Terry design

Terry towels
• Pile structures
• Larger surface area for moisture absorption
• Made of cotton/linen and even bamboo fibres
etc.
• Single sided terry
• Double sided terry
 Mechanism of Pile Formation
 The basic mechanism of terry towel lies in the formation of a loop
or uncut pile.
 The pile is a always a warp yarn and distributed evenly between
the ground warp yarns.
 There can be pile either in one side or in both sides.
 The figure above shows the cross section of a terry towel along
warp i.e. across the weft yarns.
 In the figure green and the yellow yarns represent the top and
bottom piles respectively. The red and the blue yarns represent
two ground warps of rib weave construction. Off course the
ground weave can be twill/rib/plain as well. The small circles
represent the weft yarns.
 The way the pile is produced is that a gap (equal to loop height) is
created between fell of the cloth and a group of three picks. This
is done in such a way so that after completion of a beat up two
successive picks are inserted but are not beaten up.
• In the production of terry fabrics two warps are processed simultaneously: the ground warp with
tightly tensioned ends and the pile warp with lightly tensioned ends.
• A special weaving method enables loops to be formed with the lightly tensioned warp ends on the
fabric surface. With the basic method known as three-pick terry, three picks form a pick group.
• By means of a special device on the weaving machine, two picks are inserted at a variable
distance –the loose pick distance – from the cloth fell. The loose pick distance is varied according
to the desired pile height.
• This represents a three pick terry woven on a terry loom,
• The two picks are bounded by base/ground weave construction and the pile forming yarn forms
the float of two picks and is immediately bound by the third single pick .
• So that when the pick is beaten at the third pick by a special reed; the float then forms the loop
pile.
 Terry warp maximum
interlacement with weft .
 Ground warp has only one
interlacement in three
picks i.e., weft gripping on
terry ends is more severe
than ground.
 Ground warp highly
tensioned.
 Pile low tension and
instantaneously looses at
fast reed beat up.
• After insertion of the third pick the group of three picks is beaten
up at a time. The three pick can call a set or group of three picks. In
between there are three picks.
• The first two picks are called loose picks and the third or last pick is
called fast pick.
• The weave is chosen in such a way that during beat up of the group
of three picks can easily slide through the ground warps but the pile
yarn is locked so that after completion of the beat up a loop is
produced.
• A group of three picks weave of ground warp and pile warp is
shown in figure. Two loose picks and one fast pick are the simplest
form of terry weave and minimum requirements of terry formation.
• In Figure weave A the ground warp (Red & Blue) and pile warps
(Green & Black) are shown alternatively while in weave B the
ground warps and the pile warps are shown together. Both the
repeats will result same towel.
• In the two repeats the red and blue are the ground warp while the
black and the green are the face and back piles respectively.
 Terry towels
Pk X . . O X . . O
• Warp ratio 1:1 Rd . O X . . O X .
• i.e., 1-G and 1-P Bl X O . . X O . .

• G weave: 2 x 1 warp rib Pk X . . O X . . O

Rd . O X . . O X .
• Terry also same pattern Bl X O . . X O . .
Pk X . . O X . . O
Rd . O X . . O X .
Bl X O . . X O . .
Pk X . . O X . . O
Rd . O X . . O X .
Bl X O . . X O . .

PI P I PI P I
G1 G2 G1 G2
LE LE LE LE
 Terry towels

• 3 pick terry
• 4 pick terry
• 5 pick terry
• 6 pick terry
• In all these 3, 4, 5, 6
pick terry weaves
reed is loose for 1st
and 2nd pick, fast for
the third.
Ground-face, pile,-ground-back .pile
3-pick

4-pick

5-pick

6-pick
 Terry towels

Pile height depends upon the Relative distance between

the fell of cloth and loose reed. More the distance more
the pile height.
• Conventional machines: reed is made fast and loose.
• New machines: reed movement is normal. Relative
distance is controlled by moving the cloth fell towards
and away from the reed. Hence moving the front and
back rest simultaneously.
• Variation in pile height: Variable pile height is achieved
by servo controlled let-off and take-up mechanism
which is not possible on ordinary conventional looms.
• Pile height may be as high as 12mm.
• Two sided pile structure better to hide fabric faults
• Weight may be > 500 gsm
• Low twist yarns
• Double yarns (local industry no sizing and no drop wires)
normally 20/2 or 24/2.
• Pile warp length: 3 to 5 times than ground
• Loose-reed/fast-reed order is adjusted through dobby pattern
(peg plan).
• Let off arrangement of Terry Loom The let off arrangement of terry weaving is one of its main
features that assist in terry formation. In any terry loom there are two let off mechanisms one
for the ground warp which is just like ordinary weaving, the other let off mechanism is intended
for the pile warp.
• Since the pile warp forms the pile therefore the let off of the pile warp beam is very important
to maintain equal pile height as on the whole the quality of the towel.
• The let off of pile warp is again can be of two types e.g. negative and positive. The negative let
off is used in the old version loom where the pile beam is subjected with a very light weight and
the warp is let off deliberately due to the tension caused by beat up of the group of three picks.
• In case of positive beat up, certain length of pile yarn, which is equal to the pile height, is
delivered deliberately by the let off system. In case of negative let off there is possibility of
variation of pile height.