Textile Science Laboratories

 

Textile science laboratories are fully equipped, including a physical testing lab with all major textile testing instruments, and a microscopy lab. Major laboratories are as follows:

Textile Teaching/Research Laboratory (Dawson Hall 302)

This laboratory is used in teaching both undergraduate and graduate students in textile chemistry and related areas. The laboratory also is used in faculty research. Room 302 includes: a storage rack for rolls of cloth that are used in various dyeing and finishing experiments; a weather-ometer for use in testing the lightfastness of fabric under different conditions; an Ahiba dyeing machine for use in dyeing fibers, yarns, and fabrics with different classes of dye; a QUV weathering tester for use in testing the fastness of dyed textiles to UV radiation; a laboratory padder that is used for impregnating fabric with dispersions or solutions of dyes or other chemicals; a Brookfield viscometer that is used in measuring the viscosity of solutions; a LabScan spectrophotometer that is used in obtaining the light reflectance from textile substrates for use in color measurement and other purposes; a constant temperature water bath for chemical experiments that must be carried out under constant temperature conditions; a wash wheel that is used in controlled washing experiments; a curing oven that is used in curing resin treated fabric to produce wrinkle resistant fabric; and numerous laboratory benches and sinks for use by both students and instructors.

Textile Testing Laboratory (Dawson Hall 308)

This laboratory is used to teach undergraduate and graduate textile testing classes. Laboratory components of dyeing, finishing, color science, and nonwovens classes also are taught in this room. Equipment in the room includes a recently acquired Instron tensile tester interfaced with materials testing software, abrasion, pilling, and tear testers, an Atlas Launderometer, a MacBeth Spectra light and colorimeter, and numerous other small equipment used to evaluate the mechanical properties of textiles. This room also is used as a lecture, seminar and resource room. References and current periodicals related to the textile industry are located in Dawson 308 for use by students and faculty.

Research Laboratory (Dawson Hall 367)

Microscopes, video display, and digital image analysis are available for microstructural characterization of polymers, fibers, yarns, and fabrics. Instrumentation includes Olympus compound polarizing and stereo zoom microscopes interfaced with a high resolution color video camera frame grabber, and monitor. Photo documentation of samples may be acquired with a 35mm camera, a thermal color printer and color scanner. Two environmental chambers are available in this room for analyzing textiles at standard testing conditions.

Research Laboratory (Dawson Hall 371)

This laboratory is equipped with a Nicolet FT-IR spectrometer with diffuse reflectance, photoacustic, spectacular reflectance and ATR accessories. The FT-IR spectrometer is used for analysis of textile fibers, fabrics, finishes and other polymeric and organic materials. Equipment in this room also includes a Fisher Surface Tensionmat used to determine apparent and interfacial tension of liquids and a Coulter Porometer used for pore size analysis and air permeability. For microbiological testing purposes, there is a table autoclave used for sterilization along with a Scientific Reciprocal Shaker Bath to promote uniform and controlled bacterial growth.

Chemistry Laboratory (Dawson Hall 360)

This laboratory is used for graduate research and TIP-PFFP (Traditional Industries Program) project work. The laboratory houses a Hewlett-Packard Model 5890 gas chromatograph equipped with a pyrolysis unit. Equipment in the wet chemistry section of room 360 includes a fume hood, water baths, analytical balances, and general-purpose ovens. Instrumentation in this lab includes a pH meter, a chemical oxygen demand (COD) analyzer, and a multipurpose spectrophotometer for water and wastewater analysis.

In addition, because of close working relationships with the departments of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Biochemistry, and Chemistry, department of faculty and students have easy access to state-of-the-art mass spectrometers, laboratory and pilot plant ozone treatment facilities, and ultrafiltration laboratories. A formal agreement with the USDA Richard Russell Center provides access to a 350 MHZ nuclear magnetic resonnance instrument with imaging analysis ability, and to instruments such as Raman-IR microspectrophotometer.

Research in textile science is well supported by the university, by federal and private grants, by gifts from industry, and by a state initiative known as the Traditional Industries Program (TIP-PFFP). This program brings faculty and students together with industry partners for interactive research and technology transfer. Chemical, optical, chromatography and analytical laboratories contain FTIR, GC, HPLC, pyrolysis and thermal analysis equipment, spectra-colorimeters, Ahiba Mathis dyeing machine, computer controlled curing oven, and spectrophotometers. Working relationships with Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Biological Engineering, the Center for Advanced Untrastructural Research and other departments allow accessibility to additional equipment such as high resolution NMR, mass spectrometry, and electron microanalysis.