CA1316299C

CA1316299C - Low foaming, high weaving efficiency polyvinyl alcohol size composition

Info

Publication number: CA1316299C
Application number: CA000519670A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Finn L. Marten; Amir Famili
Original assignee: Air Products and Chemicals Inc
Current assignee: Air Products and Chemicals Inc
Priority date: 1985-10-09
Filing date: 1986-10-02
Publication date: 1993-04-20
Anticipated expiration: 2010-04-20
Also published as: EP0218212A3; ES2020176B3; EP0218212B1; DE3677123D1; EP0218212A2

Abstract

` 184-P-US03354 ABSTRACT
An aqueous size composition for cotton-containing textile yarn comprising in an aqueous solution (a) 100 parts polyvinyl alcohol (b) 2-15 parts hydrophobic waxy material (c) 0.2-5 parts ethylene oxide-propylene oxide surfactant which has a surface tension between about 37 and 48 dynes/cm as a 0.1% aqueous solution at 25°C, and a foaming number less than about 20 (ml foam/g solution)°F as a 7% aqueous polyvinyl alcohol solution containing 11.4 parts hydrogenated tallow wax and 2 parts surfactant per 100 parts polyvinyl alcohol.

Description

t 31 6299 LD~ FO~MING, H~GH WEAVING EFFICIENCY
PO~YVINY~ ALCOHOL SI2E COMPOSITION

TECHNICAL FIELD
The 1nvent10n relates to s1zlng textlle yarn wlth aqueous polyv1nyl alcohol compos1tlons.' BACKGPOUND OF THE_INVENTION
S1zlng of text11e flbers w1th polyvlnyl alcohol (PVOH) 1s well known 1n the art. PVOH w1th a degree of hydrolys~s 1n the range of 87 to lOO
mole% has proven effective 1n pract1ce as a s1z1ng agent. However, foam1ng problems dur1ng s1z1ng are observed whenever the degree of hydrolys1s 1s below 99~/, and such problems lncrease with decreas1ng hydrolysls level. The presence of foam leads to uneven s1z1ng w1th the result be1ng a decrease 1n weav1ng eff1c1ency. Foam1ng can be el1m1nated through the use of superhydrolyzed PVOH (degree of hydrolys1s 99-100%) or by the use of defoamers.
The use of superhydrolyzed PVOH Jn stz1ng operat10ns, however, 1mparts other problems such as br1ttleness of the s1z1ng f11m whlch 1n turn leads to excess1ve shedd1ng and reduced weav1ng eff1ctency. The f11m propert1es and adhes10n to the f1bers can be tncreased through the add1tlon of polyacrylates, polyesters, polyglycerols and the 11ke.
The f11m propert1es and the adheslon to the f1bers of part1ally hydrolyzed PVOH (hydrolys1s 85-96 mole%) are super10r to those exhlblted by superhydrolyzed PVOH. Further, the des1z1ng can be accompl1shed at a lower temperature, due to decreased crystall1n1ty of the PYOH, leadlng to an energy savlngs. Foamlng dur1ng the s1z1ng operatton, however, has to a great extent prevented part1ally hydrolyzed PVOH grades from penetratlng the s1z1ng market desp1te the above advantages.
The foam1ng of partlally hydrolyzed PVOH can, tn many operattons, be successfully overcome through the add1t10n of defoamers such as Collo1d 694, 693 or 513, *Drew Y-281, *Nopco NXZ L and *Foammaster VL
defoamers or *Pluronic L61 ethylene oxide-propylene oxide ~ uct.
*Trade mark ~
B~

t3~6~99 However, the presence of a hydrophoblc waxy mater1al, such as hydrogenated tallow wax, whlch 1s used extens~vely ~n the s~z1ng of text11e f1bers, wtll have a pronounced and detr1mental effect on the performance of the above-mentloned defoamers. The presence of the hydroger,ated tallow wax 1s requ~red 1n most stz1ng compos1t10ns 1n order to 1mpart lubr1c1ty dur1ng weav~ng and to lessen st1ck1ng to the dry~ng cans. Thus, the foam1ng problem has, to a great extent, excluded PVOH
products hav~ng a lower degree of hydrolys1s from use ~n s~z~ng compostt~ons desp1te the ment10ned advantages.
- lO -Japanese Patent Publ~cat10n No. 47-45634 dtscloses a method for warp ~ s1z1ng polyam1de synthet1c f1ber wh1ch compr1ses treat1ng synthet1c polyam~de f~ber with a warp-s~z1ng compos1t~on compr~s1ng PYOH, a h~ghly hydroscop~c aniontc surfactant and a non~ontc surfactant wh~ch ~s low-foam1ng polypropylene glycol-ethylene ox1de adduct and/or monoester lS thereof. Example l (test 2~ shows, 1n the absence of the an~on~c component, there 1s des~ztng 1n the weav1ng operat~on.
U S. 4,389,506 d1scloses a process for the preparat~on of a substant1ally dust-free PVOH powder comprts~ng contact~ng the PYOH w1th about 0.5 to 4% polyglycol. Th~s document states that block copolymers 20 conta1n1ng the constttuents of polyethylene glycol wtth propylene ox~de 1n wh1ch the oxyethylene content predom1nates (more than 50%) are, to a lesser extent, su1table as long as the end-use propert1es of the PVOH are not adversely affected. Compos~tton B ~n Example I shows PVOH plus 1%
*Pluronic F98 surfactant.
U.S. 4,428,751 dlscloses a process for the wet process~ng of textlle mater1als wh1ch compr1ses apply1ng to the text11e mater1al an aqueous text11e-treat~ng ltquor conta1n1ng a text~le-treat~ng component ~n an amount suff1clent to prov1de a deslred effect on the text11e mater~al, and further conta1n1ng 1n an amount suff1c1ent to prov1de foam control 30 propert1es, a foam control agent of the formula R ~ H2 ~ - ~ (CH2 ~ C - O ~ Z

*Trade mark ~where y 1s 0 or l; m and n are both lndependently an 1nteger from O to 30 w1th the prov1so that the sum of y + m ~n must be at least 1; a and b are 1ndependently an 1nteger from l to 7; R ls a Cl-C40 allphatic group;
Rl ts a Cl-Cl6 alkyl group, a Cl-C7 alkoxy group or a C3-C8 alkoxyalkyl group; and Z ls hydrogen, halogen, phosphate or phosphlte.
South Afr1can Patent 712671 d1scloses a ~ute s1z~ng compos1t10n wh1ch compr1ses a dllute aqueous solut10n of PVOH wh1ch has been hydrolyzed to at least about 85% and a water soluble glycol selected from the group conslsttng of polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol.
U.S. 3,634,295 dlscloses a s~z1ng compos1t~on for man-made yarns - compr1s1ng a PVOH and a polyacryllc acld.
U.S. 3,804,785 d~scloses aqueous solut10ns of PVOH contaln1ng amylose and/or amyl1tol of low molecular we~ght for slz1ng paper and text11e flbers.
U.S. 4,222,922 d1scloses a warp slze for fllament yarn cons1stlng essent1ally of PVOH, alkylphenoxy (or cresoxy) ethoxyethyl d1methylbenzyl ammon1um chlor1de and a plast1clzer such as glycerol or urea.
U.S. 4,251,403 dtscloses a warp s1ze for fllament yarn cons~st1ng essentlally of PVOH, urea and mono- and dl-saccharldes, such as sucrose.
U.S. 4,309,510 dlscloses a s1z1ng compos1t10n cons~st1ng of a PVOH
and 1-30 wt% of an am1ne oxlde.
U.S. 4,383,063 d1scloses a PVOH based slz~ng solut~on contalnlng a small amount of a quaternary (e.g., d1alkyldlmethyl) ammon1um salt or quaternary lmldazollnlum salt add~tlves.
U.S. 4,399,245 d1scloses a s1z~ng compos1tlon cons~st1ng substant1ally of PVOH and polyglycerol.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present lnvent10n provldes a s1z1ng compos1t10n cons1stlng 30 essent1ally of (a) lOO parts PVOH, (b) 2 to 15 parts hydrophoblc waxy mater1al, and - ~c) 0.2 to 5 parts ethylene ox1de-propylene oxtde surfactant hav1ng a surface tenslon between about 37 and 48 dynes/cm at 25C 1n a 0.1% water solutlon and a foam1ng number less than about 1 3 1 62q~-20 (ml foam F/g solut1On) as 7% aqueous PVOH solut1On conta1n~ng 11.4 parts hydrogenated tallow wax and 2 parts surfactant per lOO
parts PVOH.
The s~z1ng compos1t1On 1s utll1zed as an aqueous solut1On at about 2 to 20 wt%.
The add1t~on of certa1n ethylene ox1de-propylene ox1de surfactants accord1ng to the 1nventton to a s1z1ng compos1tton compr1s1ng a PVOH and a hydrophob1c waxy mater1al advantageously prov~des surpr~s~ngly low foam dur1ng the s1ztng operat1On, low shedd1ng dur1ng the weav1ng operat1On lO and h1gh weav1ng eff1c~ency. These advantages are obta~ned when the - s1z~ng composit1On 1s used for cotton-conta1nlng text11e yarn. No s1gn1f1cant advantages are observed for all polyester or all polyam1de synthettc text11e yarn.
It ~s bel~eved that the presence of the ethylene ox~de-propylene 15 ox1de surfactant prov~des ~mproved encapsulat~on and penetrat~on of the yarns. Thus a s1ze f11m having greater strength and lower shedd~ng due to 1ncreased adhes1On and-un~formtty ~s ach1eved.
Another embod1ment of the 1nvent~on 1s a text11e process for treat1ng cotton-conta1n1ng yarn wh~ch compr~ses pass~ng the yarn through 20 an aqueous s1ze solut1On accord~ng to the 1nvent~on, remov1ng excess stze solut1On from the yarn, dry1ng the s~zed yarn, spl1tt1ng the yarn, w1nd~ng the yarn, weav1ng the yarn and remov~ng the s1ze from the woven product.

2s DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Accord~ng to the ~nvent~on the s1z~ng compos1t1On cons~sts essent~ally of the follow1ng components:
(a) a PVOH wh~ch preferably 1s 85-99+ mole% hydrolyzed and has a vlscoslty rang1ng from about 3 to about 60 mPas (cps) as a 4% aqueous solutton at 20C, (b) 2-15 wt% hydrophob1c waxy mater1al, based on PVOH, and (c) 0.2-5 wt% surfactant, based on PVOH, wh1ch surfactant 1s an ethylene ox1de-propylene ox~de adduct and has a surface tens1On between 37 and 48 dynes/cm measured at 25C 1n a 0.1% aqueous solut1On and a foam~ng number less than about 20 (ml foam F/g solut~on) as 7% aqueous PVOH solut1On conta1n1ng 11.4 parts hydrogenated tallow wax and 2 parts surfactant per lOO parts PVOH.

1 3 ~ 629~

Suttable polyvtnyl alcohols for use ln the slzlng composltlon lnclude fully hydrolyzed PVOH's (98-99+ mole% hydrolyzed) such as produced by methanolysls of polyvtnyl acetate homopolymers and copolymers of vlnyl alcohol and methyl methacrylate at least 99.5 ~ole% hydrolyzed cons1stlng of 94-9~% vtnyl alcohol and 2-6 wt% methyl methacrylate as dtsclosed tn U.S. 3,689,469. Suttable parttally hydrolyzed PVOH's are those that are about 85 to 97 mole% hydrolyzed although materlal wh~ch ts at least about 78 mole/O hydrolyzed may also be used.
The hydrophobtc waxy matertal used ln the stze composttton can be lO any waxy substance typtcally used ln the art to tmpart lubrlctty to the textlle yarn durtng weavtng and tncludes such matertals as hydrogenated tallow wax, fatty actds or salts thereof, polyol waxes and the ltke. The amount of hydrophobtc waxy matertal tn the slze composttton ranges from

2-15 wt%, preferably 5-12 wt%, based on PVOH.
l5The ethylene oxtde-propylene oxtde surfactant ts used preferably tn an amount rang~ng from 0.5 to 5 wt%, and most destrably 1-3 wt%, based on polyvtnyl alcohol. W~th some surfactants the foamlng problem reappears lf the surfactant level ln the slzlng composltlon ts tncreased above about 3 wt%. Illustrat1ve of suttable ethylene oxtde-propylene oxtde Z surfactants are those having the followtng formulas:

HO(C2H4O)y(c3H6o)x(c2H4 )Y

and 2sH(OC2H4)y(Oc3H6)x \ / (C3H6O)X(C2H4O)yH
NCH2CH2N ~ II
H(OC2H4)y(0C3H6)x (C3H60)X(C2H40)yH

30 where x and y are tntegers and are selected such that the oxypropylene groups constltute at least 900 molecular wetght of the compound and the oxyethylene groups constttute 20 to 90 wt% of the compound. Surfactants accord~ng to the ftrst formula are condensates of ethylene oxlde wtth hydrophob~c bases formed by condens~ng propylene ox1de w1th propylene glycol. Such surfactants are sold commerc1ally under the trademark Pluron1c by BASF Wyandotte Corp. Surfactants accord1ng to the second formula are compounds formed by the add1t10n of propylene oxtde to ethylened1amtne followed by the add1tlon of ethylene ox1de and are sold commerc~ally under the trademark Tetron1c by BASF Wyandotte Corp.
In add1t~on, ethylene oxlde-propylene ox1de surfactants accord1ng to the above formulas 1n wh1ch the ethylene ox1de and propylene ox1de un1ts are reversed have also~been found su1table. Such reverse ethylene lO ox1de-propylene ox1de surfactants are also ava~lable from BASF Wya,ndotte - Corp.
Monoesters of the above surfactants w1th Cl-C6 carboxyl~c acids are contemplated as being funct~onal, or operat1ve, equ1valents 1n th1s 1nvent1on.
Wh11e those ethylene ox1de-propylene ox1de surfactants hav1ng a surface tens10n between 37 and 48 dynes/cm and a foam1ng number less than about 20 afford unexpectedly low foam s1z~ng operat10n when used 1n an aqueous PVOH-wax s1ze compos1t10n, 1t 1s preferred to use such surfactants hav1ng a foaming number less than 15 and most preferably 20 below lO because foam control 1s super10r.
The follow1ng techn1que 1s used to determ1ne the foam1ng number, 1.e. the degree of foam1ng of an aqueous s1ze solut10n:
The aqueous s1ze solut10n conta1ns 7% PVOH (based on water) hav1ng a DP of about 1700 and a degree of hydrolys~s of about 87-89 mole-/O~ 11.4%
25 hydrogenated tallow wax (based on PVOH), and 2% ethylene ox1de-propylene ox1de (EO-PO) surfactant (based on PVOH).
The aqueous s1ze solut10n (4009) 1s placed ~n a l 11ter beaker, equ111brated at lOO rpm at the des1red temperature and st1rred at lOOO
rpm for one hour us1ng a 2.25 lnch 45 p1tched turb1ne placed 1n the 3Q center of the beaker 0.75 1nch below the l~qu1d surface. The m1xture 1s then transferred to a l 11ter graduated cyl1nder and the we1ght as well as volume of the foamed s1ze 1s recorded. The foam1ng 1s calculated accord1ng to the follow1ng formulas:

t 3t 62~q Foam Denstty (g/ml) = wetqht PYOH stze solutton (q) foam volume (ml) ml foam/g = (l-Foam Denstty) Foam Density The foaming ts measured at 140F, 150F, 170F and 190F, thus covertng the normal operattng range of a stztng operatton. When ml foam/g ts plotted agatnst temperature, the area below the curve from lO 140 to 190F ts the foamtng number, the measure of the foamtng behavtor of the stze solutton. The smaller the area, the lower the foamtng number, and the lower the foam1ng tendency.
The PVOH-contatntng stze compositton of the present invention wtll be used as an aqueous solutton tn the texttle tndustry. Thus an aqueous l5 stze solut10n will generally have a sol~ds content from about 1 to about 20 wt%, preferably about 5 to 18 wt%, or 2 to 7 wt% tf the yarn is double-dtpped.
Any means and method for phys~cally m1x1ng the components ~n an aqueous medium can be used. Preferably the waxy matertal ts added to the 20 cook1ng kettle contatntng water prtor to or approximately s1multaneously wtth the addtt10n of the PVOH and the ethylene ox1de-propylene oxtde surfactant. The surfactant may be phys1cally m1xed wtth the PVOH or sprayed on the PVOH as a ltqutd or solutton to yteld a soltds product for subsequent d1ssolvtng in water.
Starch ts often blended wtth PVOH tn stz1ng composittons.
Stmilarly, the present s1ze compos1tton can also conta1n common texttle warp stze starch. The stz~ng composttton can also be modtfted wtth other matertals for spectf1c texttle uses as ts customary tn stztng appltcattons.
The defoa~lng act10n of the deftned ethylene oxtde-propylene oxtde surfactants surprtstngly cannot be pred~cted from the dynam1c foam hetght of the pure material. Also, contrary to the teachtng of the ethylene oxtde-propylene oxtde surfactant ltterature, products havtng a h1gh content of propylene oxlde tn most cases show poor defoam1ng 35 character1st1cs ln the above s1ze formulat10n.

t 3t 6299 The temperature of the aqueous size solut10n should be between 55C
(131F) and 93C (200F), preferably between 60C (140F) and 88C
(190F) 1n the s1ztng operat10n. E1ther s1ngle or multtple slze boxes conta1n1ng the aqueous s1ze solut10n may be used as 1s well known 1n the art. After removal of excess s1ze solut10n by passage between squeeze rolls, the s1zed yarn 1s dr1ed by contact w1th mult1ple dry1ng cans heated to a temperature of about lOO to 175C, spl1t by stat~onary lease rods, and wound as a weav1ng beam. The slashing operat10n 1s conducted at speeds of lO to lOO meters/m1n.
Essent1al propert1es of the s1ze compos1t10n 1nclude absence of foaming 1n the slze box, no bu11d-up on dry1ng cans, clean spl1tt1ng at the lease bars w1thout breakage of ends or f~laments, 11ttle or no shedd1ng and easy separat10n of the s1zed yarns when enter~ng 1nto the loom harness.
Weav1ng may be performed w1th convent10nal shuttle looms, a1r-~et looms, rap1er looms or shuttless weav1ng mach1nes. Essent1al character~st1cs are product10n of f1rst class cloth, loom efftc1ency, and absence of loom foul1ng by shedd1ng. Dur1ng ftn1sh1ng the s1ze is removed by scour1ng w1th hot water. The s~ze ts eas11y removed 20 espec1ally 1n the case of part1ally hydrolyzed PVOH by us1ng a moderate water temperature of SS to 75C.
The use of PVOH/ethylene ox1de-propylene ox1de surfactant/wax s1ze compos1t10ns accord1ng to the present 1nventton for cotton-conta1n1ng text11e yarn affords low foam1ng dur1ng the s1z1ng process, surpr1s1ngly Z5 h19h weav1ng eff1c1ency and decreased shedd1ng dur1ng weav1ng. Cotton-contaln1ng text11e yarns 1nclude comb1nat10ns of synthet1c f1bers such as, for example, polyesters and polyam1des, w1th at least 10%, preferably at least 35/. cotton f1bers or all-cotton yarns.
The follow1ng examples are g1ven for the purpose of 111ustrat1ng the 30 present 1nvention. All parts and percentages are by we1ght unless otherw1se spec1f1ed.

t 31 629q g Thts Example presents the foaming numbers whtch were determtned for a number of ethylene oxtde-propylene oxlde surfactants havtng a surface tension rangtng from 33 to 50.4 dynes/cm followtng the prevtously descrtbed procedure.
Run 1 was a control ustng the aqueous PVOH/wax stze composttton wtthout a surfactant. Runs 2-1~ employed, tn addttton, an ethylene oxtde-propylene oxide surfactant. The data ts presented tn Table I.

13162q9 ~ 6 ~ ~ C
_ Cl` E u~ 0 u~ o r~ u~ u ror~ C~ 0 o ID ~ o ~ ~1 ~ 0 O ._ C ~ o ~ ~_ _ E `- ,~, ~,,~ ,~ _ _ _ ~ _ ~ ~
E
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E E~ o o o o o o o ~n co u~ o o o C E~ o 11') 11~
o U O o o o~ U~ C~ Cr~ o ~ C~
`_ v~ E ~ ~ 0 o ~ O ~ ~o r` o o V~ 1--c I G G 0'~ ~1 ~ ~J ~~r ~ ~ er ~ ~r ~ U') It ,_ ~ I
~ o oO ~, O a~ 0 o a~
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G

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~I v~ c ~ o ~ D O C~J O ~ ~ N = O ~ r~ O
Z

c~ ~r u~ o u~ U~ cr~ o o_ u~ ~ -- o ~ r o cl~ o v c I ~ ~ ~ -- ~ 7 cr~ ~ cr~
C
LC ~
Co Ioooooooooooooooooo ~

? Cl~ ~ ~ 0 ~ I~ ~ ~ Cl~ I cn U~ ~
O _ LCJ . ~L .
. ¦ _ N N N N ~5 0q` CO 0 CO C~J ~ -- 0 0 ~ 3 n D
? U I O X
C~ N N CC CCCl: O c~ 0 o L ~ o _ CC ¢I C~
r~ -- C~ Il')--u~ -- O c~ O o ~o ~ u a~ ~3 _ ~ J ~ Jcn I I I I I I I I Cl I h c I ~ CL CL CLtl. ~ C~ 1-- ~ 1-- tL CL I-- I:L CL CL t-- CL ~ L~ ~ ~
_ _ r_ . ~ _ ~ t'l ~ U) ~0 1~ 0Cr` O-- N 0q~L'~ ~10 _ 0 _ ~ ~

^Bi The data 1n Table l demonstrates the 1mportance of surface tens10n and foam~ng number for ach1ev1ng foam control. It can be seen that Runs 5-15 (Except Run 13) 1n wh1ch the surface tens10ns range from about 37.5-46.9 dynes/cm prov1ded surpr1s1ng defoam1ng control. Run 13 1n S whtch the surfactant had a surface tens10n of 46.5 dynes/cm and a foam~ng number greater than 20 demonstrated only sl19ht defoam1ng control.

In Runs 20-23 a techn1que s1m11ar to that used ~n Example l was lO employed ln order to def1ne the foam1ng sens1t1v1ty of a s1ze solut~on w1th respect to total amount of hydrogenated tallow wax present. The aqueous stze compos1t10n employed conta~ned 7% PVOH (degree of polymer1za-tton of about 1700; degree of hydrolysis about 87-89 moleD/O)~ 2% ethylene ox1de-propylene ox1de surfactant used 1n Run 12 of Example l and a lS var1able amount of hydrogenated tallow wax.

T A B L E I I
Tallow Wax Foam1ng Area RUN Wt.% on PVOH(ml Foam/~ram) F
11,4 7.0 21 9.0 5.4 22 6.0 7.1 23 3.0 12.7 The results 1n Table II demonstrate that the ethylene ox1de-propylene ox1de surfactant y1elded excellent defoam1ng ~n the preferred 30 range of wax add1t10n.

A s~ze solutton was prepared by slurry~ng 91 kg PVOH (degree of polymer~zat~on about 1700; degree of hydrolys~s about 87-89 mole%), 24 pounds of hydrogenated tallow wax, and 1.8 kg of ethylene ox~de-propylene ox~de surfactant ~nto 795 kg of water. A solut~on was formed by tn~ect~ng steam ~nto the aqueous m~xture under st~rrtng unt~l the temperature of 93C was reached. The f~nal solut~on sol1ds was 8%. Th~s s~ze compos~t~on was used to s1ze 65/35 polyester/cotton spun yarn w~th a convent~onal commerctal slasher. The yarn speed dur~ng slash~ng was 87 lO yards per m~nute, temperature 77C (170F) and squeeze cool pressure 15 ps~. Weav~ng of the slashed yarns was accompl~shed us~ng a Sulzer a~r ~et loom. The obta~ned weav~ng results are shown tn Table III. Run 24 was a control wh~ch conta~ned no surfactant. Run 25 used an ethylene ox~de-propylene ox~de surfactant w~th a surface tens~on and foam~ng lS number w~th~n the def1ned l~m~ts of the ~nvent~on wh~le Run 26 used a surfactant outs~de the l~m~ts.

t 31 629q > l . r _ ~~ . .
n~ _ ~cr~ CO

v _ v~
vn~ cN r- -Q

a c n ~ n v~
L n L ~ ~n N
c C O
n ~_ ~ .~
_ ~ ~ O N ~r -~I
l_ Q~ ol~ Cr~
r ~ 3 Q~
~I v~
ns C~-C I O O

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n L C S. O ~r . I r~ N
V n~ E I ~
C L~
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v ~ 7 ~ ~
V ~ "
CO a~ Q
N C~ O

C U~ ~o C

It can be seen from Table III that Run 25 wh~ch used a PVOH s~ze compos~t~on conta1n~ng an ethylene ox1de-propylene ox~de surfactant w1th~n the scope of the ~nvent~on afforded a marked increase ~n weavtng efflc~ency 1n contrast to Run 26 1n wh~ch the surfactant had a surface tenslon of 50.4 dynes/cm and a foam1ng number of 32.4, outslde the range accordtng to the lnvent~on.

1 3 1 62q9 The ethylene oxlde-propylene ox~de surfactants whtch have a surface tens~on between about 37 and 48 dynes/cm and a foaming number less than about 20 promote the emuls~f~cation and subsequent ~ncreased ~nteract~on between the tallow wax and the PVOH solut~on s~gn~ftcantly reduc~ng the foam~ng. The surfactant, ~n add~t~on, works as a wett~ng agent promot~ng good penetrat~on and complete encapsulat~on of the yarns, thus produc~ng a s~ze f~lm hav~ng greater strength and lower sheddlng due to increased adhes~on and un~formtty. The s~ze compos~t~on accord~ng to the ~nvent~on takes advantage of the excellent s~ze properttes ~nherent to part~ally lO hydrolyzed polyv~nyl alcohols, thus perm~tt~ng the el~m1nat~on of add1t~ves such as polyacrylates, polyesters, polyglycerols and the l~ke as needed ln the case of fully hydrolyzed polyv~nyl alcohols.

STATEMENT OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION
lS The ~nventlon prov1des an aqueous polyv~nyl alcohol-conta~n~ng s~ze compos~t~on wh1ch ~s low foam~ng and affords a h~gh weav~ng eff~c~ency when used ~n con~unct~on wtth cotton-conta~n~ng textile yarn.

`-

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

l. A sizing composition consisting essentially of (a) 100 parts polyvinyl alcohol, (b) 2-15 parts hydrophobic waxy material, (c) 0.2-5 parts ethylene oxide-propylene oxide surfactant having a surface tension between 37 and 48 dynes/cm measured at 25°C in a 0.1% aqueous solution and a foaming number less than about 20 as a 7X aqueous polyvinyl alcohol solution containing 11.4 parts hydrogenated tallow wax and 2 parts surfactant per 100 parts polyvinyl alcohol.
2. The sizing composition of Claim 1 in which the polyvinyl alcohol is at least 78 mole% hydrolyzed and has a viscosity of about 3-60 cps as a 4% aqueous solution at 20°C.
3. The sizing composition of Claim 2 in which the polyvinyl alcohol is 85-97 mole% hydrolyzed.
4. The sizing composition of Claim 1 in which the surfactant has a foaming number less than 15.
5. The sizing composition of Claim l in which the surfactant has a foaming number less than 10.
6. The sizing composition of Claim 1 in which the surfactant can be represented by one of the following formulas:
HO(C2H4O)y(C3H6O)x(C2H4O)yH I
and II

where x and y are integers and are selected such that the oxypropylene groups constitute at least 900 molecular weight of the surfactant and the oxyethylene groups constitute 20-90 wt% of the surfactant, or the above formulas in which the ethylene oxide and propylene oxide groups are reversed.
7. A sizing composition consisting essentially of (a) 100 parts polyvinyl alcohol which is at least 85 mole%
hydrolyzed and has a viscosity of about 3-60 cps as a 4% aqueous solution at 20°C, (b) 5-12 parts hydrophobic waxy material, (c) 0.5-5 parts ethylene oxide-propylene oxide surfactant having a surface tension ranging from 37-48 dynes/cm measured at 25°C in a 0.1% aqueous solution and a foaming number less than about 15 as a 7% aqueous polyvinyl alcohol solution containing 11.4 parts hydrogenated tallow wax and 2 parts surfactant per 100 parts polyvinyl alcohol.
8. The sizing composition of Claim 7 in which the polyvinyl alcohol is 85-97 mole% hydrolyzed.
9. The sizing composition of Claim 7 in which the surfactant can be represented by one of the following formulas:
HO(C2H4O)y(C3H6O)x(C2H4O)yH I
and II

where x and y are integers and are selected such that the oxypropylene groups constitute at least 900 molecular weight of the surfactant and the oxyethylene groups constitute 20-90 wt% of the surfactant, or the above formulas in which the ethylene oxide and propylene oxide groups are reversed.
10. The sizing composition of Claim 7 in which the hydrophobic waxy material is hydrogenated tallow wax.
11. A sizing composition consisting essentially of (a) 100 parts polyvinyl alcohol which is 87-89 mole%
hydrolyzed and has a viscosity of about 3-60 cps in a 4% aqueous solution at 20°C, (b) 5-12 parts hydrogenated tallow wax, (c) 1-3 parts ethylene oxide-propylene oxide surfactant having a surface tension ranging from 37-48 dynes/cm measured at 25°C in a 0.1% aqueous solution and a foaming number less than about 10 as a 7% aqueous polyvinyl alcohol solution containing 11.4 parts hydrogenated tallow wax and 2 parts surfactant per 100 parts polyvinyl alcohol.
12. An aqueous sizing composition containing from 1 to 20 wt% of the sizing composition of Claim 1.
13. An aqueous sizing composition contenting from 1 to 20 wt% of the sizing composition of Claim 9.
14. An aqueous sizing composition containing from 1 to 20 wt% of the sizing composition of Claim 11.
15. A textile process which comprises passing a cotton-containing textile yarn through an aqueous size composition of Claim 12, removing excess size solution from the yarn, drying the sized yarn, splitting the yarn, winding as a weaving beam, weaving the yarn and removing the size from the woven product by scouring with hot water.
16. A textile process which comprises passing a cotton-containing textile yarn through an aqueous size composition of Claim 13, removing excess size solution from the yarn, drying the sized yarn, splitting the yarn, winding as a weaving beam, weaving the yarn and removing the size from the woven product by scouring with hot water.
17. A textile process which comprises passing a cotton-containing textile yarn through an aqueous size composition of Claim 14, removing excess size solution from the yarn, drying the sized yarn, splitting the yarn, winding as a weaving beam, weaving the yarn and removing the size from the woven product by scouring with hot water.
18. A composite comprising a coating of a size composition of Claim 1 on a cotton-containing textile yarn.
19. A composite comprising a coating of a size composition of Claim 7 on a cotton-containing textile yarn.
20. A composite comprising a coating of a size composition of Claim 11 on a cotton-containing textile yarn.
21. A sizing composition consisting essentially of (a) 100 parts by weight 85-97 mole% hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol, (b) 2-15 parts by weight hydrogenated tallow wax or a fatty acid, (c) 1-3 parts by weight surfactant composition consisting essen-tially of an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide surfactant having a surface tension ranging from 37 to 48 dynes/cm measured at 25°C in a 0.1% aqueous solution and a foaming number less than 20 measured as a 7% aqueous poly-vinyl alcohol solution containing 11.4 parts by weight hydrogenated tal-low wax and two parts by weight surfactant per 100 parts by weight 87-89 mole% hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol having a DP of about 1700.
22. The sizing composition of Claim 21 in which the surfactant has a foaming number less than 15.
23. The sizing composition of Claim 21 in which the surfactant has a foaming number less than 10.
24. The sizing composition of Claim 21 in which the surfactant can be represented by one of the following formulas:

HO(C2H4O)y(C3H6O)x(C2H4O)yH I
and II

where x and y are integers and are selected such that the oxypropylene groups constitute at least 900 molecular weight of the surfactant and the oxy-ethylene groups constitute 20-90 wt% of the surfactant, or the above formulas in which the ethylene oxide and propylene oxide groups are reversed.
25. A sizing composition consisting essentially of (in parts by weight) (a) 100 parts polyvinyl alcohol which is 85-97 mole% hydrolyzed and has a viscosity of about 3 to 60 cps as a 4% aqueous solution at 20°C, (b) 5-12 parts hydrogenated tallow wax, (c) 1-3 parts surfactant composition consisting essentially of an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide surfactant having a surface tension ranging from 37 to 48 dynes/cm measured at 25°C in a 0.1% aqueous solution and a foaming number less than about 15 measured as a 7%
aqueous solution containing 11.4 parts hydrogenated tallow wax and 2 parts surfactant per 100 parts 87-89 mole% hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol having a DP of about 1700.
26. The sizing composition of Claim 25 in which the surfactant can be represented by one of the following formulas:

HO(C2H4O)y(C3H6O)x(C2H4O)yH I
and II

where x and y are integers and are selected such that the oxypropylene groups constitute at least 900 molecular weight of the surfactant and the oxy-ethylene groups constitute 20-90 wt% of the surfactant, or the above formulas in which the ethylene oxide and propylene oxide groups are reversed.
27. A sizing composition consisting essentially of (in parts by weight) (a) 100 parts polyvinyl alcohol which is 85-89 mole% hydrolyzed and has a viscosity of about 3 to 60 cps as a 4% aqueous solution at 20°C, (b) 5-12 parts hydrogenated tallow wax, (c) 1-3 parts surfactant composition consisting essentially of an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide surfactant having a surface tension ranging from 37 to 48 dynes/cm measured at 25°C in a 0.1% aqueous solution and a foaming number less than about 10 measured as a 7%
aqueous solution containing 11.4 parts hydrogenated tallow wax and 2 parts surfactant per 100 parts 87-89 mole% hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol having a DP of about 1700.
28. An aqueous sizing composition containing from 1 to 20 wt% of the sizing composition of Claim 21 remainder being water.
29. An aqueous sizing composition containing from 1 to 20 wt% of the sizing composition of Claim 26, remainder being water.
30. An aqueous sizing composition containing from 1 to 20 wt% of the sizing composition of Claim 27, remainder being water.
31. A textile process which comprises passing a cotton-containing textile yarn through an aqueous size composition of Claim 28, removing excess size solution from the yarn, drying the sized yarn, splitting the yarn, winding as a weaving beam, weaving the yarn and removing the size from the woven product by scouring with hot water.
32. A textile process which comprises passing a cotton-containing textile yarn through an aqueous size composition of Claim 29, removing excess size solution from the yarn, drying the sized yarn, splitting the yarn, winding as a weaving beam, weaving the yarn and removing the size from the woven product by scouring with hot water.
33. A textile process which comprises passing a cotton-containing textile yarn through an aqueous size composition of Claim 30, removing excess size solution from the yarn, drying the sized yarn, splitting the yarn, winding as a weaving beam, weaving the yarn and removing the size from the woven product by scouring with hot water.
34. A composite comprising a coating of a size composition of Claim 21 on a cotton-containing textile yarn.
35. A composite comprising a coating of a size composition of Claim 26 on a cotton-containing textile yarn.
36. A composite comprising a coating of a size composition of Claim 27 on a cotton-containing textile yarn.