Journal of Applied and Natural Science 10 (3): 925 - 930 (2018) ISSN : 0974-9411 (Print), 2231-5209 (Online) journals.ansfoundation.org Evaluation of physical properties of Errandi-acrylic union fabrics Sunita Boruah* Article Info Assistat Professor, Department of Fashion Design and Technology, Assam Women’s DOI:10.31018/jans.v10i3.1816 University, Jorhat-785004 (Assam), India Received: June 30, 2018 B. Baishya Kalita Revised: July 16, 2018 Professor, Department of Textiles and Apparel designing, College of Community Science, Accepted: July 30, 2018 Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat-785013 (Assam), India *Corresponding author. E-Mail: [email protected] How to Cite Abstract: Boruah, S. et al. (2018). Errandi silk has a potential of emerging as “A silk of the new millennium”. The experi- Evaluation of physical mental finding provides information on physical properties as well as subjective evalua- properties of Errandi- tions of Errandi silk -Acrylic union fabrics with twill and herringbone weave. The count and acrylic union fabrics. diameter of errandi silk fibre were higher than acrylic fibre and in case of woven fabrics, Journal of Applied and herringbone weave were found to have maximum value in cloth covers, weight and thick- Natural Science, 10(3): ness. A comparative subjective evaluation was done based on fabric quality by the panel 925 - 930 of 100 respondents. 100 per cent respondent opined that all the woven samples have good appearance, soft in hand and smooth in texture. It was observed that cent percent of respondents found errandi-acrylic blended union fabrics with twill and herringbone weaves were high in lustre. The costs of blended yarns and the cost of union fabrics of different proportion were got reduced in comparison to that of 100 per cent errandi-silk yarn (Rs.3000.00/kg) and controlled errandi silk fabrics (Rs.985.00/mt.). Based on the aesthetic properties such as handle, appearance, texture and lustre and considering the cost of twill and herringbone errandi-acrylic fabrics were suitable for production of fash- ionable wear. Thus¸ the newly designed Errandi silk with Acrylic union fabrics are unique, a new venture for the textile industry and Ericulturists. Keyword: Acrylic, Entrepreneur, Errandi silk, Twill structured, Union fabrics INTRODUCTION where the Indian handloom products exported. The Indian government launched Handloom brand The economic development of a nation depends to ensure its uniqueness, flexibility of production, on its industrial development. The industrial devel- openness to innovations, adaptability. The number opment is on the entrepreneur competencies of of handloom weaver households decreased in the the people. Hence, the concept of building entre- third handloom census compared to that of se- preneurship promotion is need of the hour (Bai, cond. So as to support weavers the Indian govern- 2017). The market trends more and more point out ment launched schemes and initiated exhibitions, for the globalization of the production chains, mer- crafts museum, trade facilitation centre and E- chandising and for small market niches for high commerce. Market research on the Handlooms added value products. The emotional satisfaction identified the need for publicity, availability, Hand- of the clothing fashion consumers is one of the loom designer dresses and awareness campaigns largest concerns of the designer, as well as creat- on a large scale for its sustenance (Vyshnavi and ing profitable products for the industry. Handloom Nair, 2017). People can organize these units to sector plays an important role in the Indian econo- increase their income levels and quality of life. my in the context of employment generation and So these can help in reducing poverty in the coun- the economic development of India. Handloom try. A handloom style is a manifest expression of units are also very important for welfare re- the world of the artisan. Each type represents a sources. Handlooms, a traditional wear in India particular people or group of people in one place has lost its significance slowly with the advent of at a point in time. This difference in styles patterns low cost and eye catchy synthetic materials. How- or motifs used, ground fabric and yarns used ever, with the notion of 'Make in India' campaign (Chakraborty and Ghosh, 2016). and the planning commission giving it a due place In the field of textiles the present era can truly be in the economic sector under other priority sectors called the era of blending. Blending of fibres is is regaining its unique identity. USA, UK, Germany usually made with different fibres having dissimi- and France are among the top ten countries to This work is licensed under Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). © 2018: Author (s). Publishing rights @ ANSF. Boruah, S. et al. / J. Appl. & Nat. Sci. 10 (3): 925 - 930 (2018) larity in their properties, with a view to achieving librium in standard atmosphere at 65 ± 2 per cent or improving certain characters of the yarn or its relative humidity and 27 ± 20C temperature in a processing performances. Fabric produced from conditioning chamber (IS: 6359– 1971). the blended yarn might have better characteristics Blending and spinning of fibers than the in a fabric produced from a single fibre. Segregation of cocoon: After collecting, errandi The blending of fibre is done to develop drape cocoons (Philosomia ricini) are segregated manu- properties, comfortability, durability and many oth- ally. The selected cocoons are kept for further er properties of the fabric products (Prakash et al., processing. 2012). Errandi silk has a potential of emerging as Degumming: Silk contains 10-15% of sericin “A silk of the new millennium”, providing excellent which is to be removed either by boiling with soap dimension of scope in design development and water or sodium carbonate followed by hydro ex- produced fashionable dresses with special proper- traction (removal of excess water). This process ties to produce abundant finished products. It’s reduces the sericin content to 2-3% which is opti- possesses excellent thermal properties and offer mum for further opening and carding. This pro- tremendous blending possibilities with other natu- cess also opens the cocoon to a fluffy form. ral fiber such as silks, wool, cotton, jute and syn- Cocoon opening: The degummed cocoons are thetic fibers (Somashekhar, 2003). Acrylic can be opened in cocoon opener to form fibre lap/sheet thought of as artificial wool. It is made from the which help for further processing. unlikely combination of coal, air, water, oil, and Circular dressing: In these process fibres laps limestone (Textile School, 2018). Discovery of are subjected to circular dressing, where short different types of man-made fibres and the use of fibres are separated from longer one. After that them in staple form have opened immense scope the fibres were cut into a definite length ranging to produce textile having diverse properties and from 70-80 mm. visual appeal to cater the taste of all kinds of peo- Carding: The eri silk fibres were cut into 55.20cm. ple. Jurisdiction selection of fibre for blending can It was then thoroughly mixed with modal and increase the possibilities of newer application of acrylic fiber in required ratio and fed into carding these fibres along with different kinds of products. machine to convert the fiber into sliver form known The survival of textile industry depends primarily as carded eri silk top and modal and acrylic top on the fabric quality as well as fashion trends respectively. meet the national as well as international de- Drawing frame: In drawing frame combines 7 mands. Diversification in the product can be slivers into one. Repeated drawing increases the brought about at various stages viz., yarn, fabric, quality of the sliver allowing for finer counts to be design, fashion and style. These Errandi silk is spun. most suitable for handloom sector and boon for Simplex: Simplex is a long and narrow bundle of entrepreneur because it is compatible to inter- fiber. It is the process of making yarn from the weave with natural as well as manmade yarns to sliver on other raw fibres. Simplex make bobbin produce designer fabrics at a reasonable price. with roving of conical shape. Therefore, the present study was undertaken with Ring spinning: In this process, the roving was the aim of producing Errandi union silk fabrics for further drawn 25-30 times (which depends on final variegated dress materials with twill and herring- fineness of yarn to be spun) and required twist is bone weave using Errandi-Acrylic blended yarn as inserted in the yarn for finally obtaining the re- weft direction. quired fine yarn in the form of condensed pack- MATERIALS AND METHODS age. Constructional details of woven fabrics: In the The errandi silk and acrylic fibres were collected present study, an attempt was made to construct from Industry, Fabric plus Pvt. Ltd. Guwahati, As- the union fabrics by using blended yarns in weft sam, India. direction and 100% errandi silk yarn in warp direc- The Fibre were tested for Physical properties viz. tion with two different weaves structure i.e. twill Fibre count (VIBROSCOP-400- ASTM D: 3822) and herringbone weaves on handloom (Fly shut- and diameter (Projection- IS: 744-1977)were stud- tle). Constructional details of woven fabrics were ied. The yarns were tested for yarn count presented in Table 1. (Beesley balance), yarn density (Electronic Bal- Subjective Evaluation of woven fabrics: As- ances- ASTM, 1970) and twist per inch (Twist sessment of aesthetic and handle properties of Tester- IS: 832 “1985”). Developed fabrics were Errandi union fabrics were performed by as- tested for fabric cover factor (Beesley balance sessing 100 respondents from different age, edu- Model No. - PSB-167), fabric weight (Electronic cation, and occupational groups. Some important balance 200B- IS: 1964: 1970) and fabric thick- properties, such as handle (Rating scale:-3-Soft, 2 ness (Thickness Tester- B.S.