Behavior of Cellulosic Fibers and Cellulosic Fiber Derivatives in Knitted Fabric Properties

This study investigated the effect of bamboo fiber, which has recently begun to be commonly used in textiles, on some physical properties of knitted fabrics. In order to investigate the difference, the results are compared to that of similar fabrics produced from 100% viscose, 100% cotton and 100% mercerized cotton yarns. Every fabric type was knitted with three levels of loop length and two levels of fabric structure. At the end, fabrics were wet processing and followed the same finishing line. For the measured properties of fabrics, the fabric bursting strength, abrasion resistance, pilling, drapability, color difference, shrinkage and fabric skewness were evaluated. The results show that all the studied properties are dependent of the fiber type and fabric structure. Major findings were that cotton and mercerized cotton knits have better bursting strength and length dimensional stability than knits containing only bamboo or viscose fibers. Knitted fabrics from bamboo yarns tend to pill less and have better drapability. Bamboo knits exhibited superior dyeing absorption and aesthetic level. Single pique knitted fabric structure was found to result in less bursting strength than plain single jersey structure.