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TEXTILE

FINSHING
TOPIC:
WATER REPELLENT FINISHES

PREPARED BY:
SYED ASIM NAJAM (BS-Textile)

Submitted to
Dr.Hanif Memon
Water Repellency:
Water Repellency is more difficult to define because various static and
dynamic tests are used to measure water repellency. Generally speaking
water repellent fabrics are those which resist being wetted by water, water
drops will roll off the fabric. A fabric's resistance to water will depend on
the nature of the fiber surface, the porosity of the fabric and the dynamic
force behind the impacting water spray. The conditions of the test must be
stated when specifying water repellency. It is important to distinguish
between water-repellent and water-proof fabrics.

Water Repellent Fabrics have open pores and are permeable to air and
water vapor. Water-repellent fabrics will permit the passage of liquid water
once hydro-static pressure is high enough.
Water-Proof Fabrics are resistant to the penetration of water under much
higher hydrostatic pressure than are water-repellent fabrics. These fabrics
have fewer open pores and are less permeable to the passage of air and
water vapor. The more waterproof a fabric, the less able it is to permit the
passage of air or water vapor.
Waterproof is an overstatement, a more descriptive term is impermeable to
water. A fabric is made water-repellent by depositing a hydrophobic
material surface; however. Waterproofing requires filling the pores as well.

Fabric Construction
While the chemical finishes used for both applications are very similar, the key
difference between outerwear (rainwear) and general apparel (casual pants)
applications is the requirement to pass the rain test (AATCC 35). Performance in
the rain test depends heavily on fabric construction and not only on fabric finish.
A regular cotton 3/1 twill fabric (7.5 oz/yd2), which is typically used for casual
pants, does not have a tight enough construction to pass the rain test. However,
a heavier cotton fabric such as a 9.0-10.0 oz/yd 2 canvas does have a very tight
construction and can perform successfully in the rain test with proper treatment.
Another alternative is to use a specialty fabric that has very fine yarns and a very
tight weave.

PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY OF WETTING


When a drop of liquid on a solid surface does not spread, the drop will
assume a shape that appears constant and exhibits an angle , called the
contact angle. The angle is characteristic of the particular liquid/solid
interaction; therefore, the equilibrium contact angle serves as an indication
of wettability of the solid by the liquid. As seen in figure 52, the interfacial
forces between the liquid and vapor, liquid and solid and solid and vapor
all come into play when determining whether a liquid will spread or not on
a smooth solid surface. The equilibrium established between these forces
determine the contact angle 0.

Spreading of Liquids on Smooth Surfaces


Hydrophobic treatments and products
For the above mentioned reasons, to avoid the wetting of the surface of a
macromolecular and porous material like a fibre, the surface must be covered
with a film formed by a substance with a surface tension that is smaller than the
textile. In this way the drops of water will assemble on the surface, isolated from
each other, to create the pearl effect.
A waterproof effect can be also obtained by using non-filmogenic
substances that form a sort of .brush. of short molecules. By limiting the
formation of a hydrophobic state on the surface of the textile substrate, the basic
properties of mechanic resistance and flexibility of the fibres remain unaltered.
Both polymer and low chain water-repellent products should have
essentially a hydrocarbon character (with groups having a lower surface tension
such as =CH 2, -CH 3 or perfluorinated chains), to reduce the surface tension of
the fiber until making it water-repellent.

Method based on emulsions in single bath

This method is recommended for producing awnings or camping tents and


umbrellas but it does not stand washing in water and solvents. The textile
substrate treated with this method is dried in stenters at 80-100°C. Good results
can be obtained with medium-weight/light fabrics made of cotton, cotton-
synthetic blends and wool, with a good cost-efficiency ratio.
Better results for waterproof ability and solidity to usage and washing can
be obtained by replacing Al salts with Zr salts (ammonium and zirconium
dicarbonate, zirconium oxychloride, etc.), by applying them on fabrics made of
cotton, cottonsynthetic blends and wool, with a technique similar to the above
mentioned one. Good results can also be obtained on cotton, blends and wool.
Durable methods

It is possible to bind hydrophobic chains to cellulose fibers by reacting the


primary hydroxyl groups. The results can be remarkably improved when these
products are combined with resins. Usually the fabric is wetted by dispersing the
product; the fabric is then dried and treated at 90-120°C.

Products made of resins linked to fatty acids

These products feature excellent solidity when washed in water at 60-90°C,


though not when washed with solvents. They are recommended for treating
raincoats, uniforms etc.
It is possible to use methylol-ureastearamide derivatives, ether alcohols superior
to dimethylolurea, but more frequently melamine derivatives linked in different
ways with lipophile chains. These products (whatever their formulation) can be
used for padding applications in the presence of acid catalysts (ammonium
chloride, ammonium nitrate, aluminium chloride or zirconium oxychloride), dried
and polycondensed at 140-150°C. It is important that fabrics made of synthetic
fibres dyed with dispersed dyes, are dried at low temperatures after the padding
process; this prevents the dyes from migrating toward the hydrophobic surface
and maintains the fabrics solidity to rubbing.

Silicones
These products are stable to washing in water at 60°C with solvents. They can
be used to treat uniforms, raincoats and sportswear. These products are very
popular since they allow excellent waterproofing properties, optimum solidity (that
can also be enhanced if combined with resins) and a very pleasant and soft hand
(they are also used as softening agents.)
They are suitable to be applied on all types of fibres. The high
water-repellent effect and the soft hand are due to the orientation toward the
outer surface of methyl groups

Application to Fabrics
Silicone finishes are applied to fabrics either from an organic solvent or
from water as an emulsion. When cationic emulsifiers are used to make an
emulsion, the finish may be applied by exhaustion since the negative fiber
surface charges attract positively charged particles. Generally however,
silicone water repellents are co applied with a durable press finish. Durable
press resins enhance the durability of the water-repellent finish. Silicone
repellents are also used to make upholstered furniture stain repellent.
Chlorinated solvent solutions are sprayed onto upholstery by the retailer as
a customer option. The fabric is resistant to water borne stains such as
coffee and soft drinks.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Silicone water repellents are durable to washing and dry-cleaning.
Durability
163is brought about by the formation of a sheath of finish around the fiber.
If the sheath cracks, durability is lost. Adsorption of hydrophilic substances
found in dry cleaning and laundry products also impair water repellency.
Silicones are more durable than wax repellents but less durable than
fluorochemical finishes. Silicones are more expensive than wax repellents
and less expensive than fluorochemical repellents. Silicone finishes resist
water borne stains but not oil borne stains. Fabric hand can be made soft
and pliable.

Fluorinated products

They feature an excellent fastness to washing in water and solvents. They are
suitable for treating uniforms, raincoats and sportswear, tablecloths and
protection clothes (after washing they must be ironed to recover their original
effect). These products allow excellent waterproofing results also with oil-
repellency properties. The application is carried out by padding the fabric, which
is then dried at 100-120°C.

REPELLENT FINISHING WITH FLUOROCHEMICALS


The oil and water repellent features of fluorochemical polymers lead to
finishes applicable in two consumer product areas, durable rainwear
fabrics and stain/soil resistant products. For rainwear products, superior
durability to repeated laundering and drycleaning is the major advantage.
For stain and soil resistance, the plus features are the fluorochemical's
ability to prevent oils from penetrating into the fabric or from soils sticking
to the fiber surface. Most fabric stains are caused by liquids depositing
coloring matter on the fabric. Water borne stains can be held out by
silicone water repellents; however, oil based stains can only be repelled by
the low surface energy of closely packed fluorocarbon tails. For textiles
that cannot be laundered, e.g. upholstery fabrics and carpets, stain and
soil repellency is an important consumer plus. For fabrics that can be
laundered or dry cleaned, stain removal is more important than stain
prevention.

Repellent Finishes
For fabrics to be water repellent, the critical surface tension of the fiber's
surface must be lowered to about 24 to 30 dynes/cm. Pure water has a
surface tension of 72 dynes/cm so these values are sufficient for water
repellency. This section will be devoted to describing materials that are
used mainly as water repellent finishes. In a later section, it will be shown
that some of these can be combined with fluorochemical finishes to
enhance both water and oil repellency.

HYDROCARBON HYDROPHOBES

A. Paraffin Waxes
The oldest and most economical way to make a fabric water repellent is to
coat it with paraffin wax. Solvent solutions, molten coatings and wax
emulsions are ways of applying wax to fabrics. Of these, wax emulsions
are the most convenient products for finishing fabrics. An important
consideration in making water repellent wax emulsion is that the
emulsifying system not detract from the hydrophobic character of paraffin.
Paraffin wax melts and wicks into the fabric when the fabric is
heated. This will cause most of the fibers to be covered with a thin layer of
wax, especially those that are exposed to water, and the fabric will have
excellent water repellent properties. The major disadvantage of wax water
repellents is poor durability. Wax is easily abraded by mechanical action
and wax dissolves in dry cleaning fluids. It is also removed by laundry
processes.
A typical wax emulsion consists of paraffin wax as the hydrophobe, an
emulsifying agent, an emulsion stabilizer (protective colloid) and an
aluminum or zirconium salt to deactivate the emulsifying agent when the
fabric is heated.

Wax Emulsion Composition


The stability of wax dispersions and the durability of wax finishes have
been increased by formulating polymers such as poly(vinyl alcohol),
polyethylene and copolymers of stearyl acrylate-acrylic or methacrylic
acids.

Fiber Reactive Hydrocarbon Hydrophobes:

N-Methylol Stearamide
In an effort to improve the durability of hydrocarbon based water
repellents, several approaches incorporating reactive groups have found
commercial success. The simplest of these is N-methylol stearamide.
Stearamide reacts with formaldehyde to form the N-methylol adduct. This
adduct is water dispersible and either will react on curing with cellulose.

Pyridinium Compounds

A variation of N-methylol stearamide is the pyridinium type water


repellents.
These were once very popular and used extensively as reactive type water
repellent finishes. Toxicological considerations have curtailed the use of
pyridinium-type water repellents.
Pyridinium type water repellents co-applied with fluorochemical repellents
resulted good, long-lasting water repellency. The finish was durable to field
laundry procedures and named Quarpel by its inventors.

Resin Formers
The multiple reactive sites on methylolmelamines can be utilized for
making
resin-forming water repellents.

Rainwear
A typical formulation for polyester-cotton rainwear and outerwear is shown
in Table 16. The finish is applied by padding the formulation onto fabric,
drying at 120°C and curing 1-3 minutes at 150-182o C. The fabric will give a
100 spray rating initially and an 80 rating after 5 home laundering-tumble
drying cycles. An 80 spray rating is expected after one dry cleaning cycle.
In addition, oil repellency rating of 5 initially and 4 after laundering or dry
cleaning is expected.

WATERPROOF BREATHABLE FABRICS


Complete waterproofing is not the best option for fabrics
for garments, because perspiration moisture accumulates in a waterproof
garment-particularly during periods of exertion-causing discomfort and putting the
wearer at risk of developing fungal skin infection. Hence, a good weatherproof
garment allows moist air to escape and fresh, dry air to enter- a process called
breathing-while preventing liquid water, such as rain, from reaching the lining
layers.
The compromise between skin breathing and weatherproofing is achieved using
woven fabrics whose pores are wide enough to allow breathing
Waterproof/moisture permeable fabrics from several
synthetic fibers have been designed for skiwear, track suits, rainwear,
and mountaineering clothing
Lightweight fabrics coated with poly(vinyl chloride), polyurethane, and other
synthetic rubbers have become increasingly popular for foulweather clothing.
Although garments manufactured from these fabrics provide exceptional
protection against rain and to a less extent, wind penetration,
This problem arises because of the water-vapor impermeability of the polymer
coating. A buildup of moisture vapor inside the clothing may therefore cause
discomfort.
To overcome this problem, breathable polymer coatings are now available
that have made possible great improvements in the comfort of this type of
clothing.
Classification of Breathable Fabrics
The breathable fabrics can be classified into three main categories
1. coated fabrics
2. laminated
3. high-density woven fabrics.

Microporous Coating and Laminating Films


The microporous barrier layer “breathes” primarily through a permanent air-
permeable pore structure. Diverse techniques have been used to manufacture
microporous coatings and films.

Hydrophilic Coated and Laminated Fabrics


Hydrophilic coated and laminated fabrics transmit water vapor selectively by a
molecular process.

High-Density Fabrics
In open-weave fabrics, water vapors transmit mainly through interyarn spaces
and transfer through individual fibers, and fiber bundles are relatively
unimportant. Thus, fabrics of similar open construction, weight, and thickness are
expected to show similar transmission rates, irrespective of the type of yarn or
fibers used. As the size of the interyarn spaces decreases, the secondary
transmission mechanisms become more important. Thus, tightly woven fabrics
constructed from absorptive or hydrophilic fibers are more transmissive of water
vapor than similar construction of nonabsorptive, hydrophobic fibers

WATER RESISTANT FABRIC

• Boat Shrunk Canvas (Sunforger) Water repellent and mildew resistant,


100% Cotton Fabric used for boat covers and tarps

Chair Duck This water resistant heavy cotton duck is used for director's chairs,
cushions and hand bags.
Phifertex (Mesh) Pfifertex® by Phifer Wire Products. Durable open weave
construction (looks like window screen dipped in vinyl) is self-draining. This vinyl
encapsulated mesh fabric is perfect for boat cushions, outdoor furniture,
umbrellas and other outdoor applications

Rip Stop This lightweight (1.9 oz) water repellent fabric makes great jackets and
wind-breakers

Seamark The Ultimate Marine Fabric. An Exterior Grade, Waterproof Fabric, 60


inches wide. If it has to be waterproof, it has to be Seamark.

• Stamoid Stamoid Marine Fabric. Lightweight, waterproof marine fabric.


Mostly used for covers.
Sunbrella Canvas Sunbrella is the most common Awning and Marine canvas. It
is a solution-dyed woven acrylic canvas and is available in over 40 colors.Used
for sailcovers, bimini tops, boat covers, awnings and has many other outdoor
applications. This fabric is highly water-resistant.

Furniture Weight Sunbrella Solid Colors and Furniture Weight Sunbrella, Stripes
and Textures From Glen Raven Mills, Sunbrella ® furniture fabrics are not only
beautiful, they're incredibly durable. Striking and vibrant stripes, solids, textures
and linens. Sunbrella furniture fabric is made from the same acrylic fiber as our
awning and marine fabrics. So it's tough. Resists sunlight, mildew, rot and
atmospheric chemicals. Sunbrella is porous, but highly water repellant. This
allows the fabric to breathe, for even greater comfort in hot weather.

• Team Jacket Satin Nylon - This 100 % nylon water repellent fabric is
excellent for sports jackets. Its shiny finish gives you a very professional
look. Available in 8 colors.
• Poly Cotton Canvas Water repellent and mildew resistant fabric. Used for
boat and car covers.

Water Repellency Test methods:


The susceptibility of a fabric to water is
measured in terms of two phenomena: penetration and
absorption. Penetration is the passage of water through a
fabric, which can cause discomfort for the wearer of a garment
or cause damage to items within a tent, for example.
Absorption is the ability of a fabric to soak up water or become
water logged.
Penetration depends to a large extent on the
construction of the fabric, whereas absorption reflects the lack
of ability of the constituent fibers to shed water. An open fabric
will allow water to pass through its interstices-the spaces
between its fibers. On the other hand, a closely woven fabric
will prevent penetration provided the water-shedding
properties of the fibers are adequate.
Test Methods are as follows:

Spray Test: Measures resistance of fabric to surface


wetting under mild water impact.
• Does not measure water penetration through the fabric,
only the fabric surface is visually rated? Widely used as a
quick, easy, inexpensive screening test. Highest rating is
100; 70 is the lowest acceptable rating required for many
repellent fabrics.

Rain Test: Penetration of water through the fabric is tested


by placing a blotter of known weight behind the fabric sample,
spraying with water for a specified time, and re-weighing the
blotter. The intensity of the water impact can be adjusted by
using a higher column of water.
• The highest test level generally used for apparel is 3 feet
for 5 minutes.
• Passing the test depends heavily on fabric construction
(tightness).

Bundesmann Rain/Shower Test: Subjects fabric to an


artificial rain shower, rates the specimens visually for surface
wetting, measures the water absorbed by the specimen, and
measures the amount of water that penetrates through the
specimen.
• This is a severe test of water repellency.

Hydrostatic Pressure Test: Fabrics are subjected to


increasing water (hydrostatic) pressure until 3 points of
leakage appear.
• Severe test of waterproofness used for high-tech fabrics.

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