Crease Setting Cotton Fabric With Elevated Temperatures and Mechanical Pressure

Cotton and other cellulosic fabrics were durably set by the controlled application of high temperature and high mechanical pressure for periods of short duration. Durable creases were imparted to untreated and durably flat-set fabrics without the additional application of swelling agents,' setting agents, or other chemical systems. Creasing experiments were conducted with an electrically heated, hydraulic laboratory platen press and the influence of setting temperature, setting pressure, press dwell time and fabric moisture regain on crease durability and fabric tensile strength retention were studied. Crease durability was determined by comparing creased fabric specimens against the Eastman photographic standards after five home laundering and tumble-drying cycles, and residual tensile strength determinations were conducted on the Instron tester. Crease durability improved with increasing setting temperature from 400° F to 600° F and in creasing setting pressure ranging from 100 to 1200 lb/in.², but considerable tensile strength loss occurred at setting temperatures above 550° F and pressures above 900 lb/in.² Setting effectiveness was found to be practically independent of fabric moisture regain.