Department of Collegiate and Technical Education

TEXTILE TESTING LABORATORY – II

Course Objectives:

The objective of this course is to make students understand the importance of textile
testing and quality control in textile industry. Students are trained to understand various
methods and instruments used for testing of yarns, fabrics, garments and other
accessories. Students are trained to test the yarns, fabrics, garments, and other accessories
for various properties, and calculate, analyse, compare and draw suitable conclusions.

Experiment – 1

Determination of fabric geometrical properties.

Aim of the experiment: Determination of geomertic parameters of woven

textile fabrics.
Scope:
 It prescribes the methods of testing of fabric for determination of various
geometrical parameters namely, EPI, PPI, Cover factor, Crimp etc.
 The performance of fabric is ultimately related to the end use conditions of a
material.
 Although all agents affect textile performance at the fiber, yarns &fabric level,
emphasis is generally given to fabrics since they represent the largest class of
textiles structures in variety of applications.
Terminology: For the purpose of the test method, the following definitions shall be
used.
Fabric thread density: It is a measure of the coarseness or fineness of fabric. It is
measured by counting the number of threads contained in one square inch of fabric or one
square centimeter,including both warp and weft threads.
Textile testing Laboratory – II (17TXL76)
a)Ends per inch(EPI): The number of warp thread per inch is called ends per inch.
b)Picks per inch(PPI): The number of weft thread per inch is called picks per inch.ss
Yarn count: It is a numerical value which expresses the coarseness or fineness
(diameter) of the yarn and also indicates the relationship between length and weight
(mass per unit length or the length per unit mass) of that yarn.
a)Warp yarn count
b)Weft yarn count
Yarn crimp %: The difference between the straightened length of yarn and the length
of yarn while in the cloth, expressed as percentage of the latter.
a)Warp yarn crimp
b)Weft yarn crimp
Yarn take- up %: Take-up is the deviation from straightness of the yarns as they lie
in the cloth, expressed as percentage of the original length of the yarn before weaving.
a)Warp yarn take-up
b)Weft yarn take-up
Cover factor (kc) : Cover factor is a number that indicates the extent to which the area
of a fabric is covered by one set of threads. For any woven fabric, there are two cover
factors: a warp cover factor and a weft cover factor. Under the cotton system, the cover
factor is the ratio of the number of threads per inch to the square root of the cotton yarn
count.
a)Warp cover factor
b)Weft cover factor
Fractional cover factor : It is the ratio of area covered by the yarns to the total area
of the fabric. If warp yarn diameter is ‘d 1’ inch and spacing between two consecutive ends
is ‘p1’ inch then fractional cover for warp (k1) is d1/p1.
a)Warp fractional cover factor
b)Weft fractional cover factor
Fabric bulk density (dF) : It is the ratio of fabric mass per unit area to the fabric
thickness in cm.
Fabric packing factor (pF) : It repersents the extent of closeness of yarns within
the fabric structure.
Fabric thickness : The distance between top and bottom surface of the fabric under
standard pressure is called fabric thickness. It is normaly measured in millimeters.

Textile testing Laboratory – II (17TXL76)

Fabric Porosity % (P) : Porosity is determined by measuring the total volume of a
fabric and calculating the total volume of fiber in the sample.The difference between
these two values is air space and,when calculated as per cent of the total voulme, gives
the porosity.
Fabric weight : The weight of a fabric depends on the thickness of the threads its
made of the density of the weave.Depending of the system (mertic or imperial), the
wieght will be measured in grams per square meter (g/m2 or gsm) or in ounce per
square yard (oz/y2).
Atmospheric conditions for conditioning and testing:
Prior to test, the fabrics shall be conditioned to moisture equilibrium in standard
atmospheric conditions of 65 + 2 percent relative humidity and 27 + 2oC temperture.
The test shall be carried out in standard atmosphere.

Procedure :
1. Determination of thread density:
 Keep the test sample on a flat table and smoothen it out.
 Place the counting glass on the fabrics in a direction parallel to warp if
weft density is to be determined and parallel to weft if warp density is to
be determined.
 Find the number of warp and weft threads in a specified length as required.
 Following the procedure prescribed in steps 1 to 4, determine the number
of warp and weft threads per inch or centimeter in at least four more
places.
 Calculate the mean of all the values and report it as the number of warp
and weft threads per centimeter or inch of the fabric.
2. Determination of yarn count :
It is determined by using Beesley Balance method. It works on the principle of
fixed weight and fixed length system. It is uesd when the warp and the weft count
of yarns needs to be measured for small piece of fabric.
 The fabric is cut into small lengths with a template depending on the count
system required.
 Yarns are then removed from the specimen.
 Bessley balance consists of a light- weight beam pivoted on jewel bearings
with a hook at one end a pointer at the other end.

Textile testing Laboratory – II (17TXL76)

  The beam is initially levelled to bring the pointer against a datum line.
 A standard weight is suspended in a notch on the beam arm pointer side.
 The total number of yarn lengths required to balance a standard weight on
the beam directly gives the count of yarn.
 Same procedure is followed for weft.
3. Determination of crimp% of yarn:
Crimp is the weaveness of yarn and can be determined using hands. The yarns are
ravelled out from the sample both weft and warp way by using strength length and
fixed length of yarn.
 From the given sample, warp and weft threads are ravelled.
 Fixed length is measured by scale.
 The yarn is gently straightened without stretching and the length is
measured.
 The same procedure is repeated for both warp and weft yarns.
 By using forrmula crimp% and take up% is calculated.
4. Determination fabric cover factor:
For any woven fabric, there are two cover factors: a warp cover factor and a weft
cover factor. Under the cotton system the cover factor is the ratio of the number of
threads per inch to the square root of the cotton yarn count.
5. Determination of fabric weight: The fabric weight is expressed in GSM.
The fabric is taken and weigh on a balance. It can be determined using the formula
and the sample weight is determined by cutting the fabric into 10*10cm.
6. Determination of fabric thickness :
A thickness gague used for meausuring fabric thickness. It can be used to
measure thickness of various types of fabric. For example – woven and knitted
fabric.
 A piece of the fabric is placed on the reference plate of the instrument
ensuring that there are no creases in the fabric.While placing the fabric it
should not be subjected to any streching. The pressure foot is gradually
brought down and after allowing it to rest on the fabric for 30 seconds, the
gauge reading is taken. The thickness is read at 10 different places on the
sample and the mean of these readings is taken as the average measured
thickness of the sample.

Textile testing Laboratory – II (17TXL76)

 Calculations : The fabric geometrical parameters are calculated by using the
following formula :
1. Fabric thread density:
i. Ends per unit length in cm and inches (n1)
EPC = _____ EPC = EPI/2.54
EPI = ______
ii. Picks per unit length in cm and inches (n2)
PPC = ____ PPC= PPI/2.54
PPI = _____
2. Yarn count :
i. Warp yarn count in Ne and Tex
Ne =___ Tex = 590.54/Ne
Tex =___
ii. Weft yarn count in Ne and Tex
Ne =___
Tex =___
3. Yarn crimp % :
C = 100 *(Y-F) / F
Where, C = Yarn crimp %
Y = Average of distance between bench marks on yarn after
removal from fabric and straightend.
F = Average of distances between bench marks on yarn in fabric
i. Crimp in warp yarn = _____ %
ii. Crimp in weft yarn = _____ %
4. Yarn take up % :
t = (Y – F )*100 / Y
Where, t = take up%
Y = Average of distance between bench marks on yarn after removal
from fabric and straightend.
F = Average of distances between bench marks on yarn in fabric
i. Warp yarn take up % = ____
ii. Weft yarn take up % = _____

5. Cover factor (k) :

i. Warp cover factor K1 = n1*square root of T1
Textile testing Laboratory – II (17TXL76)
 = _______
Where, n1 = EPC, T1 = Warp yarn count in Tex
ii. Weft cover factor K2 = n2 * square root of T2
= _______
Where, n2 = PPC,T2 = weft yarn count in Tex
6. Fabric cover factor (Kc):
Kc = ( Kwarp + Kweft ) – Kwarp * Kweft / 28
= __________
Fractional cover factor (warp) = n1 square root of T1 / 266
= ____________
Fractional cover factor (weft) = n2 square root of T2 / 266
= ______________
Fractional cover factor (Kc ) = Kwarp +K weft – (Kwarp* Kweft )
= ___________
7. Fabric bulk density ( d F ) in g / cm3 :
d F = [ M /T ] = ___________
Where, d F = fabric bulk density in g / cm3
M = fabric mass per unit area ( g / sq mt)
T = fabric thickness in cm
8. Fabric packing factor ( p F ) in g / cm3 :
pF=dF/df
= ______
Where, d F = fabric bulk density in g / cm3
d f = density of cotton fibere in g / cm3 (1.54)
9. Fabric porosity ( P ) in % :
P = (1 - d F / d f ) *100
= ________
10. Fabric weight in ozs / sq yards
= 0.6857 {n1 ( 1 + C1) / N1 + n2 ( 1 + C2) / N2 }
= _____________
11. Fabric mass / unit area in g / mt2 :
= 0.1 {n1 N1 (1 + 0.01 C1 ) + n2 N2 (1 + 0.01C2 ) }
= _________
12. Fabric thickness in mm and cm :
i. Fabric thickness in mm = ______ mm
Textile testing Laboratory – II (17TXL76)
 ii. Fabric thickness in cm = _______ cm
13. Fabric interinsic area :
i = 1 - KC
= _____
Test results : The geometrical parameters of given fabric is measured as per the test
procedures and methods.

Sl.No Parameters Results

.
1. Fabric thread density EPC =

i. Ends per unit length PPC =

ii. Picks per unit length EPI =

PPI =
2. Yarn Count Ne =
i. Warp yarn count Tex =
ii. Weft yarn count Ne =
Tex =
3. Yarn Crimp C1 =
i. Warp yarn crimp C2 =
ii. Weft yarn crimp
4. Yarn take up t1=
i. Warp yarn take up t2=
ii. Weft yarn take up
5. Cover Factor K1 =
i. Warp cover factor K2 =
ii. Weft cover factor
6. Fabric Cover Factor Kc =

7. Fabric bulk density in g /cm3 dF=

8. Fabric Packing factor ( p) P=

9. Fabric weight in ozs /yd2 Ozs /yd2

10. Fabric weight in g /m2 g / m2

11. Fabric thickness mm

cm
12. Fabric interinsic area

13. Fbric Porosity %

Textile testing Laboratory – II (17TXL76)

Conclusions : Based on the test result, draw suitable conclusions.
References :
1. BIS Handbook, B I S Publication 1985.
2. Pinciples of textile testing : an introduction to physical methods of testing textile
fiberes, yarns, and fabrics [by] J. E.Booth.
3. A Practical Guide to Textile Testing [by] Amurtha K, Woodhead Publishing India
In Textiles.
4. Physical Textile testing of Textiles – B.P.Soville, Wood Head-1999.
5. Textile Testing [by] JOHN H. SKINKLE.

Textile testing Laboratory – II (17TXL76)