full length research -...

International Research Journal on Engineering Vol. 1(1), pp. 001-018, November, 2013 Available online at http://www.apexjournal.org

©2013 Apex Journal International

Full Length Research

Design and development of reusable cloth diapers

Hemdan Abdou Abou-Taleb

Textile Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Mansoura University, 35516 Mansoura, Egypt. Email: [email protected]

Accepted 31 October, 2013

Design and development of reusable cloth diaper are usually a response to an existing problem in the disposable diapers. Disposable diapers are available at relatively expensive price and not easily available for certain people or financially marginalized people, and yet there is need for these diapers. This research was done to design and develop reusable cloth diaper for babies who have different ages. 3-D weft knitted spacer fabrics were manufactured as a urine transport fabric i.e. (inner wick and transfer layer) with three variables namely type of yarn combinations of both top and bottom layers, type of spacer yarn (connecting yarn) and the patterning of spacer yarns with different angles. Also terry woven clothes were manufactured as an absorbent fabric i.e. (absorbent and retained core) with two variables namely pile height and picks/cm. And only one water repellant coated fabric was selected for water repellency, prior to designing and evaluating the diaper. All the components used in the development of this diaper were resistant to chlorine bleach and hot water during washing. When the prototype was evaluated from user trials, it received approval when used with washing also. Key words: Reusable, diaper, absorbent, fabric, babies

INTRODUCTION A diaper is a kind of underwear that allows one to urinate in a discreet manner. When diapers become soiled, they require changing ; this process is often performed by a second person such as a parent or caregiver. Failure to change a diaper on a regular enough basis can result in skin problems.

Diapers are made of cloth or disposable materials. Cloth diapers are composed of layers of fabric such as cotton, bamboo or microfiber and can be washed and reused multiple times. Disposable diapers contain absorbent chemicals and are thrown away after use. The decision to use cloth or disposable diapers is owing to issues ranging from convenience, health, cost and their effect on the environment. Cloth diapers are reusable and can be made from natural fibres , man made materials or a combination of both (http://www.ip.com/IPCOM/000209419)

Diaper consists of a waterproof outer layer sewn together with absorbent material on the inside. There may also be an additional inner layer of moisture-wicking material. All diapers have a velcro, snap or other closure to secure them on the baby. An average child will go through several thousand diapers in his/her life

(http://www.babycottonbottoms.com/how_many_ diapers.htm). An estimated 27.4 billion disposable diapers are used each year in the US, resulting in a possible 3.4 million tons of used diapers adding to landfills each year (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1702357,00.html

Environmental pollution concerns affect to a great extent on the utilization of eco friendly product. The Eureka Institute (http://www. Planeteureka.org/marketplace/concepts/report) reported that the smart eco diaper (nappy) in the United Kingdom (UK) is a stylish solution to the billions of U.S. disposable diapers that are thrown away each year. Another aspect to consider when choosing between disposable diapers and cloth diapers is cost. It is estimated that an average baby will use from $1500 to $ 2000 or more in disposable diapers before being potty- trained (http://blogs.consumerreports.org/baby/2009/07/ cloth-vs- disposable-diapers-getting-started.html). Total cost for reusable diapers would be $ 400 to $ 725, compared to $ 1600 to $ 2500 for disposables. The savings would be $ 1200 to $ 2100 for three years, or $ 400 to $ 700 per year

002 Int. Res. J. Eng.

Figure 1. Components of a diaper.

(http://www.dailyfinance.com). Babies may have their diapers changes five or more times a day (Diapering Your Baby). Children who wear diapers may experience skin irritation, due to continual contact with fecal Katter , as faces contains urease which catalyzes the conversion of the urea in urine to ammonia which can irritate the skin and can cause painful redness (Diaper Rash: The Bottom Line).

The specific choice of a product depends on several factors that include amount of urine loss, durability, ease of use , comfort , cost , pattern of urine loss and odour control ability (http://health.allrefer.com/health/urinary-incontine-nce-products-info.html). CREATIVE DESIGN FRAMEWORK

The major requirements involved in diapers were absorbency and water retention within the middle layer and comfort in terms of moisture levels and fabric feel on the baby skin through the inner layer and water repellency by the outer fabric layer as shown in Figure 1.

These critical factors were considered in designing the

diaper to be developed and functional requirements needed to design and develop a quality product.

EXPERIMENTAL WORK

Fabrication method of inner layer of reusable diaper

Samples preparation

Six weft- knitted spacer fabrics were used in this study. They were produced on the modern electronic V-bed flat knitting machine (STOLL 340.6 ST711 of Germany). Distance between both needle beds equals to 5 mm. The machine gauge of 7 needles per inch was used.

In this study, polyacrylic 28/2 Nm yarn was used to knit single jersey for both top and bottom layers and three structures (Structures I, II and III).

The structures shown in Figures 2 and 3 (I & II & III) are used for comparison purposes in the study.

Table 1 presents the mass, thickness, bulk density, overall porosity and stitch density of all samples. The specimens were knitted with the same yarn tension and cam setting by using 180 needles. Before the

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Figure 2 Spacer yarn inclination I- Shifting one needle distance ; II- Shifting three needles distance; III- Shifting five needles distance

Figure 3. Spacer fabric construction

Table1. 3–D Weft knitted spacer fabric specifications.

Sample

No.

Mass

(g/m2)

Thickness

at 0.5 g/cm2 (mm)

Bulk density

(g/cm3)

Overall porosity

(%)

Stitch density

(stitch /inch2)

1 817 5.015 0.1629 86.08 105.14

2 667 5.565 0.1199 89.75 175.45

3 433 4.435 0.0976 91.66 198.05

4 717 4.593 0.1561 86.66 114.83

5 617 4.939 0.1249 89.32 120.44

6 `516 5.945 0.0868 92.58 189.76

measurements and tests, the samples were conditioned in standard atmospheric conditions (20 ± 2°C, RH 65 ± 5%) for two days . All tests were carried out in standard atmosphere.

Measurement of water transport properties Air permeability Air permeability was measured according to BS. 5636 (British Standard , 1990) In this test, ten samples were tested and the mean value was reported for each sample. The reciprocal of air permeability value is called air resistance.

Water vapour permeability Water vapour permeability (WVP) was measured using the cup test method according to BS 7209 (British Standard, 1990), where four samples were measured and the mean value was recorded . The weight loss was converted to water vapour permeability according to Equations (1 & 2)

(2)m,104

dA

(1)hr).(g/m,A.t

MWVP

262

2

−×∏

=

=


Figure 4. Vertical wicking apparatus

Where: M is loss in mass (g), t is time between weighing (hours), A is internal diameter of dish (mm) , and WVP is the water vapour permeability of the test fabric Vertical wicking test Vertical strip wicking tests were performed on the apparatus shown in Figure 4. Five specimens of 200 mm × 2.5 mm cut along the walewise and coursewise directions were prepared. The specimen was suspended vertically with its bottom end dipped in a reservoir of coloured distilled water at 21°C. In order to ensure that the bottom ends of the specimens could be immersed vertically at a depth of 30 mm into the water, the bottom end of each specimen was clamped with 1.2g clip, as shown in Figure 4. The wicking heights, measured for 24 hours , were recorded along the walewise and courswise directions for a direct evaluation of the fabric wicking ability Static water absorption test The fabric samples were cut into equal size of 100 mm × 100 mm and conditioning in the standard atmospheric condition of 65 ± 2% RH and 20 ± 2°C. The fabrics were conditioned for 24 hours in the above – mentioned atmospheric conditions and the dry weight (md) was measured. To study the water absorbency, samples were dipped in distilled water for 24 hours to ensure uniform soaking of water and then wet samples were hung in free air for about 30 minutes to drip out the excess water absorbed by the samples. Now , the weight (mw) of wet samples was measured. The experiment is repeated for three specimens and the mean value is taken and recorded. The water absorbency (Debnath and Madhusoothanon, 2010) was calculated using the following formula : Water absorbency (%) = (mw – md) / md × 100 ……(3)

The average of 10 results was considered Horizontal (transfer) wicking test Transfer wicking properties were measured according to the stated method (Zhuang et al., 2002). Samples were mounted horizontally to conduct transfer wicking experiments. When the samples were set horizontally, 130 mm diameter dish was placed on top of the layers, and the external pressure was exerted by changing amounts of sand in the dish. In this study, the external pressure was 126 kg/m

2. Fabric samples were cut into

130 mm diameter circles, which were the same size as the dish placed on the fabrics. The specimens were completely soaked in distilled water for 24 hours. They were suspended in free air for about 30 minutes to drip out the excess water absorbed by the samples. Another sample of the same fabric with the same diameter was cut and dried for one hour in oven at 100°C and the dry weight (md) was measured. The dry specimens were put on the wet specimens for 30 minutes under 12.6 g/cm

2

pressure and the weight (mw) was measured. The amount of water transmitted was calculated by the following equation : Amount of water transmitted = mw – md, g/m2/30 minutes (4) Drop spreading test The spreading study (Shamal, 2009) was performed by dropping a small ink drop (3 ml) by a burette from a distance of 2 cm above the surface of the fabric samples. It was observed that the ink immediately penetrates inside the fabric. It was observed that the ink immediately penetrates inside the fabric through the inter-yarn spaces and then starts spreading in the outwards direction from the place where the drop was placed. After the spreading was over and ink was fully dried, the inner fabrics

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Figure 5. Spreading of drop on polyacrylic weft knitted spacer fabrics

Table 2. Range of variation for studies factors.

Factors Levels

Interval -1 0 +1

X1- Type of yarn combinations of both top and bottom layers

one yarn of polyacrylic

28/2 Nm fed only

two yarns of polyacrylic

28/2 Nm fed together

three yarns of polyacrylic

28/2 Nm fed together one yarn

X2- Type of spacer yarn

(connecting yarn)

one yarn of polyacrylic

28/2 Nm fed only

two yarns of polyacrylic

28/2 Nm fed together

Three yarns of polyacrylic

28/2 Nm fed together one yarn

X3- The patterning of spacer yarns with different angles

Structure (I) Structures (II) Structures (III) shifting two needles distance

shifting one

needle distance(11°)

shifting three

needles distance (31°)

shifting five

needles distance (44.5°)

.

surfaces were scanned by canon scan LIDE 80 at 600 resolution ratio and images were used to calculate static maximum spreading area (cm

2). Three specimens were

tested. Typical drop spreading images of different fabrics are shown in Figure 5. The fabric's thickness and surface density was measured in accordance with ISO 5084: 1996 and LST ISO 3801 : 1998 , respectively. The details of these tests are listed in Table 1.

MIXTURE DESIGN

The simple lattice method for the experiments was chosen because of its obvious advantages of analysis of all the quadratic and interaction effects (Akhnagarova and Kafarov, 1978).

The experiments carried out on three-dimensionally weft knitted spacer fabrics were planned according to the simplex lattice method for the three variables i.e. type of yarn combinations of both top and bottom layers (X1) , type of spacer yarn (connecting yarn) (X2) , and the patterning of spacer yarns with different angles (X3).

The variation of these factors is given in Table 2. The design of simplex lattice method for three components is given in Table 3. The mixture levels of simplex lattice method are converted to factorial design levels as listed in Table 3. The second – degree polynomial of mixture design in three components has the general form:

)5(XXBXBY jiijii ∑+∑=

Where :

ا


Figure 6. The cross-section of a towel through the warp.

Table 3. Experimental design of studies factors.

Sample

No.

Coded level of factors

Simplex lattice method Factorial design method

x1 x2 x3 X1 X2 X3

1 1 0 0 +1 -1 -1

2 0 1 0 -1 +1 -1

3 0 0 1 -1 -1 +1

4 0.5 0.5 0 0 0 -1

5 0.5 0 0.5 0 -1 0

6 0 0.5 0.5 -1 0 0

Table 4. Yarn types used in the production of terry fabrics.

Pile warp yarn Ground warp yarn Weft yarn

24/2Ne twisted ring spun carded cotton yarn, (308 turns /meter)

24/2Ne twisted ring spun carded cotton yarn, (308 turns /meter)

16/1Ne ring spun carded cotton yarn,

(614 turns /meter)

Y = The measure response for each experiment , bi = Coefficient of the main factor effects , bij = Coefficient of the interaction effects , and q = Number of the chosen factors.

In order to determine the regression coefficients, the response )Y( has to be found by using different

experimental combinations of the variables under the consideration.

The mathematical models obtained by simplex lattice method could be modified by converting the coded levels of factors (0, 0.5, 1) to correspond with the factorial design levels (-1 , 0 , +1 ) as listed in Table 3. Fabrication method of middle layer of reusable diaper Samples preparation The terry fabrics used in the middle layer were woven using cotton yarns. The both sided pile formation principle was used in the production of the terry woven

structures discussed in this study. Three types of yarns were used in the production of terry fabrics, namely weft yarn , ground warp yarn and pile warp yarn. The construction of terry fabrics is presented in Tables 4 and 5. Table 4 shows the properties of weft, ground warp and pile warp yarns. Three different pile heights and three different weft densities (defined as pile density) were used to produce the different terry fabric constructions, these are shown in Table 5.

The pile of the terry fabrics used in the research was constructed on both sides of the fabric. As can be seen in Figures 6 and 7, the ground warp (G1) that was up at the beginning went down and the (G2), which was down, went upward through the two yarns. Back side pile (BP) warp was always in opposition to the front side pile (FP) warp. When the (BP) warp made the first loop on one side of the fabric, the second loop was formed on the other side. The (FP) warp behaved in the same manner.

Production method of the terry fabrics

The terry fabrics were produced on a 300 cm Nouva

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Table 5. Warp density, weft density and pile type (height, density) of terry fabrics.

Pile warp density

(ends/cm)

Ground warp density

(ends/cm)

Weft density

(picks/cm)

Pile height for each side

(mm)

Pile density

(No. of piles/cm2)

12 12 9, 15 , 21 4 , 5 , 6 18 , 30 , 42

Figure 7. The weave repeat of the terry fabric (Basic 3-pick terry weave in 1:1 warp order).

Pignone TPS 500 model rapier terry weaving machine with a doppy using the three-pick principle. With the combination of three different pile heights and three different weft densities (defined as pile densities), nine different terry fabric constructions were produced for the experiments. Piles are formed on both sides by the variable periodic movement of the reed or cloth fell position, mostly over three picks. Measurement of water absorption and retention properties Surface density test The fabric's thickness and surface density was measured in accordance with ISO 5084 : 1996 and LST ISO 3801 : 1998 , respectively . Static water absorption test The static water absorption was measured according to method (Karahan and Eren, 2006). The samples were conditioned in laboratory conditions, cut into pieces (10 cm × 10 cm) and then weighed (md). After that the samples were kept for one minute in distilled water. After being removed from the water , they were hung for three minutes to remove excess water , and the weight of the wet samples (mw) was measured. An electronic balance was used in the weight measurements. The static water absorption (Sw) was calculated before and after laundering using the following formula :

)6.....(....................%,100)/mm(mS ddww ×−=

Surface water absorption test Surface water absorption of terry fabrics was measured according to the stated method (ASTM D4772-09). This method determines the ability of a terry fabric to rapidly absorb and retain liquid water from surfaces such as human skin. Specimens are placed in a embroidery hoop 15.3 cm (6 inch) outer diameter of inner hoop and then the hoop/specimen assembly is placed at an angle (60°) to the table top (Figure 8).

The 200-ml of distilled water weighed (mo) graduate mounted on the apparatus was parallel to the table top. The pour spout on this graduate was 3 cm down from where the adjustment screw bracket joints the outer hoop and 0.6 cm away from the hoop/specimen assembly. After water flows down the surface of each specimen, the amount of water retained by each specimen is measured (∆W) as follows:

∆W = mo – m1 , grams ……………. (7) Where ∆W = surface water absorption , grams mo = the weight of water in the funnel , grams m1 = the weight of collected water in the pan (dish) , grams Six specimens are tested , three on the face of the fabric


Figure 8. Schematic diagram of a typical water flow tester.

Table 6. Experimental plan.

Factors Coded form

-1 0 +1

X1 = pile height , mm 4 5 6

X2 = Picks per cm 9 15 21

and three on the back of the fabric.

The six observations are averaged to determine the surface water absorption of the fabric .

Liquid retention test

The liquid retention capacity was determined according to the method in Ref. (Petrulyte and Nasleniene, 2010), the samples were conditioned in laboratory conditions, cut into pieces (1 inch × 1 inch) and then weighed (mo). This test involves measuring the amount of liquid retained by the sample after a drainage process. For the wetting procedure the specimens were placed in distilled water for 2-3 sec, which is necessary to complete wetting, and dried in air for 90 min and then the specimen is weighed (m1). The amount of liquid retained by dry weight of the sample is a measure of the capacity of the sample as follows:

Water retention = (m1 – mo ) /mo × , % (8)

In this test four samples each one (1 inch × 1 inch) are tested at a time. The details of these tests are listed in Table 10.

Design of experiment

In the present study two independent factors and three levels of each factor were chosen to conduct the experiments. The parameters selected as independent factors were: (i) pile height , mm (X1) and (ii) picks per cm (X2). The details of experimental plan are given in Table 6.

The dependent variables studied were surface density, static water absorption before and after laundering, surface water absorption and water retention of terry woven fabrics.

An orthogonal mathematical plan was to investigate water absorption and retention properties of terry fabrics. The matrix of the mathematical plan is presented in Table 7.

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Table 7. Matrix of the mathematical plan.

No. X1 (Pile height , mm) X2(Picks per cm)

value of matrix real value value of matrix real value

1 -1 4 -1 9

2 +1 6 -1 9

3 -1 4 +1 21

4 +1 6 +1 21

5 -1 4 0 15

6 +1 6 0 15

7 0 5 -1 9

8 0 5 +1 21

9 0 5 0 15

Table 8. Measurement of water transport properties of 3-D weft knitted spacer fabrics.

Exp.

No.

Air

resistance

(pa.sec)/m

Water vapour permeability

((g/m2/hr)

Vertical wicking height (mm)

Water absorbency

(%)

Amount of water transmitted

(g/m2/30 min)

Wetting area

(Cm2)

Wale Course

Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Y5 Y6 Y7

1 301.73 1056.3 9.5 13 296.3 184.5 3.8465

2 266.67 1207.2 10 7.83 441.2 449.9 6.3854

3 87.19 2148.1 8 9.33 544.0 344.1 4.7298

4 153.12 1148.4 11.75 13 345.4 212.2 5.3131

5 96.83 3918.9 13.5 11.33 449.1 322.7 4.5220

6 94.96 4607.1 7 8 420.0 437.0 3.8524

Table 9. Response – surface equations of water transport properties of 3-D weft knitted spacer fabrics.

Response – surface Equation R

Y1 = 17.11-77.84 X1 – 79.72 X2-136.0 X3 – 97.63 X1X3 -81.97 X2X3-131.08 X1X2 1

Y2 = 7468.5 + 2861.5 X1 + 3549.6 X2 + 6320.1 X3 +16.6 X1X2 + 2316.7X1X3 + 2929.4 X2X3 1

Y3 = 18.5 +11.5 X1 + 5 X2 + 6.75 X3 + 2X1X2 + 4.75X1X3 –2X2X3 1

Y4 = 15.3113 +7.3113 X1 + 3.9813 X2 + 4.25 X3 +0.6463 X1X2 +0.165 5X1X3 – 0.58 X2X3 1

Y5 = 573.8 +153.8 X1 + 124.6 X2 + 228.4 X3 - 23.4 X1X2 + 29 X1X3 – 72.6 X2X3 1

Y6 = 482.626 +45.653 X1 + 159.923 X2 + 270.421 X3 – 105.025X1X2 + 58.413 X1X3 –39.983 X2X3 1

Y7 = 4.283 + 0.431 X1 – 0.239 X2 + 0.894 X3 – 1.726 X1X2 + 0.234 X1X3 – 1.705 X2X3 1

Fabrication method of outer layer of reusable diaper Fabric selection Outer layer of reusable diaper consists of a thin layer of polythene plastic sheet (30 g/m

2) sandwiched between

two sheets of densely coated waterproof polyester woven fabric.

Measurement of water repellency of lamena Waterproofness was tested according to BS EN 20811 using hydrostatic head tester with 10cm/min applied pressure speed. Samples with 60mm diameter were

measured five times at 20 ± 2°C and RH 65 ± 2% and the average waterproofness results was obtained

The coated laminated polyester fabrics were tested for water penetration and colour retention when exposed to a chlorine bleaching solution using 5% of chlorine concentration.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Water wicking and transport properties of 3-d weft knitted spacer fabrics

Table 8 shows the experimental values of air resistance,


Figure 9. Air resistance contours of 3–D weft knitted spacer fabrics .

Figure 10. Water vapour permeability contours of 3-D weft knitted spacer fabrics .

water vapour permeability , vertical wicking height in walewise and coursewise directions , water absorbency , amount of water transmitted and wetting area of 3-D weft knitted spacer fabrics using factorial design, Table 9 shows the coefficients and constants of the response surface equations.

The value of correlation coefficient (R) shows good and significant relationship between the predicted and experimental values. The contour diagrams (Figures 9 – 15) were drawn to understand the individual and interaction effects of water vapour permeability, vertical wicking height walewise and coursewise directions, water absorbency, amount of water transmitted and wetting area of 3-D weft knitted spacer fabrics as a wicking

and transport material using standard statistical software. Effects of type of yarn combinations, type of spacer

yarn and the patterning of spacer fabrics on water transport properties were studied. Figures 9-15 show the effect of the three studied factors on water transport properties. It is observed that all the water transport properties. It is observed that all the water transport properties increase with decreasing both type of yarn combination and type of spacer yarn and then with further increase of patterning of spacer fabrics water transport properties increase. This means that sample No. (3) is the best selected one with respect to water transport properties . Probably, with decrease in type of yarn combination and type of spacer yarn less entanglement

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Figure 11. Vertical wicking height contours in walewise direction of 3-D weft knitted

spacer fabrics Figure.

Figure 12. Vertical wicking height contours in coursewise direction of 3-D weft knitted spacer fabrics.

of fibres takes place and as a result fabric structure becomes less compact. The compact fabric structure has

lesser amounts of voids, which restricts the fabric to hold more amount of water.


Figure 13. Water Absorbency contours of 3-D weft knitted spacer fabrics.

Figure 14. Amount of water transmitted contours of 3-D weft knitted spacer fabrics.

Water absorption and retention properties of terry fabrics The experimental tests were performed according to the orthogonal mathematical plan of the experiment (Table 7). The dependences of the investigated properties of the structure parameter are presented in Figures 16 – 20.

Table 10 shows the experimental results of water absorption and retention properties using factorial design.

Table 11 shows the coefficients and constants of the response surface equations. The correlation coefficient value shows good and significant relationship between the predicted and experimental values of water absorption and retention properties. The contour diagrams (Figures 16 – 20) were drawn to understand the individual and interaction effects of surface density, static water absorption before and after laundering. Surface water absorption and water retention of terry woven

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Figure 15. Wetting area contours of 3-D weft knitted spacer fabrics.

Table 10. Measurement of water absorption and retention properties of terry fabrics

Exp.

No.

X1 X2

Surface density, g/m

2

Static water absorption before laundering , %

Static water absorption after laundering , %

Surface water absorption

, g

Water retention, %

Z1 Z2 Z3 Z4 Z5

1 -1 -1 304.9 305.6 512.80 90.0 294.6

2 +1 -1 512.8 290.5 606.50 79.0 433.9

3 -1 +1 525.0 261.1 510.20 95.5 450.9

4 +1 +1 917.8 410.0 517.05 161.0 423.5

5 -1 0 419.2 291.9 520.45 75.0 432.1

6 +1 0 714.6 273.6 558.30 103.0 386.1

7 0 -1 385.6 276.9 652.15 75.0 307.8

8 0 +1 692.1 314.9 607.20 118.0 344.9

9 0 0 582.2 268.7 603.98 100.0 307.5

Table 11. Response – surface equations of water absorption and retention properties of terry fabrics.

Response – surface Equation R

Z1= 563.71+149.35 X1+155.27 X2 +46.23 X1X2+12.29 2

1X -15.48 2

2X 1

Z2 = 265.82 + 19.25 X1 + 18.83 X2 + 18.43 2

1X +41 X1X2 + 31.452

2X 1

Z3 = 616.35 + 23.07 X1 – 22.83 X2 -82.72 2

1X -21.71X1X2 1

Z4 = 99.76 + 13.75 X1 + 21.75 X2 + 2.89 2

1X +19.13X1X2 + 10.32 2

2X 1

Z5 = 319.86 + 10.98 X1 + 30.5 X2 + 82.62 2

1X - 41.68 X1X2 1

fabrics can be used as an absorbent and retained fabric using standard statistical software


1000

900

800

700

600

500

400

300 4 5 6

Pile height, mm

9

15

21

Pic

ks

/cm

Figure 16-a. Effect of pile height and pick /cm on fabric surface density.

Figure 16-b. Response surface of surface density.

The influence of pile height and weft density of terry woven fabrics was studied. Figures 16 – 20 present the effect of pile height and weft density on absorption and retention properties . It is observed that all the absorption and retention properties increase with the increase in pile height and weft density. This may be due to fact that at higher fabric weight when number of fibres per unit area is more. For a required terry fabric weight per square meter, the weft density and pile length remain two parameters to be adjusted.

Surface density

As expected, the increase in weft density and pile length increase the weight per square meter as shown in Figure 16.

380 360 340 320 300 280

4 5 6

Pile height, mm

9

15

21

Pic

ks/c

m

Figure 17-a. Effect of pile height and picks / cm on static water absorption (before laundering)

Figure 17-b. Response surface of static water absorption (before laundering)

The increase in pile length causes the weight per square meter to increase because of an increase in total pile warp length in a square metre of terry fabric. Static water absorption From the contour graphs of terry woven fabrics in Figures 17 and 18, it can be observed that the increase in water absorption with the increase of pile height and picks per cm is due to the fact that the surface area of yarn available to absorb water has a direct relation with pile

640 620 600 580 560 540 520

4 5 6

Pile height, mm

9

15

21

Pic

ks/c

m

Figure 18-a. Effect of pile height and picks / cm on static water absorption (after laundering).

Figure 18-b. Response surface of static water absorption (after laundering).

height and weft density . With the increase of pile height and picks per cm, to absorb water, available surface area was increased.

It was found that the washing process appeared to be an important parameter in defining the percentage of water absorption – in washed towels it became higher than that of towels which did not undergo any washing procedure.

Surface water absorption It is clear from Figure 19 that surface water absorption increases with the increase of pile height and weft

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160 140 120 100 80

4 5 6

Pile height, mm

9

15

21

Pic

ks/c

m

Figure 19-a. Effect of pile height and picks / cm on surface water absorption.

Figure 19-b. Response surface of surface water absorption.

density. This is attributed to the fact that the surface area available to absorb water is directly proportional to the free length of pile. Tarafder et al (2002) also observed that surface water absorption increases with increase of pile ratio.

Water retention property

From the contour graph shown in Figure 20, it can be observed that the water retention capacity increases with the increase of absorption established that pile density has direct influence over the maximum water absorption.


460 420 380 340 300

4 5 6

Pile height, mm

9

15

21

Pic

ks/c

m

Figure 20-a. Effect of pile height and picks / cm on water retention.

Figure 20-b. Response surface of water retention.

Thus it is preferable to select the best sample e.g. sample No. (4) in designing reusable cloth diaper to obtain the highest water absorption and retention. DESCRIPTION OF PROTOTYPE i. Reusable diapers are mostly made of natural fabrics and are gentle to body's skin. ii. Reusable cloth diapers consist of inner wick and transfer layer, an absorbent core layer and a waterproof outer layer. iii. They are very easy to launder and dry, durable and these diapers are very cheep.

iv. Fitted diapers are also shaped more like disposables with the added benefit of elastic around the leg openings for retention of body fluids within the diaper and saddle- cloth was selected for easy dressing and undressing of the diaper and to achieve fit as shown in Figure 21 . EVALUATION PROTOTYPE BY USERS: Wear trials We designed a field test to clarify the degree of a feeling of wetness while wearing the cloth diapers. The wetness of the cloth diapers was assessed by different methods. The cloth diaper was affixed to general underwear in the usual manner. The mothers evaluated wetness of the cloth diaper after wearing for three hours in daily life. They evaluated the degree of a felling of wetness using a 5-point rating scale (5: very wet, 4: slightly wet . 3: neutral, 2: slightly dry , and 1 : very sensation) . We performed the wear trial during the spring season in February, women. are particularly sensitive to the wetness of a pad during wear .The mean air temperature and the mean relative humidity in February in Mansoura were 22°C and 78% RH respectively.

Subjective hand evaluation

The laboratory hand sensory test method was designed to estimate the wetness of the cloth diaper in actual use. The subjective hand of cloth diapers was assessed by mothers. The procedure for the hand test of wetness involved the subjects putting their hand a conditioning box (20±2°C, 70-90% RH) containing a cloth diaper moistened with 1 ml of 0.9 saline water (32°C) to evaluate the wetness of the cloth diaper. The time required for the assessment was about 10 minutes. The subjects evaluated sample wetness in random order using a 5-point scale (1: very dry to 5: very wet) in the same manner as for wear trials. The wetness of 5 cloth diapers was assessed by 5 women.

Water content

The procedure for the sensory test of wet diapers was as follows: A sample was cut from a diaper’s center and put into a 7.5 × 10.5 cm

2 cell, then moistened with 30 g of

0.9% NaCl solution (0.4 g/cm2) using an injector

(Constant pressure 16 KPa , mean flow rate 3 ml/second). To simulate actual conditions during use, the temperature of the solution was 32°C. After 15 min, the weight of the diaper segments was measured and the water content was calculated using dry and wet weight of the diaper segments as follows (Yokura and Niwa, 1996):

Water content = (W – Wcond) / Wcond × 100 , % ( 9 )

Abou-Taleb 017

Figure 21. Prototype of reusable diaper.

Where Wcond is the weight of the cloth diaper under the condition of 20°C and 65% RH , and W is the weight of wet cloth diapers The experiments were repeated three times for each diaper .The value of water content of the cloth diaper was within the range of 20% to 35% . Water retention We also measured the water retention of cloth diapers. according to the following procedure (Yokura and Niwa, 1996) : A sample was cut from the diaper’s center and put into a 7.5 ×10.5 cm

2 cell , then moistened with 0.4 g

/cm2 of 0.9 % NaCl solution at 23°C using the same

procedure as described above . After the sample was immersed in the solution for 5 minutes, a filter paper was placed on the diaper segment and pressed for 30 seconds under a pressure of 4.5 kpa . The weight of the solution absorbed by the filter paper was measured. CONCLUSION A prototype was successfully designed and made for baby. The developed product has long-term economic benefits, from six months to one –year lifespan given its service ability for intended use. The polyester fabric that is laminated on one side to make it waterproof was best

in performance when subjected to the fabric tests that were conducted. Generally, the prototype was accepted and appreciated from the point of view of home mothers. Disposable diapers are ideal for babies and incontinence patients but they are relatively expensive . The product basically offers a better and healthy alternative to the daily washing of outer clothing. REFERENCES Akhnagarova, S., Kafarov, V. (1978). "Experiment

Optimization in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering", Mir Publishers, Moscow, 1978, (in Russian).

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Diaper Rash: The Bottom Line Diapering Your Baby http://blogs.consumerreports.org/baby/2009/07/cloth-vs-

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of the Effect of Fabric Parametres on Static Water Absorption in terry fabrics", Fibers & textiles in Eastern Europe, 14(2): 56, 59-63.

Petrulyte S., Nasleniene J. (2010). Investigation of the Liquid Retention Capacity of Terry Fabrics. Fibers & Textiles in Eastern Europe, 18(5): (82), 93-97.

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Yokura H., Niwa M. (1996). Objective Hand Evaluation of Nonwovens used for Nappies , Inst . J. Clothing Sci . Technology, 9(3): 207 – 213.

Zhuang Q., Harlock S.C., Brook D.B. (2002). Transfer wicking mechanisms of knitted fabrics used as undergarments for outdoor activities. Textile Res. J., 72(8) : 727734.

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