WO2015189821A1

WO2015189821A1 - Method for manufacturing silk articles with a matt appearance

Info

Publication number: WO2015189821A1
Application number: PCT/IB2015/054468
Authority: WO
Inventors: Augusto FERRARIS
Original assignee: Lanificio Ermenegildo Zegna E Figli S.P.A.
Priority date: 2014-06-12
Filing date: 2015-06-12
Publication date: 2015-12-17

Abstract

The method comprises the steps of: manufacturing combed silk yarns having a Z-type twist consisting of between about 530 and about 800 turns/lm, doubling these yarns and imparting to the doubled yarns a first Z-type twist consisting of between about 190 and about 290 turns/lm, - subjecting the doubled and twisted yarns thus obtained to a singeing operation; and thereafter imparting to the singed doubled yarns a second Z-type twist such as to bring the total twist of these doubled yarns to a value of between about 640 and about 960 turns/lm.

Description

Method for manufacturing silk articles with a matt appearance

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing silk articles, such as yarns and fabrics.

CN 101 634 067 A describes a method comprising operations for preparing multiple fibres of raw silk containing sericin, twisting and heat treatment of the fibres, doubling, further twisting and heat treatment of the fibres. The yarns are subjected to an S or Z twist before and after doubling. The total twist reaches 450 turns/10 cm.

WO 2014/064661 A2 describes a method for manufacturing a silk-based fabric, which imitates a cashmere fabric, using a twisted doubled yarn made from a roving of discontinuous silk fibres.

One object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing silk fibres with a matt appearance, which do not have the shininess typical of silk yarns.

This object is achieved according to the invention with a method having the characteristic features defined in the attached Claim 1.

In a currently preferred embodiment the aforementioned silk starting yarns are made by means of a Z-type twist consisting preferably of about 670 turns/lm, and the doubled yarns are imparted a first Z-type twist consisting preferably of about 240 turns/lm and then, after the singeing operation, a second Z-type twist such as to raise the total twist of said doubled yarns to a value of about 800 turns/lm.

A further object of the present invention is to allow the manufacture of a silk fabric with a matt appearance.

This object is achieved according to the invention with a method having the characteristic features defined in the attached Claim 5. Further characteristic features and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following description provided purely by way of a non-limiting example.

In a method according to the present invention, in order to obtain silk yarns with a matt appearance, initially yarns are made from strips of combed, discontinuous, silk (for example Mulberry silk) fibres.

These starting yarns are imparted a Z-type twist consisting of between about 530 and about 800 turns/lm (linear metre) and preferably of about 670 turns/lm.

The yarns thus obtained, after doubling beforehand, are subjected to a further twisting operation such as to impart to them a first twist, of the Z-type, consisting of between about 190 and about 290 turns/lm and preferably consisting of about 240 turns/lm.

The twisted doubled yarns thus obtained are then subjected to a singeing operation.

Thereafter, the doubled, twisted and singed yarns are imparted a second Z-type twist such as to raise the total twist of these doubled yarns to a value of between about 640 and about 960 turns/lm, and preferably about 800 turns/lm.

By performing twisting in two separate steps separated by the singeing operation it is possible to limit the risk that the yarn obtained may be prone to breakage, as occurs for example in the case of crepe-type yarns, following the singeing operation.

The silk yarns with a matt appearance thus obtained may be advantageously used as warp and weft threads for producing an orthogonal woven fabric made of silk with a likewise matt appearance.

With a fabric made in this way it is necessary to pay particular attention to the final finishing cycle, in order to prevent the matt effect achieved by means of the yarn manufacture process from being lost as a result of the finishing operations during which it is generally possible that the fabric may be "polished" beyond the natural shiny appearance of silk yarns.

Therefore according to the invention, the matt silk fabric as indicated above is conveniently subjected, in sequence, to the following operations:

smoothing in a singeing machine,

washing in a continuous washing machine,

drying in a stentering machine,

wetting with softener,

passing between squeezing cylinders,

passing through a drying machine,

stretching in an equalizing machine,

final deep shearing,

wet decatizing on the rear side, and

steaming.

Obviously, without altering the principle of the invention, the embodiments and the constructional details may be greatly varied with respect to that described and illustrated purely by way of a non-limiting example, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. Method for manufacturing silk yarns having a matt appearance, comprising the steps of:

manufacturing, from combed discontinuous silk fibres, silk starting yarns having a Z-type twist consisting of between about 530 and about 800 turns/lm,

doubling said starting yarns and imparting to the doubled yarns a first Z-type twist consisting of between about 190 and about 290 turns/lm,

subjecting the doubled and twisted yarns thus obtained to a singeing operation; and imparting thereafter the doubled singed yarns a second twist, of the Z-type, such as to bring the total twist of said doubled yarns to a value of between about 640 and about 960 turns/lm.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the initial yarns are imparted a Z-type twist, preferably equal to about 670 turns/lm.

3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the doubled silk yarns are imparted a first Z-type twist consisting of about 240 turns/lm.

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the singed doubled yarns are imparted a second Z-type twist, such as to bring the total twist of said yarns to a value equal to about 800 turns/lm.

5. Method for manufacturing a silk fabric having a matt appearance, comprising manufacturing an orthogonal woven fabric with warp and weft threads formed by doubled, singed and twisted yarns manufactured using the method according to one of the preceding claims.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein said fabric is subjected, in sequence, to: smoothing in a singeing machine,

washing in a continuous washing machine, and

drying in a stentering machine.

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein said fabric is thereafter subjected to wetting by means of a softener, a subsequent passage between squeezing cylinders, and finally passing through a drying machine.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein said fabric is thereafter stretched in an equalizing machine.

9. Method according to claim 8, wherein said fabric is thereafter subjected to shearing.

10. Method according to claim 9, wherein said fabric is finally subjected to wet decatizing on the rear side and steaming.