Research on the Aging of Natural Fiber Textiles Ren Yong-hua1 ,Liu ...

2012 International Conference on Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Advances in Biomedical Engineering, Vol.9
<strong>Research</strong> on the Aging of Natural Fiber Textiles
Ren Yong-hua 1 ,Liu Bian-xia 2 , Sun Xiao-ning 2
1 College of Textiles,Xi’an Polytechnic University, Xi’an ,China
2 College of Textiles, Xi’an Polytechnic University
Xi’an ,China
yonghuaren@yahoo.com.cn
Keywords: UV aging; dry heat aging; ozone aging; fabric strength
Abstract. In this paper, ultraviolet light, dry heat, ozone aging methods are used to the artificial
aging test of cotton, wool, silk, ramie four natural fiber textiles. We found that the influence of
ultraviolet radiation on the mechanical properties of the protein fiber products is greater, the
influence of temperature on the ramie fabric is the most obvious, the influence of ozone on the
mechanical properties of cellulose fibers is larger than on protein fibers.
1 Introduction
The natural fiber textiles will be aged in the process of wearing, washing, drying as the influence of
the climate. After the fabric is aged, the strength decreases, and then the appearance, quality are
changed, and they will affect the fabric appearance and wearing comfort.
Damage to the fabric fibers is divided into physical damage and chemical damage, including light,
heat, chemical, biological, mechanical damage and other factors. Cultural level damage is mostly the
result of chemical damage and physical injury at the same times, they will make the appearance, feel,
color, molecular weight and the degree of crystallinity changed. Some scholars pointed out that the
aging of silk is the result of many factors. [1] Only the aging mechanism of a single environment is
effectively understood, further investigate of the aging process can be realized under various factors.
At present, artificial aging method is widely used, in order to simulate the ancient silk preservation
and storage conditions. Mainly thermal aging, light aging, hydrolysis aging methods and soilembedded
and so on. [2]
2 T Overview of the Fabric Aging Test Method
To evaluate the aging resistance of fiber material, two aging methods are gradually formed: One is
natural aging methods, namely, the natural environment is directly used to the aging test: the other is
the accelerated aging test method, that simulates some aging factors of the natural environmental
conditions to carry on the aging test in the laboratory. [3] Because of the diversity of aging factors and
the complexity of aging mechanism, the natural aging is undoubtedly the most important and most
reliable test method. But the natural aging cycle is relatively long, differences in years, seasons,
region, climatic conditions led to the non-comparability of test results. The accelerated aging test
simulates some important factors of natural climate, such as light (UV), temperature, ozone, etc. It
shortens the cycle of aging test, and the controllability of the test conditions better, and the
realizability of the test is better also. Artificial aging as an important supplement to natural aging, are
widely used in research, development and detection of polymer materials. In the process of
accelerated aging test, people generally concern about the following questions: what kind of test
conditions should be selected, for how long, and what indicators should be selected to evaluate the
aging performance of the product. [4]
978-1-61275-027-9/10/$25.00 ©2012 IERI ICBBS 2012
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Currently used artificial light is trying to close to the energy distribution curve of the solar
spectrum at this wavelength range, simulation and acceleration rate is the main basis for selection of
artificial light. After nearly a century of development, in the laboratory there has been enclosed
carbon arc lamp light, sun-type carbon arc lamps, fluorescent UV lamps, xenon arc lamps, highpressure
mercury lamp and other light sources to be chose. Carbon arc lamp of sunlight, fluorescent
ultraviolet lamps, xenon arc lamps are recommended by the technical committees of polymer
material in International Organization for Standardization (ISO). [5]
In this paper, three aging methods are used to the aging research of natural fiber fabrics, namely
UV aging, dry heat aging and ozone aging. By studying the aging of the cotton, wool, silk, ramie
fabric, weather resistance of the natural fiber textiles are further learned about, it is beneficial to
guide the actual production and the daily wear and use of textiles.
3 Test
3.1 Test Sample
Cotton, ramie, silk, wool, each for 40 pieces, 20cm × 5cm (warp 20 pieces, weft 20 pieces)
Cotton fabric: plain weave fabric
Wool fabric: gabardine (yarn-dyed fabric)
Silk fabric: five three flying Satin (yarn-dyed fabric)
Ramie fabric: ramie grey fabric
3.2 Instrument
1) Ozone aging chamber QL/J-225, produced in Wuxi City, China Test Equipment Co., Ltd.
2) Dry hot aging oven LR016A, produced in Chongqing Yinhe Experimental Co., Ltd.
3) 30W UV lamp, Shanghai Xinxin Lighting Co., Ltd.
4) YG065 Fabric Strength Tester
Project
Cotton
Hair
Silk
Ramie
TABLE I. Fabric Strength Changes After Aging
Normal fabric Fabric strength after aging(N)
Strong(N) UV Dry hot Ozone
warp 367 366 366 254
weft 343 340 338 200
warp 535 485 532 578
weft 282 248 275 296
warp 814 633 780 806
weft 417 328 416 394
warp 326 233 180 59
weft 409 236 162 13
3.3 Test Conditions
1) Aging Conditions
a) Ozone aging
Test temperature: 25℃
Ozone concentration: 800pphm
Air flow rate: 20nn / s
Bath temperature: 40℃
The samples is placed in the ozone aging chamber, in a stable environment and then take it out
after 144 hours.
b) Dry hot aging
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Test parameters: constant temperature--105 degrees Celsius.
The samples are put into the hot aging oven, and take out after 72 hours.
c) Ultraviolet aging
Placed 72 hours. Note: 3 days of artificial aging, the equivalent of 25 years of natural aging
2) Strength test of the sample
After the sample is aged, and placed it at room temperature no less than 24 h, and then it is
measured on the condition of 23 ± 2 ℃.
4 Test Results
4.1 Horizontal Comparison and Analysis of Test Results
Figure 1. Strength variation of cotton fabric
Figure 2. Strength variation of Wool fabric
Figure 3. Strength variation of silk fabric
Figure 4. Strength variation of ramie fabric
Table 1 shows the strength of cotton, wool, silk, and ramie fabrics aged by different methods.
Figure 1 - Figure 4 shows the data in the form of histogram representation. The strength of cotton
fabric decline after ozone aged, and the effect of ultraviolet and dry heat aging methods on the fabric
strength are not obvious. Wool fabric is more sensitive to UV radiation, and effect of temperature
and ozone is not great. The effect of UV aging methods on silk fabric is rather great, and dry hot and
ozone aging methods have little effect on the mechanical property of silk fabric. Three aging
methods, temperature, ultraviolet and ozone all have great influence on the ramie fabric, especially
for the ozone aging. After the ramie fabric is aged by ozone, its strength decline is very serious. In
the test process, we found that the ozone aged ramie fabric is gently torn to pieces, and have lost
value in use.
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TABLE II.
Strength decline tatio of aged fabrics
Project UV(%) Dry hot(%) Ozone(%)
Cotton
Hair
Silk
Ramie
warp 0.27 0.27 30.79
weft 0.87 1.46 41.69
warp 9.35 0.56 -8.04
weft 12.06 2.84 -4.96
warp 22.24 4.18 0.98
weft 21.34 0.24 5.52
warp 28.53 44.79 81.90
weft 66.75 60.39 96.82
Figure 5. Longitudinal comparison of UV aging
Figure 6. Longitudinal comparison of dry hot aging
Figure 7. Longitudinal comparison of Ozone aging
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4.2 Longitudinal Analysis of test results
The following is longitudinal comparative analysis of results. Table 2 and Figure 5 - Figure 7 show
that strength decline ratio of the aged fabrics. It can be seen from the figure, the influence of
ultraviolet aging methods on wool, silk, ramie fiber textiles strength is greater, while cotton fabric is
almost unaffected. Effect of dry hot aging on ramie fabric is great, its strength decreased seriously,
while it has little effect on cotton, silk, wool products. The changes of strength of ozone aged cotton
fabric and ramie fabrics are evident, but the effect of ozone on wool and silk is very small. That
shows the ozone have a greater impact on the mechanical properties of cellulose fibers, but impact
on protein fiber is very small.
5 Conclusion
1) The influence of UV on wool, silk fabric strength is larger. it indicates that protein fiber is easy
to be damaged by ultraviolet radiation, especially for silk fabric. After UV aging treatment, not only
the strength decrease rapidly, but also a significant change in color.
2) The influence of dry hot aging on cotton, wool, silk fabrics strong of natural fiber are not very
clear, the influence on strength of ramie fabric is obvious.
3) The influence of ozone on cotton, ramie fabric is strong. That shows cellulose fibers are
impatient ozone aging. Ozone has little effect on the mechanical properties of protein fibers.
4) A rather obvious phenomenon, after three aging, ramie fabric strength changes are all obvious.
Especially for ozone aging, the strength decline is particularly serious, the decline value reached to
96.82%. Even it caused to that the fabric strength test is difficult to realize.
5) In experiment, we also found that ozone aging not only has no impact on the mechanical
properties of wool fiber products, instead, there are a very small increase. To verify this phenomenon,
we took three different kinds of wool fabrics to test, and are all drawn this conclusion.
References
[1] RANDALLl R B, “General effect s of aging on text ile,” J Am Inst Conserv, 1986,25( 1) pp.
38- 48
[2] Zhang Xuelian, “Stuby aging of the fabric by colorimetry,” Sciences of Conservation and
Archaeology,1994,6 (2) pp. 32 ~ 33
[3] Wang Fangfang, Fu Jiquan, “Study on the fiber damage of artificially aged silk,” Journal of
Beijing Institute of Clothing Technology, Vol. 29 No. 4,Oct. 2009
[4] Zhou Jingjie, Lin Hong, “Chen Yuyue etc. Study on Aging Mechanism and Protection of
Ancient Silk Textile,” Journal of Suzhou University, 2007,27 (1) pp.60 ~ 63
[5] Wang Ling, “Comment on artificial accelerated ageing test,” Paint & Coatings Industry,
2005,35(4)pp.1~3
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