Some aspects of processing Wool/ Cotton & Angora Rabbit Hair/Cotton blended fabrics

摘要

ⅰ) The investigation has explored the possibilities of blending Avivastra wool and Angora rabbit hair with cotton and producing good quality yarns and fabrics adopting commercial cotton spinning systems. ⅱ) Methods for scouring, bleaching and softening treatment for such blended fabrics have been optimized. Microderm softness treatment was found better for such fabrics. It creates softness coupled with an elastomeric feel. ⅲ) The K/S values of both cotton and wool fibres increased on pre-treatment with the mordant/reagent. The change in K/S values for wool was found to be highest (81.4%) for ZnSO_4 treated wool fibre followed by SnCl_2, alum, ZnCl_2, Iso-propanol and NH_2C(CH_2OH)_3. The normalized K/S value increases when the wool fibre is dyed after pre-treatment with any mordant/reagent. ⅳ) Various shades of the colour obtained on fabric during dyeing trials with natural dyes showed good light, washing and rubbing fastness. Thus, indigenously developed short fine wool in blends with cotton can be utilized through short staple spinning system, popularly known as cotton spinning system for production of finer quality and novel varieties of value added woven and knitted fabrics. Hitherto, there was no appropriate utilization of indigenously available short wool and Angora rabbit hair. Technology for utilization for such fibres in blends with cotton adopting cotton spinning system and scouring, bleaching and finishing process have been identified/developed. Though further work is still in progress; the study shows that it is now possible to produce value-added blended fabrics from such fibres.