Patent Application
20130344761
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
The present invention relates to shape-changing fibers that may be sensitive to different kinds of stimuli from the environment and to garments made using such fibers. The stimuli may include moisture, temperature, electric fields, magnetic fields, etc. The present invention offers several practical applications in the technical arts, not limited to adaptable comfort athletic garments. Small scale shape changes in the fibers in accordance with the present invention may have additive effects and be observable as a large scale change shape-changing fibers are incorporated into yarns and/or woven or knitted into a fabric/textile. Garments may be constructed from fabrics/textiles incorporating shape-changing fibers. Shape changes by incorporated fibers may alter a garment's wind and water permeability, color, moisture management properties, etc.
Athletic apparel has evolved over time, and today treatments with different polymeric finishes or different kinds of synthetic yarns with specific physicochemical properties can be used in the manufacture of athletic apparel. In these examples, however, the physical properties of the fibers are substantially static over any given session of wearing a garment made using the fibers.
The present invention generally relates to the production and use of fibers capable of undergoing a radial mechanical shape change in response to external stimuli such as heat, moisture, an electric field, a magnetic field, light, etc. The present invention further relates to garments that use such fibers to provide environmentally adaptive apparel. Fibers as described herein may be incorporated into yarns that may be knit or woven into fabric used to create such garments. Articles of manufacture beyond garments may likewise be made in accordance with the present invention incorporating adaptive fibers.
In accordance with the present invention, a multiple component synthetic polymer fiber may be provided. More specifically, the polymer fiber may comprise at least two synthetic polymers, each having different physicochemical properties from one another. According to the present invention, the synthetic polymer fiber may be manufactured by melt-spinning. The different polymers may, for example, be configured according to a predetermined orientation. Configuration of the different polymers may be performed inside a melting device that may be divided into multiple compartments corresponding to the final polymer configuration and shape of the fiber desired. The melting device may be, for example, a multicompartment crucible from which the polymer materials may be codrawn/extruded (drawn simultaneously) through an orifice of a predetermined size and shape for the desired fiber or fiber component. The fibers may be rapidly cooled so that the polymer materials may maintain their configuration and orientation in their solid state. Examples of fibers having first polymer and a second polymer are described herein, but the number of polymers and/or polymer shapes used in a fiber in accordance with the present invention are not limited to two. The fiber may be spun or otherwise collected to be used in a subsequent manufacturing step. The resulting fiber product may have varying physicochemical and mechanical properties in its radial direction.
Depending on the final configuration and orientation of the polymer materials desired, one of the polymers or an extruded fiber may be a removable filler polymer material. This sacrificial polymer material may aid in the manufacture of the fiber in accordance with the present invention by making the cross-sectional area of the initially extruded fiber, for example, essentially round so that it may be easier to collect and spin. The sacrificial polymer may be removed either before or after weaving a fabric/textile from the fibers and/or yarns incorporating fibers in accordance with the present invention. The sacrificial polymer, which may also be referred to as a filler polymer, may be removed selectively along a fiber, yarn, or garment to create zones with different properties on the ultimately created garment.
For example, in a fiber in accordance with the present invention the sacrificial polymer may be an acid-dissolvable polymer, with the other polymers being acid resistant. The sacrificial polymer may be removed by submitting the fiber (or yarns incorporating the fiber), prior to weaving a fabric/textile, to an acid bath. Or, alternatively, a woven fabric/textile comprising the raw fiber/yarn (still comprising the filler polymer), may be submitted to an acid bath to remove the sacrificial polymer. Alternatively, in different examples in accordance with the present invention, the sacrificial polymer may be base soluble, water soluble, oil soluble, etc. Accordingly, the fiber/yarn/textile/garment in accordance with the present invention may be submitted to the right substance for removing the filler polymer at one or more desired location.
In general, the cross-section of a fiber in accordance with the present invention may have any solid shape suitable for containing the radially distributed predetermined shape and orientation of the stimuli-sensitive polymer materials such as for example: circular, square, diamond, rectangle, etc. The stimuli-sensitive polymer materials contained inside the sacrificial polymer may be shaped and oriented in complex radial structures that are able to undergo mechanical changes in response to physicochemical changes induced by external stimuli. As a result, small changes manifested radially throughout the yarn may add up to tangible changes in a woven fabric/textile by multiplying the effect along the length of the fiber. Therefore, the fabric/textile comprising the yarn in accordance with the present invention may have a dynamic surface that when made into garments, the garments may be able to adjust or optimize conditions for a wearer in any given situation. The changes to the fiber may happen either automatically and/or may be user-controlled. For example, if the change in the fiber in accordance with the present invention is temperature induced, changes may be automatic as a function of the body temperature of the user, for example by making the fabric/textile moisture-wicking by exposing different fiber components, adjusting the level of insulation by making the fabric/textile more or less permeable to wind, water, etc.
The fiber in accordance with the present invention may comprise synthetic polymer materials such as, for example: polyesters, polyurethanes, polypropylenes, polyethylenes, nylons, other thermoplastic polymers, elastomers, etc., suitable for the manufacture of fibers and for inclusion in yarns/textiles/fabrics/garments.
Depending on the surface physical properties desired in a final fabric/textile product, the fabric/textile may be woven completely from the fiber/yarn in accordance with the present invention, or the fabric/textile may be woven from the fiber/yarn in accordance with the present invention and in combination with other types of fibers or yarns. For example, in order to obtain an extra resilient fabric/textile, the fiber in accordance with the present invention may be woven in combination with extra resilient aramid fibers, for example Kevlar®. If, for example, a natural “cottony feel” is desired in the final fabric/textile, the fabric/textile may be woven or knitted from the fiber in accordance with the present invention in combination with cotton fibers. The fiber in accordance with the present invention may be woven in combination with a fire resistant fiber/yarn to add a fire-resistance feature to the fabric/textile, etc., or the fiber in accordance with the present invention may be woven or knitted in combination with multiple types of specialty fibers or yarns such as the ones mentioned above, to obtain a multifunctional fabric/textile.
Fibers in accordance with the present invention may be incorporated into yarns that may be woven or knitted to form a fabric or textile. A yarn incorporating fibers in accordance with the present invention may comprise only shape-changing fibers or may incorporate shape-changing fibers in combination with other types of fibers. For example, the fiber in accordance with the present invention may also be formed into yarns or woven/knitted in combination with elastic fibers such as, for example, spandex, to give the woven fabric/textile elasticity. In other words, the fiber in accordance with the present invention may be combined with any other type of synthetic or natural fiber/yarn for the purposes of making a final fabric/textile with the specific desired properties. Further, fibers may be incorporated directly into a woven or knitted fabric/textile without incorporation into a multi-fiber yarn.
The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:
The present invention relates to a novel fiber that undergoes radial physicochemical and a mechanical change in response to an external stimulus and yarns, textiles, fabrics, garments and/or articles of manufacture incorporating such fibers. The stimulus can be a change in temperature, moisture, the presence of an electromagnetic field, or a magnetic field, etc., to mention a few examples.
In reference to
For example, in the fiber shown in
The second polymer material 120 of the present example may generally have a shape that may form discrete hollow diamond shaped structures ending in two horn-like protrusions. For example, first leg 122 and first extension 124 may meet at a first apex 123 at a first angle, with a first protrusion 121 extending from first extension 124. Similarly, second leg 126 and second extension 128 may meet at a second apex at a second angle, with a second protrusion 129 extending from second extension 128. The hollow diamond shape may be mechanically engaged with the first polymer material 130 in each of the gaps between the arms of the first shape of the first polymer material 130, for example at first arm 132 and first leg 122 and at second arm 134 and second leg 126. Since the first polymer material 130 and the second polymer material 120 are mechanically engaged, when the first polymer material 130 expands or contracts in response to an external stimulus, the hollow diamond shapes comprising the second polymer material 120 may be compressed (when the first material 130 expands) or released (when the first material 130 contracts) resulting in a mechanical motion that may be transmitted from, for example, first leg 122 and second leg 126 to first extension 124 and second extension 128, to ultimately move the horn like protrusions 121, 129 formed by the second material 120 to a first open position 101 (when the first material 130 is contracted) to a second closed position 102 (when the second material 120 is expanded). Any number of additional structures may be used in a fiber in accordance with the present invention. In other words, the changes induced by an external stimulus in the core first polymer material 130 start a “chain reaction” that effects a radial change throughout the whole length of the fiber, which in turn may alter the properties of a fabric/textile when the fiber is woven or knitted into a fabric/textile for use in the manufacture of articles of clothing, bags, protective cases, or any other type of article accommodating the type of fabric/textile woven from the fiber in accordance with the present invention.
References to materials or structures as “first” or “second” or the like are for purposes of description only, and do not imply primacy or order of creation, importance, or any consideration other than ease of description and understanding of a particular example. For example, while the example of
Now, in reference to
The third polymer material 110 may comprise a sacrificial polymer that may be dissolvable without damaging the other polymers that make up the fiber. For example, if the first 130 and second 120 polymer materials are resistant to acid, the sacrificial third polymer material 110 may comprise a polymer that is dissolvable in an acid bath so that it may be easy to remove; or if the first 130 and second 120 polymer materials are base-resistant, the sacrificial third polymer material 110 may be a base-soluble polymer material. In a different example, the filler polymer material 110 may comprise a water soluble polymer so that it may be easily removed through washing with water, etc. Once the sacrificial third polymer material 110 is removed, the active cross-section form 202 of the fiber in accordance with the present invention is obtained.
The sacrificial third polymer material 110 may be removed from the fiber before forming a yarn and/or before weaving/knitting a fabric/textile from a fiber or a yarn incorporating the fiber. Alternatively, sacrificial third polymer material 110 may be removed after a fabric/textile has been woven or knitted from the fiber in accordance with the present invention, or the sacrificial polymer material 110 may be removed after the fabric/textile has been used to produce an article of manufacture. The sacrificial polymer material 110 may be removed selectively along a fiber, fabric/textile, and/or article of manufacture to create zones with different adaptability to environmental changes. In other words, the filler polymer material 110 may be removed in any step following the manufacture of the fiber in accordance with the present invention and the removable step may be adjusted according to the needs in the processing steps that follow.
Many different polymer materials that have the ability to contract and expand in response to an external stimulus may be used as the core first polymer material 130. For example, a magnetorheological polymer material may be used as the core first polymer material 130. The core magnetorhelological material may be a suspension of magnetic particles, or nanoparticles, where the suspension may be capable of undergoing a physical change in response to a magnetic field stimulus. For example, in known fluid magnetorheological materials, the viscosity of the fluid may increase at a predictable and proportional rate to the strength of the magnetic field applied, as the magnetic particles arrange themselves in the direction of the magnetic field. In the case of polymeric magnetorheological materials, the area occupied by the polymer may increase and decrease (expand or contract) in response to the presence or absence of a magnetic field. The magnetorheological material may be expanded in its “off” state and may contract in its “on” state when a magnetic field may be applied and the particles arrange themselves in the direction of the magnetic field.
If a magnetorheological material is used as the core first polymer material 130 in the fiber in accordance with the present invention, the fiber may microscopically radially change by applying a magnetic field on a fabric/textile incorporating this fiber. Referring to
The changes observable in the macroscopic change as an addition of all the microscopic changes happening at the fiber level may be observable when the fiber is incorporated into a fabric/textile. The macroscopic changes observed in a fabric/textile may be, for example, color changes (by employing different colored polymer materials as the first core polymer material and second mechanically engaged polymer material), level of insulation changes (by changing the “pore” size of the fabric/textile), fabric/textile feel changes (by shielding or exposing different polymer materials to the surface), etc. The changes may be controllable by the user since the magnetic field may be applied by the user by, for example, waving a physical magnet over the fabric/textile. As the magnetic field fades away, the first polymer material 130 may slowly revert back to its off state, which in turn, may return the original properties to the fabric/textile.
In a different example, the garment, or article of manufacture comprising a magnetorheological fiber in accordance with the present invention, may be engineered with electromagnetic field generating probes that may be turned on or off by providing a source of electricity such as a battery. In this example, a user may additionally be able to control the length of time desired for the change to take effect.
The magnetorheological properties of a fabric/textile incorporating a fiber in accordance with the present invention may be better understood in reference to
In a different example of a fiber in accordance with the present invention, a heat sensitive polymer material may be used as the core first polymer material 130. The heat sensitive polymer material may for example expand at temperatures slightly over normal body temperature, or any other temperature desired for the particular end purpose of a fabric/textile woven from a fiber in accordance with the present invention. Just as in the example presented above, for the use of magnetorheological polymer materials, a number of different changes, and a combination of changes may be manifested on a fabric/textile incorporating a fiber in accordance with the present invention. For example, both a color change and a change in the level of insulation may be observable in a garment in response to the wearer's body temperature increasing due to physical exertion. For example, if the first core polymer material 130 and the second mechanically engaged polymer material 120 shown in the example of
In a different example the core first polymer material 130 may be a heat-sensitive polymer material, and the second mechanically engaged polymer material 120 may be a moisture wicking polymer material so that, for example, a garment 500 made from a fabric/textile 510 incorporating fibers in accordance with the present example may have altered moisture management properties as the body temperature and perspiration of a wearer increases with increased physical exertion. This may be better understood in reference to
In a different example, the core first polymer material 130 may be a moisture sensitive polymer material that may expand or contract in response to the presence or absence of moisture, either from body perspiration or, alternatively, from environmental sources, such as rain, fog, etc. If the fiber is made to be sensitive to perspiration, for example, a polymer that expands in response to the presence of moisture may be used for the core first polymer material 130 to decrease the level of insulation, and a moisture wicking polymer material may be used as the second mechanically engaged polymer material 120 to improve the moisture management properties of the fiber/yarn and fabric/textile incorporating the fiber.
In
The sacrificial polymer material 610 may be a polymer that may be dissolvable without damaging the other polymers that make up the fiber. For example, if the first polymer material 630 and second polymer material 620 are resistant to acid, the sacrificial polymer material 610 may comprise a polymer that is dissolvable in an acid bath so that it may be easy to remove; or if the first 630 and second 620 polymer materials are base-resistant, the sacrificial polymer material 610 may be a base-soluble polymer material. In a different example, the sacrificial polymer material 610 may comprise a water soluble polymer so that it may be easily removed through washing with water, etc. Once the sacrificial polymer material 610 is removed, the active cross-section form 602 of the fiber in accordance with the present invention may be obtained.
In
Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure.
It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.
Since many possible uses may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. cm Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:
