Sustainable fabric engineering: A study on open-structured woven fabrics using recycled yarns

This research focuses on the investigation of structure-property relationships in open-structured fancy weaves, for example, Mock Leno and Huckaback manufactured from recycled and virgin cotton yarn. A full-factorial design of experiments and analysis of variance approach was employed to systematically evaluate the effects of yarn type, weave structure, pattern complexity (move number), and construction parameters on the physical, mechanical, and comfort properties of the fabrics used for household applications. It was concluded that mechanical and comfort properties are affected by weave structure and pattern complexity enabling recycled yarn fabrics to meet performance criteria for functional applications. Among the main effects, Weave Type exerts the largest and most statistically significant influence on air permeability (coefficient = -37.91, p = 0.000). Yarn Type (A) shows no significant effect (coefficient = -4.53, p = 0.404), indicating that substituting recycled for virgin yarn does not systematically compromise breathability. The fabric's mechanical properties (strength, tear, stiffness) and moisture management (overall moisture management capacity) are highly controllable through the specific material and structural choices studied-Yarn Type (A), Weave Type (B), Move Number (C), and Construction (D)-making them ideal for targeted design, as evidenced by high R² (>95%) and Predicted R² (>90%) values. In contrast, thermal resistance is essentially unaffected by these factors, with an R² of only 12.54% and a Predicted R² of 0.00%. Finally, elongation properties in both the warp and weft directions are difficult to predict reliably within this experimental space, as shown by low Predicted R² values (0.00% and 11.98%, respectively).