The breathability of industrial medium alkali plain weave fabric has a key influence on its application in many fields, and the alkali treatment process parameters play an important regulatory role.
First, lye concentration is a critical parameter. When the concentration of alkali solution is low, the effect on medium alkali plain weave fabric fibers is relatively mild. Impurities and part of the grease on the fiber surface will be slowly removed, making the gaps between the fibers relatively stable, and the breathability may only be slightly improved. For example, in some application scenarios that do not require high breathability but need to be moderately improved, low-concentration alkali treatment can achieve certain results. As the concentration of alkali solution increases, the degree of fiber puffing increases, the distance between fibers increases, more air can pass through, and the air permeability is significantly enhanced. However, too high a concentration may excessively damage the fibers, resulting in a loose fabric structure and affecting its overall performance.
Secondly, the temperature of alkali treatment cannot be ignored. During low-temperature alkali treatment, the chemical reaction rate is slow, the fiber changes are relatively gentle, and the effect on improving air permeability is limited. As the temperature increases, the reaction activity between the alkali solution and the fiber increases, and the fiber expands faster, which is conducive to the formation of more pores, thereby improving air permeability. However, excessively high temperatures may cause thermal degradation of fibers, making the fabric brittle and reducing its durability, so the temperature range needs to be precisely controlled.
Treatment time also has a significant impact on breathability. Alkali treatment for a shorter period of time may not be able to fully exert the effect of alkali solution on the fiber, and can only slightly change the surface state of the fiber, and the air permeability improvement is small. By prolonging the processing time, the fibers have more opportunities to react with the alkali solution, gradually changing the internal structure and continuously increasing the breathability. However, excessively extending the processing time may cause excessive damage to the fibers, destroy the original structure of the medium alkali plain weave fabric, and lead to unstable or even decreased breathability.
In addition, the intensity of agitation during alkali treatment also affects breathability. Proper stirring can make the alkali solution evenly contact the medium alkali plain weave fabric, ensuring that the fibers in each part can be treated more consistently, which is conducive to the formation of a uniform pore structure, thus ensuring the uniformity of breathability.
Insufficient stirring may lead to uneven processing, with some areas having good air permeability and some areas having poor air permeability; while excessive stirring may cause mechanical damage to the fibers and affect air permeability and fabric strength.
In the cleaning process after alkali treatment, the thoroughness of cleaning is related to breathability. If cleaning is not thorough, the remaining alkali will continue to affect the fiber structure and may lead to abnormal air permeability. Sufficient cleaning can fix the fibers in a suitable puffed state and maintain good breathability.
Finally, the raw material characteristics of alkali medium alkali plain weave fabric will also interact with the alkali treatment process parameters to affect the breathability. Different fiber types, thicknesses and other factors will cause differences in air permeability changes under the same alkali treatment process parameters. Therefore, when adjusting alkali treatment process parameters to control air permeability, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the raw materials of medium alkali plain weave fabric in order to achieve the ideal air permeability adjustment effect and meet the needs of different industrial application scenarios.
