EFFECT OF FIBER CONTENT, FABRIC CONSTRUCTION AND CLEANING ON THE PERFORMANCE OF FLUOROCHEMICALLY-FINISHED FABRICS

Although much has been published about fluorochemical finishes, the in fluence of fiber content and fabrication on the performance of soil-re pellent finishes has not been investigated. In 1993 the AATCC C2-S2 Te chnical Subjects Committee issued a report citing the need for such a study. Therefore, this investigation of the influence of fiber content and fabric construction on the oil and water repellency ratings and d urability of fluorochemically-finished fabrics was initiated. Results showed that polyester fabrics had significantly higher oil and water r epellency ratings after cleaning than fabrics of other fiber contents and rayon fabrics exhibited significantly lower repellency ratings tha n all other fabrics. Unlike fiber content, fabric construction did not significantly influence the repellency ratings of the fluorochemicall y-finished fabrics. Cleaning decreased repellency ratings of the fabri cs and cleaning by hot water extraction was more detrimental to repell ency ratings than solvent cleaning.