Magra wool of Rajasthan was used to develop cut and loop pile carpets and their performance was compared. The changes in fibre and yarn properties of carpet pile yarn due to the spinning and dyeing processes were also studied. The fibre composition viz. fibre diameter and proportion of non- medullated and medullated fibres in the pile yarn improved in cut pile carpet. Overall, the performance properties of loop pile carpet were found better than cut pile carpet although both types of carpet had similar constructional characteristics. The abrasion losses were also less for loop pile carpet due to different geometry of loop pile structure compared to cut pile carpet. The wear losses for both cut and loop pile carpets were within acceptable limits.
Abrasive wear, Carpet, Compressibility, Medullated fibre, Resiliency
