Silicone-based softening agent for synthetic fibers

Claim 1

A silicone-based softening agent for synthetic fibers which comprises: (A) 100 parts by weight of a combination of two organopolysiloxanes composed of (A-1) from 5 to 95% by weight of a first amino-substituted organopolysiloxane having a viscosity in the range from 100 to 1,000,000 centistokes at 25 τ and having a substantially linear molecular structure represented by the general formula XO--(SiR.sub.2 --O).sub.m (SiZR--O).sub.n X, in which R is a monovalent hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, Z is an amino-substituted monovalent hydrocarbon group of the formula --R.sup.1 --NHCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.a NR.sup.2.sub.2, R 1 being a divalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, R 2 being a hydrogen atom or a monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms and the subscript a being zero or a positive integer not exceeding 4, X is a hydrogen atom or a monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and m and n are each a positive integer, the number of the amino-substituted groups denoted by Z in a molecule being 1% or less of the total number of the groups denoted by R and Z, and (A-2) from 95 to 5% by weight of a second amino-substituted organopolysiloxane which is a reaction product of (A-2a) a liquid amino-substituted organopolysiloxane represented by the average unit formula Z.sub.b R.sub.c SiO.sub.(4-b-c)/2, in which Z and R each have the same meaning as defined above, b is a positive number not exceeding 1 and c is a positive number smaller than 2 with the proviso that b+c is in the range from 1.9 to 2.1, and (A-2b) a liquid organic epoxy compound having at least one epoxy group in a molecule in such an amount that from 0.01 to 20 moles of the epoxy groups are provided per mole of the nitrogen atoms in the amino-substituted organopolysiloxane as the component (A-2a); (B) from 1 to 50 parts by weight of an epoxy-containing alkoxy silane compound; and (C) from 1 to 50 parts by weight of a monoepoxy compound represented by the general formula G--R.sup.3 --OY, in which G is a group of epoxy residue, R 3 is a divalent hydrocarbon group and Y is a hydrogen atom or a group selected from the class consisting of acyl groups, acryl group, methacryl group and silyl groups represented by the general formula --SiMe.sub.2 --O).sub.e SiMe.sub.3, Me being a methyl group and e being zero or a positive integer not exceeding 5.