Evaluation of finishes

1. Crease Resistance
2. Flame Resistance
3. Surface property changes
Presented by
T. Sri vani,
Asst. Prof., DFT.

FLAMMABILITY
Flameproof fabrics are absolutely necessary for
protective clothing in many industrial processes
where the chances of inflammable fabrics being
ignited are high.

Some definitions and terms used relating to

flammability
Flammable: A flammable fabric is one which
propagates flame, i.e. it continues to burn after the
igniting flame has been removed.
Flame-resistance rating: the time in seconds
necessary for the propagation of flame 100 in, in a
vertical strip.
Flame-proof: a flame proof fabric is one which does
not propagate flame, i.e. any flame goes out quickly
when the igniting flame is withdrawn, the material.

Flame-resistant A flame resistant fabric is one whose

flame resistant rating is high i.e. above 150.
Inherently flame-proof material: Material which,
although not submitted to a flame-proofing process, is
flame-proof.
Durably flame-proof material: flame proofed
material which after being submitted to a washing
treatment, remains flame proof.

Factors affecting flame resistance

Fibre content
Type of yarn
Fabric structure
Fabric weight
Fabric surface
Finishes applied
Type of exposure to flame
Temp. flame
Flame Exposure time

1. The vertical flame speed is then readily calculated

from the rate of loss of weight, the initial weight of the
fabric and the weight of the residue.
2. The visual timing test in which the rate of flame
spread is determined over fabric suspended vertically
3. The 45O test in which the time, t, for the flame to
travel 5 in. over fabric sloping at an angle of 45O is
measured in seconds. The flame resistance rating, M, is
then given by 2.5 x T.
4. The hoop test in which the rate of flame spread is
determined over the fabric mounted on a semicircular
frame.

All of these have their merits for special purposes, but

research has demonstrated that none of them is valid for
all types of fabric.
Method (1) for instance, is impracticable for those
which are highly flammable and burn very quickly, but
it is very good for slow burning ones;
The results yielded by method (2) do not show good
statistical correlation with those of the torsion balance
method throughout the whole range of fabrics,
Methods (2) and (3) are not suitable for fabrics which
drip while burning.

Method A, basically this method is the vertical strip test

in which the rate of propagation of the flame is measured
in terms of the distance in millimeters per minute that the
base of flame travels up a strip 900mm long and 75mm
wide.
The time to travel between two markers 500mm apart is
observed. The rate of propagation is then given as (500/t)
x 60 mm/minute, where t is in seconds.
The duration of after flame, i.e. the time in seconds that
elapses between the removal of the standard gas lighting
flame and the flame extinction.
After-glow is also noted the time in seconds between
flame extinction and the end of any glowing.

Method B, some fabrics, particularly those made from

thermoplastic materials, do not burn in a convenient
manner for a satisfactory strip test to be made; they
melt, shrink or curl away from the flame. In Method B,
the test specimen is hung in sheet form and the igniting
flame applied at right-angles to the sheet and near to
the bottom edge. The amount of damage and time
taken is observed and reported.
Method C, This test is concerned with the transmission
of flame across pile fabrics.

Where required these flammability tests may be

repeated after washing and dry cleaning, or leaching,
in order to determine the durability of any flameresistant treatments.
Fabrics comprising mixtures of fibres have a
flammability inter-mediate between that of the two
fibres, and very often characteristic of the more
flammable constituents.

Flame-proofing and flame-resistant finishes

Special chemical finishing processes have been
developed which reduce the flammability of the
treated fabrics. Some recent developments of such
finishes are Proban, Antiflamm, and Lifeguard.
In addition to reducing the flammability of the
fabric, such finishes should
Be permanent and not disappear at the first laundering
or cleaning
Be non-toxic
Be non-irritant to the skin
Leave the handle and other desirable fabric properties
un-affected

Flammability test:
The scale of evaluation used for apparel:
1. Class 1: Normal flammability These textiles are
generally accepted by the trade as having no unusual
burning characteristics.
2. Class 2: Intermediate flammability These textiles are
recognized by the trade as having flammability
characteristics between normal and intense burning
3. Class 3: Rapid and intense burning These textiles are
considered dangerously flammable and are recognized
by the trade as being unsuitable for clothing

Based on the time of flame spread, the test fabric can be

classified in to:
1.

For fabrics having no raised surface:

a. If the time of spread is 3.5 seconds or more class 1
flammability
b. If the flame spread is less than 3.5 seconds- class 3
flammability

2.

For fabrics having raised surface:

a. If the time of spread is 7 seconds or more - class 1 flammability
b. If the fabric burns with surface flash but the base fabric does not
ignite, char, or fuse - class 1 flammability
c. If the time of spread is 4 seconds or more but less than7 seconds
- class 2 flammability
d. If the flame spread is less than 4 seconds and flame intensity is
sufficient to ignite, char, or fuse the base fabric
- class 3 flammability

Significance of testing flammability of childrens

sleep wear:
The standards for flammability of childrens sleepwear were
issued to protect young children from death and serious
burn injuries associated with ignition of sleep wear
garments, such as night gowns and pajamas,
by small open flame sources.
These standards cover two size ranges of childrens sleep wear.
1. One standard covers sizes 0-6 and
2. The other standard covers sizes 7-14
The flammability of childrens sleepwear sizes 0 to 14 is
evaluated by the Vertical flammability test.

The safety requirements of the two standards are nearly

identical.
Test requirements:
Specimens of fabrics, Seams and trims of childrens
sleep wear garments must self-extinguish after exposure
to small open flame.
Both standards require 1. Manufacturers to test prototypes of sleep wear
garments with acceptable results before production
2. To sample and test garments from regular production
Failure to comply with the sampling and testing
requirements of the standards is a violation of law.

Vertical flammability test

Exclusively used for testing childrens sleep wear.
Test method: A sample consists of 5 test specimens, each
measuring 3.5 in x 10 in. Each specimen is mounted in a
Special U shaped holder.
Oven dry the sample for 30 min at 105 C and cooling for 30
min in a desiccator
The samples are suspended vertically in the chamber
one at a time and subjected to flame impingement
along the center bottom edge for 3 seconds and
allowed to burn

The char length for each specimen is measured and

recorded
Char length: the distance from the original lower edge of
a specimen to the end of the tear or void in the
charred, burned, or damaged area of the specimen.
Test criteria: Three samples consisting of five specimens
each are tested. An item is considered acceptable if
a. The average char length of the five specimens that
make up a sample does not exceed 7.0 inches and
b. The full specimen burn of any individual specimen is
not its full length, i.e., 10.0 inches

Flammability testing is done at any one of the stages like

Fabric, Garment prototype and production sample
Fabric sampling: 3 sampling plans
1. Normal A fabric sampling unit is any length of
fabric upto 5,000 yards- A sample of 5 specimens is
taken from the beginning and end of the roll of fabric
2. Reduced A fabric sampling unit is increases upto
10,000 yards. A sample of 5 specimens is taken from
the beginning and end of the roll of fabric
3. Tightened - A fabric sampling unit is same as normal
sampling. An additional sample is taken from the
middle of the fabric roll

Normal sampling

15 samples accepted reduced sampling

Reduced sampling

1 sample rejected

Normal sampling

Normal sampling

1 sample rejected

Tightened sampling

Tightened sampling

5 consecutive
samples accepted

Normal sampling

Tightened sampling

remains in effect
for 15 consecutive
fabric units,

Production must be
discontinued until
the flammability of
the fabric improved

Measurement of crease recovery or crease resistance:

The test must however be carried out in a standard
testing atmosphere and on a pre conditioned fabric
Warp and weft way recovery are reported separately to the
nearest degree from the mean values of ten tests in each
direction.
A random sample should be taken but the selvedges, piece
ends and creased or folded regions should be avoided.

THE TOOTAL TEST

Test specimens are cut from the fabric in both warp and
weft directions, 4cm long by 1cm wide.
The specimen is folded over and creased by placing
It under a strip of spring steel with a 500 g weight to
to supply the pressure for creasing.
After 5 min, the specimen is removed and suspended
over a wire and allowed for recovery for 3 min ,after
which the distance between the ends of the inverted V
is read from a scale engraved ona mirror below the wire
To avoid touching of the specimen.

The Shirley crease recovery test:

The combined stiffness and crease
recovery tester.
The instrument consists of a circular dial
which carries the clamp for holding the
specimen
Directly under the center of the dial is a
knife edge and an index line for measuring
the recovery angle.
The scale of the instrument is engraved on
the dial

The Shirley crease

recovery tester

The load time of creasing and

recovery time may be altered to
suit particular cases.

A specimen is cut from the fabric with a template,

2in long by 1in wide.
It is carefully creased by folding in half, placing it
between two glass plates, and adding a 2kg weight.
After 1 min, the weight is removed and the
specimen is transferred to the fabric clamp on the
instrument and allowed to recover from crease.
As it recovers, the dial of the instrument is rotated to
keep the free edge of the specimen in line with the
knife edge.
After I min, the recovery angle in degrees is read on
the engraved scale.

Continental method:
A strip of fabric is folded over at one end, loaded by 1 kg
for 1 hr and allowed to recover.
The specimen lies in a horizontal position and the folded
Piece recovers in an upward direction.
The angle of recovery is then measured after 5 min and
again after 1 hr.
A time schedule for measurement of 10 warp way and 10
weft way specimens is set, so that testing proceeds without
undue delays.

The L.I.N.R.A. Sunray crease evaluator:

It is a quick test of crease recovery in which the clenched
Fist test is done by crushing the fabric in the hand and then
allowing for recovery for visual appraisal of crease recovery.
A circle of fabric 4in in diameter is cut along one radius
folded fanwise and inserted in a specially designed loading
device.
The folded specimen is loaded with a 10 lb weight for 3 min
and later the specimen is removed and placed in a polished
glass Petri dish. A standardized method of shaking the
specimen is employed to assist recovery.

The sample is then scanned whilst rotating on a turn

table by a beam of light at right angles to the radial
creases and at an angle of 20 degrees to the horizontal.
The varying amount of light reflected vertically
upwards is picked up by a photo cell and the
fluctuations in the voltage output are fed in to a circuit
which enables the degree of crease recovery to be
derived.
A correction is made to the value obtained, since even
flat fabric would reflect some light vertically.

Visual comparison against standards:

The fabric is creased in a random manner and then
assessed against either photographic standards or
against three dimensional replicas of creased fabrics.
Celanese wrinkle tester is used to test with the replicas
of creased fabrics
This tester causes creasing by suspending the fabric
specimens in a rubber tube and then partially
exhausting the air, causing the tube to collapse and
thus crease the fabric.

Surface properties of fabrics

Martindale abrasion
resistance and pilling testers

Abrasion resistance
Pilling
Thick ness
Air permeability and
Water resistance
Soil release

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