The effect of sunlight and drying methods on the strength of Ghanaian Real Wax printed fabrics

Abstract

The effect of sunlight and drying methods on the strength of Real Wax printed cotton fabrics produced in Ghana was determined. Warp and weft specimens were washed using the Standard Launder-Ometer (Gyrowash 315). Each laundered or unlaundered specimen was aired or dried on a flat surface or on clothesline in the sun or shade for 42h. The breaking strengths of controlled and treated specimens were determined using the tensile testing machine (Hounsfield H5K-S) and the average percentage loss in strength calculated. The analysis of variance and least significant difference for the separation of means were used to test significant differences between the treatments. Whether dried or aired, sunlight caused more loss in strength than shade. Laundered specimens lost more strength in the sun or shade than those unlaundered. Specimens dried or aired on a flat surface in the sun or shade lost more strength than those on clothesline. There were significant differences (P≤0.05) as a result of the different treatments in the warp direction. For the weft specimens, there was a significant difference between only the aired and washed specimens. Conclusions and future research directions are discussed. © 2017 Wiley. All rights reserved.