JP6645421B2 - Polyester hollow fiber sphere - Google Patents

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a polyester hollow fiber spherical body. More specifically, the present invention is a polyester which is not only lightweight and has excellent bulkiness, but also has a soft and rich texture close to feathers and excellent heat retention, and is preferably used as a batting material such as a cushion or a down jacket. The present invention relates to a fibrous spherical body using hollow fibers.

  Conventionally, feathers and polyester-based short fibers have been widely used as batting materials and cushioning materials for down jackets and shuffles.

  It is known that feathers of waterfowl are generally used, and are rich in texture, lightweight, excellent in heat retention, easy to follow the body, excellent in bulkiness, and high in recovery rate. However, when trying to obtain natural feathers, there is a problem in that the supply amount is limited, and the supply amount fluctuates due to natural conditions and the effects of plague.

  Furthermore, from the viewpoint of nature conservation, catching wild birds is limited, and when raising waterfowl to obtain feathers, many waterfowl must be bred. In addition to the need for feed, the problem of water pollution and the spread of infectious diseases due to the excrement of water birds has arisen.

  Also, in order to be able to use feathers as wadding, it is necessary to go through many steps such as hair collection, sorting, disinfection, degreasing and packing with futons, and work is complicated in that feathers fly up. As a result, the price of products using feathers tends to be higher.

  Further, meat is left at the ends of feathers during hair sampling, causing a rotten smell. In Europe and the like, there is a movement to remove feathers from the viewpoint of animal welfare.

  On the other hand, polyester-based short fibers are inexpensive and excellent in bulkiness, and have good thread formability during fiber production and good workability when processed into products such as nonwoven fabrics. For this reason, a method of spreading polyester short fibers with a card or the like and laminating a fiber web in a layered form and covering the sheet with a side material is well known. However, this method has a problem that it takes time and effort to cover the layered fiber web laminate with the side ground.

  In order to solve such a problem, batting comprising a high elastic fiber spherical body (fiber ball) having soft texture, excellent elasticity, and excellent morphological stability with excellent compression durability has been proposed (Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 1). Reference 2).

  Furthermore, polyester fibers, polyamide fibers, polyolefin fibers, and acrylic fibers have been proposed as main materials of spherical cotton (see Patent Documents 3 and 4).

  However, in the proposals of Patent Literature 1, Patent Literature 2, Patent Literature 3, and Patent Literature 4, the fiber material to be used is, for example, a fiber sphere made of polyester fiber and binder fiber. Due to the thermal fusion of the binder fibers, the fibers shrink during heat formation and become high-density fiber spheres, resulting in poor softness of the spheres, or the softness of the spheres due to the presence of the heat bonding part Is inferior.

  Further, a cushioning material has been proposed in which a binder liquid is sprayed on a surface of a spherical cotton and molded, and the surface of the spherical cotton and the surface of another spherical cotton are bonded to each other (see Patent Document 5). However, in this proposal, the binder liquid is sprayed onto the spherical cotton to form a mold. By adhering the spherical bodies to each other, the workability into a final product, that is, the blowing property is poor or the flowability of the spherical body is poor. However, there is a problem that the bulk is reduced.

  Further, there has been proposed a fibrous spherical body in which a tow is stretched, heat-treated, a silicone smoothing agent applied to the surface is heat-cured, and after cutting, the fiber is heat-treated again (see Patent Document 6). However, after the tow is stretched and heat-treated, the silicone smoothing agent is cured, and the heat treatment is performed again after the cutting.The crimped form becomes a three-dimensional spiral because the tow is heat-cured before the cutting. In addition, there is a problem that the fibers in the S and Z directions are random, and the resulting fiber spheres are too entangled, the texture is hard, and the bulkiness is poor.

JP 2002-212868 A JP 2007-169846 A JP H10-259559 A JP-A-S61-125377 JP-A-2003-169978 JP-A-62-033856

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and not only to have a light weight and excellent bulkiness, but also to be soft and rich in texture close to feathers, as a batting material such as a cushion or a down jacket. An object of the present invention is to provide a polyester hollow fiber spherical body which is suitably used.

  The present inventors considered that it is preferable to use a polyester hollow fiber in order to obtain a fiber spherical body having both lightness and bulkiness. In addition, attention was paid to the relationship between the crimped form of the polyester hollow fiber and the bulk of the obtained fiber sphere, and studies were repeated to obtain an appropriate crimped form. Furthermore, the inventors have studied the single fiber fineness and hollow ratio of the polyester hollow fiber, and have arrived at the present invention.

That is, the present invention is intended to achieve the above object, and the polyester hollow fiber spherical body of the present invention has a single fiber fineness of 2.0 to 6.6 dtex, a hollow ratio of 15 to 35%, and a crimp. number 2-8 peaks / 25 mm, crimp ratio 6 to 14%, a fiber spheres fiber length of 20 to 50 mm, it bulky is 8,200 or more ~11,500cm ³ / 50g or less And a polyester hollow fiber sphere.
According to a preferred embodiment of the polyester hollow fiber spherical body of the present invention, the intrinsic viscosity of the polyester hollow fiber is 0.60 to 0.75.
According to a preferred embodiment of the polyester hollow fiber spherical body of the present invention, an oil agent containing polysiloxane is attached at a ratio of 0.3 to 1.0% by mass based on the mass of the polyester hollow fiber.
According to a preferred embodiment of the polyester hollow fiber spherical body of the present invention, the polyester hollow fiber has a fiber friction coefficient μs of 0.06 to 0.14.

According to a preferred embodiment of the polyester hollow fiber spherical body of the present invention, the crimp ratio ratio of the polyester hollow fiber represented by the following formula (1) is 1.5 to 3.0.
-Ratio of crimp ratio = crimp ratio / number of crimps ... (1).

  The method for producing a spherical polyester hollow fiber spherical body of the present invention comprises spinning polyester from a spinneret for a hollow fiber, blowing a cooling air from one side of the spun yarn, asymmetrically cooling the yarn, taking it up, applying heat, and crimping. Applying an oil agent containing polysiloxane without going through a process, cutting to a predetermined fiber length, crimping in a spiral shape by heating steam treatment, and then heat setting to obtain a polyester hollow fiber, the obtained polyester This is a method for producing a polyester hollow fiber sphere, characterized in that the hollow fiber is opened and processed into a fiber sphere.

  According to the present invention, polyester hollow fibers that are not only lightweight and have excellent bulkiness, but also have a soft and rich texture close to feathers and have excellent heat retention, and are preferably used as a batting material such as a cushion or a down jacket. Is obtained.

FIG. 1 is a photograph as a substitute of a drawing, which illustrates the polyester hollow fiber spherical body of the present invention.

  Next, embodiments of the polyester hollow fiber spherical body and the method for producing the same according to the present invention will be specifically described.

The polyester hollow fiber spherical body of the present invention is a polyester hollow fiber composed of polyester having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.60 to 0.75, and has a single fiber fineness of 2.0 to 6.6 dtex and a hollow ratio of 15 to 35%. The number of crimps is 2 to 8 peaks / 25 mm, the crimp ratio is 6 to 14%, the fiber length is 20 to 50 mm, and the oil containing polysiloxane is 0.3 to 1.0% based on the mass of the polyester fiber. is attached at the rate of a fiber spheroids fiber friction coefficient μs is obtained by using the polyester hollow fibers of 0.06 to 0.14, and a bulk height 8,200 or more ~11,500cm ³ / 50g It is a spherical body composed of the following polyester hollow fibers.

  Examples of the polyester constituting the polyester hollow fiber used in the present invention include polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, and polybutylene naphthalate. Of these, polyethylene terephthalate is preferably used.

  The intrinsic viscosity of the polyester used in the present invention is preferably 0.60 to 0.75. The intrinsic viscosity is more preferably 0.62 to 0.72. When the intrinsic viscosity is less than 0.6, crimping power is reduced and crimping is reduced, so that it becomes difficult for the fiber to be rounded into a spherical shape in processing into a fibrous spherical body, and it is difficult to form a fibrous spherical body. Further, due to the low rigidity of the fiber, a fibrous body having a sufficient bulk may not be obtained in some cases. On the other hand, when the intrinsic viscosity exceeds 0.75, the melt viscosity becomes high, and it may be difficult to produce fibers.

  It is important that the single fiber fineness of the polyester hollow fiber used in the present invention is 2.0 to 6.6 dtex. The single fiber fineness is preferably 2.2 to 4.4 dtex. When the single fiber fineness of the positive quantity is less than 2.0 dtex, the fineness of the single weight fiber becomes thin, so that the crimp expression power is reduced and the crimp is reduced, so that the fibers are spherical in the processing into the fiber spherical body. And it is difficult to form a fiber spherical body. Furthermore, the rigidity of the fiber is reduced, resulting in a fiber spherical body lacking in bulk. On the other hand, if the single-fiber fineness exceeds 6.6 dtex, the rigidity of the fiber becomes high, so that a fiber spherical body that is soft and approximates to feathers cannot be obtained.

  It is important that the hollow ratio of the polyester hollow fiber used in the present invention is 15 to 35%. The hollow ratio is more preferably 20 to 30%. When the hollow ratio is less than 15%, the asymmetric cooling is insufficient, the crimping power is reduced, and the crimp is reduced. Becomes difficult. On the other hand, if the hollow ratio exceeds 35%, it may be difficult to produce a stable fiber with many yarn breaks in the yarn production.

  The hollow ratio of this polyester hollow fiber can be expressed by% by calculating the ratio of the area of the hollow portion to the entire area of the fiber cross section including the hollow portion by using an enlarged photograph of the fiber cross section.

  In the present invention, the term “hollow” means having a hollow portion inside the outer shape of the fiber in the cross section of the fiber. The hollow portion is preferably located at the center of the fiber. However, although there are some which are located eccentrically off the center of the fiber, the hollow portion is preferably located at the center of the fiber.

  The porosity depends on the die design, polyester intrinsic viscosity and cooling conditions, and can be controlled by one of ordinary skill in the art through each specific setting.

  It is important that the number of crimps of the polyester hollow fiber used in the present invention is 2 to 8 peaks / 25 mm. The number of crimps is preferably 3 to 7 peaks / 25 mm. When the number of crimps is less than 2 peaks / 25 mm, it becomes difficult for the fiber to be rounded into a spherical shape in processing into a fibrous spherical body, and it is difficult to form a fibrous spherical body. On the other hand, when the number of crimps exceeds 8 peaks / 25 mm, the diameter of the obtained fibrous spherical body is small, and the density is increased, whereby the fibrous spherical body lacks bulk.

  The crimping ratio of the polyester hollow fiber used in the present invention is preferably 6 to 14%. The crimp ratio is more preferably 6 to 8 to 12%. When the crimping ratio is less than 6%, the fibers are hard to be rounded into a spherical shape in processing into a fibrous spherical body, and it is difficult to form the fibrous spherical body. On the other hand, when the crimp ratio exceeds 14%, the diameter of the obtained fiber sphere becomes small and the density becomes high, so that the fiber sphere lacks bulk.

  It is important that the fiber length of the polyester hollow fiber used in the present invention is 20 to 50 mm. The fiber length is preferably 25 to 40 mm. If the fiber length is less than 20 mm, the entanglement of the fibers becomes weaker in the processing into the fiber sphere, and the entanglement of the fiber is released, making it difficult to maintain the shape of the sphere. On the other hand, when the fiber length exceeds 50 mm, the fibers are hard to be rounded into a spherical shape in processing into a fibrous spherical body, forming a fibrous spherical body becomes difficult, and furthermore, the fibrous spherical bodies are easily entangled with each other, so that the fluidity is reduced. Chipped product quality deteriorates.

  It is preferable that the oil agent containing the polysiloxane is provided and adhered in a range (ratio) of 0.3 to 1.0% by mass with respect to the mass of the polyester hollow fiber used in the present invention. The amount of the oil agent attached is more preferably 0.4 to 0.8% by mass. When the amount of the oil agent containing polysiloxane is less than 0.3% by mass, the smoothness of the fibers is reduced, and the fiber spheres are easily entangled with each other. On the other hand, even if the amount of the oil agent attached exceeds 1.0% by mass, no further improvement in the fiber smoothness is observed, which may lead to deterioration of the basic unit.

  As the polysiloxane used in the present invention, for example, amino-modified silicone can be used. The application and attachment of the polysiloxane to the polyester hollow fiber can be carried out by applying an oil agent containing the polysiloxane. The oil preferably contains a phosphoric acid compound, an aliphatic compound and a halogen compound in addition to the polysiloxane, and further preferably contains an antioxidant, a flame retardant and an antistatic agent. It is.

  In the step of producing the polyester hollow fiber short fibers used in the present invention, the oil agent containing the polysiloxane is preferably applied immediately before cutting the tow. At the time of applying the oil agent, it is possible to apply an oil solution having a polysiloxane concentration of preferably 3 to 10% by mass, more preferably 4 to 8% by mass, apply it to the polyester hollow fiber, and then dry it at an arbitrary temperature. preferable.

  The fiber friction coefficient μs of the polyester hollow fiber used in the present invention is preferably 0.06 to 0.14. The fiber friction coefficient μs is more preferably 0.07 to 0.12. When the fiber friction coefficient μs is less than 0.07, the smoothness of the fibers is reduced and the fiber spheres are easily entangled with each other. On the other hand, even if the fiber friction coefficient μs exceeds 0.12, no further improvement in fiber smoothness is observed.

Bulky polyester hollow fibers spheroids, it is important that at most 8,200 or more ~11,500cm ³ / 50g. Bulky is preferably 9,000 or more ~10,700cm ³ / 50g or less. If the bulk height less than 8,200cm ³ / 50g, not bulky is obtained, and fiber spheroids inferior lightness and voluminous feeling. On the other hand, it is difficult to obtain a production conditions bulky obtain a fibrous spheroids exceeding 11,500cm ³ / 50g.

  The crimp ratio ratio of the polyester hollow fibers used in the present invention is preferably 1.5 to 3.0. The number ratio of the crimp ratio is more preferably 8 to 12%. When the crimp ratio is less than 1.5, it is difficult for the fibers to be spherically rounded during processing into a fibrous spherical body, so that it is difficult to form the fibrous spherical body. On the other hand, when the crimp ratio ratio exceeds 3.0, stable fiber production for obtaining high crimp development becomes difficult.

The crimp ratio ratio is expressed by the following equation (1).
Crimp ratio ratio = Crimp ratio / Crimp number ... (1)
Next, the method for producing the polyester hollow fiber and the polyester hollow fiber spherical body used in the present invention will be specifically described by exemplifying one embodiment.

  First, the polyester is melted and melt-spun through a spinneret having discharge holes for hollow fibers preferably having 90 to 400 holes at a spinning temperature higher than the melting point by about 15 to 30 ° C. so that a hollow portion is formed. Immediately after being discharged, air having a temperature of preferably 10 to 25 ° C. is preferably asymmetrically cooled at an air volume of preferably 80 to 130 m / min, and further air having a temperature of preferably 10 to 25 ° C. is preferably 140 to 170 m / min. And the spinning oil agent is applied, and the undrawn yarn tow is obtained by temporarily putting it in a can at a take-off speed of preferably 1000 to 1700 m / min.

  Next, the obtained undrawn yarn tow is subjected to one-stage drawing preferably at a draw ratio of 2.3 to 3.0 times, preferably using a liquid bath at a temperature of 75 to 100 ° C, and subjected to a crimp applying step. Instead, an oil solution containing a polysiloxane-containing oil solution, preferably at a concentration of 3 to 10% by mass, is applied by shower so as to be preferably in a range of 0.3 to 1.0% by mass with respect to the fiber mass. Then, cut to a predetermined fiber length, preferably crimped in a spiral shape by heating steam treatment at 100 to 250 ° C, and heat-set at a temperature of preferably 145 to 165 ° C, preferably for 5 to 20 minutes, Polyester hollow fibers can be produced.

  The above-mentioned spiral crimping is crimping in which fibers are expressed in a coil shape.

  In the method for forming a spherical polyester hollow fiber body of the present invention, the polyester hollow fiber obtained as described above is sufficiently opened using a card provided with a plurality of rollers provided with a garnet wire on the surface. In a room where a plurality of fins are attached and rotate in a cylindrical space where turbulence of air is likely to occur, a sufficiently opened fiber is blown into the room, and turbulence for a predetermined time is blown. A spheroid is formed by a device that can be taken out after agitation, or a fiber that has been sufficiently opened is spheroidized by accumulating in a somewhat large room while creating a vortex of air. , A loop-shaped crimp further proceeds, and a fibrous spherical body can be formed.

  Further, the size of the polyester hollow fiber sphere is preferably such that the average diameter is 3 to 8 mm, more preferably 4 to 6 mm. It is difficult to process a fiber spheroid having an average diameter of less than 3 mm. If the average diameter exceeds 8 mm, the fiber spheroid becomes a product lacking in processability such as blowing.

  FIG. 1 is a photograph as a substitute of a drawing, which illustrates the polyester hollow fiber spherical body of the present invention. The polyester hollow fiber sphere of FIG. 1 has small size variation, good bulkiness, and almost no unmolded fiber.

  The polyester hollow fiber spherical body of the present invention is not only lightweight and has excellent bulkiness, but also is soft and has a texture close to feathers, and is suitably used as a batting material such as a cushion or a down jacket.

  Next, the polyester hollow fiber spherical body of the present invention and a method for producing the same will be described in detail with reference to examples. Methods for measuring physical properties and the like are as follows.

(Intrinsic viscosity)
The sample was dissolved in orthochlorophenol, the spontaneous fall time was measured using an Ubbelohde viscometer, and the intrinsic viscosity was determined as an average value of N = 3 relative to a standard sample.

(Single fiber fineness, crimp number, crimp rate, fiber length and fiber friction coefficient μs)
It was measured according to JIS L1015 (2010).

(Crimp ratio ratio)
The number of crimps and the rate of crimp were measured according to JIS L1015 (2010), and the ratio of the number of crimps was calculated by the method shown in Equation 1.
(Formula 1) Ratio of crimping ratio = crimping ratio / crimping number (Amount of oil agent containing polysiloxane to fiber mass)
The sample is decomposed with fuming sulfuric acid and fuming nitric acid, carbonized in an electric furnace, and then dissolved with alkali. Thereafter, the color was developed with ammonium molybdate, the absorbance was measured with a spectrophotometer, the amount of inorganic silicone (Si) was calculated from the calibration curve, and the average value of N = 3 was converted to the oil content.
(Hollow ratio)
A cross section of the obtained polyester hollow fiber is photographed at a magnification of 400 times using a microscope, and a photograph of the cross section is further enlarged and copied. A section of the fiber portion is cut out from the copied paper, and N = 20 mass is measured with an electronic balance. Next, the hollow portion was cut out, N = 20 mass was measured by an electronic balance, and the mass ratio was calculated by the following formula (2).
Hollow ratio (%) = (mass of hollow portion / cross-sectional mass of fiber portion) × 100 (2)
(Bulk height of fiber sphere)
A fibrous sphere sample of 50 g ± 0.1 g is weighed, put into a measuring cylinder having an inner diameter of 28.8 cm and a height of 50 cm, and applying a load of 94.3 g to measure the bulk after 5 minutes. The measurement result was an average value of five times, and was calculated by the following equation (3).
Bulky ^{= V = πd 2 H / 4} ( ^{unit: cm 3 / 50g) ··· (} 3)
(Where d is the next measurement cylinder inner diameter d = 28.8 cm. H is the height (average value) of the sample, and the unit is cm.)
(Diameter of fiber sphere)
The diameter of the arbitrarily selected fibrous body was measured with a caliper, and the average value of N = 100 was determined.

(Texture / softness of fiber sphere)
The tactile sensation (feel; softness / softness) when ten panelists touched with their hands was ranked, and good to poor were evaluated as 5 to 0 points. When the average score exceeded 4 points, the texture was evaluated as good (O), and when the average score was less than 4 points, the texture was evaluated as poor (X).

[Example 1]
Polyester hollow fibers were produced in the following manner. Polyethylene terephthalate having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.650 (melting point: 260 ° C.) is melted and melt-spun at a spinning temperature of 280 ° C. through a hollow die having 300 discharge holes. After asymmetric cooling with an air flow rate of 1 minute, an undrawn yarn tow was obtained at a take-off speed of 1500 m / min.

  Next, the obtained undrawn yarn tow is subjected to single-stage drawing at a draw ratio of 2.6 times using a liquid bath at a temperature of 80 ° C., and an oil agent containing a polysiloxane without a crimping step. Is applied in a shower, cut into the specified fiber lengths shown in Table 1, crimped in a spiral shape by heating and steaming at a temperature of 200 ° C., and heat-set at a temperature of 165 ° C. for 10 minutes. Polyester hollow fibers having the properties shown in No. 1 were produced.

  Next, the obtained polyester hollow fiber is sufficiently opened with a card provided with a plurality of rollers provided with a garnet wire on the surface, and a plurality of the hollow fibers are formed in a cylindrical space where air turbulence easily occurs. The polyester hollow fiber sphere was obtained by using a device in which the fiber was blown into a room provided with a rotating body provided with a fin and rotated so that the fiber could be taken out after turbulent stirring for a predetermined time. It was confirmed that the obtained fiber structure was a polyester hollow fiber sphere having an excellent bulkiness and a soft texture. Table 1 shows the results.

[Comparative Example 1]
A polyester hollow fiber was manufactured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the polyester hollow fiber had a fiber length of 64 mm, and a polyester hollow fiber spherical body was obtained. The polyester hollow fiber constituting the obtained polyester hollow fiber sphere has a long fiber length, so that it is difficult for the fiber to be rounded into a sphere in the processing into the fiber sphere, and thus the defective portion of the fiber sphere and the shape of the fiber sphere are formed. Was found. Table 1 shows the results.

[Comparative Example 2]
A polyester hollow fiber was produced under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the polyester hollow fiber had a single fiber fineness of 1.7 dtex, and a fiber spherical body was obtained. Since the single fiber fineness and the crimp rate are low, the fibers are hardly rounded in a spherical shape during processing into a fiber spherical body, so that a polyester hollow fiber spherical body cannot be formed. Table 1 shows the results.

[Comparative Example 3]
A polyester hollow fiber was produced under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the polyester hollow fiber had a single fiber fineness of 7.5 dtex, and a fiber spherical body was obtained. Since the single fiber fineness was large and the rigidity of the fiber was high, a fiber spherical body lacking in softness was obtained. Table 1 shows the results.
[Comparative Example 4]
The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed up to the step of applying an oil agent containing polysiloxane by showering. After that, the fiber was heat-set at a temperature of 160 ° C. for 10 minutes, cut into a specified fiber length, and heat-set at a temperature of 160 ° C. for 10 minutes. As a result, polyester hollow fibers having various properties shown in Table 1 were produced, and fibrous spherical bodies were obtained. Since the crimped form is a three-dimensional helical shape, and the one in the S and Z directions is random, the fiber sphere obtained is too entangled, the texture is hard, and further, the fiber with poor bulkiness It became spherical. Table 1 shows the results.

Claims (7)

Polyester hollow having a single fiber fineness of 2.0 to 6.6 dtex, a hollow ratio of 15 to 35%, a crimp number of 2 to 8 ridges / 25 mm, a crimp ratio of 6 to 14%, and a fiber length of 20 to 50 mm A polyester hollow fiber sphere, which is a fiber sphere made of fibers and has a bulk of 8,200 or more to 11,500 cm3 / 50 g or less. 2. The polyester hollow fiber spherical body according to claim 1, wherein the intrinsic viscosity of the polyester hollow fiber is 0.60 to 0.75. The polyester hollow fiber sphere according to claim 2, wherein an oil agent containing polysiloxane is attached to the polyester hollow fiber at a ratio of 0.3 to 1.0% by mass based on the mass of the polyester fiber. The polyester hollow fiber spherical body according to claim 3, wherein the polyester hollow fiber has a fiber friction coefficient μs of 0.06 to 0.14. The polyester hollow fiber sphere according to claim 1, wherein the crimp ratio of the polyester hollow fiber represented by the following formula (1) is 1.5 to 3.0.
Ratio of number of crimping ratios = number of crimping ratios / number of crimping factors (1) A down jacket, wherein the hollow fiber spherical body according to claim 1 is a batting. The method for producing a polyester hollow fiber spherical body according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the polyester is spun from a spinneret for a hollow fiber, and a cooling air is blown from one side of the spun yarn to asymmetrically cool and then taken off. After hot stretching, apply an oil agent containing polysiloxane without going through a crimping step, cut to a predetermined fiber length, heat-steam to express crimp in a spiral shape, heat-set, and heat the polyester hollow A method for producing a polyester hollow fiber spherical body, comprising obtaining a fiber, opening the obtained polyester hollow fiber, and processing the fiber into a fiber spherical body.