FACTS FOR WOOL WEARERS

Evening Star, Issue 19408, 17 November 1926, Page 10

FACTS FOR WOOL WEARERS

WHY TROUSERS LOSE CREASE. Some facte, of everyday interest emerged from a paper bearing the formidable title of ‘ The Hygroscopic Relations of Colloidal Fibres, with special reference to their Industrial Importance,’ given before the Mathematical and Physical Science Section. It was the work of Dr S. G. Barker, Mr H.’ N. Hirst, and Mr A. T. King, being a report of the work done in the laboratories of the British Research Association for the Woollen and Worsted Industries, Leeds. It was shown that wool has the greatest capacity for absorbing moisture of all textile fibres. This was of interest to wearers of wool clothing. When the wearer was perspiring freely wool absorbed much more moisture before it felt damp than cotton or any other material, since condensation of water on the skin was prevented. In the case of cotton in particular, the wide range in moisture retentive power m saturated atmospheres produced a tendency towards ready condensation, and consequently the* absorption and dissipation of perspiration from the human skin was accompanied .by a clamminess and dampness of cotton garments from which wool was free.

The elastic properties of wool were extraordinary. It was possible to stretch a wet wool fibre to over 70 per cent, of its original length without breaking. It was possible to dry it and so set it in its extended state that it would retain its strained form until again wetted, when it immediately returned to its original length and form. Hence any strains imposed in manufacture or in laundry and temporarily set by any means were released on damping, and shrinking took place until the fibres resumed their original length. Care had therefore 'to be taken to avoid such temporary setting in the manufacturing processes. Wool was perfectly elastic, and even _ when strained almost to breaking point, if kept wet it would return absolutely to its original length. A suit of clothes put away for a time came out again refreshed, since the stretched fibres returned largely to their original length. Trousers were effectively creased by steaming under pressure or damping and ironing. The subsequent loss of crease was due to loss of temporary set and resumption of their old length, and form. Investigation showed that light was only one factor in the cause of fading of dyed material. The presence of oxygen and water was essential. _ Dyed materials might be “ fast ” to light in a dry, sunny climate, but the same material would fade in a humid atmosphere at the same latitude with the same amount of sunlight. More fading occurred in England, where the atmospheric humidify was high, than occurred in India over a longer period in a dry atmosphere. Similar comparisons yielded similar results from station to station, whilst in the laboratory dfy wool fabrics which showed no fading when dry faded rapidly when wet. The exact significance of this was being determined. but incidentally a point of importance was involved. In shop windows, where on sunny days fabrics were submitted to sunlignt for a considerable time (fabrics which when exposed Ito open air and sun would not fade), jit was found they faded badly. It was [found that the proprietor, m an'enjdeavor to maintain a cool atmosphere 1 in* the shop window, had resorted to atmospheric spraying and free use of water, while the humidity due to the customers’ bodies had aggravated the effect of bringing up the atmospheric humidity to a high value. The combination of high humidity and sunlight faded the fabrics, which under ordinary conditions would have been " fast to light.’?