What is Textile Testing?
Textile testing is the method or series of methods carried out to find the quality of a textile raw material or a final product. In the case of textiles, the product could be yarn, fabrics, and so on. Textile testing starts from fibers to the final product plays a key role in making and achieving the required properties of a textile product. Moreover, the characterization of textiles by various textile testing techniques enables to optimize the textile manufacturing process. Textile testing is a costly and time-consuming operation; hence, it must add some benefits to the process of preparation, and the quality of the final product must be enhanced.
Objectives of Textile Testing:
The primary objective of textile testing is to assess the product properties and predict its performance during use. For a manufacturer, the two main purposes of testing are to check the quality of his inputs and his outputs. The information obtained from textile testing may be used for the following purposes:
- Research and development
- Selection of raw materials/inputs
- Process development
- Process control
- Quality control
- Product testing
- Product failure analysis
- Comparative testing and benchmarking
- Conformity with government regulations and specifications
The two main purposes of textile testing are quality control during manufacturing and certification involving third-party testing. Outputs of textile testing is also a key element for the manufacturer to ensure that he is in the desired bracket of performance/cost ratio. Indeed, it is critical for him to maximize his margin of profits by avoiding exceeding the required quality levels. Quality control over outputs is also part of the toolbox in case of disputes with clients. Textile testing is also a powerful driver of technical innovation because it sets new targets for performance.
For the end-user or consumer, textile testing ensures that his expectations in terms of quality, properties, and performance are met by the product.
Textile testing also allows end-users to make an informed selection among the products available. For instance, the standardization of test methods has made comparing different materials/products characteristics possible, while third-party certification guarantees that the product they choose meets the level of performance set by the specification. Some companies have also developed a branding strategy where some unique characteristics or performance are associated with a specific brand.
Principles of Textile Testing:
Textile testing can be performed according to standards or any trustworthily reported practice. Standardized testing provides equality and comparison of the test results and reliability and validity of procedures. Standards determine the conditions in which the testing is performed. Conditions cover, for example, laboratory conditions—temperature and humidity, sampling, apparatus and its functioning, performing the test, and reporting the test results. When using testing according to the particular standard, the results obtained from different laboratories are comparable. It is always important to report the number and the name of the standard and the year of the verification because the same standard may be developed further, and thus the year of verification is necessary to report. Results from different standards are not comparable even if they test the same or nearly the same properties.
In the case of textile testing, the question of atmospheres for conditioning and testing—laboratory conditions—is important. Textiles that absorb moisture and water content within a textile will affect its properties, for example, by increasing the mass (weight) and changing the strength properties. Therefore, testing is performed in a laboratory in which the temperature and humidity remain constant. Standard atmosphere for conditioning and testing is usually a room temperature of 20°C ± 2°C and relative humidity (RH) of 65% ± 4% (ISO 139).
But there are also other conditions, for example, to apply the tropic climate. The proper testing conditions are informed in each standard. The higher the temperature, the more water air can contain. The higher the RH, the greater amount of water the textile can absorb. Before testing, the textile materials must be conditioned in the laboratory. Textiles are placed in the standard laboratory conditions in open baskets so that air can flow through and long enough that the moisture balance has been reached. This takes usually from 12 to 24 h.
Preconditioning may be necessary in cases in which it seems possible that the material would release moisture instead of absorbing it when placed in the standard laboratory conditions. The objective is that in the actual conditioning, textile would absorb moisture, not release it. Thus, preconditioning by drying the textile in the oven (60°C–70°C, RH ≤ 10%) is necessary (ISO 139).
Testing can also be performed in a regular laboratory that does not have an air-conditioner. Such testing is valid, for example, when selecting materials and fabrics within a company and among a chosen batch that has been tested in the same conditions. Unfortunately, the results are not comparable with any other results.
Before testing, it is also important to ensure that sampling is performed according to representative principles. It is not possible to study all the products, not even the whole batch, and therefore sampling must be done. A sample represents the whole textile or material under investigation, and conclusions concerning its properties can be drawn from the sample’s test results. Sampling should be accomplished on a basis of randomness: samples should be taken from different parts of the studied material—along the width and the length of the fabric, for example, from the beginning, middle, and end of the roll of the fabric or the packing of yarn. A sample should be taken far enough from the end of a fabric (1 m) or a yarn, furthermore from a sufficient distance from the selvedges, and faulty areas should be avoided. A sufficient amount of parallel samples should be taken—if the material to be tested is homogenous, fewer samples are required compared to the situation where the material is very uneven. Parallel samples should contain different warp and weft yarns. Detailed instructions for sampling are not only explained in special standards concerning sampling (EN 12751, ISO 1130) but also usually in every testing standard.
Conclusion:
Textile testing ensures the quality, performance, and consistency of textiles and their components. Principles of textile testing not only support industry standards but also promote consumer confidence, safety, and cost-efficiency in textile production and application.
References:
- Textile and Clothing Design Technology Edited by Tom Cassidy and Parikshit Goswami
- Advanced Characterization and Testing of Textiles By Patricia Dolez, Olivier Vermeersch and Valério Izquierdo
- Textile Engineering – An Introduction Edited by Yasir Nawab
- Advanced Textile Testing Techniques Edited by Sheraz Ahmad, Abher Rasheed, Ali Afzal, and Faheem Ahmad.
Editor of Fashion2Apparel. She is a fashion designer and ex-lecturer in Fashion Designing. She wants to spread fashion knowledge throughout the world.
