ASTM_D_4772_-_14.pdf

Designation:D477214Standard Test Method forSurface Water Absorption of Terry Fabrics(Water Flow)1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D4772;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This test method determines the ability of a terry fabricto rapidly absorb and retain liquid water from surfaces such ashuman skin,dishes,and furniture.1.2 This test method is not applicable to non-terry fabricssuch as huck towels,waffle-weave towels,crash towels,flour-sack towels,and nonwoven wipes.The steep angle of thespecimen on the apparatus may cause a large amount of waterto runoff these non-pile fabrics,or the lightweight/open struc-ture of these fabrics may allow a large amount of water tocompletely pass through the specimen;thus the test result maynot be a valid measure of a non-terry fabrics ability to absorbwater.1.3 This test method is not applicable to decorative terryfabrics that will not be used to absorb water from surfaces.1.4 This test method is written in SI units.The inch-poundunits that are provided are not necessarily exact equivalents ofthe SI units.Either system of units may be used in this testmethod.In case of referee decisions the SI units will prevail.1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D123 Terminology Relating to TextilesD1776 Practice for Conditioning and Testing TextilesD2904 Practice for Interlaboratory Testing of a Textile TestMethod that Produces Normally Distributed Data(With-drawn 2008)3D2906 Practice for Statements on Precision and Bias forTextiles(Withdrawn 2008)3D3136 Terminology Relating to Care Labeling for Apparel,Textile,Home Furnishing,and Leather ProductsD5433 Performance Specification for Towel Products forInstitutional and Household Use2.2 AATCC Standard:Test Method 135 Dimensional Changes in Automatic HomeLaundering of Woven and Knit Fabrics43.Terminology3.1 For all terminology related to Subcommittee D13.59 onFabric Test Methods see Terminology D3136.3.2 The following terms are relevant to this standard:absorption,pile,surface water absorption,terry fabric.3.3 For definitions of other textile terms see TerminologyD123.4.Summary of Test Method4.1 A terry fabric product with hems or with both hems andselvages(such as a bath towel),or a terry fabric without hemsor without both hems and selvages(such as a terry fabric cutfrom a roll)is prepared for testing by preconditioning andconditioning.Specimens are placed one at a time in anembroidery hoop and then the hoop/specimen assembly isplaced at an angle on the base of the apparatus.After waterflows down the surface of each specimen,the amount of waterretained by each specimen is measured.Six specimens aretested,three on the face of the fabric and three on the back ofthe fabric.The six observations are averaged to determine thesurface water absorption of the fabric.5.Significance and Use5.1 This test method may be used to test the surface waterabsorption of terry fabrics for bath towels,bath sheets,hand1This test method is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee D13 on Textilesand is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D13.59 on Fabric Test Methods,GeneralCurrent edition approved Feb.1,2014.Published March 2014.Originallyapproved in 1988.Last previous edition approved in 2013 as D4772 09(2013).DOI:10.1520/D4772-14.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website3The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced onwww.astm.org.4Available from American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists(AATCC),P.O.Box 12215,Research Triangle Park,NC 27709,http:/www.aatcc.org.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 towels,kitchen towels,dishcloths,washcloths,beachwear,bathrobes,and the like.Different specifications may be neededfor each of these fabrics because of different applications.55.2 It is recognized that surface water absorption is only oneof the characteristics that the ultimate consumer may use indetermining which terry fabric is acceptable.Consult Specifi-cation D5433 for other characteristics that may be applicable toterry fabrics.5.3 This test method is recommended for quality controltesting of terry fabrics during manufacturing and productcomparisons of different terry fabrics by manufacturers,retailer