U.S. patent application number 16/615726 was filed with the patent office on 2020-06-04 for fiber assembly including cellulose water-repellent fiber, method for manufacturing same, and fiber product.
This patent application is currently assigned to Kurashiki Boseki Kabushiki Kaisha. The applicant listed for this patent is KURASHIKI BOSEKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA. Invention is credited to Koichi ARAMAKI, Yasuaki HARA, Ichiro OZAWA.
Application Number | 20200173065 16/615726 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 64396683 |
Filed Date | 2020-06-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200173065 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
OZAWA; Ichiro ; et
al. |
June 4, 2020 |
FIBER ASSEMBLY INCLUDING CELLULOSE WATER-REPELLENT FIBER, METHOD
FOR MANUFACTURING SAME, AND FIBER PRODUCT
Abstract
A fiber assembly including cellulose water-repellent fibers of
the present invention is at least one selected from cotton, a fiber
bundle, a yarn, and a gray fabric. A water-repellent agent is in a
cross-linked state and fixed to the surface of cellulose fibers. A
method for producing a fiber assembly including cellulose
water-repellent fibers of the present invention includes applying a
water-repellent agent to at least one fiber assembly selected from
cotton, a fiber bundle, a yarn, and a gray fabric, and
cross-linking the water-repellent agent to the surface of cellulose
fibers by drying and then heat curing. Thus, the present invention
provides a fiber assembly including cellulose water-repellent
fibers that has durable water repellency, can be used for resist
dyeing, and does not cause color transfer, a method for producing
the fiber assembly, and a fiber product using the fiber
assembly.
Inventors: |
OZAWA; Ichiro; (Kagawa,
JP) ; ARAMAKI; Koichi; (Aichi, JP) ; HARA;
Yasuaki; (Osaka, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
KURASHIKI BOSEKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA |
Kurashiki-shi, Okayama |
|
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
Kurashiki Boseki Kabushiki
Kaisha
Kurashiki-shi, Okayama
JP
|
Family ID: |
64396683 |
Appl. No.: |
16/615726 |
Filed: |
May 21, 2018 |
PCT Filed: |
May 21, 2018 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP2018/019467 |
371 Date: |
November 21, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06M 15/256 20130101;
D02J 1/18 20130101; D10B 2201/02 20130101; D02J 1/04 20130101; D03D
1/00 20130101; D06M 15/277 20130101; D06M 15/295 20130101; D10B
2501/04 20130101 |
International
Class: |
D03D 1/00 20060101
D03D001/00; D06M 15/256 20060101 D06M015/256; D02J 1/04 20060101
D02J001/04; D06M 15/277 20060101 D06M015/277; D06M 15/295 20060101
D06M015/295 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 24, 2017 |
JP |
2017-102375 |
Claims
1. A fiber assembly comprising cellulose water-repellent fibers,
wherein the fiber assembly is at least one selected from cotton, a
fiber bundle, a yarn, and a gray fabric, and a water-repellent
agent is in a cross-linked state and fixed to a surface of
cellulose fibers.
2. The fiber assembly according to claim 1, wherein the fiber
assembly comprising the cellulose water-repellent fibers is a fiber
assembly for resist dyeing.
3. The fiber assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cellulose
fibers are natural cellulose fibers.
4. The fiber assembly according to claim 1, wherein the
water-repellent agent is a fluorine-based water-repellent
agent.
5. The fiber assembly according to claim 4, wherein the cellulose
water-repellent fibers have a fluorine content of 0.01 to 1.4% by
mass.
6. A method for producing the fiber assembly comprising the
cellulose water-repellent fibers, the method comprising: applying a
water-repellent agent to at least one fiber assembly selected from
cotton, a fiber bundle, a yarn, and a gray fabric; and
cross-linking the water-repellent agent to a surface of cellulose
fibers by drying and then heat curing.
7. The method according to claim 6, wherein heat curing is
performed at a temperature of 150 to 190.degree. C. for 2 to 20
minutes.
8. The method according to claim 6, wherein when the
water-repellent agent is cross-linked to the surface of the
cellulose fibers in the cotton or the fiber bundle, the cotton or
the fiber bundle is opened.
9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the fiber assembly
comprises cellulose fibers before piece dyeing.
10. A fiber product comprising the fiber assembly comprising the
cellulose water-repellent fibers, wherein the fiber assembly is at
least one selected from cotton, a fiber bundle, a yarn, and a gray
fabric, and a water-repellent agent is in a cross-linked state and
fixed to a surface of cellulose fibers.
11. The fiber product according to claim 10, wherein the fiber
product is a piece dyed denim-like fabric.
12. The method according to claim 6, wherein the cellulose fibers
are natural cellulose fibers.
13. The method according to claim 6, wherein the water-repellent
agent is a fluorine-based water-repellent agent.
14. The method according to claim 6, wherein the cellulose
water-repellent fibers have a fluorine content of 0.01 to 1.4% by
mass.
15. The fiber product according to claim 10, wherein the cellulose
fibers are natural cellulose fibers.
16. The fiber product according to claim 10, wherein the
water-repellent agent is a fluorine-based water-repellent
agent.
17. The fiber product according to claim 10, wherein the cellulose
water-repellent fibers have a fluorine content of 0.01 to 1.4% by
mass.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a fiber assembly including
cellulose water-repellent fibers, a method for producing the fiber
assembly and a fiber product using the fiber assembly.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Water-repellent textile clothing is used for clothing people
wear when they sweat a lot, such as sports clothing and summer
clothing. Many clothes used for this purpose are made of synthetic
fibers such as polyester and rendered water-repellent to improve
quick drying properties. Patent Document 1 proposes a plied yarn
composed of a water-repellent polyester short fiber bundle and a
cotton spun yarn that has not been subjected to a water-repellent
treatment. The water-repellent polyester fiber is twisted around
the cotton spun yarn. This plied yarn is used for, e.g., sports
clothing. Patent Document 2 proposes a spun yarn composed of
water-repellent cotton as a core and natural fiber as a sheath that
has not been subjected to a water-repellent treatment. Patent
Document 3 proposes subjecting fibers such as cotton to a
water-repellent treatment during dyeing. Patent Document 4 proposes
a denim fabric having a double weft structure in which indigo-dyed
cotton yarns are arranged as the warp, and polyester yarns and
highly shrinkable yarns are arranged as the weft.
PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS
Patent Documents
[0003] Patent Document 1: JP H5(1993)-33234 A
[0004] Patent Document 2: JP H4(1992)-272247 A
[0005] Patent Document 3: JP S60(1985)-75678 A
[0006] Patent Document 4: JP 2013-520579 A
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
Problem to be Solved by the Invention
[0007] However, the conventional technologies have a problem in
producing durable water-repellent cellulose fibers, and the use of
water-repellent cellulose fibers for resist dyeing has not been
considered. The indigo-dyed cotton yarns as disclosed in Patent
Document 4 may cause color transfer.
[0008] In order to solve the above conventional problems, the
present invention provides a fiber assembly including cellulose
water-repellent fibers that has durable water repellency, can be
used for resist dyeing, and does not cause color transfer, a method
for producing the fiber assembly, and a fiber product using the
fiber assembly.
Means for Solving Problem
[0009] fiber assembly including cellulose water-repellent fibers of
the present invention is at least one selected from cotton, a fiber
bundle, a yarn, and a gray fabric. A water-repellent agent is in a
cross-linked state and fixed to the surface of cellulose
fibers.
[0010] A method for producing a fiber assembly including cellulose
water-repellent fibers of the present invention provides the above
fiber assembly including the cellulose water-repellent fibers. The
method includes the following: applying a water-repellent agent to
at least one fiber assembly selected from cotton, a fiber bundle, a
yarn, and a gray fabric; and cross-linking the water-repellent
agent to the surface of cellulose fibers by drying and then heat
curing.
[0011] A fiber product of the present invention includes the above
fiber assembly including the cellulose water-repellent fibers.
Effects of the Invention
[0012] The fiber assembly of the present invention is at least one
selected from cotton, a fiber bundle, a yarn, and a gray fabric and
includes cellulose water-repellent fibers in which a
water-repellent agent is in a cross-linked state and fined to the
surface of cellulose fibers. Thus, the present invention can
provide the fiber assembly including the cellulose water-repellent
fibers that has durability and can be used for resist dyeing, a
method for producing the fiber assembly, and a fiber product using
the fiber assembly. The water-repellent fibers are suitable for
clothing people wear when they sweat a lot, such as sports clothing
and summer clothing. Moreover, the water-repellent fibers function
as a resist for piece dyeing. Therefore, it is possible to use the
yarns of the present invention for specific yarns (e.g., the weft)
and normal cotton yarns for the other yarns (e.g., the warp) to
create a 100% cotton fabric. Then, the cotton fabric can be dyed by
a dyeing process suitable for cotton fibers (e.g., reactive
dyeing). During the dyeing process, only the normal cotton yarns
are dyed, and the water-repellent yarns are not dyed, resulting in,
e.g., a piece dyed denim-like fabric. This fabric has excellent
fastness and does not cause problems such as color transfer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a process chart showing a method for producing
water-repellent fibers of an embodiment of the present
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] The water-repellent treatment of a fiber assembly such as
cotton, a fiber bundle, a yarn, or a gray fabric had not usually
been performed because it was considered that the water-repellent
cotton or fiber bundle would change the fiber lubricity and make
spinning difficult. Moreover, it was considered that a good quality
product was not able to be obtained, since the water-repellent yarn
or gray fabric could not be dyed or could not be easily dyed.
However, the present inventors found that when the fiber assembly
such as cotton, a fiber bundle, a yarn, or a gray fabric was
subjected to a water-repellent treatment, although it had been
recognized as a problem, a surprisingly wide range of product
development could be achieved. Based on these findings, the present
inventors have reached the present invention. Further, cellulose
fibers are hydrophilic fibers, and thus had not generally been made
water-repellent. However, the present inventors also found that
when the cellulose fibers were subjected to a water-repellent
treatment before piece dyeing, a wide range of product development
could be achieved.
[0015] The fiber assembly including cellulose water-repellent
fibers of the present invention is at least one selected from
cotton, a fiber bundle, a yarn, and a gray fabric, in which a
water-repellent agent is in a cross-linked state and fixed to the
surface of cellulose fibers. The cotton may be either opened cotton
or unopened cotton. The fiber bundle may be, e.g., a web or a
sliver. The yarn may be, e.g., a roving yarn or a spun yarn. The
gray fabric may be, e.g., a woven fabric or a knitted fabric that
have not yet been subjected to any subsequent treatment. When the
water-repellent agent is cross-linked to cotton and a fiber bundle,
the cross-linked cotton and fiber bundle are preferably opened by
carding or the like. The cross-linked cotton and fiber bundle may
be blended with other fibers in the opening process or between the
opening process and the roving process. When the water-repellent
agent is cross-linked to a yarn and a gray fabric, the cross-linked
yarn and gray fabric are useful for applications that take
advantage of the function of the water-repellent fibers as a resist
for piece dyeing. It is preferable that the fiber assembly of the
present invention is subjected to a water-repellent treatment
before piece dyeing.
[0016] In the present invention, the water-repellent agent is in a
cross-linked state and fixed to the surface of the cellulose
fibers. The cross-linked state of the water repellent agent means
that an aqueous solution or dispersion containing a mixture of the
water-repellent agent and a cross-linking agent is applied to the
surface of the cellulose fibers, and then subjected to, e.g., heat
curing so that the water-repellent agent is firmly integrated with
the surface of the cellulose fibers. The water repellency can be
maintained in the subsequent dyeing or washing. Therefore, a
portion of the cellulose fibers to which the water-repellent agent
has been cross-linked will not be dyed and functions as a resist
for piece dyeing.
[0017] The cellulose fibers are preferably at least one selected
from natural cellulose fibers and regenerated cellulose fibers, and
more preferably natural cellulose fibers. Examples of the natural
cellulose fibers include cotton and hemp. Examples of the
regenerated cellulose fibers include normal rayon, Bemberg rayon,
solvent type rayon, and lyocell. The present invention is
particularly elective in using the natural cellulose fibers that
require a scouring and bleaching process to remove contaminants and
dirt.
[0018] The effects of the present invention can be achieved when
the fiber assembly including the cellulose water-repellent fibers
is present in an amount of 20% by mass or more, preferably 35% by
mass or more, and more preferably 50% by mass or more. Therefore,
other fibers may be further added in an amount of 80% by mass or
less, preferably 66% by mass or less, and more preferably 50% by
mass or less. The other fibers may include, e.g., fibers other than
the cellulose fibers and cellulose fibers that have not been
subjected to a water-repellent treatment.
[0019] The water-repellent agent is preferably a fluorine-based
water-repellent agent. In particular, a heat curing type
water-repellent agent is preferred in terms of durability. Further,
it is preferable that the fluorine based water-repellent agent is
used in combination with a cross-linking agent, and that the
fluorine-based water-repellent agent is cross-linked and fixed to
the surface of the cellulose fibers. Examples of the cross-linking
agent include a urethane cross-linking agent and an acrylic
cross-linking agent. In this case, the urethane cross-linking agent
is particularly preferred. The water-repellent agent may be, e.g.,
"NK GUARD S-09" manufactured by NICCA CHEMICAL CO., LTD. The
cross-linking agent may be, e.g., "NK ASSIST V" manufactured by
NICCA CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
[0020] When the fluorine based water-repellent agent is used as a
water-repellent agent, the fluorine content is preferably 0.01 to
1.4% by mass, more preferably 0.1 to 1.0% by mass, and particularly
preferably 0.2 to 0.7% by mass. The fluorine content within the
above range is practically sufficient for resist dyeing. The
fluorine content is measured as the ratio of the fluorine element
to the total number of elements in, e.g., the water-repellent
cotton, where the total number of elements is detected by a
fluorescent X-ray analyzer and set to 100.
[0021] The fiber product of the present invention includes the
cellulose water-repellent fibers. For example, the fiber product
may be a piece dyed denim-like fabric. When a woven fabric is made
by using normal cotton spun yarns as the warp and the
water-repellent cotton spun yarns of the present invention as the
weft, and then the woven fabric is dyed (piece dyeing), the warp is
dyed, but the weft is not dyed, so that a denim-like fabric can be
obtained. Other examples of the fiber product include an interwoven
fabric other than the denim-like fabric, an interknitted fabric,
and a fabric in which the water-repellent cotton spun yarns of the
present invention are arranged in part. The fabric including the
water-repellent cotton spun yarns of the present invention can have
a white pattern on a colored background. A woven or knitted fabric
using the spun yarns of the present invention can be piece dyed and
have water repellency as a whole. In the present invention, the
water-repellent treatment may be performed after cotton dyeing or
yarn dyeing.
[0022] The method for producing a fiber assembly including
cellulose water-repellent fibers of the present invention includes
the following steps of:
[0023] (1) applying a water-repellent agent to at least one fiber
assembly selected from cotton, a fiber bundle, a yarn, and a gray
fabric; and
[0024] (2) cross-linking the water-repellent agent to the surface
of cellulose fibers by drying and then heat curing.
[0025] The water-repellent agent is applied to the fiber assembly
by, e.g., impregnation, spraying, or padding. It is preferable that
the water-repellent agent is dispersed in water before being
applied to the fiber assembly. Thus, uniform application can be
achieved.
[0026] The drying process and the heat curing process may be
continuously performed with a heated air dryer. The heat curing
conditions are preferably such that the temperature is 150 to
190.degree. C. and the time is 2 to 20 minutes. In this case, the
cellulose fibers should not be damaged by heat.
[0027] When the water-repellent agent is cross-linked to the
surface of the cellulose fibers in the cotton or the fiber bundle,
the cotton or the fiber bundle is preferably opened. This is
because the fibers may converge due to the water-repellent
treatment.
[0028] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with
reference to the drawing. FIG. 1 is a process chart showing a
method for producing water-repellent fibers of an embodiment of the
present invention. First, raw cotton of cellulose fibers is blended
and opened by a carding machine to form a web. Then, the web is
drawn out to produce a sliver (fiber bundle). Next, the sliver is
impregnated with an aqueous dispersion containing a water-repellent
agent and a cross-linking agent, squeezed, dried, and heat cured so
that the water-repellent agent is cross-linked and fixed to the
surface of the cellulose fibers. Subsequently, the fibers are
blended again and go through a carding machine to form an opened
web. The opened web is drawn out to produce a sliver. The sliver is
spun into yarn by roving and fine spinning. The spun yarn is used
to make a woven fabric or a knitted fabric. For example, the woven
fabric or the knitted fabric may be made by combining different
types of yarns, e.g., the water-repellent spun yarns thus obtained
and normal spun yarns that have not been subjected to a
water-repellent treatment. When such a woven fabric or knitted
fabric is dyed, the normal spun yarns that have not been subjected
to a water-repellent treatment are dyed, but the water-repellent
spun yarns are not dyed, so that a non-uniformly dyed fabric is
obtained. The non-uniformly dyed fabric is useful as a denim-like
fabric. In the above method, the water-repellent agent is applied
to the fiber bundle because this allows the fibers to be treated
continuously and also facilitates material handling.
EXAMPLES
[0029] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in
detail by way of examples. The present invention is not limited to
the following examples.
Example 1
Raw Cotton
[0030] Egyptian cotton was used as raw cotton.
Production of Water-Repellent Cotton
[0031] Water-repellent cotton was produced by the method shown in
FIG. 1. First, 200 L of a chemical solution was prepared, which
contained 20 L of a fluorine-based water-repellent agent "NE GUARD
S-09" (trade name) manufactured by NICCA CHEMICAL CO., LTD., 4 L of
a urethane cross-linking agent "NK ASSIST V" (trade name)
manufactured by NICCA CHEMICAL CO., LTD., 1 L of a penetrating
agent "INVADINE 650" (trade name) manufactured by Huntsman
Corporation, and water. Then, a sliver was impregnated with the
chemical solution, squeezed by a mangle, dried, and heat cured at
170.degree. C. for 10 minutes so that the water-repellent agent
(including the cross-linking agent) was cross-linked. The fluorine
content of the resulting water-repellent cotton was measured by a
fluorescent X-ray analyzer (ZSX100e: EZ scanning method)
manufactured by Rigaku Corporation and was 0.4% by mass.
Production of Spun Yarn
[0032] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 1, the water-repellent cotton
was returned to the blending process, thus forming an opened web.
The opened web was drawn out to produce a sliver. The sliver was
spun into yarn by roving and fine spinning (ring spinning). The
English count of the spun yarn was 7. The passage of the
water-repellent cotton through the spinning process was not
different from that of normal cotton.
Production of Woven Fabric
[0033] Normal spun yarns having an English count of 7.2 (single
yarn) were arranged as the warp and the spun yarns (English count
7, single yarn) made of the above water-repellent cotton were
arranged as the weft to create a fabric with a warp density of 65
thread/inch, a weft density of 40 thread/inch, and a 3/1 twill
weave as textile design. This fabric was singed, desized, scoured,
bleached, and mercerized in the usual manner. Then, the fabric was
impregnated with a reactive dye in the usual manner, and thus the
reactive dye imparted color to the fabric and was fixed to the
fabric. Finally the fabric was subjected to a finishing treatment
with a softening agent, providing a denim-like fabric in which the
warp was dyed. The finished mass (weight per unit area) of the
fabric was 380 g/m.sup.2. The passage of the water-repellent cotton
from the weaving process to the dyeing process was not different
from that of normal cotton. The water-repellent spun yarns serving
as the weft appeared on the back side of the denim-like fabric. The
fluorine content of these water-repellent spun yarns was measured
from the back side with the same apparatus and method as those used
for the water-repellent cotton and was 0.3% by mass.
Evaluation
[0034] The fabric thus obtained was made of 100% cotton yarn and
had good texture. A washing test was performed by washing this
fabric 20 times with water in accordance with the method defined in
JIS L 0001: 2014 (code number 141). Consequently, the fabric caused
neither color fading nor color transfer. Moreover, the results of a
wash fastness test (JIS L 0844: 2011 A-2) showed that the fabric
was grade 4 to 5 for color change and grade 4 to 5 for staining,
which were about the same as the typical piece dyeing (e.g.,
alkali-steaming method) of cotton fabrics. Further, the fabric had
better fastness than the denim in which the warp had been
indigo-dyed before the yarns were woven into cloth. In particular,
with respect to the fastness to rubbing (JIS L 0849: 2013 type II
method), the typical indigo-dyed denim was grade 2 for dry (warp
direction) and grade 1 for wet (warp direction), while the fabric
of this example was grade 4 to 5 for dry (warp direction) and grade
2 for wet (warp direction). Accordingly, the fabric of this example
achieved good results.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0035] The fabrics of the present invention are applicable to,
e.g., denim-like fabrics, sports clothing, and summer clothing.
Moreover, the fabrics of the present invention can also be used
for, e.g., shoes, hats, bags, curtains, and sofa covers.
* * * * *