Carpet made from self-bulking ptt-containing bicomponent fibers

An improved process for making a yarn to produce a carpet whose face fiber comprises a self-bulking bicomponent fiber comprising one component of poly(ethylene terephthalate) homopolymer or poly(ethylene terephthalate) copolymer and a second component of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) or a blend of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) with poly(ethylene terephthalate) homopolymer or poly(ethylene terephthalate) copolymer, said process comprising:

• a) extruding the two components on a spinning machine capable of producing two or more independent melt streams;
• b) combining the melt streams in a spinneret suited for making bicomponent fibers;
• c) quenching in air the self-bulking bicomponent fibers produced in step (b);
• d) drawing and heat setting the self-bulking bicomponent fibers;
• and
• e) winding up the self-bulking bicomponent fibers by suitable means for subsequent processing into carpet, wherein the self-bulking bicomponent fibers eliminate the need for a mechanical bulking step.