Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE
MULTICOLOR FLOORING ARTICLE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a multicolor flooring
article, and more particularly a multicolor carpet made
from a combined yarn comprising at least three component
synthetic yarns.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Multicolor flooring articles, such as carpets,
are desired by designers and consumers to add diversity
and flexibility to the aesthetics of carpets over solid
color carpet. One conventional method of making a
multicolor carpet is to make it from yarns which are
themselves combinations of component yarns having
different dyeabilities and then to dye the carpet using a
mixture of dyes such as acid and cationic. For example,
nylon yarns with deep acid, light acid and cationic
dyeabilities may be combined by twisting them together or
commingling them with high pressure air forming a
combined yarn. The combined yarn may be tufted or woven
to form a carpet, and the carpet may then be dyed in a
dye bath containing acid and cationic dyestuffs. In this
example, since two of the three yarn components are acid
dyeable, the combined yarn will always include two
component yarns dyed in the same color family, having
light and deep shades of the same color. Thus, it is not
possible to dye this combined yarn in such a way that it
has three entirely different colors, i.e. the color
styling flexibility of the carpet is limited.
Another process for making multicolor carpets
is to combine acid and cationic dyeable nylon yarns with
a polyethylene terephthalate (abbreviated PET or
alternately, 2GT) . PET is inert to acid and cationic dyes
and can only be dyed with disperse dyes. PET (unmodified)
is not suitable for dyeing on a continuous dye line, or
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equipment designed to dye carpet on a continuous basis,
because the dye leveling or uniformity of the dye is
poor. Dyeing on a continuous dye line is the most
economical method for dyeing carpet. Poor dye leveling
occurs when the the fiber has low dyeability in terms of
dye rate and dye exhaust that results in poor dye
uniformity and splotchiness. PET can be dyed with
disperse dyes in conjunction with a carrier. A carrier
is an organic chemical used to swell or open the polymer
structure of the PET fiber so that the fiber may be dyed
acceptably in a high speed continuous dyeing process.
However, carriers are costly and toxic. A carpet using
this combination of yarns when dyed with acid, cationic
and disperse dyestuffs and carrier can result in a
multicolor effect in which each color of a yarn component
is different from the other. However, these carpets have
poor resistance to crushing and matting, due to the poor
resiliency of the PET yarn component. Thus, the
multicolor carpet made in this manner is not a desirable
option because the crushing resistance is unacceptable
and requires a costly and toxic carrier.
The following disclosures may be relevant to
various aspects of the present invention and may be
briefly summarized as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 5, 160, 347 to Kay et al.
discloses carrier dyeable polyester yarns that are space
dyed by spraying with water dispersions of disperse dyes
without thickeners or carriers followed by a short
steaming process and autoclaving to develop the dyes or
by a process of knitting the yarn into socks or tubes
which are roller printed with disperse dyestuff,
thickener and carrier dissolved in water in various
colors followed by steaming, washing, drying and
deknitting. The thus produced space dyed yarns are then
tufted into area rugs along with undyed yarns of
"carrierless" polyester fibers and/or nylon fibers and
dyed with a cationic, acid or disperse dye appropriate to
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the dye receptivity of the undyed yarns while avoiding
overdyeing of the space dyed yarns to produce a multi-
color piece dyed area rug.
U.S. Pat. No. 5, 354, 342 to Jenkins discloses
stain-resistant, multicolored cationic dyeable carpet
fibers space dyed with an acid dye or premetalized acid
dye, heatset, then tufted together with undyed cationic
dyeable nylon fibers into a carpet. The carpet is then
overdyed with an acid dye or premetalized acid dye to
selectively dye only the previously undyed cationic
dyeable nylon fibers, without staining or discoloring the
adjacent previously dyed fibers, resulting in a
multicolored stain resistant carpet.
U.S.Pat. No. 5, 199, 958 to Jenkins et al.
discloses a multicolored stain-resistant nylon carpet
prepared by tufting a space dyed cationic-dyeable carpet
nylon, dyed with an acid or premetalized dye intermixed
and tufted with an acid dyeable nylon and overdyed with
an acid dye to selectively dye the acid dyeable fibers
but not the already space dyed yarns.
U.S. Pat. No. 3, 652,198 to Farber et al.
discloses a process for dyeing fibers, fabrics or other
shaped articles made from blends of either poly (alpha-
olefins) or polyesters and various thermoplastic
nitrogen-containing basic polymers to a multicolor
pattern.
It is desirable to have a system for dyeing a
multicomponent carpet in which each of component of three
component yarns may be dyed a different color without the
use of a carrier and the resultant carpet has a high
resistance to crushing and matting.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly stated, and in accordance with one
aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
multicolor flooring article comprising combined yarns,
each combined yarn comprising at least an acid dyeable
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nylon multifilament yarn, at least a cationically dyeable
nylon multifilament yarn and at least a poly(trimethylene
terephthalate) multifilament yarn wherein the flooring
article is dyed at least three different colors in a
carrier free dye bath containing a combination of acid
dye, cationic dye and disperse dye.
Pursuant to another aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a process for making a
multicolor flooring article comprising the steps of:
combining at least an acid dyeable nylon multifilament
yarn, at least a cationically dyeable nylon multifilament
yarn and at least a poly(trimethylene terephthalate)
multifilament yarn forming a combined yarn; making a
flooring article using the combined yarn; and dyeing the
flooring article at least three different colors in a
carrier free dye bath using acid dyes, cationic dyes and
carrier-free disperse dyes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features of the present invention will
become apparent as the following description proceeds and
upon reference to the drawing, in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an
embodiment of the present invention of a combined yarn
comprising three component yarns twisted together.
While the present invention will be described
in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, it
will be understood that it is not intended to limit the
invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, it is
intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and
equivalents as may be included within the spirit and
scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides versatility in
multicolored flooring articles such as rugs and carpets.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the combined
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yarn comprises at least two polyamide yarns and at least
one poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (i.e. PTT) yarn for
at least three distinct colors for the flooring article.
The two polyamide yarns useful for arl embodiment of the
present invention include any known bulked continuous
filament (i.e. BCF) or yarn of either type nylon 6 or
nylon 6,6 polymer. Such yarns are commonly used in carpet
manufacturing. The linear density, or denier, of these
yarns typically range between about 500 and about 2800.
In an embodiment of the present invention, at least one
of the polyamide yarns is dyeable by acid dyestuffs. The
dyeability of these yarns can vary from light, to medium
to deep in color. Additionally, at least another of the
polyamide yarns useful for the invention is dyeable by
cationic dyestuffs. Thirdly, at least one
poly(trimethylene terephthalate) yarn useful for the
invention is any known bulked continuous filament yarn.
The denier of this yarn also ranges between about 500 and
about 2800.
The polyamide and PTT multifilament yarns, of
an embodiment of the present invention, are combined by
either air entangling or cable twisting together.
Several rnethods of air entangling (for example, those
described in US Patent 3,978,558 which may be referred
to herein) and cable twisting (for example, the one
described in US Patent 3, 368,336 which may be referred
to herein) are well known in the art. Any of the known
methods may be applied in the present invention.
Combining the yarns by air entangling results in a yarn
having colors that are blended and generally muted.
Combining the yarns by cable twisting results in a yarn
having more color separation. Typically, three yarns of
500 to 2800 denier each are combined by either method.
Referring now to the drawings, where the
showing is for the purpose of describing a preferred
embodiment of the invention and not for limiting same.
For clarity the Figure is drawn outside of scale. Figure
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1 illustrates a cable twisted combined yarn 10 where yarn
1 is an acid dyeable polyamide yarn, yarn 2 is a
cationically dyeable polyamide yarn and yarn 3 is a
poly(trimethylene terephthalate) yarn. Additional yarns
may also be included in the combined yarn to give a
desired aesthetic in the resulting carpet.
The multicolor carpet according to an
embodiment of the present invention is made by tufting or
weaving in a conventional manner, preferably by tufting.
A typical carpet construction of the present invention is
about 12 to about 80 oz. weight per square yard with 1/8"
to 1" pile height. The multicolor carpet is preferably
loop pile, although it may also be cut pile. Loop pile
provides a better view of the different colors in the
carpet.
The carpet is dyed with a combination of acid,
cationic and disperse dyes in a bath that is carrier-
free. By "carrier-free" is meant that no carrier is
present in the dyeing process. Each yarn (yarns 1, 2 and
3 from Figure 1) when dyed is receptive to different
dyes. For example, yarn 1 being acid dyeable, has its
color determined by the acid dye and disperse dye; yarn 2
being cationically dyeable, is more receptive to the
cationic dye and disperse dye; and yarn 3's color
determination is determined by the carrier free disperse
dye only. Thus, providing at least three distinct colors
for an aesthetically pleasing multi-color carpet.
The carpet may be dyed using a conventional
dyeing process, such as that used with continuous range
dyers such as a commercially available dyeing unit from
Kuster Corporation. In continuous range dyeing, first the
dyestuffs are sprayed onto the carpet. The dyes are
applied in amounts ranging from about 0.01% to about 2%,
but preferably between about 0.01% to about 1%, of the
weight of the fiber. The carpet is then steamed for
about 2 to about 5 minutes at temperatures typically
about 210 to about 212 degrees F. The carpet is then
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rinsed and dried. While the continuous dye line process
is preferred, the present invention is applicable to a
batch process (such as Beck dyeing).
The dyed carpet of the present invention has
excellent pile height retention. The carpet of the
present invention has a pile height retention of at least
85% and preferably at least 90%, when subjected to the
Vetterman Drum Test.
Test Method
Vetterman Drum Test
The test carpet samples are cut into 10.5" x
10.5" size and conditioned in a constant temperature (70
F) and humidity (65% RH) room for 24 hours. The samples
are then placed into a Vetterman drum and secured by a
retaining ring. The samples are subjected to a 5,000
cycles test (ASTM D5417-93). The tested samples are then
conditioned in a constant temperature (70 F) and humidity
(65% RH) room for 24 hours. The pile heights of tested
samples are then measured by inserting a ruler into the
pile of a carpet and then reading the height of the pile
in inches. (The thickness of the backing and latex
coating are excluded.)
The pile height retention is calculated as follows:
pile height after 5,000 cycles
pile height retention = -------------------------------
x100% pile height before test
An embodiment of the present invention is
illustrated by the following example:
Example
A combined yarn was formed by commingling on an
intermingling machine (available from Belmorit
Textile Machinery Company, Mount Holly, NC) the following
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component yarns: one 2400 denier acid dyeable nylon BCF
yarn, one 2400 cationically dyeable nylon BCF yarn and
four 1100 denier poly(trimethylene terephthalate) BCF
yarns. A control combined yarn was formed by commingling
the same yarns, substituting four 1100 denier
poly(ethylene terephthalate) BCF yarns for the four
poly(trimethylene terephthalate) yarns.
The example and control yarns were tufted into
32 ounce loop pile carpets on a 5/32 inch gauge tufting
machine. The carpets were then dyed on a continuous
range dye applicator (available from the Zima Corporation,
Spartanburg, South Carolina). The dyestuffs were sprayed
onto the carpet before steaming for dye fixation. The
following dye formulations and conditions were used:
acid dyes Tectilon (available from Ciba-Geigy AG,
Basel Switzerland)
orange 3G 0.075%
red 2B 0. 075 0
blue 4R 0.075%
cationic dyes Sevron (available from Crompton & Knowles
Colors Incorporated, Charlotte, NC)
yellow 3RL 0.0025%
red YCN 0.0063%
blue AN 0.0188%
disperse dyes Intrasil (available from Crompton &
Knowles Colors Incorporated)
red QE 0.05%
The dye liquor was applied at 450 to 5000-8 wet
pick up. The pH of the dye liquor was adjusted to 6-6.5.
The dwell time in the steam was 3.8 minutes.
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The resulting carpets included attractive three
color aesthetics. The carpets were subjected to the
Vetterman Drum Test for 5,000 cycles. The samples were
conditioned in a 70 degree F, 65% relative humidity room
for 24 hours. The pile height was measured for each
carpet before and after the test. The percent recovery
of each carpet was calculated from the pile height
measurements using the above formula.
pile height (inches) pile height retention (%)
before test after test
Example 0.344 0.313 91
Control 0.375 0.189 50
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