Influence of Blending on Properties of Wool-Type Fabrics
Abstract
Wool-type fabrics have special combinations of features arising from the chemical properties of wool (high water adsorbing capacity and low flammability) and also special mechanical properties of elasticity and long-range stretch that are in part chemical, based on their polymeric structure. The distinctive structural feature of wool in fabric form is a randomness of arrangement of the individual fibers. This randomness is found particularly in woolens, where extensive fiber rearrangement is produced in fulling, but it is also found in worsteds, which have the most regular arrangement of fibers of any wool fabric. However, blending wool with other fibers, especially in worsted fabric , usually reduces the randomness of fiber arrangement. This may be desirable for summer clothing but t it is not desirable for cold weather use. In woolens, wool-type characteristics can be more completely retained by design to promote fulling. With respect to the relation of clothing to the physiology of heat balance, the relatively greater thickness and lower density of wool-type structures tend to conserve heat and reduce wicking and the accumulation of moisture. However, the high regain of wool tends to increase the accumulation of moisture and to spread the time required for changes due to moisture passage.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1961
- Accession Number
- AD0260575
Entities
People
- Lyman Fourt