SK161992A3 - Fiber with hollow three-lobe cross section and plate spinning nozzle for it's manufacturing - Google Patents

Abstract

A multilobal synthetic polymeric filament has a single approximately axially extending central void. The total cross-sectional void area of the filament is between about 3 and about 10 percent void. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to multilobed synthetic polymer filaments having a single approximately axially extending central cavity wherein the total cross-sectional area of the filament is from about 3 to 10% of the cavity.

In addition, the present invention relates to carpets made of these filaments and a plate spinneret for making these filaments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For a variety of uses of fiber synthetic polymers, it is necessary to minimize the weight of the fibers to be spread over the surface. This fiber quality is known as a coating. Another quality feature of fibers for a particular end use (such as carpet yarn) is the ability to cover soiling. However, although it is important for certain end uses to achieve a high coating and good dirt coverage, the shimmering gloss should not be lost. For example, a carpet yarn should provide the largest coating and cover the dirt, just as the lustrous shine should be preserved. The attempt to achieve a fabric having these characteristic properties has failed considerably, since the fibers leading to the soiling cover tend to have a less lustrous gloss. At present, the patent owner is not informed of any fiber that effectively achieves all of these quality indicators.

Tri-lobed filaments are known which lead to an excellent coating with circular cross-sections and it is known to produce trilobal and pseudo-trilobal filaments (e.g., deltas, T-profiles). By way of example, U.S. Pat. 3,981,948

Philipsa, U.S. Pat. No. 3,194,002 to Raynolds et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,939,201 Hollanda, U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,731 to Bankera et al. and Japanese Kokai no. 42-22574.

It is also known to obtain cavities in filaments, and it is also known that a greater number of these cavities will improve the ability to cover the soils. U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,061 Champaneria et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,889 to Gintisa et al. disclose non-circular filaments having one or more cavities.

It is also known to produce trilobal or pseudo-trilobal fibers having one or more cavities. By way of example, U.S. Pat. U.S. Patent No. 3,095,258 to Skotta; No. 3,357,048 Cobba, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,493,459 McInthosha et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,558,420 Opfella, U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,053 to Payne et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,996 to Sugiyama, U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,237 to Samuelson and British patent no. 843 179 Siemera et al.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,830 to Peterson et al. discloses a spinneret for producing a hollow trilobal cross-section. The filaments herein have one axially extending cavity in each lobe.

To overcome the above drawbacks, the present invention is directed to a multilobed synthetic polymer filament having a single approximately axially extending central cavity. The total cross-sectional area of the filament cavity constitutes from about 3 to 10% of the cavity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved hollow trilobal filament.

The inventor has found that this object can be achieved by the filaments defined above.

The owner of the present invention has also achieved a carpet made of these filaments and a plate spinneret for making such filaments.

Having read the following detailed description of the invention, related features and advantages will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a filament according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a spinnerette suitable for producing the filament of FIG. First

Fig. 3 is a plan view of another spinnerette of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of measuring components on a goniophotometer.

The term modification ratio (MR) means the ratio of the radius R ₂ of the circumscribed circle to the radius Rl of the inscribed circle as shown in FIG. 1. The term arm angle (AA) is the angle formed by the extension of the arm sides as shown in FIG. First

FIG. 1 shows an enlarged view of a filament 10 that is representative of the present invention. The filament 10 is trilobal and has three lobes 11, 12 and 13 and axially extending a smaller or larger central cavity 15.

According to the invention, the filament 10 preferably has a modification ratio of about 2 to 6, more preferably about 2.0 to 3.5 and an arm angle of 7 to 35 °. The only approximately centrally located cavity represents about 3 to 10%, preferably 5 to 8% of the total fiber volume measured including the volume of the cavity.

Fig. 2 illustrates a spinnerette suitable for making the filament of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a single filament formed in a set of spinneret orifices of the present invention. The aperture set 10 consists of three approximately Y-shaped apertures 11, 11 'and 11. Each Y-shaped aperture has a long arm 12, 12' ^and 12 and a short arm 13, 13 'and 13. An angle between the arms 12 and 12' it is usually from about 80 to 160 °, preferably from about 100 to 140 °, and need not be the same. R 1 is preferably about 0.5 to 6 mm, more preferably about 1.5 to 3.0 mm. R ₂ is preferably from about 0.3 to 2.5 mm, but more preferably from 0.5 to 1.5 mm. The width of each arm is usually between about 0.05 to 0.15 mm, preferably about 0.06 to 0.10 mm. Gap between arms 13 and 13. ' is from about 0.05 to 0.25 mm, preferably from about 0.08 to 0.20 mm. The arms 13 and 12 are long enough to meet the limitations of R and R _2nd

While any filament carpet yarn can be produced, to illustrate the present invention, the spinnerette is provided with a set of 58 filament holes positioned in a circular arrangement with 8 rows and 6-9 capillaries on a series of capillary forming filaments. Polymeric nylon 6 is extruded downwardly into the cooling shaft under commonly used spinning conditions and removed to reels, where it is further processed into conventional carpet yarn, which is then tufted into the carpet using conventional tufting methods. The carpet face yarn is found to have improved apparent volume, lustrous gloss, dirt coverage, resiliency and retention in comparison with the previously known carpet of three lobed yarn that does not have a central cavity.

Fig. 3 represents another possible form of the spinneret according to the invention.

The filaments of the present invention can be made from synthetic thermoplastic polymers that are melt-spinnable. Examples of such polymers are polyamides such as poly (hexamethylenediamide), polycaprolactane and polyamides of bis- (4-aminocyclohexyl) methane and straight chain aliphatic dicarboxylic acids containing 9, 10 and 12 carbon atoms, copolyamides, polyesters such as poly acid (ethylene) terephthalene and its copolymers and polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene. Heterogeneous as well as homogeneous mixtures of such polymers can also be used.

As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, filaments can be produced by known methods for spinning filaments. The molten polymer is spun through the spinneret nozzle to achieve the desired void volume and cross-section of the filaments under spinning conditions that provide the desired titer (in denier). The particular spinning conditions and nozzles, shapes and dimensions of the spinneret will vary depending on the particular polymer and the filament being spun.

The spinning and cooling conditions are adjusted accordingly to achieve the desired percentage range of the cavity. For example, the percent range of the cavity can generally be increased by quenching the molten filaments faster while increasing the viscosity of the molten polymer.

Test methods

Percentage of cavity

The ends of the filaments of the yarn having a length corresponding to a weight of 6 to 8 grams are joined by melting in a flame and the weight of the yarn is determined. The yarn density is determined using a conventional pycnometer. The density of the solid filament yarn is also determined in the same way for the control determination. The cavity percentage range is then calculated by subtracting the density of the hollow filament yarn from the density of the solid filament yarn used for the control determination, dividing the result by the density of the solid filament yarn, and then multiplying the result by 100.

soiling

Samples of 0.91 x 1.83m color imitation carpet, made of fibers with different (interesting) cross-sections, are placed in a moving corridor for 50,000 passages, operated under harsh conditions. The samples are then cleaned with a conventional vacuum cleaner and the degree of soiling is visually assessed. A lower number represents a lower degree of soiling.

Shoulder angle

To determine the angle of the arms, the cross-section of the fiber is increased 300-fold. The two tangential lines are shown for each arm and the angle formed from the two lines is measured. The indicated arm angle represents the average of ten measurements.

Lustrous shine

For carpet:

Carpets with pile cutting are produced by standard tufting techniques from cable and heat treated yarn. After imitation of the dyeing, the carpets are visually evaluated for shimmering gloss. Lower numbers represent a higher degree of lustrous gloss.

For yarn:

A goniophotometer (HunterLab Goniophotometer GP-1R Seriel 1050) is used to subtract the reflection factor. As illustrated in the attached diagram, designated as FIG. 4, goniophotometers are used to determine the reflection factor at varying angles. A fixed incidence angle (60 °) and a variable detection angle (-120 to 30 °) are used. Yarn samples are wound in parallel on a 3.8 x 10.2 cm label. Each label has about four to five layers of yarn.

The measurement conditions are:

VS1-3

VS2-2 neutral density filter # 25 fixed angle of incidence -60 ° sensed from -120 to -30 °

A schematic diagram of the measurement of components on a goniophotometer is shown in FIG. 4th

The actual mirror peak for each formula is obtained from the recording chart. The angle is approximately 60 °. The lustrous gloss L is calculated from the following relation:

L = (1-D / S) x 100 in which

D is the percentage of reflection factor read under diffuse light and ^S

S means the percentage of reflection factor read at the mirror peak

coating

Two types of samples, one thermoset and one not, are subjected to volume adjustment in hot water (99 ° C) for 30 minutes, dried and conditioned (at 20 ° C and 65% relative humidity) overnight. A sample of yarn with a length corresponding to a weight of about 4 grams each shall be selected and its exact weight determined. The individual species are felted by hand and placed freely in a Teflon cylinder (4 cm in diameter and 20 cm in length). An Instron device is used to determine the sample space occupying 9/10 of the full load range (9000 g). The specific sample volume is calculated and expressed in cm ³ / g. This procedure is repeated three times for each sample. The average of the three determinations is given.

Carpet wear

Swivel support test:

A 134.6 cm x 121.9 cm carpet sample is cut. The sample is fastened with tape to the carpet belt platform. The metal support with the hopper is filled to a weight of 45.4 kg and placed on the carpet. The support is hung on the hook of the motor-driven plunger rod and rotates on the carpet, with the plunger rod moving back and forth cyclically. The orientation of the carpet sample periodically changes. At the end of 1500 cycles, the degree of wear is determined using a paired comparison.

Paired comparison

The pairwise comparison test is performed using eleven comparisons. The test is to compare two carpets depending on time and to select a carpet sample that has a better overall appearance over a fixed amount of wear. Observation data are processed using a preference table. The inputs obtained by observation are processed as follows:

S represents the result means the sample also in series

I denotes sample j in series and t denotes the total number of samples when paired after equalization

If> Aj, then S ^ j = 1, if = Aj, then S ^ j = 0.5, if A ^ <Aj, then j = 0.5, if S ^ j = 1, then Sj ^ = 0, if S1 = 0.5, then S1 = 0.5, if S1 = 0, then S1 = 1.

Therefore Sji = 1 - Sij,

Si = t (t-1) / 2

Table 1

Preference table for pairwise comparison of five samples (j)

^A 1 ^A 2 ^A 3 ^A 4 ^A 5 Total result ^A 1 - ^S 12 ^S 13 ^S 14 ^S 15 ZSij ^A 2 ^S 21 - ^S 23 ^S 24 ^S 25 ^SS 2j ^A 3 ^S 31 ^S 32 - ^S 34 ^S 35 zs _3j ^A 4 ^S 41 ^S 42 ^S 43 - ^S 45 ^ĽS 4j ^A 5 ^S 51 ^S 52 ^S 53 ^S 54 - zs _5j

Example

The spinneret containing 58 filament capillaries is arranged in a circular arrangement with eight rows and 6 and 9 capillaries in a row. The capillaries are generally formed according to FIG. 2 with the appropriate design to the desired arm angle, the cavity percentage, the modification ratio and the apertures are arranged relative to the capillaries of each successive adjacent row. Commercially available polymeric nylon 6 (with a relative viscosity of 2.7, determined at a concentration of 1 g per 100 ml in 96% by weight sulfuric acid) is extruded under normal spinning conditions into a cooling shaft, textured, and removed into coils for further processing into conventional carpet yarn. The following spinning conditions are used:

1) extruder: melt temperature = 262 ° C, pressure = 12.4 MPa,

2) offset: 207 g / min;

3) texture pressure = 648 kPa,

4) texture temperature = 250 ° C,

5) duo 2 speed = 2109 m / min,

6) duo 2 temperature = 160 ° C,

7) duo 1 speed = 611 m / min,

8) duo 1 temperature = 50 ° C,

9) duo 3 speed = 1729 m / min,

10) FOY = 1.2%

11) winding tension = 200 g

12) winding speed = 1699 m / min,

13) titer = 1160 denier.

The carpet yarn is then sewn into the primary back using the usual tufting methods to make samples 6, 7, 8 and d shown in the following tables. Samples A and C are non-sewn carpet yarns. The face yarn from the carpet sample exhibits excellent volume, lustrous shine, dirt cover, volume resilience and appropriate retention.

Comparative example

U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,371 Bankara et al. is used to make samples 2, 3, 4, 5, C, b and c below. Samples 1a and a are other solid cross-sectional trilobal materials.

table 2 označe- bent MR Uhol titre coating cavity Ligo- oversleep not (zatoče- RA (de- (cm ³ / g) (%) camels is not samples no / cm) currencies Nier) shine

1 0 2.6 21 16 4.2 0 2 3 2 0 3.3 19 16 4.6 0 4 4 3 0 3.6 14 16 4.9 0 4 4 4 0 2.8 28 16 4.6 0 2 3 5 0 3.5 20 16 4.8 0 4 4 6 0 2.5 35 20 5.2 6 1 1 7 0 3.1 11 20 6.2 5 3 2 8 0 5.7 7 20 6.7 5 4 3

Table 3

mark samples bent (The splicing / cm) MR Coating (cm ³ / g) Lustrous shine determined by a photometer A 0.6 2.6 4.9 67 1.4 4.0 C 0.6 2.6 4.4 66 1.4 3.7

Statistical analysis of the overall pair test results

(11 observations) on the swivel support test (1500 cycles) those carpet tiles (double-folded thermoset, 3.75 tpi,) are further 1/10 sewing thickness, listed in Table 4. height hair 0.46 cm, 881.6 g / m ² Table 4 Marks- Curl MR angle titre Coating Hollow Ligo- 'assessment no (turn- RA (de- tom ³ / g) (%) melting not for- samples not / cm) currencies Nier) shine spotting

and 1.5 2.5 21 19 4.3 0 2 2.45 b 1.5 3.0 14 19 5.0 0 3 2.59 C 1.5 3.1 21 19 5.2 0 2 1.64 D 1.5 2.8 24 19 5.7 6 1 7.09

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Claims (4)

A filament of a hollow trilobal cross-section, characterized in that it has a single approximately axially extending central cavity, wherein the total cross-sectional area of the filament cavity constitutes approximately 3 to 10% of the cavity. 2. A multi-lobed synthetic filament having a single approximately axially extending central cavity, a total cross-sectional area of the cavity of about 3 to 10% of the cavity, a modification ratio of about 2 to 6, and an arm angle of about 7 to 35 °. A carpet made of filaments according to claim 1. A plate spinneret for producing trilobal fibers having an approximately axially extending central cavity, characterized in that the spinneret has at least one filament forming a plurality of orifices comprising a center and having a plurality of orifices each of which is approximately shaped Y with one long arm defining an axis with the axis of each long arm converging to the center of the hole pattern and the holes having shorter arms, each of the shorter arms of the same element Y is divergent with respect to said center.