Feather and down textiles

Chemical analysis of feather and down textile materials... 

Determining air permeability of a fabric is another standard test used in the quality analysis of textiles. Measuring air flow through a specific area of the fabric at standardized differential pressure is a good indicator of downproofness. In general, the lower the air permeability of the fabric tested, the less likely it is that feathers and down will penetrate it. However, these test results are not necessarily conclusive. Some fabrics may fail the air permeability test but pass the physical downproof test and vice versa. 

Down and feathers are designed to keep the bird warm. Likewise, we use them to keep ourselves warm and comfortable. It follows that manufacturers and quality control organizations are constantly searching for a meaningful comfort factor. TOG values (describing the thermal insulation properties of textiles as 1 TOG =... 

Textile fabric testing is vital to the quality control of down and feather products. Fabric that can confine down and feathers within predetennined volumes and shapes also prevents dust or mites from contaminating the down filling. Consequently, some basic testing of textiles is necessary for good quality control. 

Fuller M, Mao N and Taylor M (2013),The internal structure and tensile properties of goose and duck down feathers. Proceedings of 12th Asian Textile Conference (ATC-12), Shanghai, China, 23-26 October 2013. 

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