Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D01—NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
  • D01F—CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBON FILAMENTS
  • D01F8/00—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof
  • D01F8/04—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof from synthetic polymers
  • D01F8/08—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof from synthetic polymers with at least one polyacrylonitrile as constituent
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10S57/00—Textiles: spinning, twisting, and twining
  • Y10S57/905—Bicomponent material

Definitions

• This invention relates to a method of making piece-dyeable carpet fabrics from yarns prepared from bicomponent fibers of acrylonitrile polymers. It relates further to the process of dyeing such carpet fabrics whereby the carpet fabric develops high bulk under hot-wet dyeing conditions and retains its bulk after being removed from the dyebath and dried. It relates further to the new carpet fabrics having the foregoing properties. Still further, it relates to the yarns used to prepare the said new carpet fabrics.
• the weakly-held fibers are easily pulled out under the tension and abrasive action concountered by the carpet when it is dipped in and out of the dyebath, resulting in a fuzzy carpet surface.
• the fuzz can be sheared from a carpet having a single level pile or the top level of a multi-level pile, it cannot be sheared from the lower levels of a multilevel pile. All these phenomena result in a loss of value. These effects can be minimized, but only by costly special carpet constructions or elaborate post-dyeing procedures, e.g., jet steaming, back-beating, shearing, etc. In practice, all dyeing has been done either on the fiber itself (i.e. stock dyeing) or on the unwoven yarn (skein dyeing).
• a carpet fabric tufted of low twisted yarn composed of bicomponent fibers of acrylonitrile polymer whose monocomponent parts have substantially the same swelling potential, shrink 5 20% differentially, and develop under the conditions of hot-wet dyeing in a high degree of essentially irreversible and dimensionally stable crimp. Little or no further crimp is developed upon drying and the crimp is substantially permanent to subsequent hot-wet treatments. This characteristic is for convenience referred to as irreversible crimp. Due to the self-crimping nature of these fibers, yarns comprised of such fibers develop a high degree of bulk which generally results in a yarn contraction of 10 to 40% during the dyeing step.
• Fibers of the irreversible crimp type should not be confused with fibers of the reversible crimp type.
• Illustrative of reversible crimp fibers are those disclosed and claimed in U.S. Patent No. 3,038,236 and the rayon fibers in U.S. Patent No. 2,439,815.
• Illustrative of irreversible crimp fibers are those disclosed generally in U.S. Patents Nos. 2,439,815 (column 2 line 41 et seq.) and 3,182,106 as well as sample (B) of Example VI of U.S. Patent No. 3,038,236.
• Compression bulk Yarn shrinkage is measured as the difference in length of a single end of yarn with a load of 0.001 g./denier prior to and following exposure to boiling water for 30 minutes. The water is cooled to 120 F., then the yarn is removed and air dried. The measurement may be expressed as:
• original length-resultant lengthX 100 original length Fibers of acrylonitrile polymer which will develop irreversible crimp may be obtained by co-spinning, side by side, two or more polymers of acrylonitrile of nearly identical swelling potential but of different comonomer proportions, each polymer containing at least 70% acrylonitrile.
• the components of the bicomponent fiber useful for the practice of the present invention have a differential shrinkage of about 5% to about 20%, and preferably of about to about This means that one component will have a greater loss of original length upon shrinking than the other component by these amounts. This shrinkage ditferential induces a crimp in the composite filament.
• Too low a shrinkage differential results in a yarn which does not develop enough compression bulk to piece-dye satisfactorily. Too high a shrinkage differential results in a yarn which has a harsh hand. Also, a high shrinkage differential gives a high yarn shrinkage which, if too high, cannot be accommodated with existing carpet tufting equipment.
• polymer of acrylonitrile is meant a polymer composition which contains an average of at least about 70% acrylonitrile in the polymer molecules.
• the remainder of the polymer molecules may contain an average of up to about 30% of another ethylenically unsaturated material as is well known in the art.
• Illustrative of these other compounds which may be copolymerized with acrylonitrile to form polymers which can be used in the practice of the present invention are those which may be found, for example, in US. Patent 3,104,938, issued Sept. 24, 1963, and US. Patent 3,040,008, issued June 19, 1962, and in the various other United States patents mentioned therein.
• the individual bicomponent fibers used in the piecedyeable carpet fabric of this invention resemble helical springs when viewed under a microscope.
• the coils of this spring will be in one direction for several coils and then in the other direction for several coils. These reversals, seen throughout the fiber length, are caused by restraints when the fiber crimp is developed and are believed to provide a higher yarn bulk than in fiber with a symmetrical helical shape. It may be visualized that this configuration will resist deformation in any lateral direction unlike a fiber hving only co-planar crimp.
• bicomponent fiber of the type defined above is stretched at a temperature required to temporarily remove the helical crimp and is cooled under tension. After the fiber is mechanically crimped to give it co-planar bale crimp, it is cut into staple and converted to carpet yarn. The yarn is of relatively low bulk at this stage since the fibers therein do not exhibit their latent helical crimp. The yarn is converted into carpet fabric and then dyed.
• the aqueous dyebath containing conventional acrylic dye must be at a temperature between about 180 and 270 F. While in the dyebath, the bale crimp disappears. The latent helical crimp is developed and the yarn in the carpet fabric becomes bulky. Intrinsic crimping forces are only slightly nullified by the tension involved in transporting the carpet in and out of the dyebath. The wet dyed carpet fabric is then dried conventionally.
• the dyed carpet fabric thus produced even without elaborate post-dyeing treatment, will be observed to be high in value in that it is of high bulk as compared to conventional carpet fabric of the same weight. It will have very little surface fuzz, will be substantially free of pile lay or lean out, and in multi-level carpets, it will be free of fuzz on the lower levels as well.
• Example 1 Two spinning solutions A and B were formed as follows:
• spinning solutions A and B were metered separately, but concurrently side by side through each hole of a spinnerette, at a weight ratio of 72 parts of solution A to 28 parts of solution B, into a sodium thiocyanate coagulating bath to form bicomponent filaments.
• the filaments were washed, stretched to 10 times their length and dried.
• These composite fibers were further subjected to steam under pressure at a temperature of 270 F. and allowed to shrink 40% of their stretched length.
• the resultant high degree of crimp was removed by restretching the fibers in a hot 1% aqueous solution of an antistatic-lubricating textile aid, by the minimum amount sufficient to just remove said crimp. Minimum temperatures required to remove the crimp without damage to the fiber were used.
• the straightened fibers were mechanically crimped, dried and cut into 4 inch staple.
• the mechanically crimped, undeveloped, staple fibers were processed into 2 ply 50s (Philadelphia count) greige carpet yarn of 4.0 t.p.i. (twists per inch) in singles and 2.5 t.p.i. in the plied yarn.
• the yarn had a specific bulk of 6.0 cm. g. After a sample of this yarn was immersed in boiling water and then dried, it had a specific bulk of 12.8 cm. /g. and had shrunk 25.0%.
• Multilevel pile carpet was made from the greige yarn and piece-dyed in equipment commercially used for piecedyeing nylon carpet at 208 F. to 212 F. for 2%. hours followed directly by drying at 250 to 290 F. without jet-steaming, back-beating, shearing or any other special procedures. Examination of the dyed carpet before and after drying indicated that in both cases the tufts were erect and pattern definition was excellent. There was substantially no pile lay, no lean out, very little fuzz at any level and the carpet had a pleasant, firm hand which gave the impression of containing more fiber than a comparable weight stock-dyed acrylic carpet. There was no loss of value.
• Example 2 A bicomponent fiber was prepared as in Example 1 from 50 parts of solution A and 50 parts of Solution C of the following composition:
• Example 1 The remainder of the fibers were processed into yarn as in Example 1. It had a specific bulk of 3.5 cm. g. A sample of the yarn was immersed in boiling water and then dryed. It had a specific bulk of 8.5 cm. g. and had shrunk 30% The remainder of this yarn was tufted into carpet fabric and dyed as in Example 1. Examination of the dyed carpet fabric indicated substantially no pile lay, no lean out and very little fuzz at any level. Again, there was no loss of value.
• Example 3 Spinning solution A was extruded through a spinnerette into an aqueous sodium thiocyanate coagulating medium to form monocomponent filaments. The filaments were washed to further remove the solvent, stretched to ten times their extruded length, and then dried. The denier of the stretched fibers before drying was approximately denier per filament. These fibers are identified as fiber 3A. Monocomponent fibers were spun under identical conditions from spinning solution B. These fibers are identified as fiber 3B. In a like manner, monocomponent fibers (identified as fiber 3C) were spun from a spinning solution C.
• the amount of fiber shrinkage in each case at 10 increments over this temperature range is shown in Table I. Shrinkage was calculated as the stretched length of the fibers minus the final relaxed fiber length divided by the final fiber length.
• Each of the fibers was spun into 2-ply 50s resultant count carpet yarn of 4.0 x 2.5 twist.
• the resultant yarn count is the count (on the worsted system using Philadelphia counts) of the fiber after boiling, the yarn being originally spun to a lower count. Again, these yarns had approximately the same properties with respect to specific bulk and yarn shrinkage as shown in the following table.
• Yarn 3A was tufted into 32 oz./yd. commercial multilevel W and A carpets and piece-dyed in rope form in a dye beck at 200 to 210 F. An evaluation of the finished carpet showed severe lean-out, pile lay and considerable surface fuzz in the lower levels of the carpet.
• Example 4 The following experiment was conducted to demonstrate the piece-dyeing technique as applied to a carpet prepared from producers high bulk yarn.
• Producers high bulk yarns are a blend of high-shrinkage and low shrinkage staple fibers.
• Fiber 3A prepared from spinning solution A described in Example 3 was restretched 1.3 times its shrunken length in 180 F. water prior to crimping and staple cutting, thereby imparting a potential shrinkage of 23% upon reexposure to 200 F. water.
• a staple blend of fibers containing 40% of the stretched fiber thus prepared and 60% of unstretched fiber 3A was made into 2-ply 50s resultant count carpet yarn as shown in Example 3.
• the resulting yarn had the following properties:
• the unbulked producers high bulk yarn of this example was tufted into carpets and dyed as in Example 3, employing post-dyeing corrective procedures designed to restore the tufts to an erect position and toeliminate fuzz.
• the carpet exhibited fair bulk and cover and very little lean-out. However, it had excessive fuzz on the lower level of the pile.
• the carpet had a loss of value and a gard as compared to the other yarns tested. This test, therefore, shows the superiority of the yarns of the present invention over the range of forces incurred during piece dyeing.
• the Thls example demohstrates the dlfferhce P carpet of the yarn of the present invention may be sub SI1 bulk Vah1e f VaFIPUS yp of lf Yearnsl lfichld' jected to hot-dry conditions or hot-wet conditions not conlflg y 0f thls lhventlOIl P p as In p h 1 and nected with the dyeing operation to thereby produce an Y Prepared from mohocomphheht acryhc fiber undyed carpet with developed bulk.
• the latter may then (the yarn of Example 3); producers high bulk yarns (the be dyed by conventional means. yarns of Example 4); and yarns prepared from Orlon We claim; 33 acrylic fiber.
• the latter fiber is a blend of bicomponent A yarn composed f bicomponent fib f acwlofiber Wlth reverebh?
• a piece-dyeable carpet fabric prepared from the acrylic yarn were exposed to a series of wetting and dryyarn of claim 1. ing treatments which simulate piece-dyeing operations. 4.
• a piece-dyeable carpet fabric prepared from the These treatments are (1) exposure to 200 F. water for yarn of claim 2. 5 minutes followed by (2) dipping in and out of 200 F. 5.
• Dyed yarn prepared from bicomponent fibers of water (minimum time lapse) followed by (3) drying at acrylonitrile polymer, the fibers being characterized by temperatures up to 200 F. for 15 minutes. Tumble drying an irreversible helical crimp, said yarn having a comwas used to simulate back-beating, a post-dyeing restorapression bulk of at least 6.0 cc./ g. measured under a load tive procedure. The compression 'bulk of the yarn under of 18 g./inch of yarn, said compression bulk remaining increasing compressional forces was measured while the at a level of at least 6.0 cc./ g.
• Example 1 (this invention) 3. 0 10.7 10. 5 15. 7 10.0 8.6 8.5 11.0 18.0 7.5 7.3 9.2
• Example 2 (this invention) 3. 0 10. 6 10. 5 16. 3 10.0 9.0 9.1 11.0 18.0 7.7 8.0 10.1
• Example 3 Fiber 3A 3. 0 8. 5 8.0 10.8 10.0 5.2 5.8 6.5 18.0 5.3 4.9 5.3
• Example 4 (producers high bulk) 3. 0 10.5 9.1 18. 5 10.0 0.3 5.3 9.2 18.0 4.6 4.5 5.2 0r1on 33 acrylic fiber. 3.0 8. 5 12. 1 19. 0 10.0 5.6 7.8 13.4 18.0 4.9 5.8 10.3
• the yarns of the present invention are shown to be definitely superior in this reirreversible helical crimp, said yarn having a specific bulk of at least 7.0 cc./ g. after exposure to water at 200 F.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Yarns And Mechanical Finishing Of Yarns Or Ropes (AREA)
• Artificial Filaments (AREA)
• Carpets (AREA)

Priority Applications (13)

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Publications (1)

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Citations (6)

• 1966
  • 1966-04-13 US US542223A patent/US3415051A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1967
  • 1967-03-11 GR GR670132673A patent/GR32673B/el unknown
  • 1967-03-12 IL IL27575A patent/IL27575A/en unknown
  • 1967-03-21 GB GB03265/67A patent/GB1180587A/en not_active Expired
  • 1967-04-06 DE DE19671660178 patent/DE1660178A1/de active Pending
  • 1967-04-11 FR FR102305A patent/FR1518428A/fr not_active Expired
  • 1967-04-11 SE SE04998/67A patent/SE334702B/xx unknown
  • 1967-04-12 BE BE696920A patent/BE696920A/fr unknown
  • 1967-04-12 AT AT346367A patent/AT294720B/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1967-04-12 LU LU53400D patent/LU53400A1/xx unknown
  • 1967-04-12 CH CH519767A patent/CH485047A/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1967-04-13 NL NL6705221A patent/NL6705221A/xx unknown
  • 1967-04-13 ES ES339232A patent/ES339232A1/es not_active Expired

Patent Citations (6)

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