HEATHERED HELIX YARNS

Abstract

A process is provided for the manufacture of an effect yarn, such as heathered helix yarns, for use in carpets, floorcoverings, and textile articles. The effect yarns contain patterned alternating sections of twisted multiple singles yarns and sections of entangled multiple singles yarns. More particularly, these effect yarns may comprise a plurality of S-direction twist sections, a plurality of Z-direction twist sections, and a plurality of non-twisted entangled sections interspersed between the S-direction twist sections and the Z-direction twist sections.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/021,372 entitled “HEATHERED HELIX YARNS,” filed May 7, 2020, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a process and system for producing and making yarns. More particularly, the present invention is generally related to the production of yarns, which may be used to manufacture a carpet, a floorcovering, and/or a textile, that exhibit one or more aesthetically beneficial coloration effects.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Undrawn, essentially unoriented, and partially oriented yarns (“POY”), melt spun from thermoplastic polymers, may provide yarns that are described in the art as “flat,” i.e., the filament bundles are essentially linear, and have little shape retention ability or resilience towards deformation processes. As such, these yarns have little utility in the fields of carpet or textile manufacture without further processing to improve these properties.

A number of processes have been developed over time in the fiber and carpet industries to provide tufting yarns with increased resilience and bulk by so-called “down-stream processing” of these yarns. For example, such processes, which largely consist of physical treatments to the as-spun singles yarns and/or collections of singles yarns brought together to produce a higher filament count yarn bundle, may include drawing (single-stage or multi-stage), texturing, entangling, crimping, and twisting.

As well as providing yarns with improved physical properties, and carpet backing covering ability, such processes have also been used to provide yarns with a wide range of aesthetic effects. This may be achieved, for example, by carrying out any or all of the above processes utilizing two or more singles yarns in which the singles yarns differ one from another in terms of dyeability, color, tensile properties, shrinkage, polymer types, cross-sectional shape, and/or denier. Processes of this type can provide the carpet designer with yarns which may be tufted into backing materials and form carpets of widely varying design and appearance. Consequently, this could be expected to provide the manufacturer with a commercial advantage in the marketplace.

One example of a physical treatment or process that can provide yarns with a desirable aesthetic appearance is twisting, where singles yarns, especially of different colors or dyeability, are cable twisted about each other in a spiral fashion. In theory, such a process can be used to provide various degrees of twist interval in the final bundled yarn product, and thus be capable of providing the designer with several options for producing a variety of visual effects in the final tufted carpet. However, true cable twisting of carpet denier yarns is difficult, slow, and expensive to achieve. In order to be able to apply such appearance changes economically to yarns, various processes have been developed to provide yarns with the appearance of cable twist using alternative approaches. Such processes are known in the art as “false twist” or “apparent twist,” a non-limiting example of which is air-jet twisting, and such processes are well known to those skilled in the art.

A further example of a physical treatment or process, which can also provide yarns with an aesthetic appearance desirable to carpet designers, is one that can create yarns having an appearance provided by many flecks of various colors randomly distributed throughout the yarn. Generally, such yarns are known in the art as “heather” yarns. Many methods are known in the art for producing heather colored or heather colorable yarns of bulked continuous filaments (“BCF”) by various sequences and combinations of conventional yarn bulking, entangling, or intermingling treatments. Heather yarns can be made from differently dyeable or differently colored BCF singles yarns in various ways to provide a variety of heather appearances, which can range in the final combined yarns from a very bold heather with long random lengths of individual color (obtainable with a limited amount of yarn-to-yarn intermingling between single yarn components) to a very fine heather (with a high degree of intermingling between singles yarn components).

While these, and other, effect yarns are available for the use of carpet designers, there remains an industry need for further effect yarns with even more aesthetic possibilities.

SUMMARY

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure concern a process for producing an effect yarn. Generally, the process involves: (a) providing an unmixed yarn bundle comprising a plurality of continuous filament singles yarns; (b) entangling the continuous filament singles yarns of the unmixed yarn bundle to thereby form an entangled yarn bundle; and (c) twisting the entangled yarn bundle in a twist jet assembly having a first twisting jet and a second twisting jet so as to twist the continuous filament singles yarns of the entangled yarn bundle about each other in alternate S-directions and Z-directions to thereby produce an effect yarn comprising a plurality of S-direction twist sections, a plurality of Z-direction twist sections, and a plurality of non-twisted entangled sections interspersed between the S direction twist sections and the Z direction twist sections. Furthermore, the average length of the non-twisted entangled sections is greater than the average lengths of the S direction twist sections and the Z direction twist sections.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure concern an effect yarn. Generally, the effect yarn comprises a plurality of S-direction twist sections, a plurality of Z-direction twist sections, and a plurality of non-twisted entangled sections interspersed between the S-direction twist sections and the Z-direction twist sections. Furthermore, the average length of the non-twisted entangled sections is greater than the average lengths of the S-direction twist sections and the Z-direction twist sections.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Embodiments of the present invention are described herein with reference to the following drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of the system showing the machine components and the thread path of the yarn being produced;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a set of air-jet entanglers used to individually entangle the singles yarns being processed;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the paths of travel of the yarns in and through the entanglement rolls, the main bundle entangler, and the twist assembly;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section schematic of the main bundle entangler according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic of the cross-sectional view of the twist jet assembly illustrating the positions of the air inlets relative to the yarn bundle passing therethrough;

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary S-twisted section of the heathered helix yarn;

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary entangled, non-twisted heather sections of the heathered helix yarn; and

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary Z-twisted section of the heathered helix yarn.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is generally concerned with a process for the manufacture of an effect yarn for use in carpets, especially loop-pile tufted carpets, floorcoverings, and textile articles. As used herein, an “effect yarn” refers to a yarn that features, along the length thereof, patterned alternating sections of twisted multiple singles yarns and heather sections of multiple non-twisted singles yarns that are entangled. These yarns may also be referred to as “heathered helix” yarns; thus, the terms “effect yarns” and “heathered helix yarns” may be interchangeable herein.

The various characteristics and properties of the final heathered helix yarns and the processes for producing such yarns are described below. It should be noted that, while all of the following characteristics and properties may be listed separately, it is envisioned that each of the following characteristics and/or properties of the following heathered helix yarns, singles yarns, and process steps are not mutually exclusive and may be combined and present in any combination.

Generally, the process for producing the heathered helix yarns may involve multiple steps, including twisting steps that may allow for the production of alternating S-direction and Z-direction twisted sections in the resulting yarn. In one or more embodiments, a plurality of undrawn or partially oriented (“POY”) continuous filament singles yarns, at least one of which is of a different color or different dyebility to the others, may be passed through the following sequence of treatments:

• • a. drawing of each single yarn separately and simultaneously;
  • b. mechanical crimping of the drawn singles yarns;
  • c. entangling of the drawn and crimped singles yarns separately and simultaneously;
  • d. converging of the individually drawn, crimped, and entangled singles yarns, and passing of the created yarn bundle through an air-jet entangler and a pair of twist jets; and
  • e. conveying of the stabilized effect yarn to a take-up station.

In various embodiments, the air-jet entangler may be designed such that the passageway through the body of the entangler, which the yarn bundle travels through, increases in cross-sectional dimension along the direction of travel of the yarn bundle. The two twisting jets may be set up so as to impinge tangentially on the yarn bundle from opposite sides, thus imparting alternate regions of S-twist and Z-twist to the yarn bundle. The aforementioned design of the bundle entangling jet may tend to retard the advancement of the bundle in the twisting jets, thereby imparting a tension to the strand, in addition to entangling the bundle. Although not wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the tensioning of the yarn allows the twist jets to form a more permanent and durable twist, thus eliminating the need for further processing steps to accomplish twist permanence. Typically, in various embodiments, the controlled operation of the twist jets and the entangling allows the formation of a heathered helix yarn comprising alternating sections of S-twist and Z-twist along the length of the yarn, which may be interspersed with non-twisted, entangled heather sections. In such embodiments, the entangled heather sections may have a length that is greater than the lengths of the S-twisted and/or Z-twisted sections. Furthermore, in such embodiments, the S-twisted and Z-twisted sections may be essentially of equal length.

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary system that may be used to produce the inventive yarns described herein. In one or more embodiments, at least 2, 3, or 4 and/or not more than 20, 18, 16, 14, or 12 polymeric continuous filament singles yarns SY, preferably between 4 and 12 polymeric continuous filament singles yarns SY, are delivered from a package or other storage (not shown) to a pair of infeed rolls 10, 12, and then to a draw section 14, of the system. In such embodiments, at least one of the polymeric continuous filament singles yarns SY is of a different color or dyeability to the others. Furthermore, the singles yarns may be undrawn or essentially unoriented, and partially oriented yarn (POY) may also be employed. It should be noted that the polymeric continuous filament singles yarns may be fed into the system at a feed rate in the range from about 400 meters per minute to about 1000 meters per minute.

The singles yarns SY may travel from the infeed rolls to a first heat roll stage 16, comprising of heat rolls 16A and 16B, where the singles yarns are heated in preparation for being drawn. The singles yarns may be fed separately and simultaneously and may be looped or wrapped around heat roll 16A and heat roll 16B several times. For example, singles yarns may be looped between two to eight times, preferably five times. The heated singles yarns leaving the first heat roll stage 16 may be taken up in second heat roll stage 18. The pair of rolls 18A, 18B, making up second heat roll stage 18, rotate at speeds faster than corresponding rolls 16A and 16B of the first heat roll stage 16. As a result, drawing of the yarns takes place. The yarns SY may be drawn at a ratio in the range of about 2:1 to about 5:1, and more specifically in the range of about 3:1 to about 4:1.

The temperatures of the heated rolls will depend largely on the type of polymer from which the singles yarns have been manufactured, and the preferred temperatures will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. Other means of heating the singles yarns may be used, the heating means including, but not limited to, hot pins or plates, non-contact heaters, and/or hot gas such as nitrogen, air, or steam. The suitability of each heating means will again depend largely on the type of polymer employed for the singles yarns.

The drawn singles yarns SY may be taken off the rollers of second heat stage 18 and proceed to a texturing section. As shown in FIG. 1, the texturing may be accomplished using a pair of co-rotating crimper wheels 20, 22, which produce a mechanical crimp by subjecting the singles yarns to frictional forces between the crimper wheels. Although a mechanical crimping device is shown in the illustrated embodiment, the texturing can be achieved by other methods known to those skilled in the art.

After passing through crimping wheels 20, 22, the singles yarns may undergo tension control, for example by passing through a doctor bar 24, and around a series of tension rolls 26, 28, 30. The tension control may be a tension adjustment, which relaxes the singles yarns SY.

The singles yarns SY, upon exiting the tension control section, may be segregated or split out, and each yarn may be passed through an individual entangling device, shown schematically in FIG. 1 as an air-jet entangler 32, of a type known in the art, which tacks or entangles each singles yarn at regular, periodic, intervals. FIG. 2 presents a schematic view showing four singles yarns coming off of the last tension roll 30, and being split out to four separate entanglers 32, and then rejoined at guide pin 31 for further processing.

The drawn, crimped, and individually entangled singles yarns SY may be next transported to a bundle entangling section BE, which may comprise a pair of unheated entanglement control rolls or entanglement rolls 34, 36, and a main bundle entangling box or entangler 38. As shown in FIG. 3, the group of incoming singles yarns SY may wrap to the back side of first entanglement roll 34, and travel down to the back side of second entanglement roll 36. The singles yarns SY may travel up the front sides of the second and first entanglement control rolls, and warp around the roll pair for a pre-determined number of wraps, which generally may include two wraps.

The entanglement control rolls may be stepped to present two or more different diameters or different lengths for the path of yarn travel. In that manner, the feed of these singles yarns SY can be controlled to provide various desired levels of underfeed or overfeed to the main bundle entangler 38.

Upon completing the several wraps around the roll pair 34 and 36, singles yarns SY may be sent to the main bundle entangling jet 38. The main bundle entangling jet 38 may be set to produce controlled repetitive regular entanglement sections of selected length in the yarn bundle passing therethrough. The air-jet entangler 38 may be designed such that a smaller cross-sectional opening is provided at the yarn entrance side, and a larger cross-sectional opening is provided at a yarn exit side as shown in FIG. 4. Using such an entangler configuration may provide entangled sections in the yarn bundle with improved appearance and degree of permanence over products made using other configurations known in the art.

The inner passageway 60 of the main bundle entangling jet may have two sections defining cylindrical openings of different diameters or cross-sections. The entangler 38 may employ the stepped internal configuration shown as solid lines, but may alternatively have a constant taper from the smaller entrance opening to the larger exit opening, as shown in broken lines. Compressed air may be injected into section 64 in a direction substantially normal to a yarn bundle travel direction through injector port 66.

In addition, optional antistatic filaments AS may be introduced to the main bundle entangler 38. The filaments may be fed to the bundle entangler by any known method and are shown in FIG. 1 as being wound off of spool 44. The antistatic filaments may be entangled with the singles yarns, and form part of the final yarn bundle YB.

After exiting the main bundle entangling jet, the yarn bundle YB may then be conveyed to and through the twist jet assembly 100, in which two pairs of air jets are configured in such a way as to each supply controlled intermittent pulses of compressed air to the fiber bundle tangentially thereto, in opposite directions, so as to impart alternate, or otherwise programed, regions of S-twist and Z*twist to the bundle.

One pair of jets may be disposed to have the compressed air impinge the yarn bundle on one side thereof, and the other pair may be positioned to have the compressed air impinge upon the opposing side thereof. This is illustrated in FIG. 5, which shows the yarn bundle YB passing through the central opening 102 in the twist assembly. The first pair of air jets 104 may be positioned to impart twist from a top (as shown) side of the yarn bundle, and the second pair of air jets 106 may be positioned to impart twist from a lower side of the yarn bundle, in a direction opposite that of the first pair of air jets. The sequencing of the intermittent pulses of compressed air to the twist jet assembly 100 may each be controlled by electronic or electrical means using a programmable controller.

In one or more embodiments, the programming of the programmable controller can be modified so as to facilitate the formation of alternating sections of S-twists and Z-twists interspersed with heather entanglement sections. More particularly, the firing of the air jets may be modified so as to facilitate the unique formation of these alternating sections.

The final effect yarn product may then be conveyed back over rolls 34 and 36, generally wrapped once around each, and then taken to a take-up section, shown schematically at 46, where the yarn bundle YB may be directed or diverted by diverting means 48 to one of a plurality of spools 50. The take-up section may be selected from any of the variety of such devices known in the art.

As a result of the above-described process, a final heathered helix yarn may be obtained that comprises: (a) long sections of clearly defined, tightly-spiraled, twist appearance in alternate, or otherwise patterned, S and Z directions, and (b) long sections of entangled heather appearance that are interspersed between the S and Z twisted sections. Consequently, in one or more embodiments, the sections of heather entanglement may alternate with the sections of twist, for example, in a sequence of SeZeSeZeS, wherein “S” refers to sections twisted in the S-direction, “Z” refers to sections twisted in the Z-direction, and “e” refers to sections of entangled heather appearance. Thus, the resulting final effect yarn may exhibit visually distinct S-twisted and Z-twisted sections separated by entangled heather appearance sections that allow the contrast between S and Z sections to be heathered or muted. Thus, this alternating between the S, Z, and e sections, as shown above, allows for the production of a unique visual in a tufted fabric, which is different from a “heathered only” or an “apparent twist” visual in an equivalent construction. Moreover, this sequence construct may simplify fabric construction by allowing a single final effect yarn to do the work of two separate yarns, thereby providing manufacturing efficiencies and simplifying inventory choices for floorcovering consumers.

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary S-twisted section of the final heathered helix yarn, while FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary Z-twisted section of the final heathered helix yarn. In addition, FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary entangled heather section that may be interspersed between the S and Z twisted sections.

In one or more embodiments, the S-twisted and Z-twisted sections may have the same length and/or the entangled heather sections may have the same length or substantially same length. As used herein, “substantially same length” includes lengths that are identical when measured or those that differ by 5 percent or less in measured value. Thus, for example, one section having a length of 100 inches and another section having a length of 96 inches would have the substantially same length in accordance with this definition.

Additionally or alternatively, in one or more embodiments, the average length of the individual entangled sections may be greater than the average lengths of the S-twisted and Z-twisted sections. In various embodiments, the average length of the individual entangled sections may be at least 50, 100, 150, 200, or 250 percent and/or less than 500, 450, 400, 350, or 300 percent greater than the average lengths of the individual S-twisted and Z-twisted sections.

In certain embodiments, the length of the individual S-twisted and Z-twisted sections may be at least 15, 20, 25, 30, or 35 inches and/or less than 75, 70, 65, 60, 55, or 50 inches, while the length of the individual entangled sections may be at least 25, 50, 60, 70, or 75 inches and/or less than 150, 125, 110, 105, 100, or 95 inches.

The stable appearance of the inventive yarn may be achieved without recourse to the use of additional wrapping yarns or filaments or adhesives and without a need to submit the final yarn to an additional heat setting process. In addition, production speeds up to 1,000 meters per minute can be achieved without difficulty.

Any undrawn or essentially unoriented continuous filament polymeric singles yarns may be utilized in the practice of the present invention. Further, as noted previously, the process may be useful for POY continuous filament polymeric singles yarns as well. The singles yarns may include filaments comprised of any suitable fiber-forming thermoplastic polymer including, but not limited to, polyolefins, polyesters, and/or polyamides. The singles yarns used in the present invention may be all of the same polymer, or a combination of two or more different polymer types.

A representative polyolefin that may be used includes poly(propylene).

Representative polyesters that may be used includes poly(ethylene terephthalate); poly(propylene terephthalate); poly(butylene terephthalate); poly(ethylene naphthalate); poly(ethylene furanoate); poly(lactic acid); poly(ethylene succinate); poly(butylene adipate); poly(caprolactone); and copolymers; or mixtures thereof.

Representative polyamides that may be used includes PA6; PA4,6; PA5,6; PA6,6; PA6,10; PA6.12; PA6,T; PA11; PA12; sulfonated polyamides; and copolymers; or mixtures thereof.

In one or more embodiments, the starting single yarns may be composed of polymeric continuous filaments comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of any suitable melt-processable, fiber-forming polymer. In certain embodiments, each of the filaments forming the singles yarns and/or the single yarns themselves may comprise at least 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 99, or 99.5 weight percent of one or more melt-processable, fiber-forming polymers. In more specific embodiments, each of the filaments forming the singles yarns and/or the single yarns themselves may be produced entirely from one or more melt-processable, fiber-forming polymers.

It is to be noted that polymers of any of the aforementioned polymer types suitable for use in the present invention may be derived wholly or partially from petrochemical precursors, renewable precursors, or precursors recovered from chemical or biochemical recycling of pre- or post-consumer waste polymers. In addition, the polymers themselves may be derived from virgin and/or recycled sources.

The starting singles yarns (e.g., the undrawn singles yarns) used to form the effect yarns described herein can comprise single yarns that are melt-spun, undrawn, and in the form of continuous filaments. In one or more embodiments, the singles yarns may comprise continuous filament singles yarns with a denier of at least 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, or 900 and/or less than 2000, 1800, 1600, 1400, 1200, or 1000.

Additionally or alternatively, in one or more embodiments, the starting singles yarns may be comprised of any suitable number of individual filaments. For example, the starting singles yarns may comprise at least 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 filaments and/or less than 50, 40, 30, 25, or 20 filaments. Each of the filaments forming the initial singles yarn may comprise melt-spun, continuous filaments.

As the practice of the invention is aimed at yarns with color effects, it is necessary that at least one of the singles yarns which make up the inventive yarn is of a different color to, or has different dyeing properties to, the other singles yarns used in the construction of the yarn. In certain embodiments, the color difference required may be achieved by using previously colored yarns, either dyed or melt pigmented, at the commencement of the inventive process. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, each of the singles yarns used to manufacture the final yarn may have a different color to all the others, e.g., where five singles yarns are combined into the final yarn, five different colors are used. Due to their known superior color fade resistance and chemical cleaning agent resistance over dyed yarns, melt pigmented yarns may be most preferred.

In one or more embodiments, the filaments forming a singles yarn may comprise filaments exhibiting different colors and/or colorability from each other. For instance, a starting singles yarn may comprise a set number of filaments exhibiting one color (e.g., white) and a set number of filaments exhibiting a different color (e.g., red). Thus, in such embodiments, the starting single yarn may comprise at least 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 filaments and/or not more than 20, 15, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, or 3 filaments exhibiting different colors and/or colorability. For example, the starting yarns may comprise six red filaments, four white filaments, and one blue filament.

In one or more embodiments, the singles yarns may also contain, within their melt-extruded filaments, other melt-added adjuvants including, but not limited to, one or more of antioxidants, UV stabilizers, UV absorbers, metal deactivators, antistatics, antimicrobials, process aids, nucleating agents, nucleation suppressors, stainblockers, and/or anti-soiling agents.

In various embodiments, the heathered helix yarn and/or the singles yarns, including the melt-extruded filaments forming the singles yarns, may comprise a fire-retardant additive. The fire-retardant additive may be added during the melt spinning stage and/or may be added as a coating to the effect yarn and/or singles yarn after melt spinning.

Optionally, the final yarn may have included therein, in addition to the above-described colored singles yarns, filaments or singles yarns comprising of antistatic fibers.

The present invention is generally aimed at the manufacture of effect yarns from undrawn, essentially unoriented, or POY yarns.

In one or more embodiments, the filaments making up the singles yarns may be of any suitable cross-sectional shape including, but not limited to round, oval, delta, trilobal, multilobal, peanut, “T,” “H,” or irregular. In certain embodiments, the cross-sectional shape is trilobal.

In one or more embodiments, the filaments making up the singles yarns may be monocomponent, bicomponent, or multicomponent. In certain embodiments, the filaments are monocomponent.

The heathered helix yarns may comprise a total denier designed for tufted products. For example, in one or more embodiments, the final effect yarns may comprise a total denier of at least 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225, 250, 275, 300, 325, 350, 375, 400, 425, 450, 475, 500, 525, 550, 575, 600, 625, 650, 675, 700, 725, 750, 775, 800, 825, 850, 900, 950, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100, 2200, or 2300. Additionally or alternatively, in one or more embodiments, the heathered helix yarns may comprise a total denier of not more than 5000, 4500, 4000, 3500, 3000, 2900, 2800, 2700, 2600, 2500, 2000, 1750, 1500, 1250, or 1000.

As discussed above, the heathered helix yarns described herein may be used to produce a variety of tufted end products, such as carpets, floorcoverings, and other textiles. For example, the heathered helix yarns can be used to form a carpet that has a basis weight of at least 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, or 500 and/or not more than 1000, 900, 800, 700, or 600 gm/m².

This invention can be further illustrated by the following examples of embodiments thereof, although it will be understood that these examples are included merely for the purposes of illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention unless otherwise specifically indicated.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

A heathered helix effect yarn was produced and used to manufacture a heathered helix carpet that was tufted on a 1/10″ G and that contained 40 stitches per 10 cm and a pile weight of 560 gm/m². The carpet was cut into four sample sizes of 50 cm×50 cm and then subjected to appearance retention testing (hexapod at 12,000 turns) according to ISO 10361:2015 and ISO 9405:2015. The carpet produced from the heathered helix yarn exhibited an average change in appearance of 3.0 in the lengthwise and widthwise directions, as measured according to ISO 10361:2015. Additionally, the carpet produced from the heathered helix yarn exhibited an average change in color of 3 to 4 in both the lengthwise and widthwise directions, as measured according to ISO 9405:2015. Thus, as demonstrated by this data, the heathered helix effect yarns were able to manufacture carpets that may exhibit colorful properties that may be durable and long-lasting.

Example 2

A heathered helix effect yarn formed from polyamide 6,6 and comprising a total denier of 1,200 was used to produce carpet having a pile weight of about 350 gm/m².

As shown in TABLE 1, below, the heathered helix yarn was tufted to various substrates to produce the test carpets. The produced carpet samples were then subjected to Color Core TARR tests (as measured according to ASTM D5252). As shown below, these test results demonstrate that the heathered helix yarns can produce carpets that exhibit desirable durability and color retention.

TABLE 1
	Average	Final		Gray
Substrates	(Core Tarr)	(Core Tarr)	Rating	Scale
High Performance	3.5	3.5	Severe Traffic	3
AFIRMA II	3.5	3.5	Severe Traffic	3
NexStep	4.0	4.0	Extreme Traffic	3
EliteFlex Cushion	4.0	4.0	Extreme Traffic	3
AFFIXX	3.5	3.5	Severe Traffic	3
Prestige PlusRC	4.0	4.0	Extreme Traffic	3
Optimum Barrier II	3.7	3.5	Severe Traffic	3-4
Optimum Barrier II	3.8	4.0	Extreme Traffic	3
w/Cushion

Definitions

It should be understood that the following is not intended to be an exclusive list of defined terms. Other definitions may be provided in the foregoing description, such as, for example, when accompanying the use of a defined term in context.

As used herein, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” mean one or more.

As used herein, the term “and/or,” when used in a list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by itself or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination, B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination.

As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “comprises,” and “comprise” are open-ended transition terms used to transition from a subject recited before the term to one or more elements recited after the term, where the element or elements listed after the transition term are not necessarily the only elements that make up the subject.

As used herein, the terms “having,” “has,” and “have” have the same open-ended meaning as “comprising,” “comprises,” and “comprise” provided above.

As used herein, the terms “including,” “include,” and “included” have the same open-ended meaning as “comprising,” “comprises,” and “comprise” provided above.

Numerical Ranges

The present description uses numerical ranges to quantify certain parameters relating to the invention. It should be understood that when numerical ranges are provided, such ranges are to be construed as providing literal support for claim limitations that only recite the lower value of the range as well as claim limitations that only recite the upper value of the range. For example, a disclosed numerical range of 10 to 100 provides literal support for a claim reciting “greater than 10” (with no upper bounds) and a claim reciting “less than 100” (with no lower bounds).

Claims not Limited to Disclosed Embodiments

The preferred forms of the invention described above are to be used as illustration only, and should not be used in a limiting sense to interpret the scope of the present invention. Modifications to the exemplary embodiments, set forth above, could be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The inventors hereby state their intent to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of the present invention as it pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A process for producing an effect yarn comprising:

(a) providing an unmixed yarn bundle comprising a plurality of continuous filament singles yarns;

(b) entangling said continuous filament singles yarns of said unmixed yarn bundle to thereby form an entangled yarn bundle; and

(c) twisting said entangled yarn bundle in a twist jet assembly having a first twisting jet and a second twisting jet so as to twist said continuous filament singles yarns of said entangled yarn bundle about each other in alternate S-directions and Z-directions to thereby produce an effect yarn comprising a plurality of S-direction twist sections, a plurality of Z direction twist sections, and a plurality of non-twisted entangled sections interspersed between said S direction twist sections and said Z direction twist sections,

wherein the average length of said non-twisted entangled sections is greater than the average lengths of said S-direction twist sections and said Z-direction twist sections.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein said S-direction twist sections and said Z-direction twist sections have a substantially same length.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein said providing of step (a) comprises:

drawing said continuous filament singles yarns to thereby form a plurality of drawn singles yarns;

(ii) crimping each of said drawn singles yarns to thereby form drawn and crimped singles yarns;

(iii) entangling said drawn and crimped singles yarns to thereby form drawn, crimped, and entangled singles yarns; and

(iv) converging said drawn, crimped, and entangled singles yarns to thereby form said unmixed yarn bundle.

4. The process according to claim 3, wherein said entangling of step (iii) occurs in an air-jet entangler.

5. The process according to claim 1, further comprising conveying said effect yarn to a wind-up device.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the average length of said non-twisted entangled sections are at least 50 percent greater than the average lengths of said S-direction twist sections and said Z-direction twist sections.

7. The process according to claim 1, wherein the length of said non-twisted entangled sections are in the range of 25 to 150 inches and the length of said S-direction twist sections and said Z-direction twist sections are in the range of 15 to 75 inches.

8. The process according to claim 1, wherein said effect yarn comprises 4 to 12 polymeric continuous filament singles yarns.

9. The process according to claim 1, wherein each of said polymeric continuous filament singles yarns making up said effect yarn is of a different color.

10. The process according to claim 1, wherein said polymeric continuous filament singles yarns are formed from a polyamide.

11. An effect yarn manufactured by said process of claim 1.

12. An effect yarn comprising a plurality of S-direction twist sections, a plurality of Z-direction twist sections, and a plurality of non-twisted entangled sections interspersed between said S-direction twist sections and said Z-direction twist sections,

wherein the average length of said non-twisted entangled sections is greater than the average lengths of said S-direction twist sections and said Z-direction twist sections.

13. The effect yarn according to claim 12, wherein said S-direction twist sections and said Z-direction twist sections have a substantially same length.

14. The effect yarn according to claim 12, wherein the average length of said non-twisted entangled sections are at least 50 percent greater than the average lengths of said S-direction twist sections and said Z-direction twist sections.

15. The effect yarn according to claim 12, wherein the length of said non-twisted entangled sections are in the range of 25 to 150 inches and the length of said S-direction twist sections and said Z-direction twist sections are in the range of 15 to 75 inches.

16. The effect yarn according to claim 12, wherein said effect yarn comprises 4 to 12 polymeric continuous filament singles yarns.

17. The effect yarn according to claim 16, wherein each of said polymeric continuous filament singles yarns making up said effect yarn is of a different color.

18. The effect yarn according to claim 16, wherein said polymeric continuous filament singles yarns are formed from a polyamide.

19. The effect yarn according to claim 12, further comprising a fire-retardant additive.

20. A flooring product comprising said effect yarn according to claim 12.