Patent ID: 7578957

Claim:
A process for producing 6 to 25 dpf carpet staple fiber comprising the steps of: melt spinning poly(trimethylene terephthalate) into fibers on equipment having a quench zone shorter than 16 feet; accumulating the fibers under conditions to produce an aged undrawn yarn; prewetting the aged undrawn yarn, said aged undrawn yarn consisting essentially of poly(trimethylene terephthalate), at a temperature less than about 45° C.; drawing the yarn under wet conditions at a temperature of from about 45° C. to about 95° C. in a first stage to a length of about 30 to about 90 percent of its final length; further drawing the yarn in a second stage at a temperature from about 45° C. to about 98° C. under wet conditions; crimping the drawn yarn; thermo-fixing the crimped yarn in the presence of steam at a temperature from about 80° C. to about 100° C.; and drying the crimped yarn at 60° C. to 140° C.