A Comparative Study on the Felting Propensity of Animal Fibers
The felting propensity of different animal fibers, particularly alpaca and wool, has been examined. The Aachen felting test method was employed. 1 g of each type of fiber was soaked in 50 ml of wetting solution and agitated in a dyeing machine to make felt balls. The diameter of each ball was measured in nine directions and the ball density was calculated in g/cm3; the higher the density value of the ball, the higher the feltability of the fibers. The effects of fiber diameter and fiber length on the felting propensity of these fibers were investigated. The results show that the alpaca fibers felt to a higher degree than wool fibers, and short and fine cashmere fibers have lower felting propensity than wool fibers at a similar diameter range. There is a higher tendency of felting for bleached and dyed alpaca fibers than for untreated fibers. Fiber length has a remarkable influence on the propensity of fiber felting. Cotton and nylon fibers were also tested for felting propensity to verify the mechanism responsible for the different fiber felting behavior.
4—FRICTIONAL AND FELTING PROPERTIES OF WOOL FIBRES TREATED WITH BENZOQUINONE
The effects of benzoquinone treatment on the frictional properties of wool fibres against a variety of surfaces are reported. The principal variations observed are explained in terms of ‘ploughing’ effects by scale tips and support the theory that the shrinkproofing properties of benzoquinone are not attributable to changes in frictional properties. The loose-wool-felting behaviour of short fibres emphasizes the importance of fibre-bending in felting and suggests that modification of this latter property may be the manner by which benzoquinone produces shrinkproofing effects.
Felting and Tip Weathering of Wool
Felting Lustre Mutant Merino wool [ 3 ~ is a com,paratively crimp-free wool, and it was found that a strong, coarse-textured felt could be made from this wool under dry atmospheric conditions. The felting of a carded batt of this wool was also studied while it was immersed in o-dichlorohenzene and rubbed between two ground glass plates. As the immersion liquid has approximately the same refractive index as the wool and the glass, it was possible to observe the behavior of a small proportion of dyed fil~ers which had been included in the batt. It was observed that the fibers migrated only a few millimeters in the plane of the plates while consolidation of the batt thickness was taking place. The apparent absence of taut sections in any of the filers suggested that