Slah Msahli

Analysis of the modeling methodologies for predicting the sewing thread consumption

Purpose – This paper aims to provide a rapid and accurate method to predict the amount of sewing thread required to make up a garment.Design/methodology/approach – Three modeling methodologies are analyzed in this paper: theoretical model, linear regression model and artificial neural network model. The predictive power of each model is evaluated by comparing the estimated thread consumption with the actual values measured after the unstitching of the garment with regression coefficient R2 and the root mean square error.Findings – Both the regression analysis and neural network can predict the quantity of yarn required to sew a garment. The obtained results reveal that the neural network gives the best accurate prediction.Research limitations/implications – This study is interesting for industrial application, where samples are taken for different fabrics and garments, thus a large body of data is available.Practical implications – The paper has practical implications in the clothing and other textile‐mak...

Morphological Characterization of Individual Fiber of Agave americana L.

The fine structure of Agave americana L. fiber was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The individual fibers have a helical structure whose axis can be considered as parallel to the main axis of the bundles of ultimate fibers. Individual fibers are extracted from the technical one with the help of a 3.8% NaOH alkali solution at 130°C. SEM analysis of an individual fiber, using image analysis software, shows that the shape of an individual fiber can be likened to a ribbon with a main transverse dimension around 3.1 μm which can be considered as very small in comparison with other individual natural fibers. The SEM analysis has also shown the fiber to have a helical structure composed of square-shape spirals which were also examined. In this study, an attempt is made to explain some of the physical and mechanical properties of the bundles of ultimate fibers, such as its high strain (49%) and its low density (1.36), through the morphological characterization of individual Agave fibers.

Physico-chemical characterisation and tensile mechanical properties of Agave americanaL. fibres

In this paper, the physico-chemical and mechanical properties of Agave americana L. fibre are studied to explore the possibilities of using this fibre in textile industry. Three different processings for extracting fibres from the leaf of Agave americana L. plant were investigated: (i) raw fibres manually extracted, (ii) fibres extracted by retting leaves in seawater and (iii) fibres extracted after hydrolysis treatment of the leaves in distilled water. Chemical composition (cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose contents), physical properties (density, fineness and crystallinity) as well as mechanical properties of the resultant fibres were measured. The chemical composition reveals that the Agave americana L. fibre has a cellulose content at the order of 62% which is similar to that of other lignocellulosic fibres. The distilled water extracted fibres developed the highest cellulose content. Lignin content of Agave americana L. fibre is low compared to other natural fibres (2.4%) and seawater-extracted fibres generated the lowest lignin content (2.12%). Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and x-ray diffractometry of all extracted fibres revealed the same chain conformation. X-ray diffractograms showed that cellulose I is the main crystalline constituent. Concerning physical and mechanical properties, raw fibres were characterised by the lowest density (0.9) and the highest crystallinity (51.2%), they are also stronger and less extensible than the other two fibres. In this paper, we attempt to study the effect of extraction in water on the mechanical and physical properties of Agave americana L. fibres.

Physico-chemical and mechanical characterization of alkali-treated Agave americana L. fiber

This study investigates the effect of mercerization on the physico-chemical and mechanical properties of Agave americana L. fiber. The alkali concentration is a crucial parameter which affects the crystallinity and the tenacity of the fiber. Treatments with low alkali concentrations produce fibers that are stronger than the untreated fibers and at this level the crystallinity reaches high values. However, treatments with high concentrations (>2% wt/v) result in weaker fibers with low crystallinity index. The chemical composition of A. americana L. fibers is also altered by the mercerization process insofar as the cellulose content increased with the NaOH concentration while the hemicelluloses and lignin contents decreased.

Evaluation of physical and mechanical properties of Tunisian camel hair

Abstract The evaluation of the textile potential of the camel (Camelus dromedarius) underhair is a field of investigation that has been approached only a few times, as indicated by the low number of articles in literature. This is most probably due to the scarcity of this fibre and the problems with the dehairing process of unsorted fibres of dromedary. Aiming at a better economic exploitation of the quantity of fibrous matter in the fleece of Tunisian dromedary, a project of valorization of these fibres was launched. The objective of this study was to analyze the physical and mechanical properties of dromedary hair. Results indicate that it has exceptional textile potential. Also, the factors age and area have a significant effect on all parameters of control (fibre diameter, fibre length, tenacity, and strain), and the interaction between these two factors is not negligible. So simplified models, based on the analysis of variance, define the selection procedure of these fibres according to various factors of control taken into account and preserved in those models.

Optimization and Characterization of Pulp Extracted from the Agave Americana L. Fibers

The influence of temperature, pulping time and soda concentration on the yield, kappa index, brightness and fiber density of Agave Americana L. pulp has been studied. Using a factorial design to identify the optimum operating conditions, equations relating the dependent variables to the operational variables of the pulping process were established. The morphology of the cellulose fibers (length distribution, diameter distribution and crystalline index), obtained from the optimum pulping already determined by the statistical study, was determined by measuring 5020 fibers with optical microscopy equipped with CCD camera and image analysis software, and FT-IR spectra. Cellulose fibers extracted from Agave Americana L. had a lower lignin content value (1.13%) and an absorption capacity of 10.5 g/g. Finally, the characteristics of the optimum Agave pulp were compared to those of other vegetable fibers.

Contribution to measurement of real yarn diameter

Measuring yarn diameter, yarn compressibility and their effect on fabric quality is important to both the fabric designer and the textile technologist. Measurement of yarn diameter is used to predict fabric structural parameters such as width and cover factor. In fact, a slight change in yarn diameter can result in a substantial change in the overall cover factor of fabric. Factors affecting yarn diameter are essentially those that affect yarn density or fibre compactness. Sixty-one different yarns (polyester, viscose, acrylic, cotton and wool) were tested to determine their real diameter by an experimental device. The obtained diameter values are close to those calculated by an established theoretical model. The determination of the real and apparent yarn diameter permits to estimate its packing fraction using his intrinsic parameters.

Study of the influence of matter and finishing treatments on the denim garment shade

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the effect on the cloth shade of matter, laundering types, special treatments and their succession applied during the manufacturing process of garment washing.Design/methodology/approach – Denim garment manufacturers are interested in finishing cloth to characterize the aging look of the cloth. The effect of matter, laundering, special treatments and their succession were studied. The treatments have been done on manufactured trousers. One rigorous statistical study is achieved to validate the experimental results.Findings – The mixed washing is the most degrading for the shade of cloth and appearance of the garments surface and the succession of special treatments of finishing is demanded to have an increasing whiteness. The finishing resin‐treatment realized before any washing process (stone washing or mixed washing) provokes a slight increase of garment colour resistance.Practical implications – Information in this paper will aid manufacturers garment wa...

Crystalline Character of Agave americana L. Fibers

The crystalline character of Agave americana L. fibers and its relationship with mechanical properties were studied. Comparative investigations between three different types of fiber extraction were made: raw fibers, distilled water extracted fibers and seawater extracted fibers. A wide angle X-ray diffraction technique was used and cellulosic phases in the three samples were identified. A diffractometric analysis was applied to determine percent crystalline component, microcrystallite sizes, unit cell dimensions and monoclinic angle. The crystallinity of raw fibers was 51.2 % and dropped with extraction in water. The unit cell dimensions a, b and c for raw fibers were 8.9 Å, 10.3 Å and 7.9 Å, respectively, and the monoclinic angle was 83.6°. When extracted in distilled water, the values of a and c slightly increased, whereas that of the monoclinic angle decreased. These variations were more pronounced for seawater extracted fibers. Our results demonstrated that differences in the molecular and fine structure caused different mechanical properties. High tenacity and initial modulus values were observed for raw fibers which presented the highest crystallinity. On the other hand, the low tenacity and great extensibility of seawater extracted fibers were attributable to their amorphous character and to the increased unit cell dimensions.

Mercerization of Agave americana L. fibers

This study investigates the change in crystalline structure of Agave americana L. fibers during alkali process at different NaOH concentrations. X-ray diffraction spectroscopy was used to determine the crystallinity, the crystal size, and the unit cell dimensions of the treated Agave samples. The X-ray diffractograms of both untreated (0% NaOH) and alkali-treated samples show a pattern quite similar to the four peaks characteristic of native cellulose (cellulose I). The intensity of the (0 0 2) crystallographic plane increased significantly by alkali treatment of Agave fiber. When treated with 2% wt/v NaOH, the polymorphic transformation of cellulose I to cellulose II occurs as indicated by the appearance of the diffraction at 2θ = 20.5° resulting from the lattice plane of cellulose II. The unit cell parameters of Agave americana L. fibers vary with NaOH concentration which results from the formation of different alkali celluloses during the mercerization process. As far as mechanical properties are concerned, treatments with low alkali concentrations produce fibers that are stronger than the untreated fibers, whereas treatments with high concentrations (>2% wt/v) result in weaker fibers.