U.S. patent application number 11/153255 was filed with the patent office on 2005-12-01 for lubrication of textile fibres.
Invention is credited to Abe, Hiroshi, Meijer, Hamke, Nogues Lopez, Blanca.
Application Number | 20050262643 11/153255 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32524375 |
Filed Date | 2005-12-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050262643 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nogues Lopez, Blanca ; et
al. |
December 1, 2005 |
Lubrication of textile fibres
Abstract
The present invention discloses the use of ethercarboxylates for
lubricating textile fibres, preferably spinning fibres. These
ethercarboxylates have the general formula (I)
R--(OCH.sub.2CH.sub.2).sub.n--O--CH.sub.2COOX (I) where: R
represents a C.sub.6-C.sub.22 aliphatic hydrocarbon chain,
saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, n is a number between
0.3 and 50, X is hydrogen, an alkali metal, an ammonium cation, an
alkanolammonium cation or a C.sub.6-C.sub.22 alkylammonium cation.
In addition, the present invention provides a process for
lubricating textile fibres that consist of placing in contact these
textile fibres with ethercarboxylates of general formula (I).
Inventors: |
Nogues Lopez, Blanca;
(Barcelona, ES) ; Abe, Hiroshi; (Barcelona,
ES) ; Meijer, Hamke; (Emmerich, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KATTEN MUCHIN ROSENMAN LLP
575 MADISON AVENUE
NEW YORK
NY
10022-2585
US
|
Family ID: |
32524375 |
Appl. No.: |
11/153255 |
Filed: |
June 15, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11153255 |
Jun 15, 2005 |
|
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PCT/EP03/14365 |
Dec 17, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
8/115.51 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06M 13/217 20130101;
D06M 2200/40 20130101; D06M 7/00 20130101; D06M 13/46 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
008/115.51 |
International
Class: |
D06M 010/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 18, 2002 |
ES |
P 200202913 |
Claims
1. Use of ethercarboxylates to lubricate textile fibres,
characterised in that the ethercarboxylates have the general
formula (I) R--(OCH.sub.2CH.sub.2).sub.n--O--CH.sub.2COOX (I)
where: R represents a C.sub.6-C.sub.22 aliphatic hydrocarbon chain,
saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, n is a number between
0.3 and 50, X is hydrogen, an alkali metal, an ammonium cation, an
alkanolammonium cation or a C.sub.6-C.sub.22 alkylammonium
cation.
2. Use according to claim 1, characterised in that in the
ethercarboxylates of general formula (I), R is a C.sub.12-C.sub.18
aliphatic hydrocarbon chain, saturated or unsaturated, linear or
branched.
3. Use according to claim 1, characterised in that in the
ethercarboxylates of general formula (I), n is a number between 0.3
and 20, preferably between 0.5 and 15.
4. Use according to claim 1, characterised in that in the
ethercarboxylates of general formula (I), X is hydrogen or an
alkali metal.
5. Use according to claim 1, characterised in that the textile
fibres are spinning fibres.
6. Use according to claim 1, characterised in that the textile
fibres are of chemical or natural origin.
7. Use according to claim 1, characterised in that the textile
fibres are of a chemical origin, preferably of synthetic
origin.
8. Process for lubricating textile fibres characterised in that it
consists of putting in contact said textile fibres with
ethercarboxylates, characterised in that the ethercarboxylates have
the general formula (I)
R--(OCH.sub.2CH.sub.2).sub.n--O--CH.sub.2COOX (I) where: R
represents a C.sub.6-C.sub.22 aliphatic hydrocarbon chain,
saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, n is a number between
0.3 and 50, preferably between 0.3 and 20, more preferably between
0.5 and 15 X is hydrogen, an alkali metal, an ammonium cation, an
alkanolammonium cation or a C.sub.6-C.sub.22 alkylammonium
cation.
9. Process according to claim 8, wherein the ethercarboxylates
placed in contact with the fibres are in the form of an aqueous
lubricant composition formed by diluting ethercarboxylates in water
by a factor of 2 to 10000 by volume, preferably from 10 to
2000.
10. Process according to claim 8, characterised in that the aqueous
lubricant composition contains, in addition, antistatic agents,
wetting agents, cohesive agents, softening agents and emulsifying
agents, among other additives.
11. Process according to claim 8, characterised in that the amount
of aqueous lubricant composition placed in contact with the textile
fibre is within a range between 0.05 g and 5 g of aqueous lubricant
composition with 100% active matter for each 100 g of textile
fibre.
12. Process according to claim 8, characterised in that the textile
fibres are spinning fibres.
13. Process according to claim 8, characterised in that the textile
fibres are of chemical or natural origin.
14. Process according to claim 8, characterised in that the textile
fibres are of chemical origin, preferably of synthetic type.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation of International
Application PCT/EP2003/014365 filed on Dec. 17, 2003, pending at
the time of filing of this continuation application, the contents
of which are herein wholly incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE ART
[0002] The present invention relates to the field of textile fibre
treatment, specifically to the use of auxiliary spinning
composition or finishing compositions, and particularly to the use
of ethercarboxylates for lubricating textile fibres, such as
spinning fibres.
PRIOR ART
[0003] The field of textile fibre treatment uses compositions for
improving their manipulation and processing.
[0004] These compositions, known as auxiliary spinning compositions
or finishing compositions, allow, on one hand, to manufacture the
textile fibres and, on another, to facilitate the subsequent
spinning and weaving processes used to obtain the final textile
products.
[0005] Auxiliary spinning compositions generally provide
lubrication, and therefore reduce the friction between the fibres
and between the filaments and the guide elements of spinning
machines. Additionally, these auxiliary spinning compositions
prevent the formation of electrostatic charges and confer a slight
cohesion between adjacent fibres.
[0006] In addition, many other characteristics are desirable for
these compositions, such as their compatibility with colorants or a
good biodegradability. In addition to the aforementioned
requirements, fibre finishing compositions should be thermally
stable and not corrosive, must be easily applied and removed from
the fibres and must be physiologically compatible, as well as
providing wetting properties to the fibres and being soluble or
emulsionable in water.
[0007] As can be easily seen, a single substance can hardly provide
these numerous requirements. Modern preparations for fibres thus
comprise, in general, mixtures of various products whose
composition thereby provides the desired effect in the fibre
manufacture.
[0008] Usually fibre-finishing compositions include lubricating
agents as well as emulsifiers, antistatic agents, wetting agents,
antioxidants, biocides, corrosion inhibition agents and/or pH
regulation agents.
[0009] Auxiliary spinning compositions are generally applied by
contacting the fibres or yarns and the fibre finishing compositions
comprising a solution or emulsion that includes at least one
lubricant agent. These compositions can be sprayed or directly
applied on the fibres or yarns.
[0010] Typical examples of components for these auxiliary spinning
compositions are synthetic sterols, sorbitan esters, silicones,
polyethers, esters of phosphoric acid, quaternised fatty amines,
fatty acid alkanolamines, ethoxylated fatty acids, ethercarboxylate
esters, and block polymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide or
the like.
[0011] There are a great variety of lubricant agents for textile
fibres described in the state of the art. Thus, for example, U.S.
Pat. No. A-2,079,108 describes fibre lubricants derived from
cellulose based on long-chain fatty acid partial esters and
polyhydric alcohols.
[0012] GB Patent A-1098315 describes lubricants for textile fibres
based on ethoxylated esters of C.sub.6-C.sub.18 alcohols and
phosphor pentoxide.
[0013] GB Patent A-1113607 describes lubricant compositions for
textile fibres based on paraffinic mineral oil and phosphoric
esters of unsaturated alcohols.
[0014] U.S. Pat. Nos. A-3,907,689 and A-3,951,825 describes
compositions for treating textile fibres based on mixtures of
organic esters that can contain waxes of the ethoxylated fatty acid
type.
[0015] U.S. Pat. No. A-3,926,816 describes lubricant compositions
for textile fibres comprising a) sodium or potassium phosphoric
alkylesters, b) fatty acid alkylesters, c) polyoxoethylenated
lauric ethers and d) polyoxoethylenated tridecylic ethers.
[0016] U.S. Pat. No. A-4,615,816 describes polyalkylene ether
polycarbonates as lubricant agents for textile fibres.
[0017] U.S. Pat. No. A-4,624,793 describes lubricant compositions
for polypropylene fibres based on ethoxylated linear secondary
alcohols and phosphoric esters of linear or branched ethoxylated
alcohols.
[0018] International patent application WO A-9414756 describes
triethanolamine ester salts of quatemised fatty acids, obtained by
esterification of fatty acids with triethanolamine or with
triethanolamine ethoxylates with a subsequent quaternisation in the
presence of long-chain phosphoric acid esters with ethylene oxide,
used to reduce both the friction between fibres and the
electrostatic charge generated.
[0019] Finally, the use of ether carboxylic acid alkyl esters as
lubricant agents for textile fibres is described at least in U.S.
Pat. Nos. A-5,654,038, A-5,576,470, A-5,314,718, A-5,263,308 and
A-5,240,743.
[0020] In addition, the use of ethercarboxylates for the treatment
of textile fibres is known to the skilled in the art. Thus, for
example, CH Patent A-324665 describes a process for scouring
cellulose fibres, which comprises washing these cellulose fibres
with water at a temperature between 75 and 140.degree. C. with an
alkaline aqueous solution between 0.5 and 100 Be, containing as an
essential ingredient a compound of formula
R--(OC.sub.2H.sub.4).sub.n--O--CH.sub.2COOM
[0021] where R represents a C.sub.8-C.sub.20 saturated or
unsaturated aliphatic radical, a C.sub.8-C.sub.25 alkylphenyl or
hydrogenated alkylphenyl, n is a number from 2 to 20 and M
represents a cation selected among hydrogen, an alkali metal or
ammonium.
[0022] U.S. Pat. No. A-3,043,648 describes a process for a quick
dyeing of fibres that consists in dyeing these fibres in an aqueous
solution containing, among other ingredients, a polyglycol
ethercarboxylic acid of formula
R.sub.3--O(C.sub.2H.sub.4O).sub.x--CH.sub.2COOH
[0023] where R.sub.3 represents a group selected from among
C.sub.18H.sub.35, alkylphenyl C.sub.8-C.sub.12 and dialkylphenyl
C.sub.8-C.sub.12, x is a number greater than 19.
[0024] Finally, International patent application WO A-9851852
describes a wetting agent for pre-treating textile yarns that
contains
[0025] i) ethercarboxylates of general formula
R--O--(C.sub.nH.sub.2nO).sub.x--CH.sub.2COOM (I)
[0026] where R represents a linear alkyl group with 8 to 22 carbon
atoms, M is hydrogen or a cation, n is 2 or 3 and x is a number
between 4 and 18,
[0027] ii) alkoxylated fatty alcohols of general formula
R--O--(C.sub.nH.sub.2nO).sub.x--H
[0028] where R, n and x have the same meaning as above.
[0029] However, the prior art does not describe nor suggest the use
of ethercarboxylates for the lubrication of textile fibres.
[0030] The authors of the present document have found that
ethercarboxylates surprisingly show lubrication properties for
textile fibres that are similar or better than those shown by the
commonly used lubricants. In addition, these ethercarboxylates are
more environmentally friendly than some of the textile fibre
lubricants known in the state of the art.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
[0031] An object of the present invention is the use of
ethercarboxylates to lubricate textile fibres, preferably spinning
fibres.
[0032] An additional object of the invention is a process for
lubricating textile fibres.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0033] The present invention discloses the use of ethercarboxylates
for lubricating textile fibres.
[0034] In a specific embodiment of the invention, these
ethercarboxylates are defined by the general formula (I):
R--(OCH.sub.2CH.sub.2).sub.n--O--CH.sub.2COOX (I)
[0035] where:
[0036] R represents a C.sub.6-C.sub.22 aliphatic hydrocarbon chain,
saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched,
[0037] n is a number between 0.3 and 50,
[0038] X is hydrogen, an alkali metal, an ammonium cation, an
alkanolammonium cation or a C.sub.6-C.sub.22 alkylammonium
cation.
[0039] Preferably, in the ethercarboxylates of general formula (I),
R represents a C.sub.12-C.sub.18 aliphatic hydrocarbon chain,
saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched.
[0040] Also preferred are ethercarboxylates of general formula (I)
in which n is a number between 0.3 and 20, more preferably between
0.5 and 15.
[0041] Lastly, also preferred are ethercarboxylates with general
formula (I) in which X is hydrogen or an alkali metal.
[0042] The aliphatic hydrocarbon chain containing from 6 to 22
carbon atoms, preferably from 12 to 18 carbon atoms, is preferably
derived from fats and oils of natural origin, as well as of
synthetic triglycerides. Preferred fats and oils include palm oil,
coconut oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, castor oil, olive oil,
soy oil and animal oils such as beef tallow, bone oil, fish oil,
hardened and semihardened oils thereof and mixtures thereof.
Particularly preferred are the acyl groups derived of coconut oil,
palm oil and olive oil.
[0043] Ethercarboxylates of general formula (I) can be obtained,
for example, as described in the German Patent application
DE-A-4224362 or in the European Patent application EP-A-0580263.
The production process consists of two stages, being the first the
reaction of an alcohol with a hydrocarbon chain of the desired
length with ethylene oxide in normal reaction conditions known to
the skilled in the art. In addition, a previously ethoxylated
alcohol can also be used as a starting reagent. Then the
ethoxylated alcohol is reacted with a strong base, such as sodium
or potassium hydroxide in the presence of a reducing agent, such as
sodium borohydride, to form the corresponding sodium or potassium
alkoxylate. This product is made to react with sodium
monochloroacetate to form the corresponding ethercarboxylate in
salt form. This salt is converted into the corresponding acid by
washing with sulphuric acid or hydrochloric acid.
[0044] According to the present invention ethercarboxylates are
used as lubricants for textile fibres in the form of an aqueous
solution. The aqueous ethercarboxylate solutions used to lubricate
textile fibres can also contain additives such as antistatic
agents, wetting agents, cohesive agents, softening agents and
emulsifying agents, among other additives.
[0045] These additives are described in "Una aportacin a la
tecnologa del ensimaje" (A contribution to finishing technology),
published by Revitextil S. L. (ISBN: 84-605-6437-1).
[0046] The pH of aqueous lubricant compositions based on
ethercarboxylates is preferably between 6.0 and 8.5, more
preferably between 6.5 and 8.0.
[0047] In another embodiment of the invention, a process is
provided for lubricating textile fibres that consists of putting in
contact the textile fibres with ethercarboxylates. In a preferred
embodiment, these ethercarboxylates have the general formula
(I):
R--(OCH.sub.2CH.sub.2).sub.n--O--CH.sub.2COOX (I)
[0048] where:
[0049] R represents a C.sub.6-C.sub.22 aliphatic hydrocarbon chain,
saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched,
[0050] n is a number between 0.3 and 50, preferably between 0.3 and
20, more preferably between 0.5 and 15,
[0051] X is hydrogen, an alkali metal, an ammonium cation or, an
alkanolammonium cation or a C.sub.6-C.sub.22 alkylammonium
cation.
[0052] As is conventional in the textile industry, for spinning
fibres the aqueous lubricant compositions are applied on the
textile fibres immediately after they leave the spinning nozzle.
The lubricant compositions, with a temperature between 15 and
90.degree. C., are applied for example by cylinders or by dosage
pumps with suitable application devices.
[0053] The aqueous lubricant compositions are generally applied in
a very diluted form, so that the amount applied of the aqueous
lubricant compositions is between 0.05 g and 5 g of the aqueous
lubricant composition active matter at 100% for each 100 g of
textile fibres.
[0054] These aqueous lubricant compositions in a very diluted form
can be obtained directly or by diluting concentrated aqueous
lubricant compositions, said dilution being possible with hard,
semihard or soft water.
[0055] In the process for lubricating textile fibres of the
invention the textile fibres are putted in contact with a
sufficient amount of the aqueous lubricant composition formed by
diluting ethercarboxylates in water in a factor from 2 to 10000,
preferably from 10 to 2000.
[0056] In addition, the textile fibres on which these aqueous
lubricant compositions are applied are preferably spinning fibres,
which can be of chemical or natural origin. More specifically,
these aqueous lubricant compositions are applied on fibres of
chemical origin.
[0057] According to the present invention, a fibre of chemical
origin is defined as a fibre obtained by physical or chemical
processes in production means, which comprises cellulosic and
synthetic fibres as described in the "Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of
Chemical Technology", third edition, volume 10, published by
Wiley-Interscience (ISBN 0-471-02093-X). Examples of fibres of
chemical origin are:
[0058] acrylic, polyamide, polyester and polyurethane; while fibres
of synthetic origin are,
[0059] acetate and rayon, which are of cellulosic origin.
[0060] Examples of fibres of natural origin are:
[0061] cotton, from vegetable origin; and,
[0062] camel, cashmere, silk and wool, which are of animal
origin.
[0063] Preferably, the textile fibre on which the lubricant
compositions containing ethercarboxylates are applied is a fibre of
chemical origin of synthetic type.
[0064] The following examples are meant to provide an expert in the
field with a sufficiently clear and complete explanation of the
present invention. In no case they must be considered as limiting
the scope of the invention.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Lubrication of Textile Fibres
[0065] The fibre/ceramic (F/K) and fibre/fibre (F/F) dynamic
coefficients of friction and the "stick-slip" (S-S) were obtained
for the lubricants described in Table 1. The values of these
parameters are shown in Table 2.
[0066] Table 1 shows lubricants according to the present invention
(LF.1-LF.10) and comparative examples.
[0067] The coefficients were determined using a Rothschild F-Meter
model R-1188. The input tension was set at 0.15 N.
[0068] The friction material used to determine the fibre/ceramic
dynamic friction coefficient was a circular ceramic part. In
addition, a speed of 50, 100 and 200 mm/min was used with a contact
angle of 180.degree..
[0069] When determining the fibre/fibre (F/F) dynamic coefficient
of friction the speed was set at 1 mm/min and the contact angle at
360.degree..
[0070] The "stick-slip" (S-S), a characteristic phenomenon of
low-speed friction, was calculated as the difference between the
average maximum value and the average minimum value of the
fibre/fibre dynamic friction coefficients.
[0071] Lubricants described in Table 1 were applied on a continuous
multifilament polyester fibre (150/30), in a concentration of 0.5%
by weight (active product over fibres weight).
[0072] Prior to this application the polyester fibre was scoured to
eliminate any traces of impurities that it may contain.
[0073] Before proceeding to determine the dynamic friction
coefficients the scoured polyester filament samples were
conditioned for 24 hours at 20.degree. C. and 60% relative
humidity.
1TABLE 1 Spin finishing lubricants (LF) Description R n X Lubricant
(Chain) (Ethoxilation) (Cation) LF.1 Oleic 1 Potassium LF.2 Oleic
1.5 Potassium LF.3 Oleic 2 Potassium LF.4 Oleic 5 Potassium LF.5
Oleic 9 Potassium LF.6 Lauric.sup.1 2.5 Potassium LF.7 Lauric.sup.1
7 Potassium LF.8 Lauric.sup.1 10 Potassium LF.9 Lauric.sup.1 7
Sodium LF.10 Lauric.sup.1 10 Sodium Comp. Ex. 1 .sup.2FOSFODET
.RTM. 20 M Comp. Ex. 2 .sup.3FOSFODET .RTM. 20 D Comp. Ex. 3
.sup.4SURFAGENE FJZ 903 Comp. Ex. 4 Oleic 5 Methyl ester Comp. Ex.
4 Lauric.sup.1 7 Methyl ester .sup.1Lauric type hydrocarbon chain
with a C.sub.12-C.sub.14 weight ratio of 70:30. .sup.2FOSFODET
.RTM. 20 M is the phosphoric ester of lauric alcohol (monoester to
diester weight ratio = 80:20) in potassium salt form, marketed by
KAO Corporation S.A. .sup.3FOSFODET .RTM. 20 D is the phosphoric
ester of lauric alcohol (monoester to diester weight ratio = 50:50)
in potassium salt form, marketed by KAO Corporation S.A.
.sup.4SURFAGENE FJZ 903 is the phosphoric ester of an ethoxylated
C.sub.16-C.sub.18 alcohol (monoester to diester weight ratio =
80:20), marketed by KAO Chemicals GmbH.
[0074]
2TABLE 2 Dynamic friction coefficients (.mu.) F/F F/F F/F F/K F/K
F/K (1).sup.4 (1).sup.4 (1).sup.4 LF (50).sup.1 (100).sup.2
(200).sup.3 min. max. avg. S-S.sup.5 LF.1 0.36 0.39 0.45 0.033
0.055 0.045 0.022 LF.2 0.31 0.38 0.46 0.051 0.068 0.061 0.017 LF.3
0.36 0.37 0.41 0.053 0.069 0.063 0.016 LF.4 0.36 0.42 0.45 0.048
0.063 0.058 0.015 LF.5 0.36 0.42 0.45 0.051 0.065 0.060 0.015 LF.6
0.30 0.35 0.41 0.049 0.064 0.058 0.014 LF.7 0.36 0.40 0.45 0.054
0.070 0.066 0.016 LF.8 0.37 0.40 0.42 0.045 0.059 0.054 0.014 LF.9
0.38 0.42 0.45 0.059 0.078 0.072 0.019 LF.10 0.38 0.43 0.45 0.048
0.062 0.056 0.014 Comp. Ex. 1 0.48 0.53 0.57 0.048 0.053 0.052
0.005 Comp. Ex. 2 0.42 0.47 0.53 0.057 0.070 0.064 0.013 Comp. Ex.
3 0.44 0.51 0.57 0.042 0.053 0.051 0.011 Comp. Ex. 4 0.33 0.37 0.43
0.031 0.080 0.068 0.050 Comp. Ex. 5 0.28 0.33 0.40 0.004 0.062
0.053 0.058 .sup.1Dynamic friction coefficient F/K determined at 50
mm/min .sup.2Dynamic friction coefficient F/K determined at 100
mm/min .sup.3Dynamic friction coefficient F/K determined at 200
mm/min .sup.4Dynamic friction coefficient F/K determined at 1
mm/min .sup.5"Stick-Slip" of the dynamic friction coefficient F/F
determined at 1 mm/min
[0075] The experimental results show that the use of lubricants
according to the present invention (LF.1-LF.10) provides dynamic
coefficients of friction fibre/ceramic (F/K) lower than those
obtained by the comparative examples.
[0076] Thus, it can be concluded that lubricants according to the
present invention allow an improved sliding of fibres and reduce
the friction between fibres and machinery parts, compared to the
lubricants used in the comparative examples.
[0077] In addition, the dynamic friction coefficients fibre/fibre
(F/F) and the "stick-slip" (S-S) values obtained with the
lubricants according to the present invention show that, in
general, the use of these lubricants confers an improved cohesion
between fibres (higher stick-slip) when they are compared to
lubricants corresponding to comparative examples 1-3. On the other
hand, too high stick-slip values can however have a negative
influence in the softness of the fibre, since a "cracant" feeling
is then conferred to the fibre. Thus, better hand properties can be
expected for the lubricants according to the present invention than
for those corresponding to the comparative examples 4 and 5.
* * * * *