Comparative Study of Dyeing Kinetics on Normal Polyester and Microfibre Polyester Fabric

Abstract

Microfibres are well established in the apparel markets. It is used either as a single-fibre fabric or in conjunction with coarser synthetic or natural fibres, providing fabrics of enhanced drapability, luster, softness, smoothness and in many cases novel tactile and visual aesthetics. These fibres due to its extreme fineness has some distinguishing properties like higher dye uptake, lower colour yield etc and hence requires and presents a challenge to the dyer in terms of shade matching with that of normal polyester fibre [1]. The study aims at understanding the step by step process occurring in the dye bath with changes in time and temperature during the total cycle of dyeing by the study of the kinetics involved in the dyeing process, which is determined in terms of its colour yield and dye uptake in gms/kg of the microfibre fabric as compared to the normal polyester fabric [2, 3].

Introduction

The last two decades have witnessed major innovations in the textile industry, and a prime example has been the advent of the polyester Microfibres. Microfibres have set new trends in the textile industry and manmade fibres were upgraded to be superior to natural fibres both in appearance and also in the other physical and comfort properties.

A microfibre technically denotes "a fibre of 1.0 denier or less in linear density". Still finer fibres of less than 0.3 dpf are referred to as super micro fibres. The advent of these fibres in the apparel market has put the dyer and processor at a loss in terms of their understanding of the processing, dyeing and finishing of these Microfibres. These fibres with its extreme fineness has some distinguishing properties like higher dye uptake, lower colour yield, improved absorbency etc and present a challenge to the dyer in terms of shade matching with the normal denier polyester fibre. Our study aims at arriving at an understanding of the kinetics involved in the dyeing process, which is determined in terms of its colour yield and dye uptake in gms/kg of the microfibre fabric as compared to the normal polyester fabric [4-8].

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The author is associated with Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore