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.

Preparation of multiple-reactive-site and flexible crosslinking agent with transaconitic acid and acrylic acid and its application for three-dimensional crosslinking of cellulose

A novel multiple-reactive-site crosslinking agent, P(TAA‒AA), was developed from transaconitic acid and acrylic acid in this study. Cotton fabrics with durable wrinkle-resistant properties were obtained by crosslinking with P(TAA‒AA), which benefited from the multifunctional carboxyl groups of crosslinking agents and the three-dimensional crosslinking inside cotton fibers. The wrinkle-resistant properties of P(TAA‒AA)-modified fabrics were evaluated and compared with those of other polycarboxylic acid-treated fabrics, and the P(TAA‒AA)-modified fabrics showed a wrinkle recovery angle of 262° as high as the 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid-modified fabrics while maintaining nearly two-fold higher tearing strength retention (62.9%), and they showed a much higher value of whiteness index than the citric acid-modified fabrics. This demonstrated that the obtained P(TAA‒AA) is an ideal polycarboxylic acid already known to date simultaneously to realize the high wrinkle recovery angle and high tearing strength retention for treated cotton fabrics. The Raman depth mapping images and the scanning electron microscope images of P(TAA‒AA)-modified samples indicated that P(TAA‒AA) molecules can diffuse into the amorphous regions of the cellulose fibers and form crosslinking bridges between cellulose chains. The multiple reactive carboxyl groups in P(TAA‒AA) may form three or more ester bonds between the P(TAA‒AA) molecule and different cellulose chains, which were regarded as the main contribution to the high crosslinking effectiveness of the P(TAA‒AA)-modified fabrics.

Impact of Washing Process on the Physical Properties of Denim Fabric (Twill and Dobby)

The study was focused on investigating the impact of different washing processes (dark shade, medium shade, light shade) on various properties of denim fabric. Two different types of fabrics with twill and dobby weave constructions were produced from cotton, spandex, and polyester yarn, and different types of washing processes were applied. Dimensional stability, tensile strength, tearing strength, EPI and PPI, weight, colorfastness to rubbing, colorfastness to perspiration (acid and alkaline), and colorfastness to water was investigated and comparisons were made statistically between the before washed sample and after washed sample. It is found that the process result shows better tear and tensile strength in case of dark & medium shade wash than light shade wash. On the other hand, weight and EPI & PPI have shown better result for light wash than other wash. Colorfastness to rubbing, Colorfastness to water, and Colorfastness to perspiration (acid and alkaline medium) are similar. The shrinkage% is higher especially in the weft direction of the fabric for light wash than the dark wash.

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.

Bending Behavior of Concrete Beams Using Geotextiles in Tensile Areas

Geotextile is made of permeable geosynthetic. Geotextile s are formed from synthetic fibers based on polymers that have high mechanical properties in tensile strength, trapezoidal tearing strength, and puncture resistance. Therefore, researchers want to increase the use of Geotextile as an added material in the tensile area of concrete blocks. The test objects used are 9 pieces of 150mm×150mm×600mm beams. The results of the research were that the addition of woven Geotextile s and non-woven Geotextile s on concrete blocks increased, for woven Geotextile s by 21.593% of beams without using Geotextile s and non-woven Geotextile s of 17.058% of beams without using Geotextile s. So the use of Geotextile s on concrete blocks can improve quality because the value of the flexural strength of beams using Geotextile s is greater than beams without using Geotextiles.

Tearing behaviors of polytetrafluoroethylene coated fabric under uniaxial in-plane tearing tests

This study conducts alternative-basic-angle trapezoidal tearing and single-edge notch tearing tests on a polytetrafluoroethylene coated woven fabric, where the two methods are related through the basic angle of a trapezoid. The tearing process and failure modes are carefully examined, and load–displacement curves and tearing strength are analyzed. The tearing process comprises three stages, which are distinguished photographically or in different load–displacement curve sections. Corresponding to these stages, failure modes can be classified into three parts with varying extension directions. The effect of the basic angle is clearly illustrated. As the angle increases, three stages and parts appear in sequence; the tearing strength increases, but the larger one changes from weft to warp. The relationship between the tearing process and tearing strength is described. The three stages correspond to the increase in tearing strength, occurrence of the maximum tearing strength, and failure. Because the single-edge notch tearing method is more complex and important, it is the method that is studied mainly. Digital image correlation equipment is used to observe the strain distribution at the crack section. Moreover, the applications of four frequently used models are investigated. The results indicate that Thiele’s empirical formula offers the best simulation among the three tearing strength prediction models, and the theoretical stress distribution model also provides good simulation. Furthermore, a numerical simulation is conducted. The critical tearing strength and load–displacement curves before tearing initiates acquired through the simulation and test agree well. All results may provide basic data for future improvements in design theories.

Preparation and Application of Polyurethane Coating Material Based on Epoxycyclohexane-Epoxychloropropane Protective for Paper

Paper historic relics are of great value to research and preserve. However, with the change of environment, paper cultural relics are constantly aging and damaged. Therefore, the reinforcement and conservation of the paper is an important topic in the field of cultural relics protection; thus, it is a crucial and arduous task to discover high-performance protective materials. The coating reinforcement method is a kind of commonsense method to strengthen the paper. Additionally, it is key to select appropriate reinforcing resins. Polyurethane has influence on the improvement of paper strength, stability, and appearance. The epoxycyclohexane-epoxychloropropane polyether polyol was prepared with epoxycyclohexane and epoxychloropropane as materials, glycerol as the initiator, boron trifluoride diethyl etherate as the catalyst, and dichloromethane as the solvent. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy as well as proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR) spectroscopy were adopted to characterize the structure of the synthetic copolyether. Then, polyurethane based on epoxycyclohexane-epoxychloropropane was prepared by the synthetic copolyether reacting with hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) trimer. The effect of the mass concentration of polyurethane on the tensile strength, elongation, folding endurance, and the tearing strength of paper samples were tested. When 10% polyurethane solution was applied to paper, not only were the mechanical properties greatly improved, but the gloss and brightness also changed slightly, which conformed to the principle of “repair as old”. The above results indicate that the synthetic polyurethane combines the advantages of epoxycyclohexane-poxychloropropane polyether polyol along with polyurethane, presenting excellent properties in paper reinforcement or conservation.

Application of Ethylene Oxide Gas and Argon Gas Mixture System Method for Scale Deacidification of Cellulose-Based Cultural Heritage Collections

Deacidification plays an important role in the conservation of paper-based cultural heritage objects. Herein, a novel approach for the conservation of scale paper-based cultural heritage objects is proposed using a mixture of argon and ethylene oxide (EO-Ar) for the first time. The optimum process conditions for deacidification of ethylene oxide and argon mixture system are determined by orthogonal testing. To evaluate the stabilization effect of paper treated with EO-Ar, the degradation of the mechanical properties (tensile strength, folding endurance and tearing strength tests) of paper after artificial aging was evaluated. The results show that the treated paper had better durability with respect to tensile strength, folding endurance and tearing strength. Additionally, thermal stability, crystallinity and fiber wall thickness increased after EO-Ar treated, which was determined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), diffraction of X-rays (XRD), and thermo gravimetric (TG) analysis. Some compounds, such as polyethylene glycol, organic acids, esters, were detected by GC-MS after treatment with EO-Ar. Two hundred and forty books including acidic, weak acidic and alkaline books were successfully deacidified, resulting in pH values of paper ranges suitable for paper preservation. Finally, a possible mechanism of deacidification of EO-Ar was proposed.