Functions affecting pick-up

In aqueous sizing, which at present is almost universal, an adhesive and a lubricant are combined in
solution at a particular concentration. In most cases the sizing materials will contain water which must be
allowed for in the calculations. The yarn is also generally hydrophilic and takes its own regain moisture
into the size box. The size is picked-up by the yarn is short immersion period in the box, the excess being
removed by a squeeze-roll system. The water is dried off the yarn usually by steam heated cans leaving
predetermined residual moisture content in the sized yarn. Can-drying is now being supplemented by
recycled vapor with the combined objective of thermal economy and higher sizing speeds.

The quantity of size paste picked up by the yarn depends on many variables, but principally on the
concentration and viscosity of the paste, the intensity of the applied squeeze, the nature of the squeezing
surface and the speed of the yarn.

1. Pick-up:

Dry pick-up:

The dry pick-up or more correctly “percentage size on yarn” is the practical control index. The final result
can be achieved in an infinite number of ways using different combinations and permutations of
concentration, viscosity, roll hardness and squeeze intensity. If we consider a warp of 6000 ends of 50 tex
(12Ne) ring-spun cotton yarn sized at 60m/min, the moisture interchange can be set out in Sankey
diagram form as in Fig.
Sizing materials containing an unknown quantity of moisture are mixed to a 12.5% refracted
concentration at the box resulting in a wet pick-up of 120% with a particular combination of immersion
conditions and running speed. On the input side of the diagram during each minute of operation at the
speed indicated, 16.48kg of dry yarn carrying 1.22kg of regain moisture and 2.47kg of dry size associated
with 17.31kg of water leave the output side of the squeeze roll. On the dry side of the diagram the same
16.48kg of dry yarn with 1.22kg ‘regain’ moisture, together with 2.47kg of dry size and 0.20 associated
moisture, or 20.37kg of sized conditioned yarn is delivered to the weaver’s beam, neglecting any small
splitting table losses. The balance of the input, 17.11kg of water is removed from the machine by
evaporation. As box admission concentration has been used in the calculation, any condensate from open-
coil box heating has been discounted, but this aspect must be allowed for in calculating mixing
constituents.

Wet pick-up:

The wet pick-up cannot be easily determined. It is not possible to calculate with any degree of accuracy
what percentage size would be applied to a 165cm sheet of 6000 ends of 15 tex cotton using a size with a
box concentration of 12.5%, a viscosity of 120cP, and a nip squeeze of 25kg/cm. There is no substitute
for practical experimentation under carefully controlled conditions, and although a great deal of
information is available, particularly from manufacturers of sizing materials.
 2. Viscosity:

A properly sized warp will have completely encapsulating the yarn surface to hold down loose fibers.
Internal penetration must be sufficient to form the size film on the surface of the yarn. If the size viscosity
is two low, it allows liquid to penetrate too deeply into the yarn. If the size viscosity is too high, sufficient
penetration will no achieved. If ends are tightly packed in the size box, viscosity should be lowered to
improve penetration.

Any variation in concentration or temperature changes the viscosity of the size paste which in turn affects
both the level of size pick-up and extent of penetration of size paste in the yarn. Initially as the viscosity
increases, the size pick-up also increases. But as the viscosity increases beyond a point, the size pick-up is
reduced.

3. Temperature:

Temperature of the size box is important for the right viscosity because temperature directly affect the
size viscosity. Temperature is directly proportional to the size viscosity means by increasing temperature
size viscosity increases or decreases by decreasing the temperature. High temperature may cause PVA to
form skin-causing hard size formation when the slasher is stopped.

Drying temperature should be set at minimum to dry the yarn to achieve desired moisture content of about
5-8%

4. Concentration:

With conventional non-automatic size boxes, control of size percentage with high concentration is not
very good. This is because a comparatively small variation in concentration will give a much higher
proportional corresponding change in the percentage of size added to the yarn. Thus some over sizing
must be tolerated. If warp sized with sago covered a range as limited as 14-18%, this could be considered
as very satisfactory.

When concentration is changed viscosity also changes, and pick-up is affected both directly and
indirectly. If a relationship for a particular size can be established between concentration % and viscosity,
and between viscosity and % wet pickup for a particular yarn and immersion system, concentration can be
related to wet pick-up.

5. Squeezing pressure:
The squeezing pressure determines the extent of penetration of the size paste between the fibers of the
yarn and also the removal of excess size paste from the yarn.

The level of the size pick-up also determine by squeezing pressure. If squeezing pressure is too high size
pick-up decreases.

6. Speed:

Speed of sizing machine also affects the size pick-up, because by increasing the sizing speed the size
pick-up increases. This is occurring due to the time available to squeeze the surplus size from the yarn is
less at high speed.

7. Adhesion:

The perfect sizing material would adhere to the yarn with no fly loss at separation on the machine
splitting table or on the weaving machine. Some loss occurs, however, even when the best adhesive are
applied under the most favorable conditions. In addition to applying a protective coating, the adhesive
increases inter-fiber cohesion and yarn strength. A commonly used method of assessing sizing adhesive
for both adhesive power and strength is to size rovings, which preserve their integrity almost exclusively
by fiber cohesion, and test the sized specimen at both zero gauge length and a gauge length exceeding the
maximum staple length of the roving material. Fig. shows the result of test of two sizing materials. AP is
adhesive power represented by the strength ratio at the two gauge lengths. A ratio in excess of 0.7 is
normally regarded as good. Strength is indicated by energy to rupture.

If size is detached during weaving not only does weaving performance deteriorate directly, but the size
and associated fibers can penetrate small mechanisms causing malfunctioning, and is sometimes
reintroduced into the fabric causing stains and imperfections.