Abstract
The UV-protection effect of green-tea dyed fabrics was reported in our previous studies. The chitosan was used as a natural mordant of cellulose fiber for green tea extract because chitosan is a natural bio-polymer. The increase in the UV protection property of summer cellulose fabrics, cotton and linen, upon the repetition of chitosan mordanting and green tea dyeing was observed. However, the physical property change would be followed by this repeated wet processing of the cellulose fabric. Therefore, the physical changes of the chitosan mordanted and green tea dyed cotton and linen fabrics were evaluated by KES-FB system. Tensile, shear, bending, compression, and surface characteristics were tested upon the repetition of mordanting and dyeing treatments. Linearity of tensile force increased in the treated cotton and linen samples. Tensile energy and resilience decreased in all treated fabrics. Shear stiffness increased in the treated cotton and linen in general. Shear hysteresis was increased in all cotton samples and some linen samples. In cotton, the bending rigidity in all treated cottons increased except C3G3. As the chitosan mordanting numbers increased, the bending rigidity tended to decrease. In linen, the bending rigidity and hysteresis increased in all treated samples. Compressional energy and resilience increased as the number of chitosan mordanting increased both in cotton and linen. This could be the result of the increase in thickness upon chitosan mordanting. Surface coefficient of friction increased in the treated cotton and linen in general. Surface roughness tended to increase in cotton.