Abstract:
A woven fabric made from flat warp and weft tapes of polypropylene, such as is currently used as a primary carpet backing, is subjected to a repeated needling operation which breaks down each warp and weft component into a multiplicity of fibrils. This fibrillation of the warp and weft in the woven fabric produces a marked change in the surface of the fabric from a relatively shiny to a relatively matt finish. The fibrillated fabric may be rendered dyeable to a good coloration (similar to the color of dyed face yarns of a carpet) either by including a dyeable material in with the polypropylene from which the tapes are originally formed, or by adhering a dyeable coating to the fibrillated fabric. Further repetition of the needling operation reduces the denier of the fibrils still more and produces a generally softer fabric.