Abstract: A method of treating fabrics, such as de-sized and/or previously bleached hydrophilic fabrics, having threads in a selected machine direction (a weft, or inversely, a warp) and formed of natural or artificial cellulose fibers. The fabric is impregnated with a metal peroxide while leaving the fabric free in the selected machine direction for a period of time necessary for swelling of the fibers of the threads in the selected machine direction and for modification of the cellulose. The fabric is then passed in air while leaving the fabric relaxed and without tension in the selected machine direction, during which the threads in the selected machine direction swell and assume the form of a spring, after shrinkage, followed by at least one rinsing, at least one washing, and at least one squeezing step. Also, the elastic fabrics obtained by the method, and the machine for implementing the method.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of treating a fabric by impregnation with a metal peroxide, characterized in that it consists in applying to a fabric, for example a de-sized and/or previously bleached hydrophilic one, whose weft (or inversely whose warp) consists of natural or artificial cellulose fibers: impregnation (I) with a metal peroxide, leaving the weft (or inversely the warp) of the fabric free for a period of time necessary for the swelling of the fiber constituting the weft (or inversely the warp) of the fabric and for the modification of the cellulose, at least one relaxation with no weft tension (or inversely with no warp tension) by passage in air during which the weft (or inversely the warp) swells and then assumes the form of a spring, after shrinkage, at least one rinsing, at least one washing, at least one squeezing. The invention also relates to the elastic fabrics obtained by the method and to the implementing machines.