Abrasion Resistance and Pilling Behaviour
topic
Polyester's high tenacity and elastic recovery make it resistant to abrasion (Martindale abrasion: >50,000 cycles for woven fabric) but prone to pilling: fibres pull out, form balls held by unbroken high-tenacity fibres (unlike cotton where balls eventually break off). Pilling propensity increases with: higher tenacity (pills stay attached), lower fibre length (more free ends), finer fibres, and knit structure. Assessed by ICI Pilling Box (ISO 12945-1) and Martindale (ISO 12945-2) methods.
Role
Pilling is the primary aesthetic failure mode of polyester knit fabrics and one of the most commercially important property trade-offs in synthetic fibre design. Understanding its mechanism is essential for product development and quality assessment.