METHOD FOR TREATING HIGH STRENGTH FABRIC TO BE WATER REPELLENT

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for treating high-strength fabric to be water-repellent, which includes dipping a high-strength fabric in a water-repellent agent composition to impregnate the high-strength fabric with the water-repellent agent composition, and then, using an air-suction machine to pick-up a part of the water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the high-strength fabric before drying and heating the same. The present invention has advantages in that a part of the water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the high-strength fabric may be uniformly picked-up during dipping, so as to improve water-repellent performance, especially, water-repellency after friction as well as initial water-repellency, and may effectively prevent occurrence of wrinkles on the high-strength fabric during water-repellent treatment. The high-strength fabric obtained by water-repellent treatment according to the present invention exhibits increased flexibility without wrinkles, so as to improve wearing comfort. Further, in case of using the fabric as a raw fabric for bulletproof garments, water-repellency is increased to prevent deterioration in bulletproof properties caused by water absorption.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to water-repellent treatment of a high-strength fabric, and more particularly, to a method for treating high-strength fabric to be water-repellent. which can uniformly pick-up a water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the high-strength fabric while preventing the high-strength fabric from being wrinkled.

[0002] The high-strength fabric is a fabric woven by warp and weft, wherein at least one of the warp and weft includes a high-strength yarn such as wholly aromatic polyamide multifilament or carbon fiber, and widely used in manufacturing bulletproof garments or the like.

[0003] Water-repellent treatment of the high-strength fabric is generally executed to improve flexibility and water-repellency of the high-strength fabric and, when the bulletproof garments are manufactured using the high-strength fabric obtained by water-repellent treatment, wearing comfort and bulletproof properties can be remarkably enhanced.

BACKGROUND ART

[0004] A conventional method for water-repellent treatment of a high-strength fabric mostly includes: dipping a woven and refined high-strength fabric in a water-repellent agent composition to impregnate the fabric with the water-repellent agent composition; conducting a padding process which includes squeezes the fabric to pick-up the water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the high-strength fabric using a mangle ; and drying and heating the same in a tenter.

[0005] However, such a conventional method as described above adopts a padding mode of removing (that is, `pick-up`) the water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the high-strength fabric while passing the same, that is, the high-strength fabric impregnated with the water-repellent agent composition between two squeezing rollers, therefore, entails some problems such as wrinkling on the high-strength fabric, restriction in uniformly picking-up the water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the high-strength fabric, or the like.

[0006] Accordingly, the water-repellent fabric obtained by the conventional method has disadvantages such as poor flexibility and water-repellent performance, occurrence of wrinkles, or the like. Therefore, if bulletproof garments are manufactured using the same, water absorption due to reduced water-repellent performance has caused deterioration in bulletproof performance, and lack of flexibility has encountered a problem of reduced wearing comfort.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] In order to solve the conventional problems as described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new water-repellent treatment method of a high-strength fabric, capable of uniformly removing (`pick-up`) a part of water-repellent agent components impregnated in the high-strength fabric while not occurring wrinkles on the same.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, there is provided a method for water-repellent treatment, which includes using an air-suction machine instead of a typical mangle used in the art, in order to uniformly pick-up a part of a water-repellent agent composition impregnated in a high-strength fabric during dipping.

[0009] Further, the present invention adopts a pre-drying process of the high-strength fabric, which is in wet state while passing a refining process, before dipping it in the water-repellent agent composition.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0010] According to the present invention, a part of the water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the high-strength fabric can be uniformly removed (picked-up) during dipping, therefore, water-repellent performance, specifically, both of water-repellency after friction and initial water-repellency may be enhanced, and occurrence of wrinkles on a high-strength raw fabric during water-repellent treatment may be effectively prevented.

[0011] As a result, the high-strength fabric obtained by water-repellent treatment according to the present invention does not have wrinkles but has increased flexibility to improve wearing comfort and, when this is used as a raw fabric for bulletproof garments, water-repellency may be increased to prevent reduction in bulletproof properties cause by water absorption.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail.

[0013] First, a water-repellent treatment method of a high-strength fabric according to the present invention includes: dipping a high-strength fabric in a water-repellent agent composition to impregnate the fabric with the water-repellent agent composition; and using an air-suction machine to pick-up a part of the water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the high-strength fabric before drying and heating the same.

[0014] Herein, it is preferable that 35 to 65% of the water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the high-strength fabric is picked-up by using the air-suction machine, so as to improve flexibility and water-repellent performance of the high-strength fabric.

[0015] If a pick-up rate is less than 35%, further processes of drying and heating should be carried out for extended time to thus deteriorate flexibility. On the other hand, when the pick-up rate exceeds 65%, water-repellent performance and flexibility may be reduced due to lack of the water-repellent agent.

[0016] In this regard, the high-strength fabric in wet state (moisturized) while being subjected to a refining process is preferably pre-dried before dipping the same in the water-repellent agent composition, so as to increase a concentration of the water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the high-strength fabric in a following dipping process.

[0017] As described above, the present invention uses an air-suction machine, instead of the conventional mangle, in order to pick-up the water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the high-strength fabric. Accordingly, occurrence of wrinkles on the high-strength fabric during water-repellent treatment may be effectively prevented, as well as, the water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the high-strength fabric may be more uniformly removed (that is, picked-up).

[0018] More particularly, one embodiment of the water-repellent treatment method of a high-strength fabric according to the present invention may include: (i) refining a woven high-strength fabric; (ii) pre-drying the refined high-strength fabric; (iii) dipping the pre-dried high-strength fabric in a water-repellent agent composition; (iv) using an air-suction machine to uniformly pick-up a part of the water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the high-strength fabric obtained after the dipping process; and (v) drying and heating the resultant high-strength fabric in a tenter, wherein a part of the impregnated water-repellent agent composition was uniformly picked up from the fabric, thereby completing the water-repellent treatment of the high-strength fabric.

[0019] The high-strength fabric is a fabric textured of warp and weft wherein at least one of the warp and weft includes high-strength yarns such as wholly aromatic polyamide multifilament, glass fiber, carbon fiber, or the like.

[0020] The water-repellent agent composition may be a water-soluble solution containing hydroxylated perfluoroalkylethyl acrylate copolymer, however, a constitutional ratio of the water-repellent agent composition is not particularly limited.

[0021] Herein, a content of hydroxylated perfluoroalkylethyl acrylate copolymer in the water-repellent agent composition preferably ranges from 2 to 35 wt. parts to 100 wt. parts of the water-repellent agent composition.

[0022] A particular example of the water-repellent agent composition may be a water-repellent agent composition which includes: 1 to 5 wt. % water-soluble solution of a composition containing 25 to 35 wt. % of hydroxylated perfluoroalkylethyl acrylate copolymer, 10 to 15 wt. % of dipropylene glycol and 50 to 65 wt. % of water; and 0.1 to 1 wt. parts of silicon oil and 0.5 to 10 wt. parts of isopropylalcohol relative to 100 wt. parts of the water-soluble solution.

[0023] Hereinafter, the present invention will be more particularly understood by the following examples and comparative examples.

[0024] However, these examples are proposed for more concretely explaining the present invention, while not limiting the scope of the present invention.

EXAMPLE 1

[0025] First, a 2.5 wt. % water-soluble solution of a composition including 30 wt. % of hydroxylated perfluoroalkylethyl acrylate copolymer, 15 wt. % of dipropyleneglycol and 55 wt. % of water was prepared. After adding 0.3 wt. part of silicon oil and 5 wt. parts of isopropylalcohol to 100 wt. parts of the above water-soluble solution, the mixture was sufficiently agitated to prepare a water-repellent agent composition. Then, a wholly aromatic polyamide fabric refined using a surfactant was dipped in the above water-repellent agent composition, to impregnate the wholly aromatic fabric with the water-repellent agent composition.

[0026] In this regard, the wholly aromatic polyamide fabric used in this example was a fabric woven in a plain form with each of warp and weft densities of 10 threads/cm by using wholly aromatic multifilaments as the warp and weft threads, each of which includes 1,000 wholly aromatic polyamide monofilaments having a fineness of 1.0.

[0027] Following this, using an air-suction machine has picked-up apart of the water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the wholly aromatic polyamide fabric, more particularly, at a pick-up rate of 60%. Then, the treated fabric was dried and heat treated in a tenter at 150° C. for 1 minute.

[0028] Physical properties of the wholly aromatic polyamide fabric obtained by water-repellent treatment were evaluated and results thereof are shown in Table 1.

EXAMPLE 2

[0029] The wholly aromatic polyamide fabric was subjected to water-repellent treatment according to the same process under the same conditions as described in Example 1, except that the refined wholly aromatic polyamide fabric was pre-dried at 180° C. for 30 seconds before dipping.

[0030] Physical properties of the wholly aromatic polyamide fabric obtained by water-repellent treatment were evaluated and results thereof are shown in Table 1.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1

[0031] The wholly aromatic polyamide fabric was subjected to water-repellent treatment according to the same process under the same conditions as described in Example 1, except that a part of the water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the wholly aromatic polyamide fabric was removed (that is, picked-up) at a pick-up rate of 60% using a mangle instead of an air-suction machine.

[0032] Physical properties of the wholly aromatic polyamide fabric obtained by water-repellent treatment were evaluated and results thereof are shown in Table 1.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Results of evaluating physical properties Comparative Items Example 1 Example 2 Example 1 Initial water-repellency 90 100 90 Water-repellency after 90 100 80 rubbing 100 times Stiffness (kgf) 0.50 0.35 0.65 Occurrence of wrinkles within Not Not Occurred 20 m of fabric obtained after occurred occurred water-repellent treatment

[0033] Physical properties stated in the above Table 1 were evaluated to the following procedure.

Occurrence of Wrinkles

[0034] Visual observation by experts was executed to monitor and determine occurrence of wrinkles.

Measurement of Stiffness

[0035] After cutting off each of the fabrics obtained by water-repellent treatment according to the above examples and comparative example into pieces, to prepare a sample having a size of 100 mm×200 mm. Then, the prepared sample was subjected to measurement of stiffness by a circular-bend method according of ASTM D 4032. More particularly, the sample was folded in half and placed on a strut with a size of 102 mm×102 mm×6 mm, which has a punched hole having a diameter of 38.1 mm. Next, when pressing the sample down using a bar, a force of pushing the fabric down through the 38.1 mm hole was measured to determine the stiffness.

Measurement of Initial Water-Repellency

[0036] After cutting off each of the fabrics obtained by water-repellent treatment according to the above examples and comparative example into pieces, to prepare a sample having a size of 250 mm×250 mm. Then, the prepared sample was subjected to measurement of initial water-repellency by a spray method according of ISO 4920:1981.

Measurement of Water-Repellency after Friction

[0037] After cutting off each of the fabrics obtained by water-repellent treatment according to the above examples and comparative example into pieces, to prepare a sample having a size of 250 mm×250 mm. Then, the prepared sample was rubbed 100 times using a shiefer type wear tester SAT-250. After completion of the rubbing, the sample was subjected to measurement of water-repellency after friction by a spray method according of ISO 4920:1981.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0038] The high-strength fabric obtained by water-repellent treatment according to the present invention exhibits excellent wearing comfort and bulletproof properties, thereby being effectively useable as raw materials of bulletproof garments.

Claims

1. A method for treating high strength-fabric to be water-repellent, comprising: dipping the high-strength fabric in a water-repellent agent composition to impregnate the high-strength fabric with the water-repellent agent composition; and using an air-suction machine to pick-up a part of the water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the high-strength fabric, before drying and heating the same.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the high-strength fabric is firstly pre-dried and then dipped in the water-repellent agent composition.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein 35 to 65% of the water-repellent agent composition impregnated in the high-strength fabric is picked-up by using the air-suction machine.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the water-repellent agent composition is a water-soluble solution containing hydroxylated perfluoroalkylethyl acrylate copolymer.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein a content of hydroxylated perfluoroalkylethyl acrylate copolymer in the water-repellent agent composition ranges from 2 to 35 wt. parts to 100 wt. parts of the water-repellent agent composition.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the high-strength fabric is a fabric woven by warp and weft wherein at least one of the warp and weft includes one high-strength yarn selected from a group consisting of wholly aromatic polyamide multifilament, glass fiber and carbon fiber.

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