Treatment of filament yarns to provide spun-like characteristics and yarns and fabrics produced thereby

A process for forming a continuous filament yarn having the surface tactile character of a spun yarn, the process comprising the steps of:

• passing a cohesive yarn structure through the interior of a rotating sleeve member disposed in surrounding relation to the cohesive yarn structure, wherein the rotating sleeve member comprises an abrasive inner surface of diameter greater than the cohesive yarn structure and adapted to intermittently contact the exterior surface of the cohesive yarn structure as the cohesive yarn structure passes through the rotating sleeve member such that at least a portion of the elongate filaments disposed at the exterior surface of the cohesive yarn structure are broken and centrifugally wrapped at least partially around the interior of the cohesive yarn structure such that terminal ends of the broken filaments define an arrangement of outwardly projecting hairs and wherein the outwardly projecting hairs project away from the interior of the cohesive yarn structure at discrete locations disposed substantially around the circumference of the cohesive yarn structure.

An apparatus for texturizing a continuous filament yarn to impart the surface tactile character of a spun yam, the apparatus comprising:

• a rotating sleeve member disposed in-line with said continuous filament yarn along a yarn conveyance path, wherein the rotating sleeve member is adapted to surround said continuous filament yarn and wherein the rotating sleeve member comprises an abrasive inner surface of diameter greater than the continuous filament yarn, the abrasive inner surface being adapted to intermittently contact filaments at an exterior surface of the continuous filament yarn as the continuous filament yarn passes through the rotating sleeve member such that at least a portion of the filaments at the exterior surface of the continuous filament yarn are broken and centrifugally wrapped at least partially around an interior portion of the continuous filament yarn and terminal ends of the broken filaments define an arrangement of outwardly projecting hairs projecting away from the interior of the continuous filament yarn at discrete locations disposed substantially around the circumference of the continuous filament yarn.