Fiber Surface Treatment Using Cavitation for Durable Compound Attachment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for surface treatment of individual fibers are not industrially applicable, as they often result in fibers bundling or reorienting unpredictably in liquid media, leading to poor interaction with chemical compounds, rough texture, and loss of desired properties due to insoluble compounds, and pose environmental hazards with poorly water-soluble flame retardants.
Innovation Solution
A system that exposes individual fibers in sliver form to a liquid medium, maintaining their parallel orientation, and applies sonochemical or acoustic cavitation processes to attach insoluble compounds like hydrated salts or metal oxides without binders, ensuring even distribution and durability of treatment across the fibers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If fibers are treated with insoluble chemical compounds in liquid medium using conventional methods, then the compounds can be applied to fibers, but the fibers bundle into inseparable balls or separate and reorient unpredictably, leading to poor interaction and rough texture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies ultrasonic vibration to the liquid medium containing fibers and chemical compounds. This vibration prevents fiber bundling and maintains parallel orientation while enabling uniform compound distribution on fiber surfaces, resolving the contradiction between compound attachment and fiber shape control
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical agitation and heating methods with ultrasonic cavitation and vibration. This substitution enables compound application without the mechanical forces that cause fiber bundling and reorientation, maintaining fiber integrity while achieving chemical attachment
2Reliability
If conventional surface treatment methods are used on yarn or completed cloth, then treatment can be applied, but the treatment is not durable and leaches out after repeated washing cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies chemical compounds to individual fibers before they are spun into yarn or woven into fabric. This preliminary treatment ensures compounds are embedded within the fiber structure and yarn layers, making the treatment durable and resistant to leaching during subsequent washing cycles
Solution Approach 2:
The patent treats fibers individually in sliver form rather than treating yarn or finished fabric as a bulk material. This segmentation allows uniform compound distribution on each fiber, and when fibers are subsequently processed into yarn or fabric, the treatment remains distributed and durable throughout the final product
3Object-affected harmful factors
If hydrated salt compounds are used for flame retardancy, then fire safety is improved, but environmental hazards arise from poorly water-soluble compounds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses hydrated salt compounds that are water-soluble, changing the solubility parameter compared to conventional poorly water-soluble flame retardants. This parameter change maintains fire safety effectiveness while eliminating environmental hazards associated with insoluble compounds
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of using salt compounds (which can be poorly soluble and hazardous) into a benefit by selecting hydrated salts with appropriate solubility characteristics. The hydration state transforms the compound properties to achieve both fire safety and environmental compatibility
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system allows for efficient and durable attachment of flame retardant and antimicrobial compounds to fibers, maintaining their properties through repeated washing and abrasion, while avoiding environmental hazards and maintaining fabric softness and appearance.
Implementation Method 1
exposing the fibers to an acoustic cavitation or sonochemical irradiation process, whereby the fibers are plated or speckled with the at least one predetermined chemical compound or composition
Implementation Method 2
exposing the fibers to an acoustic cavitation or sonochemical irradiation process, whereby the fibers are plated or speckled with the at least one predetermined chemical compound or composition
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a surface treatment and a method for its application for the introduction of a wide variety of differentiating properties to fibersin sliver form through a surface treatment of said fibers. The system can accommodate chemical processes, sonochemical processes, and acoustic cavitation processes whereby the fibers are speckled or plated with at least one predetermined compound in a liquid medium to impart at least one desired property to the fibers and for the orderly inclusion of such treated fibers in sliver form having such properties in yarns, woven, knit, or non-woven textiles.