The characteristics of polypropylene yarn!

polypropylene yarn is a synthetic fiber yarn made from polypropylene (PP) through spinning. With its unique chemical structure and physical properties, it is widely used in the textile, industrial, agricultural and other fields. The following are its main features:

I. Physical Performance Characteristics

"Lightweight"

The density of polypropylene is only 0.91g/cm³, making it the lightest variety among common synthetic fibers (lighter than water and capable of floating on water surface). The yarn and fabric made from it are light in weight and suitable for making lightweight products (such as sportswear, fishing nets, sunshades, etc.), which can reduce the burden when wearing or using them.

It has excellent strength and wear resistance

The breaking strength in the dry state is relatively high (3-5 CN /dtex), approaching that of polyester, and the strength in the wet state does not decrease (different from natural fibers such as cotton and viscose), making it suitable for manufacturing products that need to withstand certain tensile forces (such as shoulder straps, filter cloth, and industrial sewing thread).

It has good wear resistance, second only to nylon, and is not easily damaged by repeated friction, thus extending the service life of products (such as carpets and labor protection gloves).

Moderate elasticity and resilience

Its elasticity is better than that of cotton and linen, but not as good as that of nylon and polyester. The recovery rate after stretching is moderate. It is prone to certain deformation under long-term force (for example, knitted fabrics may have slight relaxation), so it is less used in scenarios with extremely high elasticity requirements (such as tight-fitting clothes).

Ii. Characteristics of Chemical and Environmental Tolerance

Strong resistance to chemical corrosion

It has excellent resistance to acids, alkalis, salts and other chemical substances, and is not easily corroded in general concentration acid and alkali solutions. It is suitable for making chemical filter materials, protective clothing, agricultural anti-corrosion ropes, etc.

It has outstanding water resistance and moisture-proof properties

The molecular structure of polypropylene has no hydrophilic groups, and its moisture absorption is extremely low (with a moisture regain rate of only 0.03%). It hardly absorbs water and water is not easy to penetrate. The fabrics made from it dry quickly and are not prone to mold, making it suitable for outdoor products (such as tent fabrics, raincoats) and industrial products in humid environments (such as aquaculture nets).

The weather resistance and heat resistance are limited

Poor weather resistance: Long-term exposure to sunlight makes it prone to ultraviolet aging, leading to a decrease in strength and brittleness. Therefore, anti-ultraviolet additives need to be added for products that are used outdoors for a long time (such as sunshade nets and tarpaulins).

Medium heat resistance: Softening point approximately 140℃, melting point 165~170℃, not resistant to high-temperature ironing (suitable for low-temperature ironing), not suitable for long-term use in high-temperature environments (such as textiles in high-temperature areas of the kitchen).

Iii. Processing and Application Characteristics

Poor dyeing performance

The molecular structure of polypropylene is regular and has no polar groups. Traditional water-soluble dyes are difficult to adhere to, and special dyeing processes (such as solution dyeing, carrier dyeing, high-temperature and high-pressure dyeing) are required. Therefore, the yarns are mostly in the original color of the raw material or made into colored ones by adding color masterbatches, and the later dyeing cost is relatively high.

Weak electrical conductivity and antistatic property

It is a good electrical insulator by itself, but it is prone to generating static electricity due to friction. This situation needs to be improved by adding antistatic agents or blending conductive fibers (such as reducing static electricity adsorption of dust when used in carpets and clothing).

Strong processing adaptability

It can be made into short fiber yarn, long fiber yarn, expanded yarn, etc. through different spinning processes (such as melt spinning, short fiber spinning, long fiber spinning), and is suitable for various processing methods such as weaving, knitting, and weaving. The product forms are flexible (such as fabric, rope, net fabric, wadding, etc.).

Low cost

The raw material price of polypropylene is relatively low, and the spinning process is simple. The production cost of polypropylene yarn is much lower than that of nylon and polyester. It has a high cost performance and is suitable for large-scale industrial application.

Iv. Typical Application Scenarios

Textile and apparel: sportswear (lightweight, quick-drying), thermal underwear (blended with other fibers to increase fluffiness), work protection clothing (wear-resistant, acid and alkali resistant).

Industrial field: filter cloth (for filtering chemical liquids), sewing thread (industrial sewing bags), cable sheaths (for insulation and moisture-proofing).

Agriculture and fishery: Sunshade nets, insect-proof nets, fishing nets (lightweight, water-resistant), packing ropes (high strength, low cost).

Household items: carpets (durable and easy to clean), cushion fillers (fluffy and with moderate resilience).

Summary

The core advantages of polypropylene yarn are "light weight, wear resistance, chemical corrosion resistance and low cost", but it also has limitations such as "difficult dyeing, poor weather resistance and easy static electricity". Its application scenarios are mostly concentrated in fields where the performance requirements are in line with the above-mentioned advantages and can avoid the shortcomings. It is a kind of synthetic fiber yarn with strong practicality and outstanding cost performance.