165 Enas. El-Okda A study on the felting propensity of Egyptian and New Zealand wool fibers Dr. Enas. A. H. El-Okda Home Economics Dept., Textile &Clothing Division, Women's College- Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt Abstract: Keywords: Felting is a unique property of many animal fibers. It is an ancient and historic way of Felting transforming fleece into felt hats, caps, vests, skirts, boots, scarves and many other Scouring manufacturing felted products. In this research, felting propensity of Egyptian and New Bleaching Zealand wool fibers has been examined. The Aachen felting test method was employed. The Egyptian wool diameter of each ball and the density were calculated to recognize the felting degree. The effect of scouring, bleaching as well as four different variables of pre-treatment water baths - New Zealand wool. pH, temperature, liquor ratio and agitation- on the felting propensity of these pre-treatment fibers were investigated. Also, the effect of four felting medium – acidic, alkaline, salty and soapy mediums - on the degree of felting process was studied. The results show that the pre- treatment wool fibers in different water baths have higher felting propensity than untreated one (control sample) especially with scoured wool .There is a higher tendency of felting for bleached followed with scoured fibers than raw fibers. In the most cases of pre-treatment water baths; acidic medium has a remarkable influence on the propensity of fibers felting specially in case of using temperature and agitation. The acidic felting medium solution has a great influence effect on the values of felting fibers especially with raw wool fibers than scoured fibers in both Egyptian and New Zealand wool; and soapy felting medium has the lowest tendency on wool felting than acidic and alkaline mediums compering with buffer pH=7. The present study would help increasing the utility of the local wool in the industry to revive felt making industry and to increase the competitiveness of the Egyptian product and achieve greater Egyptian industry's ability to integrate into the global economy, creating new jobs and increase national income as a result of increasing the volume of industrial exports and reduce dependence on imports. Also this study can be applied on some agricultural wastes (non-wood plants) as potential resources and alternative fibers in textile and paper industries. Paper received 19th July 2016, Accepted 6th September 2016 , Published 15st of January 2017 1. Introduction valuable and versatile material (5). Textile occupies important positions in the 1.1 Research Problem national economy for Egypt industries. It is very 1- During the last decade, the vast majority of necessary to invest available resources in Egypt the scientific researches focused on wool investment ideal, especially since the possibilities shrink-resist process; meanwhile, no studies available to it, particularly the manufacture of were imbued with wool felting, especially the wool locally rather than export, and an increase in Egyptian wool materials. the value added through the wool manufacturing 2- Felting is an inevitable process which is process to yarn and fabrics, interior and clothing highly desired in the manufacturing of felted and outdoor otherwise. This increases the size of products, specifically in woolen fibers, such the industry and its evolution, in addition to its as Egyptian and New Zealand wools. role in development various economic activities 3- Take advantages from the results of this study and reduce dependence on imports and to support in felt making manufacturing in Egypt, the export capacities of the country. support these traditional occupations, Felt is an ancient and historic way of transforming participate with the cultural heritage and the fleece into felt hats, caps, vests, skirts, boots, owners of traditional crafts and continuing scarves and many other manufacturing felted occupations traditional culture, the fact that products, by using wool, detergent water, pressure, these professions are in the way of extinction; friction and heat. Pressed felt is produced from as well as, sharing in Egyptian industrial wool or animal hairs by mechanical agitation and modernization program. compression of the fibers in warm, moist 1.2 Research Objectives conditions. No spinning, weaving or knitting is - The research aims to provide benchmark data for used in the production of such felts (1,2,3,4). The Egyptian and New Zealand wool fibers' pre- end-uses for pressed felt are spread throughout treatment as well as felting medium on their many industries and felt materials are to be found felting propensity to benefit from this study to in many diverse applications, for it is the most revive felt making industry and to increase the This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License A study on the felting propensity of Egyptian and New Zealand wool fibers 166 competitiveness of the Egyptian product and Wool is fine, soft, curly hair that grows on the achieve greater Egyptian industry's ability to body of the sheep and some other animals forming integrate into the global economy, creating new a protective covering known as a fleece (2). Wool jobs and increase national income as a result of was used for manufacturing apparel and interior increasing the volume of industrial exports and textiles such as rugs and carpets based on fiber reduce dependence on imports. diameter. Wool in Egypt and New Zealand was - The study can be applied in the production of classified as coarse wool (fiber diameter >32 environmentally friendly products through micron). Wool production in Egypt is harsh, bulk recycling wastes of manufacturing process, cutting and short length fiber, so it is often processed in wastes, used clothes as well as agriculture wastes; local mills producing poor quality carpet, rugs, to minimize wastes, improves the usage of clem, blankets,…etc. ;therefore, the manufacturers recycled materials and brings important economic are reluctant to buy this wool and they offer benefits, in addition to reducing the environmental reduced prices and prefer to buy the expensive impact on its incineration and storage at landfills. imported wool such as New Zealand wool (6). On 1.3 Research Hypothesis the other hand, 90% of New Zealand’s clip was Scouring, bleaching, pretreatment water baths as coarse wool which traded either raw (greasy or well as felting mediums effect on the felting clean), and also as finished consumer products propensity of Egyptian and New Zealand wool such as carpets and rugs (7). The wool industry had fibers. This maybe a source for felt making traditionally been a major contributor to the New industry. Zealand economy. 1.4 Research Methodology Experimental and comparative study. 2.1.1 Morphology of wool Wool fiber has a very complex hierarchical 1.5 Research limitations (8) The spatial limit: structure, as shown schematically in Figure 1 . It This work was carried out in Textile Research can be considered as a biological composite Division – National Research Center, Giza, Egypt. consisting of regions that are both chemically and The objective limit: physically different. The wool fiber consist of a a- Study the effect of felting process on raw roughly cylinder, with diameters of different (untreated) Egyptian and New Zealand wool fibers wools covering a range that can be as 20 to 40 µm. (control sample). The cross-section is slightly elliptical. Fiber lengths range roughly from 5 to 50 cm. The fibers b- Study the effect of scouring and bleaching (13,14,15). treatment of Egyptian and New Zealand wool are helically crimped to varying degree fibers on felting process. The fiber of fine wool consists of two major c- Study some water bathes treatment of raw and morphological parts: the cuticle and the cortex, while the hair of coarse wool has a third layer scoured Egyptian and New Zealand wool fibers on (16) felting process. called medulla . d- Study the effect of some felting medium on raw The cuticle: Wool fiber is surrounded by cuticle cells which are composed of the scales and scoured wool fibers. (9) 1.6 Research Tools and Materials overlapping each other in one direction . The 1- New Zealand and Egyptian wool fibers. complex physical structure of cuticle cells is 2- Chemicals: Hydrogen peroxide 35%, sulphuric shown in Figure 2 (a,b).These scales are somewhat acid 98%, sodium hydroxide and sodium horny and irregular in shape. The exposed edge of carbonate, were purchased from El Nasr each cuticle cell points from the fiber root towards Pharmaceutical Chemicals Company; and Epyptol the tip. This gives rise to a larger surface frictional PLM is a non- anionic detergent from starch and value when a fiber is drawn in the against-scale yeast comp. Alexandria; Phosphate buffer (pH=7) direction than in the with-scale direction. The 3- Oven and water bath with shaker and other frictional difference helps to expel dirt and other laboratory apparatus. contaminants from the fleece, but it is also 4- Three- Dimensional Shaking Machine: The responsible for wool's property of felting when method applied is a process known under the agitated in water. This characteristic, which is not name of "Aachen Felting Test" and is used to shared by any other textile fiber, enables fabrics determine the felting property of loose wool and with very dense structures to be produced, such as blankets, felts and overcoat materials. (10,11,12,13, 14, combed top. 15) 2. Theoretical Study . 2.1 Wool International Design Journal, Volume 7, Issue 1 167 Enas. El-Okda Figure 1: Schematic diagram of wool fiber (8). Figure 2.a; Scanning electron micrograph of raw Figure 2.b; Scanning electron micrograph; shows Egyptian wool fiber showing the scaly structure the effect of the scouring/ bleaching on the of wool fiber (National Research Center, Giza, morphological structure of Egyptian wool fiber.