SIZING (SLASHING)

Ref.
Weaving: Conversion of yarn to fabric by Dr. M H Muhammed and Dr. P R Lord
The Textile Sizing, by B C Goswami, R D Anandjiwala, D M Hall, 2004
Industrial practices in weaving preparatory by Dr. Mukesh K S
Textile Mathematics Vol. 3 by J E Booth
 Introduction

During the process of weaving, warp yarns are

subjected to considerable tension together with an
abrasive action. A warp yarn, during its passage from the
weaver’s beam to the fell of the cloth, is subjected to
intensive abrasion against the whip roll, drop wires,
heddle eyes, adjacent heddles, reed wires, and the
picking element. The intensity of the abrasive action is
especially high for heavy sett fabrics. The warp yarns
may break during the process of weaving due to the
complex mechanical actions consisting of cyclic
extension, abrasion, and bending. To prevent warp yarns
from excessive breakage under such weaving conditions,
the threads are sized to impart better abrasion
resistance and to improve yarn strength.
 Objective of Sizing
The main objective of sizing is to form a uniform coat
over warp yarns and lay down the protruding fibers on
yarn body that protrude out of its surface. After sizing,
the strength and abrasion resistance of the yarn
improves and hairiness decreases
The primary purpose of sizing is to produce warp yarns
that will weave satisfactorily without suffering any
consequential damage due to abrasion with the moving
parts of the loom.
The other objective, though not very common in
modern practice, is to impart special properties to the
fabric, such as weight, feel, softness, and handle.
The coating of the size film around the yarn improves
the abrasion resistance and protects the weak places in
the yarns from the rigorous actions of the moving loom
parts.
The functions of the sizing operation are
1. To lay in the protruding fibers in the body of the yarn and to
cover weak places by encapsulating the yarn by a
protective coating of the size film. The thickness of the
size film coating should be optimized. Too thick a coating
will be susceptible to easy size shed-off on the loom.
2. To increase the strength of the spun warp yarn without
affecting its extensibility. This is achieved by allowing the
penetration of the size into the yarn. The size in the yarn
matrix will tend to bind all the fibers together, as shown in
Figure. The increase in strength due to sizing is normally
expected to be about 10 to 15% with respect to the
strength of the unsized yarn. Excessive penetration of the
size liquid into the core of the yarn is not desirable because
it affects the flexibility of the yarn.
3. To make a weaver’s beam with the exact number of warp
threads ready for weaving.
 Fiber–size binding in a yarn

Fluff binding
Fluff binding is a very important factor. Fluff binding
prevents the yarns from clinging with each other. Fluff
binding becomes very crucial in case of high density fabric
or in case of high-speed air jet weaving. Fluff-free sized yarns
form smooth and clear shed during fabric manufacturing.
A Typical Sizing-Weaving Curve
 Sizing Machine
The material flow in a typical sizing machine is shown by means
of a block diagram

Passage of material in a typical sizing machine

 Creel
Creel in sizing machine is used to arrange warp beams in such
a way that yarn tension among the all warp threads from
different warp beams must be uniform.
Warp beams are arranged in a creel in such a manner as to
facilitate
1. an easy withdrawal of warp sheet from each beam,
2. proper assembly of each sheet into the final form in which
sizing should take place,
3. easy access of the operator to each element in the creel.
Creels are designed for judicious utilization of the space and
maintaining the tension uniformity in the threads of an
individual beam during unwinding from full beam to empty
state as also between the threads of the different beams as
low as possible. Ideally, all the threads across the entire sheet
entering the size box must be entered in size box under same
tension throughout the sizing process.
 The Size Box
The size box is the core part of any sizing machine and is
situated ahead of the creel section. In case of a
conventional size box, the assembled yarn sheet is taken
to the size box and immersed in the size liquor by an
immersion roller.
The depth of immersion roller helps to regulate the size
pick up by warp sheet. To maintain the viscosity and
prevent the phenomenon of retro gradation, a series of
steam pipes are equipped at bottom part of the size box.
After immersion, the warp sheet reaches to a pair of
squeezing rollers in which bottom roll is made of metal
works as anvil, while the top roll is rubber coated to provide
a cushion to warp sheet during squeezing against metallic
bottom roller.
 Modern Size Box
The modern size box is usually equipped with heating coils linked
to temperature control system for maintaining the temperature and
therefore the viscosity of the size liquor. The depth of the
immersion roller below the level of the liquor is adjusted in
conjunction with the speed at which the yarn sheet is taken
through the box so that the net amount of liquor picked up by the
yarn is kept at a desired value.
Higher the speed of yarn, lesser would be the dwell time of yarn
within the liquor for any specific setting of the immersion roller.
Reduced dwell time would be expected to result in less-size liquor
pick up if the viscosity of liquor is kept constant. On the other hand,
higher speed of yarn in the liquor would also mean a higher drag
force, proportional to the square of the yarn speed, which would
result in a larger amount of liquor being carried away by the yarn.
There is therefore equilibrium among the dwell time, viscosity, and
pick up. It is important that the level of size liquor, which affects
dwell time, be also held constant during the entire sizing process.
This necessitates a level control system that maintains a steady
inflow of size liquor to the box.
 Size box
Conventional and
modern
 Drying Zone
The cylinders are driven at the desired angular velocity so
that the surface speed equals the translational speed of the
yarn sheet. As the various drying cylinders rotate on their axis,
the yarn sheet in contact with the curved surfaces also moves
along a sinuous curved path, coming in contact with a cylinder
and leaving it after a wrap greater than π but less than 2π
radians (in between π and 2 π radians) before climbing on to
the next cylinder. Next cylinder rotates in opposite direction to
the previous one. In this way, this technique is employed to dry
the two sides of the sheet alternately in multiple steps.
Generally, the diameter and working
width of drying cylinder is found to be 30–34” and with working
width of 60 – 72” respectively. Super saturated steam is used
to heat these drying cylinders and condensed steam is drained
out in the form of water through appropriate tapes. In alternate
arrangement, gas is also used for drying.
Apart from cylinder drying (two cylinder, Multi cylinder) ,
modern drying systems are convection (hot air) drying, IR
drying, microwave drying, hybrid convection/IR drying and
residual drying.
 The Splitting Zone
The yarns in warp sheet after application of size paste
coming out through drying chamber may stick with each
other. The degree of sticking depends on the efficiency
of pre-dryer assembly. The function of pre-dryer is to
prevent the entire warp sheet from being covered in a
continuous uniform coat of size film. As the yarns would
need to be separated out for the subsequent operation,
safe splitting of warp yarn is essential. The yarns in the
warp sheet coming out of the drying section adhere to
each other to a degree depending on the efficiency of
the pre-dryer. In the absence of a pre-dryer, the entire
sheet would be encased in a continuous coat of sizing
material. As the yarns would need to be individualized
for the subsequent operation, the coat of size film needs
to be broken at many places. The lease bands
introduced during warping are introduced to split the
sized sheet in steps. Rods are inserted in place of the
lease bands and held in position by suitable brackets
Splitting Zone
 The Beaming Zone
The individualized sized yarns after splitting in warp
sheet form would finally be wound on weaver’s beams of
desired width. Generally, one sizing machine feeds to a
large number of looms of varying width. The headstock
of a sizing machine must have the flexibility to adjust
according to the widest as well as the narrowest
weavers beam. The beam is driven at one end by a
spindle, to which the beam pipe is fastened by clamping
the same in a three jaw chuck and the other end of the
beam pipe is provided with a support to permit free
rolling. This supporting end has facility to move in and
out to accommodate beams of various widths as also to
permit doffing of the full beam. The width of the warp
sheet must match to the width of beam on which it is to
be wrapped. Hence, the sized warp sheet is at fist
passed through an expanding reed/comb, by means of
which the thread spacing is adjusted to the desired
value.
The Beaming Zone
Size Ingredients (Principle Components of Sizing
Recipe)

• Adhesive
• Lubricants or softeners
• Antimicrobial or Antiseptic agents
• Tints or Whitening agents
Size Ingredients (Principle Components of Sizing
Recipe)

A warp yarn should be strong, elastic, extensible and smooth.

The ingredients used in sizing are usually starches, gums or
synthetic adhesives and fatty or oily substances (to act as
lubricants and plasticisers or softeners). In many instances,
antiseptics, anti-mildew agents etc., might be added to the recipe.
Starch was at one time the primary sizing agent for textiles, and it
is still used extensively either alone or in blends with other sizing
agents. Starch occurs widely in plants but is found in its purest
form in the seeds (such as in wheat, corn, rice, and sorghum), in
the roots and tubers (such as in potato, tapioca, and arrowroot),
or in the stem pith of plants (such as in sago).
Classification of Sizing agents (Adhesive)
Size Preparation – Starch Cooking
Starch granules cooking process starts by adding
appropriate amount of water with starch granules.
Starch is found in granular form and boiling is the
simplest method of breaking up starch granules. During
boiling, the starch granules fist swell and then burst with
coincident thickening of suspension. The temperature at
which this thickening of suspension occurs is called
gelation temperature, and in pure water this temperature
is between 57°C and 72°C for starches. As water enters
inside the starch granule, the intermolecular hydrogen
bonds are broken. During gelation, the crystallinity of the
starch solution is lost.
 Size pick up

• Dry pick-up

• Wet pick-up
 Stretch

Stretch is amount of elongation that occurs in or imposed upon a given

length of warp as it passes through various zones of sizing machine. It
can be expressed as percentage. This percentage may be negative or
positive depending upon process conditions and material used.

Stretched Length% = 100 X (1 + Stretch in zone A) X (1 + Stretch in zone

B) X (1 + Stretch in zone C)
Stretched Length %= 100 X (1 + A%/100) X (1 + B%/100) X (1 + C%/100)

Length of warp after stretch = Original Length (1 + A%/100) X (1 +

B%/100) X (1 + C%/100)
 Methods/Machines of Sizing
• Beam Sizing
• Single end sizing (beam, Winding)
• Dye sizing
• Hot-Melt sizing
• Semi-dry sizing
• Solvent Sizing
• Cold sizing
• Combined warping and sizing
• Foam sizing
 Single end Sizing
The single-end sizing method is a special method for some
typical applications. Many of the conventional sizing
techniques are not appropriate for short-run production and
archaic and slow by present production standards.
Conceptually, single-end sizing is an effort to discard the
problems related with the conventional sizing to individual
yarns and drying each yarn separately. The method of applying
size is similar to conventional sizing, in that size is applied by
pulling individual yarns through a size bath and squeezing them
to remove excess moisture. However, the hot-air dryer is used
for yarn drying in Tsudakoma’s and Benninger’s single-end
sizing machines.
Machines for single end sizing are:
Single end sizing at winding
Single sizing at beaming
Single end Sizing
 Dye Sizing

The sizing machine manufacturers have been designing

machines to dye the warp sheet and then size the same
at one integrated process. It is clearly evident from this
process that only limited type of materials can be
handled on this system.
Dye Sizing
 Hot-melt Sizing
The concept of hot-melt sizing is illustrated in Figure. The warp
yarns drawn from a warper creel pass over the top of an internally
heated rotating drum. Deep and closely spaced parallel grooves are
formed on the surface of this roller, each groove being meant for
one yarn strand, allowing good surface contact with the yarn. The
size is applied by pressing a block of solid size against the grooves
of the hot cylinder.
The molten size material is transferred on to the warp threads
when they are in contact with the grooves of the roller. The groves
separate the ends during size application and also allow a good
surface contact with the yarn. The grooved surface rotates at a
speed of about 10 rpm in the direction of warp sheet movement
from creel to warper. The grooved roller is uniformly heated to
ensure a temperature of about 150°C. The warp threads moving in a
sheet form will have a higher surface speed, compared to the
groove roller surface speed. This difference in surface speed is
used to wipe the size material from grooves to the threads and
reduces the yarn hairiness. As the warp threads come out from
groove area, they immediately come in the contact of surrounding
cool air. Consequently, the size sets very quickly on yarn surfaces to
bond the protruding fibers on yarn surfaces.
Hot-melt Sizing
 Semi dry Sizing
The semi-dry sizing is also an effort to reduce the energy
consumption in drying of wet-sized yarn in conventional sizing
process.
the yarn sheet passes over sizing roller that is partially dipped in
size paste. This arrangement applies a minimum amount of size
paste on warp threads. The press roller squeezes the extra amount
of size paste and distributes the size paste on yarn.
The major advantage of this system is the reduction in energy
consumption utilized for drying of wet yarns, and higher
productivity in comparison of conventional slasher sizing
processes.
Semi dry Sizing
 Solvent Sizing

The increasing energy cost and pollution control

legislation have resulted in the development of alternate
sizing systems and solvent sizing is one of them. In this
system, chlorinated hydrocarbon is used as solvent in
place of water. Polystyrene resin is used as sizing
material and the solvent is chlorinated hydrocarbons like
111 trichloroethane, perchloroethelene, and
trichloroethylene, etc. Since the chlorinated hydrocarbon
has very low latent heat of vaporization, the energy
saving will be enormous. In case of solvent/solvent
process, solvent dispersible sizes are removed by a
solvent desizing system in processing plant. The size is
being recycled and returned for reuse.
Solvent Sizing
 Cold Sizing

Cold sizing process is specially designed for heat

sensitive fibers like wool because during drying of wet
sized yarn, fiber goes for severe heat treatment and
results in deterioration in the basic characteristics of the
fiber.
Cold sizing agents are blends of polymers based on
PVA with high adhesive power and anti-static agents
dissolved in water. These are available in different
viscosities, concentrations, and adhesive power.
Cold Sizing
 Combined warping and sizing

In combined warping and sizing process, the threads are

drawn from creel and directly processed on sizing machine
providing sized weaver’s beam. This process eliminates the
formation of warper’s beam as yarns are directly taken from
cones, sized and wound on sized weaver’s beam.
 Foam Sizing
Foam is a mass of tiny bubbles separated by thin liquid films.
By introducing air into a concentrated size solution, a given
volume of liquid spreads over a large surface area. Very small
amount of highly concentrated solution can spread onto a
large area of textile material because of the high ratio of liquid
surface area to liquid volume. In conventional sizing, water is
the medium by which size particles are held in solution or
dispersion form and water also carries the size particles to the
textile material. In foam sizing, water is not completely
eliminated and still used to hold the size particles, but foam
(combination of air and water) is the delivery medium in place
of 100% water as used in conventional sizing process.
Generally two types of systems are being used to apply
foamed chemical solutions to textile materials. The fist uses a
horizontal pad, a knife over-roll coater or other appropriate
applicator to apply relatively stable foams to the textile
material. The applicator collapses the foam bubbles after the
foam has been uniformly applied to the yarn surface.
 Foam Sizing
The second type of foam applicator uses relatively unstable
foams that collapse at a predetermined rate. In this system, the
required quantity of foamed chemical solutions meters on to the
material. Unlike the fist system, the foam normally is not
collapsed by squeezing or other mechanical means.
 Size material
• Paste characteristic: properties which govern
the behavior of size during preparation and
application:
• Homogeneous viscosity
• Ease of preparation
• The pH near neutral point (7.0)
• Absence of foaming properties
• Absence of prolonged tackiness during
drying
• Compatibility with other components of sixe
mixture
• Stability towards decomposition
• Odor
• Size film characteristics: Following properties of size
film must be optimized to exhibit satisfactory
performance
• Adhesion to the fiber and yarn
• Tensile strength of size film
• Hardness of size film, especial resistance to
abrasion
• Flexibility and folding ease of size film
• Insensitivity of size film to over drying
• Moderate insensitivity to change in relative humidity
• Little tendency to develop static electrical charges
on abrasion
• Ready resolubility regardless of the age of the size
film for ease of desizing
• Non-abrasive and non-corrosive to machine part
 The most important characteristics and those which
contribute most heavily to the weavability in sized yarn
are adhesion to fibrous substrate, elongation, elasticity,
flexibility, resistance to abrasion, viscosity, and
desizability of size film. Out of these, two factors appear
critical to size performance.
(a) The size must form a tough but flexible film to
protect the yarn from flexing and rubbing actions
(b) The film forming properties of the size provide some
insights into abrasive resistance of the sized yarn
 Modern developments
Filamaster Express 610
• Improved quality of size paste
• Hot-air drying
• Uniform drying
• Wet splitting
• Homogeneous yarn tension throughout the process
• Digital control of yarn stretching
• Heating of hot air chamber
• Uniform squeezing of warp sheet
• Easy operation
• Problem location finder
• Exact moisture content in sized yarn
• Operator safety
The factors that need to be monitored and controlled
on the slasher are as follows:
• Size add-on control
• Viscosity of size formulation (Concentration and
heat)
• Yarn speed and Squeeze roller pressure
• Size encapsulation, which may be influenced by
• Size temperature/viscosity
• Size level
• Amount of solids in the formulation and between
different formulations
• Tension in size box
• Moisture in yarns
• Tension in the leasing section
• Tension in the creel section
The factors that need to be monitored and
controlled on the slasher are as follows:

The amount and the uniformity of size add-on are

extremely important in influencing the performance of
warp during weaving. Size add-on is affected by the
viscosity of the size bath and combination of warp
speed and squeeze roll pressure.
In addition to the optimized and uniform size add-on,
another factor that influences loom efficiency and warp
breaks is the degree of encapsulation of the staple fiber
yarn. This is necessary to suppress the deleterious effect
of yarn hairiness, which has been formed due to
abrasion in the weaving process to have a very strong
influence on warp breaks during weaving.
Sized yarn squeezing