The effect of finisbes and laundering on the liquid flow in cotton aud polyester-fiber fabrics is investigated. The liquid flow can i>e categcnized into vertical wicking and demand wettability. Since the liquid flow in fibrous materials Ls afTected hy the pore size, based on the Wasbbum equation, tbe effect of fabric pore size and pore-size distribution was also studied.Tbe presence of the three different finishes (durable-press, stain-repelient, and antistatic) and laundering changed tbe vertical-wicldng and demand-wettability pbenomena owii^ to cbanges in tbe surface energy of fibers and/or cbanges in pore cbaracterisdcs. However, the results from vertical widung and demand wettahllity did not always agree. The verdcai-wicking test was more sensitive to finisbing treatments and responded in a more predictabie way. In general, cbanges in liquid flow in finisbed fabrics can be predicted from the surface energy of the fiber in tbe fabrics and the pore size and pore-aze distribution in the fabrics, as expressed by the Washbum equation. To assess tbe relationsbip between liquid flow in fabrics and the surface properties of fibers quantitativeiy, however, it is necessary to have specific information on tbe number of pores in a fabric, in addition to the data on tbe pore-size distribution.

No abstract