GB1043402A - Wool and wool-blend fabrics and method of making the same - Google Patents

Abstract

1,043,402. Treating woollen fabrics; textile treating apparatus. STEVENS & CO. Inc. J. P. March 25, 1963 [March 26, 1962; March 13, 1963], No. 11675/63. Headings D1L and D1P. A woven woollen fabric which may be stretched by an additional 6% in one direction and will return to its original state when the stretching force is released, is produced by wetting a woven fabric in which at least either of the sets of warp and weft yarns consist at least in part of wool fibres with a relaxing agent which is an agent capable of rupturing the disulphide bonds in the wool molecule, applying tension to one of the sets of yarns to permit the other set of yarns containing the wool fibres to move relative thereto and subjecting the fabric while in a smooth state in the presence of the relaxing agent to a temperature sufficient to increase the crimp frequency of the yarns containing the wool fibres by at least 6% and impart a permanent set thereto. The fabric treated may comprise wool fibres alone or in admixture with polyester, polyamide, acrylic, viscose rayon or cotton fibres and may be composed of yarns having a worsted twist factor of 1.5-4. Suitable relaxing agents are solutions of alkali metal, ammonium or organic amine sulphites, bisulphites, sulphoxylates and hydrosulphites, mercapto acids, mercapto alcohols, alkali metal borohydrides and alkali metal stannites. After impregnation with the relaxing agent the fabric may be squeezed until it has a liquid content of 50-130% by weight, subjected to a warpwise tension of 5-100 Ibs, heated by steaming at 210‹-225‹F. for 1/2-4 minutes and cooled by means of cold water or cool air. The fabric may subsequently be fixed by treatment with a dilute solution of formic or acetic acid, an alkali metal carbonate, hydrogen peroxide, sodium persulphate, water soluble zinc salts or alkaline dihalides. As shown in Figs. 1 and 1A the fabric 10 may be impregnated with a solution of the relaxing agent in tanks 15 and 19, passed between a pair of squeeze rolls 22 and 23 of which the upper roll 22 is loaded to leave a pick up of 50-130% of the fabric weight, passed over guide roll 26, under control roll 25 which actuates a control box 28 which is connected to the drive of rolls 22 and 23, over guide roll 26 and under guide roll 27 into autoclave 31 supplied with steam from supply pipe 37 through headers 38, through a vestibule 33 having a seal 34 to minimize the escape of steam. The rolls 35 and 36 in the autoclave are driven at a predetermined rate by a suitable adjustable variable speed drive mechanism (not shown). The fabric passes from the autoclave through exit vestibule 39 having a seal 40, passed around guide roll 41, under control roll 42, over guide roll 43, is cooled by cold water from spray header 49, scoured in scouring unit 60, passed through a series of unit 60A, 60B and 60C, 60A containing fixing agent, 60B containing desizing agent and 60C containing water for rinsing and further rinsed in tank 66 by spraying from spray header 67. 15 may then be folded by folder 70 and dried.