Spreading and Imbibition of Durable Press Reagent Solutions in Cotton-Containing Fabrics

Abstract

Incomplete spreading and penetration of durable press reagents during low pickup finishing of cotton textiles result in poor distribution of reagent residues, which adversely affects textile performance. To assess those properties of fabric and solution that affect spreading and penetration, drop absorbancy time (DAT), vertical wicking distance (VWD), and saturation value (SV) were determined. The solution-holding capacity of the fibers in the fabrics was assessed via solution of imbibition (SI). The durable press reagent systems studied contained DMDHEU, MgCl 2 · 6H 2 O, and the wetting agent Silagen MA alone and in combination. The fabrics included a series of all-cotton Osnaburg-type fabrics, in which the fill thread count was increased incrementally, and a series of intimate blend sheetings with a range of cotton/ polyester ratios. Enhanced spreading, as indicated by decreasing DAT and SV and increasing VWD, was associated with increasing fill thread count in the all-cotton Osnaburgs, decreasing cotton content in the blend sheetings, and the inclusion of the wetting agent Silagen MA in the test liquor. Depressed spreading was associated with increasing solids concentration, which increases solution viscosity, and with inclusion of the MgCl 2 · 6H 2 O catalyst. The SI of the fabric was increased by increasing the cotton content and by increasing the DMDHEU content of the liquor. The latter is attributed to an increase in solution density.Low wet pickup techniques for applying durable press reagents to cotton fabrics consume less energy ' One of the facilities of the Southern Region, Agricultural

Wetting and Wicking in Fibrous Materials

“…The transport of liquid has been a subject of study for fabrics of many kinds but usually in connection with the water repellency of fabrics [89]. In most of the wet processing of fibrous materials, uniform spreading and penetration of liquids into pores are essential for the better performance of resulting products [90]. Wicking can only occur when a liquid wets fibers assembled with capillary spaces between them.…”

“…Either the drop absorbency time [5,90] or the spreading rate of the liquid within the fabric is measured [11,12,96,97]. Wicking of minute drops of liquid has become very important for printing technology [154].…”

Effect of Purified Trichoderma reesei Cellulases on the Supramolecular Structure of Cotton Cellulose

“…Reducing sugars in the reaction liquor reserved from the enzyme treatments were determined using the 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid reagent as described by Ghose [9]. Water of imbibition was determined by a modification [3] of the method of Welo [29]. Warp breaking strength and elongation at break were determined by the strip (2.54 cm, 1 inch) method ASTM D-5035, and Elmendorf tearing strength (2.54 cm, 1 inch) was determined by ASTM D-1424-96.…”

Effect of Whole Cellulase on the Supramolecular Structure of Cotton Cellulose

“…Dextran T-40, sugars (glucose, maltose, raffinose, and stachyose), and ethylene glycols (with Dm ranging from I to 6) were applied individually as 2% solutions through a 0.2 ml sample loop. Elution and detection were as previously described [4]. Gel permeation chromatographic results were obtained in terms of V, = elution volume for each specific substrate.…”

“…In this study, we broaden our evaluation of the effects of cellulase on cotton to include parameters such as hydrogen bonding patterns determined by chemical microstructural analysis (CMA) [26,28] and pore size distribution [4].…”