THE FELTING SHRINKAGE OF PLAIN-KNITTED WOOL FABRICS: ITS DEPENDENCE ON FABRIC STRUCTURE, WASH ACTION, AND PROCESSING OILS FOR CHLORINE-HERCOSETT TREATMENTS.

An account is given of an investigation in which thirteen batches of wool tops treated by the chlorine-Hercosett shrinkproofing method were obtained from plant running under industrial conditions. Six lots were completely shrinkproofed. Fabrics made from the others did shrink under certain conditions; the shrinkage rates were then highly dependent on several factors: the yarn linear density, the cover factor, the severity of the wash, and the presence of processing oils. Photographs show that a small proportion of the fibres are still able to migrate through the structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]