Water Repellent Elastic Yarn

Abstract

A water repellent elastic yarn which is spinned from a polyurethane polymer and is adhered with a water repellent agent to obtain a water repellent elastic yarn, adapted for making a stretchable apparel, sportswear or underwear having better stretch characteristics and water repellency, whereby upon wicking of a wearer's sweat through apertures among neighboring elastic yarns of a fabric, the sweat will be well diffused and released outwardly to keep the wearer comfortable, while keeping the apparel easily dry after being wetted such as by rain water.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A process for making a water repellent elastic yarn comprising the process steps as follows:
 A. Spinning multiple filaments from a spinning solution of a polyurethane polymer and coalescing the multiple filaments to be a multifilament yarn;   B. Adhering the multifilament yarn with a water repellent agent to form a wet water repellent multifilament yarn;   C. Heating the wet water repellent multifilament yarn for removing the solvent in the wet water repellent multifilament yarn for drying the multifilament yarn and for bonding the water repellent agent with the multifilament yarn to be a dry multifilament yarn;   D. Applying an anti-sticky oil on the dry multifilament yarn to be an anti-sticky water repellent elastic yarn; and   E. Winding up the anti-sticky water repellent elastic yarn to obtain a water repellent elastic yarn product.   
     
     
         2 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein said process for making the water repellent elastic yarn comprises implementation of process equipments, which comprises: a spinning apparatus for spinning said multifilament yarn, a kiss roll means for adhering said water repellent agent on said yarn, a heating means for heating and drying said yarn adhered with said water repellent agent, an oil roll means for applying anti-sticky oil on said yarn as dried, and a yarn-transporting means for guiding, pulling and winding up the yarn as adhered with said water repellent agent and finished with said anti-sticky oil thereon. 
     
     
         3 . A process according to  claim 2 , wherein said kiss roll means includes: a kiss roll rotatably mounted in an agent trough filled with water repellent agent in the tray; said kiss roll having a coarse surface for absorbing the water repellent agent so as to transfer the water repellent agent as carried on the kiss roll onto the multifilament yarn to adhere the water repellent agent on the yarn to form a wet multifilament yarn. 
     
     
         4 . A process according to  claim 3 , wherein said kiss roll is controlled at a rotation speed, ranging from 10 rpm to 20 rpm. 
     
     
         5 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein said water repellent agent includes a water repellent agent composition containing said water repellent agent, a solvent, an emulsifier and a surfactant. 
     
     
         6 . A process according to  claim 2 , wherein said water repellent agent is selected from: a fluorine-based water repellent agent, a silicon-based water repellent agent, and a paraffin-based water repellent agent. 
     
     
         7 . A process according to  claim 2 , wherein said heating means comprises a primary heater having a heating temperature of 200˜600° C. for primarily heating and drying the multifilament yarn as adhered with said water repellent agent; and a secondary heater following said primary heater and having a heating temperature of 100˜500° C. for secondarily heating and drying said multifilament yarn. 
     
     
         8 . A process according to  claim 2 , wherein said oil roll means includes an oil roll rotatably mounted in an oil tray and an anti-sticky oil stored in said oil tray, whereby upon rotation of said oil roll, said anti-sticky oil will be applied onto the multifilament yarn as dried in said heating means. 
     
     
         9 . A process according to  claim 2 , wherein said yarn-transporting means comprises: a first roll for taking up said multifilament yarn as spinned from said spinning apparatus, and a second roll positioned after said heating means and said oil roll means for tangentially tensioning or pulling said multifilament yarn between said first roll and said second roll for adhering said water repellent agent onto said yarn before said heating means and for applying anti-sticky oil on said yarn after said heating means. 
     
     
         10 . A water repellent elastic yarn as made by a process comprising the following process steps:
 A. Spinning multiple filaments from a spinning solution of a polyurethane polymer and coalescing the multiple filaments to be a multifilament yarn;   B. Adhering the multifilament yarn with a water repellent agent to form a wet water repellent multifilament yarn;   C. Heating the wet water repellent multifilament yarn for removing the solvent in the wet water repellent multifilament yarn for drying the multifilament yarn and for bonding the water repellent agent with the multifilament yarn to be a dry multifilament yarn;   D. Applying an anti-sticky oil on the dry multifilament yarn to be an anti-sticky water repellent elastic yarn; and   E. Winding up the anti-sticky water repellent elastic yarn to obtain a water repellent elastic yarn product.   
     
     
         11 . An elastic yarn according to  claim 10 , wherein said elastic yarn is a Spandex yarn. 
     
     
         12 . An elastic yarn according to  claim 10 , wherein said elastic yarn is a black elastic yarn by adding carbon black into said spinning solution.