It is known that not all polymers can be melted and extruded to form polymer fibers. Electrospinning process involves a direct method to produce fibers in nanometer range by dissolving the polymer in solvent(s) to form the spinning solution. In this work, the spinning solution was prepared by dissolving Poly (ethylene terephthalate) polymer in triflouroacetic acid and methylene chloride. Charging the solution to a very high potential initiated the process to produce electrospun fibers. With increasing voltage, a critical point is reached and a charged jet of the solution is ejected. As this charged jet moves in the air, the solvent evaporates, leaving behind a charged polymer fiber that collects on a targeted source (rotating drum). Equipment to form electrospun fiberwebs on a rotating drum was designed and successfully built. The equipment for this process is relatively simple and small since this process lend itself to the production of fibers/fiberwebs from small quantity of polymer solution. An experiment was designed to investigate the influence of polymer concentration in the spinning solution and the electric field level on fiber and fiberweb response of interest.<br>Electrospun fibers and fiberwebs were characterized for fiber diameter and its distribution, orientation distribution function, and pore size and its distribution. The results showed that an increase in the electric field resulted in a decrease of the average diameter of the electrospun fibers. It has also been observed that there was concentration/electric field interaction effect on fiber diameter. As the electric field increased keeping polymeric concentration constant, the fibers orientation in machine direction increased. It was observed that as the electric field was increased, the average pore diameter decreased. The decrease in average pore size with increase in electric field was explained in terms of fiber diameter as well as fiberweb structural parameters (orientation and basis weight).

Running continues to be one of the more popular sports enjoyed by all ages. Regardless of the popularity of the sport, limited research currently exists to quantify the apparel purchase behavior of runners. This research studied variables that influenced purchase intentions of runners at different levels of involvement. The runners were categorized by the dualistic theory of passion, and their purchase intentions toward apparel brands for running were investigated from the self-congruity perspective. Runners completed an online survey that provided comprehensive information on their running behavior and their past and future apparel purchases. Exploratory factor analysis was used to investigate the dualistic theory of passion and self-congruity theory on the running population. Four variables were found to be important predictors of purchase intentions for all runners: Self-Image Congruence, Function, Aesthetic, and Technology Appeal. Further, logistic regression was used to determine which variables significantly influenced purchase intentions of runners in each category. Based on the findings, a theoretical framework was proposed. This study concluded that functional attributes of running apparel influence runnersâ purchase intentions.

This research involves the application of hydroentangling technology as a means of significantly improving knitted fabric properties. In the past, various efforts have been made, directed at improving the dimensional stability and physical properties of woven and knitted fabrics through the finishing technique of hydroentanglement. In such applications, warp and filling fibers in fabrics are hydroentangled at crossover points to effect enhancement in fabric cover. The process parameters of hydroentangling are investigated and optimized to achieve desired results. Potential benefits include enhanced fabric durability, stability, and appearance.

The purpose of the research has been to investigate how merger and outsourcing activities impact the way productivity is measured on five categories of company resources: human, physical, knowledge, capital, and infrastructure resources. This research involves: an assessment of productivity measures with the goal of determining which resource category are key areas to monitor after merger activity, an evaluation of profitable textile mergers with the goal of delineating the execution of the merger strategies, an analysis of the effect of increased outsourcing on productivity growth with respect to the textile industry, and an evaluation of the adequacy of productivity measures in representing the economic competitiveness of the US Textile Industry. For the sample of textile companies, merger activity impacts the productivity of capital and knowledge resources the most. The most common strategies employed during successful textile mergers targeted the improvement of: corporate structure, product differentiation and speed to market. The influence of outsourcing on productivity growth in the textile industry was found to be negligible when comparing productivity measures that include and exclude outsourcing. In order to get a better understanding of competitiveness, companies are not looking solely at productivity, but are pairing productivity with other measures mainly profitability measures. Of all the resource categories, the productivity of knowledge resources is the leading contributor to competitiveness. However, one difficulty is that knowledge resources are also the category for which there were not concrete measures productivity that denote how well this resource was being used.

Over-end unwinding has been proved to be the most optimal process to transfer yarn from one package to another in order to improve the quality and the characteristics of subsequent processes like warping and weaving. It is the highly non-linear behavior of this unwinding process that the variation in the quality of the final product is found and if this behavior is not controlled, the variation becomes more pronounced. This non-linear behavior should be well understood to select the optimum process parameters for a given operation and subsequent processing. This research study is done to analyze the effects of various process parameters on the tension distribution and balloon profile and to experimentally validate the mathematical model set forth for predicting the behavior of over-end unwinding. The materials used for the experiments are Polyester multifilament yarns of different linear densities (70, 270 and 500 denier). The variables used for the study purpose are Unwinding Speed, Mass Linear Densities, Package Diameters, and Guide-eye Distances. Balloon images are captured using a high-speed camera and the images are synchronized with the tension readings. Since three levels of each variable are used, 81 numbers of tests are conducted. Accordingly, the influence of changes in variables as well as the direction of unwinding (front-to-back or back-to-front) is seen for the tension distribution and balloon profile. The results of the experiments are compared with the theoretical predictions. In agreement with the theory, increase in the balloon height causes increase in tension. Also, the reduction in balloon count is accompanied by the increase in tension. Highest possible tension is seen with single balloon formations. With the same balloon count, an increase in unwinding speed gives rise to increased tension.

ZAVERI, MITUL DILIP. " Absorbency Characteristics of Kenaf Core Particles " (Under the direction of Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi). Chopped Kenaf Core (2 " to 4" in length), obtained from Greene Natural Fibers ? a company located in Snow Hill, North Carolina, was ground into very fine particles (below 1 mm) and categorized into various size ranges. The ground particles were tested for water absorbency and the optimum particle size, giving maximum absorbency, was determined. Experiments revealed that Kenaf Core of size range 106 ? 425 microns gave the highest water absorbency at saturation, up to 12 times its weight. The 425 ? 840 micron range was the next highest and it absorbed water up to 10 times its weight. Factors leading to this optimum particle size range were determined, the absorption mechanisms taking place were studied and experimental analysis was done to prove the results obtained. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images were also taken to understand the shape and profile of the granular particles in fine detail. Various chemical treatment and refining experiments were carried out on the highly absorbent particle sizes (106 ? 840 microns) to enhance their bonding properties and to make handsheets from them. The highly absorbent Core particles were treated with NaOH in water bath at 90 º C, Cooked with NaOH and Na2S at 170 º C in a bomb reactor and treated with water in a water bath at 90 º C, all for 3 hours. Handsheets were made from the chemically treated particles to determine if there was sufficient bonding between them. To enhance the bonding further, the particles were refined in a blender for one hour. The effect of chemical treatment and refining on the absorbency properties of the Core was determined. SEM analysis of the particles was done to visualize the fibrillation caused due to refining. Handsheets were made with a blend of hardwood and highly absorbent (untreated and water treated 106 ? 840 micron) refined Core particles with 50 ? 70% of Kenaf Core in them. The absorption properties of these handsheets were determined and compared with the absorption of a handsheet made from fluff pulp (same basis weight). As the final step, the handsheets made from a blend of kenaf core and hardwood pulp were sandwiched between a pair of 17gsm lightly calendared polypropylene spun bond fabrics.

This study identifies how an electronic journal can be established and implemented in the textile and apparel field. The study considers, <a href="http://www.tx.ncsu.edu/jtatm"> Journal of Textile & Apparel Technology & Management </a>as an innovation in the textile and apparel field, and analyzes electronic media as a way of disseminating information to scholarly and industrial communities in a better way. This study documented the process of establishing the electronic journal, and also provides the importance of a feedback loop to provide inputs for future journals. The readership behavior of the journal, including unique visits, repetitive visits, hits (page impressions), geographic location of the readers/visitors, entry page, was examined with the help of log files collected from College of Textiles and Sitestats, a UK based company. Issue analysis (volume 1, issues 1-4, volume 2, issue 1) was compared with previous issues and the results were related to Rogers? Model of the Innovation-Decision process (1995) and proved that JTATM is an innovation in the textile and apparel field.

The purpose of this research has been to explore the role of agent certification in the process of global sourcing. While some research has been done in the area of exporter-intermediary relationship, little has been done to study the importance of buyer-agent relationship and how the process of agent certification could strengthen that relationship. Global sourcing has played a vital role in the existence of textile and apparel industries across the world. With the increased advancement of developing countries and the numerous advantages that these countries possess, developed countries, such as the United States and countries in the European sub-continent, rely heavily on global sourcing to remain competitive in the global marketplace. Due to numerous barriers to global sourcing such as language barriers and inability to check sources, companies have found it useful to source through agents. These agents act as the facilitators between the sources and the buyers. With the advent of Internet and e-commerce, online sourcing has come into picture. Although the transparency in terms of sources and buyers on the web and their processes has increased and organizations are thinking of certifying sources, the role of agents' sill exists. A total of 30 agents and apparel-manufacturing buyers were interviewed to assess the feasibility and role of agent certification in the global sourcing process. While the specific items to be certified were not confirmed, both types of subjects agreed that agent certification would assist in the transactions in the buyer-agent relationship. It was found that small and medium-sized buyers would find agent certification more useful than large-sized buyers because of small-size buyers' limited resources and potential to find trusted agents.

The purpose of this research is to understand, define and map the weave-room performance decision-making process, and to develop an Information Engineering methodology for studying and analyzing decision-making processes in textile manufacturing departments. A preliminary Decision Cycle Model was developed using knowledge management principles, resulting in a definition of Information Engineering, which was ?a technique for extracting the meaning contained in the information so as to allow the understanding needed by the user to make an informed decision?. A case study approach, in conjunction with a process-modeling tool called IDEF0, belonging to the IDEF (Integrated Definition language) family of modeling techniques, has been used. Case studies were conducted at three weaving plants, resulting in the development of the three AS-IS models. These case studies provided the framework to compare with, and become the underlying basis for, the proposed Best Practices TO-BE model of the weave-room performance decision-making process. Additionally, both the AS-IS and TO-BE models lead to the development of ten key performance-improving tasks that could potentially assist in enhancing the decision process as well as providing the background for analyzing the usability of IDEF0 as an effective process-mapping tool, by means of a SWOT analysis. Finally, a generic Information Engineering methodology was developed that could be used for mapping manufacturing-related decisions. The research deliverables resulting from the Information Engineering methodology would eventually lead to the development and creation of a kind of Digital Decision Dashboard (D3), which could potentially prove to be a valuable tool for decision-making in textiles, thus addressing a critical need presently facing the textile industry.

The body of this research seeks to create an Industry Technology Roadmap for one segment of the U.S. textile and apparel industry, specifically, the flushable pre-moistened wipes industry. Industry Technology Roadmapping is a new type of strategic planning method. Previous technology forecasting methods allowed planners to identify several alternate future states or scenarios and provided uncertainty in either product needs or technological developments. In contrast, Industry Technology Roadmapping allows a company or an industry to proactively plan and prepare for its future by offering future goals, critical requirements and, finally, solutions to achieve the future goals. In addition, Roadmapping works as an effective organizational learning and knowledge creation tool and induces collaboration and new partnerships among companies as well. Currently, flushable pre-moistened nonwoven wipes emerge as new textile products and attempt to expand their future markets. During this research, industry expert interviews and surveys, consumer surveys, heavy user surveys, creation of an Internet blog, and literature review including a patent analysis were conducted for data gathering. The resulting Roadmap provides the nonwoven wipes industry valuable information about the potential future markets, required properties, the current environment of flushable wipes, including challenges, strength, and opportunities, and the solutions. These can help the U.S. nonwoven wipes industry to do informed investment into research, development and manufacturing facilities.