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Home > Textiles and Design > Area of Study: Properties and Performance of Textiles > Bicomponent yarns: an innovation and emerging textile technology

Properties and Performance of Textiles

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Bicomponent yarns: an innovation and emerging textile technology

In the area of study, Properties and Performance of Textiles, you will develop knowledge and understanding of innovations and emerging textile technologies and their applications. In particular you will investigate innovations in textile fibre, yarn and fabrics to enhance performance. This tutorial focuses on the innovation of bicomponent yarns, their properties and evaluates performance for end use applications.

Bicomponent yarns: fusing innovation and function

Textile development today is witnessing a growing demand for specific performance to meet the needs of end uses in wide applications ranging from apparel to industrial uses. This high-tech performance starts with fibre and yarn innovation.

With increasingly diversified consumer and industry preferences for fibre, yarn and fabric properties and changing values reflecting the social environment in which we live there has been increasing demands for the development of innovative yarns with particular qualities of stretch, softness, and good recovery. Today's new yarns offer a vast variety of design options for creating innovative high performance textile products.

Activity 1

1. Check your definition of innovation.
   Define and give examples of textile innovation.
   
   
2. Click here to check your understanding about conventional methods of spinning filament yarns and to learn about the spinning process for filaments and the reason for the growing importance of bicomponent yarns.

Answers

Bicomponent yarns: The intelligent synthetic yarn

Bicomponent yarns are described as paired or twinned, this is because they are made from two generically similar polymers. Examples are two types of nylon or two types of acrylic or PET (polyester) and PEN polyester.

The first commercial bicomponent yarn was produced in the mid 1960s by Dupont. This was a side-by-side hosiery yarn called Cantrese and was made from two nylon polymers which, on retraction, formed a highly coiled elastic fibre.

Producing bicomponent yarns represents one of the newer techniques for producing synthetic filaments. Some authorities refer to these new textiles as the 'third generation'. Fabric structures made from polymer to fabric processes currently comprise about 40% of fabric manufactured and these fabrics are driving this growth area of the textile market.

Bicomponent yarns may be of two types:

• side-by-side bicomponent: the process requires that the similar polymers be fed to the spinneret orifice together so that they exit from the spinneret opening side-by-side.
• core and sheath bicomponent: the process requires that one component be completely surrounded by the other. The percentages of core and sheath can be modified, for example, 90% core and 10% sheath according to the end use. Variation in the shape of the orifice that contains the inner core can produce filaments with different behavioural characteristics.

side-by-side bicomponent	core and sheath bicomponent

Activity 2

1. Read the descriptions of bicomponent fibres and yarns on the following sites, then in your own words define bicomponent fibres and yarns.
   
   Textiles intelligence glossary
   
   Centexbel
   
   Because bicomponent yarns are manufactured with two generically similar polymers that can behave differently, a variety of yarn properties can be achieved.
   
   
2. View the many fibre cross-section structures for bicomponent yarns .
   1. Record and label images of each cross-section type.
   2. List examples of end use applications of bicomponent yarns.

Answers

Crimp and stretch

Most bicomponent yarns are made to provide stretch or crimp to the fabric. To create crimp, one polymer is made to shrink in heat or chemical treatment more than the other polymer, which pulls the filament into a permanent crimp. If sufficient crimp is provided, the bicomponent yarn will have increased stretch which is desirable for example in the end use of hosiery.

Source: http://www.kbseiren.com/english/pro-sid.html

Another desirable end use for bicomponent yarns is in nonwoven fabric construction where yarn components with different melting points can be used to bond fibres together permanently. When heat is applied, one filament softens, serving as a glue to hold the other filament in place.

Polymers for monofilament manufacture	Bicomponent filament cross section for meltbonding filaments	Thermobonding of filament yarns

Source: http://www.wemel.com.ar/english/empresas/ems_griltech/mercados_aplicaciones1.htm

Bicomponent yarns constructed with a less absorbent core could be sheathed in a more absorbent fibre in order to increase comfort or increase dyeability

End uses for bicomponent yarns

Activity 3

Using the following links complete the table below:

1. Sideria: nylon/polyurethane yarn <http://www.kbseiren.com/english/pro-sid.html >
2. Polartec® Power Dry® fabrics <http://www.climateoutdoor.com/technology/ >
3. Anti-static bicomponent <http://www.staticsmart.com/esd-static-control-articles/esd_flooring_glossary.php >
4. T-400 bicomponent yarn <http://www.allbusiness.com/asia/1161790-1.html >
5. Crimped bicomponent yarns <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5987/is_2004_Dec/ai_n32031765/ >

Name and description	Composition and Yarn properties	End use	Evaluate the end use for the consumer and society (Identify words in the text that can be used to evaluate bicomponent yarns for the consumer.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Answers