US2075143A

US2075143A - Treatment of textile fabrics

Info

Publication number: US2075143A
Application number: US751415A
Authority: US
Inventors: Schneider George
Original assignee: Celanese Corp
Current assignee: Celanese Corp
Priority date: 1934-11-03
Filing date: 1934-11-03
Publication date: 1937-03-30
Anticipated expiration: 1954-03-30
Also published as: GB444300A

Description

Patented Mar. 30, 1937 TREATMENT OF TEXTILE FABRICS George Schneider, Montclair, N. J., assignor to Celanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application November 3, 1934, Serial No. 751,415

2 Claims. (Cl. 28-1) This invention relates to the treatment of fabrics containing yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose and relates more particularly to the treatment of fabrics consisting wholly of yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose in order to preshrink the same and/or to make the same of a closer construction than possible by weaving processes.

An object of this invention is the preshrinliing and/or tightening of the structure of an all organic derivative of cellulose fabric by an economic and expeditious method. A further object such as dresses, shirts, collars, etc.

of this invention is the production of novel effects on fabrics, part of the yarns of which contain organic derivatives of celluose. Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

not further shrink. Thus, fabric may be pre shrunk to a given width and formed into articles,

may be scoured or otherwise processed without shrinking or causing damage to the article at the joint of two or more pieces of fabric which have been sewn together, regardless of the directions of warp and weft at the joint.

By employing this invention, fabrics may be loosely woven, thus saving considerable cost in their formation and then treated to shrink the same, thereby tightening the construction of the material. However, fabrics may be woven as closely as feasible, such as a taffeta, and then treated with a shrinking agent to obtain a closer construction than would be possible by merely weaving the yarns. In this way, close type fabrics may be obtained at a great economy over prior methods of weaving the same type construction. Further, fabrics treated with the shrinking agent obtain the propertyof non-slipping fabrics, that is, the warp and weft appear to be anchored to each other and even in open fabric or loosely woven fabric, a tendency of the weft'to slip on the warp is greatly reduced.

By employing this invention as to fabrics having only part of the yarns'of organic derivatives of cellulose, the remaining yarns being cotton, silk, wool or the like, many novel effects may be Such articles produced. Thus, a fabric having an all cellulose acetate warp'and a weft oftwo threads of cellulose acetate, alternating with two threads of silk or cotton, when treated according to this invention produce a crepe or cockle efiect. Obviously, 5 by employing different combinations of warp and/or weft yarns containing two or more types of yarns, at least one of which contains an organic derivative of cellulose, many novel and decorative effects may be produced.

In accordance with my invention, then, I treat fabric made wholly of yarns containing organic derivatives of cellulose or containing yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose interwoven and knitted with yarns of other materials with a l5 shrinking agent consisting of an aqueous alcohol solution for a suitable period of time and at a suitable temperature to give thedesired degree of shrinking for the purpose intended.

Fabric to be treated by my invention may be any suitable woven, knitted, netted or knotted fabric. This fabric contains yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose, such as organic esters of cellulose and cellulose ethers. Examples of cellulose esters are cellulose acetate, cellulose formate, 25 cellulose propionate and cellulose butyrate, while examples of cellulose ethers are ethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose and benzyl cellulose. While the best results are obtained by the treatment of fabrics that consist wholly of these yarns of organic 3o derivatives of cellulose, novel effects may be ob tained by the treatment of fabrics that contain, in addition to the organic derivatives of cellulose, other fibres, such as silk, cotton, reconstituted cellulose, etc. 35

Any suitable fabric, as described above, may be treated with this shrinking agent by submerging the same in abath maintained at a temperature dependentupon the duration of treatment and upon the concentration of the alcohol in the bath. 40 The treating bath may be a solution of ethyl alcohol, -methyl alcohol, etc. in water. The percentage of alcohol in the water may vary from less than 20 to The time of treatment will depend upon the concentration of the alcohol, 45 and more particularly upon the temperature at which the treatment is carried out. Othermethods of subjecting the fabric to the treating agent may be employed, for example, by spraying the material with the aqueous alcohol solution. 50

The treating bath may be maintained at room temperature or at elevated temperatures, such as up to the boiling point of. the treating liquid. When treating a fabric consisting wholly of yarns containing organic derivatives of cellulose and 66 maintaining the treating bath at room temperamay vary. from less than A a second to 2 seconds in duration.

' After the treatment of fabrics in the shrinking agent, the excess solution may be removed from the fabric by passing the same through nip rollers or thru a pair of rollers covered with an absorbent material, such as rollers covered with linen or cotton, the same being at room temperature or at elevated temperatures. For example, a laundry mangle may be employed.

As a guideto the various concentrations of solutions, temperatures and time of treatment and to the amount of shrinking obtained, the following table is given, it being understood that this invention is not limited to the exact figures therein given.

Shrinkage takes place almost instantly upon immersion of the fabric in the treating liquid. However, if the time of treatment does not exceed 10 minutes at room temperature, or 3 seconds at elevated temperature, even in the very 3 concentrated baths there is produced in the fab- 2,075,143 I v y ric a shrinkage of as much as 25% in either direction. The shrunk fabric is very soft of hand and is of a corresponding strength to fabrics of the same weight and similar yarn.

As an illustration and not as a limitation, the

following example is given:

i Example by air-drying. The resulting fabric is of very tightly woven taffeta which has been shrunk 17% in the warp direction and 11% in the filling direction.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is merely given by way of illustration, and many alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit .of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I desire .u secure by Letters Patent is;

1. Process for the preparation of a taffeta, containing yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose, having the appearance of being closely woven, which comprises treating a loosely woven 'taifeta for from to 3 seconds in a bath of aqueous alcohol maintained at substantially the boiling point thereof, I

2. Process for the preparation of a taffeta, containing yarns of cellulose acetate, having the appearance of being closely woven, which comprises treating a loosely woven taffeta for one second in a bath containing four parts of water and onepart of ethyl alcohol, which bath is maintained at a temperature of 88 0., whereby the taffeta is shrunk 17% in the warp direction and 11% in the filling direction.

. GEORGE SCHNEIDER.