Long Road of Trial Facing Our Newer Synthetic Fibers
1
THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK Participants in a symposium at the recent AATT meeting gather to discuss the day's events. They are H. R. Schwarz, Wellington Sears Co. (left), O. J. Haufe, Turner Halsey Co., G. H. Hotte, A. M. "Tenney Associates, Inc., Ε. Ν. Ditton, Gotham Hosiery Co., Inc., and W. E. Scholer, American Viscose, AATT president C&EN REPORTS: American Association of Textile Technologists Long Road of Trial Facing Our Newer Synthetic Fibers Their costs also may prove handicap to develop- ment in future, meeting fold NEW YORK.—Recent technology associ- ated with the application of synthetic fibers was taken up by a number of speakers at a meeting of the American Association of Textile Technologists here Feb. 3. The meeting was featured by a symposium, "New Textile Horizons," and by exhibits of new fibers and laboratory equipment. While the consuming public appears to have been sold on the "miracle fibers," a long, slow process is ahead before we get miracle fabrics, said Marvin R. Cross, president, Greenwood Mills, Inc. Regard- less of all the laboratory work done, he said, the final results will be arrived at through trial and error and through actual usage. For this there is no substitute. Mr. Cross supplied figures to show how firmly rayon and the older animal fibers are established as textiles, and how unfav- orably the newer man-made fibers com- pare with these on a price basis. Woven goods output last year was about 12 bil- lion yards. Of this, cotton goods totaled 9.5 billion; rayon and acetate fabrics, 1.75 billion; wool and worsted fabrics, 350 million; man-made synthetics, 380 million; and silk, 33 million yards. As to costs, cotton entering wearable fabrics averaged about 38 cents a pound. Rayon and acetate run from about 37 to 39 cents; wool about $1.75 on a scoured basis; nylon, Orion, Dacron, and Acrilan average about $1.80; and uyiiel and Vi- cara $1.15 per*pound. The foregoing are all on the basis of staple. Other man- made synthetics range from $1.90, roughly, to over $7.00 per pound. Silk at present is about $5.40 per pound. Mr. Cross emphasized that 94% of all possible production of the above is in either cotton, rayon, and acetate, all at considerably lower prices than the others. "Based on these prices, the bulk of all of the woven goods is in price ranges to produce garments in price ranges to which the consumer is accustomed. My guess is that they are not going to change these ideas quickly. It is going to be a slow process and will only continue where the added price brings added qualities." The speaker conceded that production of the newer synthetics will be coming through rather fast, from now on. It may come faster, however, than their ability to develop satisfactory fabrics so as to assimilate it. A cotton mill, he pointed, cannot be made into a synthetic mill over- night. Most of the cotton-using equip- ment is entirely different. The newer fibers also will require good air conditioning which is expensive. Walter E. Scholer, manager of the fabric, development department, Ameri- can Viscose, said that the newer fibers, the acrylics, polyamides, polyesters, and protein, had all been instrumental in the development of the newest type of tropi- cal suiting. Tliis is only the starting point, and ae knowledge of fiber properties in- creases, newer functiormal fabrics will be developed. But the new products, especially the synthetics must have certain, definite ad- vantages over the established products. These may b e cost, durability, unusual ap- plications, or any number of other factors. "Merely to possess o»ne or all of these advantages 3 " M, SchoHer stated, "'is not enough if the fact is no*t widely proved or made knowm. I might a^dd here that clever advertising does not prove anything." In most cases, lie contended, the suc- cess of a fabric has been in proportion to the effort expended in its promotion and merchandising, not in its construction. "We, as technologists^ must concern our- selves with construction and fiber proper- ties. The chexnist lias naade s o much more rapid progress in developing new fibers than the fabric technologist has in using them that a wide gap i s developing." Herbert R. Schwarz, director of research and fabric development, Wellington Sears Co., discussed in the course of his address the results of research £n the îiigh pressure laminating field, Specialized tests were made for arc resistance^ chemical stability, and M Bos i-orw^jr^aTT/ creep time, and resistance "to hxngus growth. Many types of fabrics were evaluated as reinforcement materials, and of the fibers tested the ones found t o be trie most prom- ising were nj^ion and g^p1yvir>ylidi-ne chlo- ride. Nylon fabric pnrved to be the most successful from a manufacturing stand- point. A definite relationship has been found between moisture adsor^tiQii and insola- tion resistance in the casé of electrical laminates, Mr. Sehv/anz said. One of the outstanding diaracterisrdcs of a nylon fabric base laminate is its exceptionally good moisture resistance, especially when com- bined with a. phenolic type resin. Excel- lent adhesion between fabric plies is also obtained by the ixse of spun nylon fabrics. The tensiLe strength o i nylon fabric base laminates is not as high as that of lami- nates reinforced with cotton fabrics. The importance of emd use in technolo- gical researcti was given emphasis by Erb N. Ditton, research director for Gotham Hosiery, in opening the discussions on "new textile liorizons tlirougL·. technology.'* Too many meetings of textile technologists and too nrucbt emphasis in both the popular and technical press harve been devoted to the "battle o f the fibers/' or to the impor- tance of the finish, and too little to the design of t h e fabric. Overlooked, the speaker said, is the most important aspect of the problem which is the integration of all three fac- tors. The relative iranportance of fiber, fabric, or finish can only b e determined by a truly technological approach, and then only wlien the "««nd use" is known. 666 CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING NEWS
Transcript of Long Road of Trial Facing Our Newer Synthetic Fibers
THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK
Participants in a symposium at the recent AATT meeting gather to discuss the day's events. They are H. R. Schwarz, Wellington Sears Co. ( l e f t ) , O. J. Haufe, Turner Halsey Co., G. H. Hotte, A. M. "Tenney Associates, Inc., Ε. Ν . Ditton, Gotham Hosiery Co., Inc., and W. E . Scholer, American Viscose, AATT president
C & E N REPORTS: American Association of Texti le Technologists
Long Road of Trial Facing Our Newer Synthetic Fibers
Their costs also may prove handicap to development in future, meeting fold
N E W YORK.—Recent technology associated with the application of synthetic fibers was taken up by a number of speakers at a meeting of the American Association of Textile Technologists here Feb. 3. The meeting was featured by a symposium, "New Textile Horizons," and by exhibits of new fibers and laboratory equipment.
While the consuming public appears to have been sold on the "miracle fibers," a long, slow process is ahead before we get miracle fabrics, said Marvin R. Cross, president, Greenwood Mills, Inc. Regardless of all the laboratory work done, he said, the final results will be arrived at through trial and error and through actual usage. For this there is no substitute.
Mr. Cross supplied figures to show how firmly rayon and the older animal fibers are established as textiles, and how unfavorably the newer man-made fibers compare with these on a price basis. Woven goods output last year was about 12 billion yards. Of this, cotton goods totaled 9.5 billion; rayon and acetate fabrics, 1.75 billion; wool and worsted fabrics, 350 million; man-made synthetics, 380 million; and silk, 33 million yards.
As to costs, cotton entering wearable fabrics averaged about 38 cents a pound. Rayon and acetate run from about 37 to 39 cents; wool about $1.75 on a scoured
basis; nylon, Orion, Dacron, and Acrilan average about $1.80; and uyiiel and Vi-cara $1.15 per*pound. The foregoing are all on the basis of staple. Other man-made synthetics range from $1.90, roughly, to over $7.00 per pound. Silk at present is about $5.40 per pound.
Mr. Cross emphasized that 9 4 % of all possible production of the above is in either cotton, rayon, and acetate, all at considerably lower prices than the others.
"Based on these prices, the bulk of all of the woven goods is in price ranges to produce garments in price ranges to which the consumer is accustomed. My guess is that they are not going to change these ideas quickly. It is going to be a slow process and will only continue where the added price brings added qualities."
The speaker conceded that production of the newer synthetics will b e coming through rather fast, from now on. It may come faster, however, than their ability to develop satisfactory fabrics so as to assimilate it. A cotton mill, he pointed, cannot be made into a synthetic mill overnight. Most of the cotton-using equipment is entirely different. The newer fibers also will require good air conditioning which is expensive.
Walter E. Scholer, manager of the fabric, development department, American Viscose, said that the newer fibers,
the acrylics, polyamides, polyesters, and protein, had all been instrumental in the development o f the newest type of tropical suiting. Tliis is only the starting point, and ae knowledge of fiber properties increases, newer functiormal fabrics will be developed.
But the new products, especially the synthetics m u s t have certain, definite advantages o v e r the established products. These may b e cost, durability, unusual applications, or any number of other factors.
"Merely to possess o»ne or all of these advantages3" M, SchoHer stated, "'is not enough if the fact is no*t widely proved or made knowm. I might a^dd here that clever advertising does not prove anything."
In most cases, l i e contended, the success of a fabric has been in proportion to the effort expended in its promotion and merchandising, not in i t s construction.
"We, as technologists^ must concern ourselves with construction and fiber properties. The chexnist lias naade s o much more rapid progress in developing new fibers than the fabric technologist has in using them that a wide gap i s developing."
Herbert R. Schwarz, director of research and fabric development, Wellington Sears Co., discussed in t h e course o f his address the results of research £n the îiigh pressure laminating field, Specialized tests were made for arc resistance^ chemical stability,
and M Bos i-orw^jr^aTT/ creep time, and resistance "to hxngus growth. Many types of fabrics were evaluated as reinforcement materials, and of the fibers tested the o n e s found t o be trie most promising were nj ion and g^p1yvir>ylidi-ne chloride. Nylon fabric pnrved t o be the most successful from a manufacturing standpoint.
A definite relationship has been found between moisture adsor^tiQii and insolation resistance in the casé of electrical laminates, Mr. Sehv/anz said. One of the outstanding diaracterisrdcs of a nylon fabric base laminate is its exceptionally good moisture resistance, especially when combined with a. phenolic type resin. Excellent adhesion between fabric plies is also obtained by the ixse of spun nylon fabrics. The tensiLe strength o i nylon fabric base laminates is not a s h igh as that of laminates reinforced with cotton fabrics.
The importance of emd u s e in technological researcti was given emphasis by Erb N . Ditton, research director for Gotham Hosiery, in opening the discussions on "new textile liorizons tlirougL·. technology.'* Too many meetings of textile technologists and too nrucbt emphasis in both the popular and technical press harve been devoted to the "battle o f the fibers/' or to the importance of t h e finish, a n d too little to the design of t h e fabric.
Overlooked, the speaker said, is the most important aspect of the problem which is t h e integration of all three factors. The relative iranportance of fiber, fabric, or finish can only b e determined by a truly technological approach, and then only wlien t h e "««nd use" is known.
666 C H E M I C A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G N E W S
