Exhaustion

In exhaust dyeing, all the material contacts all the dye liquor and the
fibres absorb the dyes. The dye concentration in the bath therefore
gradually decreases. The degree of dyebath exhaustion as a function of
time describes the rate and extent of the dyeing process.

The exhaustion is defined as “the mass of dye taken up by the material

divided by the total initial mass of dye in the bath, but for a bath of
constant volume”.

Where Co and Cs are the concentrations of dye in the dyebath initially and
at some time during the process, respectively.
 Exhaustion

The slope of a dyeing exhaustion curve

defines the rate of dyeing at any instant
during the process. The rate of dyeing
gradually decreases until, if dyeing is
continued long enough, an equilibrium
is reached where no more dye is taken
up by the fibres. There is now a balance
between the rates of dye absorption
and desorption.
 Amounts of dye and colour yield

• The amounts of dyes used to produce the colour desired are usually
expressed as a percentage of the weight of the dry material, and
abbreviated as % owf, or % dye on the weight of fibre.
• Thus, 1.00 kg of dye used to colour 100 kg of cloth corresponds to a
1.00% dyeing.
• Colour reproducibility depends upon accurate weighing of both the
goods and the dyes.
• With increasing amounts of absorbed dyes, the colour of the goods
obviously becomes deeper, but also usually duller, and often with a
slight change in hue.
 Liquor-to-goods ratio

The liquor-to-goods ratio, or simply the liquor ratio, gives the weight of
the bath solution relative to the weight of the dry material being dyed.
Since the density of the solution is usually very close to 1.00 kg per litre,
the liquor-to-goods ratio is usually given in litre per kg.
Many newer dyeing machines operate with lower liquor ratios in order
to minimise the consumption of energy for heating the water.
 Rate of dyeing

• Dyeing rates are of greater practical significance than the exhaustion

at equilibrium. This is because continuation of dyeing to equilibrium
is uneconomic.
• Dyeing should be neither too slow nor too fast. Slow dyeing involves
long dyeing times with increased risk of fibre damage and dye
decomposition, particularly at higher dyeing temperatures. It is too
costly. On the other hand, very rapid dyeing will usually result in the
colour being unlevel.
• The slope of the exhaustion curve gives information on the rate of
dyeing. The rate of dyeing depends, in some cases, on the rate of
liquor circulation in the dyeing machine.
• Dyeing consists of three steps:
(1) Transfer of dye from the bulk of the solution to the fibre surface;
(2) Adsorption of dye onto the fibre surface;
(3) Diffusion of adsorbed dye into the fibre interior.
 Leveling Faults in Dyeing

Types of unlevel dyeing include

• Stripiness
• End or Edge differences
• Light and dark patches
• Skitteriness (closely spaced light and dark regions).
Reasons
• Specific dyeing machines
• Material faults
• Inadequate control of the rate of dye
 Exhaust Dyeing Method

• Batch dyeing (exhaust dyeing) is a method of dyeing a textile

material. The method involves the gradual transfer of dye from
a dye bath to the textile material in the same piece of
equipment.
•  The various methods of batch dyeing result from the type of
machine used in the dyeing process.
• Common machinery used in the batch dyeing process include
the jigger dyeing machine, winch dyeing machine, jet dyeing
machine and beam dyeing machine.
Exhaust Dyeing Machinery
 Jigger Dyeing Machine

• The jig is the oldest and simplest type of machine for dyeing
woven fabric.
• It is suitable for fabrics which cannot be creased during
processing.
• The fabric is wound on to a roll. This then passes through the
dye liquor and onto a second roll. The process is repeated back
and forth until the desired shade is achieved.
 Winch Dyeing Machine

• Winches are used for fabrics that can withstand creasing when in rope
form.
• It is ideal for loosely woven cottons, woollens and some knitted and
man-made materials.
• The fabric circulates, in a continuous rope of between 50 to 100 metres,
over reels and rollers and down into a dyebath.
• Old winch dyebaths were constructed using wood, but these have been
largely replaced with more versatile modern steel vessels
 Jet Dyeing Machine

• The final class of machine used for batchwise dyeing of fabric is

the jet or jet type machine.
• Fabric is circulated in a rope form with a vigorous circulation of
liquor, at temperatures of between 120 to 130°C.
• Variations on this type of machine include fully flooded and
Soft flow machines useful for delicate and sensitive fabrics.