The Effect of Fibre Composition and Washing Conditions upon Hand Properties of Knitted Materials

The behaviour of knitted plated jersey materials made from natural and man-made fibres was tested after certain washing conditions. Surface density and thickness of investigated materials differed insignificantly, from 206 g/m2 up to 222 g/m2 and from 0.56 mm up to 0.79 mm, respectively. Special device for textile materials hand evaluation based on the principle of pulling of a disc-shaped specimen through a rounded hole was used. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of materials’ fibre composition and washing conditions upon the changes of hand properties of knitted materials. Analysis of obtained results showed that, during washing, textile materials shrink and become more dense and rough, and their rigidity increases as well. Thus, the most significant effect of 5-cycle washing was obtained for knitted material with bamboo fibres.