Cotton / Cashmere (80/20) Blended Fabrics Crease-resistant Finishing

In this research, the crease resistant fmishing of cotton-cashmere(80/20) blends was studied. Several finishing processes to improve the fabric's crease resistance while its peculiar style was given a special care were taken. Some phenomena and results of the processes, especially property change of cashmere, were discussed closely.Orthographic design was used to get optimum process of crease resistant finishing with MeDMDHEU. In the research, it is found that improvement of crease resistance relays mainly on elasticity of cotton fibers. After the treatment, there is slight decrease of elasticity of cashmere fibers as the MeDMDHEU has some effect on them, but this has even no effect on the fabric. And the level of DP of the fabric riæ­Ÿ?from l .5 to 4.0. During the process pH of the bath was conditioned with animonium hydroxide, the tensile strength of the fabric was improved apparently. This is due to neutralization of bath solution by ammonium hydroxide. Likevvise it is found that aminosilicon is the best kind of softening agent for the cotton-cashmere blends.In the process of DMDHEU combined with polyurethane prepolymer, it is discovered that the fabric can also gain high vvrinkle recovery angle (WRA) even though MeDMDHEU is used in rather low quantity. The result comes from different crease resistant mechanism of the two agents. Additionally the finished fabric has wonderful abrasion resistance.The fabric was still treated with liquid ammonium. The whole process is so fast that in about one minute the property of the fabric has a great change. The fabric can gain better performance when liquid animonium is removed by water than by other ways. Both cotton fibers and cashmere fibers expand in different level. The cross section of cotton fibers changes from kidney shape into round or ellipse one. The scales of cashmere are ruptured moderately and its single-fiber strength losses a little. The fabric's strength is increased greatly and its compactness is enhanced. Meanwhile its crease resistance is improved apparentl/. Furthermore when the fabric treated with liquid ammonium combines with the process of MeDMDHEU, quantity of the resin must be increased in order to gain satisfied crease resistance.At last, the application of nonformaldehyde agent, butane teracarboxylic acid (BTCA), on the fabric was discussed. The fabric treated with BTCA can gain relatively good crease resistance and WRA reaches a little more than 140 degrees but less than that of MeDMDHEU treated. Seemingly rate of tensile strength retention of the fabric treated with BTCA is higher than that of MeDMDHEU treated. The slight rupture of cashmere fibers is attributed to sodium hypophosphite, the catalyst. Its weak alkalinity and reduction can make peptide bonds hydrolyzed and disulfide bonds broken. The whole style of the fabric is almost not affected.