Patent GB-752074-A (GB)
Title: A method of improving mechanical finishes on flexible sheet material comprising fully synthetic material, and the flexible sheet material thus produced
IPC: D06Q1/08
Filed: 1953-05-13
Abstract: Woven, unwoven, knitted, mixed woven, mixed spun or coated fabric or film comprising or composed of fully synthetic thermoplastic material is subjected to a hot mechanical finishing operation and to a treatment with solvents or swelling agents under conditions which produce a surface or slight structural modification affecting the light-reflecting characteristics of the synthetic material.  The synthetic material may be a polyamide, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl compound, polyester or mixed polymer. Examples refer to the treatment of fabrics composed of nylon yarns only or nylon and cotton yarns. The process may be applied to raw, bleached, set or stabilized, unset, dyed, printed or cold-calendered fabrics.  The mechanical finish may be obtained by high-gloss calendering with highly polished, etched or pattern engraved rollers, calendering with or without friction, or embossing with stamps, dies or calender rollers, at temperatures from 115 DEG  to 160 DEG  C.  The solvent or swelling agent may be sulphuric, hydrochloric, nitric, phosphoric or formic acid, a phenol or cresol or a mixture of these substances and may be applied in solution, in gaseous or solid form or in a printing paste. A substance such as aluminium chloride, phosphorus pentachloride or other halide, ammonium sulphate, ammonium chloride or ammonium nitrate, which is capable of liberating a solvent or swelling agent, for example by heating, may be applied in a printing paste.  The solvent or swelling agent may be applied in solution in a liquid inert to the material treated, e.g. water, an aromatic or aliphatic mono- or poly-hydric alcohol, acetone, or benzene or other aromatic hydrocarbon or a derivative thereof, or in a liquid which itself has a solvent or swelling action according to the material treated or which may reduce the stiffening effect or otherwise influence the action of the solvent or swelling agent, e.g. acetic acid, formamidine, acetophenone, a dilute alkaline solution of phenol, a cresol or a xylenol or a substitution product, homologue or derivative thereof such as parabutylphenol, diethylene glycol and compounds thereof, benzyl alcohol, glycerine, formaldehyde, oxalic acid, lactic acid, pyrogallol, thymol, aluminium chloride or persulphate, sodium persulphate or ammonium sulphate or chloride. The solvent or swelling agent may be applied at a temperature from -30 DEG  C. to 120 DEG  C. depending on the reagent and material treated, and may be applied all over the material or printed to a pattern, or pattern effects may be obtained by printing a reserve against the solvent or swelling agent and/or against the hot mechanical operation. The reserve may be a temporary coating or may be permanently fixed on the fabric.  The reserve compositions may include gum arabic, British gum, tragacanth, crystal gum, starch or its derivatives, artificial resin precondensates, hexamethylene tetramine, turpentine, urea, sodium cellulose glycollate, nitrocellulose, acetyl cellulose, acetone, glycol monoacetate, diacetone alcohol, dyestuffs, pigments, metal-powder, foils or fibres of all kinds. One or more heat-insulating reserves may be applied and the material may be subjected to one or more mechanical finishing operations.  The treatment with a solvent or swelling agent may precede and/or follow the mechanical finishing operation.  The material may be pretreated with a solvent or swelling agent under conditions insufficient to affect the light-reflecting characteristics of the synthetic material and may be after-treated with reagents producing shrinkage, e.g. alkaline phenol and cresol solutions, acetic acid, sulphuric acid with or without the addition of an oxidizing agent, hydrochloric acid or nitric acid. Specification 595,983 is referred to.ALSO:Woven, unwoven, knitted, mixed woven, mixed spun or coated fabric or film comprising or composed of fully synthetic thermoplastic material is subjected to a hot mechanical finishing operation and to a treatment with solvents or swelling agents under conditions which produce a surface or slight structural modification affecting the light-reflecting characteristics of the synthetic material.  The synthetic material may be a polyamide, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl compound, polyester or mixed polymer.  Examples refer to the treatment of fabrics composed of nylon yarns only or nylon and cotton yarns.  The process may be applied to raw, bleached, set or stabilised, unset, dyed, printed or cold calendered fabrics.  The mechanical finish may be obtained by high gloss calendering with highly polished, etched or pattern engraved rollers, calendering with or without friction, or embossing with stamps, dies or calender rollers, at temperatures from 115 DEG  to 160 DEG C.  The solvent or swelling agent may be sulphuric, hydrochloric, nitric, phosphoric or formic acid, a phenol or cresol or a mixture of these substances and may be applied in solution, in gaseous or solid form or in a printing paste.  A substance such as aluminium chloride, phosphorus pentachloride or other halide, ammonium sulphate, ammonium chloride or ammonium nitrate, which is capable of liberating a solvent or swelling agent, for example by heating, may be applied in a printing paste.  The solvent or swelling agent may be applied in solution in a liquid inert to the material treated, e.g. water, a mono- or poly-hydric aromatic or aliphatic alcohol, acetone, or benzene or other aromatic hydrocarbon, or a derivative thereof, or in a liquid which itself has a solvent or swelling action according to the material treated or which may reduce the stiffening effect or otherwise influence the action of the solvent or swelling agent, e.g. acetic acid, formamidine, acetophenone, a dilute alkaline solution of phenol, a cresol or a xylenol, or a substitution product, homologue or derivative thereof such as parabutylphenol, diethylene glycol and compounds thereof, benzyl alcohol, glycerine, formaldehyde, oxalic acid, lactic acid, pyrogallol, thymol, aluminium chloride or persulphate, sodium persulphate or ammonium sulphate or chloride. The solvent or swelling agent may be applied at a temperature from -30 DEG C. to 120 DEG C. depending on the reagent and material treated, and may be applied all over the material or printed to a pattern, or pattern effects may be obtained by printing a reserve against the solvent or swelling agent and/or against the hot mechanical operation. The reserve may be a temporary coating or may be permanently fixed on the fabric.  The reserve compositions may include gum arabic, British gum, tragacanth, crystal gum, starch or its derivatives, artificial resin precondensates, hexamethylene tetramine, turpentine, urea, sodium cellulose glycollate, nitrocellulose, acetyl cellulose, acetone, glycol monoacetate, diacetone alcohol, dyestuffs, pigments, metal-powder, foils or fibres of all kinds. One or more heat insulating reserves may be applied and the material may be subjected to one or more mechanical finishing operations.  The treatment with a solvent or swelling agent may precede and/or follow the mechanical finishing operation, the material may be pretreated with a solvent or swelling agent under conditions insufficient to affect the light-reflecting characteristics of the synthetic material and may be after-treated with reagents producing shrinkage, e.g. alkaline phenol and cresol solutions, acetic acid, sulphuric acid with or without the addition of an oxidising agent, hydrochloric acid or nitric acid.  In Example 7 a set fabric of caprolactam fibres is treated with formic acid of 40 per cent concentration at 18 DEG C. for one minute, rinse, dried, treated with hydrochloric acid of 10 DEG B<\>ae at 10 DEG C. for five seconds, rinsed, dried, dyed or printed and thereafter calendered at 160 DEG C.  Specification 595,983 is referred to.