Impact of tuck loops for color depth of 100% cotton single jersey fabric variations

Abstract

In this research work the influence of dye absorbency against structural variations of 100% cotton knitted fabrics were investigated as these materials are widely used for T- shirt manufacturing. Since the achieving of required color depth in these materials is critical, the dyeing behavior against structural variations was investigated. For this experiment, eight different knitted fabric samples were produced with different tuck loop densities using same machine settings and same yarn. Next these samples were pretreated and dyed under same conditions for all three primary colors red, blue and yellow for both light and dark shades. Then these samples were tested for L, a, b color values and DE color change using spectrophotometer. For the DE color change, the single jersey sample (with 0% tuck loops) was used as the standard. The findings revealed that fabric structural variations significantly influence dye absorbency and perceived color, as measured by L, a, b, and ΔE values. Up to a tuck loop density of 33%, increased compactness enhance light scattering than reflection while dye absorption remain same, resulting in deeper shades (lower L values), more saturated hues (higher a and b values), and greater overall color difference (ΔE). Beyond this point, further compactness reduced dye penetration due to limited pore spaces and increased surface reflection, leading to lighter color appearance. These trends were consistent across all three reactive dye shades studied. The study concludes that an optimal fabric compactness exists approximately 33% tuck loop density for achieving maximum color strength and visual depth