibers. It has been used since the 19th century for suits, coats, dresses, skirts and pants.

SUEDE

Fine, short wool fabric with felted taffeta weave and brushed on both sides, very fluffy and flexible,
yellowish in color. Cotton is also used to make a fabric called suede, which is thinner and is used to
make household cleaning items.

GAUZE

The name probably comes from the Palestinian city of Gaza. It is a very light and transparent silk
fabric with an open weave. Widely used as decoration since the 19th century. Cotton gauze is also
manufactured, which is very dense and is used for decorations and mosquito nets. In all its
compositions it is ideal for making curtains. Chiffon is also obtained from nylon silk or viscose. It will
be washed carefully following the manufacturer's instructions. It should not be wrung out and
ironed at a low temperature, when it is almost dry.

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COMPILATION PREPARED BY: FANNY MARGARITA RODRÍGUEZ MARÍN

Industrial Clothing Instructor - SENA