MODULE7.

SMART/FUNCTIONALSPECIALITYFIBRES
7.2NonCircular/Profilefibres(1Lecture)
Fibreswithnoncircularcrosssectionandhollowfibres

Thecrosssectionorgeometryofmeltspunfibreessentiallydependsonthedesignofspinneretholesthrough
which the initial extrusion takes place. Synthetic fibres such as polyester and nylon are generally produced
using spinneret with circular holes and have a circular crosssection.While in the case of solution spinning
and coagulation process which involve mass transfer result in noncircular crosssection even when circular
holesareused.

Whyfibreswithnoncircularcrosssection?

Thenaturalfibresdonothaveaperfectcircularshape,cottonhasabeanshapedcrosssectionandsilkhasa
roughly triangular crosssection. Noncircular crosssections are observed to result in greater lusture, high
covering power, improved handle, lightweight and warm preservation.The non circular crosssections of
thesefibresresultinexcellentcapillarityandwickingpropertiesforremovingmoisture,thereforeareusedfor
diapers, sanitary towels,filter media,shoe liners and wound dressings. Therefore, filaments with noncircular
crosssectionsaredesirableforachievingthesespecialeffects.
Approachesforproducingnoncircularfibres:
The modified filament crosssections result either by coalescence or fusion of melt streams below the
spinneretordirectlyfromextrusionthroughprofilescapillaries.

The major challenge for achieving non circular fibres is spinneret design and optimization of spinning
parameters for different polymers with unique rheological properties. The crosssections of fibres and
spinneretsusedforproducingtheseareshowninFigure1.

Figure1.Thecrosssectionsoffibresanditsspinnerets
The reshaping of filament along the spinline depends primarily on the time of solidification,the longer this
time period, the greater the degree of reshaping. The factors that increase the possibility or extent of
reshapingare:

Lowermeltviscosity
Increasedspinningtemperature
Lowerthroughputrate
Increasedspinningspeed(asitreducesthetimeavailableforsolidification)and
Contourofspinneret

Thestructuralandcrosssectionalshapecanalsobechangedinhighspeedmeltspinning.

Ingeneral,thespinneretsorificesofdiameter0.180.45mmandlength0.40.8mmareusedforproducing
circularcrosssectionalshape.Forproducingsomeothercrosssectionalshapestypicaldimensionsanddesign
ofspinneretsisgivenbelow.

Trilobal

ThetrilobalcrosssectionwasthefirstdeparturefromcircularcrosssectionandwasintroducedbyDuPontin
USAtoproducelustorousyarnandfabric.Thefibrescanbeproducedusingatypicalspinneretorificeshownin
Figure2.

Figure2.Trilobalcrosssectionoffibre

Twin trilobal fibres resemble silk fibres and are very lustorous.These can be produced by conjugated
bicomponent spinning of trilobal crosssection yarn.The three tips of the trilobal crosssection may consist of
polymerthatiseasilysolubleandresultsinspecialtwintrilobalcrosssection(Figure3).

Figure3.Twintrilobalcrosssection

The rectangular shaped crosssection fibres are produced using rectangular spinnerets. A typical spinneret
withdimensionsandthedimensionsofthefibreproducedusingthisareshowninFigure4.

Figure4.Spinneretforfibrewithrectangularcrosssection

For hollow fibre production, it is important to consider the die swell and the spinneret dimensions are
designed accordingly. A typical spinneret with dimensions and the resulting hollow fibre with dimensions is
showninFigure5.

Figure5.Spinneretdesignsforhollowfibreandextrudedhollowfibre

Othermethodslikeseparationofbicomponentfibreandthinfilmsplittingarealsoused.Thesearediscussed
inthenextchapter.

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