Abstract
INSTANCES of rapid degradation of textile materials in industrial use have been noted, the cause of which could not be attributed to the more usual degrading agencies, that is, micro-organisms, heat, light or acids. It was significant that in each of these occurrences there was evidence that the cellulosic material had been in contact with corroding iron under damp conditions. Similar degradation was observed in laboratory experiments in which cellulosic fibres were placed in contact with a clean iron surface and kept moist, a rapid fall in tensile strength being found as corrosion proceeded. The curves in Fig. 1 show the loss in strength of cotton yarn (8's × 5) damped with distilled water (curve A) and with 0.02 per cent sodium chloride solution (curve B) when wound on polished mild steel rods and kept in a moist atmosphere. Yarn wound on glass rods and exposed under the same conditions showed no significant change of strength in the same period (curve C).
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References
Davidson, G. F., J. Textile Inst., 23, 95 (1932).
Entwistle, D., Cole, E. H., and Wooding, N. S., Text. Research J., 19, 527, 609 (1949).
Farrer, T. W., and Wormwell, F., Chem. and Ind., 106 (1953).
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BELL, W., GIBSON, J. Degradation of Cellulosic Fibres in Contact with Rusting Iron. Nature 180, 1065 (1957). https://doi.org/10.1038/1801065a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1801065a0
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