Comparative Study of Dyeing Kineticson Normal Polyester and Microfibre Polyester Fabric

Abstract

Microfibres are well established in the apparel markets. Itis used either as a single-fibre fabric or in conjunction with coarsersynthetic 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 propertieslike higher dye uptake, lower colour yield etc and hence requires and presentsa challenge to the dyer in terms of shade matching with that of normalpolyester fibre [1]. The study aims at understanding the step by step processoccurring in the dye bath with changes in time and temperature during the totalcycle 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 ofthe microfibre fabric as compared to the normal polyester fabric [2, 3].

Introduction

The last two decades have witnessed major innovations in thetextile 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 wereupgraded to be superior to natural fibres both in appearance and also in theother physical and comfort properties.

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

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Theauthor is associated with Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore