Physical Characterization of Mulberry Silk–Viscose Blended Yarns and Evaluation of their Suitability for Fabric Development

Abstract

This study evaluates the physical characteristics of mulberry silk-viscose blended yarns intended for subsequent fabric development. Mulberry silk fibres and viscose rayon fibres were blended in three proportions, namely 60:40, 50:50 and 40:60, and spun into two yarn counts, 15 and 20 Nm. The yarns were assessed for unevenness, hairiness, crimp, moisture regain and whiteness index using standard procedures, including Uster Tester-5 for relevant yarn-quality parameters. The results showed that yarn unevenness declined as the silk proportion decreased in both yarn counts. The 40% mulberry silk: 60% viscose blend recorded the lowest unevenness values, namely 23.78% for 15 Nm and 24.94% for 20 Nm. The same blend also showed hairiness values of 10.83/km and 9.72/km for 15 and 20 Nm yarns, respectively, indicating comparatively better suitability for apparel fabric development. Moisture regain for this blend was 9.960% in 15 Nm yarn and 8.614% in 20 Nm yarn. Whiteness index and crimp values showed limited variation across the blends. Overall, the findings indicate that the 40% mulberry silk: 60% viscose blend in both yarn counts provides comparatively favourable physical properties for fabric development, particularly in relation to yarn uniformity, hairiness and moisture regain, without making conclusions beyond the tested parameters.