JPH0797741A - New microfiber cloth - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain microfiber cloth having extremely natural surface and good feeling unattainable in conventional dyed fabric by weaving a conjugate fiber having thick-and-thin form and composed of a combination of polymers having different dissolution rates and dissolving and removing one of the polymers from the woven fabric. CONSTITUTION:New woven microfiber cloth having pongee-tone appearance is produced by preparing a conjugate fiber composed of at least two kinds of polymer components having different dissolution rates and-alternately arranged in the fiber cross-section or in a sea-island state and having thick parts and thin parts in the direction of fiber axis, weaving fabric by using the conjugate fiber as the warp or the weft and dissolving and removing one of the components of the conjugate fiber of the woven fabric, thereby fibrillating the other component to form a loop of the fibrillated fiber protruding from the cloth surface and enabling the dyeing of the thick part of the conjugate fiber to dark color compared with the other parts to form a stripe pattern. The present invention also relates to a process for the production of the cloth.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a novel microfiber cloth having a Kasuri surface and a method for producing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, many fabrics using microfibers have been proposed.

For example, JP-A-52-27822 and JP-B-53-3
5633, JP 61-282445, JP 62-8535
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-215869, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-34276, and the like propose composite fibers and fine fibers mainly composed of polyester / nylon. However, in the above-mentioned conventionally proposed methods, only fibers having an excessively uniform shape are obtained, and therefore, a woven fabric has a natural appearance and a natural texture produced from the natural appearance. Couldn't get.

[0004]

The present inventors have arrived at the present invention as a result of earnest research. That is, an object of the present invention is to obtain a microfiber cloth having an unprecedented Kasuri-shaped light and shade portion, and another object is to industrially easily and inexpensively manufacture a microfiber woven cloth having an unprecedented Kasuri-shaped light and shade portion. It is to provide a manufacturing method to.

[0005]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises at least two kinds of polymer components having different dissolution rates, and the components are alternately arranged in the cross-sectional direction of the fiber or are arranged in a sea-island shape in a thick portion in the axial direction of the fiber ( A woven fabric in which a composite fiber having a thick portion (hereinafter, referred to as T portion) and a thin portion (thin portion, hereinafter referred to as t portion) is used for warp and / or weft, and each component forming the composite fiber. One of the components is dissolved and removed, the other component is fibrillated, the fibrils form a loop protruding to the surface of the fabric, and the T part of the conjugate fiber is dyed darker than other parts. It is a microfiber cloth having a novel kasuri-like surface that is streaked.

The fiber of the present invention is a composite fiber composed of at least two polymers having different dissolution rates from each other. Different dissolution rates mean that when the composite fiber is immersed in a specific solvent, the dissolution rate of one of the components forming the composite fiber is higher than that of the other component, and one component remains. Usually, the difference between the dissolution rates of both is at least 10 times, preferably at least 20 times, more preferably at least 30 times.

For example, a combination of polyester and polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyamide, polyurethane, polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene, polypropylene or the like has a very different dissolution rate or is a completely different combination, which is a preferable combination.

Further, a modified product of polyester as a partner of polyester, for example, a modified polyester obtained by copolymerizing phthalic acid having a metal salt of sulfonic acid, adipic acid, polyethylene glycol or the like, can be used because the dissolution rate is different by 10 times or more. In the case of the combination of polyester and the above-mentioned modified polyester, the physical properties of the polymer are not significantly different, and therefore spinning conditions, stretching conditions, false twisting conditions, and post-processing such as weaving and dyeing can be stable. It is more preferable.

Similarly, polyamide is a preferable combination with polyester, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyacrylonitrile, etc., which have very different or very different dissolution rates from each other.

In addition to the above, those having a combination of polymers whose dissolution rates are at least 10 times apart are preferable.

Further, the component is preferably composed of at least two kinds of polymers having a dissolution rate of at least 10 times. However, even a composite fiber composed of three kinds of polymer components can be used in which a polymer having a solubility that is 10 times as far as the other two kinds of polymers is sandwiched between polymers. In this case, there is a feature that a cloth having various performances and qualities can be manufactured by changing the two kinds of polymer components remaining after the dissolution treatment.

As the composite fiber, there is a composite fiber composed of a combination of polymers having a poor affinity for each other as proposed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-8535, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 52-27822 and 61-282445. It can be used, but can also be used with other shapes. One example is shown in FIG. Among them, b in Fig. 1,
Preferred are e (radial), f (radial), h, k, m, n (sea-island), o (hollow ring) and the like.

The conjugate fiber of the present invention can be produced by a usual method for producing a conjugate fiber. The denier of the single yarn before opening and fibrillation is preferably about 1 to 10 denier, more preferably 2 to 5 denier. The denier of each component (after opening and fibrillation) constituting the composite fiber is at most 1 denier, preferably at most 0.5 denier, more preferably 0.2 to 0.05 denier. The denier of each fibril after opening and fibrillating each filament may be the same or different.

The ratio of the two polymers according to the invention is usually 10
/ 1 to 1/10 (weight ratio). Preferably from 5/1
It is 1/5 (weight ratio), and more preferably 3/1 to 1/3 (weight ratio). Needless to say, it is more preferable that the ratio of the component to be dissolved and removed is smaller than that of the remaining component. When it is composed of three types of polymer components, the amount of the components to be dissolved and removed is usually 30% or less, preferably 20% or less, and more preferably 15% or less of the total amount.

If the denier of the fiber before opening and fibrillation is less than 1 denier, there is a problem in terms of operability. On the other hand, if it exceeds 10 denier, the denier after opening of each component becomes large, and there is a possibility that the characteristic performance and texture of the target microfiber may not be obtained.

The T portion & t portion (hereinafter referred to as thick and thin) in the present invention means that the denier is discontinuous in the fiber axis direction. The ratio of the cross-sectional areas of the T part and the t part is preferably at least 1.5, more preferably at least 2, and particularly preferably 2.5 to 7. The length of the T portion is preferably at least 3 mm, more preferably at least 5 mm.
Above, it is particularly preferably 10 to 50 mm. Moreover, it is natural that the appearance frequency of the T portion varies, but it is usually 3
The number is 1 or more per 0 cm, preferably 1 or more per 20 cm, and more preferably 1 or more per 10 cm. The ratio of the T portion to the whole fiber is usually at least 3%, preferably at least 5%, more preferably 10 to 60%. When the T section is a multifilament, it is preferable that the phases are the same as much as possible. That is, it is preferable for clarifying the color difference and improving the feeling of fluffiness and the touch.

Any method may be used to make sick and thin, but the most general method is to draw an undrawn yarn at a draw ratio lower than the natural draw ratio. The natural draw ratio refers to a draw ratio at which, when a yarn after spinning is applied, the drawing proceeds by necking and the entire yarn becomes a completely drawn yarn. For example, a fiber wound at a spinning speed of 1200 m / min usually has a natural draw ratio of about 3.5 to 4.0. Therefore, if the draw ratio is smaller than that value, the undrawn part remains in the fiber and the thick and thin It becomes a thread. The lower the draw ratio than the natural draw ratio, the easier the thick and thin film appears and the more noticeable the difference between the T and t parts. How to select the stretching conditions (stretch ratio, stretching temperature, set temperature) depends on what polymer was used, what spinning speed was used, and what form of thick and thin was desired. . It is necessary to select the optimum conditions according to the purpose and conditions.

When weaving, fibers having thick and thin are used as warp and / or weft. Use for at least one. Of course, this usage amount also needs to be changed depending on how much such a surface change the product has. If it is used for both warp and weft, it will be a cloth with a cross-hatched pattern of darkened color, and if it is used for either warp or weft, it will be clearly darkened in the longitudinal or transverse direction. The fabric has a faint pattern.

The patterning which pays attention to the difference in the dyeability of these so-called microfiber raw yarns due to thick and thin has not been proposed so far, and has a very large commercial value. The light and shade of the color of the thick and thin portion may be such that it can be clearly discriminated visually. Moreover, regarding the texture, there is a feel like that of a cloth that has been subjected to a raising treatment without the raising treatment.

However, even if raising treatment such as sanding is applied, the peach-skin-like feel can be further increased, and different commercial value can be produced.

That is, the fiber has an unstretched portion (T
Part) and stretched part (t part) are present alternately, and the fiber cross-sectional area ratio is usually at least 1.5 or more, preferably 2 or more, more preferably 2.5 to 10. The shrinkage rate and elongation rate of the fiber after fibrillation are different, and as a result, a large loop is formed on the fabric surface due to the difference in the yarn length, and the loop just gives a feeling of raising the surface by sanding treatment etc. . A schematic diagram is shown in FIG.

The size of this loop is indicated by H in the figure,
Usually at least 15 μm, preferably at least 20 μm
m, more preferably 30 to 100 μm. The number of the loops is determined by the number of thick and thin fibers of the present invention and the amount of the fibers to be used, and the size and length of the loop depend on the combination of polymers and the size of thick and thin,
It depends on the number.

In the method of the present invention, at least two kinds of polymer components having different dissolution rates are spun by alternately arranging the components in a cross-sectional direction of the fiber or forming a sea-island shape, and stretching at a natural draw ratio or less. A process of forming a woven fabric using a composite fiber having a T portion and a t portion in the fiber axis direction as a warp yarn and / or a weft yarn, and then dissolving and removing one component of the composite fiber and fibrillating the other component. It is characterized in that a loop is formed so that the fibrils are projected onto the surface of the cloth, and then the T portion is dyed in a darker color than the t portion.

The spinning method is not particularly limited as long as it is a method for producing the above-mentioned composite fiber. For example, it is easy to carry out composite spinning of the alkali-soluble polyester component and the polyester component at a discharge ratio of 1/3 to obtain a fiber having a cross section as shown in FIG. 1h. The spinning speed is usually 700 m / min or more. Winding speed is 700 ~
At about 2000 m / min, an undrawn yarn with a low orientation state can be obtained. The unstretched yarn is stretched to give the strength and elongation of the yarn that can withstand the normal specifications, but here, without stretching completely,
The feature is that an undrawn portion is left in a part of the fiber. For this purpose, the draw ratio is lower than the natural draw ratio of the undrawn yarn. Normal natural draw ratio of no more than 0.95
Times, preferably at most 0.90 times, preferably 0.65
Perform at 0.85 times. The stretching ratio is at most 0.
If it exceeds 95 times, the target sick and thin becomes unclear. The stretching temperature is usually in the vicinity of the glass transition point of the polymer, but is preferably in the range of −10 ° C. to + 10 ° C. from the glass transition point so that the phases generated in the T portion are matched as much as possible.

When the spinning speed is higher than 2000 m / min, the fibers after spinning form a partially oriented state (POY), and this POY yarn also forms thick and thin by lowering the draw ratio. I can do things.
Incidentally, by leaving the yarn for a while after spinning, for example, for 1 day or more, preferably for 2 days, more preferably for 3 days or more (aging), thick and thin can be formed more clearly during stretching.

The composite fiber obtained after drawing may be used as it is as a raw yarn or as a processed yarn such as false twist.

In the woven fabric, the composite fiber is used as a warp and / or a weft. When using, warp or weft 1
It may be 00% or may be woven with other yarn. When mixed with other threads, the size of the Kasuri pattern on the product can be changed relatively freely. Further, a mixed yarn of the composite fiber and another fiber may be used.

After forming the woven fabric, at least one component of the conjugate fiber is dissolved and removed by treating one of the conjugate fibers with an agent capable of dissolving it more quickly. For example, in the case of a composite fiber composed of a modified polyester containing 3% of sodium sulfoisophthalate and an unmodified polyester, the modified polyester component is almost completely dissolved and removed by treating with a caustic soda solution of about 3% to remove only the unmodified polyester component. Can be made into fibrils. At the time of dissolution, at least one component of the composite fiber is dissolved, but it is not necessary to dissolve all of the components, for example, a thin portion is dissolved, but a thick portion is left as a part, a texture,
The unique color and appearance are different and interesting. The remaining fine fibrils composed of the unmodified polyester component have a partially different shrinkage due to the sick and thin properties of the fiber, and due to this difference in shrinkage and the fine fibrils composed of the unmodified polyester component are partially cut. A loop is formed on the surface of the produced fabric. The number of loops can be set variously depending on the amount of the composite fiber used and the conditions for dissolution and removal.

In particular, it is preferable from the point of view of texture and performance that after the one component is dissolved and removed, the remaining component is shrunk by heat treatment, chemical treatment or the like to make the cloth more dense. Dyeing
It is performed by a method of dyeing the components remaining after dissolution and removal. As the dyeing method at this time, a conventional method can be adopted. There is a difference in density between the T portion and the t portion formed on the fiber by dyeing. This dyeing difference can be changed to some extent depending on the dyeing conditions, but in order to form the Kasuri-like surface state of the present invention, ΔL according to the CIE standard color system is usually 2 or more, preferably 3 or more.

After dyeing, there is no particular problem in adding a hydrophilic treatment, a water repellent treatment, an antistatic treatment, an antifouling treatment or the like which is generally performed.

[0031]

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Example 1 Intrinsic viscosity ([η]) of 0.64 measured at 20 ° C. using a solvent of phenol / tetrachloroethane (6/4)
Polyethylene terephthalate of 3% and sodium sulfoisophthalate were copolymerized at 3%, and an alkali-soluble modified polyester was spun at a composite ratio of 3: 1 to obtain a composite fiber shown in FIG. 1h. The spinning speed is 900 m / min, the drawing condition is 67 ° C.,
It was 3.05 times. The drawn yarn had a size of 90 d / 48 f, and sick and thin were clearly expressed, and the ratio of denier at the T part to denier at the t part was about 4 times. T
The length of the part is about 10 to 30 mm, and the frequency of expression is 10 cm.
It was about 2 hits. This fiber is warp, 60d / 36f
A plain weave was made using regular polyester fibers from Then, with an aqueous solution of 3% caustic soda,
The modified polyester component was dissolved and removed by immersing at 5 ° C.
Washing was performed in warm water at 60 ° C. to obtain a woven fabric having a warp density of 115 yarns / inch and a weft yarn density of 85 yarns / inch.

Dyeing was carried out using a jet dyeing machine. Disperse dye (CIDisperse Blue 270 5%, CIDisperse Red 828
1%) was dyed at 130 ° C for 30 minutes, then immersed in a 4% tannic acid aqueous solution at 80 ° C for 20 minutes, washed and dried to obtain a fabric.

In the obtained dyed fabric, a clear fine fiber of the composite fiber and a clear splash pattern of light and shade in the longitudinal direction were confirmed. In addition, it had a peach-skin touch, which was a very smooth touch.

As a comparative example, the stretching condition is 67 ° C.
Samples were taken as 3.95 times. The fiber was stretched uniformly and showed no thick and thin. Fabrication and dyeing were carried out by the same process and conditions as above. No clear kasuri pattern was found on the fabric, and there was no special texture, and a fluffy paper-like fabric was obtained.

Example 2 Using the polyethylene terephthalate and polystyrene of Example 1, a composite fiber shown in FIG. 1n was obtained. Polyethylene terephthalate was used as the island component, and polystyrene was used as the sea component. The ratio of sea components to island components is 1: 1.

After stretching, the same procedure as in Example 1 was carried out to weave,
The product was obtained through fiber opening and dyeing treatment with an acetone solvent. The cloth had a clear Kasuri pattern of chic and thin, and had a good texture such as fukami and peach skin.

[0038]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a microfiber cloth, which has had only a very artificial and very uniform surface state until now, has a special appearance and state even without relying on a special dyeing method such as printing. Like Further, in the print, only a certain repetitive pattern can be provided, but in the present invention, a completely random non-repeating pattern can be expressed, which gives the cloth a very natural feeling. In addition, it is possible to have a feeling of fluffiness and a special touch without feeling sanding or raising treatment. That is, there is a great industrial advantage that a completely new surface state that has never existed can be obtained very easily and at very low cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an example of a cross-sectional shape of a composite fiber that can be used in the present invention. The presence or absence of diagonal lines in the figure indicates different polymers having different dissolution rates.

FIG. 2 shows the state of loops on the surface of the present invention. H in the figure indicates the size of the loop.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 warp or weft 2 weft or warp

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Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A composite fiber comprising at least two kinds of polymer components having different dissolution rates, the components being alternately arranged in a cross-sectional direction of the fiber or arranged in a sea-island shape and having a thick portion and a thin portion in the fiber axis direction. In the woven fabric used for the warp and / or the weft, one of the components forming the conjugate fiber is dissolved and removed, and the other component is fibrillated to form a loop in which the fibril protrudes to the surface of the fabric. A microfiber cloth having a Kasuri-like appearance in which the thick portion of the composite fiber is dyed in a darker color than other portions and has a streak shape. 2. The fabric according to claim 1, wherein the polymer components are alternately arranged in a hollow ring shape. 3. The fabric of claim 1 wherein the dissolution rates of the polymers forming the bicomponent fiber differ by at least 10 times. 4. The cloth according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the cross-sectional areas of the thick portion and the thin portion of the composite fiber is at least twice or more. 5. The cloth according to claim 1, wherein the length of the thick portion of the composite fiber is at least 3 mm or more. 6. The appearance frequency of the thick portion of the composite fiber is 10 cm.
The cloth according to claim 1, wherein the number of cloths is at least one. 7. At least two kinds of polymer components having different dissolution rates are alternately arranged in the transverse direction of the fiber or formed into a sea-island shape, spun, and drawn at a natural draw ratio or less to obtain a thick fiber in the axial direction. A woven fabric in which a composite fiber having a portion and a thin portion is used for a warp and / or a weft is prepared, and then one of the components of the composite fiber is dissolved and removed, and the other component is subjected to a fibrillation treatment. A method for producing a microfiber cloth having a Kasuri appearance, characterized in that a loop is formed so as to pop out to the outermost part, and then the thick part of the composite fiber is dyed in a darker color than the thin part. 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein at least the thin portion of the conjugate fiber is divided under the condition that one component is dissolved.