EFFECT OF PRESWELLING TREATMENTS ON THE PROPERTIES OF COTTON FIBERS CROSS-LINKED WITH 1,2,3,4 BUTANETETRACARBOXYLIC ACID

Relations were studied between fiber structure and mechanical properti es of cotton fibers crosslinked with 1,2,3,4 butanetetracarboxylic aci d (BTCA). BTCA was either applied directly to the fibers (NPT) or afte r they had received a swelling treatment with caustic soda (MER), liqu id ammonia (LAT), or monomethylamine (MMA). In some instances BTCA was applied before the caustic treated fibers had been dried (NDMER). The water retention value (WRV) of MER fibers was markedly higher than th at of NPT, LAT, or MMA fibers. After BTCA treatment, however, the WRV Of MER fibers fell sharply, but that of MMA or LAT samples did not. Th us the WRV s of BTCA MER and NDMER fibers approached those Of MMA and LAT products. The breaking force of BTCA fibers approached the same va lue at high BTCA contents, with or without mercerization or methylamin e preswelling. It appeared that LAT cotton might retain greater streng th than the other samples at high BTCA contents. The breaking extensio ns Of BTCA fibers that had received a preswelling treatment were highe r than those of fibers that had not been pretreated. Properties of MER and NDMER BTCA fibers were similar, even though it appeared that the BTCA was more uniformly distributed in the NDMER fibers. The breaking twist angle (BTA) was determined as a measure of brittleness; the BTA relation with extension for the BTCA samples was similar to a previous ly determined relation for cotton treated with dimethyloldihydroxyethy leneurea.