Texanlab Laboratories Pvt. Ltd.

Colourfastness Testing Series

COLOURFASTNESSTOLIGHT


The
complaints
of
poor
colour
fastness
when
sports
dress
loses
color
and
form,
the
seat
fabric

inside
of
a
car
or
the
carpet
fades
too
fast
are
very
common.
All
dyes
will
fade
when
exposed
to

sunlight
and
it
is
possible
for
a
dyed
article
to
fade
noticeably
during
drying
on
a
washing
line
in

bright
sunlight
or,
more
importantly,
under
display
lighting
conditions
in
a
retail
outlet.
Any

reputable
retailer
would,
however,
regard
such
a
level
of
performance
as
quite
unacceptable.

Testing
for
light
fastness
provides
an
objective
framework
for
what
is
acceptable.



Fastness
to
light
is
basically
a
feature
of
the
actual
colourant
molecule
itself;
it
is,
in
fact,
a
measure

of
the
ability
of
the
molecule
to
absorb
radiation
without
being
destroyed,
the
absorbed
radiation

being
dissipated
in
other
ways.
In
a
dye
with
poor
light
fastness
the
molecule
will
be
broken
down

by
the
absorbed
radiation.
No
colourant
is
completely
fast
to
light,
but
it
should
be
emphasized

that
this
is
not
of
real
importance.
All
that
matter
is
the
colourant
should
not
fade
appreciably

during
the
life
of
the
article.



Lightfastness
is
the
degree
to
which
a
colourant
resists
fading
due
to
light
exposure.
Different
dyes

have
different
degrees
of
resistance
to
fading
by
light.
All
colourants
have
some
susceptibility
to

light
damage,
simply
because
their
colors
are
indications
that
they
absorb
the
wavelengths
that

they
do
not
reflect.
Light
is
energy,
and
the
energy
that
is
absorbed
by
the
colourant
compounds

degrade
them
or
nearby
molecules.



The
resistance
to
degradation
(or
fading)
of
fabric
dyes
and
prints
due
to
light
is
therefore
an

important
requirement
of
a
garment
because
without
such
resistance,
the
garment
may
change

colour
and
such
colour
may
not
be
acceptable
to
the
customer.



Retailers
are
also
becoming
more
aware
of
issues
concerning
colour
fastness
to
light.
Higher

colour
fastness
is
now
being
demanded
for
apparel
that
will
be
worn
predominantly
outdoors.

Another
technical
issue
is
the
problem
of
accelerated
colour
fading
on
exposure
to
light
in
alkaline

or
acidic
perspiration
through
the
intense
physical
activity
of
the
wearer.



Nowadays
the
criteria
of
light
fastness
is
hence
becoming
a
major
concern
amongst
buyers
and

consequently
with
dyers.



Standard
Methods
of
light
fastness:

Standard
Methods
of
light
fastness:



Generally
two
methods
of
testing
are
widely
accepted
by
most
of
the
customers.
They
are:



1. American
Test
Method
(AATCC
16,
Option
3)


2. ISO
Test
Method
(ISO
105/BO2)




Both
the
methods
recommend
the
use
of
artificial
light
source,
namely
Xenon
Arc
lamp
exposure

as
it
is
representative
of
natural
daylight.

The
graph
below
shows
the
comparison
of
sunlight
with

the
artificial
light
produced
by
the
xenon
arc
lamp.

Colour
fastness
to
Light

1

Texanlab Laboratories Pvt. Ltd.

Colourfastness Testing Series

Xenon with Window Glass Filters

3.0

Irradiance (W/m/nm)

Sunlight
2.5
2.0

Sunlight
Through
Window Glass

1.5
1.0
0.5

Xenon with Window

Glass Filters

0.0
250

300

350

400

450

500

550

600

650

700

750

800

Wavelength (nm)

Test
procedure
in
brief

Test
procedure
in
brief



Summary
:


A
specimen
of
textile
is
exposed
to
artificial
light
source
under
specified

conditions
together
with
dyed
blue
standards
having
known
fading
characteristics.
The

fastness
is
evaluated
by
comparison
of
the
colour
change
of
the
specimen
with
that
of
the

standards
under
standard
viewing
conditions.


Parameters
ISO
105
B02

AATCC
TM
16
(option
3)

Parameters

rs

ISO
105
B02

AATCC
TM
16
(option
3)

Apparatus
and
Materials:

Apparatus
and
Materials:

Xenon
Arc
lamp
light
fastness
tester
equipped
with
a

xenon
lamp,
suitable
filter
systems
and
various
control

systems
(Water
or
Air
cooled
type);
Specimen
holders;

Apparatus

Masks;
Black
Standard
Temperature
(for
ISO)
Black

Panel
Thermometer
(for
AATCC);
Colour
Matching

Cabinet

Red
Azoic
dyed
cotton

Humidity
Test
Control
fabric

-

cloth

Blue
Wool
Light
fastness


1
to
8

L
2
to
L
9

reference
standards

Red
Azoic
dyed
cotton

Humidity
Test
Control
fabric

-

cloth

Xenon
reference
fabric

Temperature
Control
fabric

-

(polyester
dyed)

Colour
fastness
to
Light

2

Texanlab Laboratories Pvt. Ltd.

Colourfastness Testing Series
Exposure
conditions:

Exposure
conditions:

Normal
(Moderate
effective
humidity)

Normal
(Moderate
effective
humidity)
L.F.
of
humidity
test
control

5

Max.
Black
standard
temp.

45
C

Extreme
conditions
(Low
effective
humidity)
Extreme
conditions
(Low
effective
humidity)

ity)
L.F.
of
humidity
of
test
control

6-7

Relative
humidity
of
air

-

Max.
black
panel
/
standard

60
C

temp.

Chamber
air
temperature

-

Irradiance
at
420
nm
or
3001.1
W/m2/nm
for
water

400
nm

cooled
machines

Extreme
conditions
(High
effective
humidity)

Extreme
conditions
(High
effective
humidity)

L.F.
of

humidity
test
control

3

Max.
black
panel
temp.

40
C

-

-

-

30

5%

63

1
C

43

2
C

1.10

0.03
W/m2/nm
or
48


1
W/m2

-

-

Length
of
exposure

Length
of
exposure

Assessment

Assessment

Expose
until
a
contrast

(change

in

colour)

corresponding
to
grey
scale

grade
4
and
later
to
grey

scale
3
is
visible
on
the
test

sample,
but
at
most
until

the
blue
wool
reference
7

shows

a

contrast

corresponding
to
grey
scale

grade
4



Expose
to
a
certain
level
of

irradiance
is
attained;
H
=
E

x
3.6
x
t
where
H
is
the

radiant
exposure
in

kilojoules
per
square
metre;

E
is
the
irradiance
in
watts

per
square
metre
(or
joules

per
square
metre
and

second;
t
is
the
time
in

hours
and
3.6
is
a

conversion
factor

The
light
fastness
rating

corresponds
to
the
number

of
the
blue
wool
reference

on
the
light
fastness
scale

which
shows
a
similar

contrast.



Rating
between
BWS
1
and

BWS
8

Colour
fastness
to
Light

Expose
until
a
certain
stage
is

reached
and
then
assess
with

the
grey
scale.
This
will
vary

depending
on
the
material;

The
least
durable
exposed
for

least
amount
of
time
(20

accelerated
fading
units

(AFU)
corresponding
to

reference
sample
L4);
40
AFU

of
exposure
for
upholstery

(equivalent
to
L5,
Draperies

60
AFU
and
so
on.

L6
is

equivalent

to
80
hours,
It
is

rare
for
clothing
to
require
a

light
fastness
higher
than
L5

Using
Colour
Change
Grey

Scale
1-5

3

Texanlab Laboratories Pvt. Ltd.

Colourfastness Testing Series




Comparison
between
commonly
followed
ISO
and
AATCC
testing
methods

Comparison
between
commonly
followed
ISO
and
AATCC
testing
methods



There
is
often
confusion
between
the
two
tests
in
the
minds
of
people
not
familiar
with
the
test

procedures.

The
methods
have
two
distinct
differences
in
terms
of
assessment
and
duration
of

testing.

Often,
the
AATCC
method
is
incorrectly
asked
for
a
number
of
hours
whereas
the
correct

measure
is
Accelerated
Fading
Units
or
AFU.





Test
conditions
are
also
different,
as
detailed
in
the
earlier
section.

Typically,
the
most
common

ISO
test
is
conducted
at
low
effective
humidity
(extreme
conditions).



As
a
summary,
the
following
table
shows
the
major
differences.



Parameter

ISO
105
B02

AATCC
16

Parameter

ISO
105
B02

AATCC
16

Assessment

Blue
Wool
Scale
1
to
8

Standard
Grey
Scale
1
to
5

Duration
of
test

Not
relevant.

Test
completed

Defined
by
Buyers,
typically
20

when
sample
shows
specific

AFU
for
apparel,
higher
for

fading.

home
textiles


Temperature

Black
Standard
Thermometer

Black
Panel
Thermometer





Factors
affecting
Light
Fastness
Ratings
Factors
affecting
Light
Fastness
Ratings

ss
Ratings



There
are
quite
a
few
issues
that
affect
colourfastness
to
light.

Some
of
these
are
discussed
below




1. Dyestuff
used

Dyestuff
used



The
colourfastness
to
light
is
a
property
of
the
colourant
molecules
themselves.

Therefore,

selection
of
colourants
clearly
influences
the
light
fastness
property.

Combination
shades
also

are
affected
by
the
light
fastness
of
individual
dyes.



2. Dye
shade
/
depth

Dye
shade
/
depth



Unlike
other
colourfastness
tests,
a
higher
shade
depth
gives
much
better
light
fastness
ratings

than
a
pale
shade
of
the
same
combination.



3. Fabric
surface

Fabric
surface



It
has
been
found
that
the
surface
area
of
the
fabric
can
greatly
affect
the
colourfastness
to

light.

As
an
example,
see
the
example
below.

One
is
a
single
jersey
fabric
and
the
other
a

pique.

Both
were
dyed
in
the
same
bath
for
the
purposes
of
testing
and
a
marked
difference

was
seen
in
the
light
fastness.

The
pique
construction
showed
a
much
worse
light
fastness

than
the
single
jersey.



4. Finishing
chemicals

Finishing
chemicals



Some
finishing
chemicals
can
also
affect
the
light
fastness
ratings.

While
there
is
not
too

much
information
on
which
chemicals
do,
it
is
a
point
to
be
kept
in
mind
by
processors.

Colour
fastness
to
Light

4

Texanlab Laboratories Pvt. Ltd.

Colourfastness Testing Series


Summary
of
Important
Issues
for
Processors

Summary
of
Important
Issues
for
Processors



Selection
of
Dyestuff
must
be
made
based
on
requirements
and
end
use

Remember
lighter
shades
give
poorer
light
fastness
properties

Finishing
chemicals
can
affect
lightfastness..

Example
of
fabric
with
poor

colourfastness
to
light.


colourfastness
to
light.

Water
cooled
light
fastness

machine


machine

Colour
fastness
to
Light

5

Texanlab Laboratories Pvt. Ltd.

Colourfastness Testing Series

Arrangement
of
water
cooled

xenon
arc
lamp


xenon
arc
lamp

Variation
in
light
fastness
due
to

differences
in
knit
structure


differences
in
knit
structure

Colour
fastness
to
Light

6

Texanlab Laboratories Pvt. Ltd.

Colourfastness Testing Series

Blue
wool
standards

ISO
105
B02

Blue
wool
standards

test.

test.

BWS
1
to
BWS
5,
showing

geometric
progression
of
fading


geometric
progression
of
fading

Colour
fastness
to
Light

7