Verfahren zur Erzeugung waschbeständiger Wash-and-Wear-Effekte auf Geweben aus regenerierter Cellulose

A drip-dry finish which is fast to washing is produced on a regenerated cellulose woven fabric by immersing it, in the absence of a catalyst, in an aqueous solution of ethylene diamine of 70%-90% by weight strength at 0 DEG C.-20 DEG C., allowing the ethylene diamine to remain in contact with the fabric for 3-30 minutes, removing the ethylene diamine and drying the fabric during or after the removal of the ethylene diamine, the treatment being carried out while the fabric is under no tension or under tension insufficient to cause the fabric to stretch. The treatment may be carried out by immersing the dry and desized fabric in the ethylene diamine solution, expressing the excess solution from the fabric, washing the ethylene diamine out of the fabric with water, if necessary neutralising with acetic acid, and then drying, or by immersing the fabric in the ethylene diamine solution for a short time only, expressing excess liquor, maintaining the impregnated fabric for the remainder of the specified treatment time with the ethylene diamine on it, washing free of ethylene diamine and finally drying. Alternatively, the fabric may be immersed in the ethylenediamine solution, expressed and then continuously passed over rolls through a closed chamber in which the bulk of the ethylene diamine is evaporated out at an elevated temperature, and finally washed free from ethylene diamine and dried. The ethylene diamine is preferably washed out of 0 DEG C.-10 DEG C. The fabric may subsequently be treated with formaldehyde, subjected to compressive mechanical shrinking or treated with resins, such as pre-polymerised synthetic resins, e.g. polyacrylic esters, or synthetic resins condensed in situ, e.g. urea-formaldehyde, melamine-formaldehyde and cyclic ethylene urea resins, to improve its dimensional stability. The handle of the fabric may also be improved by the treatment. Fabrics made from highly oriented regenerated cellulose fibres known as "Polynosics" may be treated. Specifications 479,341, 650,896, 652,645, 678,335, 683,203, 720,173, 750,088, 767,810 and 767,811 are referred to.