Developing a Method of Defining Fibrillation Degree of Lyocell Fibres (Tencel)

Abstract

Possibilities of quantitative determination of fibrillation are investigated, occurring at various conditions in physico-chemical processes of Lyocell fabrics. Well known “shake test”, developed to assess proneness of the fibres to fibrillation, has been modified to obtain a method which would offer an estimation of fibrillation degree in the material tested. The method is described which results in a quantitative assessment of fibrillation degree, including a necessary improvement in testing reliability. Testing conditions are precisely defined and clear criteria for individual numerical assessments on the basis of fibre microscopy given. Necessary number of measurements for a reliably final evaluation is also established. A formula is proposed to calculate fibrillation degree (Sf) and criteria established for grading fibrillation intensity accordingly.