Basic Weave Design

Weaving
It is a simple method of producing a net-like structure that is stable and durable. In order to achieve that, the
process of weaving makes two sets of threads or yarns interlace with each other at right angles. Such an
interlaced structure ensures strength and durability to the fabric, referred to as the woven fabric, which is
produced.

Different motions of a loom

There are three motions of a loom which are as follows

1. Primary motions
2. Secondary motions
3. Auxiliary motions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=worKmsWZqYE&t=32s
Primary motions
These are the motion which are most necessary in any loom to produce the fabric without these
motions weaving is not possible. These are the fundamental motions of a loom that is why these
are called as primary motions. There are three primary motions of loom

1.Shedding
2.Picking
3.Beat-up

Shedding :
In this motion the word warp sheet is divided in two layers to form a tunnel known as shed that is
the shuttle can pass through this shed. It can be formed by using tappet dobby or Jacquard
shedding.

Picking :
In this motion a pick of weft passes through the shed from one side to another by the help of a
shuttle. Shuttle is not used for picking in case of shuttleless loom. So picking is the process in
which a weft is pass through the shed.

Beat up :
Beat up is the process in which the reed beats -up the last pick of weft upto the cloth fell position.
 Shedding
It is the process by which the warp sheet is divided into two groups so that a clear passage is
created for the weft yarn or weft carrying device to pass through it. One group of yarns (red yarns)
either moves in the upward direction or stay in the up position (if they are already in up position) as
shown in Figure. Thus they form the top shed line. Another group of yarns (green yarns) either
moves in the downward direction or stay in the down position (if they are already in down position).
Thus they form the bottom shed line.
Except for jacquard shedding, warp yarns are not controlled individually during the shedding
operation. Healds are used to control a large number of warp yarns. The upward and downward
movements of healds are controlled either by cam or dobby shedding mechanisms. The movement
of the healds is not continuous.
Picking
The insertion of weft or weft carrying device (shuttle, projectile or rapier) through the shed is
known as picking. Based on picking system, looms can be classified as follows.
• Shuttle loom: weft package is carried by the wooden shuttle
•Projectile loom: weft is carried by metallic or composite projectile
•Airjet loom: weft is inserted by jet of compressed air
•Waterjet loom: weft is inserted by water jet
•Rapier loom: weft is inserted by flexible or rigid rapiers
Beat-up
Beat up is the action by which the newly inserted weft yarn is pushed up to the cloth fell (Figure ).
Cloth fell is the boundary up to which the fabric has been woven. The loom component responsible
for the beat up is called ‘reed’. The reed, which is like a metallic comb, is carried by sley which
sways forward and backwards due to the crank-connecting rod mechanism.
Looms can be classified based on a number of parameters, as follows:
(i) Shedding mechanism: On the basis of this, looms can be classified as:

(a) Hand looms- shedding done manually by leg-driven pedals.

(b) Cam looms- shedding done with the help of cams. They are less productive and limited in design
repeat size, although less complicated.
(c) Dobby looms- shedding done by dobby mechanism. Design repeat size increases along with
productivity, but it is complicated and costlier that cam looms and hand looms.
(d) Jacquard looms- shedding done by jacquard mechanism. Costliest of all, but design repeat size is
virtually unlimited. Although a complicated mechanism, they give fabrics with very rich look and
texture.

(ii) Picking mechanism: Based on this, the looms are classified as follows:

(a) Shuttle looms- the picking is done by wooden shuttles. This is common in handlooms and
primitive power looms.
(b) Projectile looms- here, the picking is done using a mechanical device called a projectile. It is a
small and light weight device that can move fast, thus increasing the loom productivity and
decreasing power consumption.
c) Rapier looms- here, the picking is done by a rod-like or sword-like mechanical device, that carries
the weft yarn at its tip and enters the shed when it is open, withdrawing after delivering the weft end
at the other end as the shed closes. Instead of one, there may be two rapiers from both sides in case
of wider looms, transferring weft from one rapier to the other in the middle of the shed. They help in
increasing productivity, but power consumption also increases.
Warp Beam
Reed
Cloth Roller
Secondary motions
These motions are next in importance to the primary motions. For continuous weaving these
secondary motions are necessary. So these motion are call as secondary motions.

There are two secondary motions

1.Take-up motion
2. Let-off motion

Auxiliary motions
These motions are optional and not necessary but to get high productivity and good quality of
fabric these are very useful motion.

There are three auxiliary motions

1. Warp stop motion
2. Weft stop motion
3. Warp protector motion
 EPI &PPI
• Picks per inch i.e. PPI and Ends per inch i.e. EPI are a
measure of thread density. EPI and PPI affect the
compactness of the fabric. The heavier/denser your EPI and
PPI, the denser your finished fabric will be. Like shirting
fabric or trouser fabric.
• For lighter fabric, the epi and PPI should be lower. This
results in loosely woven fabrics which are much flowy like
scarves and Saree.
• Usually, the ends per inch are kept higher than picks per
inch. The first reason is the cost of production. Higher PPI
causes a direct increase in the weaving cost of the fabric.
The second reason is the widthwise shrinkage of the fabric
during weaving.
https://blog.anuprerna.com/blog-details/construction-of-fabric-its-significance-on-handwoven-fabrics/79575
Dents:
The space between two metalic stripes of reed is called "DENT "
Dents/inch:
Total number of dents in one inch of a reed is called dents /inch
Reed Number /Reed count :
The dents /2 inch of a reed is called reed number or reed count
e.g if a reed has 40 dents in 2 inch, then reed count or reed number is 40.
Reed Filling:
It is the number of threads passing though 1 dent of a reed. there can be 1,2 or 3 number of threads
passing though 1 dents.as the number of thread passing through one dent increases fabric appearance
become thicker.
Total reed width:
It is the total space of a reed that will be used to fill up with yarn

https://www.scribd.com/document/231374693/Weaving-Calculations
1. Reed Count: It is calculated in stock port system.
……………………………….EPI
Reed count = ………………………………
…………………..1 + Weft crimp %age
No. of dents in 2 inches is called Reed Count

2. Reed Width:
………………………………………..100 + Weft crimp %age
Reed width = Cloth width x ………………………….…………

…………………………………………………….100
3. Crimp %:
……………………………….Warp length – Cloth length
Warp Crimp %age =…………………………………………. x 100
…………………………………………. Cloth length
…………………………….Weft length – Cloth length
Weft Crimp %age = ………………………………..………… x 100
……………………………………..Cloth length
……………………………………………EPI
4. Warp cover factor = ………………………………
………………………………………√Warp Count

…………………………………………PPI
5. Weft cover factor =…………………….
………………………………….√Weft count

…………………………………………………………………..Wp.C.F. x Wt. C.F.

6. Cloth cover factor = Wp.C.F. + Wt.C.F. – ……………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….28

7. Maximum EPI for particular count:

a. For plain fabrics = 14 x √Count
b. For drill fabrics = √Count x 28 x 4/6
c. For satin fabric = √Count x 28 x 5/7
 Yarn count and its significance
• Yarn Count is a numerical expression which defines its fineness or coarseness. It is an
important parameter of yarn.

Knowledge of yarn count is important for the following purposes:

1.To specify a yarn.

2.To place order for procurement of yarn from spinning department, stores, etc.
3.To buy or sell yarn, i.e., trading of yarn.
4.To utilize yarns during knitting, weaving and other processes according to
requirement.
5.To find out the weight of the product at any process.
6.To set machine speed and other settings.
7.To gather knowledge on the content of yarn in any package.
• Fabrics produced from finer yarns have better drapeability and lower
bending rigidity both in warp and weft directions.
• The yarn cost will depend on the count of the yarn—the finer the yarn, the
more expensive it can get. Combed yarns are more expensive than carded
yarns because yarn realization is only about 70 percent due to the removal
of short fibers, while it is almost 88 percent in the case of carded yarn. All
finer counts above 40 are generally combed yarns. The sizing cost also
depends upon the count of the yarns. As the count becomes finer, the size
and chemical cost increases because better quality size and chemicals are
required for better strength.

https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/218226
https://sourcemygarment.com/2015/05/07/the-real-cost-of-fabric/
 YARN CRIMP
• When warp and weft interlace in fabric, they follow a curved way. Crimp in a fabric is the measure
of this waviness.
 Crimp Percentage
Crimp% is defined as the mean difference between the straightened thread length and curved thread
length while in the cloth and is expressed as percentage.

Crimp%= Uncrimped length-Crimped length x100

Crimped length
Yarn Twist
The way in which fibres are arranged around the axis of yarn.

• Twisting fiber imparts strength to a yarn.

• It makes the fibers harder to pull apart lengthways and the yarn
therefore harder to break.

• Twist is also imparted to create different effects (by combining

yarns with different twist levels and twist directions)

https://yarnsub.com/articles/twist
 Direction of Twist
• When a yarn is twisted in a clockwise direction, the fibers from a
helical angle at the yarn surface. This angle conforms to the middle
part of the letter “Z”.
• When a yarn is twisted in an anticlockwise direction, the fibers from a
helical angle at the yarn surface. This angle conforms to the middle
part of the letter “S”.
In textile practice, it is customary to have Z-twist for warp yarns and S-
twist for weft yarns.
2 x S single yarn + Z ply = stable, smooth, firm, tight and durable yarn
suitable for weaving; worsted yarns often possess a high-angled twist.
2 x Z single yarn+ S ply = stable, soft, bulky yarn suitable for knitting. It
often has a low-angled twist.
2 x S single yarns + S ply = an unstable yarn that will snag and curl.
2 x Z single yarns + Z ply = unstable yarn that will snag and curl.
Types of Fabrics with Respect to Different
Types of Twist:
• Soft surfaced fabrics have slack twist
• Smooth surfaced fabrics have optimum twist. This stimulates strength,
smoothness, and elasticity.
• Crepe fabrics have the maximum number of twists.
• Poplins have two single yarns that are Z-twisted individually and plied
together using an S-twist.
• Sewing thread has three S-twisted single yarns, which are then Z-
twisted together.
Used to produce fabric with symmetrical design e.g. jig-jag twill, Diamond.
 x
x x
x x
x x
x
Pointed draft
Based on a reed count calculating the total number of ends
required to weave a sample.
1. Determine the Desired Width of the Fabric: Decide how wide you want the woven fabric to be in
inches.

2. Identify the Reed Count: Find out the reed count, which tells you the number of dents (openings) per
inch on the reed.

3. Multiply the Desired Width by the Reed Count: Multiply the desired width of the fabric (in inches)
by the reed count. This calculation gives you the total number of dents required for the width of the
fabric.

4. Adjust for Warp Ends: Each dent on the reed accommodates one warp end. So, the total number of
dents calculated in step 3 is the same as the total number of warp ends required for the sample.
For example, if you want to weave a fabric that is 20 inches wide and the reed count is 10 dents per
inch, the calculation would be:

Total Number of Ends = Desired Width (in inches) × Reed Count

Total Number of Ends = 20 inches × 10 dents/inch

Total Number of Ends = 200 warp ends

Therefore, you would need 200 warp ends to weave a sample that is 20 inches wide based on a reed
count of 10 dents per inch.
Plain Weave
Plain Weave
 Variation of plain weave
The basket weave, also called hopsack weave, is a variation of the plain weave obtained
by equal extension of the number of both warp and weft threads (doubled, tripled): the
result is an effect like a straw basket.
The fabric woven with a basket weave has a matte weave and flexibility and a looser
construction.

The rib weave is a modification of a plain weave in which two or more paired warp yarns
intertwine simultaneously with one or more weft yarns. The effect is a chessboard with an
equal right to the reverse.
Rib Weave
Warp Rib Weft Rib

https://textilelearner.net/types-of-fabric-weave-structure/
Matt Weave/ Basket/Hopsack
1.Flannel: This loosely woven fabric can be made using plain or twill weaves.
2.Chiffon: Chiffon is a plain weave fabric that is thin, airy, and sheer. The sheer fabric can be woven
from various textile types, both synthetic and natural, like silk, nylon, rayon, or polyester.
3.Muslin: Muslin is a loosely-woven cotton fabric. It’s made using the plain weave technique, which
means that a single weft thread alternates over and under a single warp thread. Muslin is known as
the material used in fashion prototypes to test patterns before cutting and stitching the final
product.
4.Buckram: Buckram is a plain-weave fabric that can be loosely woven or tightly woven.
5.Cheesecloth: Cheesecloth fabric is a plain-weave fabric that chefs use as a tool in the making of
cheese. The fabric’s loose weave allows liquid to strain easily through it.
6.Poplin: Poplin fabric is a plain weave fabric with very fine warp yarns and coarser weft yarns. This
fabric is also very lightweight, with a light, airy drape.
7.Taffeta: Taffeta is made using the plain-weave technique, which has a single weft thread going over
and under a single warp thread, creating a checkerboard pattern. In making taffeta, threads are
twisted as they are woven, which creates the resulting fabric’s stiffness and structure.
8.Organza: Organza is a lightweight, sheer, plain-woven fabric that was originally made from silk.
The material can also be made from synthetic fibers, primarily polyester and nylon.
9.Crêpe: This fabric can be woven from any weave structure (plain, satin, or twill). Crêpe has a
rough, irregular texture due to specially twisted or crimped yarns. The materials used to make crêpe
and the method used to achieve the texture define the different types of crêpe.
10.Georgette: Georgette is typically a plain weave fabric woven using tightly twisted s-twist and z-
twist yarns, which are yarns twisted in opposite directions. These twists create slight puckers on the
fabric’s surface, which gives Georgette its signature crinkled finish.
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/plain-weave-fabric-guide#what-are-the-3-basic-types-of-weaving-structures-for-woven-f
abric