THREAD
Threads in shoe industry
Thread is one of the fastening materials used in shoe making to assemble together the upper and
lining components as well as in decoration of products. Threads used can be composed of either
natural fibers such as cotton, linen or silk or synthetics such as polyester or polyamide (nylon) or
combination of both. Threads mostly used in shoes are generally made from continuous filament (CF)
or staple type fiber. Continuous filament comes in very long lengths (upto several kilometers long)
while staple or spun fibers are very much shorter in length falls between 10 – 30 mm. CF and staple
fibers can be combined to produce yarn or threads that are known as core-spun threads.
Fiber (Textile)
Fibers are a class of compounds that can be developed into filaments, yarn & thread. They are of
three types
1. Natural fibers : Cotton, hemp, jute etc.,
2. Man made fibers : Rayon, asbestos, glass wool, carbon fibers etc.,
3. Synthetic fibers : Poly ester, poly amide etc.,
Filament
A filament is a very thin slender natural or synthetic fiber. It is made up for use in the production of
textiles, sewing, knitting, embroidery and ropes.
Thread
Thread is a type of fine yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufactured sewing
threads may be finished with wax or other lubricants to withstand the stresses involved in sewing.
Ply
Yarns are made up of a number of plies, each ply being a single spun
yarn. These single plies of yarn are twisted together (plied) in the
opposite direction to make a thicker yarn. Depending on the direction
of this final twist, the yarn will be known as s-twist or z-twist. For a
single ply, the direction of the final twist is the same as its original
twist.
Tex
Tex is a unit of measure for the linear mass density of fibers and is defined as the mass in grams per
1000 meters.
Corespun
Corespun threads are developed to combine the superior strength of CF yarns with good stitchability
of staple fibers. The individual yarns are made from a CF core (usually polyester) around which a
sheath usually gives improved appearance and added heat resistance. This type of corespun thread
also shows strength weaker than CF threads.
However, after stitching due to protection of inner CF core from heat damage, the stitches remain
strong . Corespun threads show good stitchability for sewing long seams at high speed when their
heat resistance is of most benefit.
1
Nylon 66
Nylon 6-6 was the first man-made thermoplastic
material. It is an amazingly strong material. It is
lightweight, windproof, stretchy, shiny and it is
very difficult to damage. Oils, solvents and
alcohols do not hurt nylon. Heat resistance of this
type of thread is high and therefore withstand the
heat setting process in shoe making. However,
nylon can begin to disintegrate if it comes into
contact with dilute acids. If it is touched by
phenols, alkalis, iodine or other acids, it will
dissolve
TEST METHOD FOR THREAD
o
Samples are conditioned at 20 C and 65% Rh (ISO 2419) for 48 hours
Linear density, (BS 2010, SATRA TM 72)
This method is intended to determine linear density or mass per unit length. The method is applicable
to all types of non-elasticized sewing threads. Linear density is referred to as direct count and is
defined as the mass per unit length of the material. The unit for linear density is tex, 1 tex =
1gram/km.
The mass and length of a test specimen are measured and its liner density determined.
o
Cut test specimens of length 0.1 km (L) from each package and condition for 48 hours at 20 C and 65
% Rh. Measure the mass (M) of each test specimen in gms and calculate the linear density as
follows.
Linear density (tex) = [M] (g)
(L) km
Report the linear density of thread.
Breaking force & extension at break of threads, (ISO 2062, SATRA TM 74)
This method is intended to determine the breaking force, breaking extension, strength factor and
tightness of threads. The method is applicable to all types of thread used in the construction of
footwear, and can also be used with any heavy duty thread.
A test specimen is extended until it breaks using a tensile testing machine. The breaking strength,
extension at break, strength factor and tightness are determined from the force versus extension
graph.
Remove and discard two outside windings of thread as
they may have been damaged during transit. Cut 20 test
specimens of length 700 and condition them. Adjust the
jaw separation of tensile testing machine so that a
distance of 500 ± 3 mm between the clamping edges of
the two jaws. Insert the test specimen between the two
grips so that it is just taut and operate the machine at a
speed of 300 ± 30 mm/min until the test specimen fails. If
it breaks within 5 mm of the clamping edge of slips reject
the result and cut a fresh test specimen. Collect 20 valid
results and report the maximum force and extension at
break
2
Wick Test, (SATRA TM 305)
This method is intended to determine the change in appearance of a material when wetted, and the
rate at which is absorbed by the material by wicking. This method is applicable to all absorbent
materials (thread, lace, foam, tape, lining etc.)
A row of thread is suspended vertically, with the lower end immersed in a small quantity of water. At
regular intervals, the material is removed from the water and the extent to which the appearance of
the test specimen has wetted is assessed qualitatively. The rate at which the water has wicked up the
test specimen is also determined.
Cut 20 mm thread – five pieces from the sample of thread and thoroughly wet atleast 15mm of one
end with distilled water. Suspend the test specimens into a container filled with distilled water by
immersing to a depth of 10 ± 2 mm. at regular intervals measure the height of water fronts above the
level in the container. Stop the test by removing the test specimen at the required time and measure
the wicking height. Allow the test specimens to dry, examine the appearance for staining,
discolouration, blistering, salt spue and swelling.
Report the wicking height and time also change in appearance as described.
Colour fastness to water (ISO 11642 / SATRA TM 335-1)
This method is intended to determine the likelihood of colour transfer from materials like leathers,
textiles and synthetic materials and also from fasteners like, zip,shoe lace, velcro on to a wearer’s
hose or skin in wear.
The material is held in contact with a standard undyed multifibre strip and immersed in either water so
o
as to thoroughly wet the test assembly. The test assemblies are then warmed at 37 ± 2 C (body
temperature) for 4 hours under specified pressure, separated, dried and assessed for colour staining
in the contact multi fabric cloth using grey scale under standard lighting conditions.
Contact Fabric
The contact fabric used for the tests comprises a filament polyester warp with 17mm wide strips of
each of six component fabrics in the weft. The component fibres, in order, are as follows:
1. Filament (spun) bright secondary celloulose acetate
2. Bleached cotton (unmercerised)
3. Spun nylon 66
4. Spun polyester
5. Spun acrylic
6. Worsted – spun wool
The fabric must not contain any optical brightening agent.
3
Procedure
Thread specimen of one meter is cut from the sample of thread and tied round a glass plate of 105
mm x 55 mm is placed in a Petridish with its test surface upper most. Then place the contact fabric of
same size over the material so that all the six components are in contact with the test specimen. Pour
water and gently scrap the test specimen with the edges of the glass plate so as to remove any air
bubbles and thoroughly wet the assembly. Store the assembly at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Place the glass plate centrally over the test assembly and pour off the liquid by holding the glass plate
in place, making sure the assembly is not squeezed. Place the whole assembly in an oven at 37 ±
o
2 C for four hours along with the petridish. At the end of the time separate the contact fabric and
o
material and dry them separately at 60 C.
For ISO 11642 test method, test specimen treated with water or perspiration solution must be kept at
o
37 ± 2 C under 5 kg load for 3 hours, separated, dried and assessed. Grade the degree of colour
transfer to each strip of the mulit fibre contact fabric using a fresh piece of the fabric as a standard
and the Grey Scales. Make these assessments in good northern daylight or under artificial
illumination.
Report
1. Description of the material
2. Surface assessed
3. Report the degree of staining of each component of the multifibre fabric which was in contact with
the material.
GUIDELINES OF POLYESTER THREADS
Nylon 6.6 and aramid thread
Ticket no. Linear density (Text value) Average breaking load, N Elongation at break, %
60 55 Min 27 15 – 30
40 83 Min 40 15 – 30
Polyester threads
Ticket no. Linear density (Text value) Average breaking load, N ELONGATION AT BREAK,
(Min) %
60 50 Min 23 15 - 30
40 75 Min 30 15 - 30
S.N. PROPERTY CLRI GUIDELINES
1 Colour fastness to water
1. Cellulose acetate Grey scale rate
2. Bleached cotton
3. Spun nylon Min. 3/4
4. Spun polyester
5. Spun acrylic
6. Worsted spun wool
2. Wick length, cm/2 hr Max 1cm