Experimental Investigation of Effects of Spandex Brand and Tightness Factor on Dimensional and Physical Properties of Cotton/Spandex Single Jersey Fabrics

In this study, the effects of spandex brand, the tightness factor of the base, and spandex yarn on the dimensional and physical properties of cotton/spandex single jersey fabrics are investigated. In order to examine the effects of the tightness factor of cotton and spandex yarn, fabric samples were knitted by feeding both cotton and spandex yarns with three different adjustments of positive yarn feeding mechanisms so as to produce tight, medium, and loose cotton/spandex single jersey fabrics. Four different spandex yarns were used. The fabrics knitted with spandex yarns that have the largest tension values under a constant draw ratio give the highest weight, courses/cm, stitches/cm, thickness, and lowest air permeability values. Spandex yarns that have similar elongation % values affect the wale per cm values in a similar way. Because of the greater stretched structure of the spandex yarns that have shorter loop length values, the width of the fabric decreases and then the thickness of the fabric increases.