Apparel+

The ultimate volume of polypropylene used in apparel depends on the balance of performance and economics relative to nylon and polyester, and this balance is still under evaluation. 

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Nylon apparel Nylon bearings Nylon blends Nylon-cellulose Nylon-clay hybrid Nylon-cotton Nylon-cotton blends Nylon engineering Nylon fibers Nylon hollow fibers Nylon-6,1 [25722-07-0]... 

Polyamides. In 1988, 77% of U.S. demand for adipic acid was for nylon-6,6 fiber, while 11% was used in nyon-6,6 resins (195). In Western Europe only about 66% was for polyamide, because of the stronger competition from nylon-6. The fiber appHcations include carpets (67%), apparel (13%), tire cord (7%), and miscellaneous (13%). Nylon-6,6 resins were distributed between injection mol ding (85%) for such appHcations as automotive and electrical parts and for extmsion resins (15%) for strapping, film, and wire and cable. 

Typical textile fibers have linear densities in the range of 0.33—1.66 tex (3 to 15 den). Fibers in the 0.33—0.66 tex (3—6 den) range are generally used in nonwoven materials as well as in woven and knitted fabrics for use in apparel. Coarser fibers are generally used in carpets, upholstery, and certain industrial textiles. A recent development in fiber technology is the category of microfibers, with linear densities <0.11 tex (1 den) and as low as 0.01 tex. These fibers, when properly spun into yams and subsequendy woven into fabrics, can produce textile fabrics that have excellent drape and softness properties as well as improved color clarity (16). 

World Apparel Fiber Consumption Survey Eood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, New York, 1989. 

Electrically Conducting Fibers. FlectricaHy conducting fibers are useful in blends with fibers of other types to achieve antistatic properties in apparel fabrics and carpets. The process developed by Nippon Sanmo Dyeing Co., for example, is reportedly used by Asahi in Casbmilon 2.2 dtex (2 den) staple fibers. Courtaulds claims a flame-resistant electrically conductive fiber produced by reaction with guanadine and treatment with copper sulfide (97). 

Textiles. A unique combination of desirable quaUties and low cost accounts for the demand for acetate ia textiles. In the United States, acetate and triacetate fibers are used ia tricot-knitting and woven constmctions, with each accounting for approximately half the total volume. This distribution changes slightly according to market trends. The main markets are women s apparel, eg, dresses, blouses, lingerie, robes, housecoats, ribbons, and decorative household appHcations, eg, draperies, bedspreads, and ensembles. Acetate has replaced rayon filament ia liner fabrics for men s suits and has been evaluated for nonwoven fabrics (79—81). 

Triacetate offers better ease-of-care properties than secondary acetate ia many apparel appHcations. Of particular importance are surface-finished fabrics, eg, fleece, velour, and suede for robes and dresses. These fabrics offer superb aesthetic quaHties at reasonable cost. Triacetate is also deskable for print fabrics, where it produces bright, sharp colors. The recent discontinuance of triacetate fiber Hi the United States has led to the use of acetate with fibers such as polyester (47—50). 

Olefin fibers are used for a variety of purposes from home furnishings to industrial appHcations. These include carpets, upholstery, drapery, rope, geotextiles (qv), and both disposable and nondisposable nonwovens. Fiber mechanical properties, relative chemical inertness, low moisture absorption, and low density contribute to desirable product properties. Table 7 gives a breakdown of olefin fiber consumption by use (73—75). Olefin fiber use in apparel... 

Eibers spun from two different polyesters placed side-by-side or ia a sheath—core arrangement have found utility (18,35,38,39). Bicomponent fibers produced from PET and a copolymer can be used as a biader fiber. Bicomponent fibers made from PET and PBT homopolymers are used ia apparel appHcations which take advantage of the dyeabiHty and high recovery of the PBT polyester. 

Staple. PET staple is widely used in 100% polyester or cotton-blend fabrics for apparel. Typical cotton-blend polyester staple fibers have a linear... 

Filament. Eully drawn flat yams and partially oriented (POY) continuous filament yams are available in yam sizes ranging from about 3.3—33.0 tex (30—300 den) with individual filament linear densities of about 0.055 to 0.55 tex per filament (0.5—5 dpf). The fully drawn hard yams are used directly in fabric manufacturing operations, whereas POY yams are primarily used as feedstock for draw texturing. In the draw texturing process, fibers are drawn and bulked by heat-setting twisted yam or by entangling filaments with an air jet. Both textured and hard yams are used in apparel, sleepwear, outerwear, sportswear, draperies and curtains, and automotive upholstery. 

Polyesters are also used in continuous filament spunbonded nonwovens (see Nonwoven fabrics). Reemay spunbonded fabric is composed of continuous filament PET with a polyester copolymer binder. These spunbonded fabrics are available in a wide range of thicknesses and basis weights and can be used for electrical insulation, coated fabric substrates, disposable apparel for clean rooms, hospitals, and geotextiles (qv). 

The original yams were marketed as silk substitutes for use in apparel, hosiery, lace, home furnishings, ribbons, braids, and in a whole range of fabrics using blends with cotton or wool yams. As the end uses expanded beyond silk replacement, the harsh metallic luster of the yam proved disadvantageous and dull "matt" fibers had to be developed. Oil dulling was invented (11) in 1926, and an improved method using titanium dioxide was developed (12) in 1929. 

As a 1.7 dtex (1.5 den) fiber, it can be spun into yams with a better strength conversion factor than other ceUulosics, aUowing rotor-spun Tencel to outperform ring-spun cotton or modal viscose. Fabrics can be made at high efficiency, and prove to have the anticipated tear and tensUe advantages over other ceUulosics. Direct, reactive, or vat dyes can be used, and easy care properties can be achieved with less resin finish than normal. Tencel could therefore be positioned as a new premium quaUty apparel ceUulosic and not simply as a long-term replacement for viscose. 

Raw Materials. PVC is inherently a hard and brittle material and very sensitive to heat it thus must be modified with a variety of plasticizers, stabilizers, and other processing aids to form heat-stable flexible or semiflexible products or with lesser amounts of these processing aids for the manufacture of rigid products (see Vinyl polymers, vinyl chloride polymers). Plasticizer levels used to produce the desired softness and flexibihty in a finished product vary between 25 parts per hundred (pph) parts of PVC for flooring products to about 80—100 pph for apparel products (245). Numerous plasticizers (qv) are commercially available for PVC, although dioctyl phthalate (DOP) is by far the most widely used in industrial appHcations due to its excellent properties and low cost. For example, phosphates provide improved flame resistance, adipate esters enhance low temperature flexibihty, polymeric plasticizers such as glycol adipates and azelates improve the migration resistance, and phthalate esters provide compatibiUty and flexibihty (245). 

High performance fibers are generally characterized by remarkable unit tensile strength and resistance to heat, flame, and chemical agents that normally degrade conventional fibers. Applications include uses in the aerospace, biomedical, civil engineering, constmction, protective apparel, geotextiles, and electronic areas. 

PBI is being marketed as a replacement for asbestos and as a high temperature filtration fabric with exceUent textile apparel properties. The synthesis of whoUy aromatic polybenzimidazoles with improved thermal stabUities was reported in 1961 (12). The Non-MetaUic Materials and Manufacturing Technology Division of the U.S. Air Force Materials Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, awarded a contract to the Narmco Research and Development Division of the Whittaker Corp. for development of these materials into high temperature adhesives and laminates. 

Principle appHcations of needle-punched nonwovens for the 1990s include automotive, apparel components, blankets, carpeting, carpet pa dding, coating substrates, filtration, furniture, geotextiles, insulation, roofing substrates, and wall coverings. In 1990, the production of needle-punched fabric was estimated to approach 91,000 t and 606 million square meters (15). 

In 1992, as much as two-thkds of all spunlace fabrics were used in medical products other appHcations included wipes, industrial apparel, intedinings, absorbent components, filtration, and coating. Medical product appHcations also accounted for about one-thkd of all wet-laid nonwovens other appHcations included tea bags, meat casings, filter media, battery separators, and wipes. Most bonded-pulp fabrics were used as wipes or absorbent components. 

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