Wool finishing for washable worsted man’s jacket

Abstract

The aim of this study is to functionalize a 100% worsted wool fabric for use as washable suit jackets in a household washing machine (Samsung) with the wool/delicate cycle. In fact, it is highly recommended to wash worsted suit jackets by dry cleaning in order to avoid garment shrinkage when washing. Wool is known for its shrinking properties which make it difficult to wash with water. Varying chemical finishing were applied on woven worsted fabric. The aim of this finishing was to avoid both, felting shrinkage caused by the entanglement of fibres and fabric shrinkage due to fibre release strains and stresses introduced during processing, and hence improve its dimensional stability during domestic washing. A men jacket stitched with the chemically treated fabric was worn 5 times a week before being subjected to washing. Overall, 5 domestic washing were performed. And the fabric was analysed before and after the washings. Excellent dimensional stability was obtained without any sign of physical degradation as observed by SEM. This could be explained by the good adhesion of the fibre finish coating which resist to strains of wash and wear. Physical and chemical analysis using Zeta potential measurement would suggest that padding with a mixture of polycation (polyurethane based resin) and poly anion (polysiloxane-based resin) will help improving coating adhesion and hence its resistance to wash and wear.