Fabric Testing Flashcards
What is a test for pilling
Abrasion resistance test: pilling is caused by friction of two fabrics rubbing against one another, the fibres rub off or break.
A Martindale abrasion machine is used to test a fabrics resistance.
1. Fabrics are clamped inside discs & weight is applied.
2. Fabric is rubbed against wood or sandpaper to act as an abrasive material.
3. Samples are rubbed in an even pattern and checked regularly to ensure a fair test.
What is a test for crease resistance?
• 20 or more small pieces of fabric 15mm x 40mm are left in standard room conditions for temperature and humidity.
• They are folded in half with a slip of paper inside to prevent sticking and weight applied for 5 minutes
• The sample is applied to a device and the angle of recovery measured after 5 minutes
How do you test for colour fastness?
To test for fastness to light, 2/3 of a sample are covered then exposed to UV light (natural or artificial) for a prolonged time. Samples are compared using a ‘GREY SCALE’.
• When testing washing fastness, a sample is placed between two pieces of white cotton or nylon and washed for 30 minutes before being compared to a Grey Scale.
How to test for tensile strength?
- A sample of fabric is inserted into a machine that pulls the fabric apart with increasing pressure applied at both ends.
- A pen attached to the machine automatically records a graph indicating increasing force until the fabric breaks. The fabric is cut on the straight grain and is 7cm long and 5 wide in general.
How to test for shrink resistance?
• Pre-cut fabric samples are placed into washing machine with pieces of polyester so that the test replicates normal washing conditions.
• Temperatures, type of wash, rinse and spin cycles recorded.
• Samples are line dried, then measured to see the difference.
• you can pre shrink your fabric or you can apply a chemical finish that prevents shrinking
How easy is it for fabric to catch fire?
• A sample of fabric is held in a metal frame and small flame applied.
• Fabric is exposed to a naked flame 6cm from the bottom edge and timed to see how long it takes to set alight.
• Flame touches the fabric for 2 seconds then removed.
• If fabric does not catch fire the exposure time is increased
How far does the flam spread after flame is removed?
• This test is for fabrics with low flammability and measures size of hole burned , whether the flame reaches the sides and duration of afterglow is noted.
How quickly does the flame spread?
• A large sample of fabric is placed on a frame for 10 seconds and three cotton strip threads are attached to timers are placed at regular intervals above the flame.
• Flame is applied beneath the fabric and as each thread snaps the timer is stopped.
