Friction Testing

• Abrasion Testing
• Pilling Testing
• The friction test which includes abrasion and pilling are greatly
affects serviceability performance of fabrics and garments. A
garment is considered to be serviceable when it is fit for its
particular end use. After being used for a certain length of time
the garment ceases to be serviceable when it can no longer fill
its intended purpose in the way that it did when it was new.
• The particular factors that reduce the service life of a garment
are heavily dependent on its end use. for instance overalls worn
to protect clothing at work would be required to withstand a
good deal of hard usage during their lifetime but their
appearance would not be considered important. However,
garments worn purely for their fashionable appearance are not
required to be hard wearing but would be speedily discarded if
their appearance changed noticeably. an exception to this
generalization is found in the case of denim where a worn
appearance is deliberately strived for.
 Many people would equate the ability of a fabric to 'wear well' with its abrasion
resistance, but 'wear', that is the reduction in serviceable life, is a complex
phenomenon and can be brought about by any of the following factors:-

• Changes in fashion which mean that the garment is no longer worn whatever its
physical state.
• Shrinkage or other dimensional changes of such a magnitude that the garment
will no longer fit.
• Changes in the surface appearance of the fabric which include: the formation of
shiny areas by rubbing, the formation of pills or surface fuzz, the pulling out of
threads in the form of sangs.
• Fading of the colour of the garment through washing or exposure to light. the
bleeding of the colour form one area to another.
• Failure of the seams of the garment by breaking of the sewing thread or by seam
slippage.
• Wearing of the fabric into holes or wearing away of the surface finish or pile to
leave the fabric threadbare. wearing of the edges of cuffs, collars and other
folded edges to give a frayed appearance.
• Tearing of the fabric through being snagged by a sharp object.
 These changes are brought about by the exposure of the garment to a
number of physical and chemical agents during the course of its use. Some
of these agents are as follows:
• Abrasion of the fabric by rubbing against parts of the body or external
surfaces.
• The cutting action of grit particles which may be ingrained in dirty fabrics
and which may cause internal abrasion as the fabric is flexed.
• Tensile stresses and strains which occur as the garment is put on or taken off
and when the person wearing it is active.
• The laundering and cleaning processes which are necessary to retain the
appearance of the garment.
• Attack by biological agents such as bacteria, fungi and insects. This is a
particular problem for natural materials.
• Degradation of the fabric by contact with chemicals which can include
normal household items such as bleach, detergents, anti-perspirants and
perfumes.
• Lights, in particular ultra-violet light, can cause degradation of polymers
leading to a reduction in strength as well as causing fading of colours.
• Contact of the garment with sharp objects leading to the formation of tears.
• The above causes of wear are often acting at the same time. for instance,
chemical or bacterial attack may so weaken a fabric that it can then easily
fail through abrasion or tearing. Laundering of a fabric taken together with
the abrasion that it encounters during use may lead to much earlier
formation of pills or failure through abrasion than would by predicted from
any pilling or abrasion tests undertaken on the new material.
• Abrasion is the wearing a way of a section of material by the rubbing
against another surface. Tests for abrasion resistance is very complex
because of the many variables that influence fabric wear. Fabrics with
smooth surface tend to resist the effects of abrasion to greater degree than
fabrics with rough, non smooth surface. Materials made with novelty yarns
usually possess lower abrasion resistance.
• The resistance to abrasion of a material is greatly affected by the
conditions of the test like specimen tension, type of abradent, amount of
pressure between abradent and specimen.
• Various criteria can be used to determine the end point of the test The
specimen could be tested until the appearance of the first sign of wear; or
when there is a yarn break; or with the complete destruction of the fabric
in the test area
 Abrasion Evaluation
• A subjective evaluation is based on visual
examination of the change in specimen color,
luster, or surface appearance.
• An objective evaluation, by testing the
specimen for a change in breaking strength,
air permeability, or light transmission.
 Factors Affecting Abrasion Resistance
Fibre Type
• It is thought that the ability of a fibre to withstand repeated distortion is the key to its abrasion resistance.
Therefore high elongation, elastic recovery and work of rupture are considered to be more important
factors for a good degree of abrasion resistance in a fibre than is a high strength.
• Nylon is generally considered to have the best abrasion resistance. Blending either nylon or polyester with
wool and cotton is found to increase their abrasion resistance at the expense of other properties.
Fibre properties
• One of the results of abrasion is the gradual removal of fibres from the yarns. Therefore factors that affect
the cohesion of yarns will influence their abrasion resistance. Longer fibres incorporated into a fabric
confer better abrasion resistance than short fibres because they are harder to remove from the yarn.
Increasing fibre diameter up to a limit improves abrasion resistance. Above the limit the increasing strains
encountered in bending counteract any further advantage and also a decrease in the number of fibres in
the cross – section lowers the fibre cohesion.
Yarn twist
• There has been found to be an optimum amount of twist in a yarn to give the best abrasion resistance. At
low-twist factors fibres can easily be removed from the yarn so that it is gradually reduced in diameter. At
high-twist levels the fibres are held more tightly but the yarn is stiffer so it is unable to flatten or distort
that enables the yarn to resist abrasion.
• Abrasion resistance is also reported to increase with increasing linear density at constant fabric mass per
unit area.
Fabric structure
• The crimp of the yarns in the fabric affects whether the warp or the weft is abraded the most. If one set of
yarns is predominantly on the surface then this set will wear most; this effect can be used to protect the
load-bearing yarns preferentially. One set of yarns can also be protected by using floats in the other set
such as in a sateen or twill weave. The relative mobility of the floats helps to absorb the stress.
• There is an optimum value for fabric sett for best abrasion resistance.
Important factors for abrasion test
• Conditioning of the specimen
• Choice of testing instrument
• Choice of abrasion motion
• Direction of abrasion
• Choice of abradent
• Backing the specimen
• Cleanliness of the specimen and the instrument
• Pressure between abradent and specimen.
 Test Method
• ROTARY PLATFORM DOUBLE-HEAD METHOD
• FLEXING AND ABRASION METHOD
• INFLATED DIAPHRAGM METHOD
• OSCILLATORY CYLINDER METHOD
• Martindale Abrasion test
ROTARY PLATFORM DOUBLE HEAD TESTER

• As the rotary platform rotates the attached specimen rubs

against the 2 stationary abrading wheels 13 mm and 51
mm in thickness and sample diameter is 110mm mounted
on a rotating platform. The abraded area forms the wear
track and sample is abraded until damage or visual
change in surface appearance and noof cycles recorded.
• PROPERTY: Abrasion
• Test wear and durability of ceramics, plastics, textiles,
flooring, paper, metals and coated surfaces. Single and
dual sample table models.
 Rotary Platform, Double-Head Method

• Cut specimen 6 inches X 6 inches. Fold specimen twice to

form a 3-inch square
• Cut the folded corner to form a hole in the center of the
specimen, ¼ -inch in diameter.
• Unfold the specimen.
Test Procedure: Rotary platform, double head method
• Prepare the abrasion tester
• Position the specimen around the blade
• Abrade the specimen until the chosen end point is reached
• Record the number of cycles
• Repeat the procedure for the remaining specimens
Rotary Platform, Double-Head
 INFLATED DIAPHRAGM ABRASION TESTER
• Low air pressure on the rubber diaphragm
keeps the specimen slightly stretched. The
table moves back and forth while the
specimen slowly rotates, causing it to rub
against the abradant.
INFLATED DIAPHRAGM ABRASION TESTER
oscillatory cylinder abrasion tester
• The wire screen abradant oscillates against the
fabric specimen
oscillatory cylinder abrasion tester
 Martindale abrasion test
• This apparatus is designed to give a controlled amount of
abrasion between fabric surfaces at comparatively low
pressures in continuously changing directions.
• The results of this test should not be used indiscriminately,
particularly not for comparing fabrics of widely different
fibre composition or construction.
• In the test circular specimens are abraded under known
pressure on an apparatus, which gives a motion that is the
resultant of two simple harmonic motions at right angles to
one another. The fabric under test is abraded against a
standard fabric. Resistance to abrasion is estimated by visual
appearance or by loss in mass of the specimen.
Martindale test
 Method
• Four specimens each 38mm or 140mm in diameter are cut using the appropriate
cutter. They are then mounted in the specimen holders with a circle of standard
foam behind the fabric being tested. It is important that the mounting of the
sample is carried out with the specimens placed flat against the mounting block.
• The test specimen holders are mounted on the machine with the fabric under test
next to the abradant. A spindle is inserted through the top plate and the correct
weight (usually of a size to give a pressure of 12kPa but a lower pressure of 9kPa
may be used if specified) is placed on top of this. The standard abradant should
be replaced at the start of each test and after 50,000 cycles if the test is
continued beyond this number. While the abradant is being replaced it is held flat
by a weight as the retaining ring is tightened. Behind the abradant is a standard
backing felt which is replaced at longer intervals.
Assessment
• The specimen is examined at suitable intervals without removing it from its
holder to see whether two threads are broken. See table for the time lapse
between examinations. If the likely failure point is known the first inspection can
be made at 60% of that value. The abrading is continued until two threads are
broken. All four specimens should be judged individually. For abrasion 38mm
sample and for appearance assessment 140mm sample to be used in reverse
direction.
 Table: Inspection intervals for Martindale abrasion test

• Estimated number of cycles- Intervals for inspection

Up to 5,000 Every 1,000
Between 5,000 and 20,000 Every 2,000
Between 20,000 and 40,000 Every 5,000
Above 40,000 Every 10,000
• The individual values of cycles to breakdown of
all four specimens are reported and also the
average of these.
 Average Loss in mass of sample
• This is an alternative method of assessing abrasion
resistance which requires eight specimens for the test.
Two of these are abraded to the endpoint as described
above and then the other pairs are abraded to the
intermediate stages of 25%, 50% and 75% of the end
point. the samples are weighed to the nearest 1mg
before and after abrasion so that a graph can be plotted
of weight loss against the numbers of rubs. From the
slope of this graph, if it is a straight line, the average loss
in mass measured in mg/1000 rubs can be determined.
 Resistance to pilling
• Pilling is the formation of clusters or balls of tangled fibers on the
surface of a material occurring from surface rubbing.
• These pills are attached to the surface of fabric by one or more
fibers.
• The resistance to pilling by a particular fabric will vary with the
conditions of actual use as well as the way in which the individual
wears the garment.
• The pills are more noticeable when the degree of color contrast
with the fabric is great.
• Lint pills are usually more noticeable than regular pills.
• The development of pills is accompanied by surface changes, like
change of color, development of fuzz, or reduction of cover.
• Usually the pilling specimens are rated by comparing them to
actual samples or photographs showing a range of pilling effects.
 Assessment
Pilling ratings are as follows:
• Class 5: no pilling
• Class 4: slight pilling
• Class 3: noticeable pilling
• Class 2: considerable pilling
• Class 1: severe pilling
 Methods for Testing
• ICI pilling box tseter
• Martindale Tester
• Random Tumble pilling tester
 ICI Pilling box tester
• Specimens are mounted on a polyurethane
tubes and tumbled randomly in a cork lined
box for a certain time (30 minutes approx).
• Assessment may be subjective or objective
depending upon instrument used for
evaluation.
 Martindale Tester
• Flat abrasion as specified in ASTM D4970
pilling test. Rubbing in a particular motion is
repeated until threads are broken or a shade
change happens.
 Random Tumble Pilling Tester
• The sample is placed in a cylindrical chamber and tumbled around
within the chamber which is lined with mildly abrasive material to
brush the sample.
Procedure-
• Cut specimen 4- 3/16 inchesX4-3/16 inches, at approx 45 deg angle
to the warp or filling yarns.
• Seal the edges of the specimens with an adhesive & let dry.
• Prepare the random tumbling pilling tester
• Place 3 specimens in one of the chambers
• Run the tester for 30 minutes.
• Remove excess lint fibers by lightly vacuuming the samples with
the soft brush attachment.
• Evaluate the specimen for both resistance to pilling & surface
appearance
 Yarn Distortion
• Yarn distortion is a condition in which the symmetrical fabric surface appearance is
changed by the sliding or shifting of yarns following the application of rubbing action
or force. One of the basic reasons for yarn shifting is that the mumber of yarns per
inch in the fabric is low.
• Another factor contributing to yarn distortion is the type of yarn. Filament yarns are
soother and more even than spun yarns, so filament yarns slip more than spun yarns.
• The weave also should be considered. Plain weave, which has many interlacings,
holds the yarns in place better than satin weave, which has a minimum of interlacing.
• The finish affects yarn movements, too. Resin finishes applied to cotton fabric bind
the yarns so that they tend not to slip. Glazed finishes act the same way. the felting
of wool fabrics causes the fibers and yarns to come together so that there is no yarn
distortion. the mercerized finish of combed cotton yarns tends to increase yarn
shifting as the yarns become smoother and more even.
• Fabrics in which yarn distortion is a problem may also experience a problem with
yarns slipping in the seam area. As a result, an area of distortion may be crated
adjacent to the seam. Sometimes, the seam may actually open without any yarns
breaking and with the sewing thread still intact. Because seam slippage is virtually
impossible to repair, fabrics that slip under stress should be avoided for apparel and
upholstery purposes.
 Snagging
• A snag is a loop of fibre (or yarn) that is pulled from a fabric when it is in contact with a
rough object. Snags detract from the appearance of the fabric but do not reduce any of its
other properties. Fabrics made from bulked continuous filament yarns are particularly
susceptible to the formation of snags although woven fabrics with long floats can also
suffer from this problem.
• The mace snagging test is a comparative test for the snagging propensity of knitted fabrics
of textured polyester yarn originally developed by ICI to test Crimplene yarns. In the test a
metal ball fitted with spikes only catch loops of thread that are lying in a particular
orientation so that it is important to test both directions of a fabric.
• Four specimens each one measuring 203 mm X 330 mm are tested; tow with their long
direction aligned with the length of the fabric and two with their long direction aligned
with the fabric width. A seam is marked on the back of the fabric 16 mm from the shorter
edge. The fabric samples are then folded face to face and sewn along the seam to from a
tube. the tube is turned inside out so that the face of the fabric is on the outside. It is then
slid over the cylinder of the machine and secured at each end with a rubber ring.
• A mace is placed on each of the four fabric samples so that the chain holding it passes
around the guide rod as. The machine is then set to run for 600 revolutions (10 mm).
• When the test is complete the surface appearance of the specimen is compared with a set
of photographic standards and given a rating from 5 (no snagging) to 1 (severe snagging).
Snagging Test
 Fabric Wrinkle Testing
• Wrinkle may be described as a 3 dimensional
version of crease or a fold in the fabric.
• Greater the resilience of fibers fewer and less
sharp the wrinkles will be,
• Parameters such as percent relative humidity,
temperature, time under pressure, amount of
pressure and recovery time must be controlled
in the test.
 Methods for Testing
Recovery angle method:
• Uses a small specimen which is folded under pressure ; and angle
of the fold is then measured by wrinkle recovery tester. 
Appearance Method:
• In this a larger specimen is wrinkled using the AATCC wrinkle
tester. The specimen is hung for 24- hour period, after which it is
evaluated for wrinkle appearance.
• The specimens are rated by comparing them to AATCC three
dimensional wrinkle recovery replicas.
The ratings are reported as follows:
• WR5 - no wrinkling
• WR4 – slight wrinkling
• WR3 - noticeable wrinkling
• WR2 – considerable wrinkling
• WR1 – severe wrinkling
 Recovery Angle Method
• Condition the specimen before testing.
• Recovery angle method:
• Cut 12 specimens, free from wrinkles, 15 mm x 14 mm, 6 specimens with their
long dimension parallel to the warp yarns and 6 parallel to filling yarns
• Mark the face of each specimen.
TEST PROCEDURE:
• Using tweezers properly place one of the warp specimens in the metal
specimen holder.
• Put the holder in the plastic press.
• Apply 500 gm weight to the plastic press for 5 minutes.
• Remove the weight and properly place the holder in the wrinkle recovery
tester for 5 minutes.
• Read the angle of the specimen fold from the scale on the wrinkle recovery
tester.
• Repeat the procedure until 3 warp specimens folded face to face and 3 folded
back to back are being tested.
• Repeat the procedure for the 6 filling specimens.
Recovery Angle Test
Wrinkle resistance also affected by
• A resilient fiber content , such as polyester or
wool
• Highly twisted yarns
• Low yarns per inch
• Thick, lofty construction
• Finishes such as CRF(Crease Retention Finish)
finish for cotton fabrics
• A weave with few interlacing, such as 4X4
basket weave.
 Fabric Stiffness Testing
• In cantilever bending test, a strip of fabric (1 inch x 8 inch) is
extended over a horizontal platform (Warp and Weft)
• The platform moves to extend the fabric strip over the edge until it
bends down to touch a baseline placed at a specified angle.
• The length of fabric required to reach this base line (termed the
overhang length, O) is a measure of stiffness.
• The longer the length is, the stiffer the fabric.
• The face and back of each end of the strip are measured for a total
of four values for each specimen.
• By evaluation of bending length and presented a relationship
between stiffness and fabric weight that is called flexural rigidity
• Fabric flexural rigidity (G) can then be calculated from the mean
value of O for each specimen using the following formulas and the
fabric weight (W) in mg/cm2
• G = W X c 3 ( units of G are mg / cm )
 Fabric Draping Test
• This is usually done on an instrument called Drape meter, it is to
determine a direct objective measurement of fabric drape.
– A fabric circle is draped over a pedestal while a light source beneath the
specimen forms a shadow of the draped image
– The image is then reflected on a top panel by a mirror
– A piece of paper is placed on a panel; the shadow on the paper is
traced; and paper image is cut and weighted.
• The weight of the paper corresponding to the draped image is
divided by the weight of the paper corresponding to an undraped
image is the drape coefficient ( DC), usually expressed as percent.
• Fabrics with high DC have low drapeability
• The number of folds or nodes, formed is also indication of drape-
ability
• Drapeable fabrics display more nodes in the circular draped
configuration.
 Air Permeability of Fabric
• The air permeability of a fabric is a measure of how well it allows the
passage of air through it. The ease or otherwise of passage of air is of
importance for a number of fabric end uses such as industrial filters, tents,
sailcloths, parachutes, raincoat materials, shirtings and airbags.
• Air permeability is defined as the volume of air in milliliters which is passed
in one second through 100 mm2 of the fabric at a pressure difference of
10mm head of water.
• The airflow through a given area of fabric is measured at a constant
pressure drop across the fabric of 10mm head of water. The specimen is
clamped over the air inlet of the apparatus with the use of rubber gaskets
and air is sucked through it by means of a pump as shown in figure. The air
value is adjusted to give a pressure drop across the fabric of 10mm head of
water and the air flow is then measured using a flowmeter.
• Five specimens are used each with a test area of 508mm2 (25.4mm
diameter) and and the mean air flow in ml per second is calculated from
the five results. From this the air permeability can be calculated in ml per
100 mm2 per second.
 Other Permeability Testings
• Other than air permeability water vapour
permeability, chemical permeability , water
permeability testing may also be done if
required.
Air Permeability Tester