Vesna Marija Potočić Matković

Thermal resistance of polyurethane-coated knitted fabrics before and after weathering

Polyurethane-coated knitted fabrics are of interest because they exhibit several positive properties, they are more stretchable, elastic and comfortable than coated woven fabrics and yet they are little studied. Information of weather durability, as well as thermal properties, is essential to ensure thermal protection for textile materials intended for outdoor use. In the presented research, a series of coated knitted fabrics for protective clothing were developed and exposed to weathering in summer and winter seasons. After three months of outdoor exposure, thermal resistance of all the tested materials decreased by 13% after the summer season and 25% after the winter season. A very good correlation of knitted fabric mass per unit area and thermal resistance of knitted fabric, coated fabric and aged coated fabric occurred. The studied materials experienced a partial degradation of the polyurethane layer, which is not related to the deterioration of the knitted substrate. The presented investigation of thermal resistance of coated fabrics and their dependence on the knitted substrate, as well as the influence of environmental conditions, allows the improvement of coated fabrics with the aim of better thermal protection.

The Power of Fashion: The Influence of Knitting Design on the Development of Knitting Technology

Abstract It is recognized that technology, with its possibilities, affects industrial design. Likewise, it is believed that design has a reversible impact on technology. This study looks for clear examples of designs influence on the development of knitting technology. The parallel development of design and technology is traced back to the emergence of the knitting frame in 1589. The brocade influences from the seventeenth century, which influenced the development of knitting techniques, are apparent, as well as the effect of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century market demands for lace, which strongly encouraged the development of devices for knitted lace production. The short-lived fashion trend of vertically striped socks has left far-reaching consequences in the construction of wider knitting frames and the new method of knitwear production. In the first half of the nineteenth century, changes in fashion almost destroyed the knitting industry. From the beginning of the twentieth century, the debut of knitted pullovers for sport encouraged the development of innovative flat knitting machines. It was through these machines that the biggest potential for the production of different designs came through and the fashion industry encourages it—until the 1980s. Up until this time, the world of fashion has been surprisingly showing very little interest.

Impact of substrate on water vapor resistance of naturally weathered coated fabrics

The aim of the study was to investigate changes of water vapor resistance of coated fabrics with different knitted substrates. For the study different knitted structures were designed and produced, while the conditions for the coating process were kept constant. All structures were exposed to natural weathering in the summer and winter seasons. Thus, the experimental setup enabled the comparison of changes in water vapor resistance of various structures as a result of aging, as well as giving an insight into the differences in resistance after aging in different seasons. After exposure, changes in fabric mass per unit area, thickness and water vapor resistance were observed. The outcomes of the study gave a good insight into the behavior of coated fabrics and may be used when protecting coated materials in order to improve their performance.

Analysis of Anisotropic Behaviour of Polyurethane Coated Knitted Fabric

Anisotropic behaviour of polyurethane coated knitted fabrics in elongation to break is described. Although previous studies suggest that coating generally reduces the anisotropy of textile materials, this study shows that polyurethane coating typically increases the anisotropic behaviour of knitted fabrics. Research explains the effect the coating has on knitted fabric. The aim of this study is to analyze anisotropic properties of polyurethane coated knitted fabrics in order to predict their behavior, and get the desired properties of the textile composite.