Indian Journal of Fibre & Textile Research

Vol. 28, March 2003, pp. 55-59

Spirality of weft-knitted fabrics: Part I-Descriptive approach to the effect

A

Primentasa

School of Textile Industries, The University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK

Received 5 October 2001; revised received and accepted 11 March 2002

The nature, origin and characteristics of the spirality effect have been examined in detail . The distinction between the
spirality effect and other fabric distortions contributes towards the verification, by experiment, that the prime reason for
spirality is the yam twist liveliness.
Keywords: Knitting, Spirality, Weft knitted fabric, Yam twist liveliness

1 Introduction

1.1 The Nature of Spirality

In a relaxed state of single jersey tubular fabrics

knitted from singles yarns, the wales, instead of being
at right angles to the courses, show a pronounced
inclination towards the left or the righe3, following a
spiral path around the axis of the fabric (Fig. 1). This
distortion, known as spiralitl effect, and its
magnitude, measured by the spirality angle5, are
unpredictable when the fabric is still on the knitting
machine because of the imposition of strains on it due
to the take-down tension6. If the fabric. undergoes a
process of wetting, this distortion may be worse as a
result of the reappearance of relaxed torsional forces
in the yarn that have been set earlier7. This factor
must be recognized in producing a commercially
.
acceptable washable product.
The main reason for spirality is the unbalanced8. 12
as well the residual 1 3 14 torque in the yarn, shown by

its twist liveliness. Hence, the greater the twist

liveliness, the greater is the spiralityl. Moreover, the
degree of freedom of yarn movement in the fabric
structure contributes significantly to the rise of
spiralityl5. The more slack the fabric structure, the
greater is the spirality. This slackness can be achieved
by changing either the tightness factor or the linear
density of the yarn.
The direction of spirality in the fabrics knitted from
singles short-staple ring-spun yarns is determined by

the yarn twist direction. Thus, the technical face of a

single jersey fabric exhibits spirality in the Z direction
if a Z-twisted yarn has been knittedlO (Fig. 2). As the
measurement of the angle of spirality is concerned,
either a protrc:tctor or a specially designed transparent
plastic board, as is illustrated in Fig. 3, can be used.
Furthermore, the percentage spirality, that is
considered as the sum of the net spirality caused by
the yarn torque and the additional spirality caused by
all other factors, can be calculated following the two
different geometrical approachesl2.16 (Fig. 4). As the
level of acceptable spirality angle is concerned, the
opinions are divided, indicating as maximum values
five degreesl5 . 17 or seven degrees I I and the percentage
spiralityl8 of 8.
1.2 Knitting Machine and Fabric Distortion

In a knitted fabric, the spirality describes the

resulting configuration pf the wales as are skewed

Present address: Department of Textile Engineering, Faculty of

Applied Technologies, TEl of Piraeus, 250 Thivon & P. RalIi,
Athens 122 44, Greece
Phone : + 3-210-4515137; Fax : + 3-210-41 22977;
E-mail : aprim @teipir.gr

Fig. l -Spirality of a knitted fabric

56

INDIAN J. FIBRE TEXT. 'RES,. MARCH 2003

Fig.2-Spirality direction of knitted fabrics

S-spirality

Drop

Fig.3-Transparent board with a protractor configuration

c
(Course Skew)

8
8'
A'r----- ----

w
c

Fig,4-Method for the calculation of the percentage spirality (by

AATCC)

from the vertical 16, whereas the drop effectl2,

cptks.crew or course skew (Fig. 5) concerns. the course
skewness from the horizontal and is due to the helical
disposition of the coursesl9, In weft circular knitting
machines, the yarns are knitted in the circumferential
direction 10 and the produced fabrics present a drop
that depends on the numbt:Iof the used feeders2o. The
degree of drop is a .functioh.:oOhe step S.of the helix
(Fig. 6) that depends6ilthe"nQi;nber fcous knitted
pet revolution Of aie machirie>tne niimber of courses
P[,c(5!itiinetre 19 and. the machine circumference' The
directi5n of the iilcHnatioii. of tbe drop . depends on the
direction of either the revolving cam box or the

Spirality

c
(Wale Skew)

Fig.5--Comparison between drop and spirality effects

rotating cylinder. It has been suggested2,3 that both the

spirality and the drop effect contribute to the total
spirality of the fabric. The effect of the number of
feeders on the drop phenomenon has been
investigated using the model illustrated in Fig. 6.
Assumptions: The distance between the central
lines of two adjacent courses (step S of the helix =
KL) is 1 mni. In Fig. 6a, one feeder is used while in
Fig. 6b, four feeders are used. The diameter D of the
tubular fabric is assumed 23 cm. The various curved

PRIMENTAS: SPIRALITY OF WEFf-KNITIED FABRICS: PART I

__ --0.

.-

---

Q
-
g

..
S

Knined ,Fabric (One

'

"

"

Opened Form oCtile Fiaure

Feeder'

14---0.-- __

--ltD ----. -. -. - .. - ..----

- -- Kr'--- - .

Arrangnt or a Course in a

(a)

aD

--------------

rT-"-"-"

_ . .

--

.. .. - ..
_

A'
0

Ii
Opened Form oflhe Fiaure
Arrangement of a Course in a
Knined Fabric (FoUr Feedml

(b)

Fig.6-Effect of the number of feeders on the fabric drop (Course

skew)

(spiral) lines represent a possible ideal position of the

central lines of the successive cqurses.
The opening of the fabric by cutting along a wale
shows that the length of a course in the first case (one
feeder) is smaller than that in the other case (four
feeders). Following a simple geometrical analysis, it
can be seen that
r-- - - - - OL = (7tXD)2 +S2
=

57

(7tX23)2 + (0.1)2

= 72.2567 cm
OM = (7tXD)2 +S(

= (7tX23)2 + (0.4)2
= 72.2577 cm

The difference 0.00 1 cm of the course length, due

to the insertion of three more feeders, can be
neglected since the nominal width OK of the opened
fabric is 72.2566 cm (1txD = 7tX23 cm). Furthermore,
the inclination of the course in the fabric can be:

y' B'

Fig.7-Spirality of a single jersey fabric knitted from a Z-twisted

yarn on a multifeed circular
machine with a clockwise-rotating cylinder
XX' = Position of a course due to the total spirality;
AA' = Position of a wale due to the total spirality;
BB' = Position of a wale when spirality (drop) due to the number
of feeders exists;
XD = Position of a course when spirality (drop) due to the number
of feeders exists;
X'D = Displacement between two consecutive courses knitted by
the same feeder;
Of= Spirality (drop) angle due to the number of feeders (YOB);
ay = Spirality angle due to the yarn twist liveliness (BOA); and
a.,. = Total spirality angle (YOA or A'OY')

0.00138% for one feeder or <X=O.0793[CX=tan-1 (SIOK)]

0.00 1 52% for four feeders or 13=0.317,
whereas the fabrics knitted in machines of 34 inches
(86.36 cm) diameter with 144 feeders exhibit a drop
of 0.14375% or y = 3.038, leading to the conclusion
that a large number of feeders affect, although
slightly, the drop that contributes to the total
spirality. Considering the analysis made by Araujo
and Smith3, it could be concluded that in many cases
it would be beneficial to use a large number of
feeders on a machine, as the drop and the spirality
can combine together and partially offset each other
(Fig. 7), resulting in less skewed fabric16. On the
other hand, mUltiple feeders increase the chance of a
stripy fabric being produced because of possible
yarn linear density and/or shade variation between
feeders21.
2 Materials and Methods

The general conclusion of the literature survey,

presented in this paper, regarding the reason for the

58

INDIAN I. FIBRE TEXT. RES., MARCH 2003

appearance of spirality on the knitted fabrics is that

the main factor responsible for this defect is the yarn
twist liveliness. Twist liveliness is a yarn
characteristic that describes the active torsional
energy present in the yarn. Its magnitude depends
primarily on the torque inserted in the yarn by means
of twist. Because spirality appears commonly in
fabrics produced from singles yarns, it was decided to
produce a range of singles yarn samples having
different twist factors in order to investigate the effect
of the yarn twist and twist liveliness on spirality.
2.1 Yarn Samples

Cotton singles ring-spun Z-twisted yarns of

nominal linear densities 29 tex and 39 tex were
produced. For both these yarn linear densities, three
nominal twist factors (32, 34 and 39 turns.cm-l.tex!7)
were chosen. These produced six yarn samples which
were wound onto cones. Quantities of the samples
were kept in a normal conditioned place of 202 C
and 65% RH for a period of 60 days (conditioned
samples), whereas. the rest quantities were kept in a
place without any standard atmospheric conditions
(unconditioned samples). On the end of the
conditioning period, the yarn samples tendency to
form snarls (the yarn snarliness) was tested on the
appropriate testing apparatus PRIANIC22. The means
of the readings are presented in Table 1. The yarns
were then knitted, producing single jersey fabrics.
2.2 Fabric Samples

A WILDT Model 5 power-operated, circular one

feeder weft knitting machine was used for the
production of the knitted fabric samples. Its diameter
was 22.9 cm (9 inch) with a gauge E14 (14 needles
per inch). The cam box was revolving in the anti
clockwise direction (viewed from above) with a speed
of 50 revolutions per minute.
The loop length 1 of the produced fabric samples
was calculated from the machine parameters to be
4.83 mm, whereas the tightness factor was calculated
using the formula K=tex!7 x /"1 and found to be:
KI = 1.115 tex.mm-I (for 29 tex linear density ); and
K2 = 1.293 tex !7.mm-1 (for 39 tex linear density).
It is well known that the tighter the knitted fabric,
the less it exhibits spirality due to the restriction of the
yarn movement in the knitted structure23 Although in
the knitting industry. the commonly used tightness
factors range between 1.45 and 1.5, for this
experiment the above low tightness factors were

Table I-Yam snarliness and fabric spirality

Testing
variables and
characteristics
A

29

29

32.4

34.9

49.3

60.6

D(

2 1 .5

24.5

D2

IS.0

2 1 .0

16.3

14.3

39

39

3S.6

32.3

33.4

39.5

71.1

47.2

55.7

70.S

35.5

20.5

24.0

33.5

2S.5

1 7.5

IS.0

26.5

19.7

14.6

25.0

20.9

29

39

A-Nominal yam linear density, tex;

(

B-Yam twist factor, tums.cm- .tex ;

C-Yam snarliness, cm;.
D(-Spirality angle of fabric knitted with unconditioned yam, deg;
Dx-Spirality angle of fabric knitted with conditioned yam, deg; and
E-DifferenceD(-D2, %

36
to
"

32

..!

28

24

III

20

...

Unconditioned yam, 29 lex

-+- Conditioned yam, 29 tex
-0-Unconditioned yam ,39 lex
.... Conditioned yarn, 39 lex

16 +------.--.---
38
30
40
32
34
36

TwIst factor, tums.cm'.tu

Fig.S-Effect of yam conditioning on knitted fabric spirality angle

chosen to make more distinguish the effect of the yarn

twist liveliness on the spirality of the knitted fabrics.
For easier assessment of the spirality angle of the
produced fabrics, a latch needle was removed from
the cylinder. This produced an apparent needle .1ine
(along the wale) in the fabric. The spirality angle was
measured with a protractor and the mean values of
five readings are shown in Table1.
3 Results and Discussion

The increase in the twist snarliness that the yarn

samples of both linear densities exhibited, mainly due
to the increase in their twist amount, resulted in the
increase of the fabric spirality (Table 1). This is in
agreement with the statements of many textile
technologists that the spirality depends mainly on the
yarn twist liveliness which in this experiment has
been expressed in terms of the yarn snarliness.
The fabrics produced from the unconditioned and
conditioned yarn samples showed differences in the
values of spirality angle (Fig. 8). Although the
differences in spirality angle seemed to be rather

PRIMENTAS: SPIRALITY OF WEFf-KNITIED FABRICS: PART I

small, the percentage differences would appear to be

significant (Table 1). In particular, the percentage
reduction in spirality angles of those fabrics produced
from the conditioned yarn samples of both linear
densities (29 tex and 39 tex) indicated that the
atmospheric conditions contributed substantially to
the relaxation of the yarn twist liveliness.
The above results indicate the necessity to
develop methods for the reduction or, if possible,
elimination of the yarn twist liveliness. The less
twist lively the yarn, the smaller is the spirality
distortion in single jersey garments knitted with a
normal tightness factor.
References
1
2
3
4

Nutting T S, HATRA Res Bull, 4 (6) ( 1960) 1 8 .

Buhler G &Haussler W , Text Prax Int, 36 ( 10) ( 1981) 1092.
Araujo M D & Smith G W, Text Res J, 59 (5) ( 1989) 247.
Davis W, Edwards C H & Stanbury G R, J Text Inst, 25 (3)
( 1934) T l 22.
5 Stevens J C, African Text, (December/January) ( 1 985) 28.
6 Charnock IL A, Text Inst Ind, 15 (5) ( 1 977) 1 75 .

59

7 Fletcher H M &Roberts S H , Text Res J , 2 3 ( 1) ( 1 953) 37.

8 Stacey P, HATRA Res Bull, 4 ( 1) ( 1 957) 17.
9 Parker R, Knitting Industry Technical Review, 1 (2)
( 1 981) 25.
1 0 Buhler G &Haussler W, Knit Tech, 7 (6) ( 1 985) 373.
1 1 Haigh J S, Wool Sci Rev, (64) ( 1987) 8 1 .
1 2 Oinuma R & Takeda H , J Text Mach Soc Japan (Engl edn),
34 (3) ( 1 988) 74.
13 Leaf G A V &Glaskin A, J Text Inst, 46 (9) ( 1 955) T587.
14 Munden D L, J Text Inst, 50 (7) ( 1959) T448.
15 Nutting T S, HATRA Notes, ( 1 3) ( 197 1).
1 6 Bailey D L, Factors affecting the skew of 100% cotton single
jersey fabrics, paper presented at the Air-jet Spinning
Conference, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28 May 1992.
'
17 Smirfitt J A, An Introduction to Weft Knitting (Merrow,
Watford), 1975.
18 West
Point
Stevens,
NC,
USA,
( 1 993).
Private
communication.
19 Complement aux etudes de vriUage des tricots, ITF Maille
Bull Scient, 9 (33) ( 1980) 85.
20 Brackenbury T, Knitting Clothing Technology (Blackwell
Scientific Pub., Oxford), 1992.
21 Walker E M &Sleath C E, J Text Inst, 41 (7) ( 1 950) P559.
22 Primentas A, Indian J Fibre Text Res, 28 (2003) 23.
23 Banerjee P K &Alaiban T S, Text Res J, 58 (5) ( 1 988) 287.