Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification – Chemical modification of textiles or fibers or products thereof – Proteinaceous fibers
Patent
1980-05-01
1982-03-16
Clingman, A. Lionel
Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification
Chemical modification of textiles or fibers or products thereof
Proteinaceous fibers
8108A, D06M 302, D06M 1300
Patent
active
043198791
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
By the term "wool fibers" used in the present invention are meant fibers having scales, which have been collected from sheep, goat, llama, alpaca and similar animals.
Wool fibers are composed of aggregates of prosenchymatous cortical cells constituting cortices in the interior of fibers and flat cuticular cells constituting surface layers. The cuticular cells are scaly, and the top ends of these cells project in the form of superimposed edges surrounding cortices to protect them.
In wool fibers, the surface layer extends from the outside toward the interior, and comprises an exo cuticle, an endo cuticle and an epi cuticle surrounding those cuticle. Polar groups are contained in largest quantities in the endo cuticle. The endo cuticles on the inner side of the edge portions of the cuticular cells form a layer which is readily swollen and influenced by absorption of water.
The method for modifying wool fibers to advance the quality grade thereof according to the present invention comprises locally chlorinating edge portions projected in the form of scales on the surfaces of wool fibers, dissolving and removing the chlorinated edge portions by the reducing treatment to smoothen the surfaces of wool fibers, and reinforcing the smoothened surfaces to obtain advanced grade wool fibers having a smooth surface and a good durability.
BACKGROUND ART
As the conventional chlorination process for imparting gloss to wool fibers, there has been tried a method wool fibers are treated in a concentrated aqueous solution of sodium chloride by a mixed acid aqueous solution of a chlorinating agent. In this method, the chlorination is very vigorous, and not only cuticular cells protecting the interiors of wool fibers but also cortical cells are indiscriminately destroyed and the wool fibers are hardened and roughened. Moreover, the mechanical properties are degraded in certain portions and when these fibers are dyed, uneven dyeing is caused because of the difference of the absorbing capacity and the dyed product comes to have a patched appearance. Still further, the fastness is drastically degraded. In short, only damaged fibers are obtained by the above-mentioned conventional chlorination method.
According to the present invention, a necessary amount of an acid is included in the inside of projection scaly edge portions of wool fibers where water is absorbed very uniformly, while other portions are controlled by a saturated solution of a neutral salt so that the acid is not allowed to permeate in these portions, and then, in a chlorinating bath, chlorine is activated by the included acid and chlorination is accomplished only in the limited portions precisely. Therefore, the chlorination method in which all the defects of the conventional method are eliminated is established according to the present invention. At the subsequent reducing and water-washing steps, the surfaces of wool fibers are smoothened. Thus, according to the present invention, wool fibers are modified and the quality grade thereof is advanced by the specific method.
The fact that the endo cuticle of the edge portion has a structure capable of easily adsorbing or absorbing water therein though the surface of the wool fiber is water-repellent is disclosed in the following reference:
"Structure of Surface Layer of Wool" compiled by Ryoji Nakamura, in "Crimp, Wool and Technique", No. 33, pages 3 to 9, published on June 30, 1976 by the International Wool Secretary.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for modifying wool fibers to advance the quality grade thereof, which comprises removing edge portions of scales on the surfaces of wool fibers to obtain modified wool fibers having a smooth surface and a good touch. More specifically, according to the present invention, there is provided a modifying technique, by which various properties of wool fibers, such as shine, softness, shrink resistance and dyeability can be improved without degrading basic characteristics of starting wool fibers. For example, baby alp
REFERENCES:
patent: 3628909 (1971-12-01), Goldberg et al.
patent: 3994681 (1976-11-01), Hanekom et al.
Campbell, M. E. and Baumann, H., Textile Research Journal, 1981, 51, (No. 1), pp. 52-54.
Hojo Hiroshi
Noguchi Sadao
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