Professional Documents
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Material characteristics
Fiber type, e.g., cotton, polyester, acetate
Yarn type and structure including blend composition, e.g. staple
Ring, open end, air-jet, combed, carded, core spun, continuous filament
Yarn hairiness.
Yarn preparation
Winding
Warping
Slashing
Tension on yarn during sizing
Moisture content
Drying temperature
Slashing machine parameters
Slashing speed
Size box characteristics
High pressure squeeze rolls, including hardness of rolls
Type of sizing method, e.g., single end, Cutt method, foam method
Amount of size
Yarn tension
Closeness of yarns
Loom parameters
Type of loom, e.g., shuttle, rapier, projectile, air-jet
Weave
Loom speed
Warp tension
Fiber blend
Environmental laws
Many factors influence the impact of the size upon the yarn. These factors include
the size recipe and temperature, the condition of the equipment, and the amount of
size picked up by the yarn
Introduction to textile sizing
PVA is an excellent film provider. Its tough film is easily removed (desized) with hot water. It
leads to the following benefits:
Yarn sized with PVA can run at lower add-on because of the adhesion and strength advantage
PVA provides over natural binders. It requires in quantity only 1/3 rd of the starch.
The excellent abrasion resistance means less shedding on the slasher and in the weave room.
The inherent flexibility of films of PVA resins eliminates the need for high Relative humidity in
the weave room. A RH of 65-75% are recommended
PVA solutions are thermally stable and can be maintained for lower periods of time at high
temperature.
PVA are widely reclaimed and reused for sizing, thus reducing effluent levels from the finishing
plant.
PVA and wax together will provide the optimal size performance. Wax is needed to reduce dryer
can sticking, weaker film for easier split, minimize clinging on looms and improved lubrication
for the size coating. However, excessive use of waxes can lead to poor adhesion, brittleness,
roughness and decreased abrasion resistance. Also waxes can be difficult to remove at desizing
stage which can lead to quality problems in desized fabrics. It is important to select a wax that
contains an effective emulsifier. It will act to prevent wax from redepositing back on the fabric
during desizing. Common wax is tallow.
Starch is primarily used as an extender for PVA to reduce formulation cost. However antistats
are needed with starch containing formulations to minimize static on warp yarns. Generally they
are not needed with 100% PVA sizes. Antistats funciton as humectants, helping to retain
moisture in the film while simulatneously plasticising the film. It includes urea, ethylene glycol
and glycerol. Recommended level is 3-7%.
Defomers: Size solution can exhibit foam. For this we need defoamers in the levels of 0.25 to
1.00% based on the weight.
Binders- They are used for synthetic fibres- two major types are polyester or polyacrylic
solution.
To avoid lappets warp density: For ring Spun 100% cotton - Spacing between adjecent ends
should not be less than the diameter of the yarn. For Ring spun P/C blend spacing should not be
less than 1.5 times the yarn diameter. For open end yarns, number of yarns per inch should be
10% less than the ring spun yarns of comparable count.
Viscosity: A properly sized warp will have completely encapsulating (360o) the yarn surface to
hold down loose fibres. Internal penetration must be sufficient (15-25%) to anchor the size film
to the surface of the yarn. Too low a size viscosity allows liquid to penetrate too deeply into the
yarn. Too high a viscosity will not allow sufficient penetration to anchor the size. If ends are
tightly packed in the size box, viscosity should be lowered to improve penetration.
Temperature of the size box is important for the right viscosity. High temperature may cause
PVA to form skin- causing hard size formation when the slasher is stopped. Recommended
temperature is 160-185 o F.
Drying can temperature should be set at the minimum to dry the yarn to hte desired moisture
content of 5-8%.
Yarn stretch in cotton should be 1-6%, PC should be 1-1.5%, and Rayon/ Acrylic should be 3-
5%.
Desizing agents: Can be water for PVA, NaoH for oils/waxes, HCL for starch, Enzyme for
starch, Solvents for oils/waxes or peroxide for PVA.
Sizing
The process consists of laying warp yarn parallel and sizing the yarn with a mixture to strengthen
it to withstand the rigours of weaving.
Warp yarn is withdrawn in sheet from from warp beams which are placed at the back of the
sizing machine. The yarn is then passed through sow box. Size solution is applied by immersion.
After removing surplus solution that occurs at this state, the yarn is dried and arranged on a loom
beam.
This objective is achieved by applying on the yarn a unifrom and smooth protective film of
suitable sizing material.
The process control program in sizing should, therefore, comprise of the following aspects:
1. Selecting the correct size receipe and size pick -up level
2. Ensuring correct preparatio of size paste
3. Control of
- size pick up
- stretch
-moisture content
-quality of beam
-machine speed
-machine efficiency
-a method to calculate the expected level of productivity
For control on variation of size pick up , the two steps required are:
a. Weight of size on warp= weight of sized warp- weight of same length of unsized warp
Now weight of unsized warp= (No of ends x length of warp in yds)/(count of unsized yarn x
840)= (3000x1050)/(50x840) = 75 lbs
= (7.5x1000)/75 = 10%
c. Count of sized yarn = (No of ends of the warp x length of warp in yds)/(wt of lbs of warp x
840) = (3000x1050)/(82.5x840)= 45.5s cotton
1. Viscosity of size paste in size box: Any variation in the concentration or temperature alters the
viscosity of the paste which in turn affects both the level of size pick up and extent of
penetration. Initially as the viscosity increases, the size pick-up also increases. But as the
viscosity increases beyond a point, the size pick up is reduced.
2. Sqeezing pressure and condition of squeezing nip: The squeesing pressure determines the
extent of penetration of the size paste between the fibres of the yarn and also of the removal of
excess size paste and hence the level of the size pick up.
3. Speed of the sizing machine: Other sizing conditions remaining unchanged, the size pick up
increases with increasing sizing speed and vice versa. This is because the time available to
squeeze the surplus size from the yarn is less at high speeds.
4. Depth of immersion roller in size paste: the depth of immersion roller in the paste determines
the duration for which the yarn remains immersed in the paste. this duration in turn influences
both the level of size pick up and the extent of size penetration.
5. Level of size paste in the size box: Variation in the level of size paste is an important source of
size pick-up variations both within and between beams.
6. Density of ends: When the density of ends is high, difficulties are encountered in obtaining
adequate and uniform size penetration. Therefore size pick up may vary at these fabrics.
Sizing Control points, sizing defects
During sizing, the yarns are under tension, this results in a slight permanent stretch in the yarn. It
leads to a decrease in extensibility or elongation at break of the sized yarn, which leads to more
breakage at the loom shed.
The creel stretch on the existing type of sizing machines has to be controlled manually. The yarn
tension in the creel zone increases gradually with reduction in diameter of the warper's beam. To
counter this, the tightening of the beam is required to be adjusted suitably as the sizing
progresses.
The control of stretch in this zone can be done with the help of 'positive dry nip'.
On multicylinder sizing machines, stretch can be controlled by synchronising the PIV gear
during the cylinders with that driving he finishing squeeze roller in the wet zone.
A moisture control of 8-10% should be maintained in the sized cotton yarns. With excessive
drying, the size film becomes brittle and harsh.
Very high moisture content is also undesirable because it makes the size films soft and the yarn
sticky.
A satisfactory weaver's beam should unwind well on the loom. These are some of the important
package faults:
1. Density of sized beams: A loosly packed weaver's beam does not work well. The density is
mainly influenced by two factors:
a. effectiveness of the friction clutch or the DC drive
b. effectiveness of the bream pressing motion.
Those end breaks during sizing that do not form lappers are called invisible breaks.
Both lappers and invisible breaks result in missing and broken ends in the sized beams.
Crossed Ends- these are formed during weaving whenever the leading end is not available in the
appropriate place on the beam,and, therefore, the weaver has to knot the trailing end to an end
that is far away. This happens because in some cases the leading end of an invisible break
migrates to a distant place.
Sticky ends - These are caused when broken ends from the warper's beam migrate to the yarn of
another warper's beam.
In order to control these faults, it is necessary to control the incidence of lappers and invisible
breaks.
Defective selvedges
There are two types of defective selvedges that cause more difficulty in unwinding during
weaving than the ends of the beam of thebeam. These are:
1. Sunken selvedges
2. Bulging selvedges
Ridges on the beam are formed when the ends that are taken in one dent of the comb do not
spread out. To minimise the falut the eccentric dancing rollers at the headstock should be
adjusted properly.
Cost of Sizing
Cost of Sizing
The cost of sizing ( excluding cost of sizing chemicals) is generally expressed as cost per unit
length. Hence contribution of sizing cost can be calculated as:
cost of sizing chemcials is expressed as cost per unit length of size mixture. The cost per piece of
fabric can be calculated as:
Cost of sizing chemicals per piece length= cost/kg x (warp weight per piece length x size add on
%)
Efficiency of Sizing
1. Creeling, which includes removing the exhausted beams, mounting new beams, denting,
leasing etc.
2. Replacement of weaver's beam on consumption
Efficiency in sizing
Calculations
The suitability of size receipe for the type of yarn should take into account, fabric construction,
and end use as follows:
5. Unlbleached calendered sort of fabrics- More weighting agents, antiseptic softners etc. are
used.
Bleached sorts- ordinary starches
1. Adhesives- Potato starch, starch from cereals ( corn, wheat, rice etc0, carboxy methyl
cellulose (CMC), Polyviny alcohol (PVA), Polyviny Chloride (PVC)
2. Lubricants- Mineral Waxes, vegetable waxes, animal fats, mineral oils, vegetable oils
Ordinary starch=100
Gum= 2
Mutton tallow= 7.5
1. Ingredients
Water= 18.5"
Modified Starch = 50 kg
CMC= 5 kg
PVA= 10 kg
Gum = 1.5 kg
Softner= 1.2 kg
Antistat= 0.8 kg
Mixing: Took 17" water. Added Starch, Gum, CMC and PVA slowly and one by one as the
slurry is stirred. Softner and antistat added in storage kettle.
Cooking
Lab Data
1. Size add on = 18 %
2. Increase in strength % = 5.2
3. Elongation at break % os sized yarn = 6.8%