The Role of Fiber Cohesion in DP Treatments of Cotton

Abstract

Cotton twill fabrics were subjected to conventional pad-dry-cure DP treatments with Permafresh 183 and the "im proved" wet-fixation treatment. The mechanical properties of the treated fabrics, warp yarns, and single fibers were determined, and the results for the two treatments were compared. It appears that, with the exception of the wrinkle recovery angle, the wet-fixation treatments resulted in properties equivalent to those obtained with conventional treat ments with much lower add-ons. This leads to the hypothesis that changes in fiber-fiber interactions are responsible for the improved performance of the samples that had received the wet-fixation treatments. A method was developed that permits the determination of fiber cohesive interactions. Relationships between such interactions, and surface modifica tions, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy, and wrinkle recovery angle were established. While the conventional pad-dry-cure DP treatment resulted in low cohesive interactions, which were independent of the level of resin add-on, the wet-fixation treatment caused substantial deposition of resinous material on the fiber surfaces, resulting in higher cohesive interactions and higher wrinkle recovery angles.