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Updated: May 27, 2026

Artificial Thermal Ageing of Polyester Reinforced and Polyvinyl Chloride Coated Technical Fabric
Published on: January 29, 2020
On the frequency of occurrence of a peculiar polyester fibre type found in blue denim textiles
Kris De Wael1, Christiaan Baes, Laurent Lepot
1National Institute for Criminalistics and Criminology, Brussels, Belgium. kris.dewael@just.fgov.be
Abstract:
In a double murder investigation, the victims were found after a prolonged stay in a drainage canal. In spite of the expectations, fibre examination established a multitude of primary and secondary transferred fibres. One of these fibre types was a colourless polyester fibre possessing a blue coloured molten fibre end. These matched one of the types present in the suspect's blue denim trousers. The aim of this study was to verify the rarity of this peculiar fibre type and more precisely its presence in blue denim textiles. Over five hundred different blue jeans textiles were examined and only one of these presented exactly the same type. The comparison involved microscopy, microspectrophotometry in the visible range and Raman spectroscopy. The results indicate this fibre type is extremely rare in a blue jeans fabrics and that "standard" blue denim should not be disregarded in case work.
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