Sizing

Sizing is the process of applying a protective chemical coating upon the yarn surface so that the
protruding fibers are lapped onto yarn surface to increase the weavability. During sizing the warp
yarns are subjected to the following factors e.g. -Cyclic warp tension -Abrasion between adjacent
warp yarns -Abrasion between warp & heald eye, reed dents and shuttle, rapier (in case of rapier
loom) etc. A single un sized yarn is incapable of withstanding the strains of weaving and also
affects the loom production and efficiency that’s why sizing is necessary for warp yarn.

Objectives
➢ To increase the wearaibility.
➢ To increase tensile strength, of yarn,
➢ To increase smoothness, of yarn.
➢ To reduce static electricity formation,
➢ To reduce the yarn breakage.
➢ To reduce hairiness.
➢ To lap the protruding fibres on yarn surface.
 Requirements of Sizing
In order to ensure good technological properties of sized warps, the following
requirements should be met in size:
[Link] 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
Technical changes due to sizing
1. Increase abrasion resistance.
Before
2. Increase breaking strength. sizing
3. Increase yarn smoothness.
After
4. Increase yarn stiffness. sizing
5. Increase yarn elasticity.
6. Increase actual diameter but decrease apparent diameter.
7. Increase frictional resistance.
8. Decrease yarn hairiness.
9. Decrease yarn extension.
10. Decrease static electricity formation.
Before sizing After sizing
Sizing weaving curve

Initially the warp breakage rate decreases

with the increase in size add on %. This is
due to the increase in yarn strength and
reduction in yarn hairiness.

The weaving efficiency, which is inversely

proportional to the warp breakage rate,
reaches its peak when the warp breakage
rate is at its minimum.
 Important Factors in choosing Size Ingredients
The most important factors in choosing size ingredients are:
(a) The recipe should be that which gives fewest end.
(b) It should be that which gives the least exfoliation.
(c) It should be that which permits easy de-sizing.
(d) It should give good fabric characteristics.
(e) It should be compatible with the machinery (e.g., it should not cause size
build-ups during weaving or blockages during slashing).
(f) It should not cause any health hazard.
(g) It should not cause any degradation of the textile
(h) The cost of sizing plus the cost of weaving and material finishing should be a
minimum.
Different size ingredients & their Functions:

1. Adhesive: Generally starch of maize, corn, rice, potato & CMC, PVA, PVC
are used as adhesive. Tamarin is used as adhesive on jute yarn.
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 Antimildew 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 is used as tinting agent.
Function:
a)To increase lusture or brightness.

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

Function:
a)To prevent foam formation.
Size ingredients used in a modern factory

➢ Kollo tex (starch materials)

➢ Quick solon spr (modifide starch)
➢ Binder (to bind size and yarn together)
➢ Wax (lubricating agent)
➢ Water
Typical Recipe
Size cooking

Size ingredients are mixed with the help of agitator in

mixing tank. In the figure, A is a motor; B is agitator
getting direct motion from motor. C is mixing tank. Size
ingredients are added in mixing tank by the help of
inclined lid (H) and steam supply from steam pipe. After
mixing size ingredients passed through the valve (D) and
then pumped by pump (E) into cooking and storing tank
(G). In the storing tank, steam is passed to maintain
viscosity of size. Viscosities of size depend upon
concentration and temperature of cooking tank (G).

Sizing Cooking 2 types :

1. Ordinary Size Mixing or Conventional Method
2. Pressure Cooker Mixing or Modern Method.
 Choice of Size Recipe
I. Cotton Yarn- Starch Based
Polyester etc.- Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) based.
ii. Fine and Superfine cotton- Thin boiling Starches
Coarse Count-Ordinary starch.
iii. Heavy Fabrics- modified starch
Light and Medium- Ordinary starches.
iv. Conventional sizing Machines- Low viscosity starch
High speed sizing machines- High viscosity starches.
V. Unbleached calendared sort of fabrics- More weighting agents, antiseptic
softeners etc. are used.
Bleached sorts- Ordinary starches.
vi. Finer Counts and Heavier Constructions- More size pickups
Coarse counts- Less size pickups.
vii. Plied yarns- Low size pick up or nil even.
 Why sizing of filament yarn is necessary?

Multifilament yarns are continuous with no hairiness but

contain occasionally some broken filaments which may
cause problems during weaving. Such filaments may have
broken during spinning and winding or during the
preparatory weaving processes of the mills. The broken
filaments create problems during weaving by entangling
in loom parts, causing them to ‘‘peel back’’ until a ball is
formed, which ultimately results in a break in the yarn
and resultant loom stoppages. The size add-on required
for filament sizing typically varies from 4 to 6% as
opposed to 10 to 15% in the case of spun yarns.
Techniques of sizing:

* Slasher sizing
* Emulsion sizing
* Foam sizing
* Hot melt sizing
* Electrostatic sizing
* High pressure sizing
* Combined sizing
* Solvent sizing.
 Slasher sizing Machine
Various units

[Link] Beam unit

[Link] Unit
[Link] Unit
[Link] Unit
[Link] Unit
[Link] & marking unit
[Link] or Take up unit
1. Back beam unit:

The unit contains frame which carries 8-20 beams to get wound, which may
be arranged in various
ways.
2. 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.
3. Drying unit: It contains of heated cylinder over which warp sheet passes. There
may be two or multi cylinder. Heated cylinder dries the yarn.
4. Cooling unit: This unit has cooling fan & guide roller. Cooling fan supplies cool air to
dried warp sheet to cool it.
5. 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.
6. Measuring & Marking device: In this unit the length which is sized is measured by
measuring roller & marked at a given distance.
7. Beaming unit: Finally sized warp is wound on a weavers beam.
 Drying Technique/Drying Method
1. Cylinder drying
2. Hot air driving
3. Infrared drying
4. Combined drying.

[Link] drying

here, drying is done by passing over hot cylinders.

A. 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 circumstances of the cylinder
B. 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
2. Hot air drying

➢ The warp yarn is placed in a closed chamber.

➢ Then hot air is blown into the chamber continuously to dry the yarn.
3. Infrared Drying

➢ The heating chamber consists of a plate which is consistently heated by gas flame.

➢ The warp sheet is passed over & dried in the process.

4. Combined Drying

➢ In this machine, pre-heating is done as cylinder drying method.

➢ Final drying is done by hot air drying method infrared drying method.
 Controlling Points of Sizing
➢ Back beam Unit: tension controlling of yarn while unwinding from warp beam
➢ Drying Unit-Cylinder temperature must not exceed 105˚C to maintain R.H. less than
6.5% which is a requisite for cotton yarn.
➢ Cooling unit temperature
➢ Squeezing Pressure: A typical roller pressure for wide variety of cotton yarn is given
below.
First Squeeze: 0.12MPa
Second squeeze:0.2MPa
Immersion roller:0.1MPa
➢ Separation Unit: Distances between the lease rods are to be care fully set up for solid
dyed & yarn dyed fabrics.
➢ Size bath temperature
➢ Headstock : All the settings are done from here eg. Speed of the Yarn Passing
 Size take-up % or pick up %
The amount of size material added on the yarn surface is called size
take-up percentage.

Wt of Sized Yarn – Wt Of Unsized Yarn

Size take-up% = X 100%
Wt of Unsized Yarn
Factors influencing size pick %:
1. Viscosity of the size paste in the size box: Any variation in concentration and
temperature will lead to variation in viscosity and which will affect pick up%. As
the viscosity increases pick up % increases but up to certain limit. After that pick up
percentage reduces.
2. Squeezing pressure & condition of squeezing nip: the pickup % initially
increases and then decreases rapidly with increase in squeezing pressure but up to
certain limit, beyond that the pick up % remains constant for further increase in
squeezing pressure.
• 3. Yarn tension: The higher the yarn tension inside the size box the lower is the take
up%. This is due to decrease in clearance ratio of the yarn.
• 4. Yarn twist: The higher the yarn twist the lower will be the take up%. This is due to
decrease in clearance ratio of the yarn. .
• 5. Speed of the sizing machine: Other things remaining constant, the pick up% increases
as the m/c speed increase. At high speed less time is available for squeezing out the excess
size. Therefore variation of speed during sizing is expected to vary pick up%. On modern
machines normally the speed does not change.
• 6. Depth of immersion roller in the size paste: The duration of immersion influences
both the level of pick up% and extent of penetration.
• 7. Level of size paste: Level of size paste is an important source of variation of pick up%
both within and between beams. If the level is too low the viscosity will change due to
low temp so that penetration will be hampered.
• 8. Density of the warp (External factor)
• 9. Dia of the yarns (External factor)
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 twisted &
lower count yarn. Above 40% size ingredients are used on the weight of fabric.
Sizing Faults

Hard sizing:
If the size materials are applied too much, the size becomes hard which causes hand sizing.

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.

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
 Mathematical problem

Length of unsized warp X Total ends

Weight of unsized warp =
Count x 840
Weight of size = Weight of sized warp - Weight of unsized warp

Count of sized warp = 100

Count of unsized warp X
100 + Size take up%

The weight of sized yarn found to be 82.5 lbs. The on a beam was beam
contains 1050 yds of warp whose count before sizing was 50 Ne. If the no. of
ends in the warp is 3000. calculate the following -
a) The weight of size on the yarn.
b) The size % put on the yarn.
c) The count of sized yarn
If calculated production is 100 yds/min & eff is 75%

a) Calculate actual production/shift

b) Total length of yarn if no ends is 3250
c) Wt. of sized yarn if count is 40 & take up is 10%
Solution:
a) Actual production /shift = calculate production × efficiency
=100x60x8x.75
=36000 yds/shift

b) Total length = Total production × No. of ends =36000 x 3250=117000000 yds

c) Wt. of unsized yarn = 117000000/(840 x40)

=3482.142 lbs

Total wt. of sized warp yarn with 10% take up

= (wt. of sized yarn) + (wt. of size yarn × take up)
=3482.142+3482.142x (10/100)
= 3830.356 lbs.