Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06M—TREATMENT, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE IN CLASS D06, OF FIBRES, THREADS, YARNS, FABRICS, FEATHERS OR FIBROUS GOODS MADE FROM SUCH MATERIALS
  • D06M13/00—Treating fibres, threads, yarns, fabrics or fibrous goods made from such materials, with non-macromolecular organic compounds; Such treatment combined with mechanical treatment
  • D06M13/10—Treating fibres, threads, yarns, fabrics or fibrous goods made from such materials, with non-macromolecular organic compounds; Such treatment combined with mechanical treatment with compounds containing oxygen
  • D06M13/12—Aldehydes; Ketones
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10S8/00—Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification of textiles and fibers
  • Y10S8/04—Polyester fibers

Definitions

• This invention relates to processes for the treatment of cellulosic fabrics and to cellulosic fabrics ha'ving improved properties produced by such processes. More particularly, the invention is concerned with processes for finishing textiles comprising cellulosic fibers to impart to the textiles the ability to recover from creases imposed on the textile in laundering, so that upon drying, the textile need not be ironed. Likewise, the invention is particularly concerned with new and improved textiles comprising cellulosic fibers which after laundering recover during drying from any creasing imposed upon the textile while in the wet state so that ironing is not necessary to obtain an acceptable crease-free appearance.
• creasing takes place While the garments are in a more or less dry condition, but during laundering, creasing takes place While the garments are in a Wet condition.
• a good deal of attention has been paid to methods of preventing or reducing the tendency of textiles to crease in the dry condition, but less attention has been paid to preventing them from creasing in the wet state.
• Many processes intended to reduce dry creasing do confer some degree of resistance to creasing in the wet state also, provided that the treated material is handled with some care and is not subjected to the severe creasing conditions involved in normal laundry practice, such as hydro-extracting in a centrifugal machine, mangling, or wringing by hand.
• a principal object of this invention is the provision of new processes for improving the Wet-crease recovery of cellulosic fabrics. Further objects include:
• the acidic aqueous treating solution should have the ability to swell the cellulosic fabric at least about as much as pure water and should contain at least about 50 grams per liter of the water soluble aldehyde, at least about grams per liter of the strong acid, and an amount of the salt between about 50 and 400 grams per liter to impart to the solution a pH of less than 0, particularly a pH between about 0.5 and 0.6 as measured potentiometrically using a quinhydrone electrode.
• Salts which may be used in the aqueous treating solutions include alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts of monobasic strong acids, e.g. CaCl or the alkali metal acid salts of polybasic strong acids, e.g. NaI-ISO
• alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts of monobasic strong acids e.g. CaCl
• the alkali metal acid salts of polybasic strong acids e.g. NaI-ISO
• One of the most suitable ways of holding the textile in an extended condition to permit the treating solution to act upon the textile is to tightly wind the solution saturated material around a cylindrical roller, and then wrap a water-tight covering to prevent drying out during the lying period which, for example, would be 24-48 hours at about 20 C.
• salts are added to the reaction mixture, the mixture of acid and salt apparently functioning as a stnonger catalyst than acid alone, at the same concenlIIZitlOlIl.
• the increase in catalytic effect increases with an increase in concentration of the salt up to the point where the concentra- '4 tion becomes so great that the swelling of the cellulosic material is appreciably reduced below its swelling in pure water.
• Example 1 A mercerized cotton cloth is impregnated by immersion in an aqueous solution having a pH of about 0.5 consisting of 250 g. formaldehyde (40% solution), 150 g. hydrochloric acid (32 Tw.) and 200 g. calcium chloride (anhydrous) per liter. The cloth is withdrawn from the bath of solution and squeezed so that 100 parts of solution are present on each 100 parts of cloth. Immediately after the impregnation, the cloth is wound around a cylindrical roller, care being taken that no creases are introduced into the cloth. The outside of the roll is then covered with a sheet of water-impervious polyethylene film.
• the roll of cloth is allowed to lie at 20 C. for 24 hours, after which the roll is unwound and washed in cold water for live minutes, then in an aqueous solution containing 2 g./l. of sodium carbonate at C. for five minutes and finally in cold water for a further five minutes and dried.
• Cloth is obtained which appears visually unaltered by the treatment but, after laundering, it is found to dry out substantially free from creases, whereas untreated cloth, after laundering and drying, remains badly creased.
• Example 2 A fabric constructed from yarns composed of 33% cotton and 66% polyethylene terephthalate staple, and which has been heat-set and mercerized, is impregnated with an aqueous solution having a pH about 0.6 consisting of 250' g. formaldehyde (40% solution), g. sulphuric acid (98%) and 150 g. sodium chloride per liter, and processed in an identical manner to that of Example 1.
• Example 3 A mercerized cotton cloth is impregnated with an aque ous solution having a pH of -0.5 consisting of 250 g. formaldehyde (40% solution), 150 g. hydrochloric acid (32 Tw.) and 250' g. lithium chloride per liter, and processed as described in Example 1.
• the treated cloth is printed with a printing color composed of:-
• g. glycerine 60 g. sodium carbonate g. sodium formaldehyde sulphoxylate 690 g. dextr-in thickener dried, steamed for ten minutes, oxidized in an aqueous solution of 2 g. potassium dichromate and 5 g. acetic acid per liter for two minutes at 60 C., soaped in a solution of 2 g. of soap per liter for ten minutes at 100 C., rinsed in water and dried.
• the resulting printed cloth can be laundered by any normal method and it is found to dry out substantially free from creases.
• the lithium chloride in this example is replaced by 200 g. of magnesium chloride.
• the re sulting printed cloth is found to be substantially equivalent in appearance and properties to the cloth of the first case.
• Example 4 A mercerized cotton cloth is impregnated with an aqueous solution having a pH of 0.5 consisting of 250 g. formaldehyde (40% solution), 200 g. trichloracetic acid, and 200 g. calcium chloride (anhydrous) per liter, and processed as described in Example 1.
• the treated cloth is then saturated by immersion in an aqueous solution containing 100 g. dimethylol urea and 10 g. ammonium dihydrogen phosphate per liter, dried, heattreated for five minutes at 150 C., Washed off in dilute sodium carbonate solution, and dried.
• the treated cloth shows a high degree of recovery from creases imparted to it in either the dry or the wet condition.
• Example 5 A mercerized cotton cloth is impregnated as described in Example 1, but after being wound around the cylindrical roller, the roll of cloth is allowed to lie at 40 C. for four hours, and then Washed oil as described in Example l.
• the improvement in Wet crease resistance of the cloth is similar to that obtained by treating for twentyfour hours at 20 C.
• Example 6 A mercerized cotton cloth is impregnated with an aqueous solution having a pH of -O.5 consisting of 250 g. acetaldehyde, 150 g. hydrochloric acid (32 Tw.), and 100 g. calcium chloride (anhydrous) per liter and processed in an identical manner to that of Example 1. Although the wet crease recovery angle of the treated cloth is less than that of cloth treated with formaldehyde, nevertheless, after laundering, it dries out substantially free from creases.
• Example 7 A mercerized cotton cloth is impregnated with a water solution having a pH of -0.6 consisting of 250 g. pyruvic aldehyde (30% solution), 150 g. hydrochloric acid (32 Tw.), and 200 g. calcium chloride (anhydrous) per liter and processed as described in Example 1.
• the pyruvic aldehyde is replaced in the operations of this example with 500 g. hydroxy adipaldehyde (25% solution). It is found that the resulting treated cotton cloth is very similar in appearance and crease recovery properties to the cloth made with pyruvic aldehyde.
• the pyruvic aldehyde is replaced with 250 g. glyoxal (30% solution) and a comparable treated cotton cloth is obtained.
• Example 8 A spun viscose cloth is impregnated by immersion in an aqueous solution having a pH of O.6 consisting of 500 g. formaldehyde (40% solution), 150 g. hydrochloric acid (32 Tw.), and 200 g. calcium chloride (anhydrous) per liter. The impregnated cloth is squeezed so that 100 pants of solution are present on each 100 parts of cloth. Immediately after the impregnation, the cloth is wound around a cylindrical roller, and the outside of the roll covered with a sheet of Water-impervious film. The roll of cloth is allowed to lie at C. for 48 hours.
• aqueous solution having a pH of O.6 consisting of 500 g. formaldehyde (40% solution), 150 g. hydrochloric acid (32 Tw.), and 200 g. calcium chloride (anhydrous) per liter.
• the impregnated cloth is squeezed so that 100 pants of solution are present on each 100 parts of cloth.
• the cloth is wound around
• the cloth is unwound from the roll and is washed in cold water for five minutes, then in an aqueous solution containing 2 g./l. of sodium carbonate at 60 C. for five minutes and finally in cold water for a further five minutes and dried.
• a treated cloth which exhibits, in a very pronounced manner, the ability to recover from creases imposed upon it in the wet state.
• An essential reagent of the new fabric treating procedures of the invention is a water-soluble aldehyde.
• the aldehyde should be sufiiciently soluble in water that at least 50 grams per liter of the aldehyde may be dissolved in water or strongly acidic aqueous solutions containing a substantial concentration of salt.
• Most effective results are obtained in the new procedures using formaldehyde as the water-soluble aldehyde.
• Commercial formalin, which contains about 37% to 40% active formaldehyde is a good reagent for use in conducting the new fabric treating operations, but other sources of formaldehyde and formaldehyde donors may be used, e.g., paraformaldehyde.
• aldehydes examples include glyoxal, ethyl glyoxal, propionaldehyde, isobutyraldehyde, acetaldehyde, pyruvic aldehyde, hydroxy adipaldehyde and comparable Water-soluble aldehydes. Mixtures of aldehydes may be used.
• the aqueous treating solutions may contain the watersoluble aldehyde in various concentrations. Preferably, however, the aldehyde should be present in a concentration of at least 50 grams per liter. Considerably higher concentrations than this may be used and will be generally limited by the upper limit of solubility of the aldehyde used, or stability of the concentrated aldehyde solu tion in the presence of the accompanying acid catalyst and modifying salt. Generally, a concentration of aldehyde above about 300 grams per liter of treating solution provides no extra benefit for the required additional amount of aldehyde.
• Another essential reagent of the new operations is a catalyst material consisting of a strong acid, i.e., an acid having an ionization constant of at least 0.01.
• Hydrochloric acid is the preferred acid for use in the new operations, but other acids which may be used include sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid and trichloroacetic acid. Less preferred acids include dichloroacetic acid, phosphorous acid, sulfurous acid, pyrophosphoric acid, naphthalene sulfonic acid and comparable strong acids. Compatible mixtures of acids may be used if desired. 7
• the concentration of the strong acid in the treating solution may be varied.
• the solution should contain at least 10 grams per liter of active acid material. Higher concentrations may be used, but the concentration of acid in conjunction with the inert salt in the solution should be such that swelling of the cellulosic material being treated is not appreciably reduced below its swelling in pure water.
• an upper limit of about 300 grams per liter of active acid material should be observed in forming the new fabric treating solutions.
• the salt used in forming the treating solutions should be inert with respect to the particular acid being used.
• the salt should not interact with the acid, either to form insoluble compounds, to liberate volatile mate rials or to be transformed from a neutral salt into an acid salt, thereby reducing the efiective hydrogen-ion concentration of the solution.
• the salt should have sufficiently high solubility in the acid solution to provide the mixture with a pH of less than as measured potentiometrically with a quinhydrone electrode. If the limitations upon choice of salt used in forming the treating solutions as described above are observed, it has been found that satisfactory treating solutions are produced, if the concentration of salt is between about 50 and 400 grams per liter of treating solution.
• the preferred inert salt used in forming the solutions is calcium chloride, used in concentrations of 100 to 350 grams per liter of solution, but other usable salts include magnesium chloride, sodium chloride, sodium bisulfate, sodium nitrate, sodium trichloroacetate, monosodium phosphate, potassium chloride, lithium chloride, and comparable alkaline metal and alkaline earth metal salts of strong acids. Also usable, but less preferred, are other metal salts such as aluminum chloride, zinc chloride, and the like. Compatible mixtures of salts may be used.
• the activity of the acidic treating solution will vary to some extent depending upon the particular acid and inert salt employed in the formation of the solution.
• the quantity of salt used in conjunction with the acid employed should be such that the actual degree of swelling obtained in the treatment of the cellulosic fibers is not appreciably less than that which occurs in pure water alone.
• the most convenient method of expressing the activities of the mixtures is in terms of their pH values as measured potentiometrically using a quinhydrone electrode. In such measurements of pH values, the usual pH scale, with values of 0 to 14, extends to cover mixtures having greater apparent acidity and includes negative values of pH.
• treating solutions should have a pH value of below 0.
• Solutions with a pH as measured by a quinhydrone electrode of between O.2 and -0.8. are efieotive and solutions having a pH between about -O.5 and -0.6 are preferred, when working at a temperature of C.
• Solutions containing 250 g./l. of formaldehyde (40%) with a pH of -0.5 to -0.6 can be produced by the following varied combinations of strong acids and salts of strong acids:
• the optimum amount of formaldehyde required to be fixed on cellulosic fibers appears to be about 0.6% and this amount gives angles of recovery from wet creasing of 140 or better.
• the amount of aldehyde fixed on the fabric may be determined by the increase in weight of the fabric before and after treatment as measured by weighing the dried fabric after conditioning at controlled humidity.
• the impregnation of the cellulosic fabric with the treating solution and the period of holding the impregnated fabric in an extended condition free of creases in order to permit reaction to occur between the cellulosic fibers and the treating solution can be carried out at various temperatures within the range of about 0 C. to 0., although best results are obtained from a viewpoint of control and final fabric properties employing temperatures for impregnation and subsequent reaction within the range of about 10 C. to 60 C.
• the time of treatment varies as an inverse function of the temperature, shorter times being required, the higher the temperature, and vice versa.
• the time of treatment of the solution impregnated cloth in the extended condition is preferably of the order of 24-48 hours.
• temperature and pH values of the solution can be used if desired.
• pH values .of the solution lower than -0.5 to 0.6 can be used if it is desired to work at temperatures lower than 20 C., and/or times shorter than 24 hours, and conversely, pH values higher than 0.5 to 0.6 can be used if it is more convenient to work at temperatures higher than 20 C., and/or times longer than 48 hours.
• the impregnation of the cellulosic fabric can be carried out by any known method, such as padding, spraying, dipping alone or followed by hydro-extraction.
• the fabric may be treated when it is saturated with the treating solution, i.e., when it contains all of the treating solution which the fabric is capable of holding in an extended condition after removal from the treating bath.
• the process can be operated with the fabric impregnated to an extent less than complete saturation. Satisfactory results have been obtained with cloth Which has been impregnated with about 40 to parts by weight of solution per 100 parts of the dry weight of the fabric.
• cellulosic fabrics as employed in the specifioation and the accompanying claims, means fabrics made from a substantial percentage of cotton, linen, viscose rayon or comparable cellulosic fibers or mixtures of such fibers.
• the fabrics may be woven or knit textiles, nonwoven fabrics or comparable fibrous webs.
• the fabrics may be made of mixtures of cellulosic fibers and non-cellulosic fibers and such mixture of fibers can occur as spun mixedafiber yarn or as monofilaments or single-fiber yarn knitted or woven in varying amounts in the formation of the fabric.
• Non-cellulosic fibers may be natural or synthetic yarns or monofilaments made of materials which are not decomposed by the treating solutions under the conditions of treatment as specified.
• the described procedures produce cellulosic fabrics having new and improved properties of wet-crease recovery.
• the treated fabrics are visually unchanged from the appearance of the untreated goods and the dyeing properties of the fabrics are substantially unaltered, so that the treated fabrics can be dyed, printed and finished by normal methods used in the textile finishing industry.
• One type of finishing operation which may be usefully combined with the new treating procedures of this invention is the finishing of the treating fabrics with synthetic thermosetting resins known to be useful in improving the dry-crease recovery of cellulosic fabrics.
• thermosetting resins are not particularly effective in improving the wet-crease recovery of cellulosic fabrics, and this is particularly troublesome in connection with finishing of cellulosic fabrics with thermosetting resins which are subject to chlorine-retention, since ironing following laundering with chlorine-containing bleaches or the like will cause deterioration of the fabric.
• thermosetting resins which are subject to chlorine-retention
• fabrics treated in accordance with this invention may be given mechanical finishes by the usual methods of embossing, glazing or compressive shrinking.
• a process for the treatment of fabrics formed of cellulose fibers to impart to the fabric the ability to recover from creases imposed on the fabric in the wet state sufficient to substantially reduce the need for ironing after laundering which comprises impregnating said fabric with at least about 40 parts by weight per 100 parts of the dry weight of the fabric of an aqueous solution of a water-soluble aldehyde selected from the group consisting of formaldehyde, glyoxal, hydroxy adipaldehyde, and pyrnvic aldehyde, an acid having an ionization constant of at least 0.01 selected from the group consisting of sulfuric, phosphoric, tricliloracetic and hydrochloric acids and :a water-soluble metal salt selected from the group consisting of calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, sodium chloride, sodium bisulfate, sodium nitrate, sodium trichloracetate, monosodium phosphate, potassium chloride and lithium chloride, said solution containing between about 50 to 300 g./l.
• said aldehyde between about 10 to 300 g./l. of said acid and an amount between 50 and 400 g./l. of said salt, the concentration of said acid in conjunction with said salt being such as to impart to the solution a pH between about -0.2 and 0.8, and a swelling of the cellulose fibers of the fabric at least about as great as the swelling in pure water, said concentrations being in g./l. of solution, and causing a reaction to occur between the aldehyde and the cellulose fibers of said fabric while holding the fabric in an extended condition completely free of any creases in the wet state swollen with said solution by so maintaining the swollen fabric at a temperature between about 0 and C. for a time corresponding at the temperature used to between about 24 to 48 hours at 20 C., said time being an inverse function of the temperature until a wet crease-proofing effect is obtained, then completely freeing the fabric of all said solution and drying the solutionfree fabric.
• a process for the treatment of fabrics formed of cellulose fibers to impart to the fabric the ability to recover from creases imposed on the fabric in the wet state sufficient to substantially reduce the need for ironing after laundering which comprises impregnating said fabric with between about 40 and parts by weight per 100 parts of the dry Weight of the fabric of an aqueous solution of 50 to 300 g./l. of formaldehyde, 10 to 300 g./l.
• the concentration of the acid in conjunction with the calcium chloride being such as to impart to the solution a pH of between 0.5 and -O.6 and a swelling of the fabric at least about as great as the swelling in pure water, said concentrations being in g./l. of solution, and causing a reaction to occur between formaldehyde in said solution and the cellulose fibers of said fabric while holding the fabric in an extended condition completely free of any creases in the wet state swollen with said solution by so maintaining the swollen fabric at a temperature between about 0 and 100 C.
• a process for the treatment of fabrics formed of cellulose fibers to impart to the fabric the ability to recover from creases imposed on the fabric in the wet state to substantially reduce the need for ironing after laundering which comprises impregnating said fabric with between about 40 and 150 parts by weight per 100 parts of the dry weight of the fabric of an aqueous solution of 50 to 300 g./l. of formaldehyde, 10 to 300 g./l.
• a process for the treatment of fabrics uiorrned of cellulose fibers to impart to the fabric the ability to recover from creases imposed on the fabric in the wet state to substantially reduce the need for ironing after laundering which comprises impregnating said fabric with between about 40 and 150 parts by weight :per 100 parts of the dry weight of the fabric of an aqueous solution having a pH about -06 consisting essentially of about 250 g. formaldehyde (40% solution), about 100 g. of sulfuric acid (98%) and about 150 g.
• a cellulosic fabric which has the ability to recover from creases imposed on the fabric inthe wet state sufficient to substantially reduce the need for ironing after laundering as prepared by the process defined in claim 1.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Treatments For Attaching Organic Compounds To Fibrous Goods (AREA)
• Chemical Or Physical Treatment Of Fibers (AREA)

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Citations (2)

• 0
  • NL NL244895D patent/NL244895A/xx unknown
  • BE BE584107D patent/BE584107A/xx unknown
• 1958
  • 1958-10-30 GB GB34795/58A patent/GB898299A/en not_active Expired
• 1959
  • 1959-10-28 US US849156A patent/US3094372A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1959-10-30 CH CH8008859A patent/CH397593A/de unknown
  • 1959-10-30 FR FR808918A patent/FR1239264A/fr not_active Expired

Patent Citations (2)

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