Patent Grant
7579045
Recently, there has been much interest in altering the properties of knit fabrics for added comfort. For example, velour fabrics having opposite fleece or raised surfaces are known to have good insulation performance under static conditions, i.e., in calm or still air with no wind blowing through the fabric. However, as conditions become more dynamic, the insulating performance of these articles drops rapidly. As a result, a wearer will often find it necessary to wear a continuous shell of low permeability. However, such continuous shells do not facilitate moisture vapor transmission in either dynamic or static conditions.
Composite fabric articles are achieved by joining at least one material to a fabric body to attain desirable properties that cannot be attained by the fabric body alone. Laminar composites, for example, having multiple layers joined by an adhesive are sometimes employed to increase the thermal resistance of a fabric body.
One aspect of the disclosure features a composite fabric article comprising multi-filament, interlaced yarns forming a fabric body of knit construction. The fabric body has an inner surface and an outer surface where the inner surface has at least one region of raised fibers or fleece formed thereupon, and the outer surface has an area upon which a non-continuous coating of discrete coating segments is applied. The non-continuous coating binds individual yarn fibers together in bound groupings and enhances the abrasion resistance of the outer surface.
In some implementations, the non-continuous coating is without substantial effect on the insulation performance or moisture transmission rate provided by the knit construction of the fabric body.
In certain implementations, portions of the outer surface adjacent coating segments within the coated area of the outer surface are substantially free of coating material. In some cases, the non-continuous coating is disposed in a discrete area of the outer surface and an other area of the outer surface adjacent the discrete area is substantially free of coating material. In some implementations, the non-continuous coating is disposed in a discrete area of the outer surface and a continuous coating is applied in an other area of the outer surface. In these implementations, the area of continuous coating can be adjacent the discrete area of non-continuous coating.
Where the non-continuous coating is disposed within a discrete area, the discrete area and other areas can have differing resistances to abrasion, pilling and/or the areas can have contrasting air permeability. In some implementations, the coating material binds yarn fiber to protect the yarn fiber from fraying to enhance the pilling resistance within the coated portion of the fabric body. In some cases, the bound groupings of yarn fibers have a higher tenacity (e.g., greater than about 5 grams per denier) than individual yarn fibers.
In some implementations the yarn fiber is formed of polyester.
Some implementations have coating segments in the form of discrete dots. The coating material can be selected from acrylic latex, polyurethane and silicone. In some cases, the coating material forming the non-continuous coating is applied with a single head rotary screen, such as a rotary screen having between about 30 to about 195 holes per lineal inch. In some implementations, from about 0.5 to about 6.0 ounces per square yard of coating material is applied to form the non-continuous coating, such as about 1.7 ounces per square yard.
In some implementations, the knit construction is formed by reverse plaited circular knitting. In these implementations, stitch yarn of the knit construction can be coarser than the loop yarn. In some cases, the loop yarn is at most about 1.5 dpf. In certain cases, the stitch yarn is at least about 1.5 dpf.
In some implementations, the knit construction is formed by double needle bar warp knitting. In these implementations, the pile yarn can be at most about 5 dpf.
In some cases, the knit construction is formed by non-reverse plaited circular knitting. In some of these cases, stitch yarn is coarser than loop yarn. In other cases, the knit construction is Raschel warp knit.
In some implementations, yarn at the outer surface includes extensible material. The extensible material can be in the form of an extensible yarn that is added to the yarn at the outer surface in plaited form. The extensible material can be in the form of an extensible yarn that is wound about the yarn at the outer surface. The extensible material can be added to the yarn at the outer surface in air cover.
In some implementations, yarn at the outer surface includes a cored yarn that has a core and a sheath. The core of the cored yarn can be an extensible material.
In certain cases, the non-continuous coating is disposed on substantially the entire outer surface such that, as applied, areas of the fabric body at the outer surface adjacent coating segments are substantially free of coating material to allow air passage through those areas.
The composite fabric can be in the form of an article of wearing apparel, such as a pant or a jacket. Areas in which the non-continuous coating is applied can correspond to an area of wearing apparel typically subjected to relatively high levels of abrasion or pilling during use, such as the shoulders and/or elbows of a jacket or shirt.
In another aspect, the disclosure features a method of forming a fabric article. The method includes interlacing yarns comprising multi-filament fibers to form a fabric body of knit construction; forming a raised or fleece region upon an inner surface of the fabric body; and applying a non-continuous coating of discrete coating segments of coating material upon yarn fibers at an outer surface of the fabric body to bind individual yarn fibers together in bound groupings and to enhance abrasion resistance of the outer surface.
In some implementations, the step of forming a fleece or raised region includes at least one of napping, sanding and brushing. The step of forming a fleece or raised region can occur prior or subsequent to applying the non-continuous coating.
In certain implementations, the non-continuous coating is applied within a discrete area of the outer surface. In come cases, this discrete area corresponds to an area of the outer surface typically subjected to relatively high levels of pilling or abrasion during use. In some implementations, a continuous coating is applied in an area of the outer surface other than the area in which the non-continuous coating is applied. In some cases, an area other than the discrete area in which the non-continuous coating is applied is substantially free of coating material.
In some cases, the step of applying a non-continuous coating of discrete coating segments of coating material upon yarn fibers at an outer surface of the fabric body to bind individual yarn fibers together in bound groupings protects the fibers from fraying corresponding to an increase in pilling resistance.
In some implementations, the discrete segments of coating material are in the form of dots. The non-continuous coating can be applied with one of rotary printing, kiss rolling and gravure rolling. In some cases, the coating material forming the non-continuous coating is applied with a single head rotary screen, such as a rotary screen having between about 30 to about 195 holes per lineal inch. In some implementations, from about 0.5 to about 6.0 ounces per square yard of coating material is applied to form the non-continuous coating, such as about 1.7 ounces per square yard. Any of double needle bar warp knitting, Raschel warp knitting, reverse plaited circular knitting, non-reverse plaited circular knitting can be used to interlace the yarns.
In certain implementations, the non-continuous coating is applied such that the coating is without substantial effect on the insulation performance provided by the knit construction of the fabric body and/or the moisture vapor transmission rate provided by the knit construction of the fabric body.
The disclosure provides a composite fabric article that overcomes deficiencies of fabrics, in particular when used in garments and other articles for harsher outdoor sports, without detracting significantly from qualities of the original form of the fabric found highly desirable for use during exercise or exertion, e.g., warmth, breathability, drapability, MVT, hand tactile, etc.
The details of one or more implementations of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
Referring to
Generally, non-continuous coating 14 can be applied to areas of the outer surface of the fabric article, as desired. Referring particularly to
In another example, referring to
As a third example (not shown), the non-continuous coating is applied in areas of the fabric article subjected to relatively high levels of wind impact (e.g., the chest of a shirt or jacket). Areas having the non-continuous coating have improved wind resistance due to the selected application of the coating material.
Referring to
Coating 14 is non-continuous within area 32 of technical face 34 and is applied in a predetermined pattern (e.g., lines, dots) leaving portion 33 of the technical face free of the coating material within area 32 adjacent coating segments 37. The coating material forming coating segments 37 is generally air impermeable or semi impermeable, while within portion 33, the fabric prebody remains air permeable to allow air passage through the composite fabric at controlled rates, the details of which is further described below.
In addition to providing controlled air permeability, the coating material binds yarn fibers improving other certain structural and physical properties of the composite fabric. For example, in binding the individual fibers using the coating material, the fibers form bound fiber groupings (e.g., of at least about 5 fibers, of at least about 20 fibers, of at least about 35 fibers, of at least about 70 fibers, from about 2 to about 100 fibers) and the tenacity of these groupings of fibers (e.g., from about 140 to about 350 grams per denier for a grouping of about 70 fibers) is greater than the tenacity of each individual fiber (e.g., from about 2 to about 5 grams per denier). Also, by coating and binding yarn fibers together with coating material within region 32, the abrasion and pilling resistances within the region is improved, thus improving the abrasion and pilling resistances of the composite fabric.
Pilling resistance within coated regions 32 of the composite fabric can be as high as five on a scale from one to five measured by ASTM D-3512. Face abrasion resistance of the composite fabric within coated regions 32 can be as high as five on a scale from one to five after 250 cycles measured by ASTM D-3884 and using a Martindale abrasion machine where the abrasion is done by a VELCRO® hook touch fastener tape mounted on the Martindale testing unit.
In binding fibers of the yarn, non-continuous coating 14 also provides greater freedom of yarn selection in the construction of the fabric prebody. In some implementations, coating 14 facilitates use of relatively finer fibers (e.g., less than 5.0 dpf, less than 1 dpf, less than 0.5 dpf, less than 0.2 dpf, from about 0.1 dpf to about 5.0 dpf) in the construction of the prebody, e.g., by reducing the risk of the fibers being pulled from the technical face. By utilizing finer fibers, a tighter stitch can be achieved which, in turn, improves the dynamic insulating performance of the resultant fabric by, e.g., providing relatively narrow air passageways through the fabric and increasing the tortuosity through those passageways. In certain implementations, non-continuous coating 14, in binding fibers in the yarn of fabric prebody 30, allows use of relatively weaker fibers, such as polyester and nylon in the construction of the prebody, which also provides greater tortuosity of air passageways to enhance dynamic insulation performance of the fabric.
A variety of coating materials can be used such as acrylic including acrylic latex, polyurethane and silicone. The amount of coating material applied depends, at least in part, on the end use of the product. For example, in some cases, it may be desirable to greatly enhance the abrasion resistance of areas of the fabric article. In these cases, relatively more coating material can be applied (e.g., more dots per square inch of fabric material and/or more material per dot). In other cases, it may be desirable for areas of the fabric article to have enhanced abrasion resistance, while having a relatively high level of air permeability. In these cases, relatively less coating material can be applied (e.g., less dots per square inch of material and/or less material per dot). The weight of non-continuous coating 14 on the printed fabric can be between about 0.5 to about 6.0 oz/sq yd, such as about 1.7 oz/sq yd. Non-continuous coating 14 can be applied by any suitable method including, e.g., rotary printing, kiss rolling, and gravure rolling. In some cases, non-continuous coating 14 is applied by a single head rotary screen having a selected number of holes per lineal inch (e.g., from about 30 holes per lineal inch to about 195 holes per lineal inch).
In a first example of a fabric article construction, referring particularly to
The loop yarn 36 forming the technical back 38 of the knit fabric body 30 can be made of any synthetic or natural material. The cross section and luster of the fibers or the filament may be varied, e.g., as dictated by requirements of the intended end use. The loop yarn 16 can be a textured or flat filament yarn, with a textured yarn being preferred. In some implementations, the loop yarn has a relatively finer dpf (e.g., at most about 0.2 to about 1.5 dpf) than the stitch yarn (e.g., about 2.0 dpf), allowing a tighter stitch (e.g., using a 235″ per revolution, 28 cut, 26″ cylinder knitting machine) for greater dynamic insulating effect. The loop yarn overall denier is preferably in the range of about 70 denier to 300 denier, such as about 150 denier. At the preferred count, the filament count range is from about 100 filaments to about 400 filaments. A preferred commercial loop yarn is a 2/70/200 filament with a dpf of 0.3, e.g., as available from Unifi Inc.
The stitch yarn 14 forming the technical face 16 of the knit fabric body 12 can be also made of any type of synthetic or natural material in a textured or flat micro-denier filament yarn, with a textured yarn being preferred. In preferred implementations, stitch yarn 35 is coarser (e.g., at least about 1.5 dpf, such as about 2.0 dpf) than loop yarn 36, as noted above. The range of stitch yarn count overall denier is preferably between about 50 denier to 150 denier. At the preferred count, the filament count range is from about 24 filaments to about 100 filaments. A preferred stitch yarn is 70/34, e.g. as available commercially from Unifi Inc.
In another example, the fabric upon which a surface of enhanced durability is to be formed has a warp knit construction, e.g. as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,032, issued Mar. 6, 2001, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,410, issued Mar. 13, 2001, the complete disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Still other examples of suitable processes for forming the fabric prebody with inherent wind breaking properties include circular knit with perfect plaiting and double needle bar warp knit, both of which are described in, e.g., Knitting Technology. Coating 14 can be applied to both wind resistant and non wind resistant constructions to enhance pilling and abrasion resistances.
In any of the above knit constructions, elastic yarn may be added (e.g., spandex such as Lycra® or Lycra® T-400) to, e.g., the stitch yarn. In some cases, stitch yarn is formed of elastic material. In certain cases, elastomeric yarn can be wound about the stitch yarn and/or the elastomeric yarn can be added to the stitch yarn in plaited form and/or air cover. In some implementations, stitch yarn may include an elastic core yarn. The elastomeric materials in the stitch yarn can provide relatively greater densification and tortuosity, and therefore increased dynamic insulation performance for enhanced protection from wind penetration, as well as providing for fabric stretch and enhanced wearer comfort.
Once the fabric prebody is formed, referring to
After finishing, fabric body 50 is heat set to stabilize the fabric article width. Heat may be applied to the fabric body, e.g. dry heat or wet heat, such as hot water or steam, e.g. during finishing or dyeing. This can be done before and/or after the coating is deposited.
As indicated briefly above, some implementations of the composite fabric article, while exhibiting improved abrasion and pilling resistances, can also allow water vapor transmission with relatively little change in insulating performance, particularly at higher wind velocities (e.g., greater than five miles per hour). This is due to less interference by the non-continuous coating (e.g., compared to a continuous coating of an impermeable or semi impermeable material) with the insulation performance and air permeability resulting from certain fabric body constructions. Thus, moisture can be transported from a wearer's body, thereby improving the wearer's comfort level, without affecting the warmth of the fabric significantly.
Examples of suitable knit constructions upon which the non-continuous coating can be applied will now be described:
Loop yarn: 70/48 tx polyester
Stitch yarn: 70/72 tx polyester (technical face)
2.4 cut (gauge), 26 cylinder
Stitch meter: 295″ per revolution.
Loop yarn: 70/72 tx polyester
Stitch yarn: 70/72 tx polyester (technical face)
24 cut (gauge), 26″ cylinder
Stitch meter: 275″ per revolution.
Loop yarn: 150/136 tx polyester
Stitch yarn: 100/36 tx polyester (technical face)
28 cut (gauge), 26″ cylinder
Stitch meter: 250″ per revolution.
Pile: 150/68 tx polyester
Backing: 2/150/132 tx polyester (technical face)
Stitch yarn: 100/34 tx polyester
16 gauge machine.
A number of implementations of the disclosure have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.
This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/700,405, filed Nov. 4, 2003, now pending. The complete disclosure of the application is incorporated herein by reference. This disclosure relates to fabric, and more particularly to composite fabrics.
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