SIZING

Presented by
Engr. Md. Faisal Mahmud
Lecturer
Department of Textile Engineering
Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST)
Size:
A gelatinous film forming substance in solution or dispersion, applied normally to warp but
sometimes to weft, generally before weaving is called size.
Sizing:
A method of applying a gelatinous film forming substance on warp is sizing. This is the most
important operation to attain maximum weaving efficiency especially for blended & filament
yarns. It is called the heart of weaving.
Dressing:
The process of jute yarn sizing is called dressing.

Dressing:
➢ Beaming process is follows after spool winding. In beaming operation yarn from spool is
wounded over a beam of proper width and correct number of end to weave jute cloth.
➢ To increase the quality of woven cloth and weaving efficiency, the warp yarns are coated
with starch paste. Adequate moisture is essential in this process.
➢ Quality characteristic of a beam is width of beam-number of ends and weight of stand and
there is a continuous passage of yarn through starch solution from spools to the beam.
➢ Starch solution in water contains tamerine kernel powder (TKP), antiseptic-sodium silica
fluoride and its concentration varies with the quality of yarn.

Object of sizing
1. To improve the weave ability of warp yarn by making it more resistant in action of
weaving.
2. To maintain good fabric quality by reducing hairiness, weakness & by increasing
smoothness, absorbency of yarn.
3. To improve the tensile or breaking strength of cellulosic yarns.
4. To increase the stiffness.
5. To increase the weight of yarn.

Requirements of sizing
In order to ensure good technological properties of sized warps, the following requirements should
be met in size:
1. Sized warp must be sufficiently strong, smooth & elastic.
2. The sizing process must ensure the application of the required amount of size on the yarn or the
required size regain.
3. The tension of the warp yarns at sizing must be regular & constant during all the time of warp
unwinding from the warping beams.
4. Yarn stretch & loss in elongation should be within admitted limits.
5. The package, i.e the weavers beam produced must have a cylindrical shape, the necessary
winding density & the yarn length.
6. The sizing process must be efficient, economical & must ensure the production of high quality
sized warp.
 Technological change due to Sizing:
➢ Breaking strength-increase
➢ Abrasion resistance- improve
➢ Stiffness-increase
➢ Elongation-decrease
➢ Elasticity-increase
➢ Electrostatic property-decrease
➢ Hairiness-decrease
➢ Yarn diameter-increase
➢ Absorbency-decrease
➢ Flexibility-decrease

Choice of Size ingredient

1.It should give least amount of exfoliation.

2. It should permits easy desizing when required.
3. It should give good fabric characteristics.
4. The recipe should be compatible with the machinery.
5. The recipe should not cause any health hazard.
6. The recipe should not cause any degradation of textile material.
7. It should be cheap.
8. PH should be lies between 7-7.4(neutral condition)

Properties of a Good Sizing Material

• Environmentally safe. • Reasonable extensibility.

• Good film former.
• Reasonable use economics.
• Penetration of yarn bundle.
• Elasticity.
• Good film flexibility.
• Good specific adhesion.
• Good frictional properties.
• Transparency.
• Bacterial resistance.
• Reasonable strength.
• Controllable viscosity.
• Water soluble or water dispersible.
• Good hygroscopic characteristics.
• Uniformity.
• Clean split at bust rods.
• Improves weaving efficiencies.
• Recoverable and reusable
• Low static propensity.
• Easily removed.
• Easily prepared.
• Lack of odor.
• No beam blocking.
• Compatible with other ingredients.
• Good abrasion resistance.
• Neutral pH.
• Insensitive to high heat.
• Low BOD (Biological oxygen demand).
• Rapid drying.
• No re-deposition of size
• No effect on drying.
 Size ingredients & their function

1. Adhesive: Generally starch of maize, corn, rice, potato & CMC, PVA, PVC are used as
adhesive.
Function:
a) To improve strength.
b) To improve abrasion resistance.
c) To increase extensibility.

2. Lubricant or Softener: Mineral oil, linseed oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil, tallow, Japan wax,
vegetable wax are used as a lubricant.
Function:
a) To make the yarn soft & slippery.
b) To reduce stiffness.

3. Antiseptic or Anti mildew agent: Salicylic acid, Zinc chloride, phenol carboxylic acid are used as
antiseptic agent.
Function:
a) It helps to store the yarn without damage.
b) Protect yarn from bacteria or fungus formation.

4. Deliquescent or Hygroscopic Agent: Glycerin, calcium chloride, are used as deliquescent agent.
Function:
a) Prevent brittleness of size.
b) Helps to keep standard moisture regain.

5. Weighting agent: China clay, French chalk, sodium phosphate are used as weighting agent.
Function:
a) Increase weight of yarn.

6. Wetting agent: Magnesium chloride, avirol, sulphanol A are used as wetting agent.
Function:
a) Helps to wet yarn instantly.

7. Tinting agent: Blue, Ultra-marine blue is used as tinting agent.

Function:
a) To increase luster or brightness.

8. Antifoaming agent: Benzene, pyridine are used as antifoaming agent.

Function:
a) To prevent foam formation.
 Types of sizing

1. Pure sizing: This types of sizing is done for unbleached fabric. 3-10% size ingredients are used on the
weight of fabric.

2. Light sizing: This types of sizing is used for Dyeing & Printing of woven fabric. 11-15% size ingredients
are used on the weight of fabric.

3. Medium sizing: This types of sizing is used for increase of strength & weight of fabric. 16-40% size
ingredients are used on the weight of fabric.

4. Heavy sizing: This types of sizing is used for increase the weight of low twisted yarn. Above 40%
size ingredients are used on the weight of fabric.

Size take up percentage

The amount of size material added on the yarn surface is called size take up .

Size take up percentage depends on

1. Higher twist: ↓
2. Finer count: ↓
3. Higher concentration:↑
4. Higher viscosity:
5. Lower flexibility: ↑
6. Higher immersion length: ↑
7. Higher squeeze roller pressure: ↓
8. Higher yarn speed: ↓
9. Higher staple length: ↓
10. Crystalline fibre: ↓
11. Amorphous fibre: ↑
 Disadvantages of Sizing

➢ Additional capital investment for the unit.

➢ Longer process.
➢ Extra cost of ingredients.
➢ Extra cost for utilities.
➢ Extra labor cost.
➢ Possibility of some sort of deterioration of yarn quality arising from process handling
➢ Increase in diameter precludes the accumulation of more ends/inch.
➢ Some rough yarn surface.
➢ Reduction in extension.
➢ Increase in stiffness.
➢ Generation of fluff
➢ More robust loom.
➢ More power required to run into steam.
➢ Problem of size removal.
➢ Risk of uneven shed.
➢ Extra cost for sizing.
➢ Additional information about ingredients before desizing.
➢ Pollution of environment.
➢ Possibility of color fading of dyed warp.
➢ Possibility of chemical changes.

Techniques of Sizing
* Conventional Slasher sizing
* Hot melt sizing
* High pressure sizing
* Foam sizing
* Solvent sizing
* Electrostatic sizing
* Polymer emulsion sizing
* Combined sizing

Comparative study of sizing techniques

➢ Conventional slasher sizing

➢ Size cooking.
➢ Application of sizing solution.
➢ Drying.
➢ Separation.
➢ Winding on weaver’s beam.
 Hot melt sizing

➢ Molten 100% active size solution.

➢ Solid size in block form are pressed on a heated grooved drum.
➢ Warp yarns passes through the grooves in the cylinder and thus encapsulated.
➢ No heating for solidification.

High pressure sizing

➢ Highly concentrated size solution.
➢ High pressure between sizing & squeezing rollers.
➢ Lower water evaporation.
➢ Saves energy.
➢ High production.

Foam sizing

➢ Concentrated size liquors in foam state.

➢ Uniformly deposited on yarn.
➢ Light squeezing not to form liquid.
➢ Conventional drying.
➢ Pick up is lower.
➢ Lower amount of water is evaporated than slasher sizing.
➢ Quick drying.
➢ High production.

Solvent sizing

➢ Non –aqueous solvent for size preparation.

➢ Passage like slasher sizing.
➢ Applied at room temperature.
➢ Dried in closed chamber.
➢ Solvents are collected for re-cycling.
➢ Lower processing cost.
 Electrostatic sizing
➢ Properly tensioned warp sheet is wetted out in a 0.5% salt solution.(positively charged)
➢ Squeezed for a controlled pick-up of 40%-50% by weight.
➢ This positively charged moving warp is dressed by negatively charged size particle from
the opposite direction in controlled way.
➢ This coated yarn passes through an infra-red heater for polymer fusion.
➢ The moving warp then passes over a cooling roller to the weaver’s beam.

Polymer emulsion sizing

➢ Highly concentrated polymeric size.

➢ Squeezed at high pressure.
➢ Lower wet pick-up 30%-50% (OWG) compared to 95%-100% (OWG) for conventional.
➢ Saves energy.
➢ Higher production.
➢ Heating for drying. (Infra-red)
➢ OWG= On the Weight of Goods.
➢ Combined sizing
➢ Sizing with dyeing.
➢ Sizing with finishing.

Slasher sizing process

• Slasher sizing:
The slasher sizing machine is consists of the following seven units:
1. Back Beam Unit
2. Sizing Unit.
3. Drying Unit
4. Cooling Unit.
5. Dividing Unit
6. Measuring & Marking Unit.
7. Beaming Unit.
Cross Sectional View
• Back beam unit:
The unit contains frame which carries 8-20 beams to get wound, which may be arranged in various
ways.
• Sizing unit:
This unit contains guide roller, tension roller, size box, immersion roller, sizing roller, squeezing roller.
Size recipe is reserved in reserved box & apply it on the yarn. Guide roller guides the yarn & tension
roller maintains the uniform tension on yarn. The size box is used to apply the size liquor to the yarn.
The size liquor is kept in size box. The warp sheet is guided through the solution by means of immersion
roller. The squeeze roller removes excess size from the yarn.

• Drying unit:
It contains of heated cylinder over which warp sheet passes. There may be two or multi cylinder. Heated
cylinder dries the yarn.
• Cooling unit:
This unit has cooling fan & guide roller. Cooling fan supplies cool air to dried warp sheet to cool it.
• Dividing unit:
In order to prevent adhesion between yarns, it is necessary to separate each sized ends from the
others. For this purpose lease rod is used.
• Measuring & Marking device:
In this unit the length which is sized is measured by measuring roller & marked at a given distance.
• Beaming unit:
Finally sized warp is wound on a weavers beam.
• Size cooking equipments:
1. Motor.
2. Agitator: Size ingredients are mixed with the help of agitator in mixing tank.
3. Mixing tank: here size ingredients are mixed.
4. Pump: After mixing, size mixer transfer to the storage tank by pump.
5. Storage tank: Size mixer are store in storage tank.
• Size Cooking:
1. Ordinary cooking.

2. Pressure cooking .
• Ordinary cooking:
a) Add required amount of water.
b) Add required antiseptic with stirring.
c) Gradually add starch and stir for 30-45 min.
d) Continue steaming until correct viscosity is obtained.
e) Stop steaming.
f) Adjust PH between 6-8 by adding acid or alkali.
g) Transfer the size solution to the reserve tank and maintain temperature at 60⁰C.

• Pressure Cooking:
a) Add required amount of water.
b) Add required antiseptic with stirring.
c) Gradually add starch and stir for 30-45 min.
d) Start steaming and raise temperature up to 130⁰C.
e) Add softener.
f) Continue steaming until correct viscosity is obtain.
g) Stop steaming.
h) Adjust PH between 6-8 adding acid or alkali.
i) Transfer the size solution to the reserve tank and maintain temperature at 60⁰C.

Sizing-Weaving Curve or Size take-up percentage & Weaving efficiency:

• From AB,
Breakage rate α {1/size%}
• From BC,
Breakage rate constant to a certain limit.
• From CD,
Breakage rate α size%

Drying system

• Cylinder drying:
i) Two cylinder drying.
ii) Multi cylinder drying.
• Hot air drying.
• Infrared drying.
• Combined drying.
 Cylinder Drying:

• In this type of machine, drying is done by passing over hot cylinders.

Two Cylinder Drying:

• In this drying process, two copper cylinder are used in which one cylinder is large diameter
and other is small comparatively.
• Firstly warp sheet is passed below the small cylinder and then over the bigger one.
• The yarn is dried while traveling through the circumference of the cylinder.

Advantages:
• Simple process and cheap.
• Less risky.
Disadvantages:
• Slow process.
• Drying efficiency is low.
• Irregular drying.
• Due to sticky property of cylinder uneven drying.

Multi Cylinder Drying

• In this type of machine the drying unit consists of 5 to 7 or 11 cylinders having same
diameter are used.
• All cylinders may be steel cylinders or first two cylinders are Teflon coated and rest of are
steel cylinder
• The cylinders are heated by passing steam.
• Heat in initial cylinder is low and gradually increases when moved towards final cylinder.
• If large amount of heat is given to the initial, the sized may be backed

Advantages:
• High speed process.
• Uniform drying.
• Non-sticky so smooth drying.
• Drying efficiency high.
• Less time required
Disadvantages:
• For high viscosity stick property may observed.
• For friction, yarn hairiness.
• Shinning effect.
• Yarn shape may hamper.
 Hot Air Drying

• In this machine, the drying unit is a closed chamber containing a number of guide rollers
through which warp yarn passes.
• Hot air blown into the chamber, causing the moisture in the yarn to evaporate.
• Exhaustion should be used to throw away the moisture.
• If moisture remains inside the chamber it may condense and again fall on the yarn.
• Hot air should be continuously passed through the chamber so the process becomes somewhat
costly.

Advantages:
• Regular drying.
• Not shinning effect.
• Non Sticky property.
• High speed drying.
Disadvantages:
• Costly process
• For closed chamber, required more time.
• Less suitable for fine yarn.
• Difficult to maintain temperature.

Infra-red Drying
• In this chamber the heating chamber consists of a plate which is constantly heated by gas
flame.
• The warp sheet is passed over the plate and dried in the process.
• When gas flames are not used then electronic plate may be used.
• Arrangement should be made to through out the moisture removed from the yarn. This
machine is not used signally.

Advantages: Disadvantages:
• No shinning effect. • Yarn may burn.
• Drying efficiency high. • Higher cost.
• Difficult to maintain uniform heating.
• Risk of accident.
 Combined Drying

In this type of machine preheating is done by cylinder drying method and final drying is
done by hot air drying method or infrared drying method.
Advantages:
• Regular drying.
• Drying efficiency is high.
• Speedy process.
Disadvantages:
• Shinning effect.
• High cost.

Factors to be considered while drying

• EPI: If EPI is more warp sheet density increase and drying time required more.
• Count of warp yarn: Higher count, drying quickly.
• If yarn is coarser, more time required to dry.
• Twist of warp yarn: Higher twist, lower dry ability.
• Concentration of liquor: Higher concentration lower dry ability.
• Size pick-up%: Higher pick-up% dry ability lower.
• Speed of running: More speed, lower ability because of cylinder and yarn contact for the
time.
• System of drying: Hot air drying < cylinder drying.
Two cylinders drying < Multi cylinder drying

Sizing of filament yarn

1. In staple yarn, discrete fibres are • Size ingredients:

brought together by the help of
twisting. The yarn surface is rough
and uneven.
2. In multi filament yarn the
component filaments are arranged in
parallel position except when they
are twisted. The yarn surface is
smooth and even in cross section.
3. The difference in yarn
characteristics necessitate different
approach to sizing.
• i) Synthetic adhesives – eg. PVC, PVA,
CMC etc.
• ii) Plasticizers – are not absorbed by
the fibres, form film, prevent cracking
and breaking of the film and provide
adherence.
• iii) Others – eg. Antistatics.
• Cautions in synthetic sizing:
• i) Heating for drying.
• ii) Splitting for separation.
(Individualization of the yarn)
• iii) Tension not to stretch.
 Attempts which have been tried to substitute sizing

• Use of high quality warp yarn:

The yarn which is made from longer staple & uniform staple length may used for weaving
at low speed. We may use combed yarn.
• Use of wrapped yarn:
It is as like as core spun yarn. By using this type of yarn weaving is possible without sizing
• Use of twisted yarn:
Twist gives certain strength to the yarn. By using this yarn weaving may done at high
speed without sizing. It is one kind of ply yarn.
• Use of singed yarn:
Singeing may done during warping and it must be dyed yarn. After dyeing singeing is
performed. By this process hairiness of yarn is removed which is suitable for weaving.
• Use of heat setted yarn:
It is performed synthetic and synthetic natural blended yarn.
• Modification of loom mechanism:
By reducing the length of shed weaving is done without sizing. Suppose the length of
weaving zone is 40" and PPI = 60 the no of sheds to be formed to produce 1 pick fabric
= 60 × 40 = 2400 times. So a high stretch is acted on the warp of the weaving zone. So
if we reduce this shedding length then this high strength is reduced and weaving may
done without sizing.
If Weaving length= 30” & PPI= 60 then the no of sheds to be formed to produce 1 pick
fabric = 60 × 30 = 1800 times.

The approximate modification of looms is given below :

 Faults of sizing

• Size spots:
Size material should be added gradually to the mixing tank for good mixing. If it is
added at once, spots are appeared on the yarn.
• Repeating warp streaks:
This defect is due to uneven tension in the pre-beam.
• Shinnery:
This defect due to the friction between the yarn and drying cylinder.
• Sandy warp:
Due to not crushed or grind the size material properly.
• Ridge Beam:
This fault occurs due to uneven distribution of yarn in wraith.

• Hard sizing:
If the size materials are applied too much, the size becomes hard which causes hard sizing.
• Improper drying:
Under drying → Bacteria form → Yarn breakage.
Over drying → Hard sizing.
• Size dropping:
This defect due to not optimum the viscosity of the size solution.
• Size stitching:
Due to improper drying after sizing.
• Uneven sizing:
Due to over or under sizing.
Due to over or under concentration of size liquor.

Factors Influencing the Sizing Parameters:

1. Type of yarn, spun or filament

2. Spun yarn parameters such as twist, count, and fiber blend
3. Spinning system, i.e., ring, rotor, air-jet, compact, etc.
4. Type of weaving machine, i.e. shuttle, projectile, rapier,air-jet, water-jet, multiphase,
etc.
5. Type of fiber, natural or manmade
6. Fiber blend
7. Construction and weave of fabric
8. Environmental laws
Process control in sizing:

1. Selecting the correct size recipe

2. Viscosity of the size solution
3. Sizing machine speed & efficiency
4. Size add-on, stretch & moisture levels on warp
5. Quality of beam
6. Concentration of the size mixture
7. Volume of the size box (both quantity and size level)
8. Threading arrangements
9. Condition of squeeze rolls
10. Squeezing pressure
11. Hardness of squeeze rolls
12. Diameter of squeeze rolls
13. Number of size boxes
14. Yarn count and size box warp density per unit space