Methods of integrating scent into the production of Textiles
Concept
Fragrances are said to work as mood enhancers, stress busters, and possess the capability to evoke emotions. Using aromatherapy in textiles, the wearer can be helped to stay calm and invoke alertness. Smell can create a sensory experience inside the body, connecting fabric with fragrance can help change a person's mood. Imagine sleeping on a pillow that smells from eucalyptus and can help you with your breathing problems during the night. Knitting Fragrance is a research that explores the incorporation of scent into polymer fibers.
Design and Functionality
Using different methods of spinning I created yarns with aroma therapeutic oils inside
Yarn consists of several strands of material twisted together, all shorter than the piece of yarn that they form. These short fibers are spun into longer filaments to make the yarn. The characteristics of spun yarn depend, in part, on the amount of twist given to the fibers during spinning. A fairly high degree of twist produces strong yarn; a low twist produces softer.
Mechanical Process
Infusing and Elctrospinning
By using a semi manual spinning machine I twisted different amounts of fibers in different techniques to create a variety of yarns to test what can be the best for the spread of the scent and the quality of the yarn.
I found two mechanical constraint techniques that are better for the spread of the smell:
Solo Spinning
Rotor-spun yarns
Structures
Knitting is the construction of the elastic, porous fabric, created by interlocking yarns by means of needles. Knitted fabrics are produced by two general methods – warp knitting, and weft knitting, and each method produces a variety of types of knitted fabrics.
In this research, there is a big importance to the structure of the fabric, the yarn with the scent embedded needs to be spread in the right proportions but at the same time be locked in the fabric for long time use.
The fiber compositions all of which are fabricated on traditional textile manufacturing machinery such as a flat bed weft knitting machine. Ideally, a scent incorporated into a fabric will have two primary qualities. First, the odor should have aesthetically pleasing properties to produce a positive response to the introduction of the scent. Second, the scent must be easily detectable so that the product has a discernible novel feature. The important structure can define if the scenting may become progressively less effective with time. I have found that Interlock structures have a very good spread of smell so does knitting weaving and tucks.
Kanakaraj, P., B. S. Dasaradan, and R. Ramachandran. "The influence of double layer knit fabric structures on air and water vapor permeability." Journal of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management 8.3 (2013).
Possibilities
Textiles containing effective and long-lasting fragrance would have a significant contribution to the textile industry. Fragrance formulated into polymer fibers can have a big potential market. The burgeoning demand for olfactory stimulation in part reflects the role of odor in influencing emotional state and well-being. Scents can enhance mood, promote optimism, relax or stimulate, aid the recall of personal memories, and facilitate creative thinking. Hirsch & Gay (1991) demonstrated that consumers were more likely to purchase athletic shoes when displayed in a scented room than in an unscented room.
The product categories that have incorporated scent infused fabrics include: hosiery, lingerie, athletic apparel, denim, sheets, bedding, curtains and carpet.
Textile materials made of natural fibers provide a good environment for microorganisms to grow because of their ability to retain moisture and large surface area. Pure cotton fabrics retain les odor causing bacteria before and after laundering then cotton/synthetic blends or pure synthetic fibers.
System Architecture
The system consists of the following processes:
Washing Control
Fragrance Durability Testing is one of the Mose important factors in this research, the fibers will be washed in water, hot soapy water, and dry cleaning solution to determine if the scents are washed away in standard use. The half-life of fragrance release is measured to determine the expected life of the scent in a textile. The durability of the scent was evaluated by performing washing and drying tests of the scented fabric samples over repeated washings. The fabrics were washed in warm water on a normal cycle and dried on a tumble dry low setting. Fabric samples comprised of 100% of the same matrial.
In the interlock structure the smell is obtained for about 8 washes. The discovery in the research was that the heat in the drying machine helped to recharge the scent. Lavender scented fabric can retain sufficient fragrance for about 12 washes.
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