Welt (woven)

A fabric showing rounded cords in the weft direction, with pronounced sunken lines between them that are produced by the nature of the weave. The weave on the face of the cords is plain. There are warp floats the width of the cords on the back. Wadding picks are used to accentuate the prominence of the cords.
note.. For many years, the term pique has been applied to a much less expensive white fabric made in a light-weight Bedford-cord weave.

Welt ripple

A held-loop fabric, made on two sets of needles by selective knitting and missing on one set and continuous knitting on the other and featuring roll or wave effects on the fabric side.(sub category of ripple)

Welt ripple (knitting)

A held-loop fabric, made on two sets of needles by selective knitting and missing on one set and continuous knitting on the other and featuring roll or wave effects on the fabric side.

Welting cord

A cord consisting of two or more gimps twisted together. The resultant cord is hard and wiry.

Wet cleaning

An aqueous process for cleaning articles made from materials liable to be damaged by dry cleaning solvents.

Wet doubling (yarns)

The combination by twisting together of two or more single yarns which have been wetted out by immersion in water or water with suitable additives or alternatively damped by contact with a transfer medium for similar fluids, before the folding twist is inserted to form a plied yam (see folded yarn).

Wet fixation

A finishing process for cellulosic-fibre fabrics that improves the wet crease recovery and smooth drying properties, but not the dry crease recovery.

Wet Forming

The production of a nonwoven fabric web from an aqueous suspension of fibers by filtering the short fibers onto a screen belt or perforated drum.

Wet laying

The process of forming a fibre sheet by papermaking techniques, for nonwoven fabric production. (See also wet-laid nonwoven fabric.)

Wet pick-up

The weight of liquor taken up by a given weight of fabric after impregnation, spraying, or coating.
note.. low wet pick-up has a special application in respect of easy-care finishing (see critical application value).

Wet spinning (manufactured fibre production)

The conversion of a dissolved polymer into filaments by extrusion into a coagulating liquid.
note.. The extrusion may be directly into the coagulating liquid or through a small air-gap. In the latter case it may be known as 'dry-jet wet spinning' or 'air-gap wet spinning'.

Wet Strength

The measurement of the strength of a material when it is saturated with water normally relative to the dry strength.

Wet-back

The return flow of liquid through the coverstock from an absorbent pad used in hygiene products.

Wet-Laid Nonwoven

Fabric made by the wet-forming process. The short fibers typically have more random orientation in the web and the web has more isotropic properties than carded webs.

Wet-laid nonwoven fabric

A fabric made from a fibre sheet formed by wet laying, normally followed by adhesive bonding. The material may contain a high percentage of non-textile fibres, e.g., wood pulp.