FLEECE FABRIC AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a fleece fabric including a base material and a plurality of second yarn sections. The base material includes at least one first yarn strand. The second yarn sections protrude above a surface of the base material. At least a portion of the first yarn strand is fused and attached to the second yarn sections.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to a fabric and a manufacturing method, and more particularly to a fleece fabric, and a method for manufacturing the fleece fabric.

2. Description of the Related Art

Fleece fabric, also known as polar fleece or brushed fabric, is a soft napped fabric made of synthetic fibers. Fleece fabric is supple, warm and hydrophobic, and can retain much of its heat insulating quality even when wet. Moreover, fleece fabric is highly air permeable and sweat-wicking, and therefore is ideal for warm clothing and sportswear.

Fleece fabric is machine washable. When fleece fabric goes through the laundry, short micro fibers will be released from its surface. These micro fibers can pass through washing machine filters and enter rivers and oceans. These micro fibers may then be ingested by marine life, thus polluting the food chain.

Regular fleece fabric is not windproof, thus a waterproof and moisture-permeable film may be laminated on it to provide windproof and moisture-permeable functions. However, the laminating process is complicated, and the resultant product is rather stiff, not soft and supple.

SUMMARY

To address at least some of the aforementioned issues, the present disclosure provides a fleece fabric which releases fewer fibers. The present disclosure further provides a method for manufacturing the fleece fabric.

The present disclosure provides a fleece fabric that includes a base material and a plurality of second yarn sections. The base material includes at least one first yarn strand. The second yarn sections protrude above a surface of the base material. At least a portion of the first yarn strand is fused and attached to the second yarn sections.

The present disclosure further provides a method for manufacturing a fleece fabric, including: (a) providing at least one first yarn strand and at least one second yarn strand; (b) interlacing the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand together to form a base material, wherein the second yarn strand forms a plurality of loops protruding above a surface of the base material; (c) heating the first yarn strand, such that at least a portion of the first yarn strand is fused and attached to the second yarn strand; and (d) napping and shearing the second yarn strand, such that the loops are cut to form a plurality of second yarn sections protruding above the surface of the base material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a fleece fabric according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a cross section of a first yarn strand according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a first yarn strand according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows a first yarn strand according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a first yarn strand according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows a first yarn strand according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a front view of one or more stages of a method for manufacturing a fleece fabric according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a front view of one or more stages of a method for manufacturing a fleece fabric according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a front view of one or more stages of a method for manufacturing a fleece fabric according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a front view of one or more stages of a method for manufacturing a fleece fabric according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure provides a fleece fabric which comprises a base material and a plurality of second yarn sections. The base material includes at least one first yarn strand. The second yarn sections protrude above a surface of the base material. At least a portion of the first yarn strand is fused and attached to the second yarn sections.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the term “fabric” may refer to a fabric formed of one or more yarn strands, and preferably formed by interlacing the one or more yarn strands in an organized manner For example, the fabric may be formed by weaving, knitting, crocheting, braiding, etc., and may be hand-made or machine-made, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the term “yarn” may refer to a structure formed of one or more fibers, such as a single-ply yarn strand formed of only one fiber, or a multi-ply yarn strand firmed of a plurality of fibers. The yarn strand may be formed of fiber(s) of a single type, or fibers of several different types.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a fleece fabric 3 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For illustration purposes, FIG. 1 merely shows a single first yarn strand 1. However, as can be readily appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art, the fleece fabric 3 may include a plurality of first yarn strands 1 to jointly form the base material 4. Alternatively, the first yarn strand 1 may be arranged in a back and forth (“S”-shaped) manner on a plane to form the base material 4.

In some embodiments, the first yarn strand 1 may include a thermoplastic fiber B. For example, the thermoplastic fiber B may be a single-component fiber, which is composed of only a thermoplastic component. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the thermoplastic fiber B may be a multi-component fiber B which includes a thermoplastic component.

The term “thermoplastic component” may refer to a component which is thermoplastic, i.e., which may he softened or melted at high temperature and can thus be reshaped. A material of the thermoplastic component may be selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE), and thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO). Preferably, the material of the thermoplastic component may be TPU having a inciting point of about 90° C. to about 180° C., such that the fabric formed therefrom may have a soft and supple hand feel.

The TPU can, for example, include polyester-based TPU, which are mainly derived from adipic acid esters; and polyether-based TPU, which are mainly based on tetrahydrofuran ethers. The TPEE can, for example, include polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). The TPO can, for example, include polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

In some embodiments, the multi-component fiber B of the first yarn strand 1 may further include a functional component. The functional component is generally not thermoplastic, but provides the first yarn strand 1 with other functions and properties, such as elasticity, color, and hand feel. In some embodiments, the functional component may include pigment or dye, and the thermoplastic component may cover the functional component to prevent color fading or staining other clothes. In some embodiments, the functional component may be an elastic component. A material of the elastic component may be polyester-polyurethane copolymer (e.g., Spandex, Lycra, or Elastane), and an elongation at break thereof may be equal to or greater than 500%. Preferably, the elastic component also has a favorable elastic recovery, such as an elastic recovery of 100% after an elongation of 100%, or an elastic recovery of 95% after an elongation of 500%.

In the multi-component fiber B of the first yarn strand, the thermoplastic component preferably covers the functional component. That is, the thermoplastic component is exposed on a surface of the multi-component fiber B. The thermoplastic component and the functional component may form sheath-core, side-by-side composite, or island-in-a-sea structures, among others.

In some embodiments, the first yarn strand 1 may be a single-ply yarn strand or a multi-ply yarn strand formed of one or more thermoplastic fibers B. For example, FIG. 2 shows the first yarn strand 1 formed of only one multi-component fiber B, which includes the thermoplastic component 11 and the functional component 12. The thermoplastic component 11 covers the functional component 12 to form a sheath-core structure. However, in some embodiments, the first yarn strand 1 may further include a functional fiber. The aforementioned thermoplastic fiber B and the functional fiber may jointly form a two-ply yarn strand or a yarn strand having more than two plies. Preferably, the thermoplastic fiber B is exposed on a surface of the first yarn strand 1. In some embodiments, the thermoplastic fiber B may cover the functional fiber. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the thermoplastic fiber B covers the functional fiber L to form a two-ply yarn strand. In some embodiments, the first yarn strand 1 may include fibers other than the thermoplastic fiber B and the functional fiber L. As shown in FIG. 6, the thermoplastic fiber B, the functional fiber L and another fiber A jointly form a three-ply yarn strand.

The functional fiber is generally not thermoplastic, but provides the first yarn strand 1 with other functions and properties, such as favorable elasticity and hand feel. In some embodiments, the functional fiber may be an elastic fiber. A material of the elastic fiber may be polyester-polyurethane copolymer, and an elongation at break thereof may be equal to or greater than 500%. Preferably, the elastic fiber also has a favorable elastic recovery, such as an elastic recovery of 100% after an elongation of 100%, or an elastic recovery of 95% after an elongation of 500%. In some embodiments, the functional fiber may be elastic PU fiber, PET fiber, or nylon fiber.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the second yarn sections 2 protrude above or from a top surface of the base material 4. However, in other embodiments, the second yarn sections 2 may protrude above or from both the top surface and a bottom surface of the base material 4, such that the fabric has nap on both surfaces. The second yarn sections 2 may be any materials generally used in fleece fabric, such as PET, which is not limited in the present disclosure. Preferably, the melting point or softening point of the second yarn sections 2 is higher than that of the first yarn strand 1. In some embodiments, the second yarn sections 2 are substantially parallel. As well, in some embodiments, a length of the second yarn sections 2 protruding above or from the base material 4 is greater than a thickness of the base material 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, at least a portion of the first yarn strand 1 is fused and attached to the second yarn sections, thus forming a joint portion 10. In some embodiments, the term “fused and attached to” may refer to a portion of a material, a fiber, or a yarn which is melted by heat (or by heat and pressure), and is partially attached to and/or covers a subject, thus is bonded to or joined with the subject after cooling.

As described, the first yarn strand 1 may include a thermoplastic fiber B, and may be fused and attached to the second yarn sections 2 through the thermoplastic fiber B. As such, the second yarn sections 2 can be fixed on the base material 4, and prevented from separating from the fleece fabric 3 during washing. In some embodiments, the joint portion 10 may be further enlarged and fused with another joint portion 10. For example, the fleece fabric 3 may include a plurality of joint portions 10 enlarged and fused with each other. The enlarged joint portions 10 may fill gaps of the base material 4 the gaps defined by the first yarn strand 1 and/or the second yarn strand 2), leaving merely air permeable pores. Hence, the fleece fabric 3 can be provided with windproof and moisture-resistant functions. As well, when the first yarn strand 1 includes the elastic fiber, it is preferable that the elastic fiber is not fused and attached to the second yarn sections 2.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the thermoplastic fiber B of the first yarn strand 1 includes the thermoplastic component 11 and the functional component 12. Among them, only the thermoplastic component 11 is fused and attached to the second yarn strand 2 to form the joint portion 10 for fixing the second yarn section 2. The functional component 12 is not fused and attached to the second yarn section 2 (i.e., the functional component 12 retains its original shape), thus the first yarn strand 1 can retain its strength and tenacity. Accordingly, the base material 4 can be prevented from deforming,

In some embodiments, the first yarn strand 1 is interlaced with at least one second yarn strand to jointly form the base material 4. The second yarn strand forms a plurality of loops protruding from a surface of the base material. A napping and shearing process is then conducted on the loops, such that the loops are cut to form the second yarn sections 2.

Specifically, a method for manufacturing a fleece fabric may include: (a) providing at least one first yarn strand and at least one second yarn strand; (b) interlacing the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand to form a base material, wherein the second yarn strand forms a plurality of loops protruding from a surface of the base material; (c) heating the first yarn strand, such that at least a portion of the first yarn strand is fused and attached to the second yarn strand; and (d) napping and shearing the second yarn strand, such that the loops are cut to form a plurality of second yarn sections protruding above the surface of the base material.

FIGS. 7 to 10 show one or more stages of a method for manufacturing a fleece fabric according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 7, at least one first yarn strand 1 and at least one second yarn strand 2a are provided. Materials of the first yarn strand 1 and the second yarn strand 2a are the same as those of the aforementioned first yarn strand 1 and the second yarn sections 2, respectively, thus are not repeated redundantly. Preferably, the melting point or softening point of the second yarn strand 2a is higher than the melting point or softening point of the first yarn strand 1.

Then, the first yarn strand 1 and the second yarn strand 2a are interlaced together to form a base material 4, and the second yarn strand 2 forms a plurality of loops protruding above or from a surface of the base material 4. For example, the first yarn strand 1 may be utilized as a ground yarn strand, and the second yarn strand 2a may be utilized as a loop yarn strand for circular knitting, thus forming the base material 4. Alternatively, the first yarn strand 1 and the second yarn strand 2 may be fed in an alternating manner as warp yarn strands and/or weft yarn strands, and interlaced by weaving to form the base material 4. In addition, other yarn strands can also be incorporated during the interlacing process, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the first yarn strand 1 is heated, such that at least a portion of the first yarn strand 1 is fused and attached to the second yarn strand 2a to form a joint portion 10, As such, position of the second yarn strand 2a relative to the first yarn strand 1 may be fixed. As described, the melting point or softening point of the second yarn strand 2a is preferably higher than the melting point or softening point of the first yarn strand 1. Further, the heating temperature is preferably higher than the melting point or softening point of the first yarn strand 1, but lower than the melting point or softening point of the second yarn strand 2a. Accordingly, the first yarn strand 1 can be fused and attached to the second yarn strand 2a, while the shape of the second yarn strand 2a remains the same. For example, the heating temperature may be about 90° C. to about 170° C.

As shown in FIG. 9, a napping and shearing process is conducted on the loops of the second yarn strand 2a, such that the loops are cut to form a plurality of second yarn sections 2 protruding above or from the surface of the base material. As described, since the first yarn strand 1 is fused and attached to the second yarn strand 2a, the second yarn sections 2 can be fixed to the first yarn strand 1, and thus can be kept from separating from the base material 4.

As shown in FIG. 10, the method for manufacturing the fleece fabric of the present disclosure may further include raising the second yarn sections 2, such that the second yarn sections 2 substantially stand on the surface of the base material 4. Then, the second yarn sections 2 may be trimmed, such that ends of the second yarn sections 2 are substantially at a same level from the surface of the base material 4. Accordingly, a fleece fabric 3 as shown in FIG. 1 is formed.

The following examples are given to illustrate the method for manufacturing the conjugated fiber of the present disclosure, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention

EXAMPLE 1

A TPU single-ply yarn strand was produced by using a melt spinning machine, with specification of 150 d/1 f, TPU melting point of 145° C., and Shore hardness of 80 A. The physical properties of the TPU single-ply yarn strand are: tensile strength: 2.2 g/d (ASTM D3822), and elongation at break: 95% (ASTM D3822). A PET draw textured yarn strand (DTY) was further provided with a specification of 75 d/144 f, and the physical properties are: tensile strength: 3.8 g/d (ASTM D3822), and elongation at break: 38% (ASTM D3822). The PET DTY yarn strand and the TPU yarn strand were used respectively as the loop yarn strand and the ground yarn strand, and were interlaced by using a circular knitting machine with a needle pitch of 24 needles/inch to form a circular knitted fabric having loops on one side. The fabric has a base weight of 334 g/m², and a loop length of 2.2 mm. The fabric was then heated to 125° C. Then, a napping and shearing process was conducted on both sides of the fabric, such that the loops were cut to form yarn sections. Then, the yarn sections on one side of the fabric were raised substantially perpendicular to the fabric (i.e., the yarn sections stand on the fabric), thus forming the circular knitted fleece fabric. The thermal insulation value of the circular knitted fleece fabric is 0.66 (ASTM D1518-2014, option 2, air flow rate 1.0 m/s), the air permeability is 42 cm³/cm²/s (ASTM D737 2004), and the micro fiber release rate is 0.1% (after washing with AATCC 61-2013 1A, testing with AATCC Committee RA100). Compared with a fleece fabric having the same structure but using 75/24 PET DTY yarn strand as the ground yarn strand, which has a micro fiber release rate of 0.331%, the fleece fabric of Example 1 achieves a 69.7% reduction in fiber release.

EXAMPLE 2

A TPU fiber was produced by using a melt spinning machine, with specification of 75 d/1 f, TPU melting point of 162° C., and. Shore hardness of 92 A. The physical properties of the TPU fiber are: tensile strength: 2.9 g/d (ASTM D382:2), and elongation at break: 86% (ASTM D3822). The TPU fiber was then used to cover a 20 d elastic PU fiber by using an air jet covering machine or a yarn strand covering machine to form a TPU composite covered yarn strand. A PET draw textured yarn strand (DTY) was further provided with a specification of 75 d/72 f, and the physical properties are: tensile strength: 3.50 (ASTM D3822), and elongation at break: 46% (ASTM D3822). The TPU composite covered yarn strand and the PET DTY yarn strand were fed in an alternating manner as warp yarn strands, and Lycra T400 yarn strands were fed as weft yarn strands to a shuttle loom for weaving, thus forming a woven fabric having a warp density of 128 threads/inch and a weft density of 112 threads/inch. Due to shrinkage of the elastic PU fibers in the TPU composite covered yarn strand as the warp yarn strands, the warp yarn strands (such as PET DTY yarn strands) and/or the weft yarn strands (such as Lycra T400 yarn strands) formed loops with a length of 1.8 mm. The fabric was then heated to 135° C. Then, a napping and shearing process was conducted to one side of the fabric, such that the loops were cut to form yarn sections. Then, the yarn sections were raised substantially perpendicular to the fabric, thus forming the woven fleece fabric. The thermal insulation value of the circular knitted fleece fabric is 0.38 (ASTM D1518-2014, option 2, air flow rate 1.0 m/s), the air permeability is 62 cm³/cm²/s (ASTM D737 2004), and the micro fiber release rate is 0.06% (after washing with AATCC 61-2013 1A, testing with AATCC Committee RA100). Compared with a fleece fabric having the same structure but using PET yarn strand instead of the TPU composite covered yarn strand, which has a micro fiber release rate of 0.263%, the fleece fabric of Example 2 achieves a 77.1% reduction in fiber release.

EXAMPLE 3

A PET/TPU core-sheath composite single-ply yarn strand was produced by using a bicomponent melt spinning machine with a core-sheath spinneret. The material of the core is PET, and the weight percentage of the core is 30%. The material of the sheath is TPU, and the weight percentage of the sheath is 70%. The TPU has a melting point of 162° C., and a Shore hardness of 92 A. The specification of the resultant yarn strand is 1.50 d/1 f, and the physical properties of the yarn strand are: tensile strength: 3.5 g/d (ASTM D3822), and elongation at break: 75% (ASTM D3822). A PET DTY yarn strand was further provided with a specification of 75 d/144 f, and the physical properties thereof are: tensile strength: 3.8 g/d (ASTM D3822), and elongation at break: 38% (ASTM D3822). The PET DTY yarn strand and the PET/TPU core-sheath composite yarn strand were used respectively as the loop yarn strand and the ground yarn strand, and were interlaced by using a circular knitting machine with a needle pitch of 24 needles/inch to form a circular knitted fabric with loops on one side. The fabric has a base weight of 347 g/m², and a loop length of 2.2 mm. The fabric is then heated to 135° C. Then, a napping and shearing process was conducted on both sides of the fabric, such that the loops were cut to form yarn sections. Then, the yarn sections on one side of the fabric were raised substantially perpendicular to the fabric, thus forming the circular knitted fleece fabric. The thermal insulation value of the circular knitted fleece fabric is 0.68 (ASTM D1518-2014, option 2, air flow rate 1.0 m/s), the air permeability is 48 cm³/cm²/s (ASTM D737 2004), and the micro fiber release rate is 0.08% (after washing with AATCC 61-2013 1A, testing with AATCC Committee RA100). Compared with a fleece fabric having the same structure but using 75/24 PET DTY yarn strand as the ground yarn strand, which has a micro fiber release rate of 0.331%, the fleece fabric of Example 3 achieves a 75.8% reduction in fiber release.

EXAMPLE 4

A TPU fiber was produced by using a melt spinning machine, with specification of 75 d/12 f, TPU melting point of 90° C., Shore hardness of 95 A. The physical properties of the TPU fiber are: tensile strength: 1.8 g/d (ASTM D3822), and elongation at break: 115% (ASTM D3822). The TPU fiber was then used to cover a 20 d elastic PU fiber by using an air jet covering machine or a yarn strand covering machine to form a TPU composite covered yarn strand. A PET draw textured yarn strand (DTY) was further provided with a specification of 75 d/144 f, and the physical properties thereof are: tensile strength: 3.6 g/d (ASTM D3822), and elongation at break: 41% (ASTM D3822). The PET DTY yarn strand and the TPU composite covered yarn strand were used respectively as the loop yarn strand and the ground yarn strand, and were interlaced by using a circular knitting machine with a needle pitch of 20 needles/inch to form a circular knitted fabric with loops on one side. The fabric has a base weight of 272 g/m², and a loop length of 2.0 mm. The fabric was then steam-heated to 100° C. Then, a napping and shearing process was conducted on both sides of the fabric, such that the loops were cut to form yarn sections. Then, the yarn sections on one side of the fabric were raised substantially perpendicular to the fabric, thus forming the circular knitted fleece fabric. The thermal insulation value of the circular knitted fleece fabric is 0.52 (ASTM D1518-2014, option 2, air flow rate 1.0 m/s), the air permeability is 38 cm³/cm²/s (ASTM D737 2004), and the micro fiber release rate is 0.06% (after washing with AATCC 61-2013 1A, testing with AATCC Committee RA100). Compared with a fleece fabric having the same structure but using a yarn strand of 75/24 PET DTY fiber covering PU elastic fiber as the ground yarn strand, which has a micro fiber release rate of 0.421%, the fleece fabric of Example 4 achieves a 85.7% reduction in fiber release.

EXAMPLE 5

A PBT/TPU core-sheath composite yarn strand was produced by using a bicomponent melt spinning machine with a core-sheath spinneret. The material of the core is PBT (including 4% carbon color masterbatch), and the weight percentage of the core is 45%. The material of the sheath is TPU, and the weight percentage of the sheath is 55%. The TPU has a melting point of 162° C., and a Shore hardness of 92 A. The specification of the resultant yarn strand is 150 d/24 f, and the physical properties of the yarn strand are: tensile strength: 2.8 g/d (ASTM D3822), and elongation at break: 95% (ASTM D3822). A PET DTY yarn strand was further provided with a specification of 75 d/144 f, and the physical properties thereof are: tensile strength: 3.5 g/d (ASTM D3822), and elongation at break: 42% (ASTM D3822). The PET DTY yarn strand and the PBT/TPU core-sheath composite yarn strand were used respectively as the loop yarn strand and the ground yarn strand, and were interlaced by using a circular knitting machine with a needle pitch of 24 needles/inch to form a circular knitted fabric with loops on one side. The fabric has a base weight of 361 g/m², and a loop length of 2.2 mm. The fabric was then heated to 130° C. Then, a napping and shearing process was conducted on both sides of the fabric, such that the loops were cut to form yarn sections. Then, the yarn sections on one side of the fabric were raised substantially perpendicular to the fabric, thus forming the circular knitted fleece fabric. The thermal insulation value of the circular knitted fleece fabric is 0.7 (ASTM D1518-2014, option 2, air flow rate 1.0 m/s), the air permeability is 35 cm³/cm²/s (ASTM D737 2004), and the micro fiber release rate is 0.15% (after washing with AATCC 61-2013 1A, testing with AATCC Committee RA100). Compared with a fleece fabric having the same structure but using 75/24 PET DTY yarn strand as the ground yarn strand, which has a micro fiber release rate of 0.331%, the fleece fabric of Example 5 achieves a 54.6% reduction in fiber release.

EXAMPLE 6

A PBT/TPU core-sheath composite yarn strand was produced by using a bicomponent melt spinning machine with a core-sheath spinneret. The material of the core is PBT (including 4% carbon color masterbatch), and the weight percentage of the core is 45%. The material of the sheath is TPU, and the weight percentage of the sheath is 55%. The TPU has a melting point of 118° C., and a Shore hardness of 80 A. The specification of the resultant yarn strand is 150 d/24 f, and the physical properties of the yarn strand are: tensile strength: 2.7 g/d (ASTM D3822), and elongation at break: 88% (ASTM D3822). A PET DTY yarn strand was further provided with a specification of 75 d/72 f, and the physical properties thereof are: tensile strength: 3.8 g/d (ASTM D3822), and elongation at break: 38% (ASTM D3822). The PET DTY yarn strand and the PBT/TPU core-sheath composite yarn strand were used respectively as the loop yarn strand and the ground yarn strand, and were interlaced by using a circular knitting machine with a needle pitch of 24 needles/inch to form a circular knitted fabric with loops on one side. The fabric has a base weight of 361 g/m², and a loop length of 4.2 mm. The fabric was then heated to 100° C. Then, a napping and shearing process was conducted on both sides of the fabric, such that the loops were cut to form yarn sections. Then, the yarn sections on one side of the fabric were raised substantially perpendicular to the fabric, thus forming the circular knitted fleece fabric. The thermal insulation value of the circular knitted fleece fabric is 0.48 (ASTM D1518-2014, option 2, air flow rate 1.0 m/s), the air permeability is 72 cm³/cm²/s (ASTM D737 2004), and the micro fiber release rate is 0.14% (after washing with AATCC 61-2013 1A, testing with AATCC Committee RA100). Compared with a fleece fabric having the same structure but using 150/48 PET DTY yarn strand as the ground yarn strand, which has a micro fiber release rate of 0.426%, the fleece fabric of Example 6 achieves a 67.1% reduction in fiber release.

EXAMPLE 7

A core-sheath composite yarn strand was produced by using a melt spinning machine. The material of the core is TPU. The TPU has a melting point of 140° C., and a Shore hardness of 90 A. The material of the sheath is CoPolyester (CoPET) having a melting point of 224° C. The specification of the resultant yarn strand is 75 d/24 f, and the physical properties of the yarn strand are: tensile strength: 2.8 g/d (ASTM D3822), and elongation at break: 75% (ASTM D3822). Compared with a TPU single component yarn strand (with specification of 150 d/34 f, TPU melting point of 140° C., Shore hardness of 90 A, physical properties: tensile strength: 2.1 g/d (ASTM D3822), and elongation at break: 105% (ASTM D3822)), the TPU/CoPET core-sheath composite yarn strand has an increase of about 33% or greater in the tensile strength. A PET DTY yarn strand was further provided with a specification of 75 d/144 f, and the physical properties thereof are: tensile strength: 3.7 g/d (ASTM D3822), and elongation at break: 42% (ASTM D3822). The PET DTY yarn strand and the aforementioned core-sheath composite yarn strand were used respectively as the loop yarn strand and the ground yarn strand, and were interlaced by using a circular knitting machine with a needle pitch of 20 needles/inch to form a circular knitted fabric with loops on one side. The fabric has a base weight of 320 g/m², and a loop length of 2.0 mm. The fabric was then heated to 100° C. Then, a napping and shearing process was conducted on both sides of the fabric, such that the loops were cut to form yarn sections. Then, the yarn sections on one side of the fabric were raised substantially perpendicular to the fabric, thus forming the circular knitted fleece fabric. The thermal insulation value of the circular knitted fleece fabric is 0.57 (ASTM D1518-2014, option 2, air flow rate 1.0 m/s), and the micro fiber release rate is 0.07% (after washing with AATCC 61-2013 1A, testing with AATCC Committee RA100). Compared with a fleece fabric having the same structure but not using the TPU/CoPET core-sheath composite yarn strand (i.e., using PET DTY yarn strand as the ground yarn strand), which has a micro fiber release rate of 0.324%, the fleece fabric of Example 7 achieves a 78.3% reduction in fiber release.

EXAMPLE 8

A core-sheath composite fiber was produced by using a melt spinning machine. The material of the core is TPU. The TPU has a melting point of 140° C., and a Shore hardness of 90 A. The material of the sheath is CoPolyester (CoPET) having a melting point of 224° C., The specification of the resultant fiber is 75 d/24 f, and the physical properties of the fiber are: tensile strength: 2.8 g/d (ASTM D3822), elongation at break: 75% (ASTM D3822). The core-sheath composite fiber was then used to cover a 40 d elastic PU fiber by using an air jet covering machine or a yarn strand covering machine to form a core-sheath composite covered yarn strand. A PET DTY yarn strand was further provided with a specification of 75 d/144 f, and the physical properties thereof are: tensile strength: 3.7 g/d (ASTM D3822), elongation at break: 42% (ASTM D3822). The aforementioned core-sheath composite covered yarn strand and the PET DTY yarn strand were fed in an alternating manner as both warp yarn strands and weft yarn strands to a shuttle loom for weaving, thus forming a woven fabric having a warp density of 160 threads/inch and a weft density of 160 threads/inch. Due to shrinkage of the elastic PU fibers in the core-sheath TPU composite covered yarn strand, the PET DTY yarn strands formed loops with a length of 1.2 mm. The fabric was then heated to 115° C. Then, a napping and shearing process was conducted on both sides of the fabric, such that the loops were cut to form yarn sections. Then, the yarn sections on one side of the fabric were raised substantially perpendicular to the fabric, thus forming the woven fleece fabric. The thermal insulation value of the woven fleece fabric is 0.65 (ASTM D1518-2014, option 2, air flow rate 1.0 m/s), and the micro fiber release rate is 0.05% (after washing with AATCC 61-2013 1A, testing with AATCC Committee RA100). Compared with a fleece fabric having the same structure but using PET covered yarn strand instead of the core-sheath composite covered yarn strand, which has a micro fiber release rate of 0.372%, the present disclosure achieves a 86.5% reduction in fiber release.

While the present disclosure has been described and illustrated with reference to specific embodiments thereof, these descriptions and illustrations are not limiting. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The illustrations may not be necessarily drawn to scale. There may be distinctions between the artistic renditions in the present disclosure and the actual apparatus due to manufacturing processes and tolerances. There may be other embodiments of the present disclosure which are not specifically illustrated. The specification and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation, material, composition of matter, method, Or process to the objective, spirit and scope of the present disclosure. All such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto. While the methods disclosed herein have been described with reference to particular operations performed in a particular order, it will be understood that these operations may be combined, sub-divided, or re-ordered to form an equivalent method without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. Accordingly, unless specifically indicated herein, the order and grouping of the operations are not limitations of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A fleece fabric, comprising: a base material including at least one first yarn strand;a plurality of second yarn sections protruding above a surface of the base material, wherein at least a portion of the first yarn strand is fused and attached to the second yarn sections.

2. The fleece fabric of claim 1, wherein the base material is formed of the first yarn strand and at least one second yarn strand interlaced together, the second yarn strand arms a plurality of loops protruding above the surface of the base material, and the loops are napped and sheared to form the second yarn sections.

3. The fleece fabric of claim 1, wherein the first yarn strand includes a thermoplastic fiber, and the first yarn strand is fused to the second yarn sections through the thermoplastic fiber.

4. The fleece fabric of claim 3, wherein the thermoplastic fiber comprises a thermoplastic component, and a material of the thermoplastic component is selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic polyurethane, thermoplastic polyester elastomer, and thermoplastic polyolefin.

5. The fleece fabric of claim 3, wherein the thermoplastic fiber comprises a thermoplastic component and a functional component, the thermoplastic component covers the functional component, the thermoplastic component is fused and attached to the second yarn sections, and the functional component is not fused and attached to the second yarn sections.

6. The fleece fabric of claim 3, wherein the first yarn strand further comprises a functional fiber, the thermoplastic fiber covers the functional fiber, and the functional fiber is not fused and attached to the second yarn sections.

7. A method for manufacturing a fleece fabric, comprising: (a) providing at least one first yarn strand and at least one second yarn strand;(b) interlacing the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand together to thrill a base material, wherein the second yarn strand forms a plurality of loops protruding above a surface of the base material;(c) heating the first yarn strand, such that at least a portion of the first yarn strand is fused and attached to the second yarn strand; and(d) napping and shearing the second yarn strand, such that the loops are cut to form a plurality of second yarn sections protruding above the surface of the base material,

8. The method of claim 7, wherein in step (b), the first yarn strand serves as a ground yarn strand, the second yarn strand serves as a loop yarn strand, and the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand are interlaced by circular knitting to form the base material.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein in step (b), the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand are fed in an alternating manner as warp yarn strands and/or weft yarn strands, and are interlaced by weaving to form the base material.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein after step (d), the method further comprises: (e) raising the second yarn sections.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein after step (e), the method further comprises: (f) trimming the second yarn sections.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the first yarn strand includes a thermoplastic fiber, and in step (c), the first yarn strand is fused to the second yarn strand through the thermoplastic fiber.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the thermoplastic fiber comprises a thermoplastic component, and a material of the thermoplastic component is selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic polyurethane, thermoplastic polyester elastomer, and thermoplastic polyolefin.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the thermoplastic fiber comprises a thermoplastic component and a functional component, the thermoplastic component covers the functional component, and in step (c), the thermoplastic component is fused and attached to the second yarn strand, and the functional component is not fused and attached to the second yarn strand.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the first yarn strand further comprises a functional fiber, the thermoplastic fiber covers the functional fiber, and in step (c), the functional fiber is not fused and attached to the second yarn strand.