The Consequences of Temperature on the Shrinkage Properties of Cotton Spandex Woven Fabric

The purpose of this research study was to establish the effect of heat-setting temperature on the shrinkage properties of cotton spandex woven fabric. Industrial settings, including machine speed, machine width and temperature had some direct effects on the shrinkage properties of cotton spandex fabric. Heat-setting did not allow to further compress the spandex fibers, so the cotton spandex could not shrink further when contacted with water. Heat-setting controlled and fixed the spandex portion, so that recovery forces seemed to be reduced. Basically, heat-setting also helped to condense the fiber size in core spun yarns. Quite a number of trials were carried out in textile mills with some adjusted industrial settings to control the shrinkage properties of cotton spandex woven fabric. Three cotton spandex fabrics with different constructions and compositions were used in this research. In the experiments, the temperature ranged from 180 °C to 200 °C and the machine speed varied from 24 to 28 meter per minute (MPM). Mercerized fabric was used to heat-set in a stenter machine. Heat was applied to the cotton spandex fabric very accurately, because overheat would spoil the spandex fabric. This study proved that temperature had a great effect on the shrinkage properties of cotton spandex fabric, and further research needs to be undertaken on this matter.