Effect of yarn fineness and various knitting parameters on ultraviolet resistance of knitted fabrics

Abstract

The ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) for single jersey and 1×1 rib knitted fabrics has been investigated. The influence of yarn fineness, loop length, carriage speed and yarn input tension as well as their interactions are studied. The effect of unavoidable and uncontrolled random variables on UPF has also been investigated for both types of knitted fabrics. Orthogonal block Box and Behnken design of experiment is used to study the effect of uncontrolled random variables as well as controlled variables like yarn fineness, carriage speed, yarn input tension, loop length and their interactions. The results show that the uncontrolled random variables, during preparation of the samples, do not have any significant impact on resultant UPF for both single jersey and 1×1 rib knitted fabrics. The yarn fineness and the loop length have significant influence on UPF for both types of knitted fabrics. This study will be beneficial in engineering/designing fabrics and clothing of desired comfort with minimum damage to human body due to ultra-violet rays.