Textiles and moisture

Introduction

 The properties of textile fibers are strongly affected by

the atmospheric moisture content. Moisture and
humidity influenced on the results of testing of textile
materials.
 Many fibers, particularly the natural fibers are
hygroscopic in nature and they will absorb moisture if
kept in a humid atmosphere.
 Conversely, they will tend to lose moisture in a dry
atmosphere (a process known as desorption.)
 Hydrophobic fibers (e.g. polyester) are those which do
not absorb moisture if kept in a humid atmosphere.
 Significance of moisture absorption

 The importance of moisture relations cannot

be overstated. Almost all the physical
properties of fibers, yarns and fabrics are
influenced by the presence of moisture.
 The presence or absence of moisture can
effect dimensions, mechanical strength,
elastic recovery, rigidity and so on.
 Mechanisms of moisture absorption

 Moisture absorption in textile fibers occurs through

the interaction of water molecules with polar
groups within the structure (e.g. OH, -COOH).
 In ordered (crystalline) parts of the structure,
these polar groups are not attached but in
disordered (amorphous) regions there can be very
free groups which can act as hooks with which the
water molecules can link through hydrogen
bonding.
 Thus the absorption of moisture takes place in the
amorphous regions only.
 Atmospheric conditions and humidity

 The amount of water take up by a textile fiber can be

expressed in terms of its ‘regain’. The regain depends
on the atmosphere surrounding the material, i.e.
humidity and temperature. Therefore it is vital to
specify the atmospheric conditions when carry out
testing.
 Humidity
The amount of moisture in air is called as humidity”.
There are two types of humidity
1. Absolute humidity
2. Relative humidity
1. Absolute Humidity

 “The actual amount of water vapour present

in a specific volume of air is expressed in
terms of absolute humidity (AH).”
 AH = Mass of water present per unit
volume of air
 The basic unit of absolute humidity is ‘Kgm-3
2. Relative Humidity

 The 'relative humidity' (RH) of an atmosphere has

two alternative (though almost equivalent)
definitions:
a) The ratio of the AH of the air to that of air saturated
with water vapour at the same temperature &
pressure;
b) The ratio of the actual vapour pressure (VP) to the
saturated vapour pressure (SVP) of the air at the
same temperature, expressed as a percentage
r.h = vp/svp x100%
 Atmosphere

“The relative humidity, temperature and

pressure of the surroundings are termed as
atmosphere.”
1) Saturated atmosphere
2) Standard atmosphere
3) Testing atmosphere
 Atmosphere

1. Saturated atmosphere:
“The atmosphere saturated with moisture
is called as saturated atmosphere.”
2. Standard atmosphere:
If the atmosphere has the following
specifications then it is called as standard
atmosphere;
RH = 65%
Temperature = 20 0C (at atmospheric
pressure)
 Atmosphere

3. Testing atmosphere:
It is an atmosphere in which we performs the tests
of the textile products.
If the atmosphere has the following specifications
then it is called as standard ‘testing atmosphere’;
RH = 65 + 2 %
Temperature = 20 + 2 0C (27 + 2 0C in tropics and
sub-tropics)
 REGAIN & MOISTURE CONTENT

 The amount of the moisture in a sample of material

may be expressed in terms of regain or moisture
content.
 Moisture Regain
The 'Moisture Regain' of a textile fiber is defined as:
The equilibrium weight of water contained by a
specimen expressed as a percentage of its oven-dry
weight. That is,
R=100(Ws-Wd)/Wd %
 REGAIN & MOISTURE CONTENT

 Moisture content:
The ‘Moisture Content’ of a textile fiber is defined
as:
The equilibrium weight of water contained by a
specimen expressed as a percentage of its total
weight (i.e. including the water). That is,
M=100(Ws-Wd)/Ws %
 REGAIN & MOISTURE CONTENT

 Regain is more commonly used than

moisture content.
 The regain of any given fiber type gives a
very good indication of how sensitive that
fibers towards moisture.
 Its actual value will clearly depends on the
humidity of the surroundings.
 REGAIN & MOISTURE CONTENT

 Following diagram compares a number of

typical fibers under standard testing
conditions.
Regain-Humidity Relations of Textiles

 If a piece of fabric or other textiles materials is

placed in a room in which the humidity is constant,
then it will eventually come to equilibrium by
absorbing or desorbing moisture as necessary until it
reaches a state of constant regain.
 If the air humidity is in the normal range (around
65%rh) then wet fabric would become drier, whereas
a dry fabric would gradually become wetter.
 The rate of wetting or drying is rapid at first,
becoming slower as equilibrium is approached.
Regain-Humidity Relations of Textiles

 Hysteresis:
If we plot regain VS time for wet and dry samples of
the same material, both tend to be mirror image of
one another as indicated in the following diagram.
Regain-Humidity Relations of Textiles

 Hysteresis:
 However the two curves do not come together at
equilibrium, the equilibrium regain value of the two curve
is different.
 specifically, the initially wet sample will end up somewhat
wetter than the initially dry sample, no matter how long
the two samples remain in the conditioned
atmosphere.
 This is an example of Hysteresis, and is very important
where samples have to be conditioned for testing or other
purposes.
 It implies that the approach to equilibrium should always
be from the same direction (i.e. either from wet to dry, or
else from dry to wet).
 Regain VS Relative Humidity Curve

 Mostly the plots of Regain VS Relative Humidity (RH) are

S-shaped (often described as ‘sigmoidal’). Because of
Hysteresis, any given material will produce two different
curves; the absorption curve and the desorption curve
(desorption curve is always higher).
 Curve A is the absorption curve, that is, the regain-r.h.
percentage relation as a material takes up moisture.
 Curve D is the desorption curve.
 For instance, point a is the equilibrium condition at 65 %
relative humidity when approached from the wet side, and
point a is the equilibrium regain when approached from
the dry side. this is the hysteresis effect.
Regain VS Relative Humidity Curve
Regain VS Relative Humidity Curve
Absorption curves of various materials

 The following should be noted with regard to

absorption curves;
 Factors Affecting the Regain of Textile
Materials

 There are different factors that effect the

regain of the textile materials, such as;
1. Relative Humidity
2. Time
3. Temperature
4. The Previous History of The Sample
 Factors Affecting the Regain of Textile
Materials

1. Relative Humidity:
Relative humidity is the most important factor that affects the
regain of textile materials. If the relative humidity in the air is
more then there will be more moisture regain or more rate of
conditioning of textile materials and vice versa.
2. Time:
A material placed in a given atmosphere takes a certain time
to reach equilibrium. The rate of conditioning depends on
several factors, such as;
a) The size and form of sample
b) The type of material
c) External conditions
 Factors Affecting the Regain of Textile
Materials

3. Temperature:
The effect of temperature on regain is not
important. A change of 10 0C will give a change in
regain of cotton of about 0.3 percent. This effect
can be ignored.
4. The previous history of the sample:
The previous history of the sample can affect the
equilibrium regain of the sample. The hysteresis is
a good example. Processing can also change the
regain. When oils, waxes and other impurities are
removed then regain may change.
 METHODS OF MEASUREMENT OF
RELATIVE HUMIDITY

 The instruments used to determine the

humidity are known as ‘hygrometers’ or
‘psychrometers’. Three main types of
hygrometers are:
1) The wet-and-dry bulb hygrometer
2) Hair hygrometer
3) Electrolytic hygrometer
 (1) The Wet-and-Dry Bulb Hygrometer

 In this type of hygrometer there are two

thermometers one of which is surrounded by
a wet sleeve of muslin. The temperature
difference between wet and dry thermometer
bulbs is determined by the evaporation rate,
which in turn can be related to RH through
look-up tables.
(1) The Wet-and-Dry Bulb Hygrometer

 EXAMPLE:
 Dry bulb reading =20 OC,
 Wet bulb reading = 14 OC
 Difference = 6 OC
 RH percent from the table = 51%
(1) The Wet-and-Dry Bulb Hygrometer

 Its advantages include the simplicity and the fact

that it needs no calibration.
 Its disadvantages are that it requires a constant
supply of distilled water and the fact that it is an
indirect method, since tables are needed.
 Its various types are;
a) Wet-and-dry bulb hygrometer, wall mounted
b) Wet-and-dry bulb hygrometer, sling type
c) Assmann type hygrometer
d) Recording type hygrometer
 (2) Hair Hygrometer

 Human hair has the property of lengthening or

shortening as the humidity of the air increases or
decreases. By connecting a band of hairs to a
suitable lever system, the relative humidity can be
indicated directly and, if needed, recorded on a
chart. It is a fact that, it does not give great accuracy.
 The main advantages of this type of hygrometer are
the direct reading and elimination of distilled water.
 Drawbacks (or disadvantages) are also present such
as it requires frequent calibration and it have slow
response to change in atmospheric conditions.
 (3) Electrolytic Hygrometer

 Electrolytic hygrometer operates by measuring the

electrical current flowing in a skein of very fine fibers
impregnated with salt solution (e.g. Lithium Chloride)
which have the property of very rapidly attaining
equilibrium with the surrounding atmosphere.
 The heart of this type of instrument is an element
consisting of a plastic frame carrying platinum-clad
electrodes. Skein of very fine fibers impregnated with
a chemical is wound across these electrodes.
 (3) Electrolytic Hygrometer

 Three advantages of electrolytic hygrometer are:

 They can have very fast response
 They take direct reading
 They require only low air currents
 They have no particular disadvantage.
 Some other types of hygrometer are;
1) Electrical Hygrometer
2) DuPont Hygrometer
 EFFECTS OF REGAIN ON FIBER
PROPERTIES

 There are basically four effects of regain on

fiber properties, such as;
1. Dimensions
2. Mechanical properties
3. Electrical properties
4. Thermal effects
 (1) Dimensions of The Fiber

 Moisture causes swelling of textile fibers.

Because the fiber structure is essentially aligned
along the fiber axis, the effect of the water
molecules is to push the polymer chains apart
laterally, so that the fiber diameter increases by a
far greater fraction than does the length. In
woven fabrics, swelling of the fibers very often
causes a tightening up of the structure, resulting
in an overall shrinkage.
(1) Dimensions of The Fiber
 (1) Dimensions of The Fiber

 Shrinkage due to swelling is not the only

problem: a phenomenon known as 'hygral
expansion' may also be encountered. This
effect is partly due to the reduction in
stiffness which accompanies the absorption
of water, so that the fibers become more
easily stretched.
 (2) Mechanical Properties

 Generally, the presence of water molecules

in the fiber structure reduces the strength of
the bonds holding the polymer chains
together, thus reducing fiber strength.
Exceptions to this include the vegetable
fibers, such as cotton, in which water actually
increases the strength.
 (2) Mechanical Properties

 In general, the shapes of fiber stress-strain

curves are changed. The yield point may
be dramatically lowered.
 Other effects include changes in:
 Crease recovery
 Extensibility
 Flexibility
 ‘Setting ability’ by finishing process
 (3) Electrical Properties

 Most textile fibers when dry have very high electrical

resistance, but this can fall by factors of hundreds of
thousands at elevated regains.
 Dielectric characteristics are also influenced by
humidity, as is susceptibility to electrostatic
problems.
 Changes in dielectric properties can be a source of
error in measuring the uniformity of slivers, rovings,
etc, when capacitance-type instruments are used.
 Where strict control of regain is required (e.g. in
warp sizing) dielectric effects can be used in the
design of the control system
 (4) Thermal Effects

 Just like electrical resistance, the thermal

resistance (or insulating ability) of fiber is
reduced on increasing humidity. Thus, a
garment made form hygroscopic fibers gives
better protection against cold in dry
atmosphere than a damp one (humid atm.). It
is not really the fibers themselves which
provide real thermal effects, but the air that is
trapped within the fabric surface (Air has very
thermal conductivity).
 (4) Thermal Effects

 On the other hand, some fibers actually

liberate heat when they absorb water. For
example, in the case of wool this can be
quite considerable. This is reason that why
woolen sweaters are so popular in cold and
damp climates.
 The Control of the Testing Room Atmosphere
(Environmental Control)

 To measure the relative humidity of atmosphere is

one thing, and to control it is a quite different matter.
Controlling the atmosphere conditions of a laboratory
is essential when standard conditions of testing are
specified or when textile materials have to be stored
for a long time. More or less complicated systems
are in use for simultaneous control of temperature
and relative humidity (which are not independent of
one another). Such control systems are known as
‘Hygrosets’ or ‘Humidostates’.