Scanning Electron Microscopic Study of Wet Processing of Cotton Fabrics

24-30<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:" calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:="" "times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-theme-font:="" minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:arial;mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:="" en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="">A poplin fabric was desized and subsequently given different treatments using (i) solvent, (ii) caustic in a kier under pressure, and (iii) sodium carbonate at atmospheric pressure in the laboratory. The desized sample and the three scoured samples were bleached by mild and severe processes using sodium hypochlorite. All the bleached samples were subsequently mercerized conventionally in a mill. A scanning electron microscopic study of the above fabrics reveals that increasing severity of chemical processing conditions increases fibre damage. The fibre damage appears to be maximum with the fabric processed under the following sequence: desized-kier boiled-severely bleached-mercerized. The damage was minimum in the case of a desized mild bleached-mercerized sequence. Surprisingly, the fibre damage is always restricted to the warp crown fibres, while the rest of the warp and all the weft fibres appear undamaged under the severest conditions employed. The physical properties of the fabric were measured at different stages. Tear strength and flex abrasion cycles decrease considerably with the processing steps, but the tensile strength does not change significantly. A comparison of the deterioration in properties suggests that solvent scouring and kier boiling operations are more drastic than an open soda boil, which is obviously more severe than desizing alone.