Abstract
Durable-press (DP) treatments were applied to cotton sheeting that was flame-retarded (FR) with 7 different types of commercial candidate finishes. The finishes, based on tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium chloride (THPC), neutralized THPC (THPOH), Fyrol 76, and Pyrovatex CP were: THPOH-NH2, THPOH-urea-trimethylolmelamine, Proban-NH3, THPC-urea-Na2HPO4, Fyrol 76, Fyrol 76-N-methylolacrylamide, and Pyrovatex CP-methylolmelamine. Dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea in conjunction with glycolic acid was employed for the DP treatment of each type of FR cotton at each of three levels of add-on. Textile performance properties of DP-FR cotton fabrics are reported as a function of add-on of each of the FR finishes. The relationships of retained strength and abrasion resistance to developed resilience are discussed.
Actual responses of the various types of FR cottons to DP treatments were quite different, but they were generally similar in that they showed decreased increments in DP appearance rating as the amount of FR agent on the fabric increased. Although some of the samples of DP-FR fabrics had DP appearance ratings that fell in an acceptable range (3.5-4.0), none exhibited a particularly attractive combination of resilience with retention of strength and abrasion resistance on this lightweight fabric. It is expected that overall performance would be better on heavier weight fabrics.
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