فصلنامه علوم و فناوری نساجی
سال هشتم شماره 2 (تابستان 1398)

Some factors can promote and create a competitive brand’s position in the market. These factors may vary from one industry to another. In this paper, the effective factors in the selection of sportswear were identified and investigated via a four-step process in two main categories of tangible and intangible factors. We collected market experts' opinions by conducting a survey. The parameters were then evaluated by using fuzzy TOPSIS and fuzzy analytical hierarchy process analyses (AHP). Our results showed that the tangible factors were much more detrimental than the intangible factors. These tangible factors affecting customers were found to be the name of a brand, celebrity endorsement, advertising and marketing activities.

Cellulose fibers such as cotton have long been used in the textile industry. The benefits of these fibers are due to good moisture absorption and body adaptability. Today, despite the advancement and development of man-made fibers, cellulose fibers are still one of the most widely used fibers in textile production. Dimensional instability and wrinkles after washing are common problems of cellulosic fabrics caused by stress in wet conditions. Research on anti-wrinkle textile finishes has been conducted since the early twentieth century, and researchers have used a variety of chemicals, including formaldehyde resins and polycarboxylic acids, for this purpose. Based on the applied chemical treatment, the finished cellulosic fabrics may find different applications. These anti-wrinkle chemical treatments increase dimensional stability and improve the texture of the treated fabric. However, these chemical treatment has some adverse effects on the treated fabrics, such as tensile strength reduction, tear-resistance decrement, and discoloration. In this study, we investigated some of these non-desirable outcomes caused by anti-wrinkle chemical treatments.

Nowadays, natural fibers are widely used for reinforcing polymer composites. Research investigations on such polymer composites have become widespread due to the low weight, low cost, environmental compatibility, abundance, and acceptable physical and mechanical properties of plant fibers. These polymer composites normally suffer from the incompatibility of natural fibers with the polymer matrix. To improve compatibility, various surface treatments can be used. In this study, the effects of different surface treatments on shear, flexural, tensile, and impact strengths of plant fiber-reinforced polymer composites have been reviewed. The mechanical properties of plant fiber-reinforced composites depend on the type of plant fibers, polymer matrix, production techniques, surface treatment methods, and materials. The chemical treatments can have undesirable effects on the impact strength of plant fiber composites with few exceptions, such as silanization.

The magnetic field changes the direction of the moving charged particles. Thus, the magnetic field can be used as an external force to control the movement direction of the polymer jet in the electrospinning process. In this study, a piece of magnetic equipment, including a frame with several magnets, was used to control the electrospun polymer jet stability. Numerical modeling of the electric and magnetic fields and experimental observations showed that the magnetic equipment creates the magnetic field and affects the movement direction of the charged jet, and the electric field. The use of magnetic equipment caused a 20% increase in the intensity of the electric field at the tip of the needle and a 10% increase in the electric field towards the edges of the equipment and evenness of the field within the magnetic equipment range. Changes in the electric field increase the energy applied to the fibers and thereby reduce the area of the nanofibrous web by 80%. The highest deformation and the most extensive area of the web area were obtained using a pair of magnets that were placed symmetrically along a common axis on both sides of the electrospinning needle.

Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) is a bio-degradable thermoplastic polymer with helix polymer chains that derived from renewable plant sources, such as corn , rice, wheat and sweet potato. PLA converts in human body to CO2 and H2O via metabolic reactions. In this study, the Fourier transform infrared Spectroscopy technique was used to investigate the chemical structure of PLA. First, the standard FTIR of PLA was examined; it was then compared to the FTIR spectrum of UV/Ozone irradiated fibers under different conditions. FTIR Quantitative Analyze method was used to investigate the type and amount of chemical changes in the fiber structure. For this purpose, the area of the modified peaks was measured, and the peak related to the Carbon―Hydrogen bond in the range of 2979-3528 cm was selected as the reference peak. Then by dividing the area of other peaks to the area of the reference peak and normalizing the spectra, the chemical changes in fiber structure were assessed. The results show that with UV/Ozone irradiation under different conditions, the number of Carbon―Carbon and Carbon―Hydrogen bonds do not change; However, the number of oxygen-containing functional groups (Carboxyl, Carbonyl and Hydroxyl) increases significantly. This indicates the oxidation process of the fibers. On the other hand, with pre-impregnating of fibers in different solutions and then UV/Ozone irradiation, oxidation is achieved with greater intensity and speed; so that some polar groups are removed from the ends of polymer chains.

Sports apparel brands have played a significant role in the world of business and marketing. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of brand awareness on the brand equity in the sports apparel industry by conducting a descriptive research survey and the statistical techniques. Six hundred fifty individuals, including the physical education trainers and students, clothing designers, and textile engineers, participated in this survey. A designed survey questionnaire was employed for data collection. The reliability of the questionnaire was validated using Cronbach's alpha, and the result was 0.86, indicating a high level of internal consistency. The results of our study showed that the shopping value, satisfaction, and loyalty for foreign brands were generally higher than those of Iranian brands and significantly related. The most substantial relation was found to be between brand awareness and the perceived quality of the brand among several other aspects, including the equity, style, fidelity, design & pattern, brand association, the quality of clothing, color and fabric, and price.