GB1161294A - Process for Napping Simulated Fur Fabrics of Acrylic Polymer Composite Fibres - Google Patents

Abstract

1,161,294. Finishing fabrics. JAPAN EXLAN CO. Ltd. 14 Nov., 1966 [13 Nov., 1965], No. 51003/66. Heading D1S. A simulated fur fabric is made by subjecting a pile fabric containing acrylic composite fibres to a temperature of at least 50‹C in the presence of moisture, applying a light frictional napping motion to the surface of the fabric and drying the treated fabric at a temperature of at least 60‹C. The expression "acrylic composite fibres" denotes fibres in which two or more acrylic polymers having different thermal properties are eccentrically arranged along the lengths of the fibres. After treatment, three dimensional coil crimps are produced as a consequence of the different thermal properties of the polymers. Suitable acrylic polymers are those of acrylonitrile. with at least one other ethylenically unsaturated monomer copolymerizable therewith, e.g. vinyl acetate, vinyl pyridine, acrylic and methacrylic esters, vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, allylsulphonic acid, metharylsulphonic acid and styrenesulphonic acids. Unshrinkable and shrinkable acrylic composite fibres may be used either separately or together. The fabric may additionally contain natural fibres, e.g. wool, regenerated cellulosic fibres or thermoplastic synthetic fibres, e.g. mechanically or two-dimensionally crimped acrylic fibres. In one Example, a tufted fabric comprising acrylic composite fibres prepared as described in Specification No. 1,059,197 blended with regular acrylic fibres, is dyed in a winch dyeing machine and the tufts are raised by a tigering machine and are then shorn two or three times to make them uniform in length. The fabric 1, Fig. 3, is sprayed at 2 with steam or hot water maintained at 50‹C- 100‹C to temporarily soften the tulfted acrylic composite fibres. An expander device 3 grips both longitudinal edges of the fabric 1 which then passes onto a moving support 5 which. may be heated and which is provided with stainless steel pins, Fig. 4 (not shown). The surface of the fabric is held in contact with a corrugated hard rubber element 4 which is given either a reciprocating motion or a circular motion to nap the surface. The napped fabric is dried at a temperature of 75‹C-90‹C in a rotary drum dryer, Fig. 6 (not shown), with its napped side facing towards the centre of the dryer which is driven at 0.8-1.0 revolutions per second, the direction of rotation being reversed every 10 seconds.