Diester composition and textile processing compositions therefrom

Abstract

A cycloaliphatic diester of the formula ##STR1## wherein R is substituted or unsubstituted straight or branched chain alkyl of 4-20 carbon atoms, polyoxyalkylene of the formula HO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, HO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.n C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, HO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.p (C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.q C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, or HO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.p (C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.q C.sub.2 H.sub.4 -- or phosphated polyoxyalkylene, wherein n is 2-22 and the sum of p+q is n, in combination with a high boiling aromatic ester, is useful in fiber treating and textile processing compositions. Corresponding cycloaliphatic diesters wherein R is Ar'COO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, Ar'COO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.n C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, Ar'COO(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.p (C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.q C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, or Ar'COO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.p --(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.q C.sub.2 H.sub.4 -- and Ar' is substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic aryl can be used as the sole additive.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a combination of cycloaliphatic diesters and high boiling aromatic esters and their use in fiber-treating and textile processing compositions.

BACKGROUND ART

It has been proposed by Sturwold et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,589, to use emulsions of esters derived from polyoxyalkylene glycols of molecular weight 300-4000 and a dibasic acid mixture of a dimer acid of 32-54 carbon atoms and a short chain dibasic acid of 2-12 carbon atoms for lubricating polyamide fibers.

Dumont, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,257, has proposed the use of polyesters prepared from reaction of polyols with a di- or tribasic acid as textile assistants for softening textile fabrics.

It has been proposed by Crovatt, Jr., in U.S. Pat. No. 3,329,633, to improve the lubricity of polyhexamethylene adipamide fibers by adding 0.1-5.0% by weight of oleic acid dimer to the polymer during the final polymerization stage thereof.

Bishop et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,878, have disclosed inclusion of up to 10% by weight of a dimer acid in an emulsifier-solvent scour composition used for treating textile materials under alkaline conditions.

Preparation of adducts from conjugated octadecadienoic acid and unsaturated acids and/or their hydrogenation has been described by Teeter et al, J. Org. Chem., vol. 22 (1957) at 512-514, Ward in U.S. Pat. 3,899,476 and Ward et al in U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,682.

The preparation of esters from the C.sub.21 diacid adduct was reported by Ward et al, J. Amer. Oil Chemists'Soc. vol 57 (1975) at 219-224. Ethoxylat ted esters containing 4-119 ethylene oxide units are said to be particularly effective lime soap dispersants. The alkyl esters are reported as being particularly useful in lubricant applications, including uses as textile lubricants and plasticizers for PVC.

The use of lower aromatic esters in textile treatment, particularly as dyeing assistants is well known, as is disclosed in U.S. Patents:

U.S. Pat. No. 2,880,050. Fortress et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,881,045, Mecco et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,036,876, Schoelig et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,124,412, Fidell et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,407, Parker U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,128, Beaulieu

References which disclose the use of phthalate esters in dyeing processes include U.S. patents:

U.S. Pat. No. 2,833,613, Hallada et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,934,397, Landerl U.S. Pat. No. 2,982,597, Salvin et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,899, Harnett et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,907, Forschirm U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,291, Dellian

Phthalate esters have been used as components of lubricants for textiles, for example, by Jaeger (U.S. Pat. No. 2,212,369), Dickey et al (U.S. Pat. No. 2,241,246), Brennan et al (U.S. Pat. No. 2,882,231) and Iyengar et al (U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,607).

The use of hydroxyalkyl or alkoxyalkyl benzoates as dyeing assistants or fixatives is disclosed by Fuhr et al (U.S. Pat. No. 3,532,454), Baumann et al (U.S. Pat. No. 3,950,419) and Lazar et al (U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,447).

Higher trialkyl trimellitates have been proposed by Hinton, Jr. et al as components of a soil release composition (U.S. Pat. No. 3,824,125).

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel combination of cycloaliphatic and high boiling aromatic esters which, used as ingredients of textile-processing agents, particularly for polyester fibers, eliminates one or more otherwise conventional processing steps without impairing the ultimate properties of the fiber treated therewith.

In one aspect of this invention, cycloaliphatic diesters of formula I ##STR2## wherein A is --CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --and R is substituted or unsubstituted straight or branched chain alkyl of 4-20 carbon atoms, polyoxyalkylene of the formula HO(C.sub.x H.sub.y O).sub.n C.sub.x H.sub.Y -- or phosphated polyoxyalkylene of the formula ##STR3## or a salt thereof wherein (C.sub.x H.sub.y O).sub.n is (CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n, (c.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.n or (CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.p (Ch.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.q, n is 2-22 and the sum of p+g is n, are combined with a high boiling aromatic ester of the formula ArCOO-R.sub.1 -OOCAr or ArCOOR.sub.2, wherein Ar is substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic aryl; R.sub.1 is alkylene of up to 8 carbon atoms, or polyoxyalkylene of the formula --C.sub.r H.sub.2r (O-C.sub.r H.sub.2r).sub.s in which r is 2 and 3 and s is up to 15; and R.sub.2 is alkyl or alkenyl of 8-30 carbon atoms, to provide a base for a multi-purpose fiber and textile-treating composition.

In another aspect, this invention relates to novel cycloaliphatic diester compounds of Formula II wherein R is Ar'COO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, Ar'COO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.n C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --Ar'COO(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.p (C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.q C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, or Ar'COO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.p (C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.q C.sub.2 H.sub.4 --, Ar' is substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic aryl and n, p and q are as above.

This invention further relates to a synthetic fiber or fabric coated with a treating-agent containing one of the foregoing compositions.

This invention further relates in the conversion of synthetic fibers to piece goods and subsequent dyeing, to the improvement wherein a composition of this invention is the sole fiber-treating agent used.

This invention also relates to a method of making fabric or an article from a synthetic fiber or fabric comprising coating the fiber or fabric with 1-2% by weight of a knitting or weaving lubricant comprising 5-15 parts by weight of cycloaliphatic diester of Formula I, 30-50 parts by weight of high boiling aromatic ester, 5-15 parts by weight of dye-levelling agent and 10-30 parts by weight of emulsifiers, dispersing agents and/or anti-static agents; knitting or weaving the fiber into fabric or a knitted or woven article and dyeing the fabric or knit or woven article. When cycloaliphatic diesters of Formula II are used, they will comprise 5-65% by weight of the treating composition.

This invention further relates to a method for treating a synthetic fiber comprising applying to the fiber to a pick-up of 0.4-0.75% by weight a spin finish comprising (1) a cycloaliphatic diester, (2) a high boiling aromatic diester and (3) a dye-levelling agent; texturing the thus-coated synthetic fiber at 180.degree.-230.degree. C.; knitting or weaving the resulting textured fiber into fabric or knitting the textured fiber into a knit article and dyeing the fabric or knit article.

In another aspect, this invention relates to a method for lowering the heat history characteristics and the degree of crystallinity of a synthetic fiber, lowering the temperature at which the fiber can be texturized and lowering the temperature at which the fiber absorbs dye comprising applying to the fiber to a pick-up of 0.4-0.75% by weight of a composition comprising a cyclaoliphatic diester of Formula I and a high boiling aromatic ester, wherein the ratio of cycloaliphatic diester to high boiling aromatic ester is 0.1:1 to 10:1 and wherein the combination of cycloaliphatic diester and high boiling aromatic constitutes 10-90% by weight of the composition and texturing the thus-coated fiber at 180.degree.-230.degree. C. Moreover, aforesaid composition can contain a dye-levelling agent of the formula R.sub.3 COOR.sub.4. Cycloaliphatic diesters of Formula II will comprise 10-90% by weight of the composition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In FIG. 1-4 are shown representations of photomicrographs of polyester yarn treated with the composition of Example 15 and with a conventional spin finish composition.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The dibasic acid employed in making the compositions of this invention is a Diels-Alder adduct or acrylic acid and linoleic acid and can be prepared as described by Ward in U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,968. The diacid has the formula ##STR4## and therefore is a mixture of (5 and 6)-carboxy-4-hexyl-2-cyclohexene-1-octanoic acids. The diacid is available commercially from Westvaco, designated as "Diacid 1500".

The diacid can be esterified with alcohols using, for example, acidic catalysts such as p-toluene-sulfonic acid, methanesulfonic acid or sulfuric acid. During the esterification, the reaction mixture is preferably also treated with a decolorizing agent, e.g., carbon or clay.

The diacid is reduced following esterification to a compound in which A is --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --. A nickel catalyst such as Raney Nickel, nickel on kieselguhr or nickel on alumina can be used. The required amount varies up to 5-10% by weight of the ester.

Hydrogenation is carried out after esterification to prevent nickel from complexing with the free acid. Other catalysts, e.g., platinum or rhodium, avoid this problem, but are prohibitive in cost. The catalyst can be removed by filtration through a plate and frame filter press. The product is the resulting filtrate.

Polyoxyalkylene diesters are prepared by reaction of the diacid, in the presence of an alkaline catalyst, with ethylene or propylene oxide. Reaction will occur at both acid sites and addition of ethylene oxide is allowed to continue until the product becomes at least dispersible or, preferably, soluble in water. This will correspond to addition of a total of 5-25 ethylene oxide units. The product obtained using ethylene oxide has a structure before hydrogenation represented by the formula: ##STR5## The phosphorylated product is readily obtained by reaction with phosphorus pentoxide. The saturated diester can be obtained by nickel-catalyzed hydrogenation.

In the case of the phosphorylated derivative, hydrogenation should precede phosphorylation. The phosphorylated derivatives can be converted to salts thereof by reaction with a meal hydroxide. Sodium and potassium salts are preferred.

Compounds of Formula II are obtained by treating polyoxyalkylene intermediates with an aromatic acid, e.g., benzoic, toluic or mellitic acid, usually with an acidic catalyst. Hydrogenation of the double bond in the cycloaliphatic ring can be done before or after esterification with the aromatic acid.

It will be understood that the diesters used in the compositions of this invention have somewhat varying properties. However, the following general correlation between structure and properties of representative preferred diesters (hydrogenated form) can be made:

dilauryl ester--liquid, good heat stability, good lubricant bis(2-ethylhexyl)ester--liquid, good heat stability, good lubricant distearyl ester--solid, good heat stability good lubricant bis(ethoxylated)ester(15 moles ethylene oxide)--solid, heat stable, cohesive bis(phosphated ethoxylated) ester (15 moles ethylene oxide)--Solid, heat stable, cohesive, antistatic

Representative of substituted alkyl R which may be used in the products of this invention are butoxybutyl, 10-hydroxystearyl, 10-hydroxydecyl, 10-halostearyl, .omega.-alkanoyloxyalkyl or the like.

Preferred diesters for use in accordance with the principles of the invention are those wherein: A is --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --and

(a) R is straight or branched chain alkyl of 4-20 carbon atoms, (b) R is 2-ethylhexyl, lauryl or stearyl, (c) R is HO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, (d) R is HO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.n C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, (e) R is HO(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.p (C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.q C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, (f) R is (HO).sub.2 PO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 -- or a salt thereof, (g) R is C.sub.6 H.sub.5 CO(C.sub.3 H.sub.4 O).sub.n C.sub.2 H.sub.4 --, (h) R is CH.sub.3 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 CO(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.n C.sub.2 H.sub.4 --, (i) R is C.sub.6 H.sub.5 CO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.n C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, and (j) R is CH.sub.3 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 CO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.n C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --.

It will be understood that the textile-treating compositions can contain more than one diester, e.g., a mixture of bis(alkyl) esters or a mixture conaining a bisalkyl ester in combination with a bis (polyoxyalkylene) or bis(phosphate polyoxyalkylene) ester of a corresponding salt.

Esters of the types disclosed by Dumont (U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,257), Sturwold et al (U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,589) or Bishop et al (U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,878) can be used instead of the cyclaliphatic diesters of Formula I or used to replace part of the diesters of Formula I or up to about 45% by weight of the diesters of Formula II. The disclosures of the foregoing patents are herein incorporated by reference.

"High boiling aromatic ester" as used in the specification and claims means an ester of the formula ArCOO-R.sub.1 -OOCAr or ArCOOR.sub.2, wherein Ar is monocyclic aryl of up to 10 carbon atoms; R.sub.1 is alkylene of 2-8 carbon atoms or polyoxyalkylene of the formula --C.sub.r H.sub.2r (O-C.sub.r H.sub.2r).sub.s in which r is 2 or3 and s is up to 15; and R.sub.2 is substituted or unsubstituted alkyl or alkenyl of 8-30 carbon atoms.

Accordingly, aromatic esters used in the practice of this invention include, but are not limited to, esters of benzoic, toluic, dimethylbenzoic, trimethylbenzoic, butylbenzoic and similar acids.

In the case of aromatic diesters, alkylene (R.sub.1) can be ethylene, propylene, hexylene, 2,2-dimethyl-trimethylene, butylene, heptamethylene and octylene, including various isomers thereof.

Polyoxyalkylene diesters include those derived from polyethylene glycol or polypropylene glycol.

In the case of monoaromatic esters, alkyl can be octyl, nonyl, decyl, dodecyl, tridecyl, hexadecyl, stearyl and alkenyl can be any corresponding mono-unsaturated function, e.g., oleyl.

Preferred aromatic diesters are those wherein:

(a) Ar is phenyl, (b) Ar is tolyl, (c) R.sub.1 is ethylene or propylene, including each of (a) and (b), (d) R.sub.1 is ethyleneoxyethylene or propyleneoxypropylene, including each of (a) and (b), (e) R.sub.1 is polyoxypropylene of molecular weight 200-500 including each of (a) and (b), and (f) R.sub.2 is decyl, dodecyl, hexadecyl, tridecyl, octadecyl or oleyl, including each of (a) and (b).

Contemplated equivalents of the high boiling aromatic esters described above include esters of benzyl alcohol and substituted or unsubstituted aromatic acids of 6 or more carbon atoms, or substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic acids of 8 or more carbon atoms, including but not limited to, benzyl laurate, benzyl pelargonate, benzyl octoate, benzyl palmitate, benzyl stearate, benzyl oleate, benzyl hydroxylstearate or benzyl benzoate. It will be understood that esters of substituted benzyl alcohols can also be used.

It has been found that aromatic esters falling outside of the foregoing definition, more particularly methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl and hexyl benzoates, lack heat stability, low odor and lubricating properties required for the plurality of functions fulfilled by the compositions of this invention.

Ethoxylated castor oil used in the compositions will contain 15-100 oxyethylene units, referably 40-85. The hydrogenated castor oil derivatives will contain 5-200 oxyethylene units, preferably 20-30. These materials can be purchased from ICI America and Whitestone Chemical.

Ethoxylated alkyl phenols used in the compositions of this invention will contain up to 12 carbon atoms in the alkyl function and from 1-25 ethylene oxide units. Preferred examples are ethoxylated nonylphenol having 10-15 ethylene oxide units.

Ethoxylated alkanols include those derived from 12-15 carbon alkanols, including mixtures there of, or from secondary alcohols of 11-15 carbon atoms, also including mixtures, and containing 6-15 ethylene oxide units.

Phosphated ethoxylated alkanols or phenols employed in the compositions of the invention will generally have fewer ethylene oxide units than the unphosphated compounds. Exemplary, but not limitative, of the materials which can be used are the potassium salts of POE (10) nonylphenol phosphate, POE (3.5) lauryl alcohol phosphate, POE (7) lauryl alcohol phosphate, POE (9) lauryl alcohol phosphate, POE (6) decyl alcohol phosphate, and POE (9) decyl alcohol phosphate. It will be understood that the formula given for the phosphated ethoxylated derivatives includes various products, including phosphated mono- and diesters, obtained by reaction between the ethoxylated diacids, and P.sub.2 O.sub.5.

In many cases, the composition of this invention will be left on the fiber during dyeing and will therefore function as dyeing assistants, in which case 10-25% by weight of a dye-levelling agent will be included. "Dye-levelling agent", as used in the specification and claims, will be of the formula R.sub.3 COOR.sub.4, wherein R.sub.4 is an ethoxylated alkylphenol residue of the formula ##STR6## a is 0-12 and b is 1-24 or an ethoxylated alkanol residue of the formula

CH.sub.3 (CH.sub.2).sub.c --O--(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.d --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 -- c is 7-12 and d is 1-24 and wherein R.sub.3 is linear or branched alkyl or alkenyl of 1-21 carbon atoms, phenyl or tolyl.

Accordingly, exemplary dye-levelling agents include laurate, myristate, palmitate, coconate, oleate, stearate, isostearate, benzoate and toluate esters of ethoxylated nonylphenol, octylphenol, dodecylphenol, n-decanol, n-dodecanol, n-tetradecanol or n-hexadecanol. The extent of ethoxylation is from 1-25 ethylene oxide units per alkylphenol or alkanol, preferably 6-15 ethylene oxide units.

Preferred dye-levelling agents are those wherein:

(a) R.sub.3 is of 11-17 carbon atoms, including mixtures thereof; (b) R.sub.3 is n-C.sub.17 H.sub.33 ; (c) R.sub.3 is n-C.sub.17 H.sub.35 ; (d) R.sub.3 is iso-C.sub.17 H.sub.35 ; (e) R.sub.3 is phenyl; (f) R.sub.3 is n-C.sub.11 H.sub.23 ; (g) a is 9, including each of (a)-(f); (h) c is 11-14, including mixtures thereof and including each of (a)-(f); (i) b is about 9.5, including each of (a)-(f); (j) d is 6-10, including each of (a)-(f); (k) b is 6-15, including each of (a)-(f); and (l) a is 9, b is 8-10 and R.sub.3 is n-C.sub.11 H.sub.23.

The compositions are especially suited for treatment of synthetic fibers such as polyester, polyamide, and polyacrylic. The polyester may be spun or textured polyester or filament or warp yarn and may be woven, knitted, tufted, needle punched or non-woven. The polyester can be a polyalkylene terephthalate, such as polyethylene terephthalate, or a polyester made from cyclohexane-dimethanol. The polyamide may be of types 6; 6,6 or 6,10. The acrylic may be straight acrylic (acrylonitrile) or modacrylic (modified with vinyl chloride or vinylidene chloride). The compositions are also adapted for application to blends of the above fibers with each other and with cellulosics (cotton, rayon, etc.) or wool.

The compositions can be applied at any of several stages of fiber processing. The following are exemplary of application to polyester fiber:

A. Spin Finish Application

The composition is applied to the yarn from a 10-20% emulsion to give a finish level on the yarn of 0.25-10%. The treated yarn can be built into yarn packages which can be used in high speed texturizing machines.

Compositions used as spin finishes will preferably have the following compositional range:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic diester 20-40of Formula IHigh Boiling Aromatic Ester 20-40Dye Levelling Agent 10-20Emulsifiers, dispersing agents 20-30and/or anti-static agents______________________________________

Most preferably, the compositions will contain 25-35 parts by weight of the cycloaliphatic diester and 25-35 parts by weight of high boiling aromatic ester.

Spin finish compositions will preferably contain a cycloaliphatic diester in which R is alkyl of 4-20 carbon atoms, most preferably 6-12 carbon atoms.

The high boiling aromatic ester will preferably be of a glycol, most preferably diesters from ethylene, propylene, or butylene glycol and benozic or toluic acid.

The dye-levelling agent is preferably an ethoxylated nonylphenol ester, especially of nonylphenol.

The emulsifiers, etc. will preferably comprise ethoxylated castor oil, ethoxylated hydrogenated castor oil and phosphated ethoxylated alkylphenol in ratios of 1:2:2 to 1:3:3 by weight.

A most preferred spin finish composition will consist essentially of:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic bis(2-ethyl- 25-35hexyl)esterPropylene glycol dibenzoate 25-35Ethoxylated nonylphenol laurate 10-20Ethoxylated castor oil 4-6Ethoxylated hydrogenated castor oil 8-12Ethoxylated nonylphenol- 8-12phosphate, K salt______________________________________

The spin finish compositions can be diluted with water to form a stable emulsion or dispersion for application. The spin finish is preferably applied to produce a pick-up of 0.4-0.75% by weight.

A representative polyester treated to 0.5-0.6% pick-up with the spin finish composition of this invention has lower heat history characteristics than yarn treated with a conventional spin finish. Yarns thus treated can therefore be texturized at lower temperatures than possible heretofore and dyed at lower temperatures than previously used. In addition, the spin finish does not smoke or fume during texturizing at 200.degree.-240.degree. C. In the case of spun yarns, the finish enhances the cohesive properties of the yarn and provides the desired lubricity during picking, carding, drawing, roving and spinning.

It is recommended that, once the spin finishing compositions of this invention have been applied, no conventional lubricants be used, so as to prevent adulteration of the finishes. Maximum benefit is obtained by exclusive use of the compositions of the invention through conversion of the treated yarn to piece goods and dyeing.

Spin finish compositions using the cycloaliphatic diesters of Formula II will preferably be within the following limits:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic diester of Formula II 40-80Dye-levelling agent 5-25Emulsifiers, dispersing agents 20-30and/or anti-static agents______________________________________

Most preferably, the spin finish compositions will contain 50-70 parts by weight of a cycloaliphatic diester of Formula II and 10-25 parts by weight of dye levelling agent.

B. Knitting Application

The composition is applied as a knitting lubricant and is left on the yarn during subsequent yarn processing. That is, the lubricant need not be scoured off as are conventional lubricants. The capability of omitting a previously required processing step is an important advantage in utilizing the teachings of this invention. During weaving or knitting, high temperatures are reached due to friction and speeds, but the lubricants in accordance with the invention remain functional and do not gum up or build up on equipment. In the dyeing stage, the lubricant/dyeing assistant does not break down during the dyeing cycle (250.degree.-270.degree. F.) and/or smoke during drying and heat setting of the fiber. Elimination of hazy blue smoke during drying and heat setting is important because of increasingly stringent standards against air pollution.

The lubricant compositions of this invention preferably will be of the following composition:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic diester of Formula I 10-30High boiling aromatic ester 25-60Dye-levelling agent 10-30Emulsifiers, etc. 10-30______________________________________

Most preferably, the composition will contain 15-30 parts by weight of cycloaliphatic diester, 25-45 parts by weight of high boiling aromatic ester and 15-25 parts by weight of dye-levelling agent.

The preferred cycloaliphatic diester and dye-levelling agent are as for the spin-finishing composition. However, the high boiling aromatic is preferably a dibenzoate or ditoluate of di- or triethylene glycol or di- or tripropylene glycol.

The conventional emulsifier and anti-static agents preferably are ethoxylated alkylphenols and the corresponding phosphate esters, most preferably ethoxylated nonylphenol.

Other materials in the lubricant composition can include an antioxidant, such as butylated hydroxytoluene, in an amount of up to 0.5% by weight; an alkanolamine, such as triethanolamine, in an amount up to 5.0% by weight, and up to 5.0% by weight of water.

A most preferred lubricant composition comprises:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic bis(2-ethylhexyl)ester 25-35Dipropylene glycol dibenzoate 25-45Ethoxylated nonylphenol laurate 15-25Ethoxylated nonylphenol 5-15Butylated hydroxytoluene 0.05-0.2Ethoxylated nonylphenol phosphate 5-10Triethanolamine 1-5Water 1-2______________________________________

For satisfactory performance, the take up, expressed as minimum percent extractables, when the treated fabric or fiber is loaded into the dyeing machine, should be at least:

______________________________________ Minimum % extractable______________________________________Cycloaliphatic diester of Formula I 0.075High boiling aromatic ester 0.075Dye-levelling agent 0.050______________________________________

Add-on levels will vary depending on the point in the fiber processing at which the lubricant is applied, but will be from about 0.25 to about 5.0% by weight of the fiber. During knitting, the add-on is preferably 0.5 to 1.5% by weight.

In formulating knitting lubricants using aliphatic diesters of Formula II, the preferred composition will be:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic diester of Formula II 10-60Dye-levelling agent 10-30Emulsifiers, dispersing agents, 10-60and/or anti-static agents______________________________________

Most preferably, the lubricant compositions will contain 20-40 parts by weight of diester of Formula II and 15-25 parts by weight of dye-levelling agent.

For satisfactory performance, the take-up, expressed as minimum percent extractables, when the treated fiber or fabric is loaded into the dyeing machine, should be:

______________________________________ Minimum % Extractables______________________________________Cycloaliphatic diester of Formula II 0.45Dye-levelling agent 0.05______________________________________

Add-on levels will generally be adjusted as for the lubricant containing the diester of Formula I.

Another type of knitting lubricant prepared in accordance with the invention will be of the composition:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic diester of Formula I 5-15High boiling aromatic ester 30-50Dye-levelling agent 5-15Emulsifiers, etc. 10-20Ethylene oxide-propylene oxide 10-30copolymer______________________________________

The knitting lubricants may also contain up to 0.25% by weight of an anti-oxidant and up to 5% by weight of an alkanolamine, e.g., dibutylethanolamine.

It is preferred that the knitting lubricants contain a cycloaliphatic diester in which R is alkyl of 4-20 carbon atoms, more preferably 6-12 carbon atoms.

The preferred high boiling aromatic ester will be a dibenzoate or ditoluate of ethylene or propylene glycol. Propylene glycol dibenzoate is particularly preferred.

The dye-levelling agent used in the knitting lubricant composition is preferably an ester of an ethoxylated alkanol, more preferably the decanoate, laurate, myristate or palmitate of ethoxylated decyl, lauryl, myristyl or hexadecyl alcohols.

Ethoxylated alkanols and corresponding phosphates are preferred emulsifiers in the knitting lubricant.

Ethylene oxide-propylene oxide copolymer of molecular weight 2000-5000 is preferred.

A most preferred knitting lubricant is:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic bis(2-ethylhexyl)ester 8-12Propylene glycol dibenzoate 35-45Ethoxylated lauryl laurate 8-12Ethoxylated lauryl alcohol 8-12Butylated hydroxytoluene 0.5-2Ethylene oxide-propylene oxide 20-25copolymerEthoxylated lauryl alcohol phosphate 3-6Dibutylethanolamine 1-3______________________________________

The lubricant is applied by dripping or misting on to the needles to an uptake of 1-2% on the yarn. The thus-applied composition provides fiber-metal and metal-metal lubrication at temperatures of 100.degree.-150.degree. F. The composition does not break down or gum up the knitting machine.

The foregoing lubricants, if left on the cloth or yarn during the dyeing step, promote uniform dye uptake. In fact, their presence aids dye exhaustion at 240.degree.-270.degree. F. The lubricants do not cause excessive foaming or affect fastness properties of the dyed fabric.

Lubricant containing a diester of Formula II will contain 20-50 parts by weight of this material. Other proportions of ingredients will be as above.

Use of these compositions substantially reduces or eliminates carrier odor and smoke inside and outside processing plants. In addition to reducing air pollution, use of the lubricant compositions of this invention reduces water pollution. Generally, plant surcharges for high BOD/COD or separable oils become unnecessary.

C. Application as Coning Oil

For use as a coning oil, intended for application after texturing or during winding of the yarn, the compositions of this invention will also contain a major amount, up to 70% by weight, of ethylene oxidepropylene oxide copolymers of molecular weight 2000-5000. Exemplary of an appropriate material are Ucon.RTM. LB and HB (Union Carbide Corp.), the Pluronics.RTM. (BASF) or Jeffox fluids (Texaco, Inc.).

Coning oil compositions in accordance with the invention will include:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic diester of Formula I 5-10High boiling aromatic ester 5-10Dye-levelling agent 2-5Emulsifiers, dispersing agents and/or 10-20anti-static agentsEthylene oxide-propylene oxide 60-70copolymer______________________________________

Preferred cycloaliphatic diesters for coning oil compositions include those in which R is alkyl of 4-20 carbon atoms, most preferably 6-12 carbon atoms.

The high boiling aromatic ester will preferably be of an alkanol of 8-30 carbon atoms, more preferably decyl, lauryl or myristyl benzoate or toluate.

The dye-levelling agent will preferably be an ester of ethoxylated alkylphenol, more preferably of nonylphenol.

The emulsifiers will preferably be ethoxylated alkanols, the corresponding phosphates and ethoxylated hydrogenated castor oil.

Other ingredients in the coning oil compositions can include up to about 0.5% by weight of an antioxidant, such as butylated hydroxytoluene; up to about 2.5% by weight of an alkanolamine, such as triethanolamine and up to 2.5% by weight of water.

A most preferred coning oil formulation is:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic bis(2-ethyl- 6-8hexyl)esterLauryl benzoate 6-8Ethoxylated nonylphenol coconate 2-4Ethoxylated lauryl alcohol 8-12Ethoxylated hydrogenated castor 2-4oilEthoxylated nonylphenol 2-4phosphateEthylene oxide-propylene 60-70oxide copolymerButylated hydroxyltoluene 0.05-0.2Triethanolamine 0.5-2Water 0.5-2______________________________________

Coning oil in accordance with the invention penetrates the fiber rapidly, but does not sling off the fiber or feeder roll during application. The treated yarn is lubricated sufficiently for the yarn to be rapidly coned, knitted or woven. The composition is stable and does not smoke, yellow or discolor at temperatures up to about 150.degree. F.

D. Dyeing

Dyeing assistant compositions in accordance with the invention will consist of:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic diester of Formula 1 15-40High boiling aromatic ester 20-55Dye-levelling agent 10-25Emulsifiers, etc. 10-30______________________________________

The cycloaliphatic diesters utilized for this aspect of the invention will preferably be those wherein R is alkyl of 4-20 carbon atoms, preferably 6-12 carbon atoms.

Preferred high boiling aromatic esters for this utility are dibenzoates and ditoluates of mono- and diethylene or propylene glycols.

Dye-levelling agents preferred for this aspect of the invention will be esters of the ethoxylated alkylphenols, particularly ethoxylated nonylphenol.

It is preferred that dyeing assistant compositions also contain ethoxylated castor oil and ethoxylated hydrogenated castor oil, as well as the phosphate (potassium salt) of an ethoxylated cycloaliphatic diester, that is, R is phosphated polyoxyethylene.

Preferably, the dyeing assistant compositions will contain 15-35 parts by weight of cycloaliphatic diester, of Formula I, 35-55 parts by weight of high boiling aromatic ester and 10-20 parts by weight of dye-levelling agent.

A most preferred dyeing assistant composition will contain:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic bis(2-ethyl- 15-25hexyl)esterDipropylene glycol dibenzoate 35-55POE nonylphenol laurate 10-20POE castor oil 4-6POE hydrogenated castor oil 8-12POE cycloaliphatic diester 8-12phosphate, K salt______________________________________

Cycloaliphatic diesters of Formula II are used in dyeing assistant compositions containing:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic diester of 40-90Formula IIDye-levelling agents 10-25Emulsifiers, etc. 10-30______________________________________

More preferably, these compositions will contain 55-80 parts by weight of cycloaliphatic diester of Formula II.

A most preferred dyeing assistant composition will contain:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic diester of 55-65Formula II, R isC.sub.6 H.sub.5 CO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.n C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --POE (9.5) nonylphenol laurate 15-25POE (80) castor oil 5-15POE (25) hydrogenated castor oil 5-15______________________________________

The compositions are applied to the dyebath at a level of 0.25-1.0%, based on the weight of the goods. The dye bath is acidic (pH=5.+-.0.5) and contains dye as the only additional ingredient. This is unlike conventional processing requiring a dyeing assistant of 2-4% and other auxiliary levelling agents. Furthermore, the dyeing cycle is less sensitive to rate of temperature change than in conventional systems. The dyeing temperature in both systems is usually 265.degree. F. in jet dyeing equipment.

Dyed yarns obtained using the compositions of the invention compare favorably with conventionally dyed yarn in properties such as light-fastness, crocking, shade depth and levelness.

Accordingly, the compositions of this invention, applied to a synthetic fiber when manufactured, or used as a processing aid for texturizing instead of prior art lubricants, both improve the dye affinity of the fiber and generally eliminate the need for further downstream processing and consumption of chemicals associated therewith.

Typical processed or treating agents eliminated include:

(1) Lubrication during knitting or weaving (2) Scour and removal of lubricant (3) Dye carrier during dyeing (4) Dye dispersant during dyeing (5) Dye leveller during dyeing (6) Fiber lubricant during dyeing (7) Defoamer during dyeing (8) Afterclean and scour after dyeing (9) Winding lubricant for dyed yarn.

A most preferred general purpose textile-treating composition consists essentially of:

______________________________________ Percent by Weight______________________________________bis(2-ethylhexyl)cyclo- 15-25aliphatic esterPropylene glycol dibenzoate 30-50Polyoxyethylenenonylphenol laurate 15-20Polyoxyethylene hydrogenated 5-15castor oilPolyoxyethylene castor oil 5-15______________________________________

Without further elaboration, it is believed that one skilled in the art can, using the preceding description, utilize the present invention to its fullest extent. The following specific embodiments are, therefore, to be construed as merely illustrative and not limitative of the remainder of the disclosure in any way whatsoever. In the following examples, the temperatures are set forth uncorrected in degrees Celsius. Unless otherwise indicated, all parts and percentages are by weight.

EXAMPLE 1

Preparation of Dialkyl Ester (A is --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, R is 2-ethylhexyl).

To three-necked flask fitted with stirrer, thermometer, nitrogen purge, condenser, side-arm receiver and heating mantle were charged 352 g (1 mole) of Diacid 1550, 273 g (2.1 moles) of 2-ethylhexanol, 1.5 g of p-toluenesulfonic acid and 2 g of decolorizing carbon. Air was purged from the flask with nitrogen and the reaction mixture was stirred and heated to 160.degree.-170.degree. C. for 4-6 hours. Water formed during the reaction was collected in the side arm receiver. The reaction was continued until the acid value was below 5 mg KOH/g. The catalyst and carbon were removed by filtration. The ester product and 25 grams of nickel on kieselguhr were charged to a stirred, heated pressure vessel. The mixture was heated to 160.degree.-170.degree. C. and pressurized to 400 psig with hydrogen. A sample was taken after 6-8 hours and the iodine value was determined. The reaction was continued until the iodine value was below 0.5 g of iodine/100 g of sample.

The product was cooled to 50.degree. C. and the catalyst removed by filtration.

Esters are prepared similarly from:

(1) Diacid 1550 and decyl alcohol, 1:2 molar ratio. (2) Diacid 1550 and tridecyl alcohol, 1:2 molar ratio (3) Diacid 1550 and Neodol 25, a mixture of C.sub.12 -C.sub.15 linear alcohols, 1:2 molar ratio (4) Diacid 1550 and butanol, 1:2 molar ratio.

EXAMPLE 2

A. Preparation of Polyoxyethylene Diester (A is --CH.dbd.CH--, R is HO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --).

To a stirred autoclave fitted with heating and cooling coils was charged 352 g (1 mole) of Diacid 1550. Catalyst (1.0 g of potassium hydroxide) was charged to the reactor. The temperature was raised to 110.degree. C. and the reactor was vacuum stripped for 30-60 minutes to remove any residual water from previous washing of the reactor or from one or more of the charged reactants or catalyst. The reactor was purged with nitrogen to remove air, evacuated again and purged again with nitrogen. It was stirred and heated to 140.degree. C. and 100 g (2.3 moles) of ethylene oxide was added to the reactor. The pressure inside the reactor immediately built up to 30-50 psig. After 30-60 minutes' induction time, an exothermic polymerization reaction (to 150.degree.-160.degree. C.) began with an accompanying pressure drop to zero (0 psig) as ethylene oxide was consumed. Ethylene oxide was added to the reactor to a total of 660 grams (15 moles). The temperature was maintained at 150.degree.-160.degree. C. by cooling. Addition of ethylene oxide was stopped and the reaction was allowed to continue for an additional 30 minutes. The reactor was cooled to 90.degree.-100.degree. C. and purged twice with nitrogen.

A sample of the product had a hydroxyl value of 110 mg of KOH/g (15 moles of ethylene oxide added to the diacid). The diester was acidified with acetic acid to neutralize the potassium hydroxide catalyst and 3 g of hydrogen peroxide was added to bleach and lighten the color of the product. The reactor was cooled to 30.degree. C. and the product was filtered through filter paper using a porcelain filter.

B. Reduction to the Polyoxyethylene Diester (A is --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --).

The product of Example 2A and 25 g of nickel on kieselguhr were charged to a stirred, heated pressure vessel. The mixture was heated to 160.degree.-170.degree. C. and pressurized with hydrogen to 400 psig. After 6-8 hours, samples were removed at intervals for determination of the iodine value. The reaction was continued until the iodine value was less than 0.5 g/100 g of sample.

EXAMPLE 3

Preparation of Phosphated Polyoxyethylene Diester (A is --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, R is ##STR7##

Polyethoxylated (15 moles) diacid, obtained as in Example 2B was heated to 50.degree.-60.degree. C., stirred and purged thoroughly with nitrogen to remove air. To about 1015 g (1.0 mole) of this material was added 24 g (0.17 mole) of P.sub.2 O.sub.5. An immediate exothermic reaction occurred (exotherm to 85.degree.-95.degree. C.). The reaction mixture was maintained at this temperature by cooling and an additional 24 g (0.17 mole) of P.sub.2 O.sub.5 was added. The reaction was continued for 3 hours after all the P.sub.2 O.sub.5 was added. The reactor was cooled to 50.degree. C. prior to removal of a sample. The product had an acid value of 32 mg KOH/g (indicates the reaction is complete). The batch was bleached at 85.degree.-95.degree. C. with 5 g of hydrogen peroxide, cooled to 30.degree. C. and filtered.

EXAMPLE 4

Preparation of Propylene Glycol Dibenzoate.

To a 3-necked flask fitted with stirrer, condenser, receiver, thermometer, nitrogen purge and heating mantle were charged 84 g (1.1 mole) of propylene glycol, 244 g (2 moles) of benzoic acid and 0.8 g of p-toluenesulfonic acid. Air was purged from the flask with nitrogen and the contents of the flask were heated to 160.degree.-170.degree. C. Water formed by the reaction was removed continuously. The reaction was continued until the product had an acid value below 5 mg KOH/g. The sample was cooled and filtered.

Other esters are prepared using the following reactants:

(1) dipropylene glycol and benzoic acid, 1:2 molar ratio (2) PPG 200 and benzoic acid, 1:2 molar ratio (3) PPG 500 and benzoic acid, 1:2 molar ratio.

EXAMPLE 5

Preparation of Polyoxyethylene Nonylphenyl Laurate.

To a three-necked flask fitted out as in Example 4 was charged 750 g (1.1 mole) of polyoxyethylated nonylphenol (9.5 moles of oxyethylene, NP 9.5), 208 g (1 mole) of lauric acid and 2.4 g of p-toluenesulfonic acid. Air was purged from the flask with nitrogen and the mixture was heated to 160.degree.-170.degree. C. until an acid value below 10 mg KOH/g was obtained. The product was cooled and filtered.

Other polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl esters are made in a similar fashion from:

(1) NP 9.5 and coconut fatty acid, 1:1 molar ratio (2) NP 9.5 and oleic acid, 1:1 molar ratio (3) NP 9.5 and stearic acid, 1:1 molar ratio (4) NP 9.5 and benzoic acid, 1:1 molar ratio.

EXAMPLE 6

Ethoxylated castor and hydrogenated castor oils were prepared as in Example 2. Ethylene oxide adds to the hydroxyl group of castor oil.

EXAMPLE 7

A textile treating composition was made by combining materials prepared as above in the following amounts by weight

______________________________________ % by weight______________________________________Bis-(2-ethylhexyl)diester (Example 1) 20Propylene glycol dibenzoate 40Polyethoxyethylene nonylphenol laurate 20(9.5 moles ethylene oxide)Polyethoxyethylene hydrogenated castor 10(25 moles ethylene oxide)Polyethoxyethylene castor 10(80 moles ethylene oxide)______________________________________

EXAMPLE 8

The textile-treating composition of Example 7 was applied during the dyeing cycle to a 10 g swatch of T56 textured polyester test fabric by the following technique:

The sample swatch was placed in a stainless steel beaker containing 150 ml of water, 0.067 g of disperse yellow 67, 0.091 g of disperse red 91, 0.026 g of disperse blue 56, 0.1 g acetic acid (56%) and 0.03 g of the textile-treating composition. The beaker was sealed and placed in a launderometer set at 38.degree. C. The temperature was raised at 4.degree.-5.degree. C. per minute to 130.degree. C. and held for 30 minutes. The beaker was cooled at 4.degree.-5.degree. C. per minute to 52.degree. C. and removed from the launderometer. The polyester swatch was removed from the beaker. It was uniformly dyed in a medium brown shade. Nearly all of the dye was exhausted from the aqueous solution. The swatch was rinsed with cool water and dried in an oven at 121.degree. C.

EXAMPLE 9

Texturized polyester doubleknit (1500 pounds) were loaded into a 6 port Gaston County jet machine. The machine was filled with water and the goods given an overflow wash. The machine was refilled and ramped to 60.degree. C. Fifteen pounds of acetic acid (56%) and 4.5 pounds of the compositions of Example 7 were dropped into the jet from the drug room. After 5 minutes, 18 pounds of Samaron Yellow 6 GSL (disperse yellow 114), 15 pounds of Bucron Rubine 2BNS (disperse red) and 13 pounds of Foron Blue SBGL (disperse blue 73) were added to the jet machine from the drug room. The jet was sealed off and ramped to 130.degree. C. The temperature was held for 30 minutes at 130.degree. C. and ramped back to 66.degree. C. The fabric was patched for shade, the shade matched standard. The temperature was dropped to 38.degree. C. The spent dye liquor was dropped and the machine refilled with water. The goods were rinsed thoroughly and removed from the jet. The goods were slit, dried and inspected. Final inspection indicated goods of excellent quality.

During the dyeing cycle using the composition of Example 7, the odor level in the dye house was much lower than observed with conventional systems. Little smoking from the ovens was observed during drying and heat setting at the end of the dyeing cycle. Employee comfort was therefore significantly improved.

The dyeing assistant undergoes facile degradation upon being fed to the plant effluent. The following values were obtained:

______________________________________ Conventional Dye Assistant System As Above______________________________________COD mg/kg 2,640,000 2,210,000BOD mg/kg <2,000 750,000Ratio, COD:BOD >1300:1 2.95:1______________________________________

Because little of the dyeing assistant remains on the fabric after dyeing, use of the product of Example 7 does not affect fastness properties of the dyed goods.

The foregoing is typical of production-scale application of the composition.

EXAMPLE 10

The procedure of Example 9 was repeated, except that no composition of Example 7 was used. Upon patching at the end of the dyeing cycle, the shade is slightly off due to incomplete dye exhaustion. The bath temperature was taken back up to 132.degree. C. and held an additional 30 minutes. The next patch indicated the shade matched the standard, whereupon the goods were rinsed, removed, slit and dried. Upon inspection, the goods were found to have dye streaks, rope marks, bad barre coverage and a generally unlevel dyeing from end to end and piece to piece. The goods had to be reworked by being loaded back into a dyeing machine and treated with additional dye and levelling agents. The goods were kept in the machine for 3-4 hours until a level dyeing was achieved, but the fabric had a poor appearance as a result of prolonged processing.

This comparative example shows that omission of the composition of the invention produces an unacceptable dyeing.

EXAMPLE 11

A textile-treating composition is prepared from the following ingredients:

______________________________________ % by weight______________________________________bislauryl diester (Example 1) 20dipropylene glycol dibenzoate 40POE (9.5) nonylphenol coconate 20POE (80) castor oil 10POE (25) hydrogenated castor oil 10______________________________________

This composition is comparable in properties with the composition of Example 7.

EXAMPLE 12

A textile-treating composition is prepared as in Example 7, except that 22% by weight of polyoxyethylene diester (Example 2B) and 28% by weight of propylene glycol dibenzoate were used. The composition enhances processing of polyester fabric as described in Example 9.

EXAMPLE 13

A textile-processing composition is prepared as in Example 7, except that 18% by weight of phosphated polyoxyethylene diester (Example 3) and 42% by weight of dipropylene glycol dibenzoate are used. The composition improves the processing of polyester fabric and acts as an anti-static agent.

EXAMPLE 14

(a) A textile-treating composition was prepared as in Example 7 from the following:

______________________________________ Percent by WeightCycloaliphatic bis(2-ethyl- 30.0hexyl)ester Parts by WeightDipropylene glycol dibenzoate 30.0POE (9.5) nonylphenol laurate 15.0POE (80) castor oil 5.0POE (25) hydrogenated castor oil 10.0POE (15) diester phosphate potassium 10.0salt (Example 3)______________________________________

(b) The composition thus obtained was applied from a 20% aqueous solution as a spin finish to 150 denier polyester fiber, which was then spun and textured. The finish of the yarn (foy) prior to texturizing was 0.29%; after texturizing foy was 0.25%. The textured yarn built a satisfactory package.

Spin finish, applied as above, did not smoke, drip, build up on heater plates or cause other undesirable running conditions.

The texturized yarn was knitted on an Invoit 18 Gauge machine into a double knit fabric. The yarn knitted well, with a minimum heat build up on the knitting machine. No haze, mist or odor was observed in the knitting plant.

The fabric was taken to the dyehouse and loaded into a 6-port Gaston County jet machine. The goods were neither overflow washed nor scoured. Foaming during loading of the fabric was significantly lower than that of fabrics treated with conventional lubricants. The fabric was dyed as in Example 9 to yield a product judged of superior quality. Both dye yield and barre coverage were improved and the fabric had a better overall appearance than untreated fabrics.

EXAMPLE 15

(a) A spin finishing composition was prepared from:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic bis(2-ethylhexyl)ester 30Propylene glycol dibenzoate 30POE (9) nonylphenol laurate 15POE (81) castor oil 5POE (25) hydrogenated castor oil 10POE (10) nonylphenol phosphate, K salt 10______________________________________

(b) The composition of part (a) was applied, as a 20% emulsion, to polyester yarn (505 denier/34 filament) from a single merge so as to achieve 0.5-0.6% dry pick-up. The treated yarn and yarn treated with conventional lubricant (Diamond Shamrock FT 504, containing a fatty ester lubricant, nonionic ethoxylate emulsifiers and antistat at 0.5-0.6% pick-up) were textured at 205.degree.-220.degree. C. on a sample Scragg X-2 texturing machine. After texturing, the treated yarns were tested for thermal and other properties. The following results were obtained:

______________________________________ Standard Spin Finish of Spin Finish Example 15(a)______________________________________Tube Color Violet/Green Striped OrangeDenier (short denier .about.164 .about.167method)Filament Count 34 34Density (Density 1.3883 1.3856gradient tube (range of 10 sam- (range of 10 sam-method), g/cc ples, 0.001) ples, 0.0003)TMA (Thermome- 165.degree. C. 145.degree. C.chanical Analysis) recheck, 168.degree. C. recheck, 148.degree. C..degree.C.DSC (Differential 159.degree. C. 152.degree. C.Scanning Calorim-etry), .degree.C.% Lubricant (Ether 0.31 0.41Soxhlet Extraction)______________________________________

TMA is a measure of softening or melting tendency of yarn heated under a constant tension. The decrease in TMA and DSC of the test yarn indicates that the degree of crystallinity is lower than that of yarn treated with a conventional spin finish. Accordingly, treated fibers could be texturized and would absorb dyes at lower temperatures than customary, resulting in decreased energy expenditure.

(c) Photomicrographic studies of yarn cross sections indicated that both yarns maintained their configurations. Accordingly, it is thought that observed changes in heat history were caused by changes in crystallinity induced by the spin finish applied. Dye penetration of both yarn lots was essentially equivalent, but dye absorption of the fibers treated with the compositions of this Example are higher. The photomicrographs (FIGS. 1-4) also show that the crystallinity of the test specimens has been changed.

(d) Lubricating properties of the yarns was evaluated on the Scragg X-2 machine under varying conditions. The yarn was textured at 340 meters/min at 205.degree.-220.degree. C.

The following results were obtained:

__________________________________________________________________________ Disc/ Center Heated BreakPackage Yarn Draw Spindle Shrinkage ShrinkageNo. Speeds Ratio Tension T.sub.1 T.sub.2 Den. % Elongation__________________________________________________________________________Conventional Spin Finish: (Average)1 1.91 3.255 36.0 44 47 168 15 535/18Fiber Finish of Example 15(a)1 1.91 3.206 36.0 44 47 170 16 515/18.52 1.91 3.255 36.0 45 50 168 13 529/18.33 1.91 3.306 36.0 47 54 164 13 524/184 1.91 3.255 35.0 51 33 168 14 538/185 1.91 3.255 35.5 47 48 166 15 526/196 300 m/m 36.0 45 49 168 15 535/187 1.91 3.255 36.5 40 65 165 14 534/17.78 1.91 3.255 37.0 38 80 169 12 494/16.69 1.75 3.255 36.0 42 57 166 14 501/16.610 1.96 3.255 36.0 45 47 168 13 525/1711 1.99 3.255 36.0 46 46 165 15 537/17__________________________________________________________________________

The frictional properties, breaking strength, elongation and heated shrinkage were judged equivalent.

(e) The effect of texturing temperature on dye uptake of yarn knitted into a sock and dyed was studied from 180.degree.-230.degree. C. Dye absorption by the fiber was measured using a Macbeth Color Eye instrument. The test lot was texturized using the composition of Example 15(a) and contained no other additives. The control lot contained Hipochem TA-3, a commercial dye carrier containing chlorinated solvents, methylnaphthalene and emulsifiers.

The K/S values (Kubelk-Munk/Scattering) were calculated as follows: ##EQU1## The K/S value is directly proportional to the amount of dye on the fabric.

The following results were obtained:

______________________________________Temperature K/S with K/S with Finish % Color.degree.C. Carrier Of Example 15(a) Increase______________________________________180 5.999 6.580 9.7185 5.907 6.510 10.2190 5.814 6.556 12.8195 5.814 6.432 10.6200 5.721 6.426 12.3205 5.719 6.484 13.4210 5.715 6.490 13.6215 5.816 6.542 12.5220 5.879 6.614 12.5225 5.993 6.734 12.4230 6.151 6.888 12.0______________________________________

These results show that the test fabrics had K/S values about 10% higher than a fabric dyed using a conventional carrier. In addition, dye uptake was relatively uniform over a wide temperature range for texturing. These data further indicate that spin finish application is relatively more uniform than heretofore.

(f) Large scale quantities of polyester texturized following use of the spin finish of Example 15(a) were knitted into fabric and dyed in Gaston County Jet Machines without addition of lubricant, leveller, dyeing assistant or dye carrier. The treated polyester consistently gave 7-12% higher color yields than usual. Heat history barre seconds dropped 3-30%, depending on the style and shade.

EXAMPLE 16

Lubricant of the following composition was prepared:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic bis(2-ethyl- 20.0hexyl)esterDipropylene glycol dibenzoate 39.3POE (9.5) nonylphenol laurate 20.0POE (10) nonylphenol 10.0Butylated hydroxytoluene 0.1POE (9.5) nonylphenol phosphate 6.3Triethanolamine, 98% 2.5Water 1.8______________________________________

EXAMPLE 17

Coning oil, for application at a level of 2-4% after texturizing, was prepared from:

______________________________________ Weight Percent______________________________________Cycloaliphatic bis(2-ethyl- 7.50hexyl)esterLauryl benzoate 7.50POE (9.5) nonylphenol coconate 3.75POE (3.5) lauryl alcohol 10.00POE (25) hydrogenated castor oil 2.50POE (10) nonylphenol phosphate 2.50Ucon LB-65 64.15Butylated hydroxytoluene 0.10Triethanolamine 1.00Water 1.00______________________________________

This coning oil provided necessary lubrication to allow the yarn to be rapidly coned, knitted or woven. It did not smoke, yellow or discolor during processing temperatures of up to 65.degree. C.

EXAMPLE 18

Knitting lubricant in accordance with the invention was prepared from:

______________________________________ Weight Percent______________________________________Cycloaliphatic bis(2-ethyl- 10.0hexyl)esterPropylene glycol dibenzoate 41.0Lauryl (POE 9) laurate 10.0POE (9) lauryl alcohol 10.0Butylated hydroxytoluene 0.1Ucon LB-65 21.9POE (9) lauryl acid phosphate 5.0Dibutylethanolamine 2.0______________________________________

The lubricant was applied to the knitting needles at a level of 1-2% by dripping or misting and was effective as a lubricant at 38.degree.-65.degree. C.

EXAMPLE 19

Into a three-neck 1000 ml glass flask fitted with stirrer, thermometer, nitrogen purge and Dean-Stark trap were charged:

122.0 g--benzoic acid 191.0 g--di-n-butylaminoethanol 1.3 g--methanesulfonic acid (70%) 0.3 g--hypophosphorous acid (50%) 200.0 ml--toluene

The resulting mixture was heated to 70.degree.-85.degree. C. and held at reflux until the theoretical amount (18 g) of water was removed. The sample was cooled and washed in a separatory funnel. Toluene was removed in a rotary evaporator. Approximately 260 grams of di-n-butylaminoethyl benzoate were recovered.

Amino-substituted alkyl esters of aromatic acids, as prepared above, can be used in the compositions of this invention to replace all or part of the unsubstituted aromatic esters which would otherwise be used.

EXAMPLE 20

A representative benzyl ester was prepared as in Example 19 from:

227.0 g--benzyl alcohol 400.0 g--lauric acid 2.4 g--methanesulfonic acid (70%) 0.6 g--hypophosphorous acid (50%)

The resulting mixture was heated and held at 165.degree.-175.degree. C. until the theoretical amount (37 g) of water was removed. Approximately 580 grams benzyl laurate were recovered.

The benzyl esters of pelargonic, octanoic, palmitic, stearic, oleic and hydroxystearic acids were prepared in a similar fashion.

EXAMPLE 21

A diester of Formula II was synthesized in a two-liter autoclave fitted with nitrogen purge, condenser and receiver for water removal. Charge weights were:

510.0 g--diacid 1550 2.0 g--flake caustic 636.0 g--ethylene oxide

After purging with nitrogen, Diacid 1550 and caustic were heated to 130.degree. C. Ethylene oxide was added over a four hour period, during which the temperature was kept at 150.degree.-165.degree. C. The resulting ethoxylate was cooled to 90.degree. C., sampled and the molecular weight determined by hydroxyl value. A value of 139 was found. The following were added:

3.5 g--acetic acid (glacial) 7.5 g--methanesulfonic acid (70%) 340.0 g--benzoic acid

After purging thoroughly with nitrogen, the temperature was raised to and held at 165.degree.-170.degree. C. until the acid value was less than 5 mg KOH per gram. The theoretical amount of water was removed during the reaction and collected in the receiver. The sample was cooled and filtered.

The above composition was hydrogenated in the two-liter autoclave:

1000.0 g--example above 50.0 g--Raney nickel QS--hydrogen

The reduction was run at 100.degree.-125.degree. C. and 200-250 psig until hydrogen consumption ceased. The product was cooled and filtered.

A propoxylated dibenzoate ester was prepared in a similar fashion.

EXAMPLE 22

A textile-treating composition was prepared from:

______________________________________ % by Weight______________________________________dibenzoate ester of bis-propoxylated 60.0cycloaliphatic ester (above sample)POE (9.5) nonylphenol laurate 20.0POE (80) castor oil 10.0POE (25) hydrogenated castor oil 10.0______________________________________ The composition was used to treat woven polyester in a launderometer at 130.degree. C. Sodyecron Navy AR (disperse blue 281) and acetic acid in appropriate amounts were used. A ten gram swatch of polyester was treated with 0.05 grams of the textile treating composition. Dye yield, migration and levelness were excellent. The fabric also had a pleasing handle.

EXAMPLE 23

To a three-necked flask fitted out as above was charged:

750.0 g--polyoxyethylated nonylphenol (NP 9.5) 317.0 g--hydroxstearic acid 4.0 g--methanesulfonic acid (70%) 1.0 g--hypophosphorous acid (50%) The mixture was heated to 160.degree.-170.degree. C. under nitrogen purge until the acid value was below 10 mg KOH/gm. The product was cooled and filtered. Approximately 1035 grams of polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl hydroxystearate were recovered. This material can be substituted for the dye levelling agent of the previous example, i.e., POE (9.5) nonylphenol laurate.

Claims

1. In a textile treating composition containing one or more emulsifiers, dispersing agents and/or antistatic agents comprising one or more of ethoxylated castor oil, ethoxylated hydrogenated castor oil, ethoxylated alkylphenol, ethoxylated primary or secondary alkanol or a salt of a phosphated ethoxylated primary alkanol or alkylphenol, the improvement wherein the composition contains:

(a) a cycloaliphatic diester of the formula ##STR8## wherein R is substituted or unsubstituted straight or branched chain alkyl of 4-20 carbon atoms, polyoxyalkylene of the formula HO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, HO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.n C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, HO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.p (C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.q C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, or HO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.p (C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.q C.sub.2 H.sub.4 -- or phosphated polyoxyalkylene, wherein n is 2-22 and the sum of p+q is n;

(b) a high boiling aromatic ester of the formula ArCOO--R.sub.1 --OOCAr or ArCOOR.sub.2, wherein Ar is a monocyclic aryl of up to 10 carbon atoms; R.sub.1 is alkylene of 2-8 carbon atoms or polyoxyalkylene of the formula --C.sub.r H.sub.2r (O--C.sub.r H.sub.2r).sub.s -- in which r is 2 or 3 and s is up to 15; and R.sub.2 is alkyl or alkenyl of 8-30 carbon atoms;

wherein the ratio of cycloaliphatic diester to high boiling aromatic ester is 0.1:1 to 10:1 and wherein the combination of cycloaliphatic diester and high boiling aromatic ester constitutes 10-90% by weight of the textile-treating composition.

2. The composition of claim 1, which composition is a dyeing assistant containing 10-25% by weight of a dye-levelling agent of the formula R.sub.3 COOR.sub.4, wherein R.sub.4 is an ethoxylated alkylphenol residue of the formula ##STR9## a is 0-12 and b is 1-24 or an ethoxylated alkanol residue of the formula CH.sub.3 (CH.sub.2).sub.c --O--(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.d --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, c is 7-22 and d is 1-24 and wherein R.sub.3 is linear or branched alkyl of 1-21 carbon atoms, phenyl or tolyl.

3. The composition of claim 1, which composition is a spin finish consisting essentially of 20-40 parts by weight of cycloaliphatic diester, 20-40 parts by weight of high boiling aromatic ester, 10-20 parts by weight of a dye-levelling agent and 20-30 parts by weight of emulsifiers, dispersing agents and/or anti-static agents.

4. The composition of claim 1, which composition is a spin finish consisting essentially of:

______________________________________ Parts by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic bis(2-ethylhexyl)ester 25-35Propylene glycol dibenzoate 25-35Ethoxylated nonylphenol laurate 10-20Ethoxylated castor oil 4-6Ethoxylated hydrogenated castor oil 8-12Ethoxylated nonylphenolphosphate, 8-12.K salt______________________________________

5. The composition of claim 1, which composition is a lubricant consisting essentially of 10-30 parts by weight of cycloaliphatic diester, 25-60 parts by weight of high boiling aromatic ester, 10-30 parts by weight of dye-levelling agent and 10-30 parts by weight of emulsifiers, dispersing agents and/or anti-static agents.

6. The composition of claim 1, which composition is a knitting lubricant comprising 5-15 parts by weight of cycloaliphatic diester, 30-50 parts by weight of high boiling aromatic ester, 5-15 parts by weight of dye-levelling agent, 10-30 parts by weight of an ethylene-propylene oxide copolymer and 10-20 parts by weight of emulsifiers, dispersing agents and/or anti-static agents.

7. The composition of claim 1, comprising a dyeing assistant composition consisting essentially of 15-40 parts by weight of cycloaliphatic diester, 20-55 parts by weight of high boiling aromatic ester, 10-25 parts by weight of dye-levelling agent and 10-30 parts by weight of emulsifiers, dispersing agents and/or anti-static agents.

8. The composition of claim 7, wherein the cycloaliphatic diester is one wherein R is substituted or unsubstituted alkyl of 4-20 carton atoms, the high boiling aromatic ester is a dibenzoate or ditoluate of mono or diethylene or propylene glycol, the dye-levelling agent is an ester of an ethoxylatd alkylphenol and the emulsifiers, dispersing agents and/or anti-static agents are ethoxylated castor oil, ethoxylated hydrogenated castor oil and potassium salt of a phosphated ethoxylated cycloaliphatic diester.

9. The composition of claim 1, consisting essentially of:

______________________________________ Percent by Weight______________________________________Cycloaliphatic bis(2-ethyl- 15-25hexyl)esterPropylene glycol dibenzoate 30-50Ethoxylated nonylphenol laurate 15-20Ethoxylated hydrogenated castor oil 5-15Ethoxylated castor oil 5-15.______________________________________

10. A synthetic fiber or fabric coated with a composition of claim 1 to an add-on of 0.25-5.0% by weight of the fiber or fabric.

11. A synthetic fiber or fabric coated with a composition of claim 1 to an add-on of 0.5-1.5% by weight of the fiber or fabric.

12. A synthetic fiber or fabric coated with a composition of claim 2, wherein the minimum percent extractable is 0.075% by weight of cycloaliphatic diester, 0.075% by weight of high boiling aromatic ester and 0.050% by weight of dye-levelling agent.

13. In the conversion of synthetic texturized spin-finished fibers to piece goods and dyeing of the thus-produced piece goods, the improvement wherein the fiber is coated during spin finishing with the composition of claim 3 to a pick-up of 0.4-0.75% by weight of the sole treating agent employed.

14. The improvement of claim 13, wherein the fiber is polyester.

15. The improvement of claim 13, wherein the fiber is polyamide.

16. In the conversion of synthetic fibers to piece goods by knitting and subsequent dyeing of the knit piece goods, the improvement comprising using as lubricant a composition of claim 4 to a pick-up of 0.5-1.5% by weight, which lubricant is the sole treating agent employed.

17. The improvement of claim 16, wherein the fiber is polyamide.

18. The improvement of claim 16, wherein the fiber is polyester.

19. In the treatment of synthetic fibers by application of a coning after texturizing or during winding with subsequent conversion of the yarn to piece goods and dyeing thereof, the improvement wherein the sole fiber treating agents is a coning oil of claim 1, consisting essentially of 5-10 parts by weight of cycloaliphatic diester, 5-10 parts by weight of high boiling aromatic ester, 2-5 parts by weight of dye-levelling agent, 60-70 parts by weight of an ethylene oxidepropylene oxide copolymer and 10-20 parts by weight of emulsifiers, dispersing agents and/or anti-static agents.

20. A method of increasing color yields and decreasing heat history barre seconds in the dyeing of piece goods made from a textured spin finished synthetic fiber comprising using as spin finish the composition of claim 3, without the addition of lubricant, leveller, dyeing assistant or dye carrier.

21. A method for increasing color yields and decreasing heat history barre seconds in the dyeing of piece goods made from a textured spin finished synthetic fiber comprising using as spin finish the composition of claim 4, without the addition of lubricant, leveller, dyeing assistant or dye carrier.

22. A method of making fabric or an article from a synthetic fiber or fabric comprising the steps of:

(a) coating the fiber or fabric with 1-2% by weight of a knitting or weaving lubricant comprising 5-15 parts by weight of a cycloaliphatic diester of the formula ##STR10## wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted straight or branched chain alkyl of 4-20 carbon atoms, polyoxyalkylene of the formula HO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, HO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.n C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, HO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.p (CH.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.q C.sub.3 H.sub.6 -- or HO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.p ( C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.q C.sub.2 H.sub.4 -- or phosphated polyoxyalkylene, wherein n is 2-22 and the sum of p+q is n; 30-50 parts by weight of a high boiling aromatic ester of the formula ArCOO-R.sub.1 -OOCAr or ArCOOR.sub.2, wherein Ar is a monocyclic aryl of up to 10 carbon atoms; R.sub.1 is alkylene of 2-8 carbon atoms or polyoxyalkylene of the formula --C.sub.r H.sub.2r (O--C.sub.r H.sub.2r).sub.s -- in which r is 2 or 3 and s is up to 15; and R.sub.2 is alkyl or alkenyl of 8-30 carbon atoms; 5-15 parts by weight of dye-levelling agent of the formula R.sub.3 COOR.sub.4, wherein R.sub.4 is an ethoxylated alkylphenol residue of the formula ##STR11## a is 0-12 an db is 1-24 or an ethoxylated alkanol rsidue of the formula CH.sub.3 (CH.sub.2).sub.c --O--(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.d CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, c is 7-22 and d is 1-24, and wherein R.sub.3 is a linear or branched alkyl of 1-21 carbon atoms, phenyl or tolyl and 10-30 parts by weight of emulsifiers, dispersing agents and/or anti-static agents;

(b) knitting or weaving the fiber into fabric or a knit article; and

(c) dyeing the fabric or knit or woven article.

23. A method for lowering heat history characteristics and the degree of crystallinity of a synthetic fiber, lowering the temperature at which the fiber can be texturized and lowering the temperature at which the fiber absorbs dye comprising applying to the fiber to a pick-up of 0.4-0.75% by weight of a composition comprising cycloaliphatic diester of the formula ##STR12## wherein R is substituted or unsubstituted straight or branched chain alkyl of 4-20 carbon atoms, polyoxyalkylene of the formula HO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, HO(CH.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.n C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, HO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.p (C.sub.3 H.sub.6).sub.q C.sub.3 H.sub.6 -- or HO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.p (C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.q C.sub.2 H.sub.4 -- or phosphated polyoxyalkylene, wherein n is 2-22 and the sum of p+q is n; and a high boiling aromatic ester of the formula ArCOO-R.sub.1 -OOCAr or ArCOOR.sub.2, wherein Ar is a monocyclic aryl of up to 10 carbon atoms; R.sub.1 is alkylene of 2-8 carbon atoms or polyoxyalkylene of the formula --C.sub.r H.sub.2r (O--C.sub.r H.sub.2r).sub.s in which r is 2 or 3 and s is up to 15; and R.sub.2 is alkyl or alkenyl of 8-30 carbon atoms;

wherein the ratio of cycloaliphatic diester to high boiling aromatic ester is 0.1:1 to 10:1 and wherein the combination of cycloaliphatic diester and high boiling aromatic ester constitutes 10-90% by weight of the composition and texturing the thus-coated fiber at 180.degree.-230.degree. C., provided that, when R is unsubstituted straight or branched chain alkyl, the ratio of cycloaliphatic diester to high boiling aromatic ester is 2:1 to 10:1.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the composition further comprises a dye-levelling agent of the formula R.sub.3 COOR.sub.4, wherein R.sub.4 is an ethoxylated alkylphenol residue of the formula ##STR13## a is 0-12 and db is 1-24 or an ethoxylated alkanol residue of the formula CH.sub.3 (CH.sub.2).sub.c --O--(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.d CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, c is 7-22 and d is 1-24 and wherein R.sub.3 is linear or branched alkyl of 1-21 carbon atoms, phenyl or tolyl.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the fiber is coated with a minimum extractable of 0.075% by weight of cycloaliphatic diester, 0.075% by weight of high boiling aromatic ester and 0.050% by weight of dye-levelling agent.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the synthetic fiber is polyester.

27. Polyester fiber treated by the method of claim 23.

28. In a textile treating composition containing one or more emulsifiers, dispersing agents and/or anti-static agents comprising one or more ethoxylated castor oil, ethoxylated hydrogenated castor oil, ethoxylated alkylphenol, ethoxylated primary or secondary alkanol or a salt of a phosphated ethoxylated primary alkanol or alkylphenol, the improvement wherein the composition contains:

a cycloaliphatic diester of the formula ##STR14## wherein R is of the formula Ar'COO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, Ar'COO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.n C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, Ar'COO(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.p (C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.q C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, or Ar'COO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.p (C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.q C.sub.2 H.sub.4 --, n is 2-22 , the sum of p+q is n and Ar' is substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic aryl, in an amount of 10-90% by weight of the textile-treating composition.

29. The composition of claim 28, which composition is a dyeing assistant containing 10-25% by weight of a dye-levelling agent of the formula R.sub.3 COOR.sub.4, wherein R.sub.4 is an ethoxylated alkylphenol residue of the formula ##STR15## a is 0-12 and b is 1-24 or an ethoxylated alkanol residue of the formula CH.sub.3 (CH.sub.2).sub.c --O--(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.d --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, c is 7-22 and d is 1-24 and wherein R.sub.3 is linear or branched alkyl of 1-21 carbon atoms, phenyl or tolyl.

30. The composition of claim 28, which composition is a spin finish consisting essentially of 40-80 parts by weight of cycloaliphatic diester, 10-20 parts by weight of a dye-levelling agent and 20-30 parts by weight of emulsifiers, dispersing agents and/or anti-static agents.

31. A cycloaliphatic diester of the formula ##STR16## wherein R is of the formula Ar'COO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, Ar'COO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.n C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, Ar'COO(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.p (C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.q C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, or Ar'COO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.p (C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.q C.sub.2 H.sub.4 --, n is 2-22 , the sum of p+q is n and Ar' is substituted or unsubstituted mono- cyclic aryl.

32. A method of treating a synthetic fiber comprising the steps of:

(a) applying to the fiber to a pick-up of 0.4-0.75% by weight a spin finish composition comprising (1) a cycloaliphatic diester of the formula ##STR17## wherein R is substituted or unsubstituted straight or branched chain alkyl of 4-20 carbon atoms, polyoxyalkylene of the formula HO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, HO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.n C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, HO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.p (C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.q C.sub.3 H.sub.6 -- or HO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.p (C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.q C.sub.2 H.sub.4 -- or phosphated polyoxyalkylene, wherein n is 2-22 and the sum of p+q is n; (2) a high boiling aromatic ester of the formula ArCOO-R.sub.1 -OOCAr or ArCOOR.sub.2, wherein Ar is a monocyclic aryl of up to 10 carbon atoms; R.sub.1 is alkylene of 2-8 carbon atoms or polyoxyalkylene of the formula --C.sub.r H.sub.2r (O-C.sub.r H.sub.2r).sub.s in which r is 2 or 3 and s is up to 15; and R.sub.2 is alkyl or alkenyl of 8-30 carbon atoms; and (3) a dye-levelling agent of the formula R.sub.3 COOR.sub.4, wherein R.sub.4 is an ethoxylated alkylphenol residue of the formula ##STR18## a is 0-12 and b is 1-24 or an ethoxylated alkanol residue of the formula CH.sub.3 (CH.sub.3).sub.c -O-(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.d CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2, c is 7-22 and d is 1-24 and wherein R.sub.3 is linear or branched alkyl of 1-21 carbon atoms, phenyl or tolyl;

(b) texturing the thus-coated synthetic fiber at 180.degree.-230.degree. C.;

(c) knitting or weaving the resulting textured fiber into fabric or knitting the textured fiber into a knit article; and

(d) dyeing the fabric or knit article.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the spin finish composition consists essentially of 25-35 parts by weight of cycloaliphatic diester in which R is alkyl of 4-20 carbon atoms; 25-35 parts by weight of a high boiling aromatic ester selected from ethylene, propylene or butylene dibenzoate or ditoluate, 10-20 parts by weight of an ethoxylated alkylphenol ester and 20-30 parts by weight of ethoxylated castor oil, ethoxylated hydrogenated castor oil and phosphated ethoxylated alkylphenol in ratios of 1:2:2 to 1:3:3 by weight.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein the synthetic fiber is polyethylene terephthalate.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein the synthetic fiber is a polyamide.

36. A method for lowering heat history characteristics and the degree of crystallinity of a synthetic fiber, lowering the temperature at which the fiber can be texturized, and lowering the temperature at which the fiber absorbs dye, comprising applying to the fiber to a pick-up of 0.4-0.75% by weight a composition comprising a cycloaliphatic diester of the formula ##STR19## wherein R is substituted or unsubstituted straight or branched chain alkyl of 4-20 carbon atoms, polyoxyalkylene of the formula HO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, HO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.n C.sub.3 H.sub.6 --, HO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.p (C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.q C.sub.3 H.sub.6 -- or HO(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.p --(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.q C.sub.2 H.sub.4 -- or phosphated polyoxyalkylene, wherein n is 2-22 and the sum of p+q is n; and a high boiling aromatic ester of the formula ArCOO-R.sub.1 -OOCAr or ArCOOR.sub.2, wherein Ar is a substituted or unsubstituted monocyclic aryl; R.sub.1 is alkylene of 2-8 carbon atoms or polyoxyalkylene of the formula --C.sub.r H.sub.2r (O-C.sub.r H.sub.2r).sub.s in which r is 2 or 3 and s is up to 15; and R.sub.2 is alkyl or alkenyl of 8-30 carbon atoms;

wherein the ratio of cycloaliphatic diester to high boiling aromatic ester is 0.1:1 to 10:1 and wherein the combination of cycloaliphatic diester and high boiling aromatic ester constitutes 10-90% by weight of the composition.