US2025434A

US2025434A - Lubricating natural and artificial fibers

Info

Publication number: US2025434A
Application number: US678728A
Authority: US
Inventors: Aleidus G Bouhuys
Original assignee: American Enka Corp
Current assignee: Akzona Inc
Priority date: 1933-07-01
Filing date: 1933-07-01
Publication date: 1935-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 1952-12-24

Description

Patented Dec. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE' LUBRICATING NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FIBERS No Drawing. Application July 1, 1933, Serial No..678,728

7 Claims. (Cl. 28-1) The present invention relates to lubrication and protection of yarns, threads, filaments, textile fibers or the like consisting wholly or partially of natural or artificial materials.

After the yarn, thread, or filament has been spun or formed and the final product finished, it is subjected to considerable physical wear during the various knitting, weaving, braiding, winding and other textile treatments or operations which it must undergo. Thus, before going into various processes such as weaving, knitting, braiding,

winding, or coning, the yarns, threads, or filaments are often previously treated for their protection with oily treating liquids which form a protective film over their surface and which have some lubricating properties. So treating the yarn, threads, or filaments tends to prevent damage to them during the operations mentioned, during which operations the yarn, threads, or filaments are usually exposed to comparatively high tensions. For economic reasons, such an oil treatment of the yarn, thread, or filament is made while they are in the dry state and during the winding operations of the original yarn package.

Coning and winding oils heretofore described have the defects that yarns, threads, or filaments treated with such mixtures require either a thorough scouring before the yarn, thread, or filament is dyed, or the inclusion in the oil of such a large amount (at least over 25%) of sulfonic acid salts of mineral oils or other known emulsifying agents as to reduce the lubricating properties of the oil to such an extent that it is impracticable for commercial use.

Among the objects of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method and composition of the character described above for lubricating and protecting yarn, thread, and filaments, and an improved protected and lubricated product.

An improvement of the composition of the present invention over known compositions consists in that, by the admixture of a suitable combination of alkali metallic and organic base soaps hereinafter described with mineral oil sulfonic acid salts and mineral oil, a coming oil and/or winding oil with much higher lubricating properties is obtained than has heretofore been possible, and in which any detrimental and undesirable features which might be attributed to the as diphenylamine, resorcinol, phenol, or hydroquinone.

Among the further 'objects of the invention is the provision of a method which comprises protecting and lubricating fabric, yarn, thread, filaments, or textile fibers, artificial as well as natural, during mechanical operations upon them and dyeing the said materials, which method does' not require the removal of the lubricating and protecting agent from the said materials in a separate operation prior to contact of said materials with dyeing agents. The invention may be applied to natural fibers, fabric, thread or yarn, such as cotton, silk, etc., or to artificial fabrics,

yarn, threads, or filaments such as viscose silk,

cellulose acetate silk, cuprammonia and nitro silks and the like, or mixtures thereof, eliminating the heretofore necessary step of securing.

According to the present invention the fabric, yarn, thread or filament is impregnated with or has applied to it, in any suitable manner, a composition consisting essentially of a mixture of suitable mineral oil lubricant, a suitable alkali metal soap-like emulsifying agent such as the sodium or potassium soap of oleic acid, triethanolamine soap of oleic acid, and mahogany sulfonates or mineral oil sulfonates such as may be obtained by treating crude mineral oil stocks or naphthas with concentrated or fuming sulfuric acid and reacting upon the obtained sulfonic acids with an alkali metal hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide. These mineral oil sulfonates or mahogany sulfonates are well known and therefore need no detailed description here. It is preferable, however, to employ purified sulfonates because of their lighter color and generally more acceptacle operation. As sulfonates may also be used the alkali metal salts of the sulfonic acids obtained by allowing an excess of. sulfuric acid to act upon an aromatic hydrocarbon, for example, naphthalene, or benzene, in the presence of oleic acid, such sulfonic acids being sometimes known as Twitchell reagent, and the term mineral oil sulfonate as used herein is used as including these reagents as well as true mahogany or mineral oil sulfonates.

A further part of the present invention consists in utilizing in the above described composition a free fatty acid, such as oleic acid, which is particularly useful to make the soaps used as described above dissolve completely and clearly, the probabilities being that the added free fatty acid counteracts hydrolysis of the soaps used. A still further part of the invention consists in adding to $1. mixture of mineral oil, soaps and mineral oil sulfonates, solvents for potassium soaps, which are as a rule diflicult to prepare in the form of a clear solution, and 'for this purpose the following solvents may be used: monoethylether of diethyleneglycol (carbitol) monobutylether of ethylene glycol (butyl cellosolve) monobutylether of diethyleneglycol (butyl carbitol), etc.

As mineral oil any acid free, clear, colorless, or slightly colored mineral lubricating oil may be used. A chemically inert and stable mineral lubricating or parafiin oil from 30 seconds Saybolt viscosity (100 F.) up may be used. The viscosity of the oil may be even as high as seconds Saybolt viscosity. However, a mineral oil with a viscosity between 30 and 70 Saybolt acts very satisfactorily. The so called white oils, which are purified mineral lubricating oils, may be advantageously employed as the mineral oil.

The composition may be prepared by intimately mixing the various ingredients in the desired proportions, and as examples of various compositions, ranges of proportions, and what are now believed to be preferred proportions, the following are given; but it is to be understood that the inven+ tion is not limited to these specific examples:

Example 1 Preferred Ranges of proportions proportions Percent Percent Mineral oil, #30 60 40-75 Sodium salt of mineral oil sulionic acid"; 9 5-14 Potmsium oleate 16 5-20 Triethanolamine soap aci 9. 7 4-30 Oleic acid 0. 3 0. 1-4 M onoethylet her oi diethyleneglycol- 5. 0 3-10 Diphenylannne Truce. 0. 01-0. 1

Example 2 Preferred Ranges of proportions proportions Jercent Percent Mineral oil, #50 65 40-75 Sodium salt of mineral oil sull'onic 8Cld. 8 5-12 Potassium oleate 13 520 Tnethanolamine soap of oleic 9. 2 4-30 Oleic acid 0. 3 0. 1-4 M oncbutylether oi diethyleneglycol- 4. 5 3-10 Resorcinol Trac 0. 01-0 1 In practical use triethanolamine soap of oleic acid has proved to be very satisfactory, but the corresponding monoand di-ethanolamine soaps may also be used. The latter two, however, may not be employed with like advantage as the former. An objection against the use of the monoand di-ethanolamine soaps is that the elimination of soaping or scouring before dyeing,

referred to herein, can not be so well obtained In preparing the composition when utilizing a solvent, for example monoethylether or butylether of diethyleneglycol, as in Examples 1 and 2, it is preferable to dissolve the potassium soap of oleic acid (potassium oleate) in the solvent before mixing the ingredients together, The solvents used should be water free or substantially water free, and the remaining ingredients, likewise should also be substantially water free at the time the composition is made, if a clear product is to be prepared. Heat may be employed to bring the ingredients into solution.

Fabrics, yarn, threads and filaments which have been coated or impregnated with the composition of the present invention, either before or during the making of the fabric or other article, may be passed into the dye bath or brought into contact with a dyeing liquid without preliminary hot soaping, scouring or similar treatment, to remove the winding oil composition or oil part thereof. The oil coating or impregnating the fabric, yarn, threads or filaments on such direct entry of the oiled or lubricated material into a neutral or alkaline dye bath does not de-emulsify or break out as an oily liquid, even when the dye bath contains inorganic salts added for the sake of better exhaustion of the dye bath. Examples of such inorganic salts are sodium chloride and sodium sulphate. Thus the oil or components thereof does not float on the top of the dye bath or prevent or decrease the dye absorption when the dye is in contact with the fabric, yarn or filament. The invention, therefore, also contemplates the dyeing of the fabric, yarn or filament without previous removal, or substantial removal, therefrom of the winding or coning oil composition by securing.

In treating yarns, threads or filaments which weaken when wetted out, such as yarns, threads or filaments of certain artificial materials, it is desirable that they be treated in the dry state with the composition also substantially free from water. Otherwise, the composition may be applied to the material to be treated while it is more or less in a wet condition and the composition applied to the material in this condition may or may not contain considerable water content. It is also within my invention to apply the composition substantially free of water to a substantially dry fabric, yarn, thread or filament for lubricating and protecting them during various operations to which they may beflsubjected in the textile industry, for example, weaving, knitting, braiding, winding or coning of threads or filaments.

Using an amine soap and alkali metal soap together in the composition as more fully set forth in Examples 1 and 2 above, has been found in practice to result in a composition of the characted described with excellent properties as regards lubrication and protection, solubility or emulsifying power, stability, nonimpairment of the dyeing process, appearance and odor of the product, elimination of washing or scouring dueto the rapid emulsification of the oil with water or salts-containing dye bath, prevention of adhesion of wound fibre or yarn, moisture proofing, and general applicability for the purposes intended.

The compositions described herein are usually employed between the time the fibre is formed, for example fibres of viscose silk, and the time the final product, such as woven fabric or knitted goods or other article, is finished.

The terms lubricating, lubrication, or In bricating power used herein are used to describe the property of the composition or other material which protects the yarn threads or filaments by decreasing the friction between them and the machine parts with which they come in contact and/or which decreases friction between yarn, threads, or filaments themselves.

This application has been divided and a divisional application filed March 23, 1934, Serial Number 717,114. This divisional application is directed to that part of the invention which includes the treatment of the yarns, filaments and' the like with a lubricating composition and thereafter dyeing the materials without removal of the lubricating agent. A continuing application in part has also been filed, Serial Number.

ing such materials with a stable, homogeneous 20 solution consisting of a mineral oil, an emulsifying agent-in an amount insufficient to inhibit the lubricating propertiesof the mineral oil, additional emulsifying and lubricating agents including alkali metallic and organic base soaps, and 25 a substantially anhydrous, hygroscopic solvent for the soaps, whereby said solvent ,also efl'ects a protection for the materials against moisture by absorbing any moisture which would normally form an emulsion with the oils. a 30 2. A method of preparing natural and artificial threads, filaments and the like for subsequent handling operations, 4 which comprises treating such materials with a stable, homogeneous solution consisting of a mineral oil, a min- 3 eral oil sulphonate in an amount insufficient to inhibit the lubricating properties of the mineral oil, additional emulsifying and lubricating agents including alkali metallic and organic base soaps,

and a substantially anhydrous, hygroscopic sol- 40 vent for the soaps, whereby said solventalso effects a protection for the materials against moisture by absorbing any moisture which would normally form an emulsion with the oils.

3. A method of preparing naturaland arti- 45 ficial threads, filaments and the like for subsequent handling operations, which comprises treating such materials with a composition con-- sisting of a mineral oil, a mineral oil sulphonate in an amount insufficient to inhibit the lubri- 50 eating properties of the mineral oil, additional emulsifying and lubricating agents including alkali metallic and organic base soaps, and a solvent for the soaps of the class consisting of such materials with'a composition consisting of g a mineral oil, a mineral oil sulphonate in an amount insufilcient to inhibit thelubricatingj properties of the mineral oil, additional emulsiq fying and lubricating agents including alkali metallic and aminesoaps of oleic acid, and a solvent for the' soaps of the, class consisting of monoethylether of diethylene glycol and 'mono- 5 butylether of diethylene glycol, said solvent also effecting a protection for the materials against moisture by absorbing any moisture which would --normally form an emulsion with the oils, oleic acid and an antioxydizing agent. a 10 '5. A method of preparing natural and artificial threads. filaments and the like for subsequent handling operations, which comprises treating the said materials with a composition.

consisting of 40m 75% mineral oil, 5 to 12% 15 mineral oil sulphonate, 5 to alkali metallic oleate, 4 to 30% amine soap of 'oleic acid, 3 to 10% of a solvent for the soaps of the class consisting of monoethylether of diethylene glycol and monobutylether of diethylene glycol, said solvent 20 also eflecting a' protection for the materials against moisture by absorbing any moisture which would normally form an emulsion with the oils, 0.1 to 4% oleic acid and less than 0.1%

of an antioxydizing agent of the class consisting of resorcinol and diphenylamine.

6. A method of preparing natural and artificial threads, filaments, and the like characterized by the fact that upon being applied to such materials, the materials will be protected during subsequent handling such as is involved during coning, twisting, transportation, reeling and similar treatments and the fact that the materialwiththe composition thereon can be directly introduced into a dye bath and dyed thereby 3 without realizing deleterious effects upon the dye bath, which comprises treating the materials with a stable,ghomogeneous solution conan amount insufiicient to inhibit the lubricating 40 properties of the mineral oil, an additional emulsifying and lubricating agent including alkali metallic and organic base; soaps, and a substantially, anhydrous, hygroscopic solvent for the. soaps, whereby said solvent also acts to prevent stratification of the ingredients of the composition on the material as 'well as stratification of a dye bath. with which the composition may be contacted 'whereby to prevent the deleterious effects normally resulting from the absorption of moisture from the air.

7. Threads, filaments and the like to which has been applied, stable, homogeneous solution consisting of, a mineral oil, an emulsifying agent in an amount insuiflcient to inhibit the lubricating 50 properties ofthe mineraltoil, additional emulsifying and lubricating agents including alkali metallic and organic base soaps, and a substantially anhydrous, hygroscopic solvent for the soaps whereby the threads, filaments and the like may be subjected to necessary textile handling operations in contact with moisture, without realizingany deleterious effects therefrom,

' ALEIDUS G. BOUHU'YS.