GB1100683A - Improvements in the production of regenerated cellulose fabrics - Google Patents

Abstract

Fabrics having attractive visual effects are produced by weaving a fabric having an aggregate cover factor of at least 160 from regenerated cellulose continuous filament yarns of which at least the warp or weft is of crosslinked regenerated cellulose, exposing the fabric to hot, aqueous conditions enabling yarn shrinkage and simultaneously or subsequently submitting the fabric, in the presence of a liquid, to agitation enabling relative movement of the yarns in the fabric. The aggregate cover factor is defined as the sum of the cover factors calculated for the warp and weft, the cover factor in each direction being calculated from the formula C=N\stD in which C is the cover factor, N is the number of threads per inch and D is the denier of the yarn. The crosslinking may be effected on the filaments in the form of a heavy-denier filamentary tow before or after they have been dried for the first time after their production, or they may be impregnated as never-dried tow with the cross-linking agent which may then be cured after the tow has been dried or after it has been converted into yarns. Alternatively both the impregnation and curing may be carried out on the yarn itself. The cross-linking agent may be a ureaformaldehyde resin or reactant resin but is preferably formaldehyde catalysed by magnesium chloride or other metal salts, the warp and weft yarns being subjected to the same or different cross-linking treatments. The fabric may be exposed to shrinkage conditions by immersing it in a hot aqueous bath which may be a water bath or dye bath having a temperature of at least 70 DEG C, or by passing it into or through a chamber containing steam, optionally under pressure. The agitation may effected in a washing machine or on a dyeing winch.