A NEW METHOD FOR CHARACTERIZING FLUORESCENT COLORANTS FOR MATCH PREDICTION

A method has been developed to characterize fabrics dyed with fluorescent colorants. The effects of mixtures of fluorescent and nonfluorescent dyes and different illuminants are described. Predictions of the spectral radiance factor curve of acrylic fabrics dyed with cationic dyes were made. A Fortran computer program for match prediction is presented to obtain the concentrations of dyes needed to formulate a color match on the acrylic fabric. The actual and predicted spectral radiance factor curves are in agreement for the materials investigated.; Separation of the reflectance and fluorescence components of the spectral radiance factor was accomplished using the two-monochromator arrangement. Measurements of the spectral radiance factor were made using three different light sources assembled for use in this research. A series of Fortran programs was written to control the operations of the Match-Scan and to analyze the data obtained from the instrument.; A linear relationship was found between excitation and fluorescence for the cationic dyes on acrylic fabric. A relative excitation curve was established which represents the fluorescence resulting from the dye's absorption of energy at a given excitation wavelength. Formulations involving different cationic dyes and different light sources show that the predicted spectral radiance factor values are in good agreement with the actual measured values. The method of match prediction accounts for both the effect of the light source and the effect of the dyes on the spectral radiance factor.