WO2025115669A1 - Water-repellent woven fabric and fiber product - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a water-repellent woven fabric and a fiber product which are excellent in terms of not only water repellency, but also the appearance and texture of spun-like properties. The problem is solved by a fabric which is formed by water-repellent finishing and which includes core-sheath type combined filament yarns in which a core part is a non-crimped yarn and the difference in yarn length between the core part and a sheath part is 25% or more.

Description

Water-repellent textiles and fibers

The present invention relates to woven fabrics and textile products that contain core-sheath type blended yarns and have excellent water repellency as well as a spun-like appearance and texture.

　Water-repellent fabrics using blended yarns have been proposed (e.g., Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, conventional fabrics have not yet been satisfactory in terms of combining water repellency with the appearance and texture of a spun-like material.

JP 2019-183307 A International Publication No. 2021/215319

The present invention aims to provide water-repellent fabrics and textile products that contain core-sheath type blended yarns and that are excellent not only in water repellency but also in the appearance and texture of a spun yarn.

The present inventors have conducted extensive research to achieve the above object, and as a result have completed the present invention. Thus, the following invention is provided.
1. A water-repellent woven fabric which is subjected to a water-repellent treatment and which comprises a core-sheath type blended yarn in which the core is made of a non-crimped yarn and the yarn length difference between the core and the sheath is 25% or more.
2. The water-repellent fabric according to the above item 1, wherein the core and sheath are both made of polyester fibers.
3. The water-repellent fabric according to the above 1 or 2, wherein the non-crimped yarn arranged in the core portion is made of cationic dyeable polyester.
4. The water-repellent fabric according to any one of 1 to 3 above, wherein in the core-sheath type blended yarn, the core and the sheath are multifilaments having 10 to 200 filaments.
5. The water-repellent fabric according to any one of 1 to 4 above, wherein the core-sheath type blended yarn is subjected to an interlace process at 30 pieces/m or more.
6. The water-repellent fabric according to any one of 1 to 5 above, wherein in the core-sheath type blended yarn, the number of filaments in the sheath portion is greater than that in the core portion.
7. The water-repellent fabric according to any one of 1 to 6 above, wherein in the sheath-core type blended yarn, the single fiber fineness of the sheath is 0.1 to 1.5 dtex, the single fiber fineness of the sheath is equal to or smaller than the single fiber fineness of the core, and the ratio of the single fiber fineness of the sheath to that of the core is 0.5 to 2.0.
8. The water-repellent fabric according to any one of 1 to 7 above, wherein fine irregularities are formed on the surface of the fabric.
9. The water-repellent fabric according to any one of 1 to 8 above, which is treated to be water-repellent using a non-fluorine-containing water-repellent agent containing a hydrocarbon compound or a silicone compound.
10. The water-repellent fabric according to any one of 1 to 9 above, wherein the warp cover factor of the fabric is within the range of 700 to 1,800 and the weft cover factor is within the range of 700 to 2,000.
Here, the warp cover factor (warp CF) and the weft cover factor (weft CF) are defined by the following formula.
CF = (DWp/1.1) ^1/2 × MWp
Latitude CF=(DWf/1.1) ^1/2 ×MWf
[DWp is the total warp fineness (dtex), MWp is the warp weave density (pieces/2.54 cm), DWf is the total weft fineness (dtex), and MWf is the weft weave density (pieces/2.54 cm).]
11. The water-repellent fabric according to any one of 1 to 10 above, wherein the water-repellent rolling angle of the fabric is 15 degrees or less.
12. The water-repellent fabric according to any one of 1 to 11 above, having a water-repellency of grade 4 or higher as measured by a JIS L 1092-2009 7.2 water-repellency test (spray method).
13. The water-repellent fabric according to any one of 1 to 12 above, which has a water-repellent level of 3 or higher as measured by the water-repellent test (spray method) of JIS L 1092-2009 7.2 after 10 washing cycles as specified in JIS L0217-1995 (using a JAFET standard detergent blend).
14. Any textile product selected from the group consisting of sportswear, outerwear, innerwear, men's clothing, women's clothing, nursing clothing, work clothes, car seat covering materials, and bedding, which is made using the water-repellent fabric according to any one of 1 to 13 above.

The present invention provides water-repellent textiles and fiber products that are not only water-repellent but also have a spun-like appearance and texture.

The following is a detailed description of an embodiment of the present invention. First, the woven fabric of the present invention includes a core-sheath type blended yarn (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a "blended yarn") consisting of a core portion (sometimes referred to as a "core yarn") and a sheath portion (sometimes referred to as a "sheath yarn"). In such a blended yarn, the core portion is composed of a non-crimped yarn (preferably a non-crimped multifilament). If a crimped yarn such as a false twisted crimped yarn is arranged in the core portion, there is a risk that the yarn length difference between the core portion and the sheath portion cannot be increased.

The term "non-crimped" means that no crimp has been imparted by false twist crimping or the like, and means that the crimp percentage is 5% or less (most preferably 0%) as measured by the following method.
(Method of measuring crimp rate)
The test yarn is wound around a measuring machine with a circumference of 1.125 m to prepare a skein with a dry fineness of 3333 dtex. The skein is hung on a hanging nail of a scale plate, and an initial load of 6 g is applied to the lower part of the skein, and the length L0 of the skein when a load of 600 g is further applied is measured. Thereafter, the load is immediately removed from the skein, the skein is removed from the hanging nail of the scale plate, and the skein is immersed in boiling water for 30 minutes to cause crimping. The skein after the boiling water treatment is removed from the boiling water, the moisture contained in the skein is absorbed and removed by filter paper, and air-dried at room temperature for 24 hours. The air-dried skein is hung on a hanging nail of a scale plate, and a load of 600 g is applied to the lower part of the skein, and the length L1a of the skein is measured after 1 minute, and then the load is removed from the skein, and the length L2a of the skein is measured after 1 minute. The crimp percentage (CP) of the test filament yarn is calculated by the following formula.
CP (%) = ((L1a-L2a)/L0) x 100

In the blended yarn, the sheath may be a non-crimped yarn, but it is preferable that it is a crimped yarn such as a false-twisted crimped yarn. With this configuration, fine irregularities are formed on the surface of the fabric, and it has excellent water repellency as well as a spun-like appearance and texture.

The mixed yarn preferably has a total fineness in the range of 20 to 150 dtex (more preferably 30 to 130 dtex). If the total fineness of the mixed yarn is smaller than the above range, snagging may occur more easily. Conversely, if it exceeds the above range, the texture of the woven fabric may become stiff and the basis weight may become too large.

The number of filaments in the core and/or sheath of the mixed yarn is preferably within the range of 10 to 200 (more preferably 20 to 90). In this case, it is preferable that the number of filaments in the sheath is greater than that in the core. The total fineness of the core and/or sheath of the mixed yarn is preferably 10 to 60 dtex (more preferably 15 to 40 dtex).

The function of the sheath in the blended yarn is that when the core yarn shrinks significantly due to heat treatment, the sheath yarn swells into a mini pile shape, forming a fine uneven structure on the surface of the fabric, thereby enhancing the water repellency on the outside and at the same time imparting a cotton-like spun-like texture and appearance to the surface of the fabric. In addition, in order to increase the water repellency effect and achieve a spun-like appearance and texture, it is preferable that the single fiber fineness of the sheath is 3.0 dtex or less (more preferably 0.001 to 1.8 dtex). In particular, it is preferable that the single fiber fineness of the sheath is 0.1 to 1.5 dtex (more preferably 0.1 to 0.4 dtex). In particular, it is preferable that the single fiber fineness of the sheath is equal to or smaller than that of the core, and that the ratio of the single fiber fineness of the sheath to that of the core is 0.5 to 2.0. In addition, in the sheath, examples of the cross-sectional shape of the single fiber include a round cross section, an elliptical cross section, a triangle, a square, a cross, a flat, a flat with a constriction, an H-shape, a W-shape, etc.

On the other hand, the function of the core is to shrink significantly upon heat treatment, give the sheath yarn a mini-pile structure, give it a spun-like appearance and feel, and maintain water repellency.
The single fiber fineness of the non-crimped yarn arranged in the core is preferably 0.5 dtex or more from the viewpoint of shrinkage force, and more preferably in the range of 0.9 to 2.2 dtex. If the single fiber fineness is smaller than the above range, the texture will be soft, but the shrinkage force may be insufficient. On the other hand, if it is larger than the above range, the texture will be hard, and it may be difficult to obtain the desired woven fabric. The cross-sectional shape of the fiber constituting the core is not particularly limited, and may be an irregular cross section as described above or a round cross section.

The type of polymer forming the core yarn and/or sheath yarn is preferably polyester or aliphatic polyamide (nylon 6, nylon 66, etc.). Among them, more preferred examples include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polylactic acid, and polyester copolymerized with a third component. Such polyester may be polyester that has been material recycled or chemically recycled. Furthermore, it may be polyester obtained using a catalyst containing a specific phosphorus compound and a titanium compound, as described in JP-A-2004-270097 and JP-A-2004-211268. The polymer may contain one or more of the following as necessary within the scope of the object of the present invention: a micropore-forming agent, a cationic dye-dyeable agent, a coloring inhibitor, a heat stabilizer, a fluorescent whitening agent, a matting agent, a colorant, a moisture absorbent, and inorganic fine particles. In particular, when the matting agent is contained in an amount of 0.1% by weight or more (more preferably 0.3 to 2.0% by weight) based on the polymer weight, the anti-transparency is improved, which is preferable. Specifically, semi-dull polyester, fully-dull polyester, and cationic dyeable polyester are preferable. When a cationic dye dyeable agent (such as an ester-forming sulfonic acid metal salt compound) is contained in the polyester, antibacterial and deodorizing properties are added by acid treatment as described in WO 2011/048888, which is preferable. In addition, when the core is formed from cationic dyeable polyester and the sheath is formed from cationic undyable polyester, the dyeability of the core and the sheath is made different, which is preferable because a spun appearance due to the difference in dyeing is obtained.

The method for manufacturing the woven fabric of the present invention involves first preparing a non-crimped core yarn and a yarn (preferably multifilament) for the sheath. At that time, in order to increase the yarn length difference between the core and sheath, it is necessary that the boiling water shrinkage rate of the core is greater than that of the sheath. For example, polyester undrawn yarn (UDY) or polyester partially oriented yarn (POY) cold-drawn yarn is preferable as a non-crimped core yarn, as they have a large boiling water shrinkage rate.

Then, the non-crimped core yarn and the sheath yarn are aligned and mixed yarn (preferably air-mixed yarn) is obtained by air-mixing or twisting such as interlacing. At this time, it is preferable that the yarn is interlaced at 30 pieces/m or more (more preferably 60 to 200 pieces/m).

The boiling water shrinkage rate of such a mixed yarn is preferably 40% or more (more preferably 40-60%) from the viewpoint of the snagging resistance of the woven fabric. If the boiling water shrinkage rate is less than 40%, the mixed yarn will not shrink sufficiently during the dyeing process, and as a result, the density of the woven fabric may be low. Therefore, if the woven fabric gets caught on a sharp object, the yarn may be pulled out, and the snagging resistance may decrease. On the other hand, if the boiling water shrinkage rate (BWS) is more than 60%, the mixed yarn will shrink more during the dyeing process, and the density of the woven fabric will increase. As a result, the snagging resistance will improve, but the feel may become too stiff.

The woven fabric of the present invention may be composed of only the blended yarn, or may be composed of the blended yarn and other yarns. In this case, the other yarns may be elastic yarns such as polyurethane fibers, bicomponent fibers in which two components are bonded in a side-by-side or eccentric core-sheath type, polytrimethylene terephthalate fibers, false-twisted crimped yarns, etc., or non-elastic yarns such as non-crimped multifilaments.

Furthermore, in order to obtain an excellent texture, it is preferable that the single fiber fineness of the other yarns is 0.00002 to 3.0 dtex (more preferably 0.1 to 2.0 dtex, and particularly preferably 0.3 to 1.0 tex), the total fineness is 30 to 150 dtex, and the number of filaments is within the range of 50 to 200.

The composite fiber is preferably a composite fiber in which at least one component is polytrimethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, or polyethylene terephthalate. Specific examples of such two components include polytrimethylene terephthalate and polytrimethylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate and polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene terephthalate, and polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate.

Here, polytrimethylene terephthalate refers to a fiber made of polyester whose main repeating unit is trimethylene terephthalate units, and refers to fibers containing trimethylene terephthalate units at 50 mol% or more, preferably 70 mol% or more, more preferably 80 mol% or more, and particularly preferably 90 mol% or more. Therefore, it contains polytrimethylene terephthalate in which the total amount of other acid components and/or glycol components as the third component is contained in the range of 50 mol% or less, preferably 30 mol% or less, more preferably 20 mol% or less, and particularly preferably 10 mol% or less.

Polytrimethylene terephthalate is produced by condensing terephthalic acid or its functional derivative with trimethylene glycol or its functional derivative in the presence of a catalyst under suitable reaction conditions.

The third component to be added may be an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid (such as oxalic acid or adipic acid), an alicyclic dicarboxylic acid (such as cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid), an aromatic dicarboxylic acid (such as isophthalic acid or sodium sulfoisophthalic acid), an aliphatic glycol (such as ethylene glycol, 1,2-trimethylene glycol or tetramethylene glycol), an alicyclic glycol (such as cyclohexane glycol), an aromatic dioxy compound (such as hydroquinone bisphenol A), an aliphatic glycol containing an aromatic compound (such as 1,4-bis(β-hydroxyethoxy)benzene), an aliphatic oxycarboxylic acid (such as p-oxybenzoic acid), etc.

The polyethylene terephthalate may be a copolymer of three components. It may also be one that has been recycled through material recycling or chemical recycling. Furthermore, it may be one that has been obtained using a catalyst that contains a specific phosphorus compound and a titanium compound, as described in JP-A-2004-270097 and JP-A-2004-211268.

The polytrimethylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, etc. may contain one or more of a micropore-forming agent, a cationic dye dyeable agent, a coloring inhibitor, a heat stabilizer, a fluorescent whitening agent, a matting agent, a colorant, a moisture absorbent, and inorganic fine particles.
The above-mentioned composite fiber can be produced, for example, by the method described in JP-A-2009-46800.

There are no particular limitations on the fibers other than the core-sheath type blended yarns that make up the woven fabric, but polyester-based fibers made of polyester are preferred. Examples of such polyesters include polyesters whose main acid component is terephthalic acid and whose main glycol component is at least one glycol selected from the group consisting of alkylene glycols having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, i.e., ethylene glycol, trimethylene glycol, tetramethylene glycol, pentamethylene glycol, and hexamethylene glycol, and ethylene glycol is particularly preferred.

These polyesters may contain a small amount (usually 30 mol % or less) of a copolymerization component, if necessary. In this case, examples of the difunctional carboxylic acid other than terephthalic acid used include aromatic, aliphatic, and alicyclic difunctional carboxylic acids such as isophthalic acid, naphthalene dicarboxylic acid, diphenyl dicarboxylic acid, diphenoxyethane dicarboxylic acid, β-hydroxyethoxybenzoic acid, p-oxybenzoic acid, 5-sodium sulfoisophthalic acid, adipic acid, sebacic acid, and 1,4-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid. Examples of diol compounds other than the above glycols include aliphatic, alicyclic, and aromatic diol compounds such as cyclohexane-1,4-dimethanol, neopentyl glycol, bisphenol A, and bisphenol S, as well as polyoxyalkylene glycols.

The polyester may be synthesized by any method. For example, in the case of polyethylene terephthalate, it may be produced by a first reaction stage in which terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol are directly esterified, or a lower alkyl ester of terephthalic acid such as dimethyl terephthalate is transesterified with ethylene glycol, or terephthalic acid is reacted with ethylene oxide to produce a glycol ester of terephthalic acid and/or a low polymer thereof, and a second reaction stage in which the reaction product of the first reaction stage is heated under reduced pressure to polycondense to a desired degree of polymerization. It may also be a polyester that has been material recycled or chemically recycled. It may also be an aliphatic polyester such as polylactic acid or stereocomplex polylactic acid.

The polyester may contain one or more of the following as required: a matting agent (titanium dioxide), a micropore former (organic sulfonic acid metal salt), a color inhibitor, a heat stabilizer, a flame retardant (antimony trioxide), a fluorescent brightener, a color pigment, an antistatic agent (sulfonic acid metal salt), a moisture absorbent (polyoxyalkylene glycol), an antibacterial agent, and other inorganic particles. In particular, if the polyester contains 0.2% by weight or more (more preferably 0.2 to 2.5% by weight) of a matting agent relative to the weight of the polyester, this is preferable as it adds an ultraviolet ray shielding effect and opacity.

Next, the mixed yarn and, if necessary, other yarns are used to weave the fabric using a loom (for example, a water jet loom, etc.).
In this case, the core-sheath type mixed yarn may be arranged in both the warp and weft, or the core-sheath type mixed yarn may be arranged in only one of the warp and weft. The structure of the woven fabric is not limited, and preferred examples include plain weave, twill weave, satin weave, etc. Also, a double weave structure is acceptable.

Then, the fabric is dyed and water-repellent as required to obtain a woven fabric. The heat history of dyeing and other processes causes the core fibers contained in the mixed yarn to shrink significantly, and the mixed yarn becomes a core-sheath type. At this time, it is important that the yarn length difference between the core and sheath in the mixed yarn is 25% or more (more preferably 40-80%, and particularly preferably 50-70%). To achieve a yarn length difference between the core and sheath in the mixed yarn of 25% or more, for example, a polyester undrawn yarn (UDY) or a polyester partially oriented yarn (POY) that has been cold-drawn may be used as the non-crimped core yarn, while a non-crimped drawn yarn or a false-twisted crimped yarn made by spun and drawn (hot-drawn) polyester in the usual manner may be used as the sheath yarn.

As a method for measuring the thread length difference between the core and the sheath, for example, the following method is preferably exemplified.
(Method 1 for measuring thread length difference)
First, a cylindrical knitted fabric is knitted using the mixed yarn, and after dyeing, the cylindrical knitted fabric is immersed in an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, heated, and dried to reduce the weight of the core yarn. Then, a predetermined load is applied to the length (L1) of a given wale of the mixed yarn removed from the cylindrical knitted fabric before reduction, and the length (L2) of the same wale of the mixed yarn removed from the cylindrical knitted fabric after reduction, and measurements are made with each of the lengths, and the yarn length difference is calculated by the following formula.
Thread length difference (%) = (L2-L1)/L1 x 100
Here, LA is the yarn length (cm) of the non-crimped yarn A for the core, and LB is the yarn length (cm) of the yarn B for the sheath.

When a core-sheath type mixed yarn is taken out of a woven fabric and the yarn length difference between the core and sheath is measured, the following method is preferable.
(Method 2 for measuring thread length difference)
The mixed yarn is removed from the woven fabric, a load of 0.1 cN (0.1 g) × total fineness (dtex) of the mixed yarn is applied, and the yarn is cut to a length of 5 cm. From the cut mixed yarn, non-crimped core yarn A (single fiber) and sheath yarn B (single fiber) are removed, and their lengths are measured under a load of 0.1 cN (0.1 g) × single fiber fineness (dtex). The yarn length difference (%) is calculated by the following formula.
Thread length difference (%) = (LB-LA)/LA x 100
Here, LA is the yarn length (cm) of the non-crimped yarn A for the core, and LB is the yarn length (cm) of the yarn B for the sheath.

Next, the fabric is subjected to a water-repellent treatment (applying a water-repellent agent). Here, the water-repellent agent is preferably a non-fluorine-based water-repellent agent containing a hydrocarbon-based compound or a silicone-based compound. Specifically, the hydrocarbon-based compound may be an aliphatic hydrocarbon, an aliphatic carboxylic acid, an olefin, a polyacrylic acid ester, or a polymethacrylic acid ester. The silicone-based compound may be an amino-modified silicone, an epoxy-modified silicone, or a carboxy-modified silicone. Among commercially available hydrocarbon-based compounds, preferred examples include Neoseed NR-158 and NR-7080 manufactured by Nicca Chemical Co., Ltd., and Unidyne XF5001 and XF5002 manufactured by Daikin Co., Ltd. Preferred examples of silicone-based compounds include Neoseed NR-8000 manufactured by Nicca Chemical Co., Ltd. If necessary, it is preferable to mix an antistatic agent, a melamine resin, and a catalyst to prepare a processing agent with a water repellent concentration of about 3 to 15% by weight, and to use the processing agent to treat the surface of the woven fabric at a pick-up rate of about 50 to 90%. Examples of methods for treating the surface of the woven fabric with the processing agent include the pad method and the spray method. Among these, the pad method is preferable in terms of penetrating the processing agent into the interior of the woven fabric. The pick-up rate is the weight ratio (%) of the processing agent to the weight of the woven fabric (before the processing agent is applied).

The antistatic agent is preferably a polyester resin containing a polyethylene glycol group, a urethane resin containing a polyethylene glycol group, or a reaction product of a polycationic compound containing a polyethylene glycol group with a diglycidyl ether. Antistatic compounds such as anionic surfactants such as higher alcohol sulfate salts, sulfated oils, sulfonates, and phosphate salts, cationic surfactants such as amine salts, quaternary ammonium salts, and imidaline quaternary salts, nonionic surfactants such as polyethylene glycol and polyhydric alcohol ester types, and amphoteric surfactants such as imidaline quaternary salts, alanine types, and betaine types may also be used.

Also, if an anionic compound is fixed before the water-repellent treatment, the adhesion of the cationic water-repellent agent is improved, and the durability is improved. Examples of anionic compounds include sulfone group-containing compounds and phenolic compounds.

The heat treatment is preferably at least one of dry heat treatment and wet heat treatment at a temperature of 50 to 180°C for 0.1 to 30 minutes. Steam treatment may also be used. In such steam treatment, saturated steam or superheated steam at 80 to 160°C is preferably used. In this case, the treatment time is preferably in the range of several seconds to several tens of minutes. After such steam treatment, water washing, hot water washing or reduction cleaning may be performed as necessary.

In addition, if the fabric is subjected to a calendaring process in at least one of the pre- and post-processing steps of the water-repellent processing, the surface of the fabric tends to become lotus-leaf shaped, and excellent water repellency is obtained, which is preferable. In this case, the conditions for the calendaring process are preferably a temperature of 130°C or higher (more preferably 140 to 195°C) and a linear pressure of 200 to 20,000 N/cm (more preferably 200 to 1,000 N/cm).

Furthermore, at least one of the steps before and after the water repellent processing step may involve conventional dyeing, alkali weight reduction, and nap raising. Furthermore, ultraviolet ray blocking agents, antibacterial agents, deodorants, insect repellents, phosphorescent agents, retroreflective agents, negative ion generating agents, etc. may also be added.

In such a woven fabric, it is preferable that the warp cover factor of the woven fabric is within the range of 700 to 1,800 and the weft cover factor is within the range of 700 to 2,000, since even better water repellency can be obtained.
Here, the warp cover factor (warp CF) and the weft cover factor (weft CF) are defined by the following formula.
CF = (DWp/1.1) ^1/2 × MWp
Latitude CF=(DWf/1.1) ^1/2 ×MWf
[DWp is the total warp fineness (dtex), MWp is the warp weave density (pieces/2.54 cm), DWf is the total weft fineness (dtex), and MWf is the weft weave density (pieces/2.54 cm).]

The thus obtained woven fabric is excellent not only in water repellency but also in spun-like appearance and texture. In this case, it is preferable that the water repellent rolling angle of the woven fabric is 15 degrees or less (more preferably 5 to 15 degrees).
The water-repellent rolling angle is the angle at which the water droplet begins to roll when 0.2 cc of water is gently dropped onto a flat sample to be measured that is mounted on a horizontal plate and the plate is gently tilted at a uniform speed.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the water repellency level measured according to JIS L1092-2009 7.2 Water repellency test (spray method) is grade 4 or higher.Furthermore, it is preferable that the water repellency level measured according to JIS L1092-2009 7.2 Water repellency test (spray method) is grade 3 or higher after 10 washing cycles as specified in JIS L0217-1995 (using JAFET standard detergent blend).

The basis weight of the woven fabric is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of softness and considering the intended use, it is preferably 80 to 200 g/ ^m2 (more preferably 30 to 95 g/ ^m2 ). If the basis weight exceeds 200 g/ ^m2 , it may become too heavy for wear (clothing).

The textile product of the present invention is any textile product selected from the group consisting of sportswear, outerwear, innerwear, men's clothing, women's clothing, nursing clothing, workwear, car seat covering materials, and bedding, which uses the above-mentioned woven fabric. Since such textile products use the above-mentioned woven fabric, they are excellent not only in water repellency but also in the appearance and texture of a spun style.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. The physical properties in the examples were measured by the following methods.
(1) Basis weight: Measured according to JIS L1096-2010.
(2) Yarn leg difference After knitting a cylindrical knitted fabric using the mixed yarn, it was dyed, and then 3.75 g of the cylindrical knitted fabric was immersed in 250 ml of 50 g/L aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, heated at 2° C./min, kept at 80° C. for 270 minutes, and then dried to reduce the core yarn. Then, a load of 3.6 g was applied to the length (L1) of 50 wales of the mixed yarn removed from the cylindrical knitted fabric before reduction and the length (L2) of 50 wales of the mixed yarn removed from the cylindrical knitted fabric after reduction, and measurements were taken, and the yarn leg difference was calculated by the following formula.
Thread length difference (%) = (L2-L1)/L1 x 100
(3) Cover Factor The warp cover factor (warp CF) and the weft cover factor (weft CF) were calculated according to the following formula.
CF = (DWp/1.1) ^1/2 × MWp
Latitude CF=(DWf/1.1) ^1/2 ×MWf
[DWp is the total warp fineness (dtex), MWp is the warp weave density (pieces/2.54 cm), DWf is the total weft fineness (dtex), and MWf is the weft weave density (pieces/2.54 cm).]
(4) Feel The feel was evaluated in four stages, from excellent (◎), excellent (◯), average (△), to poor (×), in terms of the cotton-like spun feel.
(5) Appearance The appearance was evaluated in four stages, as follows: particularly excellent (◎), excellent (◯), average (△), and poor (×), in terms of the cotton-like spun texture.
(6) Overall Evaluation The spun-like texture and appearance were evaluated into four levels: particularly excellent (A), excellent (O), fair (Δ), and poor (X).
(7) Water repellency The water repellency (grade) was measured according to JIS L1092-2009 7.2 Water repellency test (spray method).
(8) Water repellency (water repellency rolling angle)
0.2 cc of water was gently dropped onto a flat sample to be measured, which was attached to a horizontal plate, and the plate was gently tilted at a constant speed. The angle at which the water drop started to roll was taken as the water-repellent rolling angle. The smaller the water-repellent rolling angle, the better the water repellency.

[Example 1]
A cationic dyeable polyester was prepared by cold drawing a cationic dyeable POY (partially oriented yarn) having a total fineness of 33 dtex/24 yarns, a breaking strength of 2.0 cN/dtex, and a breaking elongation of 148%, which was made of polyethylene terephthalate copolymerized with 1.5 mol% of sodium 5-sulfoisophthalate, at a draw ratio of 1.6 to obtain a yarn (non-crimped yarn, 22 dtex/24 yarns) and a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) false twist crimped yarn (titanium oxide content 2.4%) (crimped yarn, 22 dtex/72 yarns) having a filament with a circular cross section. The yarn was then aligned, and interlaced with 2% overfeed to obtain a mixed yarn (44 dtex/96 yarns, interlace degree 106 yarns/m) with a yarn length difference of 55%.

Next, the mixed yarn was arranged as a warp yarn and a weft yarn, and a plain weave fabric (a fabric composed only of the mixed yarn) was woven using a water jet loom loom.
The fabric was then subjected to a spread scouring treatment at 95° C. using a scouring machine. The fabric was then dyed with a disperse dye at 130° C. using a jet dyeing machine, and then subjected to the following water-repellent treatment. The water-repellent treatment was carried out using the following processing agent, with the fabric squeezed out at a pickup rate of 80%, dried at 130° C. for 3 minutes, and then heat-treated at 170° C. for 45 seconds.
<Processing agent composition>
Non-fluorinated water repellent 5.0 wt%
(Nicca Chemical Co., Ltd., Neoseed NR-7080, hydrocarbon compound)
Melamine resin 0.3wt%
(Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., Sumitex Resin M-3)
Catalyst 0.3 wt%
(Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., Sumitex Accelerator ACX)
Water 94.4 wt%

The water-repellent fabric thus obtained had a basis weight of 81 g/ ^m2 , a warp density of 183 threads/2.54 cm, a weft density of 155 threads/2.54 cm, a cover factor of 2137, and a water-repellency of grade 4. After ten washings as specified in JIS L0217-1995 (using JAFET standard detergent blend), the water-repellency was grade 3. In addition, a fine uneven structure was formed on the surface of the fabric, and the water-repellent rolling angle was 10 degrees, the texture (◎), and the appearance (◎), making it a water-repellent fabric that not only had water repellency but also had a spun-like appearance and texture. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

[Example 2]
A cationic dyeable polyester was prepared by cold drawing a cationic dyeable POY (partially oriented yarn) made of polyethylene terephthalate copolymerized with 1.5 mol% of 5-sulfoisophthalic acid sodium salt, having a total fineness of 33 dtex/36 yarns, a breaking strength of 2.0 cN/dtex, and a breaking elongation of 148%, at a draw ratio of 1.6 times to obtain a yarn (non-crimped yarn, 22 dtex/24 yarns) and a polyethylene terephthalate false twist crimped yarn (titanium oxide content 2.4%) (crimped yarn, 22 dtex/72 yarns) having a filament with a circular cross section. The yarn was then aligned, and interlaced with 2% overfeed to obtain a mixed yarn (44 dtex/96 yarns, interlace degree 106 yarns/m) with a yarn length difference of 55%.

Next, a polyester non-crimped yarn having a yarn strength of 4.9 cN/dtex and a total fineness of 11 dtex/10 strands was arranged as the warp yarn, and the mixed yarn was arranged as the weft yarn to form a plain weave structure on a water jet loom loom.
The fabric was then subjected to a spread scouring treatment at 95° C. using a scouring machine. The fabric was then dyed with a disperse dye at 130° C. using a jet dyeing machine, and then subjected to the following water-repellent treatment. The water-repellent treatment was carried out using the following processing agent, with the fabric squeezed out at a pickup rate of 80%, dried at 130° C. for 3 minutes, and then heat-treated at 170° C. for 45 seconds.
<Processing agent composition>
Non-fluorinated water repellent 5.0 wt%
(Nicca Chemical Co., Ltd., Neoseed NR-7080, hydrocarbon compound)
Melamine resin 0.3wt%
(Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., Sumitex Resin M-3)
Catalyst 0.3 wt%
(Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., Sumitex Accelerator ACX)
Water 94.4 wt%

The water-repellent fabric thus obtained had a basis weight of 46 g/ ^m2 , a warp density of 296 threads/2.54 cm, a weft density of 138 threads/2.54 cm, a cover factor of 1809, and a water-repellency of grade 4. After ten washings as specified in JIS L0217-1995 (using JAFET standard detergent blend), the water-repellency was grade 3. In addition, a fine uneven structure was formed on the surface of the fabric, the water-repellent rolling angle was 15 degrees, and the texture and appearance were excellent, resulting in a water-repellent fabric that not only had water repellency but also had a spun-like appearance and texture. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

[Example 3]
A cationic dyeable polyester was prepared by cold drawing a cationic dyeable POY (partially oriented yarn) made of polyethylene terephthalate copolymerized with 1.5 mol% of 5-sulfoisophthalic acid sodium salt, having a fineness of 56 dtex/36 yarns, a breaking strength of 2.0 cN/dtex, and a breaking elongation of 148%, at a draw ratio of 1.6 times (non-crimped yarn, 33 dtex/36 yarns), and a polyethylene terephthalate drawn yarn (titanium oxide content 2.4%) (non-crimped yarn, 22 dtex/72 yarns) having a filament with a circular cross section. The yarn was then aligned, and an overfeed of 2% was added to perform interlace processing to obtain a mixed yarn (55 dtex/108 yarns) with a yarn length difference of 58%.

Next, polyester false twisted crimped yarn (fineness 56 dtex/72 strands) obtained by a conventional POY-DTY method was arranged as the warp yarn, and the mixed yarn was arranged as the weft yarn to form a plain weave structure on a water jet loom loom.
The fabric was then subjected to a spread scouring treatment at 95° C. using a scouring machine. The fabric was then dyed with a disperse dye at 130° C. using a jet dyeing machine, and then subjected to the following water-repellent treatment. The water-repellent treatment was carried out using the following processing agent, with the fabric squeezed out at a pickup rate of 80%, dried at 130° C. for 3 minutes, and then heat-treated at 170° C. for 45 seconds.
<Processing agent composition>
Non-fluorinated water repellent 5.0 wt%
(Nicca Chemical Co., Ltd., Neoseed NR-7080, hydrocarbon compound)
Melamine resin 0.3wt%
(Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., Sumitex Resin M-3)
Catalyst 0.3 wt%
(Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., Sumitex Accelerator ACX)
Water 94.4 wt%

The water-repellent fabric thus obtained had a basis weight of 77 g/ ^m2 , a warp density of 168 threads/2.54 cm, a weft density of 132 threads/2.54 cm, a cover factor of 2122, and a water-repellency of grade 5. After ten washings as specified in JIS L0217-1995 (using JAFET standard detergent blend), the water-repellency was grade 4. In addition, a fine uneven structure was formed on the surface of the fabric, and the water-repellent rolling angle was 9 degrees, the feel (good), and the appearance (good), making it a water-repellent fabric that not only had water repellency but also had a spun-like appearance and feel. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

[Comparative Example 1]
Polyethylene terephthalate false twisted crimped yarn (fineness 44 dtex/48 strands) obtained by a conventional POY-DTY method was used as the warp and weft yarns, and a plain weave fabric (fabric composed only of the above-mentioned mixed yarns) was woven using a water jet loom.

The fabric was then subjected to a spread scouring treatment at 95° C. using a scouring machine. The fabric was then dyed with a disperse dye at 130° C. using a jet dyeing machine, and then subjected to the following water-repellent treatment. The water-repellent treatment was carried out using the following processing agent, with the fabric squeezed out at a pickup rate of 80%, dried at 130° C. for 3 minutes, and then heat-treated at 170° C. for 45 seconds.
<Processing agent composition>
Non-fluorinated water repellent 5.0 wt%
(Nicca Chemical Co., Ltd., Neoseed NR-7080, hydrocarbon compound)
Melamine resin 0.3wt%
(Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., Sumitex Resin M-3)
Catalyst 0.3 wt%
(Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., Sumitex Accelerator ACX)
Water 94.4 wt%

The fabric thus obtained had a basis weight of 83 g/ ^m2 , a warp density of 185 threads/2.54 cm, a weft density of 158 threads/2.54 cm, a cover factor of 2169, and a water repellency of grade 4. After ten washes as specified in JIS L0217-1995 (using JAFET standard detergent blend), the water repellency was grade 2. The water repellent rolling angle was 20 degrees, the feel (△), and the appearance (×), and no spun-like appearance and feel or excellent water droplet rolling properties were obtained. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

[Comparative Example 2]
A drawn yarn (non-crimped yarn, 33 dtex/12 yarns) made of polyethylene terephthalate fiber with a boiling water shrinkage of 13% and a drawn yarn (non-crimped yarn, 35 dtex/72 yarns) made of polyethylene terephthalate fiber with a boiling water shrinkage of 8% were aligned, and interlaced with 1.6% overfeed to obtain a mixed yarn (69 dtex/84 yarns) with a yarn length difference of 15%.

Next, the warp and weft yarns were arranged and a plain weave fabric (fabric composed only of the mixed yarn) was woven using a water jet loom.
The fabric was then subjected to a spread scouring treatment at 95° C. using a scouring machine. The fabric was then dyed with a disperse dye at 130° C. using a jet dyeing machine, and then subjected to the following water-repellent treatment. The water-repellent treatment was carried out using the following processing agent, with the fabric squeezed out at a pickup rate of 80%, dried at 130° C. for 3 minutes, and then heat-treated at 170° C. for 45 seconds.
<Processing agent composition>
Non-fluorinated water repellent 5.0 wt%
(Nicca Chemical Co., Ltd., Neoseed NR-7080, hydrocarbon compound)
Melamine resin 0.3wt%
(Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., Sumitex Resin M-3)
Catalyst 0.3 wt%
(Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., Sumitex Accelerator ACX)
Water 94.4 wt%

The fabric thus obtained had a basis weight of 103 g/ ^m2 , a warp density of 145 threads/2.54 cm, a weft density of 132 threads/2.54 cm, a cover factor of 1143 warp, 1040 weft, total of 2183, a water repellency of grade 4, and after 10 washes according to JIS L0217-1995 (using JAFET standard detergent blend), a water repellency of grade 2. The water repellent rolling angle was 21 degrees, the feel (△), and the appearance (△), and the spun appearance and feel and excellent water droplet rolling properties were not obtained. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

The present invention provides water-repellent fabrics and textile products that are not only water-repellent but also have a spun-like appearance and texture, and are of great industrial value.

Claims (14)

A water-repellent fabric that has been treated to be water-repellent, characterized in that the core is a non-crimped yarn and the water-repellent fabric contains a core-sheath type blended yarn in which the difference in thread length between the core and sheath is 25% or more. The water-repellent fabric according to claim 1, wherein the core and sheath are both made of polyester fibers. The water-repellent fabric according to claim 1, wherein the non-crimped yarn arranged in the core is made of cationic dyeable polyester. The water-repellent fabric according to claim 1, wherein the core and sheath of the core-sheath type blended yarn are multifilaments having 10 to 200 filaments. The water-repellent fabric according to claim 1, in which the core-sheath type blended yarn is interlaced at 30 pieces/m or more. The water-repellent fabric according to claim 1, wherein the number of filaments in the sheath portion is greater than that in the core portion of the core-sheath type blended yarn. The water-repellent fabric according to claim 1, wherein in the core-sheath type blended yarn, the single fiber fineness of the sheath portion is 0.1 to 1.5 dtex, the single fiber fineness of the sheath portion is equal to or smaller than the single fiber fineness of the core portion, and the ratio of the single fiber fineness of the sheath portion to that of the core portion is 0.5 to 2.0. The water-repellent fabric according to claim 1, in which minute irregularities are formed on the surface of the fabric. The water-repellent fabric according to claim 1, which is treated with a non-fluorine-containing water-repellent agent containing a hydrocarbon compound or a silicone compound. 2. The water-repellent fabric according to claim 1, wherein the warp cover factor of the fabric is in the range of 700 to 1,800 and the weft cover factor is in the range of 700 to 2,000.
Here, the warp cover factor (warp CF) and the weft cover factor (weft CF) are defined by the following formula.
CF = (DWp/1.1) ^1/2 × MWp
Latitude CF=(DWf/1.1) ^1/2 ×MWf
[DWp is the total warp fineness (dtex), MWp is the warp weave density (pieces/2.54 cm), DWf is the total weft fineness (dtex), and MWf is the weft weave density (pieces/2.54 cm).] The water-repellent fabric according to claim 1, wherein the water-repellent rolling angle of the fabric is 15 degrees or less. The water-repellent fabric according to claim 1, which has a water-repellency level of 4 or higher as measured by the JIS L1092-2009 7.2 Water-repellency test (spray method). The water-repellent fabric according to claim 1, which has a water-repellency level of 3 or higher as measured by JIS L1092-2009 7.2 Water-repellency test (spray method) after 10 washes as specified in JIS L0217-1995 (using JAFET standard detergent blend). A textile product selected from the group consisting of sportswear, outerwear, innerwear, men's clothing, women's clothing, nursing clothing, workwear, car seat covering material, and bedding, which is made using the water-repellent fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 13.