Modifying Wear Life of All-Cotton Fabrics: Part II: Scanning Electron Microscopy of Abrasion Phenomena in Fabrics Treated with Liquid Ammonia and Durable Press Finish

Abrasion 'characteristics were investigated for all-cotton broadcldth that had re ceived liquid ammonia treatment as a final finish and as a pretreatment to durable press finish. Abrasive damage in Stoll flex abraded specimens (dry and wet condi tions) and repeatedly laundered specimens was evaluated from their stress-strain behavior and fracture characteristics as viewed in a scanning electron microscope. Stoll flex abrasion in the wet condition and repeated laundering exhibited similarities in abrasion behavior in that fiber breaks tended to result from extensive fibrillation and thinning of the fiber, with long breaks almost parallel to the fiber axis. Flex abrasion in the dry condition, on the other hand, resulted in mashing. bruising, extensive peeling, some fibrillation, spiral cracks, and ultimately spiral fiber breaks. Liquid ammonia as a final finish and pretreatment for durable press finish, as well as durable press finish by itself, exhibited modifying effects on abrasion resistance and fracture patterns in cotton.