Development of 3D crimped PLA filaments and knitted products with improved bulkiness and thermal insulation

This project aims to develop 3D crimped PLA filaments and their textile products with enhanced bulkiness property and thermal insulation. The 3D crimped PLA filaments will be manufactured by using knit-de-knit technology. In this process, PLA filaments with different cross-sectional shapes are firstly knitted into fabrics, and then the fabrics are heat set and subsequently unraveled to obtain 3D crimped PLA filaments. The bulkiness and crimp effects of PLA filaments will be improved via designed knitted structures, which is more convenient and efficient than commonly used texturizing method. Using the 3D crimped PLA filaments as inserted yarns, 3D knitted fabrics for mattress surfaces will be specially designed and fabricated based on multilayer jacquard knitted structures to enhance their bulkiness, softness and thermal insulation. This study can extend the application of PLA material in textile field.

Parent project: Development of Fabric Structure Analysis and Appearance Evaluation System