Table of Content

15 March 2025, Volume 46 Issue 03

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Fiber Materials

Influences of stress in thermal imidization on structure and properties of polyimide fibers

WANG Biao, LI Yuan, DONG Jie, ZHANG Qinghua

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  1-8.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240302601

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Objective The mechanical properties of high-performance polymer fibers such as Kevlar (poly(p-phenylene-terephthamide) (PPTA) fiber) and Zylon (poly(p-phenylenebenzobis-oxazole) (PBO) fiber) can deteriorate severely when exposed under an UV irradiation condition. Polyimide (PI) fiber is of great interest to researchers with excellent irradiation resistance, high thermal stability and good mechanical property. Generally, the preparation of PI fiber adopts a two-step process, i.e., fabrication of polyamic acid (PAA) fibers, and then the conversion of PAA fibers into PI fibers by a thermal imidization process which is one of the key processes affecting the microstructure and the overall properties of resultant PI fibers. This research investigates the thermal imidization process aiming to prepare high performance PI fibers.

Method The precursor PAA fibers were fabricated through a dry-jet wet spinning process (a classic two-step method). The PI fibers were prepared by thermal imidization of PAA fibers under a relaxation state and satress state, respectively. The evolution of chemical structure and aggregation structure of PI fibers under different states were compared and analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and so on. The relationship between the structure and properties of PI fibers was established.

Results The thermal imidization process was accelerated by the applied stress. The degree of imidization of fibers reached 90% at 300 ℃ for 120 s under a stress of 30 cN, which was 17% higher than that in the relaxation state, thus contributing to the enhancement of fibers' properties. Under a stress, the axial crystal plane spacing of fibers increased after thermal imidization, leading to an increase in orientation and crystallinity of the fiber. Compared to the relaxation state imidization, the orientation degree of the (004) plane increased from 0.63 to 0.80, and crystallinity increased from 14.20% to 16.73% after the stress-state thermal imidization, indicating a more perfect crystal structure formed inside the fiber. However, most of the fiber remained amorphous. Owing to enhanced molecular chain orientation during imidization, both strength and modulus of fibers increased significantly while the elongation at break decreased. For the PI fiber thermally imidized under a stress condition, the 5% and 10% weight loss temperatures reached 529 ℃ and 565 ℃, respectively, higher than the relaxation samples.

Conclusion The stress applied in the thermal imidization process improves the degree of imidization, orientation and crystallinity of the resultant PI fiber, and significantly improves the mechanical and thermal properties of the PI fiber. It makes PI fibers more prominent in the advantages of high-performance fibers. Some results in this paper can serve as a foundation for optimizing the thermal imidization conditions of PAA fibers and producing high-performance PI fibers. It is believed that in the future, with the in-depth study of fiber forming process and post-treatment process, PI fibers with a better comprehensive performance will be widely applied in aerospace, military and composite material fields.

Preparation and thermal properties of carbon nanotube/polyethylene glycol composite phase change fiber

LIAO Tanqian, LI Wenya, YANG Xiaoyu, ZHAO Jingna, ZHANG Xiaohua

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  9-16.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240304501

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Objective Multifunctional fibrous phase change materials, namely PCM fibers, are a promising candidate for energy storage and thermal management applications, especially the wearable and flexible devices. The future development of PCM fibers requires efficient and facile energy conversion, high density storage capacity, and the cap ability to respond different stimuli. However, the inherent shortcomings of the organic PCM make it still challenging to simultaneously realize both solar energy conversion and energy storage. Thus, the appropriate incorporation or composition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into organic PCMs has been considered an effective solution to solve the above problems.

Method A cooperative in situ impregnation is adopted to simultaneously introduce polyethylene glycol (PEG) into CNT network framework, resulting in a CNT/PEG composite PCM fiber. In this strategy, a pre-densified CNT fiber is used as the CNT framework. During an electrolysis-induced expansion, the CNT scaffold is expanded by orders of magnitude with the network structure well maintained. Therefore, organic PCM (with different molecule weight) molecules can be simultaneously impregnated into the expanded CNT scaffold. After the composition and post-spinning, a continuous composite fiber was obtained.

Results Such strategy can result in a nearly ideal composite structure, including: 1) the organic PCM can be loaded at super high mass fractions, up to 94%; 2) PCM molecules are uniformly introduced into the CNT scaffold; 3) The CNT scaffold provided the excellent pathways to conduct heat, electrons and stresses, leading to the greatly enhanced thermal performance (including the phase change as well) and superior mechanical, and electrical properties; 4) the network structure provides the perfect solution for the liquid leakage; 5) the composite PCM fiber exhibits superior cyclic stability. Besides these overall advantages, the crystallinity, phase change temperatures, the phase change enthalpies can also be precisely regulated to meet different requirements.

Conclusion This study provides a new strategy for the design and construction of composite PCMs based on CNT networks for high efficient photothermal conversion, by virtue of the presence of CNT network, the obtained PCM fiber with the characteristics of high loading (up to 94%) and uniformly compounding, exhibits superior mechanical, electrical and thermal properties, and high cap abilities of energy conversion and storage, favourable thermal cycling and shape stability. All of these characteristics provide a new types of multifunctional fiber for the development of advanced wearable thermal management textile.

Preparation of cellulose/Ti₃C₂T_x aerogel absorbing materials with impedance step gradient layer structure and their absorption properties

LI Yi, ZHANG Hengyu, GUO Wenzhuo, CHEN Jianying, WANG Ni, XIAO Hong

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  17-26.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240304301

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Objective In order to broaden the absorption frequency band, obtain high-efficiency absorbing materials, and solve the problems of high energy consumption and serious environmental pollution in the preparation of polymer aerogel materials. Three-dimensional porous aerogel absorbers were prepared using cellulose nanofibers (CNF) as the framework and two-dimensional transition metal carbides (Ti₃C₂T_x) as conductive fillers.

Method Freeze-drying was adopted to construct CNF/Ti₃C₂T_x composite aerogel materials with different electromagnetic properties, and further the electromagnetic combination of multilayer CNF/Ti₃C₂T_x composite aerogel materials with impedance step gradient structure was explored by CST STUDIO SUITE simulation, and multilayer CNF/Ti₃C₂T_x composite aerogel materials with broadband absorption effect prepared.

Results The results showed that based on the porous structure of aerogel and the conductive loss of Ti₃C₂T_x, CNF/Ti₃C₂T_x composite aerogel material possessed electromagnetic wave absorption properties, and the absorption bandwidth and peak value can be adjusted by changing the content and thickness of Ti₃C₂T_x. The CNF/Ti₃C₂T_x composite aerogel materials with Ti₃C₂T_x mass fractions of 1%, 25% and 50% were prepared, and the impedance step gradient layered composite absorbers were constructed according to the characteristic impedance stacks from large to small, which had better impedance matching and attenuation loss performance. The reflection loss was as low as -15.9 dB, which is lower than that of the single-layer aerogel material of the same thickness with Ti₃C₂T_x mass fractions of 1%(0 dB), 25%(-2.0 dB) and 50%(-10.9 dB), and the effective absorption bandwidth covers the entire X-band.

Conclusion Through the stacking method, the multilayer aerogel material constructing the impedance gradient step gradient structure can effectively balance the impedance matching and attenuation loss in the direction of electromagnetic wave propagation from high to low, and its reflection loss value is lower than that of the single-layer aerogel material of the same thickness, and good absorption is achieved. The impedance gradient structure can extend the propagation path of electromagnetic waves, enhance the absorption loss, and broaden the absorption bandwidth.

Comparison of properties of different polylactic acid materials

QIAO Sijie, XING Tonghe, TONG Aixin, SHI Zhicheng, PAN Heng, LIU Keshuai, YU Hao, CHEN Fengxiang

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  27-33.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240300101

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Objective Against the background of global climate and environmental deterioration caused by excessive CO₂ emission and other factors, the development of a low-carbon recycling economy has become a global consensus. As a biodegradable green material, polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the important materials that can be adopted to address the environmental pollution. However, the performance of PLA varies greatly among different brands. This study compares the properties of PLA produced by China and America companies.

Method PLA masterbatch (PLA FY from a domestic manufacturer, PLA-NW from an oversea manufacturer) was put into a beaker containing deionized water and washed by ultrasonic cleaning for 30 min, and then put into an oven for drying at 45 ℃ for 6 h. The dried PLA masterbatch was put into a beaker and sealed and stored for use. Then, the differences between the molecular weight, surface morphology and optical purity, crystallinity, melt rheological properties and thermal stability of the granules provided by the two manufacturers were evaluated by gel permeation chromatography, optical microscope, automatic polarimeter, X-ray diffractometer, viscometer, rheometer, thermogravimetric analyzer, and melt indexer.

Results From the gel chromatographic analysis, the molecular mass distribution curves of the two PLA masterbatches were generaly similar, and both existed as single peaks, and the values of number-average molecular weight (M_n) (41 755 g/mol), weight-average molecular weight (M_w) (105 887 g/mol), Z-average molecular weight (M_z) (183 764 g/mol), and peak molecular weight (M_p) (99 581 g/mol) of PLA-NW were higher than those of PLA-FY. The molecular weight distribution index of PLA-NW (M_w/M_n=2.535 9) is lower than that of PLA-FY (M_w/M_n=2.658 4), which indicates that the molecular mass distribution of PLA-FY is wider. The surface of PLA-NW is relatively much rougher. The multi-sample statistics show that the diameter of PLA-FY is (4.477 2±0.102 5) mm, and that of PLA-NW is (5.100 6±0.098 5) mm, in the long direction. PLA-FY has an optical purity of 97.85%, whereas PLA-NW has an optical purity of 105.6%. In addition, both PLA-NW and PLA-FY are typical type-α crystals, indicating the typical orthorhombic crystal structure of PLA. The characteristic viscosity of PLA-NW (140.898 mL/g) is higher than that of PLA-FY (112.749 mL/g). The decomposition temperatures of PLA-NW at 5% and 50% weight loss were higher than that of PLA-FY, while the temperature T_t (387.30 ℃) of PLA-NW at the termination of decomposition was higher than that of PLA-FY at the termination of decomposition (378.23 ℃). Its temperature at the maximum decomposition rate (T_max=371.79 ℃) was also higher than that of PLA-FY (T_max=363.73 ℃). PLA-NW showed better thermal stability. In addition, the melt index of PLA-FY was always greater than that of PLA-NW. In general, the higher the melt index, the lower the molecular weight, the lower the temperature resistance, and the less difficulty the processing. This further confirms that the temperature resistance of PLA-NW is better than that of PLA-FY.

Conclusion This paper selects two types of spinning-grade PLA masterbatch manufactured domestically and abroad, and analyzes the performance of the two types of PLA granules through a series of characterization tests. The molecular weight of PLA-NW is slightly higher than that of PLA-FY, and the molecular weight distribution of PLA-NW is more uniform. Also, the crystallinity, optical purity, thermal stability and rheological properties of PLA-NW are better than that of PLA-FY.

Optimization and performance analysis of Lyocell fiber direct web formation process

ZHANG Fan, CHENG Chunzu, GUO Cuibin, ZHANG Dong, CHENG Min, LI Ting, XU Jigang

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  34-40.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240303101

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Objective Lyocell fiber direct web formation is an innovative method of preparing nonwoven materials by drafting a cellulose solution through a liquid stream and directly webbing the filaments by a dry-spray wet method using air gap cooling. It has the advantages of short preparation process, low investment in equipment and small footprint. The prepared non-woven material has high strength, good softness, good moisture absorption and air permeability, and low flaking rate, and can be applied in the fields of beauty mask, medical gauze, high-end wiping paper, and tea bags.

Method In this research, the liquid flow rate of the liquid flow drafting device under different structural parameters was investigated, and the crystallinity, breaking strength, liquid absorption rate, permeability and softness of the materials prepared under different liquid flow rates, different liquid flow NMMO concentrations and temperatures were studied comparatively, so as to determine the optimal structural parameters of the device and the liquid flow process parameters.

Results In the case of constant accelerating fluid flow rate, the total fluid rate increased with the increase of the ratio of the accelerating runner inlet and outlet widths (d₀/d₁). However, if d₀/d₁ value is too large, the accelerating fluid flow outlet pressure would be too large, which is prone to cause the non-uniformity of the fluid velocity. As the width of the bottom plate increased, the liquid flow velocity was decreased, and the width of the bottom plate was preferably 3-4 mm. As the liquid flow rate increased, the diameter of the fiber gradually became finer, and the finest was 9 μm in diameter, and the crystallinity and orientation of the fiber gradually increased with the increase of the liquid flow rate. The longitudinal and transversal breaking strengths of the nonwoven materials showed a tendency to increase with the increase of the liquid flow velocity. With the increase of the liquid flow rate, the liquid absorption rate and air permeability of the nonwoven materials demonstrated a decrease, and the softness of the nonwoven materials in both dry and wet states was deteriorated. With the increase of the concentration of NMMO, the crystallinity of the nonwoven materials was increased, and with the increase of the liquid flow temperature, the crystallinity of the nonwoven materials was decreased. The longitudinal and transverse breaking strength of the nonwoven materials was increased as the concentration of NMMO in the liquid flow increased, and the longitudinal and transverse breaking strength of the nonwoven materials was decreased as the temperature of the liquid flow increased. As the concentration of NMMO in the liquid flow increased, the softness of the nonwoven material was deteriorated, and as the temperature of the liquid flow increased, the softness of the nonwoven material was improved. Under the optimal process parameters, the prepared material had the longitudinal breaking strength of 35-40 N, transverse breaking strength of 18-25 N, liquid absorption rate of 1 100%-1 200%, air permeability of 4 600-4 900 mm/s, and dry state longitudinal softness 240-280 mN, dry state transverse softness 60-70 mN, wet state longitudinal softness 80-100 mN, and wet state transverse softness 49-56 mN.

Conclusion By optimizing the ratio of the inlet and outlet widths of the accelerating runner and the width of the base plate, the flow rate is maximized, resulting in improved fiber drafting. An increase in flow rate leads to a reduction in fiber diameter and an increase in crystallinity, which in turn enhances the longitudinal and transverse breaking strength of the nonwoven material. An increase in the liquid flow rate also leads to a decrease in the liquid absorption rate and air permeability of the material, and a deterioration in softness. As the concentration of liquid rate NMMO increases, the crystallinity and breaking strength of the material increase, and the softness decreases; while the increase of liquid rate temperature leads to the decrease of crystallinity, the decrease of breaking strength, and the improvement of softness. By precisely controlling the structural and process parameters of the liquid flow drafting device, the properties of Lyocell nonwoven materials can be effectively regulated, and nonwoven materials with high strength, good moisture absorption and air permeability, and suitable softness can be prepared. Future research can further explore the specific requirements of material properties in different application scenarios and achieve more refined process control and product customization.

Preparation of porous MXene/thermoplastic polyurethane fiber and its stress-strain sensing performance

LIU Jinfeng, DU Kangcun, XIAO Chang, FU Shaohai, ZHANG Liping

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  41-48.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240402901

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Objective In recent years, there has been a surge in the research of flexible sensor devices, and owing to their lightweight, flexibility, and biocompatibility, they became a popular topic of scholarly investigation. These devices have found widespread application in flexible sensing, actuators, and wearable devices. However, in the realm of stress and strain sensing, fiber sensors often display poor resilience and low sensing sensitivity, which significantly limit their use and growth in this field. Therefore, thermoplastic polyurethane(TPU) is used as the fiber substrate and Ti₃C₂T_x MXene is used as the conductive filler to prepare a porous stress and strain sensing fiber with good resilience and high sensitivity.

Method The honeycomb-like structure of porous stress-strain sensing fibers was prepared by wet spinning, using the different solubilities of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) in water and isopropanol (IPA) to delay the solvent exchange process between the spinning solution and the coagulation bath. Flexible sensing fibers with high sensitivity and good resilience were achieved by adjusting the loading amount of MXene on the fibers. The influences of MXene addition on the microstructure, thermal stability, mechanical properties and electrical properties of the fibers were studied, and this fiber was applied to the detection of human motion.

Results The porous thermoplastic polyurethane-based conductive fibers were successfully obtained through wet spinning. In the cross section, TPU fiber presents a honeycomb-like structure, and the pores of MXene/TPU fiber are expanded by virtue of the addition of MXene, showing a non-uniform pore structure. The MXene nanosheets are successfully attached to these pores and build a good conductive network. At the same time, MXene is also embedded on the fiber surface to cause the fiber surface be flat tened. The Ti elements in MXene are evenly dispersed on the fiber. In the thermal stability analysis, the addition of MXene led to the advance of the thermal cracking peak from 430 ℃ to 310 ℃ and 400 ℃, and the increase of the MXene load increased the fiber residual mass percentage from 9.16% to 17.24%, 21.09%, 23.57% and 26.21%. The breaking strength of TPU fiber is 11.16 MPa, and the elongation at break is 1 257%, with the increase of MXene load, the mechanical properties of the fiber decrease. The breaking strength of MXene/TPU fiber is 2.12 MPa, and the elongation at break is 622%. It still maintains a certain breaking strength and a long elongation at break. The conductivity of MXene/TPU fiber is 0.86 S/m, which is significantly improved compared with other fibers. When the strain of MXene/TPU fiber is 10% and 50%, the sensing sensitivity (G_F) is 20.45 and 151.12, respectively. At the same time, it still maintains a relatively stable resistance recovery after 500 s cyclic stretching at 50% strain. Compared with the stress-strain sensing fibers reported, MXene/TPU fiber has higher sensing sensitivity at the same strain. MXene/TPU fiber is applied to wrist and finger joint motion detection, the fiber was tested for 10 cycles, exhibiting a stable electrical signal transmission effect.

Conclusion The thermoplastic polyurethane-based stress-strain sensing fiber with high sensing sensitivity under low strain conditions is prepared by modulating coagulation bath to strengthen the solvent exchange process in wet spinning. It solves the problem that the stress-strain sensing fiber is low in sensitivity and hard to detect under small strain applications. It has a broad application prospect in human motion detection.

Textile Engineering

Mechanical properties of cotton/polyester staple sheath-core yarns and its corresponding fabrics

JIANG Wenjie, GUO Mingrui, GAO Weidong

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  49-55.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240100201

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Objective In order to give full play to the performance advantages of composite staple yarn, a new method of spinning staple sheath-core yarn based on ring spinning machine was developed. Meanwhile, tensile properties and abrasion resistance are important evaluation indicators of textiles, which are directly related to production efficiency and product quality. Therefore, the tensile properties and abrasion resistance of pure cotton ring-spun yarns and cotton-polyester staple sheath-core yarns and their corresponding fabrics were also compared.

Method The conventional front roller was replaced with the coaxial front roller of different diameters. The two fiber bundles were simultaneously fed into the back roller. After drafting, they were output with different speeds at the front roller nip. Under the action of spinning tension, the slow fiber bundle was output perpendicular to the front roller nip, while the fast fiber bundle was output from the front roller nip at a certain inclination angle and converged with the slow fiber bundle at the twisting point. As the twist was transferred to the spinning triangle, the slow fiber bundle was twisted around its axis, while the fast fiber bundle was spirally wrapped around the outside of the slow fiber bundle, thus forming staple sheath-core yarn.

Results The breaking strength and breaking elongation of the cotton-polyester staple sheath-core yarn are better than those of the ring-spun cotton yarn. And as the core proportion increases, the breaking strength and breaking elongation of the staple sheath-core yarn increase. This is because the tensile properties of polyester fiber are better than those of cotton fiber. As the core proportion increases, the polyester fiber content increases, so the tensile properties of the sheath-core yarn are improved. The tensile properties of staple fiber sheath-core yarn and ring-spun cotton yarn improve as the twist increases. Meanwhile, the abrasion resistance of ring-spun cotton yarn is better than that of cotton-polyester sheath-core yarn. The reason is that internal and external transfer exist between the fibers of ring-spun cotton yarn, and the binding force between fibers is strong and difficult to be extracted. While, the sheath-core yarn has an obvious layered structure, and the cohesive force between the core layer and the sheath layer is insufficient, making the fibers easier to peel off. Therefore, the abrasion resistance of cotton-polyester staple sheath-core yarn is worse than that of ring-spun cotton yarn. Similar to the law of yarn tensile properties, the tensile properties of knitted fabrics woven from polyester-cotton staple sheath-core yarns are superior to than those woven from ring-spun cotton yarns. This is because the fiber strength determines the tensile properties of the yarn, which in turn affects the tensile properties of the fabric. Therefore, an increase in the polyester fiber content is beneficial to improving the tensile breaking strength and breaking elongation of the knitted fabric. The strength loss proportion of the knitted fabric woven form ring-spun cotton yarn is much greater than that woven from sheath-core yarn fabric. This is because the strength of the sheath-core yarn is mainly provided by the core layer. During friction, the core layer is covered by the sheath layer and suffers little friction, resulting in less strength loss of the sheath-core yarn. Therefore, the strength loss proportion of the knitted fabric woven from staple sheath-core yarn is much smaller than that woven from ring-spun cotton yarn.

Conclusion A new method of spinning staple sheath-core yarn based on ring spinning machine was developed. the two fiber bundles were output at different speeds at the nip of the front roller by modifying the front roller on the ring spinning machine. Under the action of spinning tension and twisting, the slow fiber bundle was covered by the fast fiber bundle, forming a sheath-core structure. This method has the advantages of high spinning efficiency and good yarn spun properties. In addition, the tensile properties and abrasion resistance of ring-spun cotton yarn and cotton-polyester sheath-core staple fiber yarn were compared. The results show that the tensile properties of cotton-polyester staple sheath-core yarn were better than those of ring-spun cotton yarn; However, the abrasion resistance of cotton-polyester staple sheath-core yarn is worse than that of ring-spun cotton yarn; and the tensile properties of knitted fabric woven from cotton-polyester staple sheath-core yarn were better than that woven from ring-spun cotton yarn.

Image detection of cotton nep in carding net based on improved YOLOv8

BAI Yuwei, XU Jian, ZHU Yaolin, DING Zhanbo, LIU Chenyu

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  56-63.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240301901

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Objective In order to improve the nep detection using deep learning with minimal computing resources and to achieve real-time online detection using embedded devices and mobile terminals, this research proposed an improved YOLOv8 detection method.

Method Lightweight network MobileNetv3_Small was used as YOLOv8 backbone network so as to reduce the number of parameters. The self-improved CA (coordinate attention) model was adopted to replace the SE (squeeze-and-excitation)attention mechanism model in MobileNetv3 so as to improve the accuracy of nep detection. EIoU loss function substituted CIoU loss function was employed to retain more effective information in data processing.

Results The dataset constructed includes three target objects, which were named lumpy nep, strip nep and cotton miscellaneous matters. Different light intensities and camera orientation on model detection effec was studied by using test set. The experimental results show that no missed detections and false detections of all target objects was found under different light intensities and different camera orientations. The average accuracy of improved YOLOv8 model reached 95.8%, with an increase of 2.6% compared with the reported model. Compared with the improved YOLOv8, YOLOv7, YOLOv5 and Faster R-CNN network models, the improved YOLOv8 network model involved fewer parameters but with higher average accuracy. According to the average accuracy of the improved YOLOv8 model for each type, the detection rate reached more than 95.1% with high accuracy. The improved model ablation experiments show when MobileNetv3 replaced the YOLOv8 backbone network, the parameter quantity is greatly reduced, and it was found from the comparison experiment between the loss function CIoU and EIoU that when the loss function is EIoU, the average accuracy of model detection is higher than CIoU. In addition, the number of parameters in the model became smaller, which is beneficial for embedded equipment and would satisfy the actual industrial production requirements.

Conclusion A nep detection method based on improved YOLOv8 model is proposed combining the characteristics of nep. By improving the original YOLOv8 model and inducting improved MobileNetv3 module, the accuracy of the model is improved, and the number of parameters is reduced, which benefits effective detection. The improved model can effectively reduce the parameter number and make the detection accuracy improved. Compared with the classic detection methods, the accuracy of the proposed model is higher, and the parameters get fewer. This method can be used with mobile devices or built-in devices for intelligent factory equipment.

Abrasion resistance of recycled cotton/raw cotton rotor spun yarn

SHAO Qiu, YANG Ruihua

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  64-71.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20231104601

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Objective Fibers recycled from waste textiles is known for their reduced length, hence it is hard to spin as yarn again. However, it can be spun by rotor spinning which is well known for its low raw material requirements. The method to spun recycled yarns gives highlight of extremely useful of waste textiles. However, the yarn showed some disadvantages, such as low strength and poor abrasion resistance. Taking recycled rotor spun yarn as the research object, the correlation between different rotor spinning processes parameters, basic yarn performance indicators, and abrasion resistance of recycled rotor yarns is investigated.

Method Compared to raw cotton, the quality of recycled cotton fibers such as the fiber length, strength, and so on deteriorated to varying degrees. Recycled cotton is difficult to form yarn. Rotor spinning is adopted to mix raw cotton(length of 28 mm) and recycled cotton (length of 9.5 mm) at a ratio of 65/35 to form recycled rotor spinning yarn. Spinning was carried out under different process parameters including linear density, rotor speed, twist coefficient, and carding speed. Performance of yarns such as strength, evenness, and hairiness were evaluated. Correlation analysis is adopted to study the influence of yarn process parameters on yarn performance. Factor analysis is adopted to comprehensively study the influence of yarn performance indicators on abrasion resistance.

Results The performance of recycled rotor spun yarn with different parameters is compared. It is found that the breaking strength(correlation coefficients of 0.697^*) and elongation (correlation coefficients of 0.769^*) are significantly correlated with the twist coefficient. With the increaseing twist coefficient, the strength and elongation of the recycled rotor spun yarn also increases. The carding speed has the greatest correlation with CV(correlation coefficient of 0.540) value. As the carding speed increases, CV value first decreases and then increases. A significant correlation exists between hairiness and linear density(correlation coefficient of 0.750^*), and hairiness increases with the increase of linear density.

The abrasion resistance of yarn is the result of the comprehensive effect of multiple performance indicators of yarn, and a certain correlation exists between multiple performance indicators The information reflected between some performance indicator parameters is duplicated. The correlation between the quality indicators of recycled rotor spun yarn was analyzed using SPSS. Using factor analysis method, the quality indicators of recycled rotor spun yarn are reduced in dimensionality. Three principal factors, namely appearance factor(F₁), mechanical factor(F₂), and hairiness factor(F₃), were extracted from it. And scatter plots were drawn for the number of rubbing times and the three quality factors mentioned above, and it was found that the abrasion resistance decreased with the increase of F₁, F₂, and F₃. A yarn comprehensive score model was established by weighting the three factors (fitting equation R² value of 0.817 2). The comprehensive score values of yarns (1^#-9^#) were obtained. It was found that the abrasion resistance of yarns decreased with the increase of the comprehensive score value, and the relationship between the two was close to linear.

Conclusion The correlation between process parameters (linear density, rotor speed, twist coefficient, and carding speed) and the basic performance indicators of recycled rotor spinning are investigated. Due to the low abrasion resistance of recycled rotor spinning, the relationship between basic performance indicators and abrasion resistance was studied using SPSS software, and a regression model was established. It was found that the abrasion resistance showed a decreasing trend with the increase of appearanceity, mechanical factor and hairiness factor. According to the yarn comprehensive score model, the abrasion resistance of the yarn decreases with the increase of the comprehensive score value, and the relationship between them is close to linearity. Improving the abrasion resistance of recycled yarn can be achieved by increasing the twist to increase yarn strength and selecting an appropriate combing speed to reduce yarn unevenness.

Design of segment colored slub yarn with time series distribution and three-channel rotor yarn forming process

LI Jinjian, XUE Yuan, CHEN Yourong

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  72-81.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20231008601

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Objective As a combination of segment color yarn and slub yarn, segment colored slub yarn has multi-component changes in shape, structure and color, which gives textile and garment a stronger sense of color hierarchy and mechanism fullness, and provides new impetus for fabric design. At present, the methods of spinning segment colored slub yarn mainly focus on the ring spinning machine, but few reports on the rotor spinning segment colored slub yarn are known. In this paper, how to spin segment colored slub yarn with shape, structure and color timing changes by three-channel CNC rotor spinning is studied.

Method Firstly, the linear density, twist, blending ratio, thick and thin knot and color of segment colored slub yarn were parametrically characterized and the corresponding mathematical model was established. Then, combined with the principle of yarn formation by three-channel CNC rotor spinning and the mechanism of yarn morphology regulation, the formation mechanism of thick and thin knot and segment color of segment colored slub yarn with spinning timing distribution was constructed based on the three-channel CNC rotor spinning machine. On this basis, eight different styles of segment colored slub yarn with timing distribution of thick knots and their fabrics were prepared, and the mechanical properties of the yarns were tested.

Results In this study, eight types of segment-colored slub yarns were designed, comprising four with short slub segments (125.6 mm length) and four with long slub segments (1 420 mm length). Among the four short-segment slub yarns, two types were blended from two colored fibers, while the other two incorporated three colored fibers. Compared to the two-color slub segments, the three-color variants demonstrated richer color expression and enhanced three-dimensional effects on fabric surfaces. Similarly, among the four long-segment slub yarns, two types were blended from three colored fibers, while the remaining two used two colored fibers. Each long-segment slub yarn featured two distinct color combination patterns, exhibiting greater color variability and more pronounced color transitions compared to the former. The mechanical property tests performed with the XL-2 yarn strength tester showed that the yarn strength follows this order from lowest to highest: the base yarn segment is less than the base-slub transition segment is less than the slub segment. All test results met the first-grade requirements of FZ/T 12001―2015 ‘Cotton Rotor Spun Grey Yarn’.

Conclusion Based on the principle of three-channel CNC rotor spinning, this paper extends the yarn forming principle of three-channel CNC rotor spinning machine for spinning segment colored slub yarn, and establishes the formation mechanism and timing model of base yarn, thick and thin knot and color of segment colored slub yarn. The eight kinds of segment colored slub yarn fabrics have the characteristics of bright color, unique pattern, changeable style and strong three-dimensional sense, which provides a new idea for the design of clothing fabrics. However, due to the limitation of the mechanical structure (rotor circumference) of the rotor spinning machine, the shortest length of the slub segment of the spun segment colored slub yarn has to be greater than or equal to the rotor circumference, which is also the core issue to be faced in the future.

One-dimensional structured flexible capacitive sensors based on silver coated polyamide fiber/polyamide fiber/waterborne polyurethane composite yarns

YUE Xinyan, SHAO Jianbo, WANG Xiaohu, HAN Xiao, ZHAO Xiaoman, HONG Jianhan

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  82-89.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240403601

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Objective Wearable flexible sensors have become an important part of smart textiles, and flexible capacitive wearable sensors continue to develop in the direction of flexibility, miniaturization, portability and flexibility. In order to develop new flexible capacitive sensors and promote the continuous production of wearable flexible sensors, low-cost and high-efficiency preparation processes have received attention of researchers.

Method Silver coated nylon (SCN) as core yarn and nylon DTY (PA) as outer wrapper were selected to produce SCN/PA wrapped yarn through the automated wrapping yarn production process. The SCN/PA wrapped yarns were obtained by double-layer reverse twisting method, the inner yarns were twisted with S-twist and the outer winding yarns were twisted with Z-twist, with a twist rate of 1 000 t/m under the process parameters. The SCN/PA wrapped yarn was impregnated with waterborne polyurethane (WPU) to obtain the SCN/PA/WPU composite yarn, and then the composite yarn was adopted to design and prepare a one-dimensional structured flexible capacitive sensor. The SCN core yarn, SCN/PA wrapped yarn, and SCN/PA/WPU composite yarn were subjected to morphological observation, mechanical property tests, and the strain sensing properties of the sensors were investigated and practically applied to the monitoring of human activities.

Results The mechanical properties of both SCN/PA/WPU composite yarn and SCN/PA wrapped yarn were significantly improved compared with SCN core yarn. The design of one-dimensional flexible capacitive sensors using SCN/PA/WPU composite yarns by spiral winding method showed good tensile strain-capacitance sensing performance. The sensor has an operating response range of 0-140%. As the tensile strain was increased sequentially, the capacitance value of the sensor got decreased, and when the strain was small, the sensor exhibited good linearity and sensitivity factor. When the strain continued to increase, the sensor linearity and gauge factor began to weaken. At 10% of the tensile strain, its gauge factor was 0.66. The sensor can withstand 1 200 times of tension-unloading cycle, and its capacitance value is relatively stable, demonstrating good repeatability. The change in capacitance of the sensor remained stable with the constant change in tensile velocity, both at small strains of 40% and at large strains of 100%, demonstrating that the change in tensile speed was hardly a negative influence on the sensing performance of the sensor. Applying the sensor to real-time monitoring of human movement, it can accurately monitor the continuous bending and intermittent movement states of the joint parts of the human body at the fingers, wrists, and elbows. In addition, the sensors can accurately record small amplitude differences between changes in continuous bending movements of the human body. The sensor was also attached to near the volunteer's mouth, the sensor also captured the signal of small tensile strainswhen the mouth made.

Conclusion A low-cost, high-efficiency, continuous processing automated production process of covering yarn was adopted to prepare SCN/PA wrapping yarn, then dip-coating WPU treatment was carried out to prepare SCN/PA/WPU composite yarn. The design of one-dimensional structure flexible capacitive sensors based on SCN/PA/WPU composite yarns demonstrated excellent gauge factor, stability, and repeatability. The application of the sensor to real-time monitoring of human movement can accurately monitor the continuous bending and intermittent motion state of the joint parts of the human body in the fingers, wrists and elbows, and can also monitor small changes in the activity of the human mouth. The sensor capacitance changes can also be utilized to distinguish the motion action as well as calculate the angle of human joint motion. In view of the superior sensing properties of this one-dimensional structured flexible capacitive sensor, it has potential applications in the fields of sports health monitoring, medical health promotion and smart wearable devices.

Wearability of woven fabrics with antibacterial and odorizing composite functions

WANG Zhefeng, CAI Wangdan, LI Shiya, XU Qingyi, ZHANG Hongxia, ZHU Chengyan, JIN Xiaoke

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  90-99.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20230901401

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Objective Antibacterial textiles are the textiles with antibacterial agents in the interior or surface of fibers through physical or chemical treatment, which adhere and evenly diffuse on the surface of fibers to achieve long-lasting antibacterial properties. It is known that antibacterial textiles cannot completely remove textile odors, and the market demand for textiles with deodorizing functions is high. This article aims to explore the effects of the picking ratio of two types of functional yarns as well as fabric structure, and to quantitatively and systematically analyze the samples with the best comprehensive performance through mathematical methods.

Method This article selects mulberry silk as the warp yarn, and antibacterial nylon and honeycomb deodorized polyester yarns as the weft. Through controlling the parameters, the performance in the antibacterial function, deodorizing function, and other wearing properties of the fabric were explored under different factors. A sample with the best comprehensive performance was found through fuzzy mathematics comprehensive evaluation method.

Results When other conditions of the fabric are same, the antibacterial performance of the fabric showed improvement with the increase of the antibacterial nylon content in the weft yarn. When the antibacterial nylon content in the weft yarn was increased from 0% to 21.44% (i.e. the ratio of honeycomb deodorized polyester yarn to antibacterial nylon in the weft yarn being 4∶1), the antibacterial rate of the fabric against E. coli and S.aureus reached over 90%, showing a rapid growth. When the antibacterial nylon content in the weft yarn continues to increase, the antibacterial rate of the fabric tended to be constant. When all other conditions of the fabric are same, the deodorizing function of the fabric demonstrated increases with the increase of the content of honeycomb deodorized polyester in the weft yarn. Among the five types of woven fabrics, plain weave fabric showed the worst deodorizing effect, while satin fabric with six variations has the best deodorizing effect. In the A series samples, the longitudinal and transverse breaking strength of the samples gradually decreased along with the decrease in content of antibacterial nylon in the weft yarn, be ause of the superior breaking strength of antibacterial nylon compared to honeycomb deodorized yarn. In B series samples, different structures demonstrated certain impact on the tensile fracture performance of the samples. The plain weave fabric exhibited the best fabric strength, while double damask showed the worst. Owing to the honeycomb structure of the deodorizing fiber, the air permeability of the A series sample was enhanced with the increase of the honeycomb deodorizing yarn in the weft yarn. The fabric structure in the B series samples also had a significant impact on the air permeability, with double damask fabric having the best permeability and plain fabric having the worst. With the change of the picking ratio, the fluctuation of the sharp elastic wrinkle recovery angle and the slow elastic wrinkle recovery angle of the sample was not significant, and the order of wrinkle recovery performance of different structure samples was found to be plain weave < twill<six variable satin< double damask <honeycomb tissue. The difference in the content of honeycomb deodorizing yarn and antibacterial nylon in weft yarn showed little impact on the anti-fuzzing and pilling performance of the fabric, while the fabric structure has a significant impact. It was verified that the less likely the yarn was to slip, the better its anti-pilling performance would be. Plain weave fabrics showed the best anti-pilling performance, while honeycomb structure showed the worst. Using fuzzy mathematics comprehensive evaluation to select the sample with the best comprehensive performance in each series, it was found that sample A8 had the best comprehensive performance in the A series samples, and, sample B4 had the best comprehensive performance in the B series samples.

Conclusion When the picking ratio of honeycomb deodorized polyester yarn to antibacterial nylon was 4∶1, the comprehensive performance of the fabric is the best. When the fabric structure is double damask, the comprehensive performance of the fabric is the best.

Testing method of pile face properties for felting knitted wool fabrics

YAO Yiting, AO Limin, ZHANG Zhanwang, SU Youpeng

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  100-108.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20231101101

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Objective The pile face qualities of knitted woollen fabric include pile (hairiness) height, pile face softness and compressing elasticity, they are important components of fabric qualities which determine the luster, texture clarity, pilling resistance, as well as hand and tactile comfort of fabric, etc. The existing test methods related to fabric hairiness can only test the height or quantity of hairiness on fabric surface and are not applicable to testing knitted woollen fabric, and the evaluation of the pile properties currently still basically relies on experience of subjective evaluators. This research aims to investigate the feasibility using single side compression method to measure the characteristics of hairiness on the fabric surface of knitted woollen fabric, and construct indicator system to characterize the pile face properties.

Method The principle of single side compression of fabric sample with set load were given, and the basic requirements of the testing device for achieving single side compression of fabric sample were analyzed. A typical compression-return process curve for knitted woollen fabric sample was shown, and the method was proposed for determining the boundary point between the compressing stage of the hairiness part and the main body of the fabric on the curve. Based on the compressing curve of the sample, indicators were extracted to characterize the single side compressing properties of the fabric, and further indicators were constructed to characterize the pile face properties. Single side compressing tests on selected samples were conducted, the influences of main experimental parameters such as sample tension, compression-return speed, sample pretreatment methods and conditions on the test results were compared. The feasibility of the testing method was investigated by experiments on the same variety of products with different shearing parameters, and the consistency of the test results was discussed by experiments on different varieties of products with the same shearing parameters.

Results Using the intersection point of the fitted straight line of the fabric body compression stage and the horizontal axis (compression displacement) as the dividing point, the compression part curve of the fabric hairiness was segmented from the compression and return curve. The intercept of the fitted straight line on the horizontal axis, as well as parameters constructed based on the compression curve during the hairiness compression stage, such as the compressing work, specific work, and work coefficient, were adopted to characterize the characteristics of the hairiness compression stage. Single side compressing test results of a double-sided weft knitted wool fabric under four pretension conditions, as well as the test results using five compression-return speeds and using four pretreatment conditions while keeping other test conditions unchanged, were given. At the same time, the single side compression test results of the same variety with different shearing process samples and different varieties with the same shearing process samples were also provided.

Conclusion The pile face properties of knitted woollen fabric can be tested and characterized using the single side compression method. The thickness of the pile (height of hairiness) can be characterized by the compression displacement during the hairiness compression stage; the softness of the pile face can be expressed by the compression work, specific work, and work coefficient during the hairiness compression stage; The elasticity of the pile face can be characterized by the change rate of the hairiness height and compression work during the compression and return processes. The pretension and pre-treatment conditions have significant impact on the test results, and the pretension should be selected reasonably based on the sample specifications.

Dynamic deformation simulation of weft knitted fabrics based on physical constraints

LIANG Jinxing, LI Dongsheng, HAN Kaifang, HU Xinrong, PENG Jiajia, LI Lijun

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  109-115.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240506301

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Objective This research aims to develop a dynamic deformation simulation method for weft-knitted fabrics based on physical constraints, addressing the complex interactions and morphological changes of yarns in knitted structures. The significance of this work lies in providing a new perspective for the design of knitted patterns, the development of simulation software, and the optimization of knitting processes.

Method The method of this research encompasses the development of a dynamic deformation simulation for weft-knitted fabrics based on a comprehensive physical model. The yarns are represented as a series of discrete capsule geometries, each corresponding to the physical properties of actual yarns. The simulation framework integrates several key components,including distance constraints to maintain yarn integrity and prevent over-extension, penalty functions to simulate yarn bending and ensure the yarn's resistance to deformation, collision constraints to prevent interpenetration of yarn segments ensuring that the simulated structure respects the physical space occupied by each yarn, and friction constraints to mimic the sliding behavior between yarns, which is essential for the stability of the knitted structure. Damping is introduced to dissipate kinetic energy and facilitate the convergence of the simulation to a stable state. The simulation leverages NVIDIA PhysX, a physics engine, to manage complex interactions and constraints. The process involves initializing capsule-shaped rigid bodies, applying constraints, and iteratively updating positions and rotations within a simulation loop to achieve a steady state of yarn-level knitting patterns. The simulation parameters and constraints are carefully calibrated to reflect the mechanical properties of the yarns and the structural characteristics of the knitted fabric. The algorithm iteratively updates the control points and render model to ensure that the deformation and motion of the fabric throughout the simulation are coherent and accurate. The simulation results are then compared with real samples to validate the accuracy and reliability of the model, providing a detailed and nuanced representation of weft-knitted fabric deformation.

Results The simulation results demonstrate the model's accuracy by comparing with real samples. The proposed method effectively simulates the interlocking structure of loops, frictional behavior between yarns, their elastic response, and collisions. The study provides a new perspective in the field of knitted fabric deformation simulation, showcasing the cop ability to simulate different knitted patterns with high fidelity. The physical constraints ensure the stability of the loop structure during deformation, allowing for elastic transformation and accurately reflecting the deformation characteristics such as bending, stretching, and twisting of yarns under external forces.

Conclusion The proposed physical constraint-based simulation method offers a precise and realistic representation of the deformation behavior of weft-knitted fabrics under various external forces. The consistency between the simulation results and the real fabric was demonstrated through a comparison with actual samples. This research is significant for the development of knitting pattern design software, simulation software development, and optimization of knitting processes. The findings also provide insights for future work in enhancing the simulation's efficiency and expanding its applicability to more complex fabric structures.

Development and performance evaluation of biodegradable polylactic acid protective masks

ZHANG Huiqin, WU Gaihong, LIU Xia, LIU Shuqiang, ZHAO Heng, LIU Tao

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  116-122.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240605001

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Objective In recent years, the emergence of the COVID-19 epidemic and airborne particulate pollution has led to a surge in the consumption of face masks. Masks are usually made of non-biodegradable petroleum-derived non-woven materials, which increase global plastic pollution and put great pressure on the human environment, hygiene, and health promotion. Using biodegradable materials to prepare masks can effectively alleviate the pressure of discarded masks on the ecological environment. Therefore, the development of biodegradable masks is significant in reducing environmental pollution.

Method Biodegradable PLA, used as the material, was combined with melt-blown spinning and electrostatic spinning technologies to prepare a bilayer composite micro-and nano-structured fiber membrane as the filter core layer of the mask, and integrated the mask accessories to make a complete biodegradable PLA mask. The microscopic morphology of the bilayer structure and the filter core layer were analyzed, and the protective performance, thermal comfort management, adaptability, and degradation performance of PLA masks were comprehensively evaluated by comparing them with commercially available masks.

Results A double-layer composite structure of PLA melt-blown membrane with an average fiber diameter of 8 μm as a base fabric and a nanofiber membrane with an average diameter of 204 nm as a filter core layer was prepared by combining melt-blown spinning and electrostatic spinning techniques. The results showed that the fiber surface of the composite fiber membrane of the bilayer structure was smooth and continuous, and the fiber morphology was also good. The protective performance of the complete PLA mask designed and prepared according to the three-dimensional facial model was studied and analyzed, and the results showed that the expiratory and inspiratory resistance of the PLA mask was 83 Pa and 79 Pa, respectively, providing a more balanced breathing resistance performance. The filtration efficiency of the PLA mask was 95.8%, and the layered interception mechanism of the double-layer structure makes the PLA mask perform well in filtration performance. The thermal comfort management performance of the mask was analyzed by infrared thermography, and the results showed that the surface temperature of the PLA mask changed from green to yellow, which showed a higher temperature and good thermal comfort management performance. The fit performance of the PLA mask was examined by quantitative fit, and the total fit factor of the optimized PLA mask was 69.57, demonstrating good fit comfort. The degradability of the PLA masks was verified through accelerated degradation experiments. The PLA mask showed a mass loss of up to 50% in 40 days, especially the nanofiber membrane of the filtration layer which completely degraded in only 8 days, a characteristic that not only confirms the biodegradability of the PLA mask, but also shows its rapid degradation, an advantage that helps to alleviate the pressure on the environment caused by discarded masks. By comparing the PLA masks with commercially available disposable and N95 masks, the PLA masks are well balanced in terms of overall basic performance and have good biodegradability, indicating that the PLA masks are a promising product for medical protection.

Conclusion A PLA micro- and nano-filtration core layer with a bilayer composite structure was successfully prepared by combining melt-blown spinning and electrostatic spinning techniques. According to the three-dimensional facial model, the mask layout was prepared, and a complete biodegradable PLA mask was prepared through integrated accessories according to the layout drawing, which was simple to operate. By comparing with commercially available masks, this biodegradable PLA mask was found to have good filtration performance, respiratory resistance, thermal comfort management performance, fittness, and degradability, and the PLA mask prepared by this method also provides a new idea for the development of biodegradable masks.

Dyeing and Finishing Engineering

Dyeing wool with indigo dye in deep eutectic solvent system

LI Huan, MENG Wenjun, ZHANG Jing, JIANG Zhe, WEI Yimin, ZHOU Man, WANG Qiang

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  123-130.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240305001

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Objective Conventional dyeing with indigo dyes would cause great damage to wool fibers and high alkalinity of dye wastewater. Aiming to achieve industrial scale production of denim-imitating wool fabrics, wool dyeing in micro-water system with indigo dyes is studied by using thymol-menthol hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent (HDES) as the dyeing medium, expecting to achieve high efficiency of indigo dyeing with minimal strength loss.

Method The influences of dyeing temperature, dye dosage and bath ratio on dyeing effect of HDES were investigated by using K/S and dyeing rate as indexes. The quality of wool indigo dyeing in HDES was analyzed through evaluations of K/S value, uptake rate, color fastness and dye transmittance. The influence of thymol-menthol on the physical and chemical properties of wool fabrics was investigated using attenuated total reflectance fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical properties and alkali solubility of the dyed wools were explored. The reusability of the HDES was investigated and the medium residue on the dyed wool fabric was measured.

Results Menthol and thymol became homogeneous liquids when being heated and could form hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents. As the dyeing temperature, dye dosage and bath ratio were increased, the K/S value of wool fabrics using the thymol-menthol system also increases. The dyeing temperature of 80 ℃, the dye dosage of 4%, and the bath ratio of 1∶20 were selected as the optimum dyeing conditions. Under the optimum dyeing conditions, the K/S value of indigo dye-dyed wool fabrics reached 18.23. The wool fabrics were dyed thoroughly and evenly to the degree of dyeing required by denim fabrics. The color fastness test of the dyed wool fabrics showed that the color fastness to soaping reached grade 4-5, the color fastness to dry and wet rubbing were grade 3-4 and grade 3, respectively, and the color fastness to light was grade 3-4, which are comparable to the effect of conventional water-phase dyeing. Comparison of the physical and chemical structure of wool fabrics before and after dyeing revealed that the protein macromolecule structure and crystal structure of wool were not seriously affected. Although the breaking strength of dyed wool became lower than that of the original wool, the strength loss was within the acceptable range, and the breaking elongation was similar to that of the original wool fabric. The mechanical properties of dyed wool under the thymol-menthol eutectic solvent system were better than those of dyed wool under the traditional water system. Through a simple separation process, most of the hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent was recovered from the dyeing waste liquid and reused for recycled dyeing. In addition, the residue of thymol-menthol on the wool fabrics after soaping was found extremely low, confirmed by UV-absorption spectroscopy analysis of the ethanol extract.

Conclusion In this study, K/S value and uptake rate were adopted as indexes to investigate the influences of dyeing temperature, dye dosage and bath ratio on dyeing effect of the system. The dyeing quality of wool indigo dyeing in HDES was analyzed, and the influences of thymol-menthol on physical and chemical properties of wool fabric were investigated. The following conclusions were made. 1) The dyeing effect of wool is better when the dyeing temperature is 80 ℃, the dye dosage is 4% (o.w.f) and the bath ratio is 1∶20 in HDES. 2) Under the optimum dyeing conditions, the K/S value of wool dyed with indigo dye can reach 18.23, which have a certain dyeability and can achieve the dyeing degree required by denim clothing. The color fastness to soaping, the dry and wet rubbing fastness, and the fastness to sunlight are good. 3) The influence of thymol-menthol medium dyeing on the macromolecular structure, crystal structure, morphology and mechanical characteristics of wool protein are all within an acceptable range. 4) Almost no residue of thymol-menthol medium on wool fabric was found after dyeing and soap washing. After simple separation of dyeing waste liquid, the thymol-menthol medium can be reused.

Cyclic dyeing with wastewater from liquid dispersed dyeing process

YIN Lianbo, LI Jiawei, DUAN Huimin, SONG Lixiang, CHEN Yushuang, LI Xunxun, QI Dongming

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  131-140.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240106201

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Objective In the field of textile printing and dyeing, the huge water consumption and pollution emission have become a problem restricting the sustainable development. Currently, polyester is the largest variety of chemical fiber, and it is reported that each ton of polyester fabric dyeing consumes about 60-80 tons of water and emits a large amount of wastewater. In response to the above issues, cyclic dyeing was implemented to reduce water consumption and wastewater emission so as to achieve low-carbon and environmental protection requirements.

Method The dyeing properties, dyeing kinetics, half dyeing time and diffusion coefficient of liquid C.I. Disperse Red 60 and powder C.I. Disperse Red 60 were studied. The cyclic dyeing of liquid dispersed dye dyeing wastewater was explored, and the economic analysis was also conducted.

Results The results shows that the uptake rate of C.I. Disperse Red 60 on polyester fibers is relatively fast in the initial stage. With the prolongation of dyeing time, the adsorption of the dye on the fibers gradually slows down until about 60 min later when the dyeing reaches equilibrium. Liquid C.I. Dispersed Red 60 has higher dyeing rate constants, greater diffusion coefficients and shorter half-dyeing times on polyester fabrics compared to powder C.I. Disperse Red 60 at a dyeing temperature of 130 ℃. In addition, as cyclic dyeing progresses, the color of the dyeing residue solution gradually deepens, and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) value of the dyeing solution also progressively increases. Compared with powder dispersed dyes, liquid dispersed dyes are more suitable for dyeing wastewater recycling dyeing by means of their dyeing residue showing lighter color and lower COD. Subsequently, the organic matter in the dyeing residue is decomposed using COD degrading agent to achieve rapid degradation of COD. When the amount of COD degrading agent is added up to 6.0 g/L, the COD value of dyeing residue decreases from 2 628 mg/L to 45 mg/L, and the COD removal rate in dyeing residue is above 98%. Afterwards, the dyeing residue treated with COD degrading agent is subjected to cyclic dyeing, and it is found that the liquid dispersed dyes still show good dyeing effect on polyester fabrics, as result that the cyclic dyeing of polyester fabrics using the treated wastewater is achievable. Liquid C.I. Disperse Red 60 dyeing wastewater was utilized to dye the polyester fabric using liquid C.I. Disperse Blue 291. The result indicated that the color light fastness of the dyed fabric is consistent with the dyed fabric using the fresh water as dyeing medium. However, when 10 cycles of dyed wastewater were used as dyeing medium, the color of dyed fabric became lighter, the green and blue light were weakened in comparation with the color parameter of the fabric dyed by fresh water.

Conclusion An effective method was developed for cyclic dyeing of polyester fabrics using liquid dispersed dye dyeing wastewater to reduce water consumption and wastewater emission. The results showed that the dyeing residue after 10 dyeing cycles could still be reused for dyeing after treatment with commercial COD degrading agent, and the water saving rate of 10 dyeing cycles reached 73% compared with the normal polyester dyeing process, which is in line with the requirement of low carbon and environmental protection.

Preparation and spectral compatibility of bistable thermochromic printed fabrics

MAO Lifen, XIAO Hong, MAO Qinghui, MA Wujun, LIANG Zhijie, LI Min

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  141-150.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240202801

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Objective Aiming at the problem that the color of monostable thermochromic textiles changes with the external environment, resulting in the hue uncontrolled autonomously. In this study, multi-spectrum-compatible thermochromic textiles are prepared by using bistable thermochromic microcapsules with two color-changing dots, compounding them with dispersion dyes and combining them with a color block printed with photonic crystals as a low-emission material.

Method The bistable thermochromic microcapsules and conventional disperse dyes were used as colorants. The bistable thermochromic microcapsules were colorless under high temperature stimulation and colored under low temperature stimulation, and the color of conventional disperse dyes was not affected by temperature. The bistable thermochromic fabric was printed by screen printing method, and the near-infrared camouflage was achieved by adjusting the color paste formulation. In addition, printed fabrics with low-emissivity color blocks were overprinted by screen printing with photonic crystals as color paste.

Results The two kinds of printed color blocks have high color change sensitivity (color change response time ≤30 s), good fatigue resistance (≥200 cycles), and the color blocks can be achieved by high temperature and low temperature stimulation in the range of 10~50 ℃ to maintain the two specific colors in a steady state, thus realizing the color of the color blocks of the autonomous control; in which the average spectral reflectance ratio (K_G) of the medium green and dark green color blocks in the 710-880 nm band and 620-660 nm band are 6.44 and 8.16, respectively, and have a broad-spectrum spectral simulation effect on typical angiosperms; in addition, the photonic crystal as a low hair material printed with the photonic crystal as a low-hair material, and has a broad-spectrum spectral simulation effect. The K_G of the medium green and dark green color blocks in the 710-880 nm band and 620-660 nm band is 6.44 and 8.16, respectively, and has a broad-spectrum spectral simulation of typical angiosperms; in addition, the emissivity of the color blocks printed with photonic crystals as the low-emitting material is 0.47, and thermal infrared imaging shows that it can play a role in the infrared low-detectability effect; the printed fabrics printed with three color block overprinting have good color fastness to soap washing, friction and sunlight, and their gloss is low.

Conclusion The research addresses the difficulty in the color of monostable thermochromic textiles changes with the change of external environment, which leads to the incapability to control the hue independently. Based on the large difference between the achromatic temperature and the chromogenic temperature of the bistable thermochromic microcapsules, it is compounded with disperse dyes to prepare printed fabrics that can maintain two colors steadily in high and low temperature environments. Combined with low-emitting materials, it is expected to be applied to the field of camouflage and camouflage of textiles.

Preparation of P/N/Si composite synergistic flame retardant cotton fabric and its performance

LIAO Xilin, ZENG Yuan, LIU Shuping, LI Liang, LI Shujing, LIU Rangtong

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  151-157.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240407001

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Objective Owing to its excellent biocompatibility, dyeing, softness, thermal and wet comfort, cotton fiber has been widely used in various fields, such as home textiles, clothing and industrial textiles. However, the limiting oxygen index of cotton fiber is about 18 and thus it is a combustible and flammable fiber. Doping flame-retardant in cotton fiber can improve its flame retardance. Treating cotton fabrics with nitrogen series, phosphorus series, boron series or silicon series alone would improve the flame resistance, but its effect is not satisfactory, and the cost is high. This research aims to achieve synergistic improvement in flame retardance by treating the cotton fabric with these flame retardants together.

Method Polyethyleneimine (PEI), phytic acid (PA) and nano-silica (SiO₂) were used as raw materials to construct a P/N/Si-modified composite for synergistic improvement in the flame retardancy. The surface morphology, thermal stability, heat release property, flame retardant property and flame-retardant mechanism of the treated cotton fabric were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), vertical combustion test, limiting oxygen index test, thermogravimetric analysis, microcalorimetry and smoke density.

Results According to the FT-IR spectra and SEM image, N, P and Si elements exist on the fiber surface of PEI/PA/SiO₂-modified cotton fabric. The initial degradation temperature (T_5%) of PEI/PA/SiO₂-modified cotton fabric was 97 ℃, and the decomposition rate reached a maximum at 288 ℃. Compared with raw cotton fabric, the initial degradation temperature was significantly reduced, and the char residue content increased to 38.54%, indicating that the composite flame retardant can successfully slow down the thermal decomposition of cotton fabric. The subsequent burning time, smoldering time and damage length of PEI/PA/SiO₂-modified cotton fibers were significantly reduced, and the LOI values reached 30.3%. This indicates that the synergistic flame retardancy of PEI, PA and SiO₂, in which the respective attributes are integrated, can improve the flame retardancy of the fabric. The prepared fabric satisfied the related standard. Compared with pure cotton fabric, peak heat release rate (pHRR), heat release capacity (HRC) and total heat release (THR) of PEI/PA/SiO₂-modified cotton fabric decreased by 84.2%, 85.0% and 83.3%, respectively, indicating it has high carbon formation efficiency and low the volume of gas generation in the thermal decomposition process. The smoke production of PEI/PA/SiO₂-modified cotton fiber was decreased and stable, which can effectively reduce the possibility of suffocation death in the fire. The smoke release of PEI/PA/SiO₂-modified cotton fabric was the least and the most stable among all samples, which indicates that PEI/PA/SiO₂-modified cotton fabric can not only effectively improve the flame-retardant performance of cotton fabric, but also reduce the release rate and release amount of smoke during the combustion process. Compared with the raw cotton fiber, the warp breaking strength and weft breaking strength of PEI/PA/SiO₂-modified cotton fabric decreased by 14.8% and 14.1%, respectively.

Conclusion The results showed that PEI/PA/SiO₂-modified cotton fabric can promote the catalytic carbon formation of cotton fiber at low temperature, reduce the amount of smoke release, and form a highly graphitized carbon layer on the fiber surface to isolate the contact between combustible gas and fiber, and thus achieve satisfactory flame retardant effect. PEI/PA/SiO₂-modified cotton fabric shows significantly better flame retardance performance than PEI, PA or PEI/PA-modified samples and meets the standard of decorative fabric flame retardant B1 requirements. Besides, PEI/PA/SiO₂-modified cotton fabric also improves the mechanical properties of cotton fabric by decreasing the damage of strong acidity from PA.

Preparation and performance of flexible pressure sensor based on warp knitted spacer fabric

SHE Yemei, PENG Yangyang, WANG Fameng, PAN Ruru

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  158-166.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20231204001

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Objective With the development of the times, more and more attention are paid to health issues. Wearable technology is also slowly approaching the lives of the public, and compared with conventional rigid sensors, flexible wearable technology has the advantages of better wearing comfort, human body fit and lightness. In order to deal with high manufacturing cost, complex manufacturing process and difficult integration of some flexible sensors into textiles, which limits the further development and application in flexible pressure sensors, a flexible pressure sensor with simple preparation process is studied.

Method The spacer fabric selected is composed of outer fabrics and a monofilament in the middle. Firstly, the toner, copper powder, PDMS and its curing agent and organic silicon are mixed in a ratio of 10 g∶13 g∶18 g∶2 g∶20 g, stirred on a digital display constant speed mixer for 20 min, the speed is 300 r/min, and 2 g of carbonic acid is added during the stirring process. The warp knitting spacer fabric is cut into 1×1 cm, which is put into the mixed conductive material to soak and press. After the warp knitting spacer fabric fully absorbs the conductive material, it is dried in an oven at 80 ℃ for 2 h. After drying, it was encapsulated with conductive silver cloth to prepare a resistive flexible pressure sensor based on warp knitted spacer fabric.

Results The flexible pressure sensor was identified to have a sensing range of 0-160 kPa and a sensitivity of 1.304 kPa in the low pressure range (0-20 kPa). Owing to the three-dimensional structure and microporous structure of the sensor. The sensor was also able to undergo large deformation under the action of small external forces, and the change of conductive path leads to a large change in its resistance. The response time of the flexible pressure sensor is only 140 ms, which is enough to monitor human movement signals. The resistance change remained stable for 2 000 cycles, indicating that the flexible composite piezoresistive material had good recovery and wear resistance. At the same time, the flexible sensor prepared based on textile matrix exhibited good air permeability and moisture permeability of 180 mm/s and 1 850 g/(m²·24 h), respectively.

Conclusion A flexible pressure sensor with excellent sensing performance was prepared. The 3D structure and excellent elasticity of the warp knitted spacer fabric was shown to provide excellent structural advantages for the preparation of the resistive flexible pressure sensor. The spacer fabric can not only absorb more conductive materials more firmly, but can also allow diferent compressible space and be more sensitive to external mechanical stimuli. In the preparation process, carbonic acid is added to make it porosity, so that the internal air increases, and the compressibility is improved, so the performance in the sensitivity including taking performance is improved, the response time of the flexible pressure sensor is 140 ms, and the recovery time is 166 ms. Reliable sensing stability and cycling durability (>2000 cycles) all contribute to the sensor's good electrical performance. Spacer fabrics inherently have good air and water permeability, while PDMS is malleable, biocompatible, easy to process, and relatively low in cost. It is proved that the sensor prepared can sensitively make signal changes to human motion changes, and has certain advantages compared with piezoresistive sensors of the same type and realizes a simple process and low cost.

Apparel Engineering

High-precision 3-D virtual try-on model based on cross-attention multi-view generation and diffusion

YU Haoran, WANG Ping, WANG Hao, DING Dong

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  167-176.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240503801

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Objective In the era of 5G Internet communication, virtual try-on technology not only enriches the online fashion consumption experience but also drives the advancement of digital fashion. However, existing generative 3-D virtual try-on models often lack adequate depth features, leading to issues such as stereo distortion and reduced accuracy. In this study, a high precision 3-D virtual try-on model called MV-3DVTON was introduced, which is based on a generative diffusion architecture.

Method A cross-attention mechanism was integrated into the generative diffusion architecture to facilitate the processing of semantic relationships between two information sequences: the features of the fitting image from the frontal view and the features of the target human body's position from the back view. The integration aimed to generate multi-view fitting images. A multi-view depth encoder-decoder network was employed to extract high-precision depth information from various perspectives. Subsequently, the generated multi-view information was consolidated into a 3-D colored point cloud, which, through Poisson reconstruction, enabled the realization of a 360° viewable, lifelike 3-D virtual try-on system.

Results In comparison to CASD and ADGAN, MV-3DVTON exhibits superiority across all metrics. Notably, MV-3DVTON achieved a 22.96% reduction in LPIPS (perceptual image patch similarity) and a 12.08% decrease in FID (fréchet inception distance) compared to the CASD model. This decrease signifies that the generated images better align with human perception, resulting in a more realistic image effect with higher distribution similarity. In order to visually demonstrate the model's generalization across diverse application scenarios, comparison results of multi-view image generation was presented for different genders across four clothing virtual fitting scenarios which are solid color, striped, checkered, and patterned. The generated images by MV-3DVTON exhibited increased similarity with real images in various test scenarios, indicating enhanced generalization capability and the ability to produce more realistic multi-view fitting images. Contrasted with M3D-VTON, MV-3DVTON demonstrated superior performance across all error indices. Particularly noteworthy is the significant decrease in the AbsRel (absolute relative error) index by approximately 12.21% and RMSE (the root mean square error) index by about 5%. These decreases highlight the new model's capability to reduce errors between the estimated and real values of depth information, thereby enhancing the accuracy of depth estimation. Moreover, the novel approach leveraged the frontal and back images of the human body as inputs to the model. With the ability to predict and integrate depth information from multiple viewpoints, the new model was successful in capturing finer depth details compared to existing methods that rely solely on the monocular frontal view's mirror image. By examining the depth maps generated by MV-3DVTON and M3D-VTON from the frontal and back views, it is evident that M3D-VTON exhibits inaccuracies in delineating human body and garment boundaries. Conversely, the depth maps generated by the new model offer clearer boundaries of various human body structures, with enhanced realism in details. Furthermore, the comparison results of selected front, side, and back effects demonstrate MV-3DVTON's ability to generate multi-view virtual fitting effects effectively. This underscores that the predicted multi-view human body depth features are more accurate, providing a comprehensive, multi-view encompassing, and high-precision 3-D virtual fitting experience.

Conclusion A thorough qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the MV-3DVTON method was proposed. The statistical metrics from the test dataset demonstrate that the new model, along with the system of multi-view generation diffusion incorporating a cross-attention mechanism proposed by MV-3DVTON, achieves high-precision generation, accurate prediction estimation, and effective fusion of multi-view depth feature information within a point cloud framework. The new model effectively addresses the challenges associated with inadequate depth information and low accuracy in 3-D feature extraction encountered in conventional monocular mirroring methods. It offers a superior 3-D virtual fitting experience with multiple viewpoints, accommodating various human body postures and clothing textures. This innovative model boasts user-friendly interaction and holds promising prospects for applications within the digital fashion domain.

Integrated optimization of capacity planning and order allocation for multi-brand garment enterprises

SHEN Kefei, WANG Changjun

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  177-187.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240701101

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Objective After moving away from low-priced labeling, Chinese garment enterprises have entered the era of building their own brands and carrying out multi-brand strategy. Because of the distinct development history and positioning of each brand, most enterprises operate their multi-brand in a decentralized way, i.e., each brand division has its own supplier base. This ensures the independence and competitiveness of each brand, but leads to the loss of opportunities to integrate these supplier bases. To this end, this paper considers the multi-brand garment enterprises and studies the integrated optimization of supplier selection, capacity planning, and order allocation.

Method Considering decision-makers faced the demand uncertainties, and multiple requirements on demand satisfaction, cost, and operations, a two-stage stochastically robust model was developed. The first stage focused on the supplier selection and capacity planning decisions, which should be made before demand information was given. Next, the order would be assigned to the selected supplier. Orders consisted of two parts, the first being the allocated order quantity that was consistent with the capacity planning characteristics, and the other being the adjusted order quantity obtained by integrating the unused planned capacity of suppliers. A solution method based on Benders decomposition was designed to improve the computational efficiency.

Results The proposed approach was applied to address a real-world case of a well-known multi-brand garment enterprise in China. Sensitivity analysis for the mismatch degree and the robustness-economics weighted value was also conducted. First of all, by comparing whether to implement the capacity sharing decision among brands, it was found that capacity sharing could effectively reduce the loss of unfulfilled orders and make the total cost better. The differences in supplier production capacity and order demand led to different trends in order adjustments for various brand suppliers as market demand increased. To be specific, in an event that market demand for all brands was rising, the less-demanding brand would arrange for its own suppliers to dedicate more capacity to producing orders for other brands with higher demand. However, demanding requirement on the match of the planning and the operational results seemed beneficial to stabilize the operations of suppliers, it also resulted in two disadvantages: harm to the benefits of the garment enterprises and reduction in the capacity utilization of the suppliers. Especially when the threshold of capacity planning matching degree was above 0.4, the out-of-stock cost as well as the total cost of the enterprise got significantly increased. A trade-off existed between the robustness and the economics of the decision-making results. Correspondingly, the economic requirement could be improved at the price of the robustness, and vice versa. With the increase of model robustness requirement, the total order shortage was decreased and the supplier's order adjustment was increased. This also indicated that the order adjustment strategy could effectively alleviate the imbalance between supply and demand.

Conclusion This paper highlights the importance of supplier resource coordination between brands. Specifically, the implementation of capacity sharing and order adjustment strategies can effectively improve the supply and demand balance of manufacturing resources and uncertain market demand. Both high-demand and low-demand brand divisions have the incentive to share supplier capacity. The high-demand division prefers capacity sharing because much capacity can be obtained via this practice, while the low-demand division will benefit from the capacity sharing by increasing the capacity utilization of its supplier bases. In addition, this paper comprehensively considers the trade-offs between cost, market, and supplier relationships in the modeling process. Therefore, it provides the scientific basis for supplier management of multi-brand garment enterprises, and the decision-making support for the win-win of garment enterprises and their suppliers.

Machinery & Equipment

High temperature testing technology for airtightness and heat transfer characteristics of heat sealing materials based on digital twin

CHEN Lifang, ZHOU Yuhang, FANG Wuguan, GUO Yixiang

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  188-195.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20231001701

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Objective Thermal sealing research is crucial in the development of spacecraft technology. During the hypersonic flight and re-entry process of spacecraft, the surface is subjected to aerodynamic heating caused by high-speed airflow, which poses a safety hazard of thermal erosion. The high temperature and high pressure harsh environment requires increasingly high requirements for thermal sealing materials. The simulation and testing technology research is an effort to investigate the flow resistance and thermal resistance characteristics of thermal sealing materials for spacecrafts.

Method A high temperature testing technology of braided heat seal based on digital twin was proposed, and a virtual and physical testing system was constructed to test the air tightness and heat transfer characteristics of heat seal materials under different working conditions. The thermal sealing environment was simulated before the test, and the testing process data were monitored during the test. After the test, the digital twin system is operated to evaluate the test results, and the virtual test of parameters beyond the test scope is completed based on the twin model.

Results The performance testing of thermal sealing materials obtained key parameters such as temperature, pressure, and leakage rate under given working conditions, as well as their variation patterns. Under the same compression rate, the leakage rate of the tested ceramic fiber felt showed an increase with the increase of pressure difference, showing that the smaller the compression rate, the faster the increase rate. Under the same pressure difference, it was found that the larger the compression ratio, the smaller the leakage rate. At a compression rate of 30%, the leakage rate of ceramic fiber felt decreased by about 43% compared to normal temperature conditions at 500 ℃, and the temperature difference between the front and rear sections of the sample was about 43 ℃. At 1 100 ℃, the leakage rate decreased by about 72% compared to normal temperature conditions, and the temperature difference between the front and rear sections of the sample was about 132 ℃. It is evident that the higher the density of the material (smaller fiber diameter and lower porosity), the greater the viscous resistance coefficient, leading to reduction of the fluidity of air inside the material. At high temperatures, the leakage rate of different materials would generally decrease, and the higher the fluid temperature, the smaller the leakage rate and the better the airtightness. The insulation effect of materials is more significant at high temperatures, which not only depends on their inherent thermal conductivity, but also on the leakage rate. Lower leakage rates reduced flow heat transfer, thereby improving the insulation performance of the materials.

Conclusion Simulation analysis based on the twin model runs through the entire testing process, ensuring the stability and accuracy of the testing process, providing reliable and trustworthy test results and accurate data support for the development and application of high-temperature thermal sealing materials. Based on test results and system simulation models, it is possible to expand the operating parameters for simulation prediction analysis. The consistency between simulation and test data is good, which can effectively be adopted to evaluate the airtightness and heat transfer performance of thermal sealing materials in high temperature and high pressure environments. It also solves the problem that thermal sealing materials cannot be tested under ultra-high parameters, providing technical support for achieving hypersonic flight and multiple re-entry of aircraft.

Optimization design of nozzle orifice structure based on response surface method

SHEN Min, YANG Qi, HU Feng, WANG Zhen, YANG Xuezheng, LÜ Yongfa, YU Lianqing

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  196-206.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20231202101

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Objective The air consumption of the auxiliary nozzle accounts for approximately 75% of the air-jet loom. In order to address the issues of low jet velocity and high air consumption in the single circular-hole auxiliary nozzle, a novel-shaped orifice auxiliary nozzle was designed. The study investigated the influence of the outlet shape parameters of the auxiliary nozzle on the synthesized airflow within the novel-shaped reed groove. This paper reports on numerical simulations based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and a turbulent model for vortex viscosity, focusing on the three-dimensional synthesized flow field composed of the main nozzle jet and the auxiliary nozzle jet.

Method Firstly, three-dimensional synthesized flow field models for auxiliary nozzles A1, A2, A3, B1,B2 and B3 were established using Solidworks software. The synthetic flow field models were then grid-divided using specialized meshing software ICEM, and boundary condition parameters were set using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software Fluent. Numerical simulations of the synthesized airflow were conducted based on the RANS equations, and the accuracy of the numerical results was validated through experiments. Secondly, building upon the analysis of experimental results, the range of outlet parameters for the auxiliary nozzles was defined, including the long axis, short axis, and rotation angle. Experimental combinations were generated using the Box-Behnken method, and calculations were performed using Fluent. Experimental results were presented as response surfaces, and regression equations were derived, with the accuracy of the regression equation verified through variance analysis. By analyzing the interactions between various factors, the impact of each factor on air consumption and speed was determined. In conclusion, a comparison of air consumption and average velocity among the experimental groups facilitated the identification of the optimal comprehensive performance model.

Results The numerical simulation results exhibit a decay trend in the airflow velocity curve that aligns with the experimental test results. The velocity of the primary jet rapidly decreases upon entry into the novel-shaped reed groove. When the auxiliary nozzle jet enters the reed groove, the synthesized airflow gets accelerated briefly, temporarily slowing down the overall decay of the synthesized airflow. The prioritization of the converging type of auxiliary nozzle is observed in the order of A1 > A2 > A3 and B3>B2>B1. The F-value of the response surface model for air consumption of the auxiliary nozzle under 0.3 MPa is 249.89, with a P-value smaller than 0.000 1, indicating the rationality of the selected model parameters. The results that R²=0.997 3, Adjusted R-squared (Radj2)=0.993 3, CV=1.14%<10%, and Adeq precision =56.082 8>4, indicating that the fitted regression equation conforms to the experimental principle and can be used for the analysis and prediction of air consumption. The F-value of the response surface model for velocity of the auxiliary nozzle under 0.4 MPa is 66.55, with a P-value smaller than 0.000 1, indicating the rationality of the selected model parameters. The results that R²=0.990 1, Radj2=0.975 2, CV=1.58%<10%, and Adeq precision =33.092 6>4, suggest that the fitted regression equation conforms to the experimental principle and can be used for the analysis and prediction of velocity. Through interaction analysis, it is observed that air consumption and velocity are positively correlated with the long and short axes, while the influence of the rotation angle on air consumption is relatively minimal, but the interaction between the rotation angle and the short axis has a significant effect on the velocity. Finally, compared with the average of the experimental group, the air consumption of the optimized model is reduced by 7.35%, and the average speed is increased by 2.25%.

Conclusion 1) The gas supply pressure of the elliptical hole auxiliary jet inlet is increased from 0.3 MPa to 0.4 MPa, and the air consumption of the elliptical hole auxiliary nozzle will be significantly increased. However, the distribution pattern of the response surface of the interaction of factors affecting air consumption is basically consistent. 2) The short axis of the elliptical hole has the most significant effect on the air consumption, followed by the long axis, while the change of rotation angle has no effect on the air consumption, and the interaction between the long axis and the short axis has the most significant effect on the air consumption. 3) The degree of influence on the peak value of the resultant air velocity is as follows: short axis > long axis > rotation angle, and the interaction of long axis-short axis and short axis-rotation angle on the velocity is significant; changing the rotation direction of the long axis of the elliptic hole has a significant effect on the resultant flow velocity. 4) A nonlinear relationship exists between the gas consumption of the auxiliary injection with elliptical holes and the peak velocity of the synthetic gas axis, and the gas consumption decreases when the speed increases.

Path planning for dual robot partitioned needling

LI Jiao, XIN Shiji, CHEN Li, YI Wei, CHEN Xiaoming

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  207-215.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240405301

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Objective This article aims to improve the needling quality and production efficiency of three-dimensional (3-D) composite preforms with irregular shapes. Based on the optimization of 3-D needling path planning algorithms and robotic collaborative needling, a dual-robot needling path planning technique was proposed. This method established an improved needling path planning approach for multi-curvature complex preforms by constructing needling points and auxiliary points, and calculating spatial attitudes. The complex preforms were divided into two zones, and each zone was individually needled by the dual-robot system, further reducing the production cycle.

Method This study employed two 6-axis 3-D needling robotic devices to prepare special-shaped preforms using quartz cloth/felt laminates. Rapid output of needling points and auxiliary points was achieved based on CATIA software. The normal vectors of the needling points were obtained by constructing four co-vertex triangular mesh planes. Leveraging spatial vectors, rotation matrices, and Euler angle calculations, the developed partitioned needling path planning computer aided manufacturing (CAM) software successfully generated highly precise and executable robot programs. The rationality and feasibility of the technique were verified through offline robot simulation and physical experiments.

Results The needling path planning method was validated through experiments, and the experimental results showed that by dividing the complex preform into two needling zones, and by reasonably allocating the needling trajectory using CATIA software and post-processing CAM software, the robot's end pose could be accurately calculated. The two needling robots could simultaneously needle the preform, without any collision, doubling the production efficiency during the entire needling process.

By comparing to the results from the double robot partitioned needling experiment, it could be seen that the needling trajectory simulated by AUTOCAD was highly consistent with the needling trajectory results on the surface of the preform in the experiment. This indicated that by constructing a triangular mesh plane with four common vertices to obtain the normal vector of the needle puncture point, the problem of inaccurate calculation of the normal vector in areas with large curvature changes such as corners of the preform could be effectively avoided, and the overall uniformity of the preform could be significantly improved.

In addition, based on Python and QT Desinger, combined with the calculation method of robot end pose and Kawasaki AS programming language, the CAM software for partitioned needling trajectory planning of needling robots had been developed. It could quickly process the position information of needling points and auxiliary points exported by CATIA, generate robot executable programs, and prove the reliability of the algorithm through simulation and experimental verification. The software has a simple interface and is easy to use. This trajectory planning method is also applicable to the tufting and I fiber implantation process in the weaving and forming of preform with variable curvature surfaces.

Conclusion The method for outputting needing points and auxiliary points based on CATIA had successfully achieved parametric output of the coordinates of these points. Leveraging the established calculation methods for spatial vectors, rotation matrices, and Euler angles, the partitioned needling path planning CAM software had been successfully developed, enabling the efficient and precise output of executable robot programs. The offline simulation process for dual-robot partitioned needling was collision-free, with precise positioning of the end-effectors, and the CAM post-processing software algorithm was reliable. The needling marks on the rotary preform's surface were highly consistent with the computer-simulated trajectories. The resulting preform exhibited a smooth surface and good uniformity. The dual-robot system efficiently achieved the needling of the quasi-rotary preform, doubling the production efficiency compared to a single robot. This method is suitable for mass production weaving of quasi-rotary needling preforms. Furthermore, this path planning approach provides a reference for robot tufting and robot I-fiber sewing processes in fabricating 3-D preforms.

Design of hexagonal three-dimensional braiding technology for tubular fabrics

DING Caihong, HE Shaoxu

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  216-224.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240403101

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Objective Hexagonal three-dimensional braiding technology enables more flexible braiding processes, allowing for the fabrication of complex braided structures. The flexibility resulted in challenges such as difficulty in process development and lack of systemization, failing to meet the demands of hexagonal braiding technology. Therefore, a hexagonal braiding technique was proposed for tubular fabric structural design aiming to address these issues. By establishing an inherent connection between fabric structure and braiding machine through equivalent horn gears, the efficiency of hexagonal three-dimensional braiding technology design for tubular fabrics was enhanced.

Method Initially, the transfer principle of the yarn carrier on the horn gears was analyzed, and the theory of equivalent horn gears was proposed. Combined with the structure and motion characteristics of the hexagonal braiding machine, the equivalent horn gears unit of the braiding machine was proposed. Subsequently, based on the structural parameters of tubular fabrics, the inherent connection between the arrangement law of the yarn carrier and the fabric structure was established based on the equivalent horn gears. Finally, by analyzing the yarn forming process, the bottom plate process unit was defined. Combining with the principle of tubular fabric forming, the bottom plate structure of the hexagonal braiding machine equivalent horn gears system was constructed, obtaining the arrangement law of the yarn carrier, elucidating the movement criteria of the yarn carrier, and obtaining recyclable process steps.

Results Firstly, the principle of carrier position transformation was analyzed, and the theory of equivalent horn gears was proposed. Combined with the structural characteristics of the second-generation hexagonal braiding machine, the equivalent horn gears unit of the second-generation hexagonal braiding machine was proposed, further elucidating the chassis motion unit of the hexagonal braiding machine equivalent horn gears system. Secondly, based on the structural parameters of tubular fabrics, and the structural characteristics of the equivalent horn gears, the inherent connection between the arrangement law of the yarn carrier and the fabric structure was established, reflecting the forming principle of tubular fabrics. Thirdly, by analyzing the fabric forming principle, the bottom plate process unit was defined. Then, combining with the principle of tubular fabric forming, the selection principle of the equivalent horn gears unit was proposed, and the bottom plate structure of the hexagonal braiding machine equivalent horn gears system was constructed, thereby determining the arrangement law of the yarn carrier. Fourthly, the yarn carriers were arranged based on the interweaving centerline, and the motion steps of the process units were planned respectively, resulting in recyclable execution steps. Fifthly, the braiding process of the 3∶3-1 tubular fabric was designed, and relevant experiments were conducted, achieving consistent fabric structural characteristics with the designed fabric configuration.

Conclusion Building upon the foundation of hexagonal horn gears and stepwise directional motion and drawing inspiration from the establishment method of Maypole tubular fabric forming process, this study explores the hexagonal three-dimensional braiding technology for tubular fabrics. Leveraging the structural characteristics of the second-generation hexagonal braiding machine, the theory of equivalent horn gears is proposed. Mapping the arrangement of yarn carriers to fabric structure, a hexagonal braiding technology based on the theory of equivalent horn gears is developed. Finally, the feasibility and correctness of this approach are verified through braiding experiments. Although hexagonal three-dimensional braiding machines have been continuously improved in mechanical and electronic control aspects, enabling more flexible braiding of complex fabric structures, a corresponding universal braiding technology or theory for hexagonal braiding has yet to emerge. Systematic methods still lack to establish the regulatory relationship between braiding processes and fabric structures. The hexagonal braiding technology proposed provides effective technical support for the rapid development of tubular fabrics, filling the gap in the braiding process system of hexagonal braiding machines and promoting the advancement of hexagonal braiding technology. With the popularity of hexagonal braiding machines, new production demands continue to emerge, driving the development of hexagonal braiding technology to new heights.

Comprehensive Review

Advances in self-assembly mechanism of hierarchical structures and their reconstructed materials

LUO Xin, WANG Lei, WANG Xiaoyou, WU Tao, ZHANG Zhenzhen, ZHANG Yifan

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  225-235.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240306702

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Significance Silk fibroin is the main component of silk, with unique hierarchical structure and self-assembly properties, which endow silk with excellent mechanical properties. This paper reviews the currently proposed fiber structure models of silk, summarizes the arrangement and self-assembly mechanism of silk fibroin, and explores the ways in which the structure of silk fibroin affects their macroscopic properties, so as to lay a theoretical foundation for exploring new ways to functionalize and enhance the properties of silk fibroin materials. The hierarchical structure regulation mechanism inspired by the five-level structure model is detailed, and the influence of each hierarchical structure on the mechanical properties of silk-based materials is summarized. The structure-regulation-based silk fibroin-based functional materials have achieved breakthroughs in applications in biomedicine, energy storage, environmental science, etc. Aiming at the lack of large-scale production and application of silk fibroin materials, this study propose their development potential and possible challenges in emerging disciplines, and provide new ideas for the diversified and industrialized applications of natural protein materials.

Progress In order to delve into the reasons behind the superior properties of silk fibroin and to achieve the diversified development of silk fibroin materials in various fields, exploring the structure of silk fibroin is indispensable. Many researchers have conducted in-depth analysis of the structure of natural silk and proposed a variety of structural models. The amyloid fibril-like model reveals a basic pathway for the formation of silk fibroin. The cylindrical fibril model, hierarchical network model, plate-segment structure model, micellar model, bulk network model, and nano-fishnet model have all explored the reasons for the excellent toughness and fracture resistance of silk fibers from different aspects. Among them, the nano-fishnet model is currently a more complete and theoretically and practically consistent structural model. There is also a hierarchical structural regulation mechanism inspired by the five-level structural model, which summarizes the impact of each hierarchical structure on the mechanical properties of silk-based materials. The self-assembly mechanism of silk fibroin describes the process by which silk fibroin spontaneously forms an ordered structure from the solution state through self-interaction. Many self-assembly mechanisms of silk fibroin have been proposed to explain this process, but the specific process has not yet reached a unified consensus among researchers. With the deepening of research on silk fibroin structural models and self-assembly mechanisms, and the continuous deepening of understanding of the structure of silk fibroin, more and more researchers have begun to develop breakthroughs in the fields of biomedicine, energy storage, and environmental science by structurally regulating silk fibroin.

Conclusion and Prospect Silk, a conventional textile material with a long and storied history, continues to shine in many emerging fields today, thanks to researchers' ongoing exploration of its structure and properties using increasingly sophisticated scientific and technological methods. The gradually refined silk fiber structural model has laid the groundwork for an in-depth analysis of the microstructure and formation process of silk, while the continuously updated mechanisms of silk fibroin self-assembly offer ways to regulate the structure and properties of silk materials. The inherent properties of silk fibroin may not always meet the demands of everyday applications, but structurally re-engineered silk fibroin materials have already achieved significant research progress in fields such as biomedicine, energy storage, and environmental protection. However, the instability and insufficient functionality of silk fibroin materials have yet to be overcome, hindering their further market application. Ultimately, solving this problem requires a deep refinement of the self-assembly theory of silk fibroin and precise control of the microstructure of silk fibroin to fully achieve the targeted functionalization of silk materials. In the future, with more basic research and technological innovation, silk fibroin is expected to drive technological innovation in more fields, achieve market application in cutting-edge industries, and open up new application scenarios.

Application and research progress of nanofibres in artificial nerve conduits

LU Ning, CHEN Biling, SONG Gongji, LUO Yixin, WANG Jiannan, XU Jianmei

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  236-244.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240404702

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Significance In recent years, artificial nerve conduits have shown promising applications in the repair of peripheral nerve injuries. By controlling the materials, structure, and surface morphology of neural conduits, they are expected to replace autologous nerve grafts. Especially, nanofiber-based nerve conduits have become a research focus in the repair of peripheral nerve injuries. Nanofibers are characterized by small diameter, long length and large specific surface area. Artificial nerve conduits prepared from them can more effectively mimic the structure of the extracellular matrix, well promoting cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation, guiding the growth of neuronal axons, and accelerating the repair and regeneration of damaged nerves. Therefore, analyzing the regenerative repair mechanisms of nanofiber-based nerve conduits, reviewing the materials and methods for preparing nanofiber-based nerve conduits, as well as different structures, will provide a reference for the development and application of nanofiber-based nerve conduits in peripheral injury repair.

Progress Currently, research on nanofiber-based nerve conduits mainly focuses on four aspects. The first is the investigation of the role and mechanism of nanofibers in nerve regeneration and repair. It is believed that the high surface area-to-volume ratio of nanofibers can enhance cell contact area, while their high porosity ensures the supply of oxygen and nutrients, thus more effectively inducing cell growth and tissue regeneration. The second aspect is on the exploration of natural or synthetic polymer materials with excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability, which are easy to prepare into nanofiber-based nerve conduits. The third is about the preparation methods of nanofiber-based nerve conduits. This study summarizes four commonly used preparation methods for nanofiber-based neural conduits: electrospinning, mechanical drawing, phase separation, and self-assembly. Among them, electrospinning is the most commonly used method. This approach involves either first producing a nanofiber mat and then rolling it to form a conduit, or directly spraying nanofibers onto the surface of a cylindrical core tube and then demolding to form the conduit. Additionally, in the electrospinning process, conductive polymers or conductive media can be added to prepare nanofibers with conductivity. Furthermore, nutrients, functional proteins, and bioactive molecules can be incorporated to promote the adhesion and proliferation of nerve cells. The fourth aspect is on the structure of nanofiber-based nerve conduits. Multi-channel structures can guide axonal regeneration directionally; filling the conduit with micro/nanofibers can guide the directional growth of nerve cells and accelerate the formation of the extracellular matrix environment within the conduit; filling the conduit with aligned nanofiber sponge provides a simulated three-dimensional extracellular matrix environment for cell adhesion, growth, and migration.

Conclusion and Prospect By analyzing and reviewing relevant research on nanofiber-based artificial nerve conduits, the following conclusions are drawn. 1) Owing to unique structural advantages, nanofibers can better guide cell adhesion and migration, promote cell growth, and are more conducive to the repair of peripheral nerve injuries. 2) Various methods such as electrospinning, self-assembly, and phase separation can be employed to prepare natural polymer materials, synthetic polymer materials, and composite materials into nanofiber-based nerve conduits with special structures, physical, and biological properties. 3) Oriented nanofiber-based nerve conduits can guide the directional growth of neuronal axons, providing a macroscopic guiding effect for nerve growth. Nanofiber-filled nerve conduits can provide a 3-D extracellular matrix microenvironment for cell adhesion and proliferation, guiding axonal regeneration.

Currently, electrospinning technology remains the primary method for preparing nanofiber-based artificial nerve conduits. This process involves producing nanofiber membranes through electrospinning, which are subsequently formed into conduits. However, there is a lack of standardization in the conduit formation process, resulting in significant variations between batches. Future research trends in the preparation of nanofiber-based nerve conduits may focus on standardization and large-scale manufacturing. Additionally, there may be a shift towards constructing biomimetic interfaces for tissue-material interaction, incorporating functional biomimicry and structural biomimicry perspectives.

Research progress in sizing agent systems for continuous basalt fibers

SUN Jingyu, ZHANG Jianwei, YANG Chao, SHE Xilin, LIU Jiaqi

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  245-255.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240402502

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Significance Basalt fibers (BFs) exhibit excellent mechanical properties, high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, environmental friendliness, and low cost, which have been widely used in the engineering field, and the performance is mainly affected by the fiber composition structure and the sizing agent system. For basalt with defined composition, the sizing agent not only avoids defects and damages of BFs in the process of being stretched but also improves the compatibility of fiber and resin. The current sizing agent systems for BFs are the same as those used for glass fibers (GFs) or carbon fibers (CFs). Although the composition of BFs is similar with glass fibers in some degree, BFs are different and special from GFs and CFs, and therefore it is crucial to develop a special sizing agent system for BFs.

Progress Five main sizing agent systems which are epoxy resin (EP), polyurethane (PU), epoxy/polyurethane, silane or modified silane, organic/inorganic composite system, used for continuous BFs are reviewed. According to the different main components of the film forming agent in the sizing agent system, the interfacial interaction between the sizing agent, BFs and the matrix and the performance of the composite material are summarized by systematic and comparative methods. Epoxy sizing has become the main sizing agent by virtue of its low cost, excellent performance and easy usage. Self-emulsification technology is the key technology of EP sizing. However, epoxy resin is brittle after curing, so toughness polyurethane emulsion appears. Polyurethane slurry is only widely used in a few fields due to its poor mechanical properties and low solvent resistance. EP and PU composite sizing agent system can combine the advantages and overcome their disadvantages. The abundant reactive groups in the system, such as isocyanate groups, amino groups, and epoxy groups, can react with each other and further react with carboxyl and hydroxyl groups on the surface of pretreated BFs, and these properties provide high efficiency for EP/PU infiltration. All the above three systems have poor heat resistance, and the general method for increasing the heat resistance is partial cross-linking or increasing the molecular weight. Silane or modified silane sizing agent system can combine the two functions of coupling and film forming in one. Thank to the presence of silicon, it has better heat resistance than other systems. However, the surface energy of the organic film is low, so an organic/inorganic hybrid sizing system is prepared. This is a very promising system with excellent properties that combines mechanical interlocking and chemical bonding interactions between BFs and the matrix. Some new sizing agent systems are also introduced including the starch-phosphate, polypropylene and ionic liquid sizing systems, which are non-mainstream but with great potential.

Conclusion and Prospect Conclusively, the design principles, challenges and future development prospects of continuous BFs sizing agent systems are discussed so as to provide a certain reference for the expansion and deepening of BFs application fields. Actually, several general sizing agent systems of continuous BFs can be designed specifically for several types of matrixes, such as plastics, including thermosetting and thermoplastic polymers, rubber, asphalt, and cement, and so on. This would allow BFs treated with sizing during fiber-drawing to be used directly without removal of the drawing sizing agent and re-modification before weaving or compositing. Further, although many fiber modification methods have shown excellent performance, these techniques are only in the laboratory and there is still a long way to go from laboratory to industrial production. In conclusion, there is great potential in the research on a special sizing agent system for continuous BFs although it is currently still in its early stage.

Design methods and development tendency of sportswear

LYU Yingrui, WANG Zhaohui, YE Qinwen, LIU Huanhuan, SUN Yuexin

Journal of Textile Research. 2025, 46(03):  256-265.  doi:10.13475/j.fzxb.20240305702

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Significance Sportswear is an important part of the clothing industry. Driven by the modern sports lifestyle, sportswear market demand continues to grow. Sportswear has become a research hotspot for all walks of life, and the sportswear design as well as the relevant science and technology continues to push forward. Sportswear interacts with human body and environment in a dynamic way. Well-designed sportswear could enhance the sports performance and optimize exercise experience, thus the sportswear product design requires higher technological improvements in all aspects. However, there is a relative lack of systematic research on sportswear design methods to guide the product development flowchart and integrate thorough scientific considerations. In order to clarify the intrinsic logic of sportswear design and to propose universally applicable sportswear design method, this review summarized the relevant research on sportswear design comprehensively and bring attention to possible unseen potentials of future sportswear design.

Progress Sportswear is a broad concept with different classifications and design requirements, and many scholars researched sportswear design from different perspectives such as comfort and functionality. However, the research was mainly focused on case studies of clothing for specific sports without proposing systematic design method for sportswear. A comprehensive design method was proposed through document review, which includes stages in full design work flow comprising raising design issues, design issue analysis, design implementation and design iteration. Firstly, at the stage of raising design issues, this review analyzed the classification of sportswear from the perspective of sport scenarios, then users' demands for sportswear based on Maslow's five levels of needs was summarized. The sportswear needs in the lower level are the basic functions like warmth, breathability, moisture wicking, anti-bacterial performance, UV protection, compression, impact resistance, and motion monitoring. The needs of higher level are more related to human psychological needs in showing individuality and the spirit of sport. Secondly, this review outlined main scientific design theories guiding sportswear design from the perspective of ″body-textile-garment-environment″, including the theories of body zoning, sports biomechanics, biomimicry, compression, garment ergonomics, and aerodynamics, which are the most widely used design theories for sportswear both in academia and industry. Furthermore, sportswear design implementation could take reference from the above design theories including function design, style design, textile design, garment construction design and garment processing techniques. Finally, optimization of prototypes was carried out to refine the design details and improve the overall quality. Based on the aforementioned analysis, a comprehensive sportswear design methodology was proposed to give instructions for sportswear design development.

Conclusion and Prospect With high-level innovation and a focus on user health and well-being, sportswear holds vast growth prospects. Considering the current research situation in academia and the sportswear industry, the following development trends of sportswear have been identified. 1) Multifunctional integration. This involves achieving a comprehensive balance between sportswear's functionality, heat and humidity comfort, and aesthetics. This is accomplished by carefully selecting and combining high-performance materials, innovative garment construction designs, new technologies, and smart wearable tech across all levels. The aim is to enhance sportswear with a wider range of functional characteristics, catering to the demands of modern sports lifestyles, making it a mainstream choice for both sports and everyday wear. 2) Multi-scene switching. A trend of stylistic fusion is emerging, intertwining sportswear with business, outdoor, leisure, and other apparel categories. Each style draws inspiration from the others, creating a rich tapestry of design elements. The blending of styles and the utilization of multifunctional fabrics have elevated sportswear's adaptability across various scenarios. 3) Intelligent design. Smart sportswear should improve its comfort, durability, and washability. This involves incorporating advanced smart materials and manufacturing techniques to enhance integration, bolstering the reliability of electronic sensing systems and ensuring the security and privacy of user data. Furthermore, smart sportswear may integrate self-powered wearable technology to optimize energy efficiency and harnesses emerging technologies like virtual reality to enrich interaction among the human body, clothing, and surroundings. 4) Environment friendness and sustainability. In order to minimize environmental impact, the entire supply chain of the sportswear industry needs to make more responsible choices. This involves utilizing environmentally friendly new processing and recycling technologies, expanding the application of recycled materials, biobased synthetic materials, and natural fibers. Additionally, exploring recycling solutions for electronic components in smart sportswear is crucial, achieving sustainable development throughout the lifecycle of various types of sportswear.