01 Wear fastness

Abrasion fastness refers to the ability to resist wearing friction, which contributes to the durability of the fabric. Garments made from fibers with high breaking strength and good abrasion fastness can last for a long time and show no signs of wear after a long period of time.

Nylon is widely used in sports jackets, such as ski jackets, football shirts. This is because its strength and abrasion fastness are exceptionally good. Acetate is often used in the lining of outerwear and jackets due to its excellent drape and low cost.

However, due to the poor abrasion resistance of acetate, the lining tends to fray or form holes before the outer fabric of the jacket wears accordingly.

02 water absorption

Water absorption is the ability to absorb moisture, which is usually expressed by moisture regain. The water absorption of fibers refers to the percentage of moisture absorbed by dry fibers in air at standard conditions of 70°F (equivalent to 21°C) and 65% relative humidity.

Fibers that absorb water are called hydrophilic fibers. All natural plant and animal fibers and two man-made fibers - viscose and acetate are hydrophilic fibers. Those fibers that have difficulty absorbing water or can only absorb a small amount of water are called hydrophobic fibers. With the exception of viscose, Lyocell and acetate, all man-made fibers are hydrophobic. Glass fibers don't absorb water at all, and other fibers typically have a moisture regain of 4% or less.

The water absorption of fibers affects many aspects of their applications, including:

Skin Comfort: Due to poor water absorption, the flow of sweat can cause a cold and wet feeling.

Static: Clothes sticking and sparking problems can occur with hydrophobic fibers because there is little moisture to help disperse charged particles that accumulate on the surface of the fibers, and dust is also drawn to the fibers and adheres to them due to static electricity.

Dimensional stability after washing: After washing, hydrophobic fibers shrink less than hydrophilic fibers, and fibers rarely swell, which is one of the reasons for fabric shrinkage.

Stain Release: It is easy to remove stains from hydrophilic fibers because the fibers absorb the detergent and water at the same time.

Water repellency: Hydrophilic fibers usually require more water repellency and durable post-treatment, as this chemical treatment can make these fibers more water repellent.

Wrinkle Recovery: Hydrophobic fibers generally have better wrinkle recovery, especially after laundering, because they do not absorb water, swell, and dry in a wrinkled state.