Abstract
PTT(polytrimethylene terephthalate) is a thermoplastic that can be melt-spun into fibers and has extensive applications in carpets, textiles and apparel, engineering thermoplastics, nonwovens, and films or sheets. This polymer combines the good properties of nylon and polyester. Compared with other synthetic fibers such as nylon and acrylic, the PTT fibers feel softer, dye easier with vibrant colors, stretch and recover better. Moreover, the PTT fibers for carpets resist most stainings, clean better, and dry faster. The PTT was first patented in 1941, but it was not until the 1990's, when Shell Chemicals developed the practical method of producing PDO, the raw material for PTT. Many studies have been done including the retention of carpet texture using an image analysis technique, or compressional resilience of the carpet for long term use. In this study, PTT and nylon BCF carpets were compared in terms of the compressional properties including the resilience, using one of the KES system for repetitive measurements. The compression resilience(RC) values of the PTT BCF carpets far exceed those of nylon 6 BCF carpets. The RC values of the PTT BCF carpet(cut) specimens are $42{\sim}45%$ for 5 successive compression deformations, while those of the nylon BCF carpet specimens(cut) are $26{\sim}28%$. There is also a similar trend in the RC values for the other type of carpet which is the loop type. This resilience is one of the important factors of carpet usage evaluation.