Dye diffusion promoting agents for aramids

A process of dyeing a blend of poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) and poly(p,-phenyleneterephthalamide) fibers comprising:

• (a) treating the fibers at a temperature in the range of about 1000.degree. C. to about 1500.degree. C. and elevated pressure in a solution containing a tinctorial amount of a basic dye and a dye diffusion promoting amount of an aliphatic amide having 7 to 14 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio of the fabric at least 1.5% and excluding N-octyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone, then
• (b) heating the fabric in the solution until the poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) fibers have been dyed and the poly(p-phenyleneterephthalamide) fibers have been stained.

A process of flame-retardant treating poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) fabric comprising:

• (a) treating the fabric with flame retardant at a temperature in the range of about 100.degree. C. to about 1500.degree. C. and elevated pressure in a fiber-treating solution containing a flame-retarding amount of at least one flame retardant and a flame retardant diffusion promoting amount of an aliphatic amide having 7 to 14 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio of the fabric at least 1.5% and excluding N-octyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone, then
• (b) heating the fabric while in contact with the solution until the desired degree of flame retardant fixation is attained.

A process of simultaneously dyeing and flame-retardant treating poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) fabric comprising:

• (a) dyeing and flame-retardant treating the fabric at a temperature in the range of about 1000.degree. to about 1500.degree. C. and elevated pressure in a fiber-treating solution containing a tinctorial amount of at least one dye, a flame-retarding amount of at least one flame retardant and a flame retardant diffusion promoting amount of an aliphatic amide having 7 to 14 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio of the fabric at least 1.5% and excluding N-octyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone, then
• (b) heating the fabric while in contact with the solution until the desired degree of dyeing or flame resistance or both is attained.

A process of dyeing poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) fabric comprising:

• (a) dyeing the fabric at a temperature of from about 700.degree. C. to about 1000.degree. C. at atmospheric pressure in an aqueous dyebath containing a tinctorial amount of at least one dye and a dye diffusion promoting agent consisting of an aliphatic amide having 7 to 14 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio of the fabric at least 1.5% and excluding N-octyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone, then
• (b) heating the fabric while in contact with the treating solution until the desired degree of dyeing is attained.

The process of flame-retardant treating poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) fabric comprising:

• (a) flame-retardant treating the fabric at a temperature of about 700.degree. C. to about 100.degree. C. at atmospheric pressure in an aqueous bath containing a flame-retarding amount of at least one flame retardant and a diffusion promoting amount of at least one aliphatic amide having 7 to 14 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio of the fabric at least 1.5% and excluding N-octyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone, then
• (c) heating the fabric while in contact with the treating solution until the desired degree of flame retardant fixation is attained.

A process for simultaneously dyeing and flame-retardant treating poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) fabric comprising:

• (a) dyeing and flame-retardant treating the fabric at atmospheric pressure in an aqueous dyebath containing a tinctorial amount of at least one dye, a flame-retarding amount of at least one flame retardant and a diffusion-promoting amount of an aliphatic amide having 7 to 14 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio of the fabric at least 1.5% and excluding N-octyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone, then
• (b) heating the fabric while in contact with the treating solution until the desired degree of dyeing or flame resistance or both is attained.

A process of dyeing poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) fabric comprising:

• (a) applying to a poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide textile fabric a solution containing a tinctorial amount of at least one dye and a dye-diffusion promoting amount of an aliphatic amide having 7 to 14 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio of the fabric at least 1.5% and excluding N-octyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone, then
• (b) heating the fabric while in contact with the solution until the desired degree of dyeing is attained.

A process of flame-retardant treating poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) fabric comprising:

• (a) applying to the textile fabric flame-retardant diffusion promoting amount of an aliphatic amide having 7 to 14 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio of the fabric at least 1.5% and excluding N-octyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone,
• (b) flame-retardant treating the fabric at a temperature in the range of about 1000.degree. C. to about 1500.degree. C. and elevated pressure in a fiber-treating solution containing a flame-retarding amount of at least one flame retardant, then,
• (c) heating the fabric while in contact with the solution until the desired degree of flame-retardant fixation is attained.

A process of flame-retardant treating and dyeing poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) fabric comprising:

• (a) flame-retardant treating the fabric in a solution containing a flame-retarding amount of at least one flame retardant and a diffusion-promoting amount of an aliphatic amide having 7 to 4 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio of the fabric at least 1.5% and excluding N-octyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone,
• (b) dyeing the fabric of step (a) at a temperature in the range of about 100.degree. C. to about 1500.degree. C. at elevated pressure in a solution containing a tinctorial amount of at least one dye, then
• (c) heating the fabric while in contact with the solution until the desired degree of dyeing or flame resistance or both is attained.

An aqueous dyelgath for dyeing poly(m-phenylene-isophthalamide) textile fabrics consisting essentially of:

• a tinctorial amount of at least one dye;
• and
• a dye diffusion promoting amount of an aliphatic amide having 7 to 14 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio of the fabric at least 1.5%.

A dyeing assistant which on dilution with water provides a dye diffusion promoting amount of an aliphatic amide having 7 to 14 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio of the fabric at least 1.5%, and which with the addition of a tinctorial amount of at least one dye provides a dyebath suitable for dyeing poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) textile fabrics.

A dyeing and flame retarding assistant which on dilution with water provides a dye diffusion promoting amount of an aliphatic amide having 7 to 14 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio of the fabric at least 1.5%;

• and
• a concentration of a neutral chloroalkyl diphosphate ester flame retardant of 0.05% to 5%, and which with the addition of at least one dye provides a dyebath suitable for simultaneously dyeing and flame retarding poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) textile fabrics.

A poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) textile fabric, or yarn containing with little fibers a dye diffusion promoting amount of an aliphatic amide having 7 to 14 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio of the fabric at least 1.5%.

A process of dyeing a poly(m-phenyleneiso-phthalamide) textile fabric comprising the successive steps of:

• (a) supplying a poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) textile fabric having thereon a dye diffusion promoting amount of an aliphatic amide having 7 to 14 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio at least 1.5% and excluding N-octyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidones, then
• (b) applying a tinctorial amount of at least one dyestuff to the fabric and then
• (c) drying, then Breaming the thus-treated fabric with saturated steam or superheated steam at an elevated temperature of at least about 100.degree. C. for a time sufficient to permeate and fix the dyestuff inside the poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) fibers.

A process of printing a predetermined pattern on a textile fabric composed of poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) comprising the steps of:

• (a) applying onto a poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide)-containing fabric in a predetermined pattern a print paste consisting essentially of a dye diffusion promoting amount of an aliphatic amide having 7 to 14 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio at least 1.5% and excluding N-octyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidionel, at least one dyestuff compatible with the amide, a print paste thickener compatible with the amide, and water and, thereafter,
• (b) drying and curing the thus treated fabric at an elevated temperature of about 100.degree. C. to about 210.degree. C. and for a time sufficient to permeate and fix the dyestuff inside the poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) fibers.

A process for pretreating poly(m-phenyleneiso-phthalamide) fibers or fabric comprising applying to said fiber or fabric a dye-enhancing or flame-retardant enhancing amount of an aliphatic amide having 7 to 14 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio at least 1.5% and excluding N-octyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone.

Poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) fibers or fabric having from 10% to 120% by weight of an aliphatic amide having 7 to 14 carbon atoms capable of increasing the swelling ratio at least 1.5% and excluding N-octyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone to make the fibers or fabric receptive to dyeing, printing or flame retardant treating.