AATCC 79-2018 Absorbency of Textiles

AATCC 79-2018 Absorbency of Textiles. 4. Safety Precautions NOTE: These safety precautions are for information purposes only. The pre- cautions are ancillary to the testing proce- dures and are not intended to be all inclu- sive. It is the user’s responsibility to use safe and proper techniques in handling materials in this test method. Manufac- turers MUST be consulted for specific details such as material safety data sheets and other manufacturer’s recommendations. All OSHA standards and rules must also be consulted and followed. 4.1 Good laboratory practices should be followed. Wear safety glasses in all laboratory areas. 5. Uses and Limitations 5.1 Absorbency is one of several factors that influence textile processing such as fabric preparation, dyeing, and the application of finishes. Often interchanged with the term wettability, the absorbency characteristics of a fabric can influence the uniformity and completeness of bleaching and dyeing by the ability to take in water into the fiber, yarn, or fabric construction. The suitability of a fabric for a particular use, for example gauze or toweling, may also be dependent upon a fabric’s ability and propensity to take in water. 5.2 Water absorbency may help judge or interpret “comfort.” However, users of TM79 should be cautioned that its test results should not be the only criterion for the assessment of comfort (see the 2008 AATCC/ASTM International’s Moisture Management Technical Supplement: Ap- plicable to Apparel, Linens and Soft Goods, p19) (see 12.1). 5.3 Users of the TM79 should be cau- tioned about the interpretation of results that may be impacted by whether the face or the back of a textile fabric is tested. If the objective is to measure the absor bency of finishing, processing or durability to laundering, the face side of a sample would be exposed to water during the test. However, if the objective of performing the test is to evaluate the absorbency of a textile for further processing, then the side of the textile that would be worn next to the skin would be exposed to the water drops during testing. Further, if textiles are used in a product as a com- posite, the absorbency of the individual fabrics will be different than that of the end product. 5.4 If liquids other than distilled water are used to perform this test method, test results might not be comparable. 5.5 It is not known how test results from this test method would...