Novel crimped and crimpable filaments and their preparation

Claim 1

A COMPOSITE FILAMENT CRIMPABLE FROM A STRAIGHT STATE UPON RELAXATION BY SHRINKING COMPRISED OF AT LEAST TWO POLYMERIC COMPONENTS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SYNTHETIC ADDITION POLYMERS AND POLYESTERS, SAID POLYMERIC COMPONENTS BEING ECCENTRICALLY DISPOSED TOWARDS EACH OTHER IN DISTINCT ZONES WITH ADJOINING SURFACES BEING IN INTIMATE ADHERING CONTAC T WITH EACH OTHER, EACH OF SAID COMPONENTS EXTENDING THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF SAID FILAMENT, ONE OF SAID COMPONENTS CONTAINING AT LEAST 50 MILLIEQUIVALENTS PER KILOGRAM OF POLYMER OF IONIZABLE GROUPS, SAID GROUPS BEING CHEMICALLY BONDED TO THE POLYMER CHAIN OF SAID COMPONENT AND BEING IONIZABLE IN A SWELLING AGENT FOR SAID COMPONENT TO PROVIDE A REVERSIBLE LENGTH CHANGE IN SAID COMPONENT, THE NUMBER OF SAID IONIZABLE GROUPS BEING IN SUBSTANTIAL EXCESS OF SUCH GROUPS ON ANY OF SAID OTHER COMPONENTS, ONE OF SAID COMPONENTS HAVING A SHRINKABILITY OF AT LEAST 1% GREATER THAN ANY OF SAID OTHER COMPONENTS AND ONE OF SAID COMPONENTS HAVING A REVERSIBLE LENGTH CHANGE AFTER SHRINKAGE EVIDENCED BY AN INCREASE IN LENGTH OF AT LEAST 0.05% GREATER THAN ANY OF SAID OTHER COMPONENTS WHEN TREATED WITH SAID SWELLING AGENT WITH SAID COMPONENT SUBSTANTIALLY RETURNING TO ITS ORIGINAL LENGTH UPON REMOVAL OF SAID SWELLING AGENT, SAID FILAMENT ASSUMING A CRIMPED STATE UPON RELAXATION BY SHRINKING AND EXHIBITING CRIMP REVERISBILITY CHARACTERIZED BY SQUIRMING OF SAID FILAMENT UPON TREATMENT WITH AND UPON REMOVAL OF SAID SWELLING AGENT AFTER SAID SHRINKING.