IE46552B1 - Method of dyeing textile yarn and yarn produced by the method - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method of producing a finished textile yarn and to a finished textile yarn and a package of said yarn produced by the method.

The invention is particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with 5 yarn for the woven and tufted carpet manufacturing industry and may also be useful in the hosiery industry. Again, the invention is particularly concerned with the dyeing of yarns, but is also suitable for the application of bleaching, scouring, twist-setting and proofing agents or indeed any other yarn finishing process which requires applicatiQn°f a finishing agent to the yarn.

The conventional method of dyeing textile yarns is hank dyeing and this method gives excellent penetration of the yarn by the dye liquor, but the dyed hank has then to be re-wound into a rigid package form for most subsequent textile applications, such as carpet manufacture. The re-winding process is very labour-intensive and in order to avoid re-winding from hank it has been proposed to dye yarn in the form of a rigid package of yarn wound upon and/or supported by an inner former or core such as a bobbin, or cone.

Package dyeing, however, is prone to faults such as uneven dye 20 penetration and yarn dyed by the method tends to show defects in the form of specks and flattened portions.

Thi- method of the invention has accordingly been derived when applied to dyeing to obviate the above-mentioned disadvantages whilst relalnln some of the advantages of package dyeing and, when applied to other finishing processes to afford corresponding benefits.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of producing a finished textile yarn comprising applying a finishing agent to a textile yarn when in the form of a wound package of yarn having no support means interior of the package. The finishing agent 30 may be a fluid substance such as a liquid or it may be heat energy.

The liquid may comprise a dye. -2'16 3 5 2 The finishing agent may be applied to a plurality of packages at the same time. The application may be effected in a package dyeing muchine or a loose-stock dyeing machine. Tlie plurality of paCfcdCjtlS may be contained in a pel lueabJ e container such as a net bag. The finishing agent when a liquid may be applied in a iiquor-to-goods ratio of less than 12:1 or preferably less than 9:1 or even less than 6:1.

The package may be sufficiently tightly wound that it is rigid enough to support its own weight. Preferably the package will be constructed so that it can be unwound from the interior of the package. Again the package is preferably elongated in the direction of the axis of winding and has a cop-build structure.

The package may be wound in such u manner having regard to the twist in the yarn that the said twist is reduced on unwinding the package in the axial direction. The method may further comprise the step of producing the wound package of spun, folded or self-twisted yarn or a plurality of assembled yarns. The package may be produced by winding yarn in coils on to a bare spindle and withdrawing the yarn coils from the spindle. Coils of yarn already formed may be withdrawn from the spindle while other coils are being formed on the same spindle.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a package of finished yarn produced by any of the methods aforesaid.

According to a still further aspect the invention provides a yarn finished as aforesaid.

Non-limiting ex.-unpi. ·, of how the invention may be performed will now be described.

-J46552 Xn the first example, which relates to dyeing, an elonyated package of yarn is cop wound upon a bare spindle by rotating the spindle and by moving the spindle and a yarn feed device relative to one another to and fro in the direction of the axis of the spindle in the manner known in the art. When winding is complete the package is slid off the spindle, but although being now unsupported by an internal support means the package is sufficiently rigid to retain its shape, at least under the stress of its own weight, which among other features distinguishes a package from a hank, provided that the winding tension was suitable. Some collapse of the yarn windings in the centre of the package probably takes place as the spindle is withdrawn, but provided that the diameter of the spindle was small enough compared with the outer diameter of the package, this appears not substantially to detract from the rigidity of the package, and indued it loads l.o one of the advantages of dyeing according to the method of the invention over the known package dyeing methods.

The package and other similar packages are then paaked in a dyeing machine, such as a loose-stock pressure dyeing machine having a goods container of non-corrosive material such as stainless steel.

Compared with a package of the same length and containing the same quantity of yarn, a core-less package will have a smaller outer diameter, and the packages will therefore fit in the container more closely. Moreover, having no internal support structure, the packages are not so rigid that they cannot be bent, and so may be fitted around the circumferential surface of a cylindrical container. Bnause of the increased density of packaging of the packages, it is passible to dye the yarn with a lower liquor ratio than in the case of internally supported packages, say, down to 5:1 instead of 16:1 with the consequent saving in dyestuffs and in water or other solvent. -44 6 5 52 A typical dyeing routine f.’my comprise the steps of wetting out of the packages with liquor containing wetting agent but no dye at 195°!·' for 10-15 minutes followed by the addition of dye and levelling agent ami dyeing tot up to 60 minutes at that temperature.

The packages are then hydro-extracted and dried.

After drying, the packages may be used directly as supply packages for subsequent processes which require dyed yarns, such as knitting or weaving. Because the packages are sufficiently rigid to retain their shape under their own weight, the mounting of the packages on a creel is considerably simplified. The leading end of the yarn, in the sense of the end at which winding began, is withdrawn from the centre of the package without disturbing adjacent winding spirals and without the package as a whole losing its coherence. If the machine to be fed with yarn is narrow and many ends of yarn are to be fed thereto, the packages may be arranged parallel to one another and endwise to the machine so that many ends can be supplied from a creel of snail width.

A further advantage of having dyed yarn in the form of a core-less package is that the package can be broken, that is the package can be separated at the conical winding surface which is a known feature pf the cop-build structures, at any position along its lexigth apart from the nose of the package, whilst the yarn of which it is constructed remains united between the forward portion of the package and the rearward position. Thus, if towards the end ot a weaving process it is found that only half the quantity of yarn in a package is required to complete the process, the package can be broken mid-way along its length and the linking yarn severed, the forward portion of the package being used for the weaving process a..d the other being retained for future use. To a very close approximation each unit length of package contains an identical -5length of yarn, so that the length of package required can be accurately determined.

In addition to the primary advantage ol the elimination of the winding • nt.o and from hanks, the method also saves the cost of the cores . which packages are normally wound, and the return of the cores I tom package using to package forming stations. Because the packages of the invention comprise nothing but yarn they take up less storage space than cored packages, and yet in their preferred rigid form are as easy to handle. Of particularly importance, however, is the quality of the yarn dyed by this method. Possibly because of the withdrawal of tlie winding spindle the yarns appear relaxed and with full handle; they withdraw from the packages straight and without set-in kinks and without pressure marks.

In a further example of tlie method of the invention, a two-fold carpet yarn of 2/50 Dewsbury Count comprising 80% wool and 20% nylon is withdrawn from its supply package over end so as to reduce the twist therein, and is wound as in the first example. 150 lb. of the yarn in the form pf internally unsupported packages is loaded into a liquor-circulating dyeing machine and the material pretreated in water aL 5ouC for 20 minutes in order to remove spinning lubricant. This i.s followed by a thorough wash-off. A fresh bath of water is then run into the machine and the material pre-treated with dyeing assistants, for example. 1.0% Albegal C(Ciba/Geigy) and 2% of 80% Acetic Acid, at 6O°C for 20 minutes. Dissolved dyestuff is added along with 1.0 g/l of a product such as Irgasolvent CLW (Ciba/Geigy), and allowed to circulate at 60°C for 5 minutes to ensure full distribution throughout the packages of yarn in the machine. The Lemperature of tlie liquor in the dyeing machine i.s then raised to 90 C or aboveditting a lo minute period. The celling teinporuLure i t then maintained for a further 45 minutes. Throughout the dyeing cycle the circulation in the machine is reversed at 5 minute intervals.

The dye formula comprises: -64 6 3 5 2 i.‘H Polar Pcuriet <>'ii (Ciha/Gnlgy) (('.I. Acid Ned i) mid o.2‘it Polar Red HS (Ciba/Geigy) (C.I. Acid Red 99) At the completion of the dyeing cycle excellent exhaustion is observed, the dyed material is then washed off in the machine, hydroextracted and dried.

Packages of yarn processed as above were taken and tested at random and shown to have complete penetration and levelness from exterior to interior, whilst the physical condition of the yarn was comparable from exterior to interior, showing no signs of yarn deformation in the interior normally associated with the package dyeing of carpet, hosiery or yarns of similar construction.

Fastness tests by British Standard methods of yarn taken from the above packages gave a light fastness of 5+.

Carpet shampoo tests gave results for: alteration to shade 4-5 staining of wool 4 staining of polyamide 3-4 Yarn treated by the method of the invention and subsequently woven into carpet gave superior bulking properties, with excellent cover and fullness of handle.

The method allows of a considerable degree of automation being introduced into the handling of packages through the finishing routine;: normally undergone by textile yarns. Thus the coreless packages can be deposited on winding in a container, preferably flexible and for example in the form of a Teryiene (R.T.M) net bag. The container and its load of packages can be loaded into a loose-stock dyeing machine without the tedium associated with precisely locating cored packages in package dyeing machines or with mounting coreless rockets -7onto spindles in dyeing machines such as has been experienced hitherto. Moreover, the container and packages can then be transferred as a whole to a hydroextractor or other drying machine and indeed the packages do not need individual handling until they reach the yarn-consuming stage such as knitting or weaving.

Other variations in the method are possible. The direction of the winding spirals of the yarn on the package in relation to the twist in the yarn, be it a singles yarn or a twisted or assembly-wound yarn, can be varied so that on withdrawing yarn from the package the twist in the yarn is increased or, preferably, reduced. The package can be made to any practical length; if the length is sufficient, the package can be formed into a coil and dyed in equipment normally used for dyeing tops.

If the winding of the yarn on the bare spindle is begun near the free end of the spindle and progresses towards the spindle bearing, it may be possible partially to withdraw the package from the spindle during winding so as. to leave a greater length of bare spindle on which further turns of yarn can be wound. The withdrawal can be effected intermittently or continuously by the relative movement of spindle and package axially of the spindle. By this means a package of length considerably greater than that of the winding spindle may be produced. Thus a package of several feet in length may be produced containing yarn from several spinning or doubling packages. The long package may be carried away from the winding zone in a tube or trough, and may then be formed into a coil of several turns in a manner similar to the coiling of rope.

The dyeing process can be carried out in aqueous solution or in organic solvents. -84 6 ο ΰ 2 The process of Hit? .invent jun is also applicable to processes other than dyeing alt the yarn in till* pat-'Rage »· 1“ be pen»· I r a I «· J by <,i a! least c>ntaetrii by a llmd medium *un h «ι.·. un ·» h - pt - >< l 11 »· ), li re-proof j.ng, water -proofing, anti-soil and anti-static treating, scouring and bleaching, as well as to the drying of yarn.

The process is applicable to yarns comprising any textile fibres, natural or synthetic or mixtures thereof.

Claims (12)

1. I. A method of producing a finished textile yarn comprising applying a finishing agent to a textile yarn when in the form of a wound package of yarn having no support means interior of the package. A method according to Ciaim 1 wherein the finishing agent is a fluid sub.·,! ance such as a liquid. J. A method according to Claim 1 wherein the finishing agent i3 heat energy.

2. 4. A method according to Ciaim 1 wherein the finishing agent is applied to a plurality of packages at the same time.

3. 5. A method according to Claim 4 wherein the plurality of packages are contained in a permeable container such as a net bag.

4. 6. A method according to Claim 2 wherein the liquor-to-goods ratio is less than 12:1

5. 7. A method according to Claim 2 wherein the liquOr-to-goods ratio is less than 8:1

6. 8. A method according to Claim 2 wherein the liquor-to-goods ratio is less than 6:1

7. 9. A method according to Claim 1 wherein the package is sufficiently tightly wound that it is rigid enough to support its own weight.

8. 10. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the package is constructed so that it can be unwound from the interior of the package,

9. 11. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the package is elongated in the direction of the axis of winding.

10. 12. A method according to Claim li wherein the package is wound in such a manner having regard to the twist in the yarn that the said twist is reduced on unwinding the package in the axial direction.

11. 13. A method according to Claim 1 further comprising the step of producing the wound package of spun, folded or self-twisted yarn or a plurality of assembled yarns. -104 6 5 51!

12. 14. A puvRugu ul I unshed textile yarn produced by Ila* method ol Cl.uni 1. ].*>, A finished textile y.uu produced by the method of Claim 1. b. A method ui producing u finished textile yarn substantially 5 u· described herein by way of example.