Investigating Effects of Lisuline Cufb Concentration on the Tensile Properties of Leather

Diverse applications of collagen-based materials such as leather have sparked research interests that seek to investigate the effect of fatliqours on their physical and mechanical properties. As the applications of these collagen materials increase, 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 the effects of Lisuline Cufb concentrations on the tensile properties of leather. Two pieces of leather were divided into five sheets, where four sheets were fatliquored with 5%, 10%, 20% and 25% 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 tensile strength, percentage elongation and tear strength increased with increase in concentration of Lisuline Cufb up to 20%, but decreased at 25%. Comprehensive information about the effects of Lisuline Cufb concentration on the tensile and mechanical properties of leather will inform the leather industries on the required concentrations of fat liquors for the production of leather material that is durable with better tensile and mechanical properties that will meet the standards for international markets.