JPWO2021044912A1 - Fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement and its use - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement capable of imparting focusing property to fibers and reducing foaming in a non-woven fabric manufacturing process by a high-pressure water flow entanglement method, and short fibers using the treatment agent.
A fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement containing a component (A) and a component (B), wherein the component (A) is a polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether and the component (B) is a fatty acid triglyceride. Combined fiber treatment agent. It is preferable that the fatty acid triglyceride is a fatty acid having 12 to 22 carbon atoms in an amount of 50% by weight or more of the constituent fatty acids. It is preferable that the total weight ratio of the component (A) and the component (B) to the non-volatile content of the treatment agent is 15% by weight or more.

Description

The present invention relates to a fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement, short fibers to which the treatment agent is attached, a non-woven fabric, and a method for producing a non-woven fabric.

Conventionally, the high-pressure water flow entanglement method has been used as a method for producing non-woven fabrics such as hand towels and wipers. Non-woven fabrics are manufactured.

For these short fibers, a treatment agent for fibers may be used for the purpose of imparting properties such as sizing property required in the process of producing a non-woven fabric. When the focusing property is insufficient, there is a problem that the uniformity of the web during the non-woven fabric processing becomes insufficient and the quality of the non-woven fabric deteriorates.

Further, as the treatment agent for fibers, a treatment agent mainly composed of an alkyl phosphate salt and a combination of a nonionic surfactant, a cationic activator, etc. is generally used, but these components have a property of foaming and have a high pressure. There is a problem that the web is disturbed due to the foaming of the water used by the fiber treatment agent that has fallen off during water flow entanglement, the thickness of the non-woven fabric is uneven, and the quality of the non-woven fabric is deteriorated.

As a means for improving low foaming property, treatment agents for fibers disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have been proposed. Patent Document 1 proposes a treatment agent obtained by mixing a specific ester compound and a specific phosphate salt in a specific ratio. Patent Document 2 proposes a treatment agent containing a polyoxyalkylene derivative of a specific fatty acid and a specific function-imparting agent. However, these conventional treatment agents for fibers have a problem that they cannot achieve both the imparting of sufficient focusing property during the non-woven fabric processing and the reduction of air bubbles in the high-pressure water flow entanglement step.

Japanese Patent No. 5921051 Japanese Patent No. 6132966

Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement and the treatment agent capable of imparting focusing property to fibers and reducing foaming in the non-woven fabric manufacturing process by the high-pressure water flow entanglement method. The purpose is to provide the short fibers used.

As a result of diligent studies to solve the above problems, the present inventors have found that the above problems can be solved by a high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent containing two specific components. That is, the high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent of the present invention is a high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent containing the component (A) and the component (B), and the component (A) is a polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether. A fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement, wherein the component (B) is a fatty acid triglyceride.

It is preferable that the fatty acid triglyceride is a fatty acid having 12 to 22 carbon atoms in an amount of 50% by weight or more of the constituent fatty acids.
It is preferable that the total weight ratio of the component (A) and the component (B) to the non-volatile content of the treatment agent is 15% by weight or more.
The weight ratio of the component (A) to the non-volatile content of the treatment agent is preferably 15 to 85% by weight, and the weight ratio of the component (B) is preferably 15 to 85% by weight.
It is preferable that the polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether has a branched alkyl chain.
The polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether is preferably a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether.
It is preferable that the component (C), which is an anionic surfactant, is further contained, and the weight ratio of the component (C) to the non-volatile content of the treatment agent is less than 10% by weight.
It is preferably for viscose rayon.

The short fiber of the present invention is obtained by applying the above-mentioned treatment agent to the raw material short fiber.
The non-woven fabric of the present invention contains the above-mentioned short fibers.
The method for producing a non-woven fabric of the present invention includes a step of accumulating the short fibers to prepare a fiber web and entwining the obtained fiber web with a high-pressure water flow.

The high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent of the present invention imparts focusing property to the raw material short fibers to which the treatment agent is applied and imparts low foaming property, so that a non-woven fabric having a good texture can be obtained.
The short fibers treated with the high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent of the present invention have excellent focusing properties during the non-woven fabric processing, and can reduce the foaming property in the non-woven fabric manufacturing process by the high-pressure water flow entanglement method.
The non-woven fabric containing short fibers treated with the high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent of the present invention has a good texture.
The method for producing a non-woven fabric using short fibers treated with the high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent of the present invention can improve operability in the non-woven fabric manufacturing process.

The high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent of the present invention contains a specific component (A) and a component (B). This will be described in detail below.

[Component (A)]
The component (A) is an essential component for the high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent of the present invention. The component (A) is a polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether.
The polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether is, for example, a component that can be represented by the following chemical formula (1).
R ¹ O- (AO) a-H (1)
In the chemical formula (1), R ¹ is not particularly limited as long as it is an alkyl group, but from the viewpoint of focusing property and low foaming property, R ¹ preferably has 4 to 24 carbon atoms, and more preferably 6 to 22 carbon atoms. , 8 to 20 carbon atoms are more preferable.
R ¹ is preferably a branched alkyl chain from the viewpoint of focusing property and low foaming property. Examples of the branched alkyl chain include a secondary alkyl group and an alcohol residue of gelve alcohol.
Examples of the polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether having a branched chain include sophthalol (manufactured by Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.), ADEKATOR SO (manufactured by ADEKA), and dispanol TOC (manufactured by NOF CORPORATION).

Examples of R ¹ include n-octyl group, n-nonyl group, n-decyl group, n-undecyl group, lauryl group, n-tridecylic group, myristyl group, 2-ethylhexyl group, iso-undecyl group and iso-. Examples thereof include a tridecylic group, a 2-dodecyl group, a 3-dodecyl group, a 2-tridecylic group, and a 3-tridecylic group.
In the chemical formula (1), AO is an oxyalkylene group, and examples thereof include an oxyethylene group, an oxypropylene group, and an oxybutylene group. Among them, as the oxyalkylene group, an oxyethylene group is preferable from the viewpoint of focusing property and low foaming property.

When the oxyalkylene group contains an oxyethylene group, the ratio of the oxyethylene group to the entire oxyalkylene group is preferably 75 mol% or more, particularly preferably 100 mol%.
When the oxyalkylene group is composed of two or more types of oxyalkylene groups, the bonding form of the different types of oxyalkylene groups is not particularly limited, and may be a block-shaped, random-shaped, or alternating-shaped bonding form. You may.

In the chemical formula (1), a indicates the average number of moles of the oxyalkylene group, and is generally referred to as the average number of added moles. The average number of moles of oxyalkylene groups means the total number of moles of oxyalkylene groups contained in one mole of component (A). a is preferably 3 to 15. Although a may be outside the range of 3 to 15, if a is less than 3 or more than 15, the focusing property may be deteriorated.
Examples of the component (A) include polyoxyethylene octyl ether, polyoxyethylene decyl ether, polyoxyethylene lauryl ether, polyoxyethylene tridecyl ether, polyoxyethylene myristyl ether, polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene octyl ether, and poly. Examples thereof include oxyethylene polyoxypropylene decyl ether, polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene lauryl ether, polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene tridecyl ether, and polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene myristyl ether. The component (A) may be composed of one of these, or may be composed of two or more.

The component (A) is produced, for example, by subjecting a chain saturated alcohol such as n-octyl alcohol or lauryl alcohol to an addition reaction of an alkylene oxide such as ethylene oxide in the presence of a catalyst.

[Component (B)]
The component (B) is an essential component for the high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent of the present invention. Ingredient (B) is fatty acid triglyceride. When used in combination with the above component (A), it is characterized in that the focusing property is improved and the foaming is reduced at the same time.
The fatty acids that make up the fatty acid triglyceride include butyric acid, crotonic acid, valeric acid, caproic acid, enanthic acid, capric acid, pelargonic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, myristoleic acid, pentadecanoic acid, palmitic acid, and palmitreic acid. , Isocetyl acid, margaric acid, stearic acid, isostearic acid, oleic acid, ellaic acid, baxenoic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, arachidic acid, isoeicosic acid, gadrainic acid, eicosenoic acid, docosanoic acid, isodocosanoic acid, erucic acid, tetracosan Acids, isotetracosanoic acid, nervonic acid, cellotic acid, montanic acid, melicic acid and the like can be mentioned.
Among these, saturated fatty acids having C16 or less carbon atoms such as capric acid, pelargonic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, myristoleic acid, pentadecanoic acid, and palmitic acid, palmitrenic acid, from the viewpoint that the effects of the present application are easily exhibited. Unsaturated fatty acids such as margaric acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, ellaic acid, vacene acid, gadrain acid, erucic acid, nervonic acid, branched chains such as isocetyl acid, isostearic acid, isoeicosic acid, isodocosanoic acid, isotetracosanoic acid Acids are preferred.

The weight ratio of the fatty acid having 12 to 22 carbon atoms to the total fatty acid constituting the fatty acid triglyceride is preferably 50% by weight or more, preferably 65% by weight or more, from the viewpoint of improving the focusing property and reducing the foaming at the same time. More preferably, 75% by weight or more is further preferable, and 85% by weight or more is particularly preferable. The preferable upper limit of the weight ratio of the fatty acid having 12 to 22 carbon atoms to the total fatty acid constituting the fatty acid triglyceride is 100% by weight.

Fatty acid triglycerides also include naturally occurring fats and oils. Specific examples thereof include vegetable oils and fats such as palm oil, palm oil, rice oil, rapeseed oil and soybean oil, animal fats and oils such as pork fat, beef tallow and fish oil, and hydrogenated fats and oils thereof.

[Component (C)]
From the viewpoint of antistatic, the high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent of the present invention preferably further contains the component (C) which is an anionic surfactant.
The anionic surfactant is at least one selected from a sulfonic acid type anionic surfactant (C1), a sulfate ester type anionic surfactant (C2), and a phosphoric acid ester type anionic surfactant (C3). From the viewpoint of antistatic, at least one selected from a sulfonic acid type anionic surfactant (C1) and a phosphoric acid ester type anionic surfactant (C3) is preferable.
Further, from the viewpoint of antistatic, it is more preferable to contain a sulfonic acid type anionic surfactant (C1).

Examples of the sulfonic acid type anionic surfactant (C1) include alkylbenzene sulfonates such as linear sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate and branched sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate; sodium α-tetradecenesulfonate and sodium α-hexadecenesulfonate. Α-Olefin sulfonates such as potassium α-hexadecene sulfonate; alkane sulfonates such as sodium dodecyl sulfonate, sodium tetradecyl sulfonate; methyl sodium α-sulfolaurate, methoxyhexaethylene glycol-α-sulfolaurin Α-Sulfonate ester salts such as methyl sodium acid acid; acyl ISEthionates such as sodium cocoyl isomerate and ammonium cocoyl acetylate; N-acyl-N-methyl taurate such as sodium cocoyl methyl taurine; sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate Dialkyl sulfosuccinates such as; alkylnaphthalene sulfonates such as sodium propylnaphthalene sulfonate and the like can be mentioned. As the sulfonic acid type anionic surfactant, alkylbenzene sulfonate, α-olefin sulfonate, alkane sulfonate, dialkyl sulfosuccinate and the like are preferable, and dialkyl sulfosuccinate and the like are more preferable. These sulfonic acid type anionic surfactants may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

Examples of the sulfate ester type anionic surfactant (C2) include alkyl sulfates such as sodium dodecyl sulfate, potassium dodecyl sulfate, triethanolamine dodecyl sulfate, sodium stearyl sulfate, and sodium oleyl sulfate; polyoxyethylene (3) dodecyl. Polyoxyethylene alkylale sulfates such as sodium sulfate, polyoxyethylene (3) cetyl sulfate sodium, polyoxyethylene (3) cetyl sulfate triethanolamine; sulfated oils such as funnel oil; sulfated oleic acid Examples thereof include sulfated fatty acid ester salts such as butyl. In the above, the polyoxyethylene (3) means a polyoxyethylene group having 3 repeating units of the oxyethylene group. As the sulfate ester type anionic surfactant, an alkyl sulfate ester salt, a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether sulfate ester salt, a sulfated fatty acid ester salt and the like are preferable, and an alkyl sulfate ester salt, a polyoxyethylene alkyl AEL sulfate ester salt and the like are more preferable. .. These sulfate ester-type anionic surfactants may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

Examples of the phosphoric acid ester type anionic surfactant (C3) include alkyl phosphates such as sodium dodecyl phosphate, potassium dodecyl phosphate, sodium stearyl phosphate, and potassium stearyl phosphate: polyoxyethylene (3) lauryl ether phosphorus. Polyoxyethylene alkyl ether phosphoric acid ester salts such as sodium acid, polyoxyethylene (3) potassium lauryl ether phosphate: polyoxyethylene (3) sodium laurylphenyl ether phosphate, polyoxyethylene (3) laurylphenyl ether phosphoric acid Examples thereof include polyoxyethylene alkyl phenyl ether phosphate such as potassium. As the phosphoric acid ester type anionic surfactant, an alkyl phosphate ester salt, a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether phosphoric acid ester salt and the like are preferable, and an alkyl phosphate ester salt is more preferable. These phosphoric acid ester type anionic surfactants may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[Fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement]
The total weight ratio of the component (A) and the component (B) to the non-volatile content of the treatment agent is preferably 15% by weight or more, preferably 25% by weight or more, from the viewpoint of reducing foaming and excellent focusing property at the same time. More preferably, 40% by weight or more is further preferable, and 50% by weight or more is particularly preferable.
The preferable upper limit of the total weight ratio of the component (A) and the component (B) to the non-volatile content of the treatment agent is 100% by weight.

The weight ratio of the component (A) to the non-volatile content of the treatment agent is preferably 15 to 85% by weight, more preferably 17 to 70% by weight, and 19 to 19 to 75% by weight, from the viewpoint of reducing foaming and excellent focusing property at the same time. 60% by weight is more preferable, and 20 to 40% by weight is particularly preferable.
The weight ratio of the component (B) to the non-volatile content of the treatment agent is preferably 15 to 85% by weight, more preferably 20 to 80% by weight, and 25 to 50% by weight, from the viewpoint of reducing foaming and excellent focusing property at the same time. 70% by weight is more preferable, and 30 to 60% by weight is particularly preferable.

The high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent of the present invention is preferably for viscose rayon from the viewpoint of satisfying the required characteristics of both low foaming property and focusing property.

[Short fiber]
The short fiber of the present invention is obtained by adding the fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement of the present invention to the raw material short fiber used for high-pressure water flow entanglement. The amount of the high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent applied is 0.05 to 2.0% by weight, preferably 0.06 to 1.5% by weight, and 0.07 to 1.0% by weight with respect to the raw material short fibers. By weight% is more preferred, and 0.08 to 0.7% by weight is most preferred. If it is less than 0.05%, the card passability in the pre-process for producing the non-woven fabric may be inferior, and if it exceeds 2.0% by weight, the low foaming property may be inferior.

The high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent of the present invention may be attached to the raw material short fiber body without being diluted as it is, and the concentration of the total non-volatile content may be 0.2 to 15% by weight with water or the like. It may be diluted and attached to the raw material short fiber body as an emulsion. The step of adhering the high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent to the raw material short fiber main body may be any of a spinning step, a drawing step, a crimping step, a cutting step, and the like of the raw material short fiber main body. The means for adhering the high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent of the present invention to the raw material short fiber body is not particularly limited, and means such as roller refueling, nozzle spray refueling, and dip refueling may be used. A method may be adopted in which the desired adhesion rate can be obtained more uniformly and efficiently according to the manufacturing process of the short fiber and its characteristics. Further, as a drying method, a method of drying by hot air and infrared rays, a method of contacting with a heat source and drying, and the like may be used.

The raw material short fibers used for high-pressure water flow entanglement of the present invention include cotton fibers, natural fibers such as bleached cotton fibers, recycled fibers such as rayon fibers, cupra fibers and acetate fibers, polyolefin fibers, polyester fibers and polyamide fibers. , Acrylic fiber, polyvinyl chloride fiber, synthetic fiber such as composite fiber composed of two or more kinds of thermoplastic resins. Examples of the polyamide fiber include 6-nylon fiber, 6,6-nylon fiber, aromatic polyamide fiber and the like.
Among these, regenerated fibers and synthetic fibers tend to adhere a large amount of high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent from the viewpoint of preventing static electricity, and the treatment agent of the present invention is used from the viewpoint that it is more necessary to reduce foaming property. It is preferable to apply.
Examples of the rayon fiber include viscous rayon fiber, strong rayon fiber, high-strength rayon fiber, high-wet elastic rayon fiber, solvent-spun rayon fiber, polynosic fiber and the like.
As a combination of composite fibers, in the case of a polyolefin resin / polyolefin resin, for example, high density polyethylene / polypropylene, linear high density polyethylene / polypropylene, low density polyethylene / polypropylene, propylene and other α-olefins are used. Examples thereof include a former copolymer or a ternary copolymer / polypropylene, a linear high-density polyethylene / high-density polyethylene, and a low-density polyethylene / high-density polyethylene. In the case of polyolefin resin / polyester resin, for example, polypropylene / polyethylene terephthalate, high density polyethylene / polyethylene terephthalate, linear high density polyethylene / polyethylene terephthalate, low density polyethylene / polyethylene terephthalate and the like can be mentioned. In the case of polyester-based resin / polyester-based resin, for example, copolymerized polyester / polyethylene terephthalate and the like can be mentioned. Further, fibers made of polyamide resin / polyester resin, polyolefin resin / polyamide resin and the like can also be mentioned.
Among these, if the raw material fiber is a viscose rayon fiber, the focusing property is likely to be insufficient, and from the viewpoint that it is necessary to impart the focusing property by a fiber treatment agent, the raw material fiber is a viscose rayon fiber. preferable. Further, since the raw material fiber is water-repellent, water pressure is required for high-pressure water flow entanglement, and from the viewpoint that it is more necessary to reduce foaming property, polyolefin-based resin / polyolefin-based resin, polyolefin-based resin / polyester-based resin, Polyester-based resin / polyester-based resin is more preferable.

The cross-sectional shape of the fiber can be circular or irregular. In the case of a deformed shape, it can be any shape such as a flat shape, a polygonal shape such as a triangle to an octagon, a T-shape, a hollow shape, and a multi-leaf shape. Further, the cross-sectional structure of the composite fiber can be exemplified as a sheath core type, a parallel type, an eccentric sheath core type, a multi-layer type, a radial type or a sea-island type. The sheath core type or the parallel type including the above is preferable.

[Non-woven fabric]
The non-woven fabric of the present invention is a non-woven fabric produced by accumulating the short fibers of the present invention to prepare a fiber web, and then subjecting the fiber web to a high-pressure water flow entanglement treatment step of treating the fiber web by a high-pressure water flow entanglement method.
Specifically, the short fibers of the present invention are opened in a fiber opening step, and when two or more types of short fibers are used, cotton is mixed and a fiber web is produced by carding with a card machine. In order to produce the fiber web, the fibers may be supplied to the card machine, and the fleece discharged from the card machine may be appropriately laminated. As card machines, parallel card machines in which the fibers in the fleece are arranged in almost one direction, random card machines in which the fibers in the fleece are non-oriented, semi-random card machines in which the fibers in the fleece are oriented in the middle of the former, and conventional cotton A flat card machine or the like, which is most commonly used for fiber opening, can be used. A large number of fleeces discharged from the card machine may be stacked as they are to form a web in which fibers are arranged in one direction or a fiber web in which fibers are non-oriented. Further, a large number of fleeces in which fibers are arranged in one direction may be stacked in a state where the fibers of each fleece are orthogonal to each other to form a fiber web having uniform length and width. In the present invention, it is preferable that the longitudinal and horizontal tensile strengths are the same. Therefore, as the fiber web, the fiber web in which the cotton fibers are non-oriented or the fiber web in which the cotton fibers between the fleeces are orthogonal to each other. It is preferable to adopt.

The weight (weight) of the fiber web is preferably about ^{10 to 150 g / m 2.} If the basis weight is ^{less than 10 g / m 2} , the fiber density becomes low, the efficiency of applying energy by the high-pressure water flow entanglement treatment to the fibers becomes poor, and the three-dimensional entanglement tends to be insufficient. On the other hand, when the basis weight ^{exceeds 150 g / m 2} , the amount of fibers per unit area is too large, and it becomes difficult to give energy to all the fibers by the high-pressure water flow entanglement treatment, resulting in insufficient three-dimensional entanglement. A tendency arises.

Next, a high pressure water flow entanglement treatment is applied to the fiber web. The high-pressure water flow entanglement treatment is an entanglement treatment means in which a high-pressure water flow is made to collide with a fiber web. By this means, the energy of the high-pressure water stream is given to the fibers in the fiber web, and the fibers are moved by this energy, resulting in the development of three-dimensional entanglement between the fibers. The high-pressure water flow is, for example, a liquid such as water or hot water at an ^{injection pressure of about 5 to 150 kg / cm 2} · G from an injection hole having a hole diameter of about 0.05 to 2.0 mm, particularly 0.1 to 0.4 mm. If it is spouted, it can be easily obtained. In the high-pressure water flow entanglement treatment, generally, a device in which a large number of injection holes are arranged in a single row or a plurality of rows at intervals of 0.3 to 10 mm is arranged so that the traveling direction of the fiber web and the row of injection holes are orthogonal to each other. This is done by colliding a high pressure stream of water onto the traveling fiber web. The distance between the injection hole and the fiber web is preferably about 1 to 15 cm. If this distance is less than 1 cm, the energy when the high-pressure water stream collides with the fiber web is too large, and the texture of the obtained non-woven fabric may be disturbed. On the other hand, if it exceeds 15 cm, the energy when the high-pressure water stream collides with the fiber web becomes small, sufficient kinetic energy cannot be given to the fiber, and the three-dimensional entanglement tends to be insufficient.

The high-pressure water flow entanglement treatment is preferably performed in two or more steps. That is, in the first-stage high-pressure water flow entanglement treatment, the injection pressure of the high-pressure water flow is lowered to reduce the momentum given to the fibers, and the formation of the fiber webs is prevented from being disturbed to some extent between the fibers. Gives a preliminary three-dimensional entanglement of. The injection pressure in the first stage is preferably about 5 to ^{30 kg / cm 2 · G.} If the injection pressure is ^{less than 5 kg / cm 2} · G, there is a possibility that three-dimensional entanglement between the fibers hardly occurs. Further, if the injection pressure exceeds 30 kg / cm ² · G, the formation of the fiber web may be disturbed. By such a first-stage high-pressure water flow entanglement treatment, the fibers are entangled, and the fibers are restrained to some extent, and then the second-stage high-pressure water flow entanglement treatment is performed. The injection pressure at this time is made higher than the injection pressure of the first stage to give a large momentum to the fibers and further promote the three-dimensional entanglement between the fibers. The injection pressure in the second stage is preferably about ^{40 to 150 kg / cm 2 · G.} If the injection pressure is ^{less than 40 kg / cm 2} · G, the progress of three-dimensional entanglement between the fibers tends to be insufficient. Further, when the injection pressure exceeds 150 kg / cm ² · G, the three-dimensional entanglement between the fibers becomes too strong, and the flexibility and bulkiness of the obtained non-woven fabric tend to decrease. In addition, in the first stage treatment, the texture of the obtained non-woven fabric may be disturbed even though the fibers are restrained to some extent. According to the above method, there is an advantage that the texture of the obtained non-woven fabric is less disturbed and the tensile strength is increased.

When the fiber web is subjected to a high pressure water flow entanglement treatment, the fiber web is usually supported on a support. That is, the support is placed on the opposite side to the side where the high-pressure water flow entanglement treatment is applied. Any of the supports can be used as long as it allows the high-pressure water flow applied to the fiber web to pass through well, and for example, a mesh screen, a perforated plate, or the like is adopted. Generally, a mesh screen such as a wire mesh is adopted, and the size of the holes is preferably about 20 to 100 mesh.

After the fiber web is subjected to a high-pressure water flow entanglement treatment, the fiber web is in a state of being impregnated with a liquid such as water or hot water used as a liquid flow, and this liquid is removed by a conventionally known method. A non-woven fabric is obtained. Here, as a method of removing the liquid, first, an excess liquid is mechanically removed by using a drawing device such as a mangle roll, and then a drying device such as a continuous hot air dryer is used to remove the residual liquid. A method of removing or the like is used. The non-woven fabric obtained as described above has sufficient three-dimensional entanglement between the fibers and has sufficient tensile strength to be used as a material for hand towels and hand towels.

Since the non-woven fabric of the present invention is characterized by excellent focusing property of the fiber web, the texture is not disturbed, the fibers are not disturbed and the basis weight is not uneven, and a high-quality non-woven fabric can be obtained. Further, since the non-woven fabric of the present invention is characterized in that there is little foaming when the high-pressure water flow entanglement treatment is performed, the fibers on the non-woven fabric do not disturb the fibers and the texture becomes uneven, and the quality is high. A non-woven fabric is obtained.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described by way of examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The evaluation items and evaluation methods in each of the examples and comparative examples are as follows. In addition, the details and evaluation results of the treatment agents in each Example and Comparative Example are summarized in Tables 1 to 3. In the specification, all the compounding ratios represent weight%.

Using each of the following components (A-1 to D-7), mix at the ratios shown in Tables 1 to 3 and stir to obtain the non-volatile content of the high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent of each Example / Comparative Example. Was prepared and diluted with ion-exchanged water to obtain an emulsion having a concentration of 0.5%.
A-1: Polyoxyethylene (3) C12-13 Secondary alkyl ether A-2: Polyoxyethylene (5) C12-13 Secondary alkyl ether A-3: Polyoxyethylene (12) C12-13 Secondary alkyl ether A- 4: Polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene C12-13 secondary alkyl ether (molecular weight 900)
A-5: Polyoxyethylene (3) Lauryl ether A-6: Polyoxyethylene (8) Oleyl ether B-1: Palm oil B-2: Palm oil B-3: Canola oil B-4: Beef tallow B-5: Rice oil C-1: Dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium salt C-2: Oleyl sulfate sodium salt C-3: Stearyl phosphate potassium salt C-4: Sulfated rapeseed oil Sodium salt D-1: Mineral oil (viscosity 380 seconds)
D-2: Sorbitan trioleate D-3: Sorbitan tristearate D-4: PEG (600) Steerate D-5: Polyoxyethylene (20) Sorbitan monostearate D-6: Polyoxyethylene (10) Castor oil Ether D-7: Polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene block polymer (molecular weight: 2000)

Next, using 1.7 dtex × 44 mm raw polyester short fibers that had been degreased in advance and had no treatment agent attached, the amount of non-volatile content of the treatment agent attached to the raw material short fibers was 0.2% by weight and 0. The emulsion of the treatment agent was lubricated to 4% by weight, and the raw cotton was dried at 80 ° C. for 2 hours. The obtained treated cotton was subjected to each of the following evaluations.

[Low foaming property]
Put 30 g of treatment agent-imparting cotton in a 500 ml beaker, pour 300 g of ion-exchanged water at room temperature onto it, cover it with plastic wrap, leave it for 4 hours, and then another 300 ml from the treatment agent-added cotton soaked in ion-exchanged water. 200 ml of the immersion liquid was squeezed into a beaker. Next, 30 ml of the squeezed liquid was placed in a 100 m1 graduated cylinder with a stopper, and the mixture was vigorously shaken 10 times, and then the height of the foam 5 minutes later was measured. It was judged that the height of the foam was less than 2.0 cm and the low foaming property was good.
Index for judging low foaming property (foam height (cm))
◎ (Very good): Foam height is less than 1.0 cm.
○ (Good): The height of the foam is 1.0 cm or more and less than 2.0 cm.
Δ (defective): The height of the foam is 2.0 cm or more and less than 5.0 cm.
× (Very poor): Foam height is 5.0 cm or more.

[Focusiness]
40 g of cotton with a treatment agent was subjected to a fiber-spreading treatment by a fiber-spreading machine (model OP-400) manufactured by Daiwa-Kiko Co., Ltd. Next, the spread-treated cotton carder with a treatment agent was supplied to a random card machine, and the discharged fleece was laminated to obtain a fiber web having ^{a basis weight of 100 g / m 2.} A test piece for a 10 cm × 5 cm tensile test was prepared from this fiber web, and a tensile test was conducted at a speed of 50 m / min. The tensile test was measured using a tensile compression tester (TG-2kN type tensile compression tester, manufactured by Minebea Co., Ltd.) in a room at 20 ° C. under the condition of a load cell of 50N. When the maximum value of the force was 2.7 N or more, it was judged that the focusing property was good.
Index for judging focus ◎ (Very good): Pull-out resistance is 3.0N or more.
〇 (Good): Pull-out resistance is 2.7N or more and less than 3.0N.
Δ (defective): Pull-out resistance is 2.4 N or more and less than 2.7 N.
× (Very poor): Pull-out resistance is less than 2.4N.

[Non-woven fabric formation evaluation]
40 g of cotton with a treatment agent was subjected to a fiber-spreading treatment by a fiber-spreading machine (model OP-400) manufactured by Daiwa-Kiko Co., Ltd. Next, the spread-treated cotton carder with a treatment agent was supplied to a random card machine, and the discharged fleece was laminated to obtain a fiber web having ^{a basis weight of 100 g / m 2.} This fiber web is placed on a support made of a metal net ^{, subjected to the first-stage high-pressure water flow entanglement treatment at an injection pressure of 15 kg / cm 2} · G, and the cotton fibers are preliminarily three-dimensionally entangled with each other. I let you. Subsequently, a second-stage high-pressure water flow entanglement treatment was performed at an injection pressure of 100 kg / cm ^{2 · G and dried to obtain each non-woven fabric.} The texture of the obtained non-woven fabric was evaluated by visual judgment.
Index for judging the texture of the non-woven fabric ○: The texture of the non-woven fabric is less disturbed and the appearance is good.
Δ: Some irregularities are seen in the texture of the non-woven fabric.
X: The texture of the non-woven fabric is disturbed.

As can be seen from Tables 1 and 2, the short fibers to which the high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent of Examples 1 to 18 is applied can impart focusing property to the fibers and reduce foaming.
On the other hand, in Comparative Examples 1 to 8, when neither the component (A) nor the component (B) is present (Comparative Examples 1 and 8), when the component (A) is not present (Comparative Examples 3 and 6), the component (B) is present. ) Is absent (Comparative Examples 2, 4, 5 and 7), either the focusing property or the low foaming property cannot be solved.

In the high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent of the present invention, since the fiber to which the treatment agent is applied is excellent in focusing property and low foaming property, the cotton, rayon, polyester, polyolefin fiber and polyolefin fiber to which the treatment agent is applied are used. Polyamide fibers are used in the process of making non-woven fabrics by high pressure water flow entanglement.

As a result of diligent studies to solve the above problems, the present inventors have found that the above problems can be solved by a high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent containing two specific components. That is, the high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent of the present invention is a high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent containing the component (A) and the component (B), and the component (A) is a polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether .
A fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement , wherein the polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether has a branched alkyl chain and the component (B) is a fatty acid triglyceride.

It is preferable that the fatty acid triglyceride is a fatty acid having 12 to 22 carbon atoms in an amount of 50% by weight or more of the constituent fatty acids.
It is preferable that the total weight ratio of the component (A) and the component (B) to the non-volatile content of the treatment agent is 15% by weight or more.
The weight ratio of the component (A) to the non-volatile content of the treatment agent is preferably 15 to 85% by weight, and the weight ratio of the component (B) is preferably 15 to 85% by weight .
Before SL polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether is preferably a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether.
It is preferable that the component (C), which is an anionic surfactant, is further contained, and the weight ratio of the component (C) to the non-volatile content of the treatment agent is less than 10% by weight.
It is preferably for viscose rayon.

Claims (11)

A fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement containing the component (A) and the component (B).
The component (A) is a polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether.
A fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement, wherein the component (B) is a fatty acid triglyceride. The fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement according to claim 1, wherein the fatty acid triglyceride is a fatty acid having 50% by weight or more of constituent fatty acids having 12 to 22 carbon atoms. The fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the total weight ratio of the component (A) and the component (B) to the non-volatile content of the treatment agent is 15% by weight or more. According to any one of claims 1 to 3, the weight ratio of the component (A) to the non-volatile content of the treatment agent is 15 to 85% by weight, and the weight ratio of the component (B) is 15 to 85% by weight. The described high pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent. The fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether has a branched alkyl chain. The fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether is a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether. Further containing the component (C) which is an anionic surfactant,
The fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the weight ratio of the component (C) to the non-volatile content of the treatment agent is less than 10% by weight. The fiber treatment agent for high-pressure water flow entanglement according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is for viscose rayon. A short fiber obtained by applying the high-pressure water flow entanglement fiber treatment agent according to any one of claims 1 to 8 to the raw material short fiber. A non-woven fabric containing the short fibers according to claim 9. A method for producing a non-woven fabric, which comprises a step of accumulating the short fibers according to claim 9 to produce a fiber web, and entwining the obtained fiber web with a high-pressure water flow.