Investigating Effects of Direction of Sampling on the Tensile Properties of Cows Leather Treated with Sulphonated Synthetic Fatliquor of Different Concentrations

Diverse applications of collagen-based materials such as leather have sparked research interest that seek to investigate the effect of fatliqours on their physical and mechanical properties. As the applications of these collagen materials increases such as in the field of medicine, footwear and upholstery, more studies are required to gain more insight on how their quality and durability can be improved. Leather being one of the collagen-based material is a by-product of the meat industry, made from animal hides and skins after undergoing processes such as pre-tanning, tanning, post tanning, and finishing operations. These processes play a vital role in giving and preserving important leather properties. This study investigated effects of direction of sampling on the tensile properties of cows leather treated with sulphonated synthetic fatliquor of different concentrations. Two pieces of leather were divided into five sheets, where four sheets were fatliquored with 5%, 10%, 20% and 25% sulphonated synthetic fatliquor (Lisuline Cufb) while the remaining sheet acted as control experiment. For tensile strength and elongation, eight samples were cut in a dumb-shell shape, four along the backbone direction and the remaining four, perpendicular to the backbone direction from each sheet, while for tear strength, eight rectangular samples with a template hole were obtained from each sheet, four along the backbone direction and the remaining four were cut perpendicular to the backbone. For reliability and consistency of the results, the samples were prepared in four replicates and subjected to standard conditions for twenty-four hours before being subjected to Instron machine testing. Results showed that samples cut parallel to the backbone recorded higher tensile strength than those sampled perpendicular to the backbone. The values for percentage elongation and tear strength were higher for samples cut perpendicular to the backbone than those sampled parallel to the backbone. Comprehensive information about the effects of direction of sampling on the tensile properties of cows leather treated with sulphonated synthetic fatliquor of different concentration will inform the leather industries on the need to consider sampling direction to reduce variability in the mechanical properties of leather for the production of leather materials that are durable with better mechanical properties that will meet the standards for international markets.