Mechanical strength of durable press finished cotton fabric Part IV: Abrasion resistance

Durable press (Dp) finishing, a process widely used by the textile industry to produce wrinkle-resistant cotton fabrics, causes considerable loss of fabric abrasion resistance. N-methylol compounds such as dimethyloldihydroxylethyleneurea (DMDHEU) are traditional durable press finishing agents. In recent years, multifunctional carboxylic acids such as 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) have been used as nonformaldehyde alternatives. In this research, we investigate the loss in fabric abrasion resistance caused by degradation and crosslinking of cellulose. Treatment of cotton by a polycarboxylic acid or a catalyst for DMDHEU results in a significant loss of its abrasion resistance. The lost abrasion resistance of cotton treated with BTCA is attributed to irreversible acid-catalyzed depolymerization and reversible crosslinking of cellulose molecules. We have removed the crosslinking of BTCA-treated cotton fabric with alkaline hydrolysis, thus determining separately the magnitude of lost fabric abrasion resistance due to the two different factors. For a warp-faced twill weave cotton, the reduced abrasion resistance in the warp direction is more severe than in the filling direction.