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Abstract:
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Mercerization is a process which imparts permanent characteristics
that improve the quality and value of a 100 percent cotton fabric - luster,
fabric evenness, dimensional stability, increased dyestuff absorptivity, and
ultimate increased tensile strength. However, this traditionally "wet"
process necessitates the use of a dedicated single-purpose mercerization range
which requires a large capital investment. In 1979, a "dry" mercerization
technique was introduced. This process makes use of equipment found in most
finishing plants - a padder for mercerizing liquor application to the fabric,
a scray for a short dwell period, and a tenter frame for drying the liquor
on the fabric. This thesis provided an environment for a side-by-side
comparison of the "wet" and "dry" processes and determined some optimwn
levels of fabric properties using sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate and
Mercerol DM concentrations as the processing variables on a knitted and
woven fabric.
Results have shown increased tensile strength, bursting strength,
whiteness level, and absorption of alkali. Structural analysis has shown
that mercerization occurs at a lower level of sodium hydroxide than that of
wet mercerization.
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