Sustainable crimped poly(lactic acid) filaments : part II. Application in weft-knitted inlaid fabrics and performance evaluation

Abstract

Based on the crimped poly(lactic acid) (PLA) filaments developed in Part I, this study investigates their integration into weft-knitted inlaid fabrics to assess their suitability for textile applications. The effects of fabric structural parameters and yarn types on physical properties, comfort (air permeability, water vapor permeability, and thermal insulation), compression durability, pilling, and abrasion resistance were systematically evaluated. Compared with fabrics produced from noncrimped PLA filaments, those incorporating crimped PLA filaments exhibit significantly improved comfort and compression performance. Moreover, PLA-based fabrics show air permeability and thermal insulation comparable to PET-based fabrics, while increasing water vapor permeability by 8.05%. Furthermore, all produced fabrics demonstrate good surface durability, achieving pilling grades of at least 3–4 after 7000 rubs and abrasion resistance greater than 10,000 cycles. Overall, this study confirms that the crimped PLA filaments developed in Part I can be successfully applied in weft-knitted inlaid fabrics, offering a promising eco-friendly option for high-performance textile applications.