Improving Tearing Resistance of Leather - Part 2 Prevention and Treatment of Low Tearing Strength in the Tannery

An appropriate tear strength is one of the main properties that concern customers and it is also a significant source of claims. The authors make a review of the production process, focusing on each step that can either damage the natural strength of collagen fibers or improve them, and therefore, the leather. The aim of this work, divided in Part 1 and 2, is to transfer field tannery experiences collected over 40 years of activity in different tanneries, to colleagues that are looking for world class leather production. Part 1 has been published in JALCA, 116 (12), 2021.

Effects of Calcium Sulfate Whiskers on the Mechanical Properties and Light Transmittance of PE Greenhouse Films

Calcium sulfate whisker (CSW) is a kind of fiber crystal material with high orientation structure. The major goal of this research is to study the changes of mechanical properties and light transmittance of PE greenhouse film with different proportions of CSW. The experimental results show that the mechanical properties and light transmittance of PE/CSW films are enhanced compared with the pure PE. For PE/2%CSW, it shows a 18.6% increase in tear strength, a 3.1% increase in luminous transmittance and 17.7% increase in haze. The PE/5%CSW demonstrates a 12.8% higher in tensile strength, a 20.5% higher in tear strength, a 23.9% lower in luminous transmittance and a 53.0% higher in haze. This article gives a new formula to strengthen the mechanical properties of PE greenhouse films and finds the direction for the research and development of astigmatic covering film.

Experimental Study on Optimization of Filler Concentration of Silicon Rubber Compound Used in High Voltage Insulators

In any power transmission system, insulators are essential for a reliable electrical power supply. The Efficiency of insulators will be decided by their electrical and mechanical properties. Recently in many of the power transmission systems, the conventional porcelain insulators are being replaced by polymeric insulators due to various advantages in their properties. Polymeric insulators have been increasingly popular in recent years as a result of their superior performance in contaminated environments due to their hydrophobic nature. However, research is still being carried out on Polymeric material with regards to ageing condition and feasibility for large scale utilization. Ageing of insulation is due to Environmental, Tracking and Erosion conditions. Ageing leads to immature failures and uncertainty in the performance of the insulators. The constituent materials and their properties have a significant impact on the performance of polymeric insulators. There is a strong need to look into newer filler materials which can be added to the existing polymeric base materials to constitute a composite. Keeping this in mind, in the proposed research uses Silicone rubber as base polymeric material and along with that additives are added to arrive at three different composites. A new filler material will be added to the base material forming a new composite. All these HTV Silicone rubber based composites are then tested the recovery of hydrophobicity, dielectric strength, hardness, specific gravity, tensile strength , ultimate elongation ,tear strength properties based on ASTM standards. Further, Inclined plane Tracking and Erosion studies are also conducted on the polymeric test samples for 6 hours to evaluate the SiR housing material suitability for outdoor insulator applications by subjecting them to AC high voltages under laboratory conditions as per IEC 60587 standards. Keywords: Recovery of hydrophobicity, dielectric strength, hardness, specific gravity, tensile strength, ultimate elongation, tear strength, inclined plane tracking and erosion, ageing, filler material.

Investigation into the effect of resin finish on the functional characteristics of plain fabrics using different curing methods

Purpose Cellulosic fabric and plain weave are the most commonly used material in home textiles. The poor wrinkling, dimensional stability and pilling are some of the problems faced during usage. The textile industries apply resin finish to improve these characteristics. The purpose of this study is to improve pilling resistance, dimensional stability and smoothness appearance (SA) of rayon and rayon/cotton plain fabrics using different concentrations of dimethyloldihydroxyethylene urea (DMDHEU) and acrylic copolymer. The finish was fixed using two different fixation methods. Design/methodology/approach Three concentrations, 40, 100 and 150 g/l of Arkofix NF (DMDHE based) and Appretan N9211 (acrylic copolymer), were taken. The finish was applied at normal and shock cure. The effects of finish on pilling resistance, dimensional stability, smoothness, tear strength, light fastness, Berger whiteness and yellowness index of plain fabrics were investigated. Findings The changes in the characteristics of the finished fabrics were compared with unfinished fabrics. This study revealed that at 40 g/l of Arkofix NF and Appretan N9211 using a normal cure would improve the pilling resistance, dimensional stability and SA of the plain fabrics. Whereas, there was no adverse effect observed on tear strength, light fastness, Berger whiteness and yellowness index of plain fabrics at these conditions. Originality/value Unlike the previous studies, this paper proposed the single finish formulation where the functional characteristics of the plain rayon and rayon cotton fabrics meet the general requirement of a customer.

Effect of antiblock and slip additives on the properties of tubular quenched polypropylene film

In the present investigation, silica and talc were used as antiblock additives with slip additive to investigate their effects on tubular quenched polypropylene (TQPP) film properties. Polypropylene (PP) powder was compounded with additives in twin-screw extruder and subsequently processed through TQPP machine to prepare the films. Tear and tensile properties [in machine direction (MD) and transverse direction (TD)] and surface properties of the produced TQPP films were investigated in terms of optics and coefficient of friction (CoF). The effect of conditioning time on CoF was also studied. Addition of slip agent alone to PP did not show any significant change in tear strength, CoF and tensile properties, whereas CoF reduced drastically by adding both slip and antiblock agents in combination. Reduction in CoF values were found to be more pronounced in the presence of silica-based antiblock compared to talc-based antiblock. Film surface morphology was further examined by field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The tear strength and the gloss of TQPP film decreased slightly in presence of only antiblock agents, but the tensile strength was found to increase. It was also found that tensile properties of TQPP films were superior in silica-based formulation, whereas tear strength was better in talc-based formulation in MD and TD.

Improving Tearing Resistance of Leather - Part 1 Prevention and Treatment of Low Tearing Strength in the Tannery

An appropriate tear strength is one of the main properties that concern customers and it is also a significant source of claims. The authors make a review of the production process, focusing on each step that can either damage the natural strength of collagen fibers or improve them and therefore, the leather. Although the authors’ experience is in bovine hides, the general concepts presented in this paper may be applied to other types of hides and skins. The aim of this work is to transfer field tannery experiences collected over 40 years of activity in different tanneries, to colleagues that are looking for world class leather production.

Cotton canvas trousers washing: an inception of a new horizon in apparel industry

Nowadays, fashionable trouser (denim) with washing effect is very popular, especially among the youth. The global fashion trend has led to the development of diverse washing processes that are predominantly applied to denim fabric. However, no known research has studied the application of the washing effect on canvas fabric. Therefore, this paper aims to make fashionable canvas fabric trousers by applying various washing effects. To do so, ready-to-dye canvas fabric trouser was constructed, then dyed with dischargeable reactive dye (Lava). Chemical washing processes such as whisker, enzyme, and PP spray were then applied on dyed canvas trousers. Finally, developed samples were being characterized by mechanical tests such as tensile strength, tear strength, stiffness, abrasion, pilling, colorfastness to wash, and colorfastness to rubbing. Besides, to evaluate fabric surface, various tests such as Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM), Reflectance% values have also been characterized. Tensile strength, tear strength, stiffness, reflectance% value, and wear index% changed significantly for every subsequent process. The tensile strength of finished trousers was 489.87 N at warp and 350.57 N at weft direction and the tear strength was 48.01 N and 35.56 N at warp and weft direction, respectively. The reflectance% value of 18.74 was observed at the PP sprayed area. Overall, the research revealed the possibility of using cotton canvas as a pair of fashionable trousers contributing to the development of the apparel industry.