Melt-spun talc-filled polypropylene fibers and yarns with higher thermal shock resistance

Abstract

An increase in the application areas of textiles has resulted in the need for improved and additional properties and functions, which should be provided by polymers with different functionalities or the addition of particles to the fibers. In the framework of this study, microsized talc particle-filled polypropylene (PP) fibers and yarns were produced and the mechanical, physical and thermal properties of the fibers and yarns were analyzed with respect to production parameters. The main motivation of the selection of talc as the filler material is to improve the thermal shock resistance and decrease the shrinkage of PP fibers and yarns. As a result of experimentation, it was observed that an increase of talc ratio decreases the tensile strength of fibers and yarns. However, this reduction does not seem to be an obstacle to produce fabrics. Furthermore, the addition of microsized talc particles in PP yarns dramatically improved thermal shock resistance and helped to decrease the shrinkage of these yarns.