Textile wet processing is the most polluting aspect of textile manufacturing and contributes to the global textile industry's substantial carbon footprint. Textile preparation of cotton typically includes scouring and bleaching at high temperature and high pH. Substantial amounts of wastewater are produced that must be treated prior to being released to receiving fresh water. Recent research in our laboratories has focused on the development and application of compounds that enhance the bleaching process. We have developed novel cationic bleach activators that can be used to bleach cellulosic fabrics and fiber blends at reduced temperature, pH, and time. Results show that after optimization equivalent or improved performance in whiteness, absorbency and strength are possible relative to conventional bleaching methods. One of the most promising bleach activators to date is N-[4-(Triethylammoniomethyl) Benzoyl]-Butyrolactam Chloride (TBBC). TBBC was designed in our group to a) exhibit strong oxidation potential when activated; b) have reasonable hydrolytic stability; and c) be inherently substantive towards cellulosic and other fibers. In this paper, we review the development of bleach activators for textile bleaching, and discuss the opportunities and potential hurdles involved in commercialization of bleach activators for textile wet processing.

This study aims to provide technical platform for parameterized design female body model with different chest shapes. Initially, the characteristic parameters, curves and points of female chest shape were developed based on analysis of the features of female chest shapes. Then, these parameters were applied to make parameterized representation of the female chest characteristic points' coordinate; Parameters spline curve formulas were used to generate chest characteristic curves and the chest of parameterized modelling was realized. Furthermore, the parameterized modelling procedures of female chest were developed using development tools UG/Open, which could get different female chest shapes by inputting different parameter values.

Foam cup moulding of seamless and traceless undergarments is an important manufacturing technique for the intimate apparel industry. Nevertheless, there is limited knowledge about the optimization of the main moulding parameters. In this study, Response Surface Methodology (RSM), based on a Box-Behnken Design (BBD), was used to analyze the effects of the three main moulding factors (moulding temperature, dwell time and size of mould head) on the shape conformity of moulded bra cups and formulate a prediction model in a second-order polynomial form. Design and analysis of experimental data were carried out by the Minitab R15.1.30.0. The analyses revealed that moulding temperature greatly affected the shape conformity of moulded bra cup, and the interactions between moulding temperature and dwell time have major influence on the control of bra cup moulding process. The optimal cup shape conformity and the corresponding settings of the selected variables in bra cup moulding process were obtained by solving the quadratic regression model, as well as by analyzing the response surface contour plots. When moulding temperature and dwell time were set as 200° and 140s for a mould head size of 36C, the optimum shape conformity of the moulded bra cup was predicted as 83%. The adopted model was proved reasonably and effectively. This research provided a reference for the intimate apparel manufacturers to improve the control of the bra cup molding process and production efficiency.

For firefighter protective clothing, thermal protective performance is of primary importance. In this regard, the effects of thermal barrier construction on the level of thermal protection were investigated. In this study, needle punched nonwovens of varying thicknesses for application as thermal barrier were prepared from 100% meta-aramid, 100% wool, and 90% meta-aramid/10% para-aramid fibers. The effect of the number of layers in multilayer thermal barriers prepared from these nonwovens and the effect of spacers on the thermal protective performance were examined. The possibility of incorporation of aerogels into the thermal barrier to enhance the protective performance was examined. The needle punched nonwovens were padded with 5 wt% aerogels dispersion in acetone. The differences in thermal protective performance of nonwovens were evaluated by heat transmission on exposure to flame, heat transmission on exposure to radiant heat and heat transmission on exposure to both flame and radiant heat methods. Multi layer constructions with spacers and nonwovens treated with aerogels exhibited higher thermal protective performance.

This study examined the trends in skin temperature, Stratum Corneum Water Content (SCWC), Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL) and subjective sensations during running exercises. Ten healthy male subjects performed exercises wearing cotton briefs in a climate chamber controlled at an air temperature of 27 ∼ 28 °C and a relative humidity of 50%. Following a rest for 20 mins on a chair (Rest), subjects exercised on a motorised treadmill at 4 km/h walking speed for 20 mins (walk) followed by a 7.2 km/h (medium run) and 12 km/h (high run) running speed for 10 min, respectively. The SCWC and TEWL were measured at pre-exercise, end-walk, end-medium run and end-high run. Skin temperatures were obtained by infrared thermograms for every 5 mins. The main findings were summarized as follows: Skin temperature in chest, abdomen, under arm, upper arm, forearm, hand, ventral thigh and ventral leg were significantly lower during walk, medium & high run than at rest by 0.13 ∼ 0.73, 0.36 ∼ 1.78, 0.35 ∼ 2.24 °C, respectively. Skin temperature in dorsal thigh, popliteal fossa was lower within 1? or higher by 0.11 ∼ 1.28 °C in dorsal leg and foot during exercises than at rest. In accordance with the regions of declines of skin temperatures, SCWC and TEWL doubled and elevated four times. Exercises were rated significantly higher for perception of humidity, heat and overall discomfort than rest. We discussed how dynamic exercises induce significantly different skin temperature, SCWC and TEWL on human body, which have profound influence on subjective perception of thermal factors, humidity and discomfort. The results of this study suggested that fall in skin surface temperature during dynamic exercising were related to thermal factors, such as evaporation due to skin sweat.

Plasma treatment is an emerging surface modification technique that alters dye uptake of wool without using chemicals or water for pre-treatment. Padding is an established continuous dyeing technique known for its efficient use of water, time and energy. This study combined these two techniques for colouration of wool fabric using two natural dyes derived from the Acacia plant family. The investigation focused on the effects of plasma treatment and obtaining unique patterning effects. Helium (100%) and a mixture of helium and nitrogen (95%/5%) were used as the plasma gases under atmospheric conditions. Plasma treated wool fabric was padded with the above natural dyes. Copper sulphate and ferrous sulphate were applied on the dyed fabric as mordant yielding neutral shades of beige and grey respectively. Up to a 30% enhancement of dye adsorption on plasma treated wool substrate was observed as compared to untreated sample for both gases used. This higher adsorption indicates the hydrophilic character of the natural dyes used. Key performance parameters such as fastness to washing, rubbing and light were tested and found to be satisfactory. A single process tone-on-tone pattern was achieved by controlling the plasma exposure of treated area. This study concluded that a merger of natural dyes with modern plasma treatment and padding techniques for wool colouration was feasible.

Air gaps layer between clothing and wearer's body plays an important role in heat transfer in protective ensembles. The distribution and size of these air gaps are used to determine thermal performance of the protective clothing, which are dependent not only on garment style and fit but also on all kind of shapes of body motions. In this paper a three dimensional (3D) body scanning technique was used to scan the surface of the nude and the dressed that can measure accurately the distribution and size of air gaps between the human body and clothing. In leg-upright, leg-lifting and leg-withdrawing positions that simulated the human motion of running, the clothing air gaps were scanned and measured respectively. A new method for the measurement of air gaps was used, which can reasonably reflect the size between the fabric and the corresponding test sensor. The results show that clothing air gaps are associated with body motions. The clothing air gaps vary with the different postures. And the degree of knee joint flexion affects the deformation of skin and thus the change of air gaps between skin and clothing. The findings can be used to establish heat transfer model to predict thermal performance of protective clothing in motion.

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) is a new type of smart thermo-sensitive macromolecule material that is characterized by a sudden precipitation on heating, switching from a hydrophilic to a hydrophobic state. In this paper, using the self-made equipment of atmospheric pressure plasma vapor treatment running in the environment of argon, PNIPAAm was deposited separately to Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT) melt-blown nonwovens and Polyester (PET) fabrics. It was found that the wettability and water permeability were significantly modified by changing the temperature above and below the Lower Critical Solution Temperature (LCST), according to the data derived from measurements of water contact angle, water permeability time and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images. Considering human body temperature is close to the LCST, these results are valuable for further application to thermo-sensitive textile materials.

Many studies indicate that the irregularity of the bundle of output sliver was caused by the irregular action of the fibers in the drafting zone. In this research, each staple fiber length of the bundle in the back roll nip and the accelerated points of every fiber in this bundle were generated by using Monte Carlo method according to the theories of the density function of the length distribution using nonparametric kernel estimation method and parabolic-type probabilistic density function of accelerated points distribution. The profile changes of the fiber number in cross section of the bundle in drawing process was simulated, and the various states of the bundle and the attenuation curve of bundle in the drafting zone were obtained. The profiles of the state curves of the bundle changes shows a turning area obviously and the profiles of the attenuation curve experienced a jerk near the front roll, which caused irregularities in the linear density of the output sliver.

Socks and underwear emit unpleasant odor, especially after they have been worn for long durations under certain conditions. This paper discusses the deodorizing properties of several typical fibers such as deodorizing acrylic, wool, line, cotton, Modal® and polyester fibers by instrumental testing. The odor from the socks made of these fibers after a one-day wear in summer is further evaluated by three testers using a human olfactory test. The molecular structure of the deodorizing acrylic fiber was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy. In terms of the deodorizing property of the various fibers with respect to ammonia, it is found that the deodorizing acrylic fiber had the best performance. This is attributed to the carboxyl groups in its molecular structure. Wool, Modal®, cotton, and linen fibers were worse in turn; polyester fibers had the worst performance. The absorption of acetic acid by wool, linen, and deodorizing acrylic fibers was better, followed by Modal® and cotton fibers. The polyester fibers, once again, had the worst performance. Thicker socks diffuse less odor than thinner socks made from the same fibers. The results of chemical analysis and sensory analysis show that the deodorizing performance of deodorizing acrylic fibers is superior.