Oiling Agent for Fiber Treatment

Abstract

The present invention has its object to provide a lubricant for fibers which shows, in particular, good anti-tackiness property against fiber-to-fiber tackiness in the manufacture of elastic fibers, and good time-dependent stability for a long period of time as a lubricant for treating fibers. The present invention provides a lubricant for treating fibers to be used for fibers made of a polymer material (a) wherein the angle of contact with water at 25° C. of the surface of a sheet made of the material (a) is not greater than 60° and the angle of contact with water at 25° C. of the surface of the sheet made of the material (a) applied with the lubricant for treating fibers is 70° to 180°.

1 . A lubricant for treating fibers to be used for fibers made of a polymer material (a)
 wherein the angle of contact with water at 25° C. of the surface of a sheet made of the material (a) is not greater than 60° and the angle of contact with water at 25° C. of the surface of the sheet made of the material (a) applied with said lubricant for treating fibers is 70° to 180°.   
     
     
         2 . The lubricant for treating fibers according to  claim 1   which comprise at least one base oil (A) selected from the group consisting of silicone oils (A1) and hydrocarbon-based lubricating oils (A2), an anti-tackiness agent (B) and a surfactant (C).   
     
     
         3 . The lubricant for treating fibers according to  claim 2   wherein (B) comprises a compound containing at least one carboxyl group and/or carboxylate group within the molecule.   
     
     
         4 . The lubricant for treating fibers according to  claim 1   wherein the turbidity at 25° C. of said lubricant for treating fibers is not higher than 20 mg/L.   
     
     
         5 . The lubricant for treating fibers according to  claim 2   wherein (B) is a stearic acid alkaline earth metal salt.   
     
     
         6 . The lubricant for treating fibers according to  claim 2   wherein (C) is an ether-carboxylic acid anionic surfactant represented by the following general formula (2):
   R 3 —O—(AO) p —CH 2 COOM  (2) 
   
       in the above formula, R 3  represents an alkyl group containing 1 to 24 carbon atoms, an allyl group or an alkenyl group containing 2 to 24 carbon atoms; A represents an alkylene group containing 2 to 4 carbon atoms; M represents a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal atom, an ammonium group or an alkanolamine; p represents an integer of 0 or 1 to 10. 
     
     
         7 . The lubricant for treating fibers according to  claim 2   wherein (A) comprises (A1) and (A2), and the content of (A1) is 5 to 80 mass % based on the total mass of (A1)+(A2), and the content of (A) is 70 to 99.6 mass %, the content of (B) is 0.3 to 10 mass %, and the content of (C) is 0.1 to 20 mass %, based on the total mass of (A)+(B)+(C).   
     
     
         8 . The lubricant for treating fibers according to  claim 1   wherein the fiber is an elastic fiber.   
     
     
         9 . A method of treating elastic fibers
 which comprises applying 0.1 to 12 mass % of the lubricant for treating fibers according to  claim 8  to elastic fibers in the spinning step, if necessary followed by scouring.   
     
     
         10 . An elastic fiber treated by the method according to  claim 8 .