Finish performance tests

Chemical finishing is an unportant area in textile processing and requires a diligent fabric testing program to maxunize the benefits of the chemical treatments. Many chemical finishes have an optimum level of application, too much chemical can be wasteful, too little can compromise the desired fabric properties. The development of the appropriate performance test methods is just as important to the commercial success of a chemical finish as the development of the finish itself. A test method is appropriate if it provides useful, reproducible results that correlate with actual real world performance. The best test methods utilize simple, inexpensive equipment with easy to follow procedures and yield precise, accurate data. 

Organizations such as the Association of American Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) in the USA, the British Standards Institute in the United Kingdom, the Deutsches Institut fur Normung (DIN) in Germany and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) headquartered in Switzerland publish test methods that can be used to evaluate the performance of chemical finishes. 

The following sections will discuss some of the more important test methods in use for fabrics with durable press, flame-retardant, soil release, repellent, UV protective, antimicrobial, anti-insect, anti-felting, hand building and weighting finishes. 

AATCC Test Method 128-1999 determines the tendency of fabrics to wrinkle under carefully controlled laboratory conditions. Fabrics made from any fiber or fiber combination can be evaluated. A special apparatus (AATCC wrinkle tester) provides consistent wrinkling force to the 15 x 28 cm preconditioned fabric samples with a 3500-g weight. After being wrinkled for 20 min, the samples are allowed to hang vertically for 24 h under standard conditions and then compared to plastic replicas (AATCC three-dimensional wrinkle recovery replicas) to obtain a smoothness rating on a 1-5 scale. An average of nine determinations is reported. 

The ISO test method 2313 1972 is essentially the same procedure as option 2 of AATCC Test Metliod 66-2003. 

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The performance of organic finishes on test is evaluated by visual observation and by physical tests made upon coated specimens that have been exposed for various periods of time to natural or accelerated weathering conditions. Electrical tests are sometimes used on immersed specimens. 

The statistical analysis performed during the in-process control and finished product test is verified by other authorized personnel prior to release. 

Critical process steps are operations performed during dosage-form manufacture that can contribute to variability of the end product if not controlled. Since each type of dosage form requires different machinery and unit operations to produce the end product, the critical process steps will also differ. For each product considered suitable for retrospective validation, a list of these steps must be compiled following careful analysis of the process by technically competent persons. In a similar manner, in-process and finished-product tests should be screened to identify those that may be of some value. As a rule, tests in that the outcome is quantitative will be of greatest interest. 

Finished product testing should be performed by the quality unit and conform to written specification. There should be a procedure which ensures that appropriate manufacturing documentation, in addition to the test data, is evaluated prior to release. 

Lapping experiments were conducted using three abrasives of different size. ZTA workpieces were lapped with all three abrasives in descending order 30-40,10-20, and 2-4 xm. Three workpieces were lapped simultaneously. The lap time was 60 min, divided into 4 segments of 15 min each. Surface finish and material removal were measmed after each lap segment. Further tests used 10-20 and 2—4 xm abrasive, respectively, to highlight the surface finish performance with respect to time. 

Various physical and performance attributes of the textile materials can be tested for required quality level. This may include the fibre, yam and finished fabric testing (Hu, 2008). The details of some of the required tests for fabrics are noted in Table 5.1. The testing for other accessories are discribed in Chapter 16. 

The built-in type control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) is one of the special features of MRX. Manufacturing and performance tests of the main components such as driving motor and latch magnet are almost finished, confirming its feasibility. At present, preparation for a trial manufacture of CRDM is completed. 

At the foundry level, quality control tests may be performed diuing incoming inspection of the ceramic materials. Finished-product inspection may range from limited testing (e.g., shorts and opens to ensure that the product was built to print) to additional functional performance testing on each substrate. Test coupons on each panel may be used for electrical performance checks (e.g., impedance, resistance), and destructive mechanical tests for feature size conformance. The extent of testing at this level is determined by the functional complexity of the circuits, final assembly testing, and economics. 

For purposes of cost control, target factory costs are prepared for each manufacture at the beginning of the financial year and performance is judged by comparison with actual costs. The batch yields of each product are known accurately when the finishing and testing stages are reached. Consumption of... 

The lab I am referring to performed testing on both the components for and their finished products that were designed for the oil and gas industry. 

This section looks at some of the experimental results related to immersion performance testing for the various rare earths and finishes with some surface studies that provide some insight into the corrosion inhibition delivered by exposure to rare earths. 

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