The purpose of this study was to check color change depending on dyeing conditions when silk fabrics was dyed with gromwell and to investigate mordant effect when synthetic tannin was used as a mordant. First, when silk fabrics were dyed with gromwell, the change of color, brightness and chroma were examined by measuring K/S value, a, b value, L value and C value depending on dyeing condition. Second, color, brightness and chroma differences which appeared after mordanting with synthetic tannin were investigated and muti-functional mordanting effect was confirmed with dyeing fastness, antibiosis.
As a result of color analysis of gromwell, it was proved that the main pigment of gromwell was shikonin. Color was red purple at pH 3 when silk fabrics were dyed with gromwell. But It became greenish and bluish as temperature rose and time passed by. And it grew reddish and yellowish as concentration level reached higher. The color became purple at pH 5 and purple blue at pH 7. Both at pH 5 and pH 7, it became greenish and yellowish, as temperature went up and time ran by. And it became reddish with concentration increasing. Brightness and chroma decreased with temperature and concentration increasing as well as time passing by. After mordanting with synthetic tannin, the color became less reddish at pH 3 and reddish-yellowish at pH 5 and pH 7. The brightness increased and the chroma decreased. At all pH, the color, the brightness and the chroma became similarly by synthetic tannin mordanting. Dyeing fastness of synthetic tannin mordanted fabric was higher than that of non-mordanted fabric. Especially, wet fastness at pH 3 improved from 1 grade before synthetic tannin mordanting to 3~4 grade after tannin mordanting. Antibiosis was improved by gromwell dyeing and synthetic tannin mordanting.