KES-F Characterization and Hand Evaluation of Oxygen Plasma-Treated Wool Fabrics Dyed at Temperature Below the Boil

In our previous works, we investigated the possibility of reducing the dyeing temperature of wool fabrics with oxygen low-temperature plasma pre-treatment. Fabrics were dyed replicating an industrial process on a laboratory-scale machine, and it was found that pre-treated fabrics could be dyed at 85 degrees C with no worsening of their dyeing performances compared with fabrics conventionally dyed at the boil. In this work, the physical, low-stress mechanical and surface properties of untreated fabrics, untreated fabrics conventionally dyed at 98 degrees C, and plasma-treated fabrics dyed at 85 degrees C, were measured using Kawabata's Evaluation System for Fabrics. In particular, there were significant increases in bending and shearing characteristic values for plasma-treated fabrics dyed below the boil (85 degrees C). Moreover, subjective hand tests highlighted that these fabrics were stiffer and crisper than the other two types of fabric, thus confirming the results of objective measurements.