Effects of knit structure on the dimensional and physical properties of winter outerwear knitted fabrics

69FIBRES & TEXTILES in Eastern Europe April / June 2008, Vol. 16, No. 2 (67)
n	Introduction
Knit fabrics provide outstanding comfort 
qualities and have long been preferred as 
fabrics in many kinds of clothing. Since 
knit fabrics are produced on different 
machines with different knit stitches and 
conditions to create different patterns and 
fabric types, we expect them to have dif-
ferent qualities [1]. The commercial de-
sign of knitted garments is a process that 
shares many important characteristics 
with other types of aesthetic design and 
engineering [2]. Although many CAD 
systems are commercially available for 
the artistic design of fabrics, none is 
commercially available for the engineer-
ing design of fabrics to meet their end use 
performance requirements [3]. 
In apparel design and garment manu-
facturing, fabric characteristics are usu-
ally dictated by a specified end-use. 
Understanding the relationship between 
the fabric end-use and fabric properties 
becomes fundamental for classification, 
selection, search, and purchase control 
of apparel fabrics [4]. Tactile (hand) and 
appearance properties are very impor-
tant in all classes of fabrics [5]. Appear-
ance retention is directly related to the 
longevity and serviceability of fabrics. 
A fabric may loose its aesthetic appeal 
due to wear, which is a combined effect 
of several factors like abrasion, repeated 
laundering, the application of forces in 
dry and wet states etc. arising from eve-
ryday use and service. Surface abrasion 
is considered perhaps the most important 
of these factors, and so it has become 
routine in fabric testing [6]. The effects 
of various knit structures on the abrasion 
strength have been analysed by a lot of 
researchers [7 - 9]. 
Fabric pilling is a serious problem for 
the apparel industry. The development 
of pills on a fabric surface, in addition to 
resulting in an unsightly appearance, ini-
tiate the attrition of the garment and can 
cause premature wear [10]. The number 
of pills increases within a certain range 
of tightness factor but decreases when 
the tightness factor increases [11]. The 
effects of knit structure on pilling have 
been analysed by a lot of researchers [7, 
8, 10, 12]. 
The bursting strength of knitted fabric is 
extremely important in many ways. The 
fabric should have sufficient strength 
against forces acting upon it during dy-
ing, finishing and use. However, it is very 
difficult to predict the bursting strength of 
knitted fabrics before performing burst-
ing strength tests [13]. Kavuşturan [8] 
showed that the effect of knit structures 
on the bursting strength of fabric is high-
ly significant. 
Clothing comfort is an extremely com-
plex phenomenon resulting from the 
interaction of various physical and non-
physical stimuli on a person wearing 
given clothing under given environmen-
tal conditions. One of the basic variables 
that has a great influence on comfort is 
fabric construction. A lot of thermo- 
physiological comfort properties, such 
as air permeability, water vapour perme-
ability, thermal resistance, wick ability, 
absorbency, drying rate, water resistance 
and so on, can be altered by fabric con-
struction [14].The air permeability of 
Effects of Knit Structure on the Dimensional 
and Physical Properties of Winter Outerwear 
Knitted Fabrics
Nergiz Emirhanova,
Yasemin Kavusturan 
Textile Engineering Department, 
Uludag University, 
16059, Bursa, Turkey
E-mail: kyasemin@uludag.edu.tr
Abstract
In this study, an experimental work is presented to determine the effects of fourteen dif-
ferent knit structures of 80% Lambswool-20% Polyamide knitted outerwear fabrics, on 
the dimensional properties; pilling resistance, abrasion resistance, bursting strength, air 
permeability and bending rigidity. The effect of relaxation condition on the dimensional 
properties of the fabrics was also studied. From the analyses of variance, it is seen that the 
effects of knit structure on the properties of the knitted fabrics inspected are highly signifi-
cant. Specifically, the effect of knit structure on the bursting strength, air permeability, and 
bending rigidity is highly significant in washed fabrics. Tuck stitch fabrics have the lowest 
resistance to abrasion. Links-links, seed stitch, and moss stitch fabrics have the highest 
resistance to pilling.
Key words: knitted fabric, pilling resistance, abrasion resistance, bursting strength, air 
permeability, bending rigidity.
FIBRES & TEXTILES in Eastern Europe April / June 2008, Vol. 16, No. 2 (67)70
fabric depends on the shape and value of 
the pores and the inter-thread channels, 
which are dependent on the structural pa-
rameters of the fabric [15]. The effects of 
knit structures on the air permeability of 
fabric have been analysed by Çeken [16] 
and Kavuşturan [8].
The way in which a fabric drapes or hangs 
 ... ses. The 
SNK test for the comparison of relaxa-
tion processes revealed that the fabric 
weight of dry relaxed samples differs sig-
nificantly from wet relaxed and washed 
samples. 
Course per cm and wales per cm 
The results of the analysis of variance 
for course per cm and wale per cm reveal 
that the effect of knit structure and re-
laxation processes are highly significant.. 
Whereas knit structure has the greatest 
effect, the. SNK test for the comparison 
of relaxation processes revealed that the 
course per cm of dry, wet and wash re-
laxed samples differs significantly from 
each other. The SNK test for the compari-
son of relaxation processes revealed that 
the wales per cm of washed samples dif-
fer significantly from dry and wet relaxed 
samples. 
Loop length 
The results of the ANOVA for the loop 
length revealed that the effect of knit 
structure is highly significant. The order 
of the loop length of the fabrics from 
large to small is terry, 1×1 Rib, seed 
Table 4. SNK ranking at 5% significance level after single factor of the ANOVA model.
Relaxation Type Weight, g/m2 Courses/cm Wales/cm Thickness, mm
Dry a C b a
Wet b B b c
Washing b A a b
Table 5. SNK ranking at %5 significance level after single factor of the ANOVA model.
Fabric
code Weight 
Courses 
per cm
Wales 
per cm
Thick-
ness
Loop 
length
Bursting 
strength
Air 
perme-
ability
Bending rigiditiy
Wale 
way
Course 
way
RL h c c j de b d e cd
RR1 f g b cd b efg b cde d
RR2 d f a c bcde def c bc d
LL ef f c g e b d de bcd
YS gh i e g bc gh b cde cd
TS gh i f fg bcd efg ab cde cd
L1 g h e h e bc e cde cd
YM c a b ef f b e bc bcd
TM b b a b g a f a b
S2 de e b c bcde def d bc cd
S3 de cd b de cde bcd d bcd bc
P1 i d d i bc fgh b e cd
P2 i cd d i bc h a de cd
HV a c d a a cde g b a
Table 6. Effect of relaxation treatment and fabric structure on pilling and abrasion 
resistance.
Fabric
code
Pilling rate 
wale way
Pilling rate 
course way
Abrasion resistance
(Number of rubs required to produce a hole)
RL-R 4 - 5 4 After 100,000 rubs
RL-L 4 3 - 4 After 100,000 rubs
RR1 4 3 - 4 After 100,000 rubs
RR2 5 4 - 5 After 100,000 rubs
LL 5 5 After 100,000 rubs
YS 4 5 - 4 70,000 - 75,000 rubs
TS 3 - 4 4 75,000 - 80,000 rubs
YM 4 3 - 4 After 100,000 rubs
TM 4 - 5 4 After 100,000 rubs
L1 3 - 4 4 80,000 - 85,000 rubs
S2 4 4 After 100,000 rubs
S3 5 4 - 5 After 100,000 rubs
P1 5 5 After 100,000 rubs
P2 5 5 After 100,000 rubs
HV - - After 100,000 rubs
FIBRES & TEXTILES in Eastern Europe April / June 2008, Vol. 16, No. 2 (67)72
stitch, moss stitch, half cardigan, full 
cardigan, 2×2 cable, 2×2 Rib, 3×3 cable, 
single jersey fabrics “plain, links-links, 
lacoste”, and float stitch fabrics “half Mi-
lano and Milano”. 
Thickness 
The results of the ANOVA for fabric 
thickness revealed that the effect of knit 
structure, relaxation processes and their 
interactions is highly significant, although 
knit structure has the greatest effect. The 
order of thickness of the fabrics from 
large to small is terry, Milano, 2×2 Rib, 
2×2 cable, 1×1 Rib, 3×3 cable, half Mi-
lano, full cardigan, half cardigan, and 
single jersey fabrics ”links-links, lacoste, 
moss stitch, seed stitch, plain” The SNK 
test for the comparison of relaxation proc-
esses revealed that the thickness of sam-
ples differs significantly from each other. 
Figures 1-5 show the effects of fabric 
structure and the relaxation process on 
the weight, course/cm, wale/cm, stitch 
length and thickness of knitted fabric. 
Abrasion resistance 
In order to evaluate the resistance of the 
samples to abrasion, the fabrics were sub-
jected to 100,000 rubs or until a hole oc-
curs. Abrasion tests were performed for 
both faces of the fabrics. The weight loss 
percent of the fabrics were also measured 
every 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 and 
40,000th rubs. For washed fabrics, after 
40,000 rubs, the highest value of weight 
loss was for moss stitch followed by seed 
stitch fabrics, tuck stitch fabrics “full 
cardigan, half cardigan and Lacoste”, 
and the technical face of plain fabric. In 
terry fabric, the weight loss percent was 
the least, but when the appearance of 
this fabric was visually evaluated, it was 
observed that terry fabric exhibited the 
worst surface characteristics. Figure 6 
shows the effects of knit structure on the 
weight loss (in percent) of the fabrics. At 
the end of the test, the fabrics were ex-
amined for the presence of a hole. Tuck 
stitch fabrics “half cardigan, full cardigan 
and Lacoste” have the lowest resistance 
to abrasion. (Table 6) The photos of these 
fabrics taken before and after the abra-
sion test are presented in Figure 7.
Pilling resistance 
Pilling tests were performed for both 
faces of the fabrics. A comparative study 
of the results reveals that links-links, 
seed stitch and moss stitch fabrics have 
the highest resistance to pilling (pilling 
rate: 5). In these samples, pill formation 
was not observed. Lacoste, full cardigan, 
Figure 1. Effects of fabric structure and relaxation process on the 
weight of knitted fabrics; all fabric codes by which the bar-graphs 
in Figures 1 - 5 are marked, are explained in Tables 5 and 6. 
Figure 2. Effects of fabric structure and relaxation process on the 
course per cm of knitted fabrics. 
Figure 3. Effects of fabric structure and relaxation process on the 
wales per cm of knitted fabrics.
Figure 4. Effects of knit structure on loop length for dry relaxed 
fabrics.
Figure 5. Effects of fabric structure and relaxation process on 
fabric thickness. 
Figure 1. Figure 2.
Figure 3. Figure 4.
Figure 5.
73FIBRES & TEXTILES in Eastern Europe April / June 2008, Vol. 16, No. 2 (67)
fabrics. Moss stitch and half cardigan 
fabrics have weaker bursting strength 
performance. Half Milano, links-links 
and plain fabrics have the strongest burst-
ing strength performance (Figure 8). 
Air permeability 
The results of the ANOVA for air perme-
ability revealed that the effect of knit struc-
ture is highly significant in washed fabrics. 
Moss stitch and full cardigan fabrics are 
the most permeable to air, and terry and 
Milano fabrics are the least (Figure 9). The 
most adequate choices from the studied 
knit structures for manufacturing garments 
for windy and cold winter periods are 
terry, Milano, half Milano and Lacoste.
Bending behaviour 
The results of the ANOVA for wale and 
course way bending rigidity revealed 
that the effect of knit structure is highly 
significant in washed fabrics. Milano is 
the most rigid fabric in wale way bending. 
Single jersey structures have lower wale 
way bending rigidity. Terry is the most 
rigid fabric in course way bending. 2×2 
rib fabric is the least rigid fabric in course 
way bending. (Figure 10). 
n	Conclusions 
n The effect of knit structure and re-
laxation processes on the dimensional 
properties of fabric is highly signifi-
cant. Knit structure has the greatest 
effect. The effect of knit structure on 
bursting strength, air permeability, 
bending rigidity is highly significant 
in washed fabrics.
n The fabric weight of the dry relaxed 
samples differs significantly from 
the wet relaxed and washed samples. 
The course per cm of the dry, wet and 
washed relaxed samples differs sig-
Figure 6. Effects of knit structure on weight loss (%) for washed fabrics after 5,000, 10,000, 
20,000, 30,000, 40,000 rubs (RL-R: technical face of plain knitted fabric; RL-L: technical 
back of plain knitted fabric). 
 a) Lacoste b)Half Cardigan, c) Full Cardigan d) Terry fabric
1)
2)
Figure 7. Effects of knit structure on abrasion resistance for washed fabrics (1)before and 
(2) after 40,000 rubs. 
Figure 8. Effects of knit structure on bursting strength for washed 
fabrics (fabric codes according to Tables 5 and 6).
Figure 9. Effects of fabric structure on air permeability for washed 
fabrics (fabric codes according to Tables 5 and 6).
half Milano, the technical back of plain 
fabric and 1x1 rib fabric have the low-
est resistance to pilling (pilling rate: 3 - 4 
and 4). 
Bursting strength 
The results of the ANOVA for bursting 
strength revealed that the effect of knit 
structure is highly significant in washed 
FIBRES & TEXTILES in Eastern Europe April / June 2008, Vol. 16, No. 2 (67)74
nificantly from each other. The wale 
per cm of the washed samples differs 
significantly from the dry and wet re-
laxed samples. The order of thickness 
of the fabrics from big to small is terry, 
double jersey fabrics and single jersey 
fabrics. The order of loop length of the 
fabrics from big to small is terry, 1×1 
Rib, seed stitch, moss stitch, half car-
digan, full cardigan, 2×2 cable, 2×2 
Rib, 3×3 cable, single jersey fabrics, 
and float stitch fabrics. 
n Tuck stitch fabrics have the lowest re-
sistance to abrasion. For washed fab-
rics, the highest value of weight loss is 
for moss stitch followed by seed stitch 
fabrics, and tuck stitch fabrics. Links-
links, seed stitch, moss stitch fabrics 
have the highest resistance to pilling. 
Lacoste, full cardigan, half Milano, 
the technical back of plain fabric and 
1×1 rib fabric have the lowest resist-
ance to pilling. Moss stitch and half 
cardigan fabrics have weaker bursting 
strength performance. Half Milano, 
links-links, and plain fabrics have the 
strongest bursting strength perform-
ance. Moss stitch and full cardigan fab-
rics are the most permeable to air, and 
terry and Milano fabrics are the least. 
Milano is the most rigid fabric in wale 
way bending. Single jersey structures 
have lower wale way bending rigidity. 
Terry is the most rigid fabric in course 
way bending. 2×2 rib fabric is the least 
rigid fabric in course way bending. 
Acknowledgment
We would like to thank Kaya Triko A.Ş., 
İstanbul, Turkey for their support during 
knitting operations and we would like to 
thank Assoc. Prof. Binnaz Meriç, University 
of Uludağ for their valuable assistance, and 
to Prof. Fatma Kalaoğlu, The Technical Uni-
versity of İstanbul, Yeşim Tekstil Co.and Batı 
Dokuma, Co., Bursa, Turkey for their support 
during the tests. 
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Received 02.10.2006 Reviewed 08.05.2007
Figure 10. Effects 
of fabric structure 
on wale way and 
course way bending 
rigidity for washed 
fabrics (fabric codes 
according to Tables 
5 and 6).