Softening Finishes

Submitted to: Dr. Senthil K. Venkatalu

Submitted by:
Charuvi Ranjan
Roll.no.11, BFT-3,
FS Assignment-1,
NIFT, New Delhi
 Introduction
+ With chemical softeners, textiles can achieve an agreeable, soft hand, some
smoothness, more flexibility and better drape and pliability.

+ The hand of a fabric is a subjective sensation felt by the skin when a textile fabric is
touched with the finger tips and gently compressed.

+ The perceived softness of a textile is the combination of several measurable physical

phenomena such as elasticity, compressibility and smoothness.

+ During preparation, textiles can become embrittled because natural oils and waxes
or fibre preparations are removed. Finishing with softeners can overcome this
deficiency and even improve on the original suppleness.
Mechanisms of the softening effect
+ Softeners provide their main effects on the surface of the fibres.

+ Small softener molecules, in addition, penetrate the fibre and provide an

internal plasticization of the fibre forming polymer by reducing of the
glass transition temperature.

+ The physical arrangement of the usual softener molecules on the fibre

surface is important. It depends on the ionic nature of the softener
molecule and the relative hydrophobicity of the fibre surface.

+ Basically there are three major mechanisms- anionic, cationic and non-
ionic softeners
 Product types and their chemistry
+ Most softeners consist of molecules with both a hydrophobic and a
hydrophilic part. Therefore, they can be classified as surfactants (surface
active agents) and are to be found concentrated at the fibre surfaces.

+ The softener molecules typically contain a long alkyl group, sometimes

branched, of more than 16 and up to 22 carbon atoms, but most have 18
corresponding to the stearyl residue.

+ Exceptions to this molecular structure are the special categories of silicones,

paraffins and polyethylene softeners.

+ About one-third of the softeners used in the textile industry are silicone
based
 Types covered
+Cationic softeners

+Anionic softeners

+Non- ionic softeners based on paraffin and

polyethylene

+Amphoteric softeners

+Silicone softeners
 Evaluation and testing methods
+ There have been many efforts to find methods for objective evaluation of the fabric
hand. The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists has published
guidelines for subjective hand evaluation.

+ Handle-O-Meter: Different kinds of deformation have a simultaneous effect on the

sample, resulting in a total value for the hand.

+ KES-F: The most comprehensive but most expensive method of objective hand
evaluation, developed by Kawabata and co-workers (Kawabata Evaluation System-
Fabrics).

+ FAST: Developed for quality assessment in the wool garment industry, less expensive
and much quicker than the KES-F as it measures only some aspects of the fabric
hand.
 Conclusion
+ As the global textile and apparel market becomes more consumer
driven, new demands for multiple finishing performances are
emerging.

+ As far as softness and substantivity are concerned, cationic and

silicone softeners are the most useful. Polyethylene competes with
silicones in offering the best lubricity. Anionic and amphoteric
softeners distinguish themselves by offering hydrophilicity.

+ Since the final hand of the fabric plays a crucial role in influencing the
decision of the consumer, softening finishes are always going to be
among the most important finishes for textiles and apparel.
Thank You.