US2089188A - Manufacture and use of textile materials - Google Patents

Description

Patented Aug. ill, i937 MANUFACTURE AND use or rExmE MATERIALS Camille Dreyfus, New York, N. Y., and William Whitehead, Cumberland, Md.,

assignors to Celanese Corporation of America, a. corporation of Delaware No Drawing.- Application May 18, 1935, Serial No. 22,174

6 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of crepe threads and filaments of cellulose acetate or other organic derivatives of cellulose and to the production of fabrics therefrom wherein an agent is incorporated with the filaments to enhance their value as threads for producing a crepe fabric.

An object of this invention is the economic and expeditious production of threads containing organic derivatives of cellulose which has a high degree of crepe suitable for the production of crepe fabrics. A further object of this invention is the treatment of yarns and the twisting of same to a high degree of twist in such a manner as to produce fabrics having a uniform creping property. Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

It has been found that if yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose are tightly twisted, especially in the presence of steam, the same may be woven into a fabric which produces a substantial amount of crepe. It has also been found that the crepe yarns containing organic derivatives of cellulose form a crepe fabric, the type and amount of crepe materially differing according to the conditions of the threads at the time the high degree of twist is placed therein. These varying conditions which influence the type and amount of crepe that the threads will produce causes diificulties in the manufacture of crepe fabrics consisting entirely of threads of organic derivatives of cellulose. By employing this invention, however, the above mentioned cellulose, which have incorporated therewith an' oil such as a vegetable oil, by crepe twisting in a single stage and, during the insertion of the crepe twist, steaming the threads. It is of great advantage to have moisture present during the steaming. Thus, during the twisting operation wet steammay be applied to the travelling yarn over at least a portion of that part of its track in which twisting takes place.

This invention is of especial value and will be more particularly described in connection with the production of crepe threads of filaments of cellulose acetate.

By incorporating an oil with the filaments of cellulose acetate, it has been found possible to produce crepe threads which yield fabrics exhibiting crepe eifects of an excellence hitherto unattained with cellulose acetate crepe threads. Moreover, with this new process there may be produced cellulose acetate crepe threads which have an average strength very much greater than that of cellulose acetate crepe threads produced by a simple twisting operation without the aid of an oil being contained in the filaments during the steam treatment and twisting operation. Further, apart from the great advantage of a strong resultant thread, the twisting operation itself is greatly facilitated in that twisting may be satisfactorily accomplished under conditions of twist and spindle speed which, in the absence of oil in the filaments, would give rise to frequent thread breakage and render impossible the insertion of the desired twist or at least lead to a very weak and useless thread.

Any suitable oil may be incorporated with the filaments containing cellulose acetate. Examples of suitable oils are olive oil, castor oil, cotton seed oil, tea seed oil, etc. Although vegetable oils are preferred, the fatty acids derived from the vegetable oils, or animal and mineral oils may be employed. The oil may be incorporated with the yarns in amounts up to 3% or more on the weight of the cellulose acetate present in the yarns. However, it is preferred to employ small amounts such as .2 or 5% by weight. The oil may be incorporated with the filaments containing cellulose acetate by adding the same to the spinning solution or dope from which the filaments are formed. Thus, 0.05 part by weight of an oil may be added to a solution containing 25 parts by weight of cellulose acetate in a volatile solvent and the same extruded through orifices of suitable shape and diameter to form the type of yarn desired. Either the wet or dry method of spinning may be employed.

After the yarns of filaments containing cellulose acetate and an oil have been formed, they may be lubricated during any winding operation with a coating of a lubricating substance such as a mixture of oil and glycerols, glycols, their substitution products and derivatives. This coating of oil may be a mixture of a sulphonated oil and a non-sulphonated oil. This latter mixture is preferred as it allows for the penetration of steam and water into the filaments.- These coatings are not applied as an aid to the creping action but for textile operations where the yarns pass through guides, etc.

The threads may consist of substantially continuous filaments of cellulose acetate, or they may contain discontinuous filaments of cellulose acetate, the length of which may vary within wide limits. Other filaments and fibers may be present in the yarns, for example, cotton, wool, silk, regenerated cellulose, etc.

If desired, the filaments of the yarns to be formed into the crepe threads may contain waterinsoluble compounds, such as compounds of pigment-like character, in such form as materially to modify the lustre of the filaments (e. g. barium sulphate or titanium dioxide), or loading metal compounds, for example, tin compounds.

In carrying out the new process, twisting may be eifected on a device of the kind in which the thread is drawn off over the end of a rotating package through a guide fixed preferably substantially in line with the axis of rotation of the package and is thereafter woundon a bobbin or the like, the thread being passed, on its way from the guide to the bobbin, through steam. In this way the thread is subjected to the action of the steam during the actual application of a substantial amount of the twist, or to the action of both steam and moisture if it is passed through steam under such conditions that moisture is present.

0n the other hand, any other suitable crepe twisting device may be employed in conjunction with steaming. For example, a ring twister may be used for the crepe twisting of thread consisting of discontinuous cellulose acetate filaments.

- The twisting spindle, the guide fixed substantially in line with the axis of the spindle, and

the steaming device should be so arranged that the twist resulting from the rotation of the package is at least partly inserted while the thread is under the influence of steam.

Steaming may conveniently be effected by allowing the thread to pass through a suitable chamber supplied with steam, preferably under such conditions that moisture is present. The chamber is provided with small holes, top and bottom, to permit passage of the thread, and

also with a steam inlet. If desired, a single steam chamber may be arranged to serve a number of spindles, the chamber being provided with inlet and outlet holes for the thread from each spindle. Such an apparatus may conveniently consist of a horizontal pipe mountedover a row of spindles and provided with eyes of porcelain, stainless steel, or other suitable material at appropriate points on the top and bottom for the entrance and exit of the threads. The diameter of the pipe may be sumcient to afford the thread the requisite length of travel in the steam. Alternatively, a pipe having a smaller diameter may be used, in which case the pipe may be provided with hollow nipples communicating therewith and through which the yarn passes, the nipples being of suificient size to provide, together with the diameter of the pipes, the requisite length of travel in the steam. Steam may be admitted to the pipe at one point, or at more than one point as may be necessary according to the length of the pipe, to secure sufiiciently uniform conditions of steaming as between the threads from the different spindles.

The presence of the desired moisture may. be assured by supplying wet steam to the steaming device and/or by arranging for the condensationof steamto supply the requisite amount of moisture. Wet steam may be conveniently produced by passing steam through water at suitable velocity, for instance, small traps for condensed water may be provided at suitable intervals in the steaming chamber and steam injected therethrough by means of small pipes or orifices. Another method of ensuring the presence of moisture is to wet the thread with water. For example, the bobbins of thread may be wetted before the twisting operation or, better, water may be applied to the thread by means of a wick or other device after the thread leaves the spindle and prior to its entering the steaming device.

Steam at slightly above atmospheric pressure, is most conveniently employed. If desired, however, the steaming may be eifected with steam at any desired super-atmospheric pressures, e. g. steam at 10-25 lbs. per square inch.

A steaming treatment of relatively short duration such as may be secured by passing the yarn at a speed of from 2 to 10 metres per minute through say from 1" to 3" of steam has been found to give satisfactory results. Lengthier treatments may, however, be employed, for example, the yarn may be passed at the said speeds through 6 to 12" or more of steam.

The cellulose acetate filaments of the threads having an oil incorporated therein very readily undergo stretching when the threads are twisted under the influence of the steam and moisture. The amount of stretch may be measured by comparing the original thread denier with the final thread denier (after untwisting). It has been found that when a cellulose acetate thread is crepe twisted by the-new process involving the incorporating of an oil with the filaments and steaming during twisting so as to produce a crepe thread of good strength and creping properties, the denier of the resultant thread is, in general, owing to imparted stretch, less and even substantially less than if the thread is simply crepe twisted without such treatments. The stretch imparted to the filaments of the thread during the twisting operation may, for example, be of the order of 5-25% of their original length, and particularly 10-20%. The degree of stretching or the filaments of the thread may be such that the final denier of the crepe twisted thread is not much in excess of or is even the same or less than the denier of the thread prior to twisting. For example, the stretch may be such that the denier of the crepetwisted thread is from to or or more, particularly and 100 to 110% of that of the thread before crepe twisting, especially in case of threads having an original denier of 200 or less. In the case of heavier threads, 1. e. those having a denier above 200, the denier increase may be greater and still good crepe efiects attained.

The degree of twist applied in accordance with the new process may vary within wide limits. A i'eature of the process is that it enables a very high degree of twist tobe applied without such a great weakening of the thread as is invariably experienced when cellulose acetate crepe threads are prepared without an oil present therein. The process, moreover, permits of the insertion of twists which are impossible of attainment without an oil present therein and without steaming, owing to the breakage of the thread. This is important since it enables crepe fabrics having very 7 6 ing to requirements.

pronounced yet uniform crepe effects to be produced. The crepe figure can be regulated accord- .The degree of twist desirable in any particular case depends upon a number of factors, including the precise effects required, and the denier and number of filaments in the thread. For example, threads of 150 denier may be twisted to about 70 to 75 or more turns per inch, while 100 denier threads may be twisted to about 'to or more turns per inch. Proportionate twists may be used in case of threads of other deniers.

By the new process highly twisted cellulose acetate crepe threads may be produced in which the filaments are extremely closely packed. As

appears from a microscopic examination of the cross-sections of yarns twisted in accordance with this invention, the filaments are squeezed together into substantially as close contact as possible, causing some distortion of the cross-section of at least some of the filaments thereof. The filaments, however, are not stuck together nor packed together and can be separated upon untwisting into individual filaments. The threads produced in accordance with the present invention have a specific gravity of at least 85% of that of a solid thread.

The highly twisted crepe threads may be incorporated in the fabrics in various ways, for example, the weft alone may be wholly or partially composed of such threads or the warp may also contain them. Valuable fabrics may be produced by employing in the warp, threads of relatively low twist and in the weft both crepe threads having a left-hand twist and crepe threads having a right-hand twist, pairs of threads of left-hand twist alternating with pairs of threads of right-hand twist.

If desired, the cellulose acetate crepe threads may be associated in the fabrics with highly twisted crepe threads of other materials, e. g. of natural silk or regenerated cellulose, or threads of artificial silk produced by other processes. When the fabrics contain threads of 10w twist, these may wholly be of cellulose acetate or wholly or in part of other materials, e. g. natural silk or regenerated cellulose.

Fabrics containing highly twisted crepe threads prepared in accordance with this invention may be scoured, for example, in the manner adopted in connection with fabrics comprising highly twisted yarn or natural silk. Enhanced crepe effects may be obtained by employing a scouring or other aqueous crepe baths at or near the boiling point thereof. The fabric made in accordance with this invention may be caused to crepe by immersing the same in a bath, containing up to 10 grams or more per litre of soap, that is maintained at about 95 C. to C. The period of treatment in the heated bath may be from 10 to 45 minutes. The delustering effect of all high temperature scouring baths upon fabrics containing threads of lustrous cellulose acetate may be minimized by incorporating therein salts or sugars.

An important characteristic of fabrics exhibiting crepe effects produced in accordance with this invention is that unlike crepe fabrics heretofore produced, they do not shrink substantially when washed or otherwise treated with aqueous liquids, nor do they tend to develop spots when subjected locally (such as by rain) to aqueous liquids. Therefore garments or other articles made of such fabric may be laundered in the ordinary way without recourse to dry cleaninl. I As an illustration in describing this inKention and not as a limitation, the following example is given:

. Example.

- A spinning solution is formed by mixing substantially 25 parts of acetonesoluble cellulose acetate, 75 parts of acetoneand .05 part of olive oil. This solution is spun into filaments by the dry method of spinning. The yarn as it-is formed is lubricated with a mixture of olive oil and sulphonated naphthene and subsequently twisted to a crepe thread by imparting thereto in the presence of steam, about 75 turns per inch. This \yarn is woven into a fabric. The fabric is then treated for 30 minutes in an aqueous bath maintained at 99 C. The fabric produced has a heavy and uniform crepe effect produced thereon, which crepe effect is spot-proof and substantially free from further shrinkage upon treatment in aqueoils or other cleaning baths normally-met with in. the use of the fabric.

While this invention has been described in particular connection with cellulose acetate, it is applicable for use with yarns or threads-made of other organic derivatives of cellulose, such as cellulose formate, cellulose propionate, cellulose butyrate or other organic esters of cellulose, or cellulose ethers such as methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose or benzyl cellu'lose.

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 our invention.

Having described our invention, what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Process for the production of highly twisted crepe thread of filaments of an organic derivative of cellulose, which comprises incorporating an oil with the thread, crepe twisting the thread of filaments in a single stage and steaming the thread during the actual insertion of the crepe twist.

2. Process for the production of highly twisted crepe thread of filaments of an organic derivative of cellulose, which comprises incorporating an oil with the thread of filaments of an organic derivative of cellulose, crepe twisting said thread and during the actual insertion of the crepe twist, steaming the thread under such conditions that moisture is present.

3. Process for the production of highly twisted crepe thread of filaments of cellulose acetate, which comprises incorporating a vegetable oil with a thread of filaments of cellulose acetate, crepe twisting said thread and, during the actual insertion of the crepe twist, steaming the thread and stretching the filaments thereof.

4. Process for the production of highly twisted crepe thread of filaments of cellulose acetate, which comprises incorporating a vegetable oil with a thread of filaments of cellulose acetate, crepe twisting said thread in a single stage and, during the actual insertion of the crepe twist, steaming the thread under such conditions that moisture is present and stretching the filaments of the thread so that the denier of the crepe twisted thread is 95 per cent to per cent of that of the thread before crepe twisting.

5. Process for the production of highly twisted crepe thread of filaments of an organic derivative of cellulose, which comprises incorporating about .3% on the weight of the organic derivative of cellulose of olive oil, with a thread of filaments of an organic derivative of cellulose, crepe twisting said thread and steaming the thread during the actual insertion of the crepe twist.

6. Process for the production of highly twisted crepe thread of filaments of cellulose acetate,

whichcomprises incorporating an oil with the thread, steaming the thread, and crepe twisting the threadwhlle it is being subjected to the action of the steam.

CAMILLE DREYFUS. WILLIAM WHITEHEAD.