Dow Global Technolgoies LLC

The Dow Chemical Company

Toyo Boseki Kabushiki Kaisha

Rona L Reid

Rajen M Patel

Thoi H Ho

Selim Bensason

Antonio Batistini

Pak-Wing Steve Chum

Leonie K Walsh

Kimberly S Houchens

Yasuo Ohta

Akira Hamano

Akira Nishimoto

Seishyu Hayashi

A reversible, heat-set covered fiber is described, the covered fiber comprising: A. A core comprising an elastic fiber comprising a substantially crosslinked, temperature-stable, olefin polymer, and B. A cover comprising an inelastic fiber. The fiber is heat-set by a method comprising: (a) Stretching the covered fiber by applying a stretching force to the covered fiber; (b) Heating the stretched covered fiber of (a) to a temperature in excess of the crystalline melting point of the olefin polymer for a period of time sufficient to at least partially melt the olefin polymer; (c) Cooling the stretched and heated covered fiber of (b) to a temperature below the crystalline melting point of the olefin polymer for a period of time sufficient to solidify the polymer; and (d) Removing the stretching force from the covered fiber.

Reversible, heat-set, elastic fibers, and method of making and article made from same

Durable stretch fabrics are made and processed from one or more crosslinked, heat-resistant olefin elastic fibers, e.g., a substantially linear, homogeneously branched ethylene polymer. The fabrics can be made by any process, e.g., weaving, knitting, etc., and from any combination of crosslinked, heat-resistant olefin elastic and inelastic ('hard') fibers, e.g., cotton and wool. These fabrics exhibit excellent chemical, e.g., chlorine, resistance and durability, e.g., they retain their shape and feel ('hand') over repeated exposure to processing conditions, e.g., stone-washing, dye-stripping, PET-dyeing and the like, and service conditions, e.g., washing, drying, etc.

Stretch fabrics with improved chemical resistance

The elastic fabric comprising a cross-linked polyolefin fiber, wherein the fabric has retractions both in warp-wise and weft-wise directions of the fabric of 8% or less after treated by dry heat at 65&#xb0; C. for 30 minutes is disclosed. Also disclosed is a process for producing an elastic fabric, comprising: retracting a fabric comprising a cross-linked polyolefin fiber while dyeing the fabric, and then stretching or relaxing the fabric at a stretch ratio of 15% or less to finish the fabric with heat-setting. The present invention relates to an elastic fabric having an excellent chemical resistance and an excellent dimensional stability in the form of a product, which is suitably used for sporting fabrics such as swimming suits, leotards and the like, inner fabrics for ladies as well as outer fabrics, for example.

Elastic fabric and process for producing the same

The present invention relates to a method for making a heat-resistant elastic article and a heat-resistant elastic article. The invention especially relates to a method of making elastic fibers and polymeric elastic fibers wherein the elastic fibers are capable of withstanding dyeing and heat-setting processes that typically are conducted at elevated temperatures (such as 110-230&deg; C. and especially at greater than or equal to 130&deg; C. for minutes). The inventive method comprises radiation crosslinking an article (or plurality of articles) under an inert or oxygen limited atmosphere (for example, in N , argon, helium, carbon dioxide, xenon and/or a vacuum) wherein the article (or articles) comprises at least one amine stabilizer and preferably another optional stabilizer additive. More preferably, the radiation crosslinking is performed at a low temperature (&minus;50 to 40&deg; C.). The elastic article (or articles) comprises a homogeneously branched ethylene interpolymer (preferably a substantially linear ethylene interpolymer), a substantially hydrogenated block polymer, or a combination of the two. The heat-resistant elastic articles (especially fibers) are useful in various durable or repeated-use fabric applications such as, but not limited to, clothing, under-garments, and sports apparel. The heat-resistant elastic fibers can be conveniently formed into fabrics using well-known techniques such as, for example, by using co-knitting techniques with cotton, nylon, and/or polyester fibers.

Method of making elastic articles having improved heat-resistance

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Rona L Reid