RESEARCH ON PERFORMANCE OF ALKALI HYDROLYSIS-AGED SILK FABRICS COATED WITH CHINESE LACQUER

Three kinds of samples: silk fabric, silk fabrics coated with lacquer and with lacquer mixed with 15% tung-oil, were artificially aged by alkaline hydrolysis and their tensile strength and rate of elongation were measured. At the beginning of the ageing process, losses of tensile strength and rate of elongation of the 3 kinds of fabrics were almost equally acute. After a longer period of time, resistance to alkaline hydrolysis aging of the two kinds of lacquer coated silk fabrics was similar to that of silk fabrics, the values for the tung-oil lacquered fabrics being the lowest among them. SEM observation showed that many cracks appeared on both types of lacquer films, and many tiny holes emerged on tung-oil lacquer films. According to X-ray diffraction determination, damaged lacquer films lost their property resulting in protection on silk and the crystallinity degree of the silk decreased significantly. The combination of weaker silks and lower strength fragile lacquer films resulted poor tensile and elongation performance.