What is textile testing?

The quality of a product or process is checked before it is put into large-scale usage.
The quality of the product, its performance, and its reliability are the key factors while
testing is performed. Testing can be defined as the methods or protocols adopted to
verify/determine the properties of a product. It can be divided primarily into two
types: regular process testing and quality assurance testing. Routine testing helps to
streamline the daily process.

Quality assurance testing helps the process or product in the long run to establish
credibility. Testing can also be defined as the procedures adopted to determine a
product’s suitability and quality.

Textile testing is a key in gauging product quality, ensuring regulatory compliance

and assessing the performance of textile materials. It is a vital basic tool during the
processing of a textile raw material into the product. It also helps the distributors and
consumer to determine the end product’s quality. It can include the analysis of the
property of a known or an unknown material. So, textile testing refers to the
procedures adopted to determine quality throughout the textile product chain (textile
fibers, yarns and materials etc). It can be summarized as the application of
engineering facts and science to determine the quality and properties of a textile
product. Mainly it involves the use of techniques, tools, instruments and machines in
the lab for the evaluation of the properties of these different forms of textiles.

Fig: Testing textile

So we can define textile testing in the following way,
Applying engineering knowledge and science to detect the criteria and properties of
any textile material or product (such as fibre, yarn, fabric) is called textile testing.

Objectives of textile testing:

The main objective of textile testing are:
 To check the quality and suitability of raw material
 To monitor the production (process control)
  To assess the quality of final product
 To investigate the faulty materials
 To set standards or benchmarks
 For R&D (research and development) purpose
 For new product development
We can elaborate objectives of textile testing in the following ways:
 For researchers, testing results aid the development of new products or
new processes, which can save money and resources before production starts
on an industrial scale. They also help in the choosing of the best possible route
to achieve the end product.
 Testing helps in the selection of the best possible raw materials. “Raw
material” is a relative term; for example, fiber is the raw material for spinning,
and yarn is the raw material for weaving.
 Testing helps in the process control through the use of advanced textile
process-control techniques.
 Testing ensures the right product is shipped to the consumer or customer
and that the product meets the customer specifications.
Testing in general, and textile testing in particular, is affected by the following factors:
Atmospheric conditions affect test results as textile products are greatly influenced
by moisture and humidity. The test method adopted will also cause variation in test
results. The testing instrument is also a vital part and, if not properly calibrated, can
cause serious variation. Human error is another source of variation.

Textile testing starts with textile fibers and goes all the way through to the final
product. The fiber test includes the length, strength, elongation, fineness, and
maturity. The yarn test includes linear density, single yarn strength, yarn evenness,
and yarn hairiness. The fabric test includes aerial density, weave type, and air
permeability.

In order to carry out the testing of the textile products, a well-equipped laboratory
with a wide range of testing equipment is needed. Well-trained operators are also a
prerequisite for the running of the laboratory. The cost of establishing and running
the lab is nonproductive and is added to the cost of the final product. These
nonproductive costs increase the cost of the final product and therefore make it an
expensive trade. Therefore, it is vital that testing is not performed without
accumulation of some payback to the end product. Testing is carried out at a number
of points in a production cycle to improve the quality of the product.

Types of textile testing:

Textile testing can be classified according to the basic technique used and on the
basis of the data obtained. The former can be divided into destructive and
nondestructive testing, the latter being defined as the application of noninvasive
methods to reach a conclusion as to the quality of a material, process, or product. In
other words, it is inspection or measurement without doing damage to the test
specimen. Examples include drape testing and assessment based on the Kawabata
evaluation system. Destructive testing is performed to test for failure of the sample.
This type of test is much easier to perform and yield precise information and is more
simple to understand than nondestructive testing. Examples of destructive testing
are tensile testing and tear testing.
On the basis of data obtained, testing can be classified into objective and subjective.
The former can be defined as the testing that gives us quantitative data, which can
be easily further processed and interpreted. Subjective testing can be defined as that
which gives us qualitative data, which is difficult to interpret and is greatly influenced
by operator bias.

Importance of textile testing:

Principle importance of textile testing are;
1. To ensure the product quality
2. To control the manufacturing process
3. For customer satisfaction and retention
4. Good reputation (brand image) among consumers
Testing importantly supports the personnel involved in the textile supply chain, from
the textile fiber to the end product. The testing of textile products aids persons
involved in the running of the production line.

During testing, the discrepancy of the product, for example, its strength, maturity,
waste percentage (for fibers), aerial density, and weave design (for fabrics), is
properly measured. Thus the selection of the proper raw material is an important
factor. Standards of control should be maintained to reduce waste, minimize price,
and so on. Faulty machine parts or improper maintenance of the machines can be
easily detected with the help of textile testing. Improved, less costly, and faster
protocols can be developed by researchers with the aid of testing. The efficiency and
quality of the product can also be enhanced with the help of regular and periodic
testing.

Customer satisfaction and loyalty can also be won by producing according to

customer specification in good time. In short, testing is an essential pivot to the
whole textile product supply chain.

The cycle of testing starts with the arrival of raw material and continues up to
delivery of the final product. The production of the required end quality is impossible
if the raw material is incorrect. The textile product supply chain comprises different
processes, which include the raw material (natural or man-made fiber), yarn
manufacturing, fabric manufacturing, textile processing, and apparel and home
furnishing manufacturing. It also includes some industrial products, like ropes, cords,
and conveyer belts. All the aforementioned processes are performed in separate
units or in a single unit if the establishment is a vertical production unit.

So the raw material for a spinning unit is fiber, for a weaving unit is yarn, for a textile
processing unit is greige fabric, and so on. “Raw material” is a relative term that
depends upon the further process for which it is used. Its testing is an important step,
as improper raw material or low grade raw material will not yield the required quality
of the end product. The testing of raw material is also performed to verify whether
the incoming material accords with the trade agreement. Its consignment is therefore
accepted or rejected on the basis of test results. The agreed specifications should be
realistic so that the incoming raw material properties can meet the required level
easily.
Production monitoring involves the testing of production line samples, which is
termed “quality control.” Its purpose is to sustain certain definite properties of the end
product within acceptable tolerance limits as per the agreement between the
producer and the consumer. A product that does not meet the already agreed
specification or the required quality will be termed a “fail.”

The proper testing protocol as well as proper monitoring are also required. The
sampling techniques in use should also be selected properly, since the wrong
selection could lead to serious problems. At the same time, the statistical tool
employed is also an important factor. The collection of data is one thing, but its
proper evaluation and interpretation, and the action taken on the basis of it, is an
important factor in quality control.

Textile testing is vital to identify the particular cause of that fault so that it can be
avoided in future consignments. It will also help to rectify the running process and
enable it to run more smoothly so that the final product accords with the customer’s
requirement. It also helps to isolate the faulty part or machine so as to resolve any
dispute between the supplier and the producer.

Importance of standards:
The tested textile materials should satisfy certain specifications. Some of these
requirements are implicit and others are explicit. The latter are those that indicate a
material’s performance in service or whether it will meet its specifications or not.

The implicit requirement is that the test is repeatable, that is the textile material will
give the same results if it is tested again after some time by another technician or at
some other place or the customer’s laboratory. In other words the test can measure
the correct value of the property being assessed. There is no use in testing if it is not
reproducible, as it will then count for nothing.

A lack of reproducibility of results can be attributed to the following. Textile materials

have natural variation, for example, fibers obtained from a natural source have
variation among their properties. In the material process from fiber to yarn to fabric,
the variations in properties smooth out during the assembly of small variable units
into large units. The problem of material variation can be rectified with the help of the
proper selection of raw material and the use of appropriate statistical tools while
analyzing and interpreting the data thus obtained. It is important to minimize the
variations caused by the test method.

The possible reasons for variations caused by the test method are:

1. The technician has significant influence on the result. This is attributed

to human error, human negligence, and not following the proper testing protocols.
The preparation of the test specimen, the use of the proper instrument, the
placement of the specimen on the testing machine, the noting of the value, and the
adjusting of the scale properly are all sources of these types of variations.

2. An improper specimen size will also give an inaccurate result. For example, the
length of the specimen in the case of tensile testing will affect the strength value of
the specimen. So a change in specimen size will cause variation in the test results.
3. Atmospheric conditions are a very important factor when checking natural fibers.
Fibers like cotton, viscose, and wool are greatly affected by changes in temperature
and relative humidity. The results will show variation if conditions are changed while
the test is being performed. The proper conditioning of the test specimen and the
laboratory needs to adhere to specific parameters.

4. The use of proper test protocols is necessary to minimize variation. Pilling can be
checked by a pilling box as well by the “Martindale abrasion tester.” The results
obtained from the two types of testing equipment will not be comparable, as the
methods involved are different, resulting in a variation of results.

5. The parameters used to perform tests, such as the speed of the machine or the
pressure applied, will affect the final results. When these change, the results will also
be changed. It is therefore necessary to lay down the conditions of a test and the
specific dimensions of the specimen, and also to define a test procedure that
minimizes operator variability, even within a single organization.

In the case of the selling and buying of the product, it is important that both parties
will get the same results when they test the same material. Disputes may arise due
to the improper testing of the end product, which can lead to severe legal action or
the cancelation of the sale agreement.

Testing methods (sources of testing standards):

Testing is done primarily to test the quality and there are different ways to carry out a
test. Sometimes, different principles and instruments may be employed to test a
single criterion. Hence it is important to standardize the testing methods or
procedures. Various national and international organizations have established
standards for textile testing. Some of the organizations involved in developing textile
testing standards are as follows:
 AATCC - American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists
 ASTM - American Society for Testing and Materials
 ANSI - American National Standards Institute
 ISO - International Organization for Standardization
 BSI - British Standards Institute
What is sampling and sampling techniques:
The aim of sampling is to produce an unbiased sample in which the proportions of,
for instance, the different fiber lengths in the sample are the same as those in the
bulk. Or to put it another way, each fiber in the bale should have an equal chance of
being chosen for the sample.

The sampling method used to select a fiber for testing depends upon the form in
which the fiber is available. We have published another article on sampling
techniques.