The present invention relates to a down-like fiber, particularly, to a down-like fiber with a hollow stem and a plurality of shaped lobes.
Natural feathers consist of vaned feathers and down feathers; the former has hollow stems, and the latter does not. The arrangement of both vaned feathers and down feathers forms irregular spaces, thereby trapping air to reduce heat dissipation and thus can provide warm effect. However, the warm effect of natural feathers is extremely decreased due to absorption of water.
In the prior art, fibers with different shaped lobes such as cross-shaped, Y-shaped and W-shaped lobes have been disclosed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,368 discloses a fiber comprising 3 or 4 T-shaped lobes. Although the above fibers have capability of absorbing moisture and relieving sweat, the warm effect thereof is not good enough. Contrarily, polyester fibers sold in the market have a hollow structure and thus possess the warm effect, but the effects of absorbing moisture, relieving sweat and a soft touch feeling are poor.
Therefore, it is highly desired to have a fiber that not only has good effect of keeping warm but also possesses excellent effects of drainage and fast-drying, and a lightened weight and a soft tough feeling can be achieved as well.
To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a down-like fiber which possesses an effect of keeping warm just like feathers, and presents an outstanding fast drying effect as well.
The present invention provides a down-like fiber which comprises a hollow stem and a plurality of shaped lobes arranged radially from the hollow stem as a center, wherein each of the shaped lobes comprises a bottom end and a head end opposite the bottom end. The bottom end connects to a surface of the hollow stem, and the head ends of two adjacent shaped lobes do not connect with one another to form an opening.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the shaped lobes can be T-shaped, cross-shaped, Y-shaped, ↑-shaped, ♀-shaped, W-shaped, H-shaped, V-shaped or rectangular-shaped and the number of the shaped lobes can range from 2 to 6.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the down-like fiber stated above can be a filament or a staple.
The present invention also provides a spinneret for manufacturing the down-like fiber stated above. The spinneret comprises a plurality of slits of spinning nozzles. Each of the slits of spinning nozzles comprises an inner ring portion and an outer lobe portion which has a bottom end and a head end opposite the bottom end wherein the bottom end connects to the inner ring portion. The inner ring portions of the plurality of slits of spinning nozzles are arranged in a circle at a regular interval, and the head ends of two adjacent outer lobe portions do not connect with one another to form an opening.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the outer lobe portion can be T-shaped, cross-shaped, Y-shaped, ↑-shaped, ♀-shaped, W-shaped, H-shaped, V-shaped or rectangular-shaped. The number of the slits of spinning nozzles can range from 2 to 6.
The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the above down-like fiber, which comprises extruding a polyester polymer in melting form through the spinneret stated above.
The down-like fiber provided by the present invention has a hollow stem and shaped lobes which imitates the structure of feathers, and thus can not only conserve heat dissipated from body but also lighten the weight of fiber, thereby providing a soft touch feeling. Moreover, since the head ends of adjacent shaped lobes do not connect with each other, the ditches formed therefrom can improve drainage functions. Accordingly, the effects of keeping warm and fast-drying can be achieved.
The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawings will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.
Polymers suitable for manufacturing fibers of the present invention include but not limited to polyester, nylon, polyolefin, polyacrylonitrile or cellulose, wherein polyester can be polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) or polypropylene terephthalate (PPT); nylon can be nylon 6 (N6) or nylon 66 (N66); and polyolefin can be polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE). Besides, additives can be further added in the fibers of the present invention which include but not limited to antibacterial and antifungal agents, anti-conductive agents, deodorants, anti-ultraviolet agents or far-infrared agent.
The following further describes manufacturing examples of down-like fibers of the present invention and tests of effects.
The polyester polymer in melting form is extruded through a spinneret as shown in
The polyester polymer in melting form is extruded through a spinneret as shown in
The polyester polymer in melting form is extruded through a spinneret as shown in
The polyester polymer in melting form is extruded through a spinneret as shown in
Test 1: Evaporation Rate Test
The evaporation rate tests of fabrics woven by the down-like fibers having T-shaped lobes of the present invention, conventional hollow round polyester fibers, solid round polyester fibers and solid fibers having other shaped lobes are described below.
First, a sample of size 10×10 cm is placed in an environment of constant temperature and humidity (23° C., 65% RH) for 24 hours and then moved onto a scale. A given amount of water (W1, unit: gram) is dripped from 1 centimeter above the fabric by using a volumetric pipet. After 5 minutes, the remaining amount of water (W2, unit: gram) in the fabric is recorded and the evaporation rate is calculated based on the following formula:
Evaporation Rate=(W1−W2)/W1×100%
The test results are shown in Table 1. Sample 1 to 5 are double knit bird eye fabrics with a width of 36 inches*26 needles, which are respectively woven by staples having T-shaped lobes of the present invention, solid staples having 4T cross section, solid staples having cross cross section, solid round polyester fibers and hollow round polyester fibers (the above products are obtained from Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corporation, in which the solid staples having 4T cross section have been issued Taiwan Patent no. 1374952).
According to Table 1, the evaporation rate of the down-like fiber having T-shaped lobes provided by the present invention is around 76.8%, which is much better than 50.1% achieved by the solid round polyester fiber and 49.6% achieved by the hollow round polyester fiber. The test result demonstrates that since fibers of the present invention possess lobe structures as ditches, the fabric woven by fibers of the present invention can keep larger spaces between fibers, and thus facilitate drainage. The fibers of the present invention exhibit a fast drying effect compared with conventional hollow or solid round polyester fibers. Furthermore, the evaporation rate of fibers of the present invention is also higher than solid fibers having other cross sections (i.e. samples 2 and 3). This shows that compared with conventional solid fibers having 4T cross section or cross cross section, fibers of the present invention possess excellent drainage effect, and thus fabrics woven thereby can achieve fast drying effect without a muggy feeling.
Test 2: Warm-Keeping Test
The warm-keeping test of fabrics woven by down-like fibers having T-shaped lobes of the present invention is described below. The test is performed by AGEMA Thermal vision 900 thermal conductivity meter. A 500W halogen lamp is used as a heat source to irradiate a sample for 10 minutes at a distance of 100 centimeters. The temperature of the sample is measured before and after exposure to the light. Samples 1 to 4 represent double knit bird eye fabrics with a width of 36 inches*26 needles which are respectively woven by four different fibers, including down-like fibers having T-shaped lobes of the present invention, conventional solid fibers having 4T cross section, solid round polyester fibers and hollow round polyester fibers
According to the above, the hollow stem of the down-like fiber provided by the present invention, which is like a feather stem, not only reduces the weight of fiber but also provides effect of keeping warm. Moreover, the shaped lobes around the main stem provide several air rooms due to disconnection of adjacent head ends. The ditch structures formed therefrom can further enhance the effects of heat conservation, and improve the effects of drainage and fast-drying. Accordingly, the down-like fibers provided by the present invention can overcome disadvantages of bird feathers, i.e. decrease in the effect of keeping warm as a result of moisture absorption, and of conventional fibers having shaped lobes which has a drainage function but a poor effect of keeping warm. Meanwhile, since the weight of fiber of the present invention has been reduced, a down-like touch feeling is reserved.
Exemplary embodiments have been described herein, but do not intend to limit the scope of the present invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and the scope encompassed by the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is determined by the claims that follow.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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105123671 | Jul 2016 | TW | national |