FABRIC

PREPARATION

LECTURER: PHAN THỊ HOÀNG ANH

 Objectives :
1. to remove virtually all the natural and added impurities from the fibres
2. to confer high absorbency, effective swelling behaviour and uniform hydrophilic properties
3. to achieve satisfactory whiteness in goods intended for sale as white and to allow brilliant colours
to be produced by dyeing or printing
4. to attain these desirable properties without incurring strength loss or fibre degradation.
→ Crucially important to achieve optimum and uniform dyeability,
Can be carried out in open-width or rope form by batchwise or continuous methods, the choice
depending on fabric quality and amount to be processed.

“Handbook of Textile and Industrial Dyeing_ Volume 1 -Principles, process and types of dyes,” , Edited by M. Clark, Woodhead Publishing Limited, 2011
“Practical Dyeing – Volume 3: Dyeing equipment and Textile Form,” Society of Dyers and Colourists, 2004
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https://textileapex.blogspot.com/2014/02/objects-gas-flame-singeing.html
COTTON PREPARATION
• Hemicellulose: hetero-carbohydrates, lower DP
than cellulose → soluble in 18% caustic soda
• Pectins: polygalacturonic acids, their calcium,
magnesium and iron salts
• Ash: calcium, magnesium/potassium
phosphates and carbonates
• Nitrogenous compounds degradation products
(protein, polypeptides) of protoplasm contained
in the living cells of plants.
• Natural coloring matters: traces → yellowing, Metallic ion contamination (e.g. Fe, Cu..) can lead to chemical
browning cotton damage during oxidative treatment, localized destruction

Added 10–15% of size, spin finish or knitting lubricant

• Spin finishes, knitting lubricants: surfactants and/or mineral oils → decrease friction on machine parts.
• Sizes: film-forming materials to coat the warp yarns of woven fabrics → minimise yarn breakage, damage
during weaving due to abrasion
• Size additives: humetant, preservative, plasticiser, lubricant (usually wax, tallow)
DESIZING
Typical sizing materials:
(1) Starches and its derivaties (ethers or esters): normally used for cotton yarn, low cost, high
effectiveness
(2) Synthetic polymers, e.g. polyacrylic acid, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), methylcellulose, polyvinyl
alcohol (PVA)... → used alone or combining starch
Removal of starch before scouring minimises the work required in subsequent cleaning processes –
reduced concentrations of chemicals are required in subsequent scouring and bleaching processes.

• Enzyme desizing:
• Widely practiced, highly
effective for degrading starch
or starch-based sizes
• Cleave the a-1,4-glycosidic
links → obligosacharides,
dextrins, maltoses, glucoses
• Additives: wetting agent, non-
ionic surfactants
• Advantages: α-amylase attacks the chain at random →DP rapidly reduced, b amylases
successively remove terminal maltose units → polymer chain shortened gradually
 Time required for desizing depends on the method of application, kind of
fabric (tightness of weaving, weight, etc.) and the temperature and
concentration of the enzyme

• Am

a) Amylose b) Amylopectin CMC (Carboxyl methyl cellulose) a) PVA b) Polyacrylate

Handbook of Textile and Industrial Dyeing_ Volume 1 -Principles, process and types of dyes,” ,
Edited by M. Clark, Woodhead Publishing Limited, 2011
 Cold-pad-batch (a) complete installation and (b) padder (courtesy of Benninger AG, Uzwil, CH

1. “Textile chemistry”, Thomas Bechtold, Tung Pham, De Gruyter Publisher, 2019

• Oxidative desizing:
Most effective: Hydrogen
peroxide and/or persulphate
in caustic soda
Advantages:
• Supplementary cleaning
effect
• Remove most sizes
• Applicable to wide range of
fabrics
• Time saving
Disadvantages:
• Aggressive chemicals
• Possibility of fibre attack
SCOURING • Most important wet process before dyeing or printing
→ Cleaning, remove most impurities
→ Imparts wettability, permeability
1. Treatment with hot alkali:
• Hemicelluloses, low DP cellulose fractions → dissolved.
• Saponifiable oils and fats → converted into soap.
• Pectins and pectoses → converted to soluble salts
• Proteins → hydrolysed.
• Sizing and other added impurities, if present → broken into soluble products
2. Others auxiliaries
• Detergents: wetting, cleaning, emulsifying (Unsaponifiable oils and waxes → melted and emulsified),
dispersing and foaming properties → good cleaning ability
• Chelating or sequestering agents (EDTA, NTA..): more important with hard water, continuous process
• Sodium silicates: buffer, retains removed impurities in solution, preventing redeposition on material
• Reducing agents (e.g. sodium bisulfite): reduce fibre damage by oxidation.
Scouring may be carried out in
two forms:
1.Batchwise in kier, jigger,
winch, overflow machines, etc.
2.Continuously in J-box, high-
pressure reaction chambers,
conveyor and roller steamers..
Required severity of the
scouring and bleaching
processes depends on many
factors, e.g. type, colour,
cleanliness of the cotton
material, twist and count of the
yarn, construction of the fabric..

Impurities that are most difficult

to remove are wax, seed
fragments and oil stains →
prolonged boiling, high %
caustic soda
kiers operate at 30 p.s.i. steam pressure, jigger at boil
 BLEACHING
• Removal and/or destruction of natural and adventitious colouring matters
• Sodium hypochlorite/ chrloride bleaching → unpopular now maily because of environmental issues
• Hydroperoxide bleaching
.

superoxide radical anion

Excessive alkalinity or trace of
transition metals (e.g. Cu, Fe, Mn,
Cr..) cause instability and
decomposition of H2O2 → liberating
oxygen with no bleaching power and
damage cellulose.

→ Stabilizers : sodium silicate (buffer, sequesting agent), MgSO4, organic stabiliser

1. “Cellulosics Dyeing”, Edited by John Shore, Society of Dyers and Colourists, 1995
Hydroperoxide bleaching
Advantages:
1. Universal bleaching agent: can bleach most of the textile fibres without damaging materials.
2. Eco-friendly: safely carried out in an open vessel, No AOX is generated.
3. Combined scouring and bleaching
5. Versatile bleaching processes: batch or continuous, hot or cold, rapid or long dwell.
6. Better fabric appearance
7. Less tendering due to over-bleaching.
8. Bleaching of coloured goods: Vat-dyed coloured goods can be safely bleached with hydrogen peroxide.
9. No after-treatment
10. Compatibility: compatible with most dyes and fluorescent brightening agents (FBAs)
Disadvantages:
1. Sensitivity (pH, impurities) → careful control of pH, metal traces
2. Cost compared to other bleaching agents
Combined scouring + bleaching processes: Increased production; Reduction in labour cost, treatment
time; Lower consumption of water, steam, electricity; Less loss in weight and strength of material; Scouring
process is accelerated and less time is required to achieve good absorbency of the material
Disadvantage: higher dose of H2O2 → cost
Handbook of Textile and Industrial Dyeing_ Volume 1 -Principles, process and types of dyes,” , Edited by M. Clark,
Woodhead Publishing Limited, 2011
MERCERISATION
• Treatment cotton yarns of fabrics with strongly alkaline solution under tension to improve fibre lustre,
tensile strength, hygroscopicity and dye uptake.
→Impregnation material in relaxed state with cold 25–26 wt%NaOH with wetting agent for ~ 60s →
Applying tension → Washing off caustic soda while material still in stretch state → Neutralizing with acids
and rising
• May be carried out on the grey, partially or fully prepared substrate

During the alkali treatment, NaOH enters the crystalline regions of cellulose forming so-called alkali cellulose → considerable swelling and
high shrinkage if fabric or yarn not held under tension. Upon dilution of the NaOH solution with water, the cellulose structure reorganizes
forming Cellulose II → Hydrogen bond readjustment, increase number of free OH groups, more amorphous and less crystalline but with
improved orientation along the direction of fiber length

Effects of mercerisation
• A considerable increase in lustre is obtained.
• Increase fibre tensile strength.
• Change fibre cross-section to a round-shaped oval.
• Increase dimensional stability.
• Improve dyestuff uptake by unripe and dead cotton fibres
• Increase dyestuff penetration → reduce dye consumption (10-30%)
https://www.erhardt-leimer.com/industries/textile-carpet-nonwovens-industry/mercerizing-machine/
http://textilepoints.blogspot.com/2017/01/types-of-fabric-mercerising-machines.html
SYNTHETIC FIBRE PREPARATION
Heat setting Scouring Bleaching

HEAT SETTING
• Setting process releases the strains imposed during drawing, knitting or weaving processes, minimizes
creasing during wet processing and imparts a high degree of dimensional stability
• Supply sufficient energy to the fibre to weaken or to break interchain bonds and allow new bonds to be
formed whilst the material is held to optimised dimensions → material must be heated to a temperature close
to the thermoplastic point of the fibre and some degree of widthways or lengthways tension is normally
imposed on the fabric.
→ 1. Heating of the material to a specific temperature depending on the fibre type, ensuring breakage of
intermolecular bonds and equalising internal stresses in chains.
2. Cooling of the material resulting in the restoration of intermolecular bonds, the fibre being in new state,
free from internal stresses. The quicker the cooling, the lower the temperature, the better the stabilisation effect.
https://www.cintex.ch/en/applications/heatset
SCOURING SYNTHETIC FIBRES
• Impurities: mainly sizes (PVA, CMC, polyacrylic acid), lubricants, antistatic agents (added during spinning,
weaving, knitting)
• Scouring of polyester
• Common:1–2 g/L anionic/non-ionic synthetic detergent + 2 g/L soda ash, 30-60 min, 75-80oC
• lightweight materials: temp. should < 60°C. other materials: boil for 20-30min.
• heavily soiled materials : sodium tripolyphosphate may be added

• Scouring of nylon

• Temp. depends on material: Unset 70-80oC, fabric 95-100oC.