Open end recycling obtained from acrylic yarnperformance characteristics of sweaters and pbt and thread yarnsinvestigation with the effect of the additional

The purpose of this study is to compare the performance properties of the sweaters made from the open end recycled acrylic yarn with those of the similar sweaters made from the open end virgin acrylic yarn, together with the influence of incorporated elastic PBT and gimped yarns. For the study purpose, 12 different plain knitted fabric types were produced by using two recycled and virgin acrylic yarn types and two stitch length levels combining with no elastic yarn and with PBT and gimped yarns together. The effects of the elastic yarn addition and type, the fibre type (being recycled acrylic or virgin acrylic) and the stitch length on the performance properties of the fabrics are also evaluated using ANOVA statistical analysis method. As performance properties of the fabrics, fabric structural parameters (stitch density values, mass and thickness), air permeability values, thermal comfort properties (thermal conductivity, thermal resistance and thermal absorptivity), water vapour permeability, bursting strength, pilling, abrasion resistance and extension values are considered. From both the experimental and statistical results, it is shown that the elastic yarn addition and type, recycled and virgin acrylic fibre type and stitch length parameters affect all the performance properties of the fabrics significantly. The fabrics with the gimped yarn show the highest stitch density, mass, thickness, thermal conductivity, thermal resistance,v thermal absorptivity, abrasion resistance and walewise extension results, followed by the fabrics with the PBT yarn. The highest bursting strength and the lowest pilling tendency results are obtained for the fabrics with the PBT yarn. When the experimental results are examined in terms of the effect of the recycled and virgin acrylic fibre types on the performance properties of the fabrics, the recycled acrylic fabrics exhibit higher thickness, thermal resistance, abrasion resistance, pilling tendency and coursewise extension results and lower bursting strength results than the virgin acrylic fabrics. The recycled and virgin acrylic fabrics reveal different tendency for the other performance properties according to the elastic yarn addition and type. All the results reveal that as well as virgin acrylic fibre, recycled acrylic fibre can be used in the production of sweaters in acceptable quality and when recycled yarns are used together with with gimped and PBT elastic yarns, the quality and performance properties of sweaters can be increased and some advantageous properties can be gained to sweaters.