Patent Grant
RE40362
This invention generally relates to a textile finishing process for upgrading the quality of woven and knit fabrics. More particularly, it is concerned with a hydroentangling process which enhances woven and knit fabrics through use of dynamic fluid jets to entangle and cause fabric yarns to bloom. Fabrics produced by the method of the invention have enhanced surface finish and improved characteristics such as cover, abrasion resistance, drape, stability as well as reduced air permeability, wrinkle recovery, seam slippage, and edge fray.
The quality of a woven or knit fabric can be measured by various properties, such as, the yarn count, thread count, abrasion resistance, cover, weight, yarn bulk, yarn bloom, torque resistance, wrinkle recovery, drape and hand.
Yarn count is the numerical designation given to indicate yarn size and is the relationship of length to weight.
Thread count is woven or knit fabrics, respectively, defines the number ends and picks, and wales and courses per inch of fabric. For example, the count of cloth is indicated by enumerating first the number of warp ends per inch, then the number of filling picks per inch. Thus, 68×72 defines a fabric having 68 warp ends and 72 filling picks per inch.
Abrasion resistance is the ability of a fabric to withstand loss of appearance, utility, pile or surface through destructive action of surface wear and rubbing.
Cover is the degree to which underlying structure in a fabric is concealed by surface material. A measure of cover is provided by fabric air permeability, that is, the ease with which air passes through the fabric Permeability measures fundamental fabric qualities and characteristics such as filtration and cover.
Yarn bloom is a measure of the opening and spread of filters in yarn.
Fabric weight is measured in weight per unit area, for example, the number of ounces per square yard.
Torque of fabric refers to that characteristic which tends to make it turn on itself as a result of twisting. It is desirable to remove or diminish torque in fabrics. For example, fabrics used in vertical blinds should have no torque, since such torque will make the fabric twist when hanging in a strip.
Wrinkle recovery is the property of a fabric which enables it to recover from folding deformations.
Hand refers to tactile fabric properties such as softness and drapability.
It is known in the prior art to employ hydroentangling processes in the production of nonwoven materials. In conventional hydroentangling processes, webs of nonwoven fibers are treated with high pressure fluids while supported on apertured patterning screens. Typically, the patterning screen is provided on a drum or continuous planar conveyor which traverses pressurized fluid jets to entangle the web into cohesive ordered fiber groups and configurations corresponding to open areas in the screen. Entanglement is effected by action of the fluid jets which cause fibers in the web to migrate to open areas in the screen, entangle and intertwine.
Prior art hydroentangling processes for producing patterned nonwoven fabrics are represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,485,706 and 3,498,874, respectively, to Evans and Evans et al., and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,873,255 and 3,917,785 to Kalwaites.
Hydroentangling technology has also been employed by the art to enhance woven and knit fabrics. In such applications warp and pick fibers in fabrics are hydroentangled at crossover points to effect enhancement in fabric cover. However, conventional processes have not proved entirely satisfactory in yielding uniform fabric enhancement. The art has also failed to develop apparatus and process line technology which achieves production line efficiencies.
Australian Patent Specification 287821 to Bunting et al. is representative of the state of the art. Bunting impacts high speed columnar fluid streams on fabrics supported on course porous members. Preferred parameters employed in the Bunting process, described in the Specification Example Nos. XV-XVII, include 20 and 30 mesh support screens, fluid pressure of 1500 psi, and jet orifices having 0.007 inch diameters on 0.050 inch centers. Fabrics are processed employing multiple hydroentangling passes in which the fabric is reoriented on a bias direction with respect to the process direction in order to effect uniform entanglement. Data set forth in the Examples evidences a modest enhancement in fabric cover and stability.
Another approach of art is represented by European Patent Application No. 0 177 277 to Willbanks et al. which is directed to hydropatterning technology. Willbanks impinges high velocity fluids onto woven, knitted and bonded fabrics for decorative effects. Patterning is effected by redistributing yarn tension within the fabric
Fabric enhancement of limited extent is obtained in Willbanks as a secondary product of the patterning process. However, Willbanks fails to suggest or teach a hydroentangling process that can be employed to uniformly enhance fabric characteristics. See Willbanks Example 4, page 40.
There is a need in the art for an improved woven textile hydroenhancing process which is commercially viable. It will be appreciated that fabric enhancement offers aesthetic and functional advantages which have application in a wide diversity of fabrics. Hydroenhancement improves fabric cover through dynamic fluid entanglement and bulking of fabric yarns for improved fabric stability. These results are advantageously obtained without requirement of conventional fabric finishing processes.
The art also requires apparatus of uncomplex design for hydroenhancing textile materials. Commercial production requires apparatus for continuous fabric hydroenhancing and in-line drying of such fabrics under controlled conditions to yield fabrics of uniform specifications.
Accordingly, it is a broad object of the invention to provide an improved textile hydroenhancing process and related apparatus for production of a variety of novel woven and knit fabrics having improved characteristics which advance the art.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide is hydroenhancing process for enhancement of fabrics made of spun and spun/filament yarn.
Another object of the invention is to provide a hydroenhancing process having application for the fabrication of novel composite and layered fabrics.
A further object of the invention is to provide a hydroenhancing production line apparatus which is less complex and improved over the prior art.
In the present invention, these purposes, as well as others which will be apparent, are achieved generally by providing an apparatus and a related method for hydroenhancing woven and knit fabrics through dynamic fluid action. A hydroenhancing module is employed in the invention in which the fabric is supported on a member and impacted with a fluid curtain under controlled process energies. Enhancement of the fabric is effected by entanglement and intertwining of yarn fibers at cross-over points in the fabric weave or knit. Fabrics enhanced in accordance with the invention have a uniform finish and improved characteristics, such as, edge fray, drape, stability, wrinkle recovery, abrasion resistance, fabric weight and thickness.
According to the preferred method of the invention, the woven or knit fabric is advanced on a process line through a weft straightener to two in-line fluid modules for first and second stage fabric enhancement. Top and bottom sides of the fabric are respectively supported on members in the modules and impacted by fluid curtains to impart a uniform finish to the fabric. Preferred support members are fluid pervious, include open areas of approximately 25%, and have fine mesh patterns which permit fluid passage without imparting a patterned effect to the fabric. It is a feature of the invention to employ support members in the modules which include fine mesh patterned screens which are arranged in offset relation with respect to the process line. This offset orientation limits fluid streaks and eliminates reed marking in processed fabrics.
First and second stage enhancement is preferably effected by columnar fluid jets which impact the fabric at pressures within the range of 200 to 3000 psi and impart a total energy to the fabric of approximately 0.10 to 2.0 hp-hr/lb.
Following enhancement, the fabric is advanced to a tenter frame which dries the fabric to a specified width under tension to produce a uniform fabric finish.
Advantage in the invention apparatus is obtained by provision of a continuous process line of uncomplex design. The first and second enhancement stations include a plurality of cross-directionally (“CD”) aligned and spaced manifolds. Columnar jet nozzles having orifice diameters of approximately 0.005 inches with center-to-center spacings of approximately 0.017 inches are mounted approximately 0.5 inches from the screens. At the process energies of the invention, this spacing arrangement provides a curtain of fluid which yields a uniform fabric enhancement. Use of fluid pervious support members which are oriented in offset relation, preferably 45°, effectively limits jet streaks and eliminates reed markings in processed fabrics.
Optimum fabric enhancement results are obtained in fabrics woven or knit of yarns including fibers with deniers and staple lengths in the range of 0.5 to 6.0, and 0.5 to 5 inches, respectively, and yarn counts in the range of 0.5s to 50s. Preferred yarn spinning systems of the invention fabrics include cotton spun, wrap spun, wool spun and friction spun.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent when the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention are considered in conjunction with the drawings which should be construed in an illustrative and not limiting sense as follows:
With further reference to the drawings,
Modules 16, 18 effect two sided enhancement of the fabric through fluid entanglement and bulking of fabric yarns. Such entanglement is imparted to the fabric in areas of yarn crossover or intersection. Control of process energies and provision of a uniform curtain of fluid produces fabrics having a uniform finish and improved characteristics including, edge fray, torque, wrinkle recovery, cupping, drape, stability, abrasion resistance, fabric weight and thickness.
Fabric is advanced through the weft straightener 14 which aligns the fabric weft prior to processing in enhancement modules 16, 18. Following the hydroenhancement, the fabric is advanced to the tenter frame 20, which is of conventional design, where it is dried under tension to produce a uniform fabric or specified width.
Module 16 includes a first support member 22 which is supported on an endless conveyor means including rollers 24 and drive means (not shown) for rotation of the rollers. Preferred line speeds for the conveyor are in the range of 10 to 500 ft/min. Line speeds are adjusted in accordance with process energy requirements which vary as a function of fabric type and weight.
Support member 22, which preferably has a flat configuration, includes closely spaced fluid pervious open areas 26. A preferred support member 22, shown in
Module 16 also includes an arrangement of parallel and spaced manifolds 30 oriented in a cross-direction (“CD”) relative to movement of the fabric 12. The manifolds which are spaced approximately 8 inches apart each include a plurality of closely aligned and spaced columnar jet orifices 32 which are spaced approximately 0.5 inches from the support member 22.
The jet orifices have diameters and center-to-center spacings in the range of 0.005 to 0.010 inches and 0.017 to 0.034 inches, respectively, and are designed to impact the fabric with fluid pressures in the range of 200 to 3000 psi. Preferred orifices have diameters of approximately 0.005 inches with center-to-center spacings of approximately 0.017 inches.
This arrangement of fluid jets provides a curtain of fluid entangling streams which yield optimum enhancement in the fabric. Energy input to the fabric is cumulative along the line and preferably set at approximately the same level in modules 16, 18 (two stage system) to impart uniform enhancement to top and bottom surfaces of the fabric. Effective first stage enhancement of fabric yarn is achieved at an energy output of at least 0.05 hp-hr/lb and preferably in the range of 0.1 to 2.0 hp-hr/lb.
Following the first stage enhancement, the fabric is advanced to module 18 which enhances the other side of the fabric. Module 18 includes a second support member 34 of cylindrical configuration which is supported on a drum. The member 34 includes closely spaced fluid pervious open areas 36 which comprise approximately 36% of the screen area. A preferred support member 34, shown in
Module 18 functions in the same manner as the planar module 16. Manifolds 30 and jet orifices 32 are provided which have substantially the same specifications as in the first stage enhancement module. First energy to the fabric of at least 0.5 hp-hr/lb and preferably in the range of 0.1 to 2.0 hp-hr/lb effects second stage enhancement.
Conventional weaving processes impart reed marks to fabrics. Illustrations of such markings are shown in
The invention overcomes this defect in conventional weaving processes through use of a single and preferably two stage hydroenhancement process. Advantage is obtained in the invention process by orienting the drum support member 34 in offset relation, preferably 45°, relative to machine direction (“MD”) of the hydroenhancing line. See
Support members 22 and 34 are preferably provided with fine mesh open areas which are dimensioned to effect fluid passage through the members without imparting a patterned effect to the fabric. The preferred members have an effective open area for fluid passage in the range of 17-40%.
Comparison of the control and processed polyester fabric of
As in the
The process line of
Fabrics were hydroenhanced at process pressures of approximately 1500 psi. Line speed and cumulative energy output of the modules were respectively maintained at approximately 30 fpm and 0.46 hp-hr/lb. Adjustments in the line speed and fluid pressure were made to accommodate differences in fabric weight for uniform processing and to maintain the preferred energy level.
Fabrics processed in the Examples exhibited marked enhancement in aesthetic appearance and quality including, characteristics such as cover, bloom, abrasion resistance, drape, stability, and reduction in seam slippage, and edge fray.
Tables III-XI set forth data for fabrics enhanced in accordance with invention on the test process line. Standard testing procedures of The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) were employed to test control and processed characteristics of fabrics. Data set forth in the Tables was generated in accordance with the following ASTM standards:
Washability tests were conducted in accordance with the following procedure. Weight measurements (“before wash”) were taken of control and processed fabric samples each having a dimension of 8.5×11″ (8.5″ fill direction and 11″ warp direction). The samples were then washed and dried in conventional washer and dryers three consecutive times and “after wash” measurements were taken. The percent weight loss of the pre and post wash samples was determined in accordance the following formula:
% weight loss=D/B×100
where, B=before wash sample weight; A=after wash sample weight; and D=B−A.
Photomicrographs of the fabrics,
Hydroenhancement of HYTEX wall covering fabric secured the free-floating stitches S to the fabric backside enhancing fabric stability and cover. See
A plurality of manifolds 48 are provided in groups,
The support drums 42 may be porous or non-porous. It will be recognized that advantage is obtained through use of drums which include perforated support surfaces. Open areas in the support surfaces facilitate recirculation of the fluid employed in the enhancement process.
Further advantage is obtained, as previously set forth in discussion of the first embodiment, through use of support surfaces having a fine mesh open area pattern which facilitates fluid passage. Offset arrangement of the support member orientations, for example at 45° offset orientation as shown in
Enhancement is a function of energy which is imparted to the fabric. Preferred energy levels for enhancement in accordance with the invention are in the range of 0.1 to 2.0 hp-hr/lb. Variables which determine process energy levels include line speed, the amount and velocity of liquid which impinges on the fabric, and fabric weight and characteristics.
Fluid velocity and pressure are determined in part by the characteristics of the fluid orifices, for example, columnar versus fan jet configuration, and arrangement and spacing from the process line. It is a feature of the invention to impinge a curtain of fluid on a process line to impart an energy flux of approximately 0.46 hp-hr/lb to the fabric. Preferred specifications for orifice type and arrangement are set forth in description of the embodiment of FIG. 1. Briefly, orifices 16 are closely spaced with center-to-center spacings of approximately 0.017 inches and are spaced 0.5 inches from the support members. Orifice diameters of 0.005 inches and densities of 60 per manifold inch eject columnar fluid jets which form a uniform fluid curtain.
The following Examples are representative of the results obtained on the process line illustrated in FIG. 17.
A plain woven 100% polyester fabric comprised of friction spun yarn having the following specifications was processed in accordance with the inventive: count of 16×10 yarns/in2, weight of 8 ounces/yd2, an abrasion resistance of 500 grams (measured by 50 cycles of a CS17 abrasion test wheel) and an air permeability of 465 ft3/ft2/min.
The fabric was processed on a test line to simulate a speed of 300 ft/min. on process apparatus including four drums 42 and eighteen nozzles 16 at a pressure of approximately 1500 psi. Energy output to fabric at these process parameters was approximately 0.46 hp-hr/lb. Table XII sets forth control and processed characteristics of the fabric.
The process conditions of Example XIV were employed to process a plain woven cotton osnaburg and plain woven polyester ring spun fabrics yielding the results set forth in Tables XIV and XV.
Fabrics processed in Examples XIV-XVI are characterized by a substantial reduction in air permeability and increase in abrasion resistance. Process energy levels in these Examples were approximately 0.46 hp-hr/lb. It has been discovered that there is a correlation between process energy and enhancement. Increased energy levels yield optimum enhancement effects.
The foregoing Examples illustrate applications of the hydroenhancing process of the invention for upgrading the quality of single ply woven and knit fabrics.
In an alternative application of the hydroenhancing process of the invention, fabric strata are hydrobonded into integral composite fabric.
Napped surfaces 62a, 62b are provided by use of conventional mechanical napping apparatus. Such apparatus include cylinders covered with metal points or teasel burrs which abrade fabric surfaces.
Advantageously, composite fabric 60 is manufactured without requirement of conventional laminating adhesives. As a result, the composite fabric breaths and has improved tactile characteristics than obtained in prior art laminated composites. It will be recognized that such composite fabrics have diverse applications in field such as apparel and footwear.
Optimum enhancement (in single and multi-ply fabrics) is a function of energy. Preferred results are obtained at energy levels of approximately 0.46 hp-hr/lb. Energy requirements will of course vary for different fabrics as will process conditions required to achieve optimum energy levels. In general, process speeds, nozzle configuration and spacing may be varied to obtain preferred process energy levels.
Enhanced fabrics of the invention are preferably fabricated of yarns including fibers having deniers and lengths, respectively, in the range of 0.3 to 10.0 and 0.5 to 6.0 inches, and yarn counts of 0.5s to 80s. Optimum enhancement is obtained in fabrics having fiber deniers in the range of 0.5 to 6, staple fibers of 0.5 to 6.0 inches, and yarn counts in the range of 0.5s to 50s. Preferred yarn spinning systems employed in the invention fabrics include cotton spun, wrap spun and wool spun. Experimentation indicates that preferred enhancement results are obtained in fabrics including low denier, short lengths fibers, and loosely twisted yarns.
The invention advances the art by recognizing that superior fabric enhancement can be obtained under controlled process conditions and energy levels. Heretofore, the art has not recognized the advantages and the extent to which hydroenhancement can be employed to upgrade fabric quality. It is submitted that the results achieved in the invention reflect a substantial and surprising contribution to the art.
Numerous modifications are possible in light of the above disclosure. For example, although the preferred process and apparatus employ fluid pervious support members, non-porous support members are within the scope of the invention. Similarly,
It will be recognized that the process of the invention has wide application for the production of a diversity of enhanced fabrics. Thus, the Examples are not intended to limit the invention.
Finally, although the disclosed enhancement process employs columnar jet orifices to provide a fluid curtain, other apparatus may be employed for this purpose. Attention is directed to the International Patent Application (RO/US) to Siegel at al., entitled “Apparatus and Method For Hydropatterning Fabric”, filed concurrently herewith, assigned to Veratec, Inc., which discloses a divergent jet fluid entangling apparatus for use in hydropatterning woven and nonwoven textile fabrics.
Therefore, although the invention has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that other hydroentangling apparatus and processes may be devised, which are nevertheless within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. Nos. 07/041,542 and 07/184,350, respectively filed Apr. 23, 1987; and Apr. 21, 1988, and now both abandoned.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US85/01593 | 4/14/1989 | WO | 00 | 5/18/1989 |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 07184350 | Apr 1988 | US |
| Child | 07382160 | US | |
| Parent | 07041542 | Apr 1987 | US |
| Child | 07184350 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 07382160 | Apr 1989 | US |
| Child | 08049227 | US |
