Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
TRY.TRT-6752-CA
NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF INVENTO~S
1) Minoru Shiojima: 26-1, Aza Asamado, Takagi, Tanyo-cho,
Ichinomiya-shi, Aichi, Japan
2) Toshiaki ~iura: 2-22-1, Torlmi-cho, Nishi-ku,
Nagoya-shi, Aichi, Japan
3) Keitarou Nabeshi.ma: 14-9, Ohe 5-chome, Otsu-shi,
Shiga,Japan
4) Satoru Masuzaki: 3-535-198, Nakayama-cho Nishi, Nara-
-shi, Nara, Japan
13 ~ ~ 7 ~10 TRY-6752
-- 1 --
A LATENT LOOPED YARN, A FABRIC MADE OF
THE SAME, AND A METHOD FOR MANUFACT~RING
THE LATENT LOOP~D YARN
BACKGROU~D OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the invention
This invention relates to a looped yarn which
is produced in such a way that a running yarn is led
into an area of an eddy current of a pressurized fluid
to fonm opened loops and closed loops on a surface of
the yarn in that area. In more detail, this invention
relates to a latent looped yarn and a method for man-
ufacturing the same, in which opened loops and closed
loops are previously provided on the yarn and the la~ent
loops are revealed after the latent looped yarn is woven
into a fabric, and a method for manufacturing the same.
This invention also rslates to a high density
fabric made of the latent looped yarn and having a
spunlike touch.
2. Description of the Related Arts
Various looped yarns in which many fine opened
loops and closed loops are provided on each respective
componant filament of a mul~ifilament are used, since
such a looped yarn has a characteristic of giving a
fabric a voluminous feeling and a certain stiffness.
But many operational problems arise when using
such looped yarns in a weaving process to make a fabric;
for example, the yarn is hooked at an a~rasive con-
tacting portion of a guide or tensor to create anabnormal tension on the yarn, and thereby cause yarn
breakage, or the element thereof is destroyed when spun
yarns are used in the same process.
There are many kinds of brown looped yarns in
which a plurality of fine opened loops and closed loops
are provided on each respective component filament of a
multifilament, for making a spunlike fabric utilizing
~k
~ 3 ~ a
multifilament yarns, and there have been many proposals
for making such a yarn, since a fabric having a volumi-
nous feeling and a certain stiffness can be produced by
such yarns.
These kinds of yarn inherently have a signifi-
cant drawback such ~hat, when a high ten~ion exceeding a
level of tension required is applied to the yarn, the
loops are eliminated and thus the voluminous charac-
taristic given to the yarn is lost, and finally, the
characteristic disappears because the opened loops and
closed loops thereof are formed on the surface of the
yarn only by an entanglement ~mong the component
filaments.
Further, Japanese Patent Publication 61-40778
discloses a method for manufacturing a napped fabric
utilizing an interlaced and mixed multifilament yarn
having a two-layer configuration in which a filament
yarn having a high shrinkage ratio is used as a core
yarn and ultra fine fibers entangLed around the core
yarn are used as a sheath yarn, and a technology in
which a fabric woven or knitted with the yarn receives a
napping treatment.
Generally speaking, a looped yarn as mentioned
above is used in most cases as a weft yarn when
2~ producing a spunlike ~abric with the looped yarn,
because of the problems mentioned above, and heretofore,
there has never been a case in which such a looped yarn
is used as warp yarn of a fabric.
But, if a high density fabric is to be
produced utili~ing multifilament yarns, it is not
sufficient to use such a looped yarn only as a weft yarn
thereof, and such a looped yarn should be also used as a
warp yarn. Nevertheless, when such a looped yarn is
used as warp yarn of a fabric, other drawbacks arise
such that, for example, when used as a warp yarn of a
fabric, the warp yarn density must extremely be coarse,
because of the entanglement of the looped yarns with
~3~70~
each other on a loom, which causes a problem of a
lowered sheddin~ ability during a weaving operation,
as well as the operational problems described above.
To solve these problems, many attempts, such
as attenuating the denier of filaments of a sheath yarn,
have been made, but these require the use of se~eral
kinds of supplemental devices for taking us the looped
yarn from a yarn package.
But e~en when such a supplemen~al de~ice is
u~ed, the warp yarn density is limited, and thus a
fabric having high warp yarn density can not be obtained
thereby.
~ n the other hand, in order to improve a
yarn taking up operation from a yarn package and to
improve a yarn passage ability in a weaving or knitting
process or a preparing process for making a fabric
arranged before or after the above weaving or knitting
process, or due to the restrictions imposed because,
when such a looped yarn is used as a warp yarn of a
~0 fabric, such loops must-be especially eliminated or the
fabric as a final product must be woven by using a yarn
having a small number of loops produced in s~ch a way
that the yarn~ are not provided with loops at a high
density and large size thereon in the first stage of the
yarn production, while making a difference between the
yarn length of the component filaments of the yarn
extremely small, so that a fabric having a satisfactory
feeling and surface touch can not be obtained.
Accordingly, at present such a looped yarn can not
be used as a warp yarn for making a fabric having a
relatively high yarn density.
As is well known in this field, the number of
the loops and the size thereof in a conventional looped
yarn are seldom changed or are slightly increased, even
if such a looped yarn is sub~ected to a hot water
treatment with a subsequent free tension, and i~ such a
looped yarn were used as a warp yarn, it would be
13~7~
impossible to obtain a fabric having a high yarn density
and good spunlike feeling.
Therefore/ to make a spunlike fabric having a
high yarn density, a looped yarn which can be used as a
warp yarn must be realized.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A feature of one embodiment of the invention is
to overcome the technical drawbacks described above and to
provide a new type of latent looped yarn which can be also
used as a warp yarn of a high density fabric, and to
provide a method for manufacturing the same.
In more detail, this invention, in certain
embodiments, provides a latent looped yarn which can
improve the yarn taking-up operation from a yarn package,
wnich is one of the drawbacks in this technical field
described above, enabling a yarn unwinding from the yarn
package at a high yarn speed and, simultaneously, can
improve the condition in a weaving process or another yarn
~0 treating process or fabric treating process arranged before
or after the weaving process, can be used as a warp yarn to
enable a fabric to be made that has a high density weaving
construction, and further, can be used to make a spun like
fabric having a superior feeling and surface touch in the
final product thereof without applying a special treatment,
such as a napping treatment, thereto.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention there is provided a looped composite yarn
consisting essentially of at least one synthetic component
3a multifilament yarn having a high shrinkage ratio and at
least one synthetic multifilament yarn having a low
shrinkage ratio and having fine opened and closed loops on
~, i
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- 4a -
the surface thereof, the looped yarn having the capability
whereby the total number and size of the closed and opened
loops thereof can be increased by thermally treating the
yarn while it is free of tension, the fine loops retained
on the composite yarn before the thermal treatment being
classified as loops A, comprising more than 300 ends/m,
loops B, comprising more than 45 ends/m, and loops C,
comprising less than 10 ends/m and wherein each of the
loops A, B and C is defined in such a manner that when each
loop is measured under conditions of a yarn speed of 50
m/min and a yarn running tension of 0.1 g/d, loops
projecting more than 0.15 mm from the yarn surface are
defined as the loops A, loops projecting more than 0.35 mm
from the yarn surface are defined as the loops B and loops
projecting more than 0.6 mm from the yarn surface are
defined as the loops C and at least the number of loops B
is more than 1.5 times that of the looped yarn before the
heat treatment and the number of loops C is more than 50
ends/m after the looped yarn is subjected to the thermal
treatment.
In a preferred embodiment, the shrinkage in hot
water of the component filament of the multifilament yarn
having a high shrinkage, is more than 10% and the
difference in shrinkage in hot water between the component
filament having the high shrinkage and the component
filament of the multifilament yarn having low shrinkage is
more than 5%, and the component filament of the
multifilament yarn having high shrinkage has a denier of
0.1 - 15 and the component filament of the multifilament
yarn having low shrinkage has a denier of 0.05 - 1.3.
In accordance with another embodiment of the
131~7~
- ~b -
present invention there is provided a method for
manufacturing a latent looped yarn in which at least two
synthetic multifilaments each having different shrinkage
ratio are simultaneously fed to an eddy current zone to
make opened loops and closed loops on a surface of the
yarn, and thereafter, the yarn stretched to eliminate or
refine the loops.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a schematic view of one embodiment of
yarn making process of latent looped yarn of thls
invention;
Figure 2 is a graph indicating the results
obtained in the examples 1 and 2 in this invention;
Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of a filament
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having a flat shape in cross section, as used in this
invention;
Figure 4 shows a looped yarn produced by an eddy
current treatment with a compressed air, as obtained in
s Example 5;
Figure 5 shows a latent looped yarn of this
invention obtained by stretching the looped yarn shown
in Figure 4;
Figure 6 shows a bulked looped yarn obtained by
heat-treating the looped yarn shown in Figure 4 with hot
water at 98C under shrink free conditions; and,
Figure 7 shows a looped yarn of this invention
after developing the latent loops on the surfac~ thereof
by heat-treating the latent looped yarn shown in
Figure 5 with hot water at 98C under shrink free
conditions.
DESCRIPTION OF THÉ PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
To attain the above-mentioned objects of this
inventionl the latent looped yarn according to this
invention has a construction wherein a latent looped
yarn consists of a mixed composite multifilament yarn
comprising at least two synthetic multifilaments each
having a diffexent thermal shrinkage and having fine
opened loops and closed loops on a surface thereof,
whereby, the composite multifilamen~ yarn has an ability
such that, by receiving a thermal treatment under free
tension, in a multifilament yarn having a low thermal
shrinkage ratio in boiling water, the total number of
the closed and opened loops and the size ~hereof can be
increased compared with those retained in the multi-
filament yarn before heat treatment.
In this invention, the closed loop is a loop in
which the root portion is closed as shown by X in
Figure 5, and the opened loop is a loop in which the
root portion is opened, as shown by Y in Figure 5.
Further, in thi~ invention, the looped yarn is
characterized in that, in accordance with the classi-
-5
~31~79~
fication of the loops as defined hereunder, the total
number of the respective fine opened loops and closed
loops provided on the surface of the latent looped yarn
before receiving a heak treatmPnt such as, for example,
a hot water treatment under free tension, is such that
the loop A, loop ~ and loop C has more than 300 ends/m,
more than 50 ends/m, and less than 10 ends/m, respec-
tively.
Wherein each of said loop A, loop B and loop C is
defined in such a manner that, when each loop is
measured under the condition of a yarn speed of 50m/min
and a yarn running tension of 0.1 g/d, by using a
photo-electric type fluff measuring device (for example,
a fluff counter sold by TORAY Industries Inc. under the
name of "TORAY FRAY COUNTER") which counts the number of
loops of a yaxn running therethrough, a loop projecting
more than 0.15 mm from a yarn surface is defined as a
loop A, a loop projecting more than 0.35 mm from a yarn
surface is defined as a loop B, and a loop pro~ecting
more than 0.6 mm from a yarn surface is defined as a
loop C.
Further, the latent looped yarn is characterized in
that a strong loop revealing force is retained inside
thereof in this condition. Note, preferably the looped
yarn has a loop revealing force such that the looped
yarn in which the number of loops B is increased by more
than 1.5 times that of the yarn and the number of
loops C is increased to more than 50 ends/m after the
yarn is subjected to thermal treatment with hot water at
98C for ten minutes under a shrink free condition and
then dried.
The latent looped yarn according to this invention
will be now explained in more detail.
The latent looped yarn of this invention is a
composite yarn which comprises basically a multifilament
having a high shrinkage ratio and a multifilament yarn
having a low shrinkage ratio, and both multifilament
.~3~7~
yarns may be arranged in a side by side configuration in
which both multifilaments are arranged in parallel to
each other along the yarn axis thereof, or may be
arranged in a sheath and core configuration, in the
latent looped yarn.
In the latter case, the multifilament having a high
shrinkage ratio is preferably arranged in a core portion
of the la ent looped yarn and the multifilament having a
low shrinkage ratio or normal shrinkage ratio is pref-
erably arranged in a sheath portion thereof.
In this invention, the latent looped yarn may bemade by interlacing the multifilament yarns, with each
other.
The number and size of the fine opened loops and
closed loops provided on the surface of the latent
looped yarn of this invention is small, and the value of
a voluminosity of the yarn is relatively small, as shown
in Figure 5.
A feature of this invention is that the number of
opened loops and closed loops projecting more than
0.6 mm from the surface of the looped yarn, i.e.,
loops C, is less than 10 ends/m, which is remarkably
small and can be considered negligible.
Namely, the latent looped yarn of this invention
does not have an outer surface configuration of a bulky
yarn in a condition ~ust after the yarn is textured as a
mixed composite multifilament yarn in the eddy current
zone with the pressurized air, as shown in Figure 4.
But when this latent looped yarn is treated with heat in
hot water at 98C under free tension for 10 minutes, the
latent looped yarn, per se, is caused to shrink by the
shrinkage of the multifilament yarns having a high
shrinkage ratio and a low shrinkage ratio, as shown in
Figure 7.
As the multifilament yarn having a high shrinkage
ratio and the multifilament having a low shrinkage ratio
are interLaced with each other, and as already known,
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the shrinkage of each component filament of a multifila-
ment having a low shrinkage rakio is less than that of
each companent filament of a multifilament yarn having a
high shrinkage ratio, when such a latent looped yarn,
per se, is shrunk, each component filament of the
multifilament yarn having a low shrinkage ratio is
protected from the surface of the yarn to form opened
loops and closed loops by the shrinkage of the multifil-
ament yarn having a high shrinkage ratio, which reduces
the latent looped yarn into a looped yarn having
revealed loops thereon and having a voluminosity.
The looped yarn having opened loops and closed
loops revealed by the heat treatment has a remarkably
increased voluminosity in which the number of loops B
projected more than 0.35 mm from a yarn surface is
increased by more than 1.5 times that of the composite
yarn before heat treatment, and the number of loops C
projected more than 0.6 mm rom a yarn surface is
increased to more than 50 ends/m aftér the composite
yarn is sub~ected to a thermal treatment with hot water
at 98C for ten minutes under a shrink free condition,
and dried.
As described above, the latent looped yarn of this
invention has the latent opened loops and closed loops
therein when it is produced, and the number of loops C
projected from the surface of the yarn is extremely
small.
Accordingly, the bulkiness, per se, of this yarn is
very low, and the surface of the yarn is comparatively
smooth; as shown in Figure 5, and therefore, the yarn
running frietion thereof at a device provided for this
process is very small.
Especially, when this yarn is used as a warp yarn
of a fabric, the running ability of the yarn in th~ head
and the reed is excellent, and there is no possibility
of an entanglement o the loops of ad~acent warps with
each other, or an incomplste shedding at a loom.
~3~7~1~
Therefore, this yarn can be used as a warp of the
fabric.
Further, when a dying and finishing treatment is
applied to the fabric after the weaving process, a high
density and high bulk fabric can be obtained by sub-
jecting the fabric to a heat treatment (utilizing dry
heat, wet heat or steam heat, for example) at a high
temperature in a tension free condition alone, or
accompanied by a dying treatment, causing the latent
opened loops and closed loops of the latent looped yarn
to be revealed.
To attain another object according to this
invention of manufacturing the latent looped yarn, at
least two synthetic multifilaments each having a
different shrinkage ratio are simul~aneously fed into an
eddy current zone to make the open~d loops and closed
loops on the surface of the yarn, and thereafter, the
yarn is stretched to eliminate or refine the loops.
In the process mentioned above, a shrinkage ratio
in hot water of the multifilament yarn h~ving a high
shrinkage ratio may be more than 10%, and ~he difference
in the shrinkage ratio in hot water between the multi-
filament yarn having a high shrinkage ratio and the
multifilament yarn having a low shrinkage ratio may be
more than 5~.
Further, a denier of a component filament o the
multifilament yarn having a low shrinkage ratio may be
0.05 - 2.5d, preferably 0.05 - 1.3 denier, and a denier
of a component filament of the multifilament yarn having
a high shrinkage ratio may be 0.1 - 15 denier, preferably
0.3 - 15 denier and more preferably 1 - 15 denier.
A preferred embodiment of the process for making a
latent looped yarn of this invention will be now
explained with reference to Figure 1, as an e~ample.
Figure 1 is a schematic view of one embodiment of
the process for making a latent looped yarn of this
invention.
~L 3 ~
_ 10 --
As shown in Figure 1, a high shrinkage multifila-
ment yarn 2 unwinding from a package 1 is supplied to a
texturing device 4 at which an eddy current zone is
formed by compressed air, through feed rollers 3. At
the same time, a low shrinkage multifilament yarn 6
unwinding from a package 5 is fed to the same texturing
device 4 through feed roller 7. These multifilaments 2
and 6 are simultaneously fed to the texturing device 4
through suitable yarn guides 8 and 9.
Note, in this process, the multifilament yarn 6 can
be fed directly to the texturing device 4.
After the multifilament yarns 2 and 6 have passed
through the texturing device 4, which provides an eddy
current of a compressed air, they are wound onto a
package 14 as a looped yarn 10, through a first taking
up roller 11, a second taking up roller 12, and a
winding device 13.
During this process, the looped yarn thus produced
is stretched between the taking up roller 11 and 12.
This stretching operation is used to eliminate the large
opened loops and closed loops of the looped yarn, and
preferably is controlled so that it does not affect the
development of the opened loops and closed loops during
the heat treatment. Namely, if the stretch is too weak
the opened loops and closed loops are properly eli-
minated and when the stretch is too strong, the fine
opened Ioops and closed loops o the looped yarn formed
by the eddy current zone are almost completely extin-
guished.
Preferably, the elimination of the loops is carried
out in such a way that the fine loops cannot be seen on
the surface of the yarn by the naked eye but only by
ùtilizing a microscope or a magnifying glass.
The latent looped yarn of this invention is pref-
erably produced under the following conditions.
Namely, in the process of this invention, a multi-
filament yarn having a shrinkage ratio in hot water of
~ 3 ~
11
moxe than 10% and having a filament denier of 0.1 - 15d,
preferably 0.3 - 15d and more preferably 1 ~ 15d is used
as a high shxinkage yarn, and a multifilament having a
shrinkage in hot waker such that the difference in the
shrinkage between the multifilament yarn having a high
shrinkage ratio and that of the multifilament yarn
haviny a low shrinkage ratio is more than 5% and having
a filament denier of 0.05 - 2.5d preferably 0.05 - 1.3d,
is used as a low shrinkage yarn.
These yarns are supplied to the textuxing device 4
which provides the eddy current zone with a compressed
air (in which a feed volume of the compressed air is 80
- 120 ml/min), from the respective feed rollers, at a
different overfeed ratio, and after the yarn i~
withdrawn from the texturing device, the looped yarns,
which have been interlaced and mixed treatment, are
taken up by the same taking up roller~
The overfeed ratio used in this invention is based
on the following equation,
F(%) = (Vl - V2)/V2 x 100
wherein, Vl represents a surface speed of the feed
roller and V2 repre~ents a surface speed of the taking
up roller.
Note, the overfeed ratio of this invention is
defined only when the F value obtained from the equation
is positive(~).
In this invention, the oYerfeed ratio ~ of the high
shrinkage multifilament yarn is set at around 2 - 15%
and the overfeed ratio ~ of the low shrinkage multifila-
ment is set at around 5 - 30%. Fuxther, more pref-
erably, in this invention the yarn withdrawn from the
first taking up roller is taken up by the second taking
up roller under a continuous stretching condition at an
underfeed ratio of 0.4 ~ - 0.8 ~ to the overfeed ratio
of the high shrinkage yarn.
In this invention, a multifilament yarn having a
filament denier of 0.1 - 15d is used as the high
shrinkage yarn of the latent looped yarn. Namely, wh~n
the filament denier is less than ld, a desired yarn
shrinkage can not generally be obtained after the heat
treatment, because the shrinkage of the filaments is
small and shrinkage ratio of the yarn is substantially
reduced but however, even when a filament having a
denier thereof being less than l.Od is used, a
sufficient yarn shrinkage can be obtained in the case of
the content thereof being more than 40 weigh~ % of said
yarn, and when the filament denier is more than 15d,
the fabric obtained has a coarse feeling and
deteriorated handling because the yarn, per se, has a
high~hardness.
Preferably the shrinkage of the high shrinkage
multifilament yarn is large, even though the use of a
yarn having a large shrinkage causes another problems in
that such a yarn has an inherent instability in the size
thereof and a variation thereof with an elapse of time,
and thus the quality of a product made of this yarn is
may not be stable. Accordingly, preferably a multifila-
ment yarn having a shrinkage of from 10 to 3U is used.
On the other hand, a multifilament yarn having a
filament denier of 0.05 - 1.3d is preferably used as ~he
low shrinkage multifilament yarn.
Note, a multifilament having a filament denier of
less than 0.05d may be used, but when the denier becomes
very small, the yarn handling will become difficult
because of a development of fluffs, and when a filament
denier thereof exceeds 1.3d, it is difficult for the
fine loops to be revealed and a fabric obtained from
such a yarn will have a coarse handling.
Note, the shrinkage of the low shrinkage multifila-
ment, is preferably as low as possible, but since
special yarns generally have problems of yarn textuxing
ability and dying, preferably a multifilament yarn
having a normal shrinkage (a shrinkage ratio ~S of
around 7.5%) is used.
~ 3 ~ (3
- 13 -
Namely, the difference between the shrinkage ratio
of the high shrinkage multifilament yarn and the
shrinkage ratio of the low shrinkage multifilament must
be at least 5%, because the development o the opened
loops and closed loops of the latent looped yarn depends
~ completely upon such a difference in the shrinkage
ratios.
When making the latent looped yarn of this
invention, the overfeed ratio ~ of the high shrinkage
multiilament yarn is preferably 2 - 15% and the
overfeed ratio ~ of the low shrinkage multifilament is
preferably 5 - 30%, and further, the difference between
the overfeed ratios ~ - ~ are preferably 3 ~ 15%. These
conditions are most suitable for forming the fine opened
loops and closed loops in said the current zone with a
compressed air.
The latent looped yarn obtained in this invention
is a mixed composite yarn made of synthetic multifila-
ment yarns each having a different shrinkage and having
fine opened loops and closed loops on the surface
thereof and the number and the size thereof can be
increased by a heat treatment under a free tension or
shrink free condition.
Namely, the yarn of this invention must not have an
outer configuration as a bulky yarn at the stage in
which the yarn is textured as a mixed composite multi-
filament yarn by entanglement just after passing through
the eddy current ~one. But, as described above, when
the latent looped yarn is trea~ed by a thermal treatment
with hot water at 98C for ten minutes under a shrink
free condition and dried, many opened loops and closed
loops are projected and revealed on the surface o the
yarn.
EXAMPLE
By using the yarn manufacturing method as shown in
Figure 1, a latent looped yarn was produced under the
condition wherein the overfeed ratio ~ of a high
:L 3 ~
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shrinkage multifilament yarn and the overfeed ratio ~ of
a low shrinkage multifilament were set at 9% and 15%,
respectively, and a ll*TASLANI' type nozzl~ was used as a
texturing device 4 with an air feed volume of 90 N1/min,
and further, the underfeed ratio between the first
taking up roller and the second taking up roller was set
at 5.4% (i.e., 0.6~).
The combinations of the high shrinkage multifila-
ment yarn and the low shrinkage multifilament yarn used
are as shown below:
Example 1
High shrinkage yarn: Polyest~er multifilament SOD
; - 24F (having a high shrinkage ratio of ~ S
= 20~)
Low shrinkage yarn: Polyester multifilament 50D
- 72F (having a normal shrinkage of as = 7.5%)
Example 2
High shrinkage yarn: Polyester multifilament 30D
- 12F (having a high shrinkage ratio of ~S
= 20%)
Low shrinkage yarn: Polyester multifilament 3OD
- 48F (having a normal shrinkage of AS = 7.5%)
Comparati~e Example
High shrinkage yarn: Polyester multifilament 30D
- 12F (having a normal shrinkage of ~S = 7.5%)
Low shrinkage yarn: Polyester multifilament 3OD
- 48F ~having a normal shrinkage of ~S = 7.5%)
The yarn shrinkage of the latent loop~ed yarn thus
obtained, and the characteristics of the loops before
and after the treatment are disclosed in Table 1.
*Trade mark
ll 3 ~ a
- 15 -
Table 1
.
C~mp~rative
Ex~lmple 1 Example 2 Example
Yarn shrinkAge ~Z) 17.8 18.4 7.1
Be~ore loop A 447 332 332
heat
treatment l~op B 125 72 68
loop C
After loop A 438 416 363
heat
treatment loop B 390 330 115
loop C 168 8~ 11
Before loop A 345 340
stretching
treatment loop B 101 96
loop C 13 12
In Table 1, the yarn indicated as ~before the heat
treatment~ is the latent looped yarn of the invention,
~5 per se, and the yarn indicated as "after the heat
treatment~ is the looped yarn obtained from the latent
looped yarn in such a way that the latent looped yarn
was wound 100 times on a reel having a reel length of
1 m to make a short hank and then the short hank was
immersed in hot water at 98C for 10 minutes under a
shrink free condition, and thereafter, dried.
Further, the yarn ~ndicated as ~before the
stre~ching treatment" is a yarn produced by winding up
the latent looped yarn withdrawn from the first taking
up roller, without a stretching operation.
Figure 2 is a graph indicating the results of the
data shown in the Table 1.
.
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The characteris~ics of the loops of the Examples
~ere measured by the following me-thod.
Namely, the yarn to be measured was passed through
a photo-electric type fluff measuring de-vice (for
example, a "TOR~Y FRAY COUNTER") under the conditions of
a yarn speed of 50 m/min and a yarn running tension of
0.1 g/d, to count the number of loops on the yarn, and
this counted number thereof was indicated as a value per
meter based upon the measured data obtained in 20
seconds (n = 5).
On the other hand, for the measurement of the yarn
I after -the treatment, the sample for measurement was
produced in such a way -that af-ter the short hank was
dried by air, it was mounted on a reel by hand, while
ensuring tllat no tension was given to the yarn, and
thereafter, was wound on a bobbin by slowly rota-ting the
reel.
As apparent from Figure 2 and Table l, the number
of loops C on the laten-t looped yarn in the Example of
this invention is comparatively small, and although in
the yarn before the stretching treatment, a small number
of loops C can be seen, these loops C are completely
eliminated to produce a condition wherein no loops exist
on the yarn.
Related to the charac-teristics of the loops of the
yarn after the treatment, the loops B and C are
remarkably increased in Example l and 2, but conversely,
the increment of the loops B and C in the comparative
example is extremely small.
By comparing the results of Example 2 with that of
the comparative Example, the number of loops M after the
treatment i5 steeply increased by nearly 5 times tha-t of the
! number of loops B before the treatment, and the number
of loops C after the treatment is also steeply increased
up to 88 ends/m in the former case, but in -the latl~er
case, the increment of the number of loops s after the
treatmen-L is only 1.5 times that of the number before
~4~a~
_ 17 -
the treatment, which is deemed to be small, and the
number of loops C after the treatment is ll ends/m, and
there is no increment thereof.
Although the variations of the characteristics of
the loop both be~ore and after the stretching treatment
were also considered, there were no significant differ-
ences there between, and thus only the data related to
the yarn after the stretching treatment are indicated.
If the number of loops B after the treatment is not
increased more than 1.5 times that of the number before
the treatment, and the number o~ loops C is not more
than 50 ends/m, the thus obtained looped yarn is not
preerable because of a very low bulkiness and a coarse
touch feeling thereof.
It can be seen that ~he characteristics of the
loops of the looped yarn depend upon the shrinkage ratio
of the latent looped yarn and the difference between the
shrinkage ratio of the high shrinkage yarn and the low
shrinkage yarn. Namely, in the comparative Example,
there is no difference in the shrinkage ratio of the two
yarns, and accordingly, the variation of the charac-
teristics of the loops before and after the treatment is
very small, and there is little difference between the
loops on the yarn formed in t~e eddy current zone and
those on the yarn after the treatment.
In comparison, the characteristics o the loops of
the yarn already treated by the heat treatment obtained
in the Examplas can be remarkably increased, because the
shrinkage difference between the high shrinkage yarn and
the low shrinkage yarn is large, and further, the high
shrinkage yarn has a large shrinkage ratio, and these
factors have a synergetic effect on ~he yarn.
E~ample 3
In the process as shown in Figure 1, a polyester
multifilament yarn, 75D - 36F, having a shrinkage ratio
in hot water of 15%, and consisting of 18 ends of
filaments having a shrinkage ratio in hot water of 20%
11 3~7~
- 18 -
as high shrinkage components and 18 ends of filaments
having a shrinkage ratio in hot water of 8% as low
shrinkage components, was used as a core yarn, and a
polyester multifilament yarn, 75D - 96F, having a
shrinkage ratio in hot water of 8~ was used as a sheath
yarn, and these yarns were supplied to texturing zone
provided with a "*TASLAN" nozzle at an overfeed ratio o~
the core yarn of +9% and an overfeed ratio of the sheath
yarn of ~20~, and were treated by a texturizing treat-
ment under a high pressure of 8.0 kg/cm2.
Subsequently, the thus treated yarn was wound up ona package, while being stretched between the first
taking up roller and the second taking up roller, at an
underfeed ratio of ~6.5%.
The yarn characteristics thus ob~ained are as
follows.
Shrinkage ratio of the yarn 14.2%
Number of loops at the initial stage of the
texturing process
LOOP A 428 ends/m
LOOP B 360 ends/m
LOOP C 15 ends/m
Number of loops after the eliminating treat-
ment
LOOP A 317 ends/m
LOOP B 78 ends/m
LOOP C 3 ends/m
Number of loops after the recovery treatment
LOOP A 395 ends/m
LOOP B 320 ends/m
LOOP C 45 ends/m
The data of the number of loops after the recovery
treatment is a conversion data in which the raw data
thereof is modified by the shrinkage element. Also, in
the data of the number of loops after the recovery
treatment, the number of loops C is higher than that of
the same loop measured at the initial stage of the
`~ ;
*Trade mark
~3~7~
-- 19 --
texturing process. This is because a loosened or sagged
portion of the filament created by the yarn shrinkage is
counted in addition to the recovered loops.
Example 4
In the process as shown in Figure 1, a polyester
multifilament yarn, 75D - 36F, having a shrinkage ratio
in hot water of 20~ was used as a core yarn and a
polyester multifilament yarn, 75D - 96F, having a
shrinkage ratio in hot water of 10% was used as a sheath
yarn, and these yarns were supplied to texturing zone
provided with a "TASLAN~ nozzle at an overfeed ratio of
the core yarn of +12% and an overfeed ratio of the
sheath yarn of +20%, and were treated by a texturizing
treatment under a high pressure of 6.0 kg/cm2.
Subsequently, the thus treated yarn was wound up on
a package while being stretched between the first taking
up roller and the second taking up roller, at an under-
feed ratio of -3.0%.
The yarn characteristics thus obtained are as
follows.
Shrinkage ratio of the yarn 10.4%
Number of loops at the initial stage of the
texturing process
LOOP A 620 ends/m
LOOP B 430 ends/m
LOOP C 165 ends/m
Number of loops after the eliminating treat-
ment
LOOP A 546 ends/m
LOOP B 175 ends/m
LOOP C 4 ends/m
Number of loops after the recavery treatment
LOOP A 573 ends/m
LOOP B 397 ends/m
LOOP C 182 ends/m
Bulkiness of the yarn (cm3/g)
At the initial stage of the texturing
~3~7~3
_ 20 -
process 17.5
After the eliminating treatment 4.51
Aftar the recovery treatment 19.49
Increment of the bulkiness (~) 432
The measurement of the bulkiness was carried out by
~ using the method defined in Japanese Industrial Standard
(JIS) L 1059C.
The latent looped yarn obtained in this invention
has a greatly improved yarn unwinding characteristic
from a yarn package and has a superior yarn unwinding
characteristic at a hi.gh yarn speed.
In this invention, an extremely wide range of the
thermoplastic synthetic filaments can be used regardless
of any re~trictions on the filament denier or a cross
sectional shape of a component yarn of the sheath yarn,
for example.
Furthermore, when the latent looped yarn of this
invention is used as a warp yarn of the fabric, the
running ability of the yarn in the head and the reed is
excellent and there is no possibility of entanglement of
the loops of adjacent warps with each other, or an
incomplete shedding at a loom.
Consequently, a fabric having a high yarn density
can be produced when such a looped yarn is used as a
warp yarn.
Furthermore, in this invention, a relaxed heat
treatment can be applied to the fabric after the weaving
process without tension and all of the latent looped
yarn can perform the recovery motion to regain the loop
shape ormed at the initial stage of the texturing
process.
Therefore, a remarkable fabric having various kinds
of feeling or surface touch can be obtained depending
upon the method and condition of the relaxed heat
treatment.
Further, the latent looped yarn of this invention
is a mixed composite multifilament yarn having opened
~3~7~
- 21 -
loops and closed loops projected on the surface thereof,
and although th~ number of large sized loops classified
in~o group C is very small, it has a superior charac-
teristic such that, when subjected to a heat treatment,
the number of large sized loops classified as loops B
~ and C can be remarkably increased, and therefore, the
weaving operation can be performed with a high effi-
ciency.
Furthermore, in this inven~ion, the fabric obtained
can possess a soft handling because a fabric having a
high density can be made through the shrinkage operation
by the heat treatment carried out after the weaving
operation, whereby a large number of the opened loops
and closed loops can be revealed on the surface of the
fabric.
In a conventional looped yarn, it has been
necessary reveal as many as possible opened loops and
closed loops on the surface thereof, to a fabric having
a good feeling and handling effects after the dying and
finishing treatment, but when a yarn having many opened
loops and closed loops is used as a warp yarn, the
weaving operation has many problems, as mentioned above.
Accordingly, in the conventional manner of using
such a looped yarn as a warp yarn, the yarn density must
be reduced or the number of opened loops and closed
loops mus~ be reduced, to maintain the weaving effi-
ciency at the mass production level. But this reducti.on
of the opened loops and closed loops causes degradation
of the feeling or surface touch of the fabric.
According to the present invention, the weaving
efficiency of the looped yarn having a minimum loop
level by which a fabric having a good spunlike handling
is obtained, is such that the loom stopping counts
indicated per 24 hours per loom was 24.1 counts/24 hr
loom, as indicated in Table 2, and this is a bad result
compared with the standard level of 10 counts~24 hr loom
required for mass production.
~3~7~
- 22 -
The fabric obtained in such a bad condition had no
value for final products, and accordingly, these kind of
the fabrics have never been sold in any mark~t.
Contrary to this, the latent looped yarn of this
invention can have a remarkable effect on the weaving
ability, such as 4.3 counts/24 hr loom as shown in
Table 2.
In this invention, the number of opened loops and
closed loops can be adjusted to any desired level merely
by changing the difference in the shrinkage ratio of the
core yarn and the sheath yarn, the shrinkage ratio of
the core yarn and the overfeed ratio of both the core
yarn and the sheath yarn.
Accordingly, in this invention, many superior
functions and effects such a widening of the capability
of designing fabrics, can be obtained.
~,3~7~a
- 23 -
TAble 2
warp yarn70D - 48P 70D - 60F
Conventlo~al LAtent
looped yarn looped yarn
Lo~p loop A tends/m) 460 524
charac-
teristic loop B ( n ) 170 126
loop C ( n ) 15 3
Wea~ing loom stopping count 24.1 4.3
ability (countl24 h~ loom)
~eaving Weaving construction Plane
condi-
tions Weaving density 132 x 93
(warp x weft)
loom ~ r2volution WJL NISSAN LW-41 Type
number 400 rpm
Weft yarn 70D - 60F latent lo~p
yarn
* Loop stopping count caused by warp yarns
Next, spunlike fabrics having a high yarn
density produced by using the latent looped yarn
of this invention mainly as warp yarns are described
as follows.
As described above, the method of manufacturing a
fabric having a spunlike ha~dling, utilizing a looped
yarn consisting of multifilament yarns havinq many
opened loops and closed loops on the surface thereof
formed by, for example, the "~ASLAN~ process, is already
known.
But such a yarn can be used only as a weft yarn of
he fabric, and there is a strict limitation on the use
of such a yarn as warp yarns of the fabric, because of a
difficult yarn handling and poor yarn passing ability in
the weaving process.
1l 3 ~ a
- 24 -
In this invention, by using the latent looped yarn,
all of the drawbacks mentioned above can be overcome and
a high den~ity ~abric having a soft and spunlike
feeling, wherein a mixed composite multifilament yarn
having opened loops and closed loops is used as the warp
yarns, can be obtained.
According to the invention, the spunlike fabric
utili~ing a latent looped yarn has a construc~ion such
that a high density fabric, in which a mixed composite
multîfilament yarn consisting of synthetic multifila-
ments having opened loops and closed loops on a surface
thereof, is used at least as the warp yarns o~ the
fabric, and a cover factor of the warp yarns of the
fabric is more than 1100.
In this fabric, preferably the latent looped yarn
used as a warp yarn is a mixed composite multifilament
yarn comprising at least two multifilaments each having
a different shrinkage factor.
The fabric of this invention will be now described
more detail.
By using the latent looped yarn consisting of
synthetic multifilament yarns having opened loops and
closed loops, as the warp yarns, the opened loops and
closed loops exist in a mixed state on the surface of
the fabric, and such loops provided on the surface of
the fabric give the fabric a soft handling touch which
is the same as the fluff of the spun ~arn, and simulta-
neou~ly, an unevennes~ feeling like a fabric made of a
spun yarn, because the arrangements of the multifilament
yarns consisting of bokh the warp yarns and the weft
yarns are out of order, from the visual point of view.
Note, the smaller the denier of a component fila-
ment, the better the spun like feeling of the fabric.
Further, in this invention, the fabric must be
reduced to a fabric having a high density, to provide a
soft and spunlike feeling and handling o the fabric, by
the opened loops and closed loops existing in a mixed
- 25 -
state on the surface of the fabric u~ilizing the latent
looped yarn r and for giving the ~abric a suitable
stiffness and avoiding the problems of a fastening
effect caused by the loops or dust accumulation.
Therefore, in the fabric of this invention, the
yarn density of the warp yarn must be set in such a way
that the cover factor o~ the mixed composite multifila-
ment yarn having opened loops and closed loops used as
warp yarns in the fabric already treated by a dying and
finishing treatment is more than 1100, and preferably
less than 1600.
Generally speaking, if the cover factor of the warp
yarn is more than 1100, as mentioned above, when a
weaving operation is carried out by using such a mixed
composite multifilament yarn having opened loops and
closed loops, such loops provided on each adjacent warp
are entangled with each other b~ repeated mutual contact
therebetween cau~ed by the shedding operation of the
loom, and thus problems such as an incomplete shedding
or picking will arise, and therefore, a ~abric having a
good quality can not be produced at a mass production
level.
In this invention, contrary to the conventional
looped yarn, the latent looped yarn is used to improve
the yarn passage ability in the weaving process, and
thus a ~abric having a relatively high yarn density,
compared with a fabric made of the conventional looped
yarn, can be woven, and further, this fabric can be
reduced to a fabric having a higher yarn density by
shrinking by a heat treatment under a shrink ~ree
condition, such as a relaxed treatment in the dyeing and
~inishing treatment.
Namely, in this invention, a high density fabric
can be produced even when a mixed composite
multifilament yarn having opened loops and closed loops
thereon is used as the warp yarns.
The ~abric of thi~ invention has milder surface
characteris~ic, compared with a fabric made of the
conventional looped yarn produced by a eddy current
treatment, beca~se the loops which are potentialized in
the yarn are revealed in the fabric by a loop developing
treatment, and thus the number of loops revealed on the
cross point of the warp and weft yarn is very small.
As already known, the feel or handling of a fabric
mainly depends upon the effect of a warp yarn in a
general fabric having a normal weaving construction,
although when the latent looped yarn which is the same
yarn as used for the warp yarn is used for the weft
yarn, a high yarn density fabric utilizing the looped
yarn as both the warp and weft yarns can be obtained,
and the handling thereof and a spunlike and soft feeling
of the surface thereof is far superior to that of a
fabric made of the looped yarn produced by the eddy
current treatment and used as the weft yarns.
Moreover, as the weft yarn used in this invention,
the mixed composite multifilament yarn consisting of
synthetic multifilament yarns comprises at least two
synthetic multifilaments each having a different
shrinkage ratio and having a total shrinkage ratio in
hot water of more than 10%, or a yarn having a low
shrinkage ratio in hot water but having a shrinkage
ratio in dry heat of more than 10%, or even a mixed spun
yarn comprising staple fibers each having a different
shrinkage, can be used.
As the low shrinkage component of the mixed com-
posite multifilament yarn or spun yarn, fibers or
filaments having a smaller single fiber denier than that
of the fiber used in the high shrinkage component are
preferably used, to obtain a fabric having a so~t
feeling and spun like outer configuration and to prevent
a fastening effect and dust accumulation.
Note, the yarn construction of the latent looped
yarn explained heretofore can be applied to a fabric
having such a high yarn density.
~ 3 ~
- 27 -
The most preferable yarn construction of the latent
looped yarn of this invention is such that ~he multi-
filament having a high shrinka~e ratio is preferably
arranged in a core portion o~ the laten~ looped yarn and
S the multifilament having a low shrinkage ratio or normal
`~ shrinkage ratio is preferably arranged in a sheath
portion thereof, although the yarn construction of this
invention is not restricted to this construction.
The manufacturing method for obtaining the latent
looped yarn explained above can be also applied to the
method for making a fabric having a high density as
described above.
As described above, the latent looped yarn of this
invention has latent opened loops and closed loops
therein when produced and the number of loops C pro-
jected from the surface of the yarn is extremely small.
Accordingly, the bulkness of this yarn, per se, is very
low and the surface of the yarn is comparatively smooth,
and therefore, the yarn running friction ~hereof at a
device provided in this process is very small.
Especially, when this yarn is used as a warp yarn
of a fabric, the running ability of the yarn in the head
and the reed is excellent, and there is no possibility
of an entanglement of the loops of adjacent warps, or an
incomplete shedding at a loom. Therefore, this yarn can
be used as a warp of the fabric.
Further, when a dyeing and finishing treatment is
applied to the fabric after the weaving process, a high
density and high bulky fabric can be obtained by
treating the fabric with a heat treatment (utilizing dry
heat, wet heat or steam heat, for example) at a high
temperature in a tension free condition alone, or
accompanied by a dying treatment, causing the latent
opened loops and closed loops of the latent looped yarn
to be revealed.
Example S
In the process shown in Figure 1, a bright poly-
~L 3 ~ 3 ~
- 28 -
ester multifilament yarn, 50D - 24F, having a circular
cross sectional shape and having a shrinkage ratio in
hot water of 20~ was used as a component yarn, pref-
erably as a core yarn, and a bright polyester multifila-
ment yarn, 50D - 72F, having a circular croqs sectional
shape and having a shrinkage ratio in hot water of 7~
5% was used as a component yarn, preferably as a sheath
yarn, and these yarns were supplied to a texturing zone
provided with a eddy current nozzle at an overfeed ratio
of the core yarn of +9% and an overfeed ratio of the
sheath yarn of +15% and treated by a texturizing treat-
ment at an air feed volume of 90 N l/min.
Subse~uently, the thus treated yarn was wound up on
a package while being stretched between the first taking
up roller and the second taking up roller, at an under-
feed ratio of -5.4%.
The yarn characteristicq thus obtained are as
follows.
Total yarn denier 106 D
Shrinkage ratio of the yarn 17.8%
Number of loops before the heat treatment
LOOP A 447 ends/m
LOOP B 125 ends/m
LOOP C 1 ends/m
Number of loops after the heat treatment
LOOP A 438 ends/m
LOOP B 390 ends/m
LOOP C 168 ends/m
Thereafter, the thus obtained latent looped yarn
was used as the warp and weft yarns to make a plane
~abric, utilizing a water jet loom with a warp yarn
density of 85 ends/inch ~the cover factor of the warp
yarn was 850~ and a weft yarn density of 78 endc/inch.
The grey fabric was then given the following
sequence of treatments; a relaxed treatment, an in~er-
mediate setting treatment, an alkali weight loss treat-
ment (5%), a dyeing treatment, and a finishing
~ 3 ~
_ 29 -
treatment, and a high density fabxic having a warp yarn
density of 117 ends/inch (the cover factor of the warp
yarn was 1170) and a weft ~arn density of 100 ends/inch
was obtained.
The cover factor referred to in this invention is
found by the following equation.
Cover Factor = denier of the warp yarn (d)
x density (ends/inch)
The thus obtained fabric had opened loops and
closed loops existing in a mixed state on the surface of
the fa~xic, and had a superior soft touch and spunlike
feeling similar to a fabric made of a spun yarn, because
the surface of the fabric of this invention was covered
with fine and micronized loops, and further, the fabric
of this invention had a good stiffness because of the
fabric had a high yarn density.
Example 6
In the process shown in Figure 1, a bright poly-
ester multifilament yarn, 30D - 12~, having a circular
cross sectional shape and having a shrinkage ratio in
hot water of 20~ was used as a component yarn, pref-
erably as a core yarn, and a bright polyester multifila
ment yarn, 30D - 48F, having a circular cross sectional
shape and having a shrinXage ratio in hot water of 7.
5~ was used as a component yarn, preferably as a sheath
yarn, and these yarns were supplied to a texturing zone
provided with an eddy current nozzle at an overfeed
ratio of the core yarn of ~9% and an overfeed ratio of
the sheath yarn of ~15%, and were treated by a
texturiziny treatment with having an air feed volum2 of
90 N l/min.
Subse~uently, the thus treated yarn was wound up on
a package while being stretched between the first taking
up roller and the second taking up roller, at an under-
feed ratio of -5.4%.
The yarn characteristic~ thus obtained are as
follows.
~L 3 ~ ~ r~ O t3
- 30 -
Total yarn denier 63 D
Shrinkage ratio of the yarn 18.4%
Number of loops before the heat treatment
LOOP A 332 ends/m
LOOP B 72 ends/m
LOOP C 1 end/m
Number of loops after the heat treatment
LOOP A 416 ends/m
LOOP B 330 ends/m
LOOP C 88 ends/m
Thereafter, the thus obtained latent looped
yarn was used as the warp and weft yarns to make
a plane fabric, utilizing a water jet loom, with
a warp yarn density of 142 ends/inch (the cover factor
of the warp yarn was 1100) and a weft yarn density of
110 ends/inch.
The grey fabric was then treated by the following
sequence of treatments; a relaxed treatment, an inter-
mediate settiny treatment, an alkali weight loss
treatment (5%), a dyeing treatment, and a finishing
treatment, and a high density fabric having a warp yarn
density of 177 ends/inch (the cover factor of the warp
yarn was 1370) and a weft yarn density of 135 ends/inch,
was obtained.
The thus obtained fabric had opened loops and
closed loops existing in a mixed state on the surface of
the fabric, and had a superior soft touch and spunlike
eeling similar to a fabric made of the spun yarn,
because the surface of the fabric of this invention was
covered with fine and micronized loops,~and further, the
fabric of this invention had a good stiffness because
this fabric had a high yarn density.
The fabric of this invention has a high density,
although having a stiffness based upon the bulkiness of
the yarn, and simultaneously, has an improved water
proof characteristic, and therefore, when a water
repellent finish is applied to the fabric after the
~3l~7~a
- 31 -
dyeing treatment, the fabric is suitable for use in
sporting products, especially ski products.
Nex~, when the high density fabric of this inven-
tion having a spunlike feeling is further developed,
another spunlike fabric having a high density, which is
suitable for a coat or an outer garment for sports,
which especially requires, in particular, a function
such as a waterproofing or wind breaking characteristic,
can be obtained.
Heretofore, as the fabrics for such a purpose, a
high density fabric utilizing conjugated synthetic
multifilament yarns having component filaments of which
are dividable and separable, as shown in Japanese Opened
Patent Publication 57-117647, and a fabric havin~ a
water proofness, moisture permeability, and water
repellency, which is produced in such a way that first a
high density fabric is woven utilizing a mixed multifil-
ament yarn comprising a multifilament yarn as a high
shrinkage component and a multifilament yarn consisting
of ultra fine multifilaments as a low shrinkage com
ponent, and the water repellent treatment is applied to
the fabric, as shown in ~apanese Opened Patent Publi-
cation 59-204941, 60-394385, have been proposed.
These fabrics are given a function such as water-
proofness and moisture permeability by keeping the
interspaces between each filament in a micron order, by
arranging the filaments in such a way that the number of
filaments per unit area of the high density fabric is
set to the extreme upper limit thereof.
Accordingly, in the construction of said fabric,
the density of the filaments is increased in the condi-
tion whereby the filaments are arranged as parallel to
each other as possible. This fabric has a greasy
eeling inherent to the ultra fine synthetic filaments,
and has a drawback such that this fabric does not have a
good natural unevenness, compared with the fabric made
of spun yarns, from the visual point of view.
~3~7~a
- 32 -
According to the fabric of this invention as
e~plained hereunder, the technical problems described
above can be overcome and a spunlike high density
fabric, having not only functions such as waterproofness
and moisture permeability but also a spunlike feeling
~ and outer look, can be provided.
The fabric mentioned above has a construction such
that the laten~ looped yarn described above is used as a
warp yarn and a synthetic multifilament yarn, each
component filament of which having a flat cross
sectional shape, is used as a weft yarn and ~he total
cover factor of the warp yarn and the weft yarn is from
1800 to 3500.
In this invention, as a looped yarn for the warp
yarn, the latent looped yarn is used and said latent
looped yarn is preferably a composite yarn having a
sheath-core type yarn configuratiGn, wherein the
synthetic multifilament yarn used as the core side
portion of the composite yarn has a relatively large
denier of a single component filament thereof, and the
synthetic multifilament yarn used as the sheath of the
composite yarn has a relatively small denier of a single
component filament thereof. Note, in this invention,
the yarn construction is not restricted to the sheath-
core type composite yarn.
Generally speaking, in a high density fabric, the
stiffness thereof is high and the handling thereof is
coarse because movement of the yarns relative to each
other, inside the high density fabric, is restricted.
Accordingly, preferably an ultra fine multifilament
yarn having a denier of the component filament of 0.05 -
1.3d is u~ed as the yarn for the sheath portion of the
composite yarn, and further, preferably the multifila-
ment yarn having a denier of the component filament of
0.1 - 15d, is used as the yarn of the core portion
thereof, and the voluminosity and resiliency can be
given to the fabric.
1314 i ~ ~
- 33 -
Both the yarn cons~ruction and the yarn making
method mentioned above can be applied to the yarn
construction of the latent looped yarn and the man-
ufacturing method thereof in this embodiment. On the
other hand, .~ flat ratio of ~che filaments having a flat
cross sectional shape consisting of the synthetic
multifilament, used as a weft yarn in this embodiment,
is preferably 2.0 - 6Ø
When the flat ratio is less than 2.0, the water-
proofness or wind breakability, which is provided mainlyby the flatness of the filament, will be small, but on
the other hand, when the flat ratio is more than 6.0,
the luster of the fabric will be increased and the
spunlike feeling or outer configuration thereof caused
by the warp yarn will be reduced. Accordingly, ~he
preferable condition of the flat ratio is from 2.0
to 6Ø
The flat ratio of this embodiment is represented by
b/a, wherein a refers to a long side width and b refers
to a short side width in the cross sectional shape shown
in Figure 3, respectively.
As the multifilament having a flat cross sectional
shape is naturally accurately arranged in a certain
direction in the fabric, the space provided between the
adjacent yarns can be reduced and made extremely narrow,
enabling an increase of the waterproofness and moisture
permeability of the fabric. In a fabric woven using
hundred percent of multifilaments having a flat cross
sectional shape, problems arise of a smooth feeling and
strong luster caused by the light reflected at the
surface of the fabric, although these problems can be
overcome in this invention because of the resistance of
said closed loops and opened loop on the surface of the
fabric, causing a change of such a smoothness and 5trong
luster.
Further, when a multifilament having a flat cross
sectional shape is used in a weaving process, preferably
.lL3~7~
~ 34 -
the filaments are not subjected to a heat tre~tment
such as a false twisting process, and post twisting
is avoided as much as possible, in order to actuate
the shrinkage characteristic of the filaments.
Namely, even when such a yarn is used as a warp yarn,
the post twisting number should be less than about
300 turns/m.
As the method for obtaining a high shrinkage
component multifilament yarn and a low shrinkage com-
ponent multifilament yarn of the latent looped yarn, adirect spinning and drawing method, a filament mixing
method in which the high shrinkage component multifila-
ment yarns and the low shrinkage component multifilament
yarns are respectively spun previously and then mixed,
or a filament mixing method in which ~wo high shrinkage
component multifilament yarns are spun and then one of
the yarns is treated with heat utilizing a hot plate ~o
make a low shrinkage multifilament yarn which is there-
after is mixed with the high shrinkage multifilament
yarn not subjected to the heat treatment, can be used in
this invention.
An example of the high density fabric mentioned
above will be now explained.
Example 7
In the process shown Figure 1, a bright polyester
multifilament yarn, 30D - 12F, having a circular cross
sectional shape and having a shrinkage ratio in hot
water of 20% was used as a component yarn, preferably as
a core portion, and a bright polyester multifilament
yarn, 30D - 48F, having a circular cross sectional shape
and having a shrinkage ratio in hot water of 8% was used
as a component yarn, preferably as a sheath portion, and
- these yarns were supplied to a texturing zone provided
with a eddy current nozzle at an over feed ratio of the
core side yarn of +9% and an overfeed ratio of the
sheath side yarn of +15% and treated by a texturizing
treatment having an air feed volume of 90 N l/min at a
~3~ ~7~
- 35 -
~eed ratio of the first to the second taking up roller
of -5.4%.
The thus obtained looped yarn had a total yarn
denier of 63D and shrinkage ratio in hot water of 18.4%,
S and the number of loops before the heat treatment was
such that the loops A were 332 ends/m, the loops B were
72 ends/m, and the loops C were 1 end/m, while the
number thereof after the heat treatment, i.e., a
shrinkage treatment in hot water under a shrink free
condition, was such that the loops A were 416 ends/m,
the loops B were 330 ends/m, and the loops C were
88 ends/m, and these latent looped yarns were used as
the warp yarns.
Further, a bright polyester multifilament, 50D
- 24F, each component filament of which had a flat cross
sectional shape and a flat ratio of 4.5 and which had a
total shrinkage in hot water of 15.7~, comprised a
multifilament yarn, 25D - 12F, having a shrinkage ratio
in hot water of 16.5% and a multifilament yarn, 25D
- 12F, having a shrinkage ratio in hot water of 10.3%,
and spun by a direct spinning and drawing method, was
used as the weft yarns. Then a fabric having a warp
yarn density of 114 ends/inch, and a weft yarn density
of 120 endstinch, and having a total cover factor as a
sum of the cover factors of the warp and weft of 1730,
was woven. The method for measuring the cover factor as
described above can be also applied to this embodiment.
Thereafter, the thus obtained fabric was dyed in a
conventional relaxing and dyeing process and then
finished by a finishing process with a water repellent
agent.
The thus treated final fabric had a warp yarn
density of 156 ends/inch and a weft yarn density of 146
ends/inch, and had a total cover factor as a sum up the
covex factors of the warp and weft yarns, o 2240, and
moreover, the fabric had functional features such as a
waterproof pressure of 560 mm, a water xepellency of 90
~3~7~
- 36 -
points, and a mois~ure permeability of 8200 g/cm2/24 Hr,
and this was a superior fabric having a high density and
spunlike feeling both in handling and e~ternal config-
uration which can not be obtained in a fabric made of a
textured yarn such as ~ASLAN~.
In the example above, the latent looped yarn of
this invention is mainly used as the warp yarns,
although the latent looped yarn of this invention need
not be used only as the warp yarns but can be also used
as both the weft yarn and the warp yarn, as well as the
wet yarn.
Next, in this invention, a spunlike high density
fabric having a softer feeling than that of the fabric
obtained in the example above was obtained.
This fabric has the following fabric construction.
Namely, a mixed fabric having a high density, in which
mixed composite multifilament yarns consisting of at
least a synthetic multifilament yarn having a shrinking
function and having fine opened loops and closed loops
on a surface thereof, were used as warp yarns and spun
yarns were used as weft yarns or warp yarns, and was
further characterized in that a total cover factor of
the warp yarns and the weft yarns thereof was from 2000
to 3500.
In this embodiment, a fabric having a high yarn
density, which heretofore could not be produced by
utilizing spun yarns, can be obtained, and further, a
fabric having a good handling never seen heretofore and
a spunlike external configuration caused by the fluffs
of the spun yarns and the opened loops and the closed
loops of the multifilaments, which are joined together,
was obtained.
In this embodiment, the latent looped yarns may be
used as a w~rp yarn or a weft yarn or as both.
The yarn construction and the method for producing
the same, as mentioned above, can be applied to this
embodiment. But, as the latent looped yarn used in this
.
.
~ 3 ~ i3
- 37 -
embodiment, the preferred yarn construction i9 the
same construction of the latent looped yaxn used as a
warp yarn explained in the previous embodiment.
In this embodiment, when the latent looped
yarn is used as a warp yarn and the spun yarn is
`~ used as a weft yarn, a fabric having an extremely
high yarn density, which can not be realized by
using the conventional looped yarn, can be produced,
because the latent looped yarn has a straight
configuration which is not recognized as a looped
yarn at a glance, and is completely different from the
looped yarn obtained by a conventional eddy current
treatment.
Accordingly, in this embodiment, the fabric may be
woven wi~h as high a warp yarn density as possible, and
with the spun yarns as a weft yarn at a normal or higher
density, and then thus woven the fabric is shrunk in the
warp direction by a shrinking treatment carried out in
later process, such as a dyeing process, to make the
fabric into a fabric having a high weft yarn density,
and simultaneously, to make a fabric having a high
density and superior spun like effect both in feeling
and external configuration without loosing the handling
effect of the spun yarns.
The latent looped yarn may be used with post
twisting. On the other hand, as the spun yarn, a spun
yarn made of natural fibers such as cotton, wool, linen
or silk, or made of the synthetic fibers such as
polyester, nylon or acryl, or a mixed spun yarn con-
sisting of at least two kinds of fiber selected rom any
of those mentioned above, can be used.
But, in consideration of the count number of the
spun yarn, a fine yarn count such as more than 30S in a
cotton count system is desirable, in order to obtain a
3S thin fabric.
Also, in this embodiment, preferably the spun yarn
is used as a single yarn.
~3~7~
- 3~ -
Moreover, in the case of a high density f abric in
which the spun yarns are used as warp yarns, by using
the latent looped fabric having a shrinkage ratio in hot
water of more than 10%, preferably more than 15%, and
having closed and opened loops, as the weft yarns, the
fabric can be woven with a comparatively coarser yarn
density than the desired yarn density by calculating the
increment of the density caused by the shrin~age of the
weft yarn.
When the fabric is treated thereafter in the dyeing
process, to bulk up the fabric, the fabric can be reduced
to a fabric having a further high yarn density by
attaining a bulkiness and high density th~reof, and
simultaneously, incrementing the picking density of the
weft yarn.
Example 8
As a warp yarn, a single polyester 100~ spun yarn
having cotton count of ~OS is used, and as a weft yarn,
a latent looped yarn made by the process described
hereunder is used.
Namely, in the process as shown in Figure 1, a
bright polyester multifilament yarn, 30D - 12F, having a
circular cross sectional shape and having a shrinkage
ratio in hot water of 20% is used as a component yarn,
preferably as a core portion, and a bright polyester
multifilament yarn, 30D - 48F, having a circular cross
sectional shape and having a shrinkage ratio in hot
water of 7.5~ is used as a component yarn, preferably as
a sheath portion, and these yarns are supplied to a
texturing zone provided with an eddy current nozzle at
an overfeed ratio of the core side yarn of +9% and an
overfeed ratio of the sheath side yarn of +15% and are
treated by a texturizing treatment having an air feed
volume of 90 N l/min at a feed ratio of the first to the
second taking up roller of -5.4%.
The thus obtained looped yarn has a total yarn
denier of 63D and a ~hrinkage ratio in hot water of
13 ~ 4~ r~
- 39 -
18.4% and the number of loops before the heat treatment
is such that the loops A are 332 ends/m, the loops B are
72 ends/m, and the loop C is 1 end/m, and the number
thereof after the heat treatment, i.e., a shrinkage
treatment in hot water under a shrink free condition, is
` such that ~he loops A are 416 ends/m, the loops B are
330 en~s/m, and ~he loops C are 88 ends/m.
Then a plane fabric was woven with the warp yarn
and the weft yarn mentioned above, utilizing a rapier
loom, and thereafter, the gray fabric thus obtained was
treated by a usual relaxing operation and dyeing opera-
tion utilizing a jet dying machine.
The fabric thus obtained was finished with a water
repellent treatment, and a calendering treatment on the
back surface of the fabric, after beir.g treated with a
setting treatment for finishing, and the thus finished
final product had improved functions due to an increment
of the warp yarn density and a desirable finishing
effect having an excellent feeling and external config-
uration which can not be obtained by the conventionalmethod, as indicated below. Further, the weaving ability of the fabric was
excellent and problem-free.
In the comparative embodiment described below, the
fabric was woven with 100% single cotton spun yarns
having a cotton count of 80S (combed cotton yarn).
Example Comparative
Example
Warp yarn density x weft yarn 114 x 110 146 x 131
density of the gray fabric
(Cover factor) (1920) (2257)
Warp yarn density x weft yarn 152 x 120 157 x 135
density of the fabric after dyeing
(Cover factor) (2350) (z3280)
Water proof pressure (mm) 430 210
~ 3 ~
~o --
Moisturs permeability (g/cm2l24 hr) 8450 8810
Example 9
In this Example, a plane fabric was woven utilizing
S the latent looped yarn used as a weft yarn in Example 8
as a warp yarn, and 100~ of single cotton spun yarns
having a cotton count of 80S (combed cotton yarn) as a
weft yarn, by a rapier loom.
Then the thus obtained fabric was treated by a
dyeing process in which a relaxing treatment, an inter-
mediate setting treatment, a dyeing and finishing
treatment, a water repellent treatment, and a
calendering treatment on the back side of the fabric
were applied to the fabric, in this order.
- 15 The thus obtained fabric had a similar feeling and
external configuration as the fabric made of 100% spun
yarns, and superior functions, as described hereunder.
Warp yarn density x weft yarn 176 ends/in x 95 ends/in
density of the gray fabric
(Cover factor) (2168)
Warp yarn density x weft yarn 183 ends/in x 118 ends/in
density of the fabric aft~r dyeing
(Cover factor) (2410)
Water proof pressure (mm) 410
Moisture permeability (~/cm l24 hr) 8600
The cover factor used in this embodiment is
obtained by the following equation.
Cover factor = [warp yarn density (ends/inch)
~ weft yarn density tends/inch~]
x~
wherein, D is a denier of the multifilament, and
when a spun yarn is used, the cotton ~ount number S is
converted into denier D by the equation: 5315/cotton
count number.
~ 3 ~
- 41 -
As a spun like fabric, a fabric made of a high
quality cotton, especially made of a spun yarn having a
cotton count number of moxe than 60S, the yarn of which
consis~s of cotton fibers having a super high staple
length, is required, and thus many attempts to make a
fabric havillg a similar handling to that of a fabric
utilizing synthetic fibers have been made.
The handling or feel thereof reached a high level,
due to improvements in the spinning technology and the
yarn texturizing technology, especially in the atten-
uation of a filament denier to an ultra fine denier, or
producing an alternating twisted false twisted yarn and
a sheath core type false twisted composite yarn or the
like.
Nevertheless, the fluff feeling caused by cotton
fibers, from the visual point of view, could not be
realized in such a manner heretofore.
To attain such an object, a fabric made of a looped
yarn produced by an eddy current treatment has been
proposed and developed, although it is difficult for
this fabric, even when having a fluff feeling of cotton
fibers caused by the surface effect of the loops, to be
given a special bulkiness caused by the cotton having a
super high fiber length, a smooth surface touch, and a
stiffness caused by the high yarn density.
But when the latent looped yarn of this invention
is used in the fabric, then such a fabric having a
special feeling of cotton having a super high fiber
letlgth, in addition to a smooth surface touch, a fluff
feeling, and a stiffness caused by the high yarn
density, can be obtained.
Such a fabric can be pxoduced in the manner des-
` cribed hereunder.
Namelyl the method of manufacturing a fabric having
a spun like feeling resembling a fabric made of super
high length cotton fibers, in which the fabric is woven
with mixed composite multifilament yarns made of
:L3~rl~
~ ~2 -
synthetic multifilaments having a total denier of less
than 90d, wherein the composite yarn consists of a
filament A having a shrin~age ratio in hot water of more
than 12~ and a denier of a componen~ filament thereof is
more than 1.5d, and a total denier thereof is less than
6Od, and a filament B having a shrinkage ratio in hot
water of less than 10~ and a denier of a component
filament thereof is less than l.Od, and a total denier
thereof is less than 60d, and the composite yarn is
further characterized by having more than 300 ends/m of
the loop A, more than 50 ends/m of the loop B, and less
than 10 ends/m of the loop C, each of the loop A,
loop B, and loop C being defined hereunder, and there-
after a shrinking treatment is applied to the fabric to
cause a differential shrinkage between the filament A
and filament B, which results in a projection of the
opened loops and closed loops of the filament B on the
surface of the fabric, wherein each of the loop A,
loop B and loop C is measured by the measuring method
described heretofore.
As the mixed compo~ite yarn used in this embodi-
ment, the latent looped yarn e~plained heretofore can be
used, and the yarn construction and the manufacturing
method thereof are as the same as that described above.
The multifilament used in this embodiment may be
any kind of synthetic multifilament, but is especially a
polyester multifilament.
A multifilament having a high shrinkage ratio and
the multifilament having a low shrinkage ratio may be
arranged in the form of a ~heath core type configuration
in the latent looped yarn or arranged in a side by side
configuration therein.
Further, in this embodiment, the latent looped yarn
can be used as the warp yarn or as both the warp and the
weft yarns.
When the latent looped yarn is used only as the
warp yarn, the cover factor of khe warp yarn in a gray
~ 3 ~ ~ ~ O t3
- 43 -
fabric is preferably more than 800, more preferably,
more than 1100.
When the latent looped yarn is used as both the
warp and the weft yarns, the total cover factor as a sum
of the cover fac~ors of the warp yarn and the weft yarn
~ in the gray fabric, is 1500 - 2700, more preferably 1800
- 2500.
Desirably, the warp yarn of khis embodiment is
twisted more than 300 T/m, in order to obtain a handling
and the external configuration closer to the spun like
feeling provided by the fibers having a super high
length.
The embodiment described above will be now
explained in more detail.
15To develop the fluff feeling of the fibers having a
super high length, the use of the latent looped yarn of
this invention is suitable, and to obtain the smooth
surface touch of the fibers having a super high length,
it is effective to use a composite multifilament having
a total denier of less than 90D, more preferably less
than 70D, comprising the component ~ilaments used as the
sheath yarn having a denier of less than l.Od, preferably
less than 0.7d, according to the present invention.
The fibers having a super high length, as used in
this embodiment, are referred to as Egyptian cotton and
the Sea Island cotton or the like having a comparatively
high fiber length, and a ~pun yarn made of such cotton
fibers may have a cotton yarn count of more than 60S,
more preferably more than 80S, and a thickness thereof
30of 10 ~ - 14 ~.
According to investigation by the inventors into a
polyester composite yarn having opened loops and closed
loops on the surface thereof caused by the eddy current
treatment, when the single filament denier is more than
10 ~, i.e., the thickness thereof is mor~ than ld, the
yarn was stif and the effect of the fabric obtained by
the yarn was not good.
~L3~.P~
- 4~ -
On the other hand, when a single filament denier is
less than ld, a fabric having smooth surface touch can
be obtained, and especially, when the denier thereof is
less than 0.7d (less than 8.5 ~), an excellent effect
can be obtained.
This is considered to be because, when using a
cotton fiber, the fluff thereof are projected alone from
the surface of the spun yarn, one by one, and on the
o~her hand, in the polyester composi~e yarn, the fluff
consists of a loop and thus the stiffness thereof is
double that of each filament.
Next, to obtain a fabric made of a spun yarn
comprising fibers having a super high length, stiffness,
and a high density, the fabric must be woven at least
with a high warp yarn density, even though it is dif-
ficult to so weave a fabric with a conventional com-
posite looped yarn produced by a usual eddy current
treatment because the loops of the warp yarns binder the
shedding operation.
Therefore, in this embodiment, a process is adopted
whereby, during the weaving, the loops of the warp yarn
are kept small, i.e., in a latent condition, and there-
after, in the dyeing and finishing process after the
weaving process, the yarn is shrunk to develop the loops
on the surface of the fabric and, simultaneously, to
reduce the fabric to one having a high density.
Next, an Example of the embodimen described above
will be explained.
Example 10
In the process shown in Figure 1, a polyester
multifilament yarn, 20D - 8F, having a shrinkage ratio
in hot water of 20% is used as a core yarn and a
polyester multifilament yarn, 20D - 48F, having a
shrinkage ratio in hot wat~r of 8% is used as a sheath
yarn, and these yarns are supplied to a texturing zone
provided with an eddy current nozzle at an overfeed
ratio of the core yarn of ~9% and an overfeed ratio of
~3~7~1~
- ~5 -
the sheath yarn of +15~, and are treated by a
texturizing treatment having an ai.r feed volume of
90 N l/min.
Subsequently, the thus treated yarn is wound up on
a package while being stretched between the first taking
` up roller and the second taking up roller, at an under-
feed rati~ of -5.4%.
The yarn characteristics thus obtained are shown
hereunder.
Total yarn denier 43 D
Shrinkage ratio of the yarn 19.2%
Number of loops before the heat treatment
LOOP A 330 ends/m
LOOP B 71 ends/m
LOOP C 1 endJm
Number of the loops after the heat treatment
LOOP A 441 ends/m
LOOP B 328 ends/m
LOOP C 86 ends/m
Thereafter, the thus obtained latent looped yarns
were used as the warp and weft yarns to make a plane
fabric with a warp yarn density of 180 ends/inch and a
weft yarn density of 130 ends/inchr and then the
resulting grey fabric was treated by a relaxing treat-
ment at 98C and a dyeing treatment at 130C.
Accordingly, a high density fabric having a warp
yarn density of 225 ends/inch and a weft yarn density of
156 ends/inch, and having fine loops developed on the
surface thereof, and further, having a smooth surface
touch and bulkiness similar to those obtained by cotton
fibers having a super high fiber length, and a stiffness
caused by the high density, was obtained.
