Influence of Suessen and Superba Heat Setting on Optical Streak Intensity in Finished Nylon Carpets

Abstract

Texturing conditions were systematically adjusted in a factorial experiment to create twenty-four yarn items that varied in their respective bulk levels. Following a heat- setting treatment by one of three methods (one dry, the Suessen at a tunnel temperature of 200°C, and two wet, the Superba at tunnel temperatures of 129.4°C and 137.8°C), each item was implanted as a triple tuftline into two carpet backgrounds that also differed in their respective levels of bulk. Forty-eight such implanted streaks from each heat-setting method—144 streaks in all—were then rated by shade and intensity and contrasted by method of heat setting. The relative intensity of the low-bulk dark streaks was worst for the Suessen-set treatment and best for those Superba-set at the higher temperature. Suessen heat setting enabled smaller bulk differences to be seen in the carpet.