Seam performance of knitted fabrics based on seam strength and seam efficiency

Abstract

The current study has been conducted on 100% cotton, polyester/cotton and cotton/lycra single jersey fabrics for investigation of seam performance in term of seam strength and seam efficiency. The influence of various parameters, viz. sewing needle size, sewing needle type and seam angle, on seam performance of these fabrics have been studied and analyzed. The response surface methodology is employed to investigate their effect on seam strength and seam efficiency by analysis of variance and regression equations. The test results reveal that cotton and cotton/lycra fabrics have lower seam strength as compared to polyester/cotton fabric. Also, with increase in seam angle and needle size, seam strength decreases. However, with sewing needle type, an increase in seam strength is observed for all the three fabrics. The cotton/lycra half plated fabric shows higher seam efficiency among all the three fabrics. It is noted that seam efficiency increases with seam angle and sewing needle type. It has been found that SES needle type (Small ball point) exhibits poor seam efficiency but an improvement in efficiency has been observed with SUK (Medium ball point) and SAN needle type (Conical point) for all three knitted fabrics.