Effect of washing on performance attributes of fabrics for Basic School Uniforms

Patience Danquah Monnie; Docea Fianu; Efua Vandyck

doi:10.18535/ijsrm/v9i06.el03

Abstract

The determination of the suitability of fabrics for specific end-uses require the subjection of selected fabrics to conditions they would be exposed to during use and care such as washing. Three different brands of fabrics commonly used for Ghanaian Basic School Uniforms and labelled A, B and C were evaluated after washing to suggest suitable fabric(s) to be used to achieve quality in uniforms. Specimens were subjected to three washing cycles and strength, elongation, dimensional stability and colourfastness tested. Data were analyzed using the Predictive Analytical Software for windows version 22. Means of the performance characteristics of the fabrics were determined and hypotheses were tested using analysis of variance at 0.05 alpha level. Washing had effect on the parameters investigated. In all, fabric brand B performed best as throughout the wash cycles, its strength values were above the standard requirements set by the Ghana Standards Authority for uniform fabrics. Since the fabric brand B performed best with the parameters investigated, it is suggested for use as school uniform fabric. However, further studies can be conducted on these same fabrics where other parameters such as absorbency and abrasion resistance can be evaluated.

Keywords

WashingStrengthShrinkageUniform fabricsGhanaian

References

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[refR-2] Morris M A, Prata H H. Laundering methods affect fabric wear. 1977. Available at: http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/repositoryfiles/ca31018_63220.pdf, accessed November 2016.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-3] Koženiauskiené J, Daukantiené V. Influence of laundering on the quality of sewn cotton and bamboo woven fabrics. Materials Science (Medžiagotyra). 2013; 19 (1), 79 – 82.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-4] Fianu D A G, Adams M. The effect of sunlight on the colour of Ghanaian cotton printed fabrics. International Journal of Consumer Studies. 1998; 22 (1), 15-18.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-5] Fianu D A G, Sallah R A, Ayertey A. The effect of sunlight and drying methods on the strength of Ghanaian Real Wax printed fabrics. International Journal of Consumer studies. 2005; 29, 34-40.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-6] Anand S C, Brown K S M, Higgins, L G Holmes D A, Hall M E, Conrad D. Effect of laundering on the dimensional stability and distortion of knitted fabrics. AUTEX Research Journal. 2002; 2 (2), 85 – 100.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-7] Kwame S A. Effects of locally manufactured soaps on colour, strength and elongation of some selected Ghanaian printed cotton fabrics (Thesis). University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.; 2012.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-8] Ghana Standards Authority. GS ISO 139: Textiles- standard atmospheres for conditioning and testing. Ghana Standards Authority, Accra, Ghana, 2005.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-9] International Organization for Standardization. 7211-2: Textiles woven fabric construction. Part 2: Determination of number of thread per unit length. International Organization for Standardization, Switzerland, 1984.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-10] International Organization for Standardization. 105-A02: Textiles-Test for colour fastness-Part A02: Grey scale for assessing change in colour. International Organization for Standardization, Switzerland, 1993.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-11] Ghana Standards Authority. GS ISO 5077: Textiles- determination of dimensional change inGoogle Scholar ↗

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[refR-13] International Organization for Standardization. 13934-1: Textiles- Tensile properties of fabrics-Part 1: Determination of maximum force and elongation at maximum force using the strip test method. International Organization for Standardization, Switzerland, 2013.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-14] Ghana Standards Authority. GS ISO 970: Textiles- specification for fabrics for shirts and uniforms. Ghana Standards Authority, Accra, Ghana, 2009.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-15] Toshikj E, Mangovska B. Effect of laundering of cotton knitted fabrics with different detergents on the dimensional stability and colour fastness. 2011. Available at: www.fibre2fashion.com, accessed January 2017.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-16] Lawal A S, Nnadiwa C. Evaluation of wash and light fastness of some selected printed fabrics. Journal of Polymer and Textile Engineering. 2014; 1 (4), 1 – 4.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-17] Ünal Z B, Yildiz E Z, Özdil N. A study on analysis and improvement of trouser fabrics used for primary school uniforms. Tekstil ve Konfeksiyon. 2011.Google Scholar ↗