Effect of Washing and Subsequent Heat Treatment on Water Repellency and Mechanical Properties of Nylon 6, Triacetate and Silk Fabrics Treated with Hydrocarbon Resins

It is commonly known that water repellency of the fabric treated with fluorocarbon resin brings about a decrease by the washing and recovers by the subsequent heat treatment. In this article, effect of the water repellency was investigated on the nylon 6, triacetate and silk fabrics treated with hydrocarbon and silicon resins. Hydrocarbon and silicon resins have been widely used in the textile finishing as the softening and water proofing agents. The fabrics were treated with hydrocarbon resins, Paragium JQ and RC (Ohara Paragium Chemical Co.) and a silicon resin, Poron MR (Shinetsu Chemical Co.), and then washed and subsequently heat treated. Although the water repellency increased by the resin treatment, it decreased by the washing apparently and recovered a little by the heat treatment. The effect of the heat treatment was small comparing with that of the fluorocarbon resin. Furthermore, as a mechanical property of the treated fabric, KES shearing and bending hysteresis parameters, modulus and hysteresis width of the hydrocarbon resin-treated nylon 6, triacetate and silk fabrics decreased by the heat treatment after washing. Therefore, the treatment is effective at improving the softening of the fabric in water repellent finish.