Changing fibre composition, spinning tool can lower microfibre release

Using a washing simulator (gyrowash), a research team led by Alice Hazlehurst, doctoral researcher in the university’s faculty of arts, humanities and cultures’ school of design, tested various densities of yarns in unknitted hanks and knitted forms, and compared how much microfibre they released when washed.

Unknitted polyester released more microfibre than unknitted cotton, but similar amounts were released when polyester was knitted. This suggests that polyester suffered less damage than cotton during the knitting process, according to a university press release.

Microfibre release in tightly-knitted fabrics during laundering was reduced, but manufacturers should considered fibre fly–the visible ‘fluff’ that comes off fabrics as they are knitted in factories–which is higher when garments are tightly knitted, the researchers suggest.

Vortext-sun yarns—where fibres are twisted using jets of air in a vortex—had a lower microfibre release than ring-spun yarn—where fibres are twisted in a metal ring. Ring-spun yarns tend to be ‘hairier’ than vortex-spun yarns, which has been shown to increase microfibre release in washing.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)