GB1576885A - Process for the texturizing and heat-setting of textile materials - Google Patents

Description

(54) A PROCESS FOR THE TEXTURIZING AND HEAT-SETTING OF TEXTILE MATERIALS (71) We, MARTIN PROCESSING, INC., a Corporation organised and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, United States of America, of Martinsville, Virginia 24112, United States of America, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to the texturizing and heat-setting of textile materials.

In our copending application No. 53151/76 (Serial No. 1,551,367) we have described and claimed a process for the rapid, continuous and waterless dyeing of textile and plastics materials in an essentially closed system, which comprises contacting the said material with a dyestuff dissolved or suspended or dispersed in a high boiling organic liquid at an elevated dyeing temperature, said organic liquid being free or substantially free of water and sufficiently high boiling to be usable at said elevated temperature, cooling the dyed textile or plastic material, washing the same with a low boiling organic liquid which is free or substantially free of water, of lower boiling point that the high boiling liquid, and sufficiently low boiling to be volatilisable in the drying step defined below, drying the washed, dyed textile or plastic material to remove the low boiling organic liquid therefrom recycling the partially exhausted dyestuff liquor from the dyeing step back to the dyeing step for the dyeing of further textile or plastic material, recovering the wash liquor, separating therefrom the low boiling organic liquid, recycling said low boiling organic liquid to the washing step, also separating from the wash liquor the residual high boiling liquid containing residual dyestuff and recycling this liquid to the dyeing step, and recovering the low boiling liquid vaporised from the textile material in the drying step and recycling it to the washing step.Since the high boiling organic solvent, and low boiling organic liquid, and the dyestuff are recovered and recycled in an essentially closed system there are resulting advantages in minimizing or eliminating water and air pollution which heretofore have created serious environmental problems. In addition, the process of the prior application provides substantial economies in energy requirements. This process is illustrated schematically by Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

We have now found that the dyeing procedure of the above-mentioned copending application may, when a textile material such as a woven or knitted fabric is treated, be replaced by, or combined with, a texturizing and heat-setting operation. This gives an improved textile finishing operation that can combine both texturizing and heat-setting on the one hand with dyeing on the other hand, all in one combined operation and therefore with very substantial savings in processing costs.

A textile material such as woven or knitted fabric has a substantially higher surface-to-volume ratio than a plastics material in the form of a film, because of the yarn structure of textile material. Consequently, there is normally a certain amount of moisture pickup from the atmosphere and some texturizing and heat-setting takes place when a textile material is brought into contact with a hot high boiling organic liquid. However, to secure a really significant degree of texturizing and heat-setting, it is necessary, or at least highly desirable, to pre-treat textile material to incorporate therein a low boiling liquid texturizing agent and then contact the material with a hot high boiling organic liquid.

The present invention accordingly provides a process for texturizing and heatsetting textile material which comprises contacting textile material impregnated with a low boiling liquid texturizing agent with a high boiling organic liquid at an elevated temperature, the amount and boiling point of the low boiling texturizing agent and temperature of contact being sufficient to cause flash evaporation of the said agent on contact with the high boiling organic liquid so as to texturize and heat-set the textile material, the high boiling liquid being only partially vaporised at the temperature of contact, cooling the texturized textile material, washing the same with a low boiling organic liquid which is free or substantially free of water, and sufficiently low boiling to be volatilisable in the drying step below and drying the washed, texturizea textile material remove the low boiling organic liquid therefrom, the low boiling texturizing agent evaporated during the texturizing and heat-setting being removed from the elevated temperature textile material contacting zone as a mixture thereof with vapour of the high boiling organic liquid, and the low boiling organic wash liquid from the washing step and the low boiling organic wash liquid vaporized from the textile material during the drying step being both recovered and recycled to the washing step.

It will be appreciated that the term "low boiling" in relation to the texturising agent and "high boiling" in connection with the organic liquid are used relatively to the temperature of contact and therefore to each other. The term "low boiling" in relation to the organic liquid used in the washing step merely signifies that is of sufficiently low boiling point to be removed in the drying step.

This process may be operated very conveniently by simply passing woven or knitted textile material through a bath of low boiling liquid texturizing agent (such as water or methanol) so as to incorporate therein a predetermined amount of low boiling liquid texturizing agent, e.g. 10 to 600/,, on a weight basis.Where water is selected as the low boiling liquid texturizing agent, a convenient way of incorporating the desired amount of water in the woven or knitted textile material is to contact same with steam from a series of steam jets, or else with very fine jets of water, with the jets placed above and/or below the path of travel of the textile material just prior to its contact with the hot high boiling organic liquid; for example, as the woven or knitted textile material is introduced into the process via an otherwise conventional tenter-frame arrangement.

Thus, in order to effect the texturizing and heat-setting mentioned above, the.

textile material undergoing processing is first treated with a low boiling texturizing agent, such as water or methanol in the liquid phase, or in the case of water, in the form of steam or very fine sprays. The amount of low boiling texturizing agent employed for this purpose will vary, depending on the degree of texturizing desired.

It is preferably in the range of from 10 to 60% by weight, based on the weight of the textile material. It is of course necessary to employ sufficient of the low boiling texturizing agent to impart the desired degree of texturizing and heat-setting, while at the other extreme it is necessary to avoid employing so much as to defeat the purpose of the texturizing operation. The amount, in any case, will be such that when the textile material containing the low boiling texturizing agent in liquid phase is subjected to the hot dyestuff-containing high boiling organic solvent, this brings about an "explosion", as it were, or a flash evaporation of the low boiling liquid to vapour, thus producing a volumization or bulking of the textile material.

The net result of this procedure is to bring about the desired texturizing and heatsetting of the textile material.

Figure 2 of the accompanying drawing, when read together with Figure 1 shows operation of the process of the present invention combined with a dyeing operation by the process of our Application No. 53151/76, (Serial No. 1,551,367), as shown in Figure 1 hereof. Referring first to Figure 2, the textile material is first passed through a trough 200 containing the low boiling liquid texturizing agent by means of a series of guide rolls 202, and thence between squeeze rolls 204 by means of which the liquid texturizing agent in excess of the desired predetermined amount to be left in the textile material is removed and (in the case of methanol) returned to the trough 200 via line 206. When methanol is used, suitable hoods or enclosures (not shown) are provided for the protection of the workmen and to minimize any fire hazard. The thus-treated textile material is then passed to the dyeing apparatus 2. There it is subjected to the action of an appropriate dyestuff dissolved, suspended or dispersed in a suitable high boiling organic liquid such as ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, propylene glycol, or the methyl- or ethyl- mono- or di-ether of such glycols.

The partially exhausted dyestuff liquor is removed from the dyeing apparatus 2 via line 3 from which it passes to a storage chamber or sump 4 (refer to Figure 1) for the residual dyestuff-high boiling liquid mixture. From sump 4 the dyestuff-high boiling liquid mixture is recycled via line 5 to the dyeing apparatus 2 passing through a conventional heat exchanger 5a (see Figure 1) to adjust it to the desired temperature of dyeing.

Make-up dyestuff is added to sump 4 when and as needed via line 6 (see Figure 1) and make-up high boiling liquid is added to sump 4 when and as needed via line 7 (see Figure 1).

The textile material passes from the dyeing chamber via line 8 to a cooling chamber 9. There the dyed textile material is cooled from a temperature of just below the normal boiling point of the high boiling organic solvent down to a temperature of (for example) about 140"F by passing cooling air into the chamber 9 via line 10 and out via line 11. Excess non-fixed dyestuff and excess high boiling liquid is removed from the textile material by conventional means (not shown) such as by passing the textile material between squeeze rolls near the exit end of the cooling chamber 9. This excess non-fixed dyestuff in admixture with the excess high boiling liquid is returned to the dyestuff liquor sump 4 via line 3a.

The dyed material, now cooled and at least partially freed of excess non-fixed dyestuff and excess high boiling liquid, is shown at 12 as passing into a low boiling organic liquid washing device 13 (see Figure 1) where it is subjected to washing to remove residual high boiling liquid and residual (non-fixed) dyestuff. The organic wash liquid may conveniently be methanol or other low boiling aliphatic alcohol or a chlorinated paraffinic hydrocarbon especially CH2CI2, CC14 or CHCl3. Methanol is preferred.

Referring to Figure 1 wash liquor leaves the methanol washer 13 via line 14 and is passed to recovery apparatus 15 which may suitably take the form of distillation apparatus. There the relatively volatile low boiling organic liquid, such as methanol, is distilled away from the high boiling liquid, condensed and returned via line 16 to the methanol washing apparatus 13. Make-up methanol may be introduced when and as needed via line 17.

Returning to the separatory or distillation apparatus 15, the recovered high boiling organic liquid with the residual dyestuff which remains after the vapourisation of the methanol therefrom is recycled via line 18 to the partially exhausted dyestuff liquor sump 4, whereby it is returned to the dyeing operation carried out in dyeing apparatus 2.

The textile material after the washing step is passed as shown by reference numeral 22 into the dryer 23 where it is contacted with air introduced via line 24.

This air may be warm or hot, as obtained from a heating device (not shown). The air passes through and/or in contact with the washed textile material picking up residual low boiling organic liquid still clinging to the textile material, and leaves the drying device 23 via line 25. The air leaving via line 25, and carrying vapours of the low boiling organic liquid, is then passed into a condenser 20 where the low boiling organic liquid is recovered and recycled to the methanol washing step via line 21. The air is removed from the condenser 20 via conventional vent means not shown. Alternatively, the methanol vapour (with residual air) leaving via line 25 may be separately disposed of, such as by burning in a waste heat boiler (not shown) to effect still further economies in operation.

In this manner the dyed, (optionally) cooled, washed and dried textile material leaves the dryer 23 as shown at 26 as a finished dyed textile material ready for such other textile treating operations as may be desired.

The low boiling texturising agent present in the textile material in liquid phase, and which thereafter is subjected to the relatively high temperature of the hot dyestuff-containing high boiling organic solvent in 2, flashes off during the dyeing operation and is removed via line 210. This low boiling liquid which is flashed off in the form of vapour will then be associated with some vapour of the high boiling organic solvent, some of which indeed may be present in the form of particles of "mist". This mixture is passed through a recovery system which may take the form of a condenser and/or filter 212, thereby assuring the separation and removal of substantially all of the high boiling organic solvent including the mist particles.The condensate and/or filtrate may then be passed to a fractionator 214 for the removal of substantially all of the low boiling liquid, with the remaining high boiling organic solvent being recycled to the dyestuff sump 4 via line 216. The low boiling liquid (if methanol) is thus separated and reused, or in the case of water, it will be evaporated from the high boiling liquid in the dyestuff sump 4. In the event the low boiling texturising agent is methanol, the reclaimed methanol may be conveniently condensed and recycled for use at a later stage of the process such as in the washing step. On the other hand, the reclaimed methanol without condensation may be sent directly to a waste heat boiler where it can be burned, thereby reducing the energy requirements for the system derived from the burning of valuable fossil fuels.

Alternatively, the low boiling texturising agent may be introduced into the textile material in the desired predetermined amounts, via sprays of fine jets of liquid water or methanol, or jets of steam, located above and/or below the path of travel of the textile material just prior to its introduction to the dyeing step 2.

The texturising and heat-setting is performed under controlled conditions of a predetermined relatively high temperature and a predetermined content of low boiling liquid texturising agent. The textile material when in the form of woven or knitted fabric may be conveniently introduced into the process by means of a conventional tenter-frame that can be adjusted to overfeed the textile material lengthwise, and including also provision for narrowing the tenter-frame to texturise widthwise as well. In this way the degree of texturising and heat-setting in either the length direction or the width direction (or both) may readily be controlled.

If it is desired only to texturise and heat-set the textile material without at the same time dyeing same, it is only necessary to refrain from adding a dyestuff to the high boiling organic liquid and instead otherwise proceed as already described above.

Most yarns to be texturised for weaving or knitting are in the 100 denier range.

The actual cost in the U.S.A. at the date of this invention of separately texturising 100 denier yarn is about $0.22 per pound. To texturise a 30 denier yarn costs about $1.10 per pound, since the machine time for 30 denier yarn is about four times the machine time for 100 denier yarn for equivalent number of pounds produced. At the present time, due to high cost there are no fabrics available made from texturised 30 denier yarns. By weaving or knitting an untexturised 30 denier yarn and then texturising the resulting woven or knitted article as described herein, the texturising can be done at substantially no additional cost during the dyeing operation.The remarkable savings thus made possible by the present improved operation combining both texturising and dyeing offer vast possibilities for increased markets for texturised and heat-set woven and knitted textile materials of the finest denier. Consequently, the industry will have available a wider selection of textile materials readily adaptable for fabrication into natural-silk-like articles of manufacture.

It should be mentioned that when the procedures described herein include a texturising and heat-setting operation, either alone or in combination with dyeing, it is important that the textile material shall be in a relaxed or relatively untensioned condition during the texturising. This can be assured by supporting the textile material on an endless travelling tenter-frame.

It will be understood that no claim is made broadly to texturising per se, since such texturising has long been known; e.g. see United States Reissue Patent No.

Re. 27,773. The treatment described herein may also have the additional beneficial effect of minimizing pilling when treating, e.g., polyester-see United States Patent No. 2,938,811.

Still further details on texturising are as follows: Texturising and voluminising may be performed on a Hermesol machine (see United States Patent 4,055,971).

The greige goods coming off the loom or knitting machine are fed into a tenterframe, with over-feeding of the material. On the way to the dyeing chamber, the textile material is wettted between 20 and 60 /" with a low boiling solvent. As the tenter-frame enters the Hermesol dyeing chamber, the tenter-frame, with the textile material in place, is contracted to a predetermined width.

Immediately upon entry of the wetted textile material into the dyeing chamber, an "explosion" occurs; thus causing the yarn, in both the widthwise and lengthwise directions, to become entangled, thus texturising the yarn in a woven or knitted fabric. It is thus possible to by-pass a separate expensive texturising process of synthetic materials in yarn form.

For further refinements which may be carried out, reference is made to United States Patent No. 3,530,214 entitled "Method for Treating Textile Materials to Uniformly Set Their Shape"; to United States Reissue Patent No. 27,773 entitled "Method for the Continuous Texturising or Voluminising of Textile Materials"; and to United States Patent No. 2,938,811 entitled "Method of Conditioning Polyester Textile Material and the Resulting Products".

The following Examples illustrate the invention.

In all the Examples, the fabrics were constructed of untexturised, drawn yarns.

The following procedure was used. The fabric was wetted with a very fine water spray (as the low boiling liquid texturising agent) before entering the dyeing chamber. In all cases the high boiling liquid in the dyeing chamber was ethylene glycol. For the polyester fabrics, the high boiling liquid was at a temperature of 175"C, while for the polyamide, the temperature of the high-boiling liquid was 155"C. While the fabric was being texturised and voluminised in the dyeing chamber, it was simultaneously heat-set; thus saving another expensive operation in conventional fabric finishing. The exposure time in the chamber was 20 seconds.

After the fabric had been passed through the dyeing chamber, it was then cooled in another chamber and here the excess ethylene glycol was removed from the fabric.

The fabric was then washed in methanol, excess methanol was removed and the fabric was then dried at 930C. The ethylene glycol and methanol were re-cycled.

EXAMPLE 1 A woven polyamide fabric, constructed with a 60 denier warp and a 70 denier filling i.e. weft, weighing 50 grams per square metre, after texturising as previously hereinbefore described, weighed 86 grams per square metre showing a texturising and shrinkage of 22 /n in the warm and 22 /" in the filling. Another woven polyamide fabric constructed of a 70 denier warp and 70 denier filling weighed 51 grams per square metre before texturising. After texturising, it weighed 82 grams per square metre showing a texturising and shrinkage of 22% in the warp and 17% in the filling.

EXAMPLE 2 A woven polyester fabric, constructed with 3 ply, 100 denier polyester yarn in both warp and filling before texturising, weighed 115 grams per square metre, and after texturising, 177 grams per square metre, showing a warp shrinkage of 19 /" and a filling shrinkage of 18%.

EXAMPLE 3 A woven polyester and wool fabric constructed of 3 ply, 100 denier in the warp and 100% wool in the filling, weighed 139 grams per square metre. After texturising, it weighed 169 grams per square metre, showing a shrinkage of 18% in the warp and 4% voluminising of the wool.

EXAMPLE 4 A polyamide, tubular, knitted fabric, constructed of 110 denier yarn, weighed 121 grams per square metre, and after texturising, the weight was 169 grams per square metre.

EXAMPLE 5 A polyester, tubular, knitted fabric, constructed of 100 denier polyester, weighed 118 grams per square metre, and after texturising, 198 grams per square metre.

EXAMPLE 6 Woven polyester fabric constructed with 70 denier polyester yarn in both warp and filling weighed 40 grams per square metre and after texturising as hereinbefore described, 61 grams per square metre. The warp showed a texturising and shrinkage of 20%, while the filling showed 17%. In the previous Examples, only clear ethylene glycol was used in the "dyeing chamber". In the present Example 2, grams of C.I. Disperse Blue No. 56 per litre was added to the ethylene glycol resulting in a deep blue dyeing on the polyester material. Otherwise, the fabric was handled as described before. In one operation, the textile material was texturised, voluminised, heat-set and dyed. The washing of dyed materials in methanol is superior to the use of any other washing or cleaning method.In the case of dyed polyester, it is unnecessary to give a chemical wash to remove excess and unfixed dyestuff to prevent crocking.

EXAMPLE 7 A polyamide flat-knitted fabric, constructed of 30 denier polyamide weighing 55 grams before texturising and 78 grams after texturising as hereinbefore described, was exposed in the dyeing chamber at a temperature of 155"C, to ethylene glycol containing 3 grams per litre of C.I. Acid Red No. 151 (C. I. 26900).

The fabric was dyed a deep red. Here again, the fabric was texturised, heat-set and dyed in one operation.

In practising this invention, it may also be advantageous to include in the higher boiling liquid one or more additives to impart resistance to ultra-violet degradation, especially for polyester and nylon, improved fastness to light, flame retardance or antistatic properties. For example, the following chemical reagents can be added to the dyebath 2 for the following objectives:: TABLE I Reagent Chemical Composition Fiber Advantages Uvinul* D-49 2,4-dimethoxy-benzophenone Polyester Greatly (made by General Aniline & (See U.S. improved Film (GAF)) Patent No. light 3,943,105) fastness & BR< fabric stability Uvinul* D-49 " Polyamide Improved (see U.S. light Patent No. fastness and 3,771,949) sunlight stability Tinuvin* 327 Benzotriazole derivative Polyamide Improved (made by Ciba/Geigy) (See U.S. light Patent No. fastness 3,771,949) Uvinul* 490 Benzophenone derivative Polyester Improved (made by GAF) (See. U.S. light Patent No. fastness and 3,943,105) fabric stability Anti-Blaze Chlorinated phosphonate Polyester Flame 19 (made by Mobil Chemical Polyamide retardance Co.) Firemaster* Tris-dibromopropyl- Polyester Flame 200 phosphate (made by Acrylic retardance Michigan Chemical Co.) *Registered Trade Marks in the U.K.

(See also U.S. Patent No. 3,943,105 for additional disclosure relative to ultraviolet absorbers).

At a later stage of the process, antistatic agents, oil and water repellants, softening and other hand-modifying agents or crease-resisting resins, may be applied to the fabric(s) such as at the location designated by reference numeral 22 in Figure 1 (i.e. between methanol washing and drying). These agents may be applied to the washed textile material in the form of a solution or dispersion of the selected agent in a solvent or other suitable carrier.

The following Table II illustrates these treatments: TABLE II Chemical Composition Reagent or Other Identification Fiber(s) Advantages Avitex E Antistatic Agent (made by Cellulosic, Excellent DuPont) animal and anti-static synthetic properties fibers, e.g. even at low Polyamide, humidities Polyester, Acrylic, Olefin, etc.

Siligan PA Antistatic Agent (made by BASF Wyandotte) Statexan* Antistatic Agent PKN (made by Bayer Farben Industries) Zepel* Fluorinated Compound Polyamide, Excellent oil, (made by DuPont) Polyester, water and soil Acrylic resistance and other synthetics, cellulosic, and animal fibers Scotchgard Fluorocarbon Compound (made by Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co.) Avitone* A Hand-modifier (made by Cellulosic Softening of DuPont) cellulosic fibers Ceramine HS Hand-modifier (made by Acrylic, Softening Sandoz Chemical Co.) Polyamide Agent Methanol Hand-modifier (made by Acrylic, Lubricant DuPont) Polyamide K Aerotex Melamine-formaldehyde resin Cellulosic Anti-crease Cream (made by American Cyanamid and blends properties Co.) of and cellulosic stabilization with synthetic fibers Ahcovel* Synthetic amine formaldehyde resin (made by Imperial Chemical Ind.) Rhonite Synthetic amine formaldehyde " R-l resin (made by Rohm & Haas Co.) *Registered Trade Marks in the U.K.

The process of this invention can thus provide a complete system for dyeing, texturising and heat-setting, and finishing (and various. combinations thereof) of a wide variety of fabrics and blends in a closed continuous environment.

Claims (15)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A process for texturizing and heat-setting textile material which comprises contacting textile material impregnated with a low boiling liquid texturizing agent with a high boiling organic liquid at an elevated temperature, the amount and boiling point of the low boiling texturizing agent and temperature of contact being sufficient to cause flash evaporation of the said agent on contact with the high boiling organic liquid so as to texturize and heat-set the textile material, the high boiling liquid being only partially vaporized at the temperature of contact, cooling the texturized textile material, washing the same with a low boiling organic liquid which is free or substantially free of water, and sufficiently low boiling to be volatilisable in the drying step below and drying the washed, texturized textile material to remove the low boiling organic liquid therefrom, the low boiling texturizing agent evaporated during the texturizing and heat-setting being removed from the elevated temperature textile material contacting zone as a mixture thereof with vapour of the high boiling organic liquid, and the low boiling organic wash liquid from the washing step and the low boiling organic wash liquid vaporized from the textile material during the drying step being both recovered and recycled to the washing step.

2. A process as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the high boiling organic liquid is ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, propylene glycol, or a methyl- or ethyl-, mono- or di-ether of such a glycol.

3. A process as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the high boiling organic liquid is a lower alkylene glycol.

4. A process as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the high boiling organic liquid is a lower alkyl ether of a lower alkylene glycol.

5. A process as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the low boiling organic liquid is a lower alkanol.

6. A process as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the low boiling organic liquid is methanol.

7. A process as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the low boiling organic liquid is CH2CI2, CCI4 or CHCl3.

8. A process as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the low boiling organic liquid is a chlorinated paraffinic hydrocarbon.

9. A process as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the high boiling organic liquid contains a dyestuff for the textile material dissolved, suspended or dispersed therein, so that the textile material is texturized, heat-set and dyed simultaneously.

10. A process as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 9, wherein the textile material is treated while in a substantially relaxed or untensioned condition.

11. A process as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein one or more additives for imparting resistance to ultraviolet degradation, improved fastness to light, flame retardance or antistatic properties are present in the high boiling liquid.

12. A process as claimed in any one of Claims I to 11, wherein one or more additives for imparting antistatic properties, oil and/or water repellancy, softening properties, or crease-resistance are applied to the textile material after washing and before drying.

13. Process as claimed in Claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

14. Process as claimed in Claim 1 substantially as described in any one of the foregoing Examples 1 to 7.

15. Textile materials texturized, heat-set and optionally dyed by the process of any one of the preceding claims.