What is TESTING

?
IMPORTANCE OF TESTING
• Research and development to enable new and desirable textile products to be
produced.
• Product performance and evaluation to determine if the fabric is suitable for the
intended end use.
• Quality control to ensure that the fabric will be made properly and efficiently.
Thus claims and returns will be minimized.
• Problem analysis to determine why a fabric or textile product is not performing
as desired
• Product comparison to determine which material would be the better value and
to prevent wasteful buying.
• Proper advertising to enable ads to be truthful and not misleading or false
• Adherence to government regulations so that the textile product can be sold
without violating any laws.
• TEXTILE TESTING
• It is used to determine whether or not a product complies with or performs in a
specified manner in relation to a standard or other requirement.
MINIMISE the RISKS to all parties in supply
chain
from
Yarn and Fabric producers
to
High - End Retailer & the End
User .
CONFIRMS the quality of textile merchandise ,

at any point
in the production chain & REDUCES costly mistakes
 Testing
1a PROCESS
2
not

an ACTIVITY

3 4
 Testing Standards
Country Standard
U.S.A. AATCC, ASTM
Canada CAN
Australia AS
Japan JIS
Germany DIN
U.K. BS
Europe EN
India IS
International ISO

Different Markets have

different testing requirements
International Standards for
Textile Testing
• AATCC - American Association of Textile
Chemists and Colorists
• ASTM - American Society for Testing and
Materials
• ISO - International Organization for
Standardization
• BS - British standards
• DIN - Deutsches Institut fur Normung
• CAN - Canadian Norms
• JIS - Japanese Industrial Standards
• EN - European Norms
Sample Conditioning

Standard atmosphere
Because of the important changes that occur
in textile properties as the moisture contest
changes, it is necessary to specify the
atmospheric conditions in which any testing is
carried out.
Therefore a standard atmosphere has been
agreed for testing purposes and is defined as a
relative humidity of 65% and a temperature of
200 C.
For practical purposes certain tolerances in
these values are allowed so that the testing
atmosphere is RH 65%+ 2%, 20 + 20 C.
 Some Basic Tests
done on Apparels &
Textiles
 PERFORMANCE
 C.F. to washing, rubbing

 C.F. to light, Ozone

 Dimensional stability to washing/drycleaning.

 Skewness

 Abrasion and Pilling

 TESTS
Construction Analysis

 Yarn Count
 Construction
 Fabric Weight
 Fabric Thickness
 Fabric Width
 Yarn Twist
 Colorfastness Tests

Colorfastness to
 Washing
 Drycleaning
 Rubbing
 Light
 Perspiration
 Sea water
 Chlorine Bleach
 Non Chlorine Bleach
 Chlorinated pool water
Strength Tests

 Tensile Strength
 Tear Strength
 Seam Strength
 Seam Slippage
 Bursting Strength
 Button Pull Strength
 Zipper Strength
 Performance Tests
 Abrasion Resistance
 Pilling Resistance
 Wrinkle Recovery
 Crease Recovery
 Water Repellency
 Flammability
 Wicking Tests
Performance after Washing / Drycleaning

 Dimensional Stability
 Appearance after Washing
 Spirality
 Print Durability/Motif Durability
 Care label Verification
 Care Label Recommendation
 Fabric weight
• Fabric weight is the mass per unit area.
• It is also important in order to determine
whether the cloth is suitable for a specific
end use.
• Fabric weight is an expression of several
measurements taken at random over the
fabric and averaged.
 Fabric weight
• The standard measurement for weight and
quality of fabrics is grams per square
meter, usually abbreviated as GSM.
• This is the accepted standard in the United
States as well as in foreign countries.
 Gram per square metre in fabrics

• It may be expressed as the weight of a

particular size piece, such as grams per
square meter or ounces per square yard
(The weight of a piece of fabric 36 inches
by 36 inches).
• The instrument used to determine the GSM of the
fabrics is called the sample cutter for GSM.
• It is a device to cut circular specimens of 100 square
cm of a fabric very accurately. It has four blades that
cut the fabric when the hand wheel is rotated by
applying slight pressure on it.
• The operator cuts the sample specimen which is
100th of a metre. When the same is weighed on a
digital balance having a 0.01 gms sensitivity.
• The value in grams multiplied by 100 straight away
gives the GSM of the fabric.
 Range of fabric weights
Type Grams per square Examples of End Uses
meter

Very lightweight Less than 25 Curtains, sheer blouse,

gauze, mosquito netting
Lightweight (Top- 50-95 Lining, summer dress, skirt
weight fabrics) or blouse, summer
pajamas
Medium weight 120-170 Summer suit, slacks,
(Bottom-weight fabrics) tablecloth, lightweight
jacket
Heavyweight 215-260 Lightweight coat, winter
suit, working clothes,
toweling
Very heavyweight Over 350 Winter coat, heavy
sweater, heavy canvas
 Fabric Thickness
Fabric Thickness is the distance between the upper and
lower surfaces of the material.
It is measured using a thickness tester.
Various properties like warmth and bulk are dependent
on fabric thickness.
Thicker fabrics generally entrap more air within the fabric
structure, creating a thicker shield between the skin
and the environment, thereby providing more warmth.
Thickness is also important in determining settings to be
used on sewing machines and calculating the number
of fabric layers (plies) that can be cut one time by the
garment manufacturer.
Thickness gauge
 Pilling
Pilling is a fabric surface defect characterized by little fiber balls
clinging to a cloth surface and giving a garment an unsightly
appearance.
Pilling propensity is the tendency of pills to form on a surface.
These fiber balls or ‘pills’ are formed during wear and washing by
the entanglement of loose fibers that protrude from a fabric
surface.
Pills occur only when there is rubbing or abrasive action on the
surface of fabric – collar, cuff, side and back pockets of trousers,
etc.
This action occurs during normal wear and also while clothes are in
a dryer.
Fibers such as wool, polyester, nylon and acrylic have a tendency to
pill.
 Pilling
Factors affecting the pilling of fabric:
Pills result from abrasion, when fiber ends or other fiber debris get broken away from the
surface, but becomes entangled with fibers that are still attached to the material.
Pilling is most common with spun yarn fabrics but some filament yarn fabrics that have
received excessive wear also exhibit pilling.
Pills are most likely to form when fibers with good flex abrasion resistance are combined
with fibers of poorer flex abrasion resistance, as in polyester/cotton blends.
Loose weaves,
Low twist yarns,
Single yarns,
Shorter staple fibers (due to friction and entanglement) can lead to pilling.
To minimize pilling, compact weaves, high twist yarns or plied yarns and longer staple
fibers are required.
 Pilling
• The resistance to pilling by a particular fabric will vary with the conditions of actual use as
well as the way in which the individual wears the garment.
• The pills are more noticeable when the degree of color contrast with the fabric is great.
• Lint pills are usually more noticeable than regular pills.
• Evaluation of pilling propensity should be made, taking into account the size, number, and
visibility of the pills, as well as the type and degree of other surface change (e.g. amount of
fuzz and color change).
• Usually the pilling specimens are rated by comparing them to actual samples or
photographs showing a range of pilling effects.
• Pilling ratings are as follows:
• Class 5: no pilling
• Class 4: slight pilling
• Class 3: noticeable pilling
• Class 2: considerable pilling
• Class 1: severe pilling

Devices most used for this test are the Random-Tumble Pilling tester, the Brush- Pilling
tester, and the Martindale tester.
 Pilling
Martindale tester
Fabrics are mounted on Martindale tester and the face of the
test specimen is rubbed against the face of the same
mounted fabrics in the form of a geometrical figure.
After the test, the specimen is first evaluated for pilling by
comparison of the tested specimen with visual standards that
may be actual fabrics or photographs of fabrics - usually on a
pilling scale of 1 to 5 (Class 1: very severe pilling; Class 5: no
pilling).
The surface appearance is also evaluated for both color change
and fuzz (untangled fiber ends projecting from a fabric
surface).
Martindale Abrasion Tester
 Random Tumble Method
Principle:
Pills are formed on the fabric by random rubbing action produced by
tumbling specimens in a cylindrical test chamber lined with a cork lining
& subjected to compressed air pressure.

To form pills which are close in appearance to those formed

during actual wear, small amount of short length gray cotton
fibers are added to each test chamber with the test specimens.

The degree of fabric pilling is evaluated by comparison of tested

specimen with standard photographs.
 Gray sliver - weigh 25 mg

All 3 samples and weighed

gray sliver in test chamber Test Chamber with cork
liner
Atlas Random Tumble
Pilling machine
 ICI Pilling Box
Method
Principle :
Specimen are mounted on polyurethane tubes and tumbled
randomly in a cork-lined box at a constant rotational speed.
Fuzzing and pilling is assessed visually after a defined period of
tumbling.
Any special treatment of the test specimen i.e. washing,
drycleaning, has to be agreed upon and shall be stated in the test
report.
ICI PILL BOX
 Pilling - Visual assessment

5 - No Visual Change
4 - Slight surface fuzzing and/ or partially formed pills.
3 - Moderate surface fuzzing/or moderate pilling.
(Pills of varying size and density partially covering the
specimen)
2 - Distinct surface fuzzing and/ or distinct pilling.
(Pills of varying size and density covering a large
proportion of specimen.)
1 - Dense surface fuzzing and / or severe pilling.
(Pills of varying size and density covering the whole of the
specimen.)
 Abrasion resistance
It is the resistance to the wearing away of any part of a material when it is
rubbed against another material.
Abrasive wear is caused by one or more of the following conditions:
1. Friction between cloth and cloth
2. Friction between the cloth and external objects
3. Friction between the fibers and dust, in a fabric that results in the cutting
of the fibers.
Test methods:
1. Inflated diaphragm method
2. Flexing and abrasion method
3. Oscillatory cylinder method
4. Rotary platform method
5. Edge and fold abrasion method
 Abrasion resistance
Factors affecting the abrasion resistance of fabric
Abrasion occurs to fibers held under tension in the fabric or product. Breakdown occurs
as a result of abrasion as transverse cracks appear on the fiber. The performance
is related to type of abrasion in terms of direction and pressure, the type of
abrading material (fabric, skin, concrete, or other material), and the condition of the
fabric, such as the amount of tension on the fabric and whether the material is wet
or dry.
Abrasion occurs during wear or use and during agitation in cleaning. Abrasion with a lot
of pressure may distort the fabric, causing fibers or yarns to be pulled to the
surface, or remove fiber ends from the surface of a napped fabric.
The factors that produce an abrasion-resistant fabric include smooth surface, tightly
twisted yarns if spun, heavier yarns, and higher yarns per inch.
 Abrasion resistance
Martindale Abrasion Tester
• The Martindale Abrasion Tester is designed to
determine the abrasion resistance of all types of
fabrics, including woven, non-woven, and knit
apparel fabrics, household fabrics, industrial
fabrics, and floor coverings.
Martindale Abrasion Tester
 Martindale Abrasion Tester

Method of assessment:
Two approaches are used to assess the effect of
abrasion:
• Abrade the sample until a predetermined end
point such as a hole, and record the time or
number of cycles to do this.
• Abrade for a set time or number of cycle and
assess some aspect of the abraded fabric such
as change in appearance, loss of mass
 Martindale abrasion tester
Principle
• In this test, circular specimen are abraded under
known pressure on an apparatus, which gives a
motion that is the resultant of two simple
harmonic motion at right angles to one another.
• The fabric under test is abraded against a
standard fabric.
• Resistance to abrasion is estimated by visual
appearance or by loss in mass of the specimen.
Martindale abrasion tester
Method
• Four specimens each 38 mm in diameter are cut using the
appropriate cutter.
• They are then mounted in the specimen holders with a circle
of standard foam behind the fabric being tested.
• The test specimen holders are mounted on the machine with
the fabric under test next to the abradant.
• A spindle is inserted through the top plate and the correct weight
(usually of a size to give a pressure of 12kPa) is placed on top of
this.
• When machine starts, motion plate starts rotating, because of this
movement the fabric is rubbed against the fabric surface in
harmonic pattern.
• End point: End point is determined either by visual examination.
• The loss in weight is plotted against the number of cycles and the
graph is analyzed.
 Abrasion resistance
Evaluation of the resistance may be based on any of the following
criteria:
1. Number of rubs or revolutions required to wear a hole in the specimen
2. The specimen is subjected to a certain number of rubs or revolutions,
and then one of the following is evaluated:
a) Overall appearance, loss in color or shade, signs of damaged yarns,
fibers, and so on.
b) Loss in the breaking strength of the specimen.
c) Loss in the weight of the specimen.
d) Decrease in the thickness of the specimen.
e) Change in the air permeability of the specimen.
 Fabric thickness
• Fabric thickness is the distance between face and
backside of the fabric. It is measured under specific
pressure. Blankets, pile fabrics, felt and carpets are
normally measured for thickness.
• Thickness is also important in determining settings to
be used on sewing machines and to estimate the
number of fabric layers that can be cut at one time by
the garment manufacturer.
• Fabric thickness is usually measured in thousandth of
an inch. Thickness is normally measured in different
places randomly and the average is to be taken.
• The instrument used to measure the thickness is
called the fabric thickness gauge.
FABRIC BREAKING STRENGTH
• The breaking strength of the material is the
maximum force needed to resist rupture during
the tensile strength.
• Maximum tensile strength of a specimen is
expressed as force per unit of cross sectional
area required to produce rupture. (kg/cm 2 or lbs/
inch2)
FABRIC BREAKING STRENGTH
• Breaking test is one directional test and is suitable for
woven fabrics.
• The breaking strength is to be evaluated in both warp
and the filling directions.
• This test can be used to determine the effects of
destructive forces on a woven fabric.
• This force includes such finishes as embossing, napping
& resin treatments.
• The breaking strength test is performed on most woven,
non woven and felted fabrics. It is not recommended for
knitted material since they elongate easily, with the
specimen becoming distorted.
• This test can be performed with either wet or dry
condition
 Strength properties of apparel
Breaking strength:
To measure the breaking strength, there are three
tests that may be used, as follows:
1. Grab
2. Raveled-strip
3. Cut-strip
The Cut-strip method (in which specimens are cut to an
exact 1-inch width) is generally used only for coated
fabrics, and the Raveled-strip is used only on uncoated
fabrics.
The grab test, which is in widest use, is applicable for
coated and uncoated fabrics; however, it is primarily
used for uncoated material.
 Strength properties of apparel
Cut strip method is identical to the raveled-strip technique
with one exception: the test specimens are cut one inch
in width; no raveling of the sample is necessary. (since
this technique is used for coated or heavily sized
fabrics, raveling of the fabric is not required).
 Strength properties of apparel
2. Tearing strength – Elmendorf Tear tester
• This test method determines the tear force required to propagate a single-
rip tear of defined length from a cut in the fabric when a sudden force is
applied.
• It is a unidirectional test like breaking strength test; it is performed in both
the warp and weft directions.
• It is performed on woven fabrics and nonwoven materials. It is particularly
important in industrial fabrics that are exposed to rough handling in use
such as tents and sacks and also those where propagation of a tear
would be catastrophic such as parachutes.
• Outdoor clothing, overalls and uniforms are types of clothing where
tearing strength is of importance.
• In general the test is not applicable to knitted fabrics and woven elastic
fabrics.
2. Tearing strength – Elmendorf Tear tester
Principle:
• The force required to continue a slit previously cut in a
fabric is determined by measuring the work done in tearing
the fabric through a fixed distance.
• Tearing strength is expressed either in pounds or grams.
Fabric having a plain weave and a high number of yarns per
inch will tend to exhibit lower tearing strength since the
yarn cannot move into bunches.
Whereas in twill and satin weave the yarn would shift and
bunch together from the tearing force being exerted.
 Strength properties of apparel
3. Bursting Strength
All yarns or areas are tested simultaneously for the
weakest point because the testing force is applied
radially and not in one direction, as in breaking or
tearing strength tests.
Fabrics tested in this manner are either those that do
not have yarns or those in which the yarns are not in
any given direction. (eg. Knits, felt, nonwoven, lace,
netting).
Elongation cannot be determined with these
procedures.
Bursting Strength is expressed in pounds and is an
average of the tests.
 Strength properties of apparel
3. Bursting Strength
Two Methods:
• Diaphragm Bursting Method
• Ball Bursting Method

Diaphragm Bursting Method

 Strength properties of apparel
3. Bursting Strength
Distending force which is applied at right angles to the
plane of the fabric, under specified conditions, which
will result in the rupture of a textile.
This test is used to determine the resistance of textile
materials to bursting using Hydraulic Diaphragm
bursting tester - Applicable to wide variety of textile
products.
The area of sample of fabric to test is clamped over an
rubber diaphragm by means of a flat annular clamping
ring, and an increasing fluid pressure is applied to the
underside of the diaphragm until the specimen bursts.
Diaphragm Bursting