JP7579650B2 - Spun yarn and loop pile towel using the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to spun yarn and a loop pile towel made using the same.

The raw yarns used for towels include single spun yarns, two-ply yarns made by twisting two single yarns together, strong twist yarns with more twists than normal yarns, and loosely twisted yarns with less twists than normal yarns. The fewer the twists of these twisted yarns, the better the texture and water absorption, but the fewer the twists, the more fuzz there is, which becomes an obstacle to weaving and makes the fuzz more likely to fall off during washing. On the other hand, the more the twists of the raw yarns, the greater the "stretch" and "stiffness" and the less fuzz there is, but the "fullness" and "smoothness" that are important for towels are lost. For this reason, single yarns around No. 20 are used for general towels, but since they are somewhat weak in terms of strength, they are starched before weaving to suppress fuzz and compensate for the strength of the yarn. Starch, PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), etc. are used for starch, and the yarn is desizing processed after weaving.
Patent Document 1 proposes a towel using spun cross-twisted yarn with a specific number of fluffs. Patent Document 2 proposes weaving a towel using wool yarn, then treating it in water to shrink it and prevent fluff from falling off. Patent Document 3 proposes weaving a towel using loosely twisted yarn using Egyptian cotton, Indian cotton, etc., then treating it in water to shrink it and prevent fluff from falling off.

JP 2017-042370 A JP 2003-201666 A JP 2001-346713 A

However, the conventional technology was unable to effectively prevent the shedding of fuzz, and further improvements were required.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a spun yarn that prevents fluff from falling off while maintaining a good texture, and a loop pile towel made using the same.

The spun yarn of the present invention is a spun yarn obtained by blending non-thermofusible fibers and thermofusible fibers, the ratio of the thermofusible fibers being 1% by weight or more and less than 10% by weight when the spun yarn is used as the modulus of the yarn, the thermofusible fibers are composite fibers having a polyester-based core-sheath structure, the core component being a high-melting point polyester and the sheath component being a low-melting point copolymer polyester, the non-thermofusible fibers being cotton, the spun yarn being a three-ply twisted spun yarn, the yarn cross section being round, and the yarn being a spun yarn for loop pile towels .

The woven fabric of the present invention is a woven fabric containing at least the above-mentioned spun yarn, and is a loop pile towel of a three-pick terry motion woven fabric, and is characterized in that heat-fusible fibers are fused to prevent cotton from coming off.

The loop pile towel of the present invention is a loop pile towel containing the above-mentioned spun yarn at least in the pile yarn, and is a loop pile towel woven in a three-pick terry motion fabric, and is characterized in that the thermally fused fibers are fused to the loop pile towel to prevent the cotton from coming off.

The spun yarn of the present invention is a blend of non-thermofusible fibers and thermofusible fibers, and the ratio of thermofusible fibers is 1% or more and less than 10% by weight when the spun yarn is used as the base number. The spun yarn is a three-ply spun yarn, which provides a loop pile towel with a good texture and prevents shedding of fuzz even after long-term use. The ratio of thermofusible fibers is relatively small, providing a soft texture and preventing shedding of fuzz even after long-term use. In addition, by blending thermofusible fibers with loop yarn with a high shedding rate and performing a fusion process, cotton shedding can be efficiently prevented.

FIG. 1A is a schematic side view of a three-filament twisted spun yarn according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the same. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the spinning machine. FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the loop pile towel fabric. FIG. 4 is a woven diagram of the loop pile towel.

The present invention is a spun yarn in which non-thermofusible fibers and thermofusible fibers are blended. The blend may be any blend, such as a cotton blend or a kneaded blend. The two components of fibers are uniformly blended by blending. The proportion of thermofusible fibers is 1% or more and less than 10% by weight, with the spun yarn as the modulus. This allows the texture to be well maintained. If the proportion of thermofusible fibers is less than 1% by weight, the effect of shedding fuzz decreases. If the proportion of thermofusible fibers is 10% by weight or more, the texture becomes rough and hard. The preferred proportion of thermofusible fibers is 2-9% by weight, and more preferably 3-8% by weight.

The non-thermal fusion fibers of the present invention have a higher melting point, softening point, or decomposition temperature than thermal fusion fibers, and account for 90 to 99% by weight of the spun yarn. The non-thermal fusion fibers constituting the spun yarn may be used alone or in combination of two or more types. The non-thermal fusion fibers are preferably cellulose fibers. The cellulose fibers are preferably at least one selected from natural cellulose fibers and regenerated cellulose fibers, and more preferably natural cellulose fibers. Natural cellulose fibers include cotton, hemp, bamboo, etc., and regenerated cellulose fibers include ordinary rayon, Bembell rayon, solvent-based rayon, lyocell, cupra, etc. Examples of blends of cellulose fibers and non-cellulose fibers include cotton and polyester, cotton and vinylon, etc., and cellulose fibers include blends of cotton and rayon. The blend ratios can be changed depending on the use.

The cotton that can be used in the present invention may be any type, including American cotton such as Supima cotton and San Joaquin cotton, Egyptian cotton such as Giza cotton, Indian cotton, Chinese cotton such as Xinjiang cotton, and Sea Island cotton.

In the present invention, the spun yarn is a three-ply spun yarn. Compared to yarns made from two rovings, this three-ply spun yarn has less fuzz, good yarn uniformity, and is rounded in the longitudinal direction, and there is no diffuse reflection of the yarn, so the fabric is neat and firm. Furthermore, even with a relatively thick yarn, the cross section of the yarn is rounded and uniform, close to a circle.

The heat-sealing fibers are preferably composite fibers with a polyester-based core-sheath structure, with the core component being a high-melting polyester and the sheath component being a low-melting copolymer polyester. Polyester-based composite fibers are stiff and quick-drying. Furthermore, with a core-sheath structure, the core component maintains the fiber shape, while the sheath component melts and is used for fusion, allowing the texture to remain soft. The high-melting polyester core component is preferably polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET, melting point 250-260°C), and may also be polyester copolymerized with 5-sodium sulfoisophthalate, which can be dyed with cationic dyes. The sheath component of the low-melting copolymer polyester preferably has a melting point 40°C or more lower than that of PET, and more preferably 45°C or more lower. An example of such a composite fiber with a polyester-based core-sheath structure is the product name "Safmet" manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.

The spun yarn has a British number of 10 to 100, preferably 14 to 50. The twist coefficient K, as shown in the following formula, is preferably 1.0 to 8.0, more preferably 1.5 to 7.0.
K = t / √S
where t: twists per inch (2.54 cm), S: English count (multiples of 840 yards (0.9144 m) at a standard weight of 1 pound (0.4536 kg)).
The yarn count in the above range is suitable for loop pile towels, and the twist coefficient K in the above range can maintain a good texture. The English count can be converted to the internationally used tex count by the formula 590.5413/English count.

The spun yarn can be used for loop pile towels. It is also suitable for clothing, socks, rugs, bedding, etc.

The woven or knitted fabric of the present invention contains the above-mentioned triple-twisted spun yarn in the yarn that constitutes the woven or knitted fabric, and after it is made into a woven or knitted fabric, it is heat-treated to fuse the heat-fusible fibers. The heat treatment may be performed on the spun yarn before the process of making it into a woven or knitted fabric. The heat treatment temperature is preferably in the range of not less than the melting point (Tm) or softening point (Sp) of the low-melting fiber of the heat-fusible fiber, and not more than about the melting point or softening point +20°C.

The woven or knitted fabric of the present invention can be used as yarn for towels, sock linings, innerwear, outerwear, and denim. Towel fabrics include gauze, waffle, cut pile, loop pile, and other types. The woven or knitted fabric of the present invention can be preferably used for loop pile towels and socks.

The loop pile towel of the present invention contains the above-mentioned three-ply spun yarn at least in the loop yarn, and is woven into a loop pile fabric, which is then heat-treated to fuse the heat-sealed fibers. The heat treatment temperature is preferably in the range of a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point (Tm) or softening point (Sp) of the low-melting fiber of the heat-sealed fiber, and equal to or lower than the melting point or softening point +20°C. Fusion does not occur below the above temperature, and cotton tends to be damaged if the temperature exceeds the above temperature. The heat treatment may be performed in the state of the yarn (for example, in the state of being wound around a cheesecloth) or after the fabric is produced. After the above-mentioned three-ply spun yarn is woven into a loop pile fabric, bleaching, dyeing, washing, drying, etc. can be performed by conventional methods. Since the loop yarn protrudes, the feathers have a high shedding rate, but by blending the loop yarn with heat-sealed fibers and fusing the yarn, cotton shedding can be efficiently prevented.

The weight of the loop pile towel varies depending on factors such as the amount of pile and the thickness of the fabric. The weight per unit area of the loop pile towel is preferably 130 to 700 g/ ^m2 . More preferably, it is 400 to 600 g/ ^m2 for a bath towel, and 130 to 200 g/ ^m2 for a face towel. The above weights allow for sufficient pile construction and provide a good feel when used.

The de-linting rate of the loop pile towel is preferably 0.2% by weight or less, calculated from the fluff that is removed by washing in a fully automatic domestic washing machine. This fluff shedding test method is implemented by the Osaka Industrial Technology Research Institute, a local independent administrative institution, and will be described in detail later.

The triple-ply spun yarn of the present invention can be used for any or all of the pile yarn, warp yarn (ground yarn), and weft yarn (ground yarn). It is particularly preferable to use it for pile yarn that is easy to remove cotton. The warp yarn (ground yarn) and weft yarn (ground yarn) may be spun cotton yarn, a blend of cotton and other fibers, or in some cases, a spun yarn of other fibers. Other fibers include polyester fiber, rayon fiber, acrylic fiber, and wool fiber. The blending ratio can be any ratio. The count of the warp yarn (ground yarn) and weft yarn (ground yarn) is 10 to 100 in English count, and the twist coefficient K shown in the above formula is preferably 1.0 to 8.0, more preferably 1.5 to 7.0.

The following description will be given with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same objects. Figure 1A is a schematic side view of a three-strand twisted spun yarn 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the same. This three-strand twisted spun yarn 1 is a yarn in which spun yarn components 1a, 1b, and 1c are twisted together, and the cross section is nearly round as shown in Figure 1B. The twist direction may be S twist or Z twist. Usually, the twist direction of spun yarn components 1a, 1b, and 1c is the same as that of the three-strand twisted spun yarn 1.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the spinning machine 2. The spinning machine 2 is a ring spinning machine, and is composed of a drafting device 20 from the back rollers 7, 8 to the front rollers 14, 15, and a twisting winding device 21 from the front rollers 14, 15 to the traveler 18. The drafting device 20 drafts (stretches) the roving yarn to make it thinner. The twisting winding device 21 twists the drafted roving yarn in three in the same direction while giving it a twist, and winds the resulting yarn onto a bobbin. When three roving yarns 3, 4, 5 are supplied from a bobbin (not shown) through a trumpet guide 6 having holes for dispersing the fiber bundles of the three roving yarns, the roving yarns 3, 4, 5 are introduced between the upper and lower back rollers 7, 8, respectively, and passed through at a predetermined speed. Here, the trumpet guide 6 has three holes arranged in a row at equal intervals. The shape of the holes is wide at the entrance side, gradually narrows, and becomes a narrow groove of the same width at the exit side. The hole spacing is set appropriately depending on the count. For example, for counts thicker than British cotton count 30, a hole spacing of 3 to 5 mm is appropriate.

Next, the roving is passed between the second rollers 9, 10, which have upper and lower aprons 11, 12. Here, the fiber bundle is gripped and weighted, and the draft is controlled to ensure even drafting. The three rovings that have passed through the aprons 11, 12 are then passed through recesses in the collector 13 to maintain an appropriate distance between them. The rovings pass through three grooves in the collector 13 and are guided to the last rollers (front rollers 14, 15). The three grooves are formed continuously, and each is wide at the entrance, gradually narrowing, and narrow at the exit, but of the same width. The collector 13 is installed near the front rollers 14, 15. The purpose of using the collector 13 is to prevent the fiber bundles from overlapping as they pass through the draft device, and to combine the fleece 16 that comes out of the front rollers 14, 15 into one without breaking it.

Next, the three rovings are passed between the upper and lower front rollers 14, 15 and drafted to form a thin layered fleece 16. The fleece 16 emerging from the front rollers 14, 15 is then passed through a snell wire 17. Next, the fleece 16 is ring spun by a traveler 18, twisting it once per revolution of the traveler, and the resulting yarn (spun tube yarn) is wound onto a tube bobbin 19. In this way, a three-strand twisted spun yarn is produced.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the loop pile towel fabric 22. The loop pile towel fabric 22 is composed of pile yarns 23, warp yarns (ground yarns) 24, and weft yarns (ground yarns) 25. The pile yarns 23 are fixed to the ground structure composed of the warp yarns (ground yarns) 24 and weft yarns (ground yarns) 25 to form loop piles. The three-ply spun yarn of the present invention can be used for any or all of the pile yarns 23, warp yarns (ground yarns) 24, and weft yarns (ground yarns) 25. It is particularly preferable to use it for the pile yarns 23, which are easy to remove. The loop pile towel fabric 22 is cut to a specified size and the ends are processed to make a towel. In the case of a bath towel, the size is, for example, 70 cm vertically and 140 cm horizontally.

Figure 4 shows the weave of a loop pile towel. This weave is a three-pick terry motion, with the pile yarns crossing once for every three wefts. The warp yarns are arranged in an alternating pattern of ground yarns G and pile yarns P. In Figure 4, black and crosses indicate floating yarns, and white indicates sinking yarns.

The present invention will be specifically described below using examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.
<Lifting test method>
The fluffing test method was conducted by the Osaka Industrial Technology Research Institute, a local independent administrative institution.
(1) Sample: one towel.
(2) Washing machine used: Fully automatic household washing machine, high water level, detergent used, standard wash cycle. Washing tests were performed with and without fabric softener.
(3) Collection of fuzz: Filter the fuzz from the lint filter in the washing machine and the drainage through a 150 μm mesh sieve.
(4) Weighing: The collected fluff was pre-dried at 50° C., left to stand under standard conditions (20° C., 65% RH) and then weighed after stabilization.
(5) Calculate using the following formula.
Washing cotton removal rate (%) = [weight of cotton removed by washing (g) / weight of towel before washing (g)] x 100

Example 1
<Raw fiber>
1. Pile yarn (1) Cotton
The cotton used was Supima cotton.
(2) Heat-sealing fiber: Heat-sealing fiber was a polyester-based composite fiber with a core-sheath structure, trade name "Safmet" T-9611 (fineness 2.2 decitex, fiber length 38 mm) manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc. This fiber had a strength of 3.4 cN/decitex and a breaking elongation of 39%.
<Production of spun yarn>
95% by mass of cotton and 5% by mass of heat-fusible fibers were mixed and spun in a carding machine to form a web, a sliver, and a roving, which were then spun and twisted in a ring spinning machine as shown in Figure 2 to produce a three-ply spinned yarn having an English cotton count of 20 (fineness: 29.5 tex), a twist number of 15.65 turns/inch, Z twist, and a twist coefficient K of 3.5. This three-ply spinned yarn was used as a single yarn and arranged as a pile yarn in the warp.
2. Ground yarn (1) The warp yarn (ground yarn) was a ring-spun yarn made of 100% cotton by weight, with a British cotton count of 16 (fineness: 36.9 tex), twist number of 13.2 turns/inch, Z twist, and twist coefficient K = 3.3. This spun yarn was used as a single yarn.
(2) The weft yarn (ground yarn) was a ring-spun yarn made of 100% cotton by mass, British cotton count 20 (fineness: 29.5 tex), twist number 14.8 turns/inch, Z twist, twist coefficient K = 3.3. This spun yarn was used as a single yarn.
<Textile manufacturing>
A towel loom was used to produce the loop pile fabric shown in Figures 3 and 4. The pile yarn 23 was fed at a rate of six times that of the warp yarn (ground yarn) 24. In this way, a pile fabric with a warp density of 32 yarns/inch and a weft density of 55 yarns/inch was produced. After scouring and bleaching, the pile fabric was heat-treated in a tenter at a temperature of 190°C for 2 minutes to fuse the heat-fusible fibers. The mass per unit area (basis weight) of the fabric was 490g/ ^m2 .
<Evaluation>
The cotton removal rate was measured using the above-mentioned fluffing test method, and the results showed that the sample with fabric softener added during washing had a cotton removal rate of 0.06%, while the sample without fabric softener had a cotton removal rate of 0.05%.

Example 2
Except for using San Joaquin cotton instead of Supima cotton as the pile yarn, the same experiment as in Example 1 was carried out. When this pile fabric was washed with fabric softener, the cotton removal rate was 0.12%, and when no fabric softener was used, the cotton removal rate was 0.11%.

(Comparative Example 1)
Except for not adding the heat-fusible fiber to the pile yarn, the same procedure was carried out as in Example 1. When this pile fabric was washed, the sample to which fabric softener was added had a cotton removal rate of 0.27%, and the sample without fabric softener had a cotton removal rate of 0.23%.
The above results are shown in Table 1.

As is clear from Table 1, in Examples 1 and 2, the addition of 5% by mass of heat-fusible fibers to the pile yarn significantly reduced the cotton removal rate. When the texture was evaluated by sensory testing, the pile woven fabrics of Examples 1 and 2 were soft and equivalent to the comparative example.

The spun yarn of the present invention is also suitable for use in clothing, socks, rugs, bedding, etc., such as loop pile towels (bath towels, face towels, towel handkerchiefs, sports towels, bathrobes).

Reference Signs List 1 3-ply spun yarn 1a, 1b, 1c Spun yarn component 2 Spinning machine 3, 4, 5 Roving yarn 6 Trumpet guide 7, 8 Back roller 9, 10 Second roller 11, 12 Apron 13 Collector 14, 15 Front roller 16 Fleece 17 Snell wire 18 Traveler 19 Coil bobbin 20 Draft device 21 Twist winding device 22 Loop pile towel fabric 23 Pile yarn 24 Warp yarn (ground yarn)
25 Weft thread (ground thread)

Claims (6)

A spun yarn obtained by blending non-thermofusible fibers and thermally fusible fibers,
The ratio of the heat-fusible fiber is 1% by weight or more and less than 10% by weight when the spun yarn is used as a parameter;
The heat-sealing fiber is a polyester-based composite fiber having a core-sheath structure, the core component being a high-melting point polyester and the sheath component being a low-melting point copolymer polyester,
The non-thermofusible fiber is cotton,
The spun yarn is a three-ply spun yarn, has a round cross section, and is a spun yarn for loop pile towels. The spun yarn according to claim 1, wherein the spun yarn has an English count of 10 to 100. 3. The spun yarn according to claim 1, wherein the twist coefficient K of the spun yarn is 1.0 to 8.0, as represented by the following formula:
K = t / √S
Where t: number of twists per inch (2.54 cm), S: British yarn count. The spun yarn according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is a spun yarn for loop pile towels woven in a three-pick terry motion. The woven fabric comprising at least the spun yarn according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is a loop pile towel of a three-pick terry motion woven fabric,
A woven fabric characterized in that heat-fusible fibers are fused and the fabric is prevented from coming off. A loop pile towel comprising at least a pile yarn containing the spun yarn according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The towel is a loop pile towel made of a 3-pick terry motion fabric.
The loop pile towel is characterized in that heat-fusible fibers are fused to the loop pile towel, thereby preventing the cotton from coming off.