Denim

The term Denim is an Americanization of the French nameserge de nimes ,a fabric which originated in Nimes, France .
Denim is a rugged cotton, twill textile, in which the weft passes under two (twi- "double") or more warp threads. This produces the familiar diagonal ribbing which is identifiable on the reverse of the fabric. A firm 2 x 1 or 3 x 1 twill-weave fabric, often having a whitish tinge, obtained by using white filling yarns with colored warp yarns.

Denim (contd.)
denim is made from 48% of the world's cotton. At least 225 pair of denim jeans can be made from one bale of cotton. Denim fabric was unique in it's connection with one color - blue. The warp yarn is traditionally dyed with the blue pigment obtained from indigo dye. Indigo was the most significant natural dye known to mankind until the introduction of synthetic dyes, at the end of the 19th century. In 1894, indigo was no longer needed - a synthetic dye process was perfected. Denims are hard wearing, high density fabric with a higher mass per unit area. gsm of denim is normally in the range of 203.46 gm/sq. meter to 474.74 gm/sq. meter .

Historical background
Denim has been in American usage since the late eighteenth century. Denim has a long and varied history. It was first created by the Andrew family in the city of Nimes, France. Denim was created from a serge fabric, which is a specially woven type of cotton twill. Denim got its name from the shortening of "serge de Nimes," which was the phrase used to describe the fabric when it was first created. Although denim had been around since the 16th century, knowledge of the fabric was limited. Denim did not become popular in America until the mid-1800s. Variation in structural design & coloring has increased the demand for denim in fashion fabric field since 1970s.

Introducer

Jacob Davis Birth : 1834 in Riga Lativa Death : 1908 in San Fransisco, California Nationality : German

Introducer
Levi Strauss Birth : February 26, 1829 in Bettelheim, Germany Death : September, 27,1902 in San Francisco, California Nationality: American

Denim Brands

Function
Denim was first used as a sturdy fabric for laborers' pants. Upon its import to America, it came to function as the trouser of choice for gold rush miners as well. Once the general public began wearing denim, it was still primarily used in the creation of pants. However, with the technological advancements in the textile industry, it became possible to create a thinner.Consequently, denim began to be used in creating thin, comfortable shirts, on trims for clothing, on purses and in jackets. Heavier weight denims, usually blue or brown, are used for dungarees, work clothes, and mens and womens sportswear. Lighter weight denims with softer finish are made in a variety of colors and patterns and are used for sportswear and draperies.

Properties of denim
The properties of denim are as follows: Drivability---excellent Luster----good Texture---cotton, thus excellent for clothing Absorbency----excellent. Looks good wet, clings. Durability----excellent. Stands up to heavy wear and abuse. Resilience----excellent. Tough fabric, stands up to washing. Flammability----Can be treated to be less flammable, but is cotton. Fabric source----Cotton Examples of end use---jeans, skirts, shirts, jackets. Most popular clothing material in the world.

Types of denim
Denim can be classified as follows :
1. Stone washed A) Single stone washed B) Double stone washed 2. Chambray 3. Fancy with multi color denim 4.Denim with metal effect 5. Elastic denim 6. Printed denim 7. Jacquard patterned denim 8. Denim with fancy yarns

Types of denim
Denim clothing never goes out of style. It's attractive and durable, perfect for most casual occasions. Again Denim can be classified as follows : Cotton Serge: The traditional denim is 100 percent cotton serge. Additionally, denim is often blended with other fabrics. Raw Denim: Raw denim is dark, unwashed fabric that is stiff and very durable. It fades with wear in certain areas, creating a natural distressed look. It also fades with washing. Selvage Denim: The premium type of raw denim fabric is selvage denim, with tight weaving and natural edges that will not unravel. Selvage denim is more expensive than other raw denim. Stretch Denim: The blend closest to pure denim is called stretch denim, which usually includes 2 or 3 percent Spandex material for a bit of give in the fabric. Poly-Denim: Poly-denim blends look like a dressier denim, and are more lightweight, which makes them more convenient to wash and dry. They also are more resistant to wrinkling. Ramie-Denim: Denim is also sometimes blended with the plant fiber ramie, which reduces wrinkling and gives the fabric a softer feel.

Raw materials of denim

To produce good quality of denim, the conditions have to be optimal regarding the quality of all raw materials and yarn used. For raw cotton and the carded OE (rotor) or ring spun yarns made from it, the quality criteria are as follows:
Minimum staple length:2.7 cm Proportion of short fiber (less than 12 mm long): under 40% Micronaire value: 4.0 to4.5 The uster values for strength and elongation, the evenness cv % and imperfections must conform at least to the 25% plot Twist factor:4.5 to 5.0 for warp yarns, 4.2 for weft yarns Low yarn hairiness Yarn strength and uniformity.

Production flow chart

Common Denim construction

3/1 Z Denim Fabric Constructions

Here the typical denim grey fabric constructions are given(3/1 z)
Warp(ends/cm) Weft(ends/cm) Warp(Ne) Tex Weft(Ne) Tex Weave

24 25 24 20.8 27 24 23 23 24.6 30 25 26 22.8 25 27

16 16 16 15.5 19 17 15 16.5 16.5 18 26 21 16.5 18 18

7 7 7 7.4 7.5 7 11 7 6 8.6 7 11.8 6.7 7 7

84 84 84 80 78 84 8.5 84 98 71 84 50 88 84 84

6 6 5.5 6 6.7 6 11.8 7 7 7 5.5 11.8 6.7 7 5.5

98 98 107 98 88 98 50 84 84 84 107 50 88 84 107

3/1 3/1 3/1 3/1 3/1 3/1 3/1 3/1 3/1 3/1 3/1 3/1 3/1 3/1 3/1

Chambray Fabrics Weave :Plain or 2/1

Warp 24 27 21 23 25 23.3 25 25 23 Weft 20 16 12 16 15 16 16 15 19 Warp 24 24 12 12 9 16 16 9 20 Tex 25 25 49 49 66 37 37 66 30 Weft 24 24 12 14 7 12 16 12 20 Tex 25 25 49 42 84 50 37 50 30 Weave 1/1 1/1 1/1 1/1 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/1 1/1

Production process
Yarn spinning:
The initial processes of denim manufacturing consist of the regular activities of opening and blending of cotton fibers. Carding, then drawing & finally Yarn is then spun through Open-End Spinning or Ring Spinning. Common Yarn Sizes for Denim Warp yarns for bottom weight jeans typically range in size from Ne 4.0 to Ne 12.5. Finer yarns are used for lighter weight chambray shirting fabrics and lighter weight jeans, vests, dresses, and skirts. These yarns may range in count from Ne 12.5 to Ne 30.0. Yarn Spinning Systems Before the late 1970s, all denim yarns were ring spun. Today, denim fabrics have different combinations of ring and open-end yarns. When you hear a term such as ring/ring, open end /open end (OE/OE), and ring/OE, it is referring to which yarn is in the warp and which yarn is in the filling, respectively.

Properties of yarn
The following table shows the acceptable values for ring spun & open end cotton yarn with the common denim count 7 Ne

Properties
Strength (cN/tex) Elongation (%) Uniformity (CV%) Thin places (per 1000 m) Slubs (per 1000 m) Neps (per 1000 m)

Ring- spun yarn

17 8.5 12 1 50 50

OE rotor yarn
13 8.5 12.5 1 20 3

Warp preparation

Production process
Warping

Warping is the process of transferring multiple yarns from individual yarn packages onto a single package assembly. Normally, yarns are collected in a sheet form where the yarns lie parallel to each other and in the same plane onto a beam, which is a cylindrical barrel with side flanges. This is known as beam warping.

Beam warping:---

Beam warping

Warp preparation
For ball warp denim, the yarns are brought together and condensed into a rope before being wound onto a relatively short cylindrical barrel (sometimes called the shell or log) that has no end flanges.

Ball warping:---

In both cases, the supply yarn packages are spindles, which are located in a framework called a creel.

Ball warping

Production process
Re-beaming:
Once the warp yarns are rope dyed, it is then necessary to change the yarn alignment from a rope form to a sheet form before entering the next process, which is slashing. Beaming or re-beaming involves pulling the ropes of yarn out of storage tubs and moving them upward to a guiding device (sometimes called a satellite). At this point, there should be no crossed, lost, or tangled ends on the beams. The total number of yarns on all the beams in the set should meet specifications for the given fabric to be woven.

Production process
Dyeing:
Most denim is yarn-dyed fabric with the warp yarns dyed with indigo dye and the filling yarns left undyed. Indigo is unique as a major textile dye, because it has a very low affinity for the cotton fiber. There are several process of dyeing:

Rope dyeing:
Because of the low substantivity of the indigo, the ball warp dyeing process is carried. The dyestuff adsorb in the outer layers of the cotton yarn and fiber during the dyeing process producing an intense ring of color around a white core in the cotton yarn and the cotton fiber thus the name ring dyeing. 350-400 yarns carrying ball warper has a length of 10000 to 15000 yards. Then 12 -36 balls are drawn through the dyeing range side by side. After dyeing they are dried & deposited in cans.

Rope dyeing

Rope dyeing process

Now a days dyeing & sizing are done in a continuous machine.

Production process
Sheet dyeing:
For certain manufacturers, the rope or chain dyeing of indigo is not possible or desirable. So they use sheet dyeing. In beam dyeing warp beams are brought to the dyeing & sizing range instead of ropes. Then dying & sizing is carried out in sheet form.

Sheet dyeing & sizing(continuous)

Production process
Sizing recipe
Sizing is an essential process because of the friction among the yarns during weaving. To impart good frictional resistance size material plays an important role to the process. A relatively soft handle can be achieved by using a combination of modified starch with polyacrylate. Consider a data for sizing recipe Style data

Parameter
Warp yarn(OE) Weft yarn(OE) And

Count
84 tex (7 Ne) 100 tex (6 Ne)

Number of yarns/cm
24 16

Total no. of warp ends: 3942

Production process
Size recipe for 100 liters of liquor: Modified starch: 8 kg Acrylate size: 40kg Textile wax: 0.2 kg Size conc.: 8 % Size temp.: 85C Squeezing pressure: 15 KN Size pick up % : 9-10%

Ease of separation, slight bleeding, Higher efficiency & excellent final appearance are the main benefit of sizing.

Production process
Weaving
Denim fabrics are woven by interlacing two sets of yarns perpendicular to one another in fabric form. Yarns in the machine direction are called warp yarns or warp ends, and these are interlaced with filling yarns or picks. The finished fabric construction is determined by the number of warp and filling yarns per square inch or centimeter. For example, a typical construction for bottom weight denim may be 62 x 38.

Decoration of denim
You have to decide which embellishments will be used to decorate the denim item you want to enhance. The most popular, easy to use and inexpensive ways are: Using Buttons fabric paint Using Buttons You can use different types & shapes of button to decorate your denim. Sew a variety of colorful and different-size buttons, clustered together on a pocket. Arrange buttons on the denim before sewing them on. Mix and match. In any decorative form, buttons add an interesting effect to the item decorated

Decoration of denim
Fabric Paint
Draw a design, structured or free-form, on a sheet of paper. Excellent areas to decorate are pockets and just above the knee on a pair of denim jeans, or the front of a denim handbag. Practice on paper first before creating a design on denim if using dimensional fabric paint. The trick is to let the paint dry thoroughly before touching it.

Acid wash
Acid washing of denim is a cool way to alter the look of them.

Step 1
Take your garment and get it wet through in the bath tub or sink, then ring some of the water out.

Step 2
Take your bleach and squirt it liberally on random areas of your jeans, leaving some bits uncovered. Rub the bleach slightly, scrunch the jeans up a bit, squirt on some more bleach if you like.

Step 3
Leave to soak in but keep checking the colour every 5-10 minute or so until you are happy with it. When happy with the colour, rinse off the bleach and then throw your garment in the washing machine for a cycle.

Stone Wash
Stone washing is a process done with stone, most commonly pumice stone, on tough material like denim. This process is done mostly in the fashion industry for clothing by many manufacturers including Levis, Wrangler, Ryder and many others. Stone washing denim gives the denim a worn-out look because it literally wears out the fabric quickly. Step 1 Search for pebbles or ball-sized round rocks at the seashore or near a running brook. Make sure that they are smooth and round so they will not cut the jeans. Step 2 Start the wash cycle in your washing machine. Add detergent, bleach and the rocks. When the washer tub is 1/4 filled, add the denim that you want to stonewash.

Stone Wash
Step 3 Let it go through the wash cycle as usual. As the water begins to drain-just before the wash cyclestop the machine. Allow the jeans to soak in the wash water for about 3-4 hours. Step 4 Return and once again turn on the washing machine. Let it continue to finish the entire wash and rinse cycle. When the washer stops, remove the jeans and check to see if you got the look you wanted. Step 5 Put the jeans in the dryer to dry. Wet jeans will not always show the faded or worn look of stonewashing. If not satisfied, go through the entire process once again, either immediately or at a later time.

Denim Manufacturers of Bangladesh

End uses of denim

Denim has a wide range of end uses including the following: Overalls Shorts Dresses Shirts Jackets Blouses Bags Helmet Shoes Sandals Hats Socks Underwears

Some previews of dennim products will be shown in the next slides

Products of denim

Products of denim

Products of denim

At a Glance
Modern Name: Jeans Traditional Name: Waist overalls Others Name: Denim jeans, Levis jeans, Blue jeans Styles: 1st was in two style 1.Indigo Blue 2. Brown cotton (dark) 1st Company: Levi Strauss & Co. Official Birthday of Blue Jeans: May 20, 1873 1st Brand new Price: $1.25

References
Fairchilds Dictionary of Textiles Understanding textiles for a Merchandiser, by- Engr. Shah Alimuzzaman Belal www.google.com www.ehow.com www.answer.com www.pcca.com/Denim/denimmanufacturing.asp www.teonline.com/knowledge-centre/manufacturing-processdenim.html www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denim www.scribd.com/doc/22694931/Denim-Fabric www.ezinearticles.com/?Denim www.textilemirror.com