Patent Application
20230407536
The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. CN 2022106900624 filed on Jun. 17, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present application relates to the technical field of functional fabric, and in particular, to a unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric and related clothing items manufacturing methods and systems.
Nowadays, consumers increasingly demand comfort in clothing as well as fabric functionality. The ordinary moisture absorption and quick drying function has become a basic function in the sports scene.
Such a demand however, presents challenges in situations in which moisture absorption and drying function are desired. In particular achieving a fast moisture absorption and quick drying remains a challenging objective of the clothing industry.
The present disclosure provides a conducting knitted fabric with unidirectional moisture and related clothing items, methods and systems which address the challenges of moisture reduction and drying of fabric material by utilizing the difference in the moisture absorption performance of the material itself.
In particular, according to a first aspect a unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric is described, the fabric comprising: a first fabric layer formed by a first layer hydrophilic fiber material and a second fabric layer formed by a second layer hydrophilic fiber material and a second layer hydrophobic fiber material. In the unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric of the present disclosure, the first layer hydrophilic fiber material, the second layer hydrophilic fiber material and the second layer hydrophobic fiber material are knitted in a configuration resulting in the first fabric layer and the second layer being at opposite sides of the fabric.
According to a second aspect a cloth and related clothing item are described, each of the cloth and the clothing item has an inner surface configured to contact an individual user and an outer surface configured to face an environment external to an individual user. The clothing item comprises the unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric herein described in a configuration in which the first fabric layer forms at least part of the outer surface of the clothing item and the second fabric layer forms at least part of the inner surface of the clothing item.
According to a third aspect a method to manufacture a unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric is described. The method comprises providing a first fiber material formed by hydrophilic fibers and a second fiber material formed by hydrophilic fibers and hydrophobic fibers; and knitting the first fabric material and the second fabric material to provide a knitted fabric having a first layer formed by the first fabric material and a second surface formed by the second fabric material, the second surface opposite to the first surface.
According to a fourth aspect a system to manufacture a unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric is described. The system comprises a first fiber material formed by hydrophilic fibers and a second fiber material formed by hydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers, and a device configured to knit the first fabric material and the second fabric material to provide a unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric herein described.
The unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric and related, methods and systems herein described allow in several embodiments to provide a fabric with a moisture control which improves the fabric functionality over performance of existing fabrics with respect to this particular feature.
In particular, the unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric and related, methods and systems herein described allow in several embodiments to provide having faster moisture absorbance and/or fabric drying over existing fabrics having no significant difference in the hydrophilicity between front and back.
As a consequence, the unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric and related, methods and systems herein described allow in several embodiments to provide a clothing item that will quickly reduce the moisture accumulated in the fabric to meet consumers increasing demand for comfort and functionality in particular in sports and fitness clothing.
The unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric and related, methods and systems herein described allow a simplified and less expensive process compared to existing methods of producing fabric with moisture control based on local application of waterproof agents by printing or coating technology and/or pretreatment of the material which requires special equipment, a certain fabric thickness, and a complex process as will be understood by a skilled person.
The unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric and related fabric layers, methods and systems herein described can be used in connection with applications wherein textile material configured to control moisture are desired. Exemplary applications comprise design production and/or distribution of textile material, cloth and/or clothing and additional applications rapid elimination of the moisture from textile material are desired. Additional applications can be identified by a skilled person.
The details of one or more embodiments 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.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the detailed description and the examples, serve to explain the principles and implementations of the disclosure.
The present disclosure provides a conducting knitted fabric with unidirectional moisture and related clothing items, methods and systems.
The word “fabrics” or “textile” as used herein refers various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, and additional fiber-based material identifiable by an ordinary skilled person in the art. Fabrics in the sense of the disclosure comprise consumer textiles such as clothing, where the primary purpose of the fabric is comfort and/or style. Fabrics in the sense of the disclosure also comprise technical textiles such as geotextile, industrial textile, medical textiles where functionality is the primary purpose of the fabric. Exemplary fabrics comprise woven fabrics, knitted fabrics, non-woven fabrics and additional fabrics identifiable by an ordinary skilled person in the art. Fabrics in the sense of the disclosure comprise natural fabric and synthetic fibers or mixtures thereof [1]
In embodiments herein described, the fabrics are knitted fabrics which are intended to encompass any textile that results from knitting, the process of inter-looping or inter-meshing of loops of fabric materials such as yarns. [2]
The term “fiber material” as used herein indicates a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. Synthetic fibers can often be produced very cheaply and in large amounts compared to natural fibers, but for clothing natural fibers can give some benefits, such as comfort, over their synthetic counterparts. [3]
Fiber material can take various forms, typically the form of a yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibers, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. Additional fabric materials comprise threads and embroidery threads, as well as additional material which can in some instances be finished with wax or other lubricants to withstand the stresses involved in sewing. [4]
As used herein, “knit” and “knitting” refer to the interweaving of threads and/or yarns to produce fabric. The process can be done by hand or by machine. The process can involve steps of “looping”, “tucking”, and “floating”. “Looping” refers to forming a portion of the thread/yarn into a loop, or U-shape. “Tucking” or “tuck stitching” refers to having a needle holding a loop receive a further loop. “Floating” refers to allowing a thread/yarn to run across the back of the fabric.
In conducting knitted fabric with unidirectional moisture of the present disclosure, the fabric comprises hydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers knitted together to provide distinct layers at an opposite side of the fabric.
Exemplary fiber material comprises cotton, rayon, wool, and silk.
The term “hydrophilic fiber material” as used herein indicates a fiber material having a water static contact angle that is smaller than 900 at 20° C. under 1 atm.
The term “hydrophobic fiber material” as used herein indicates having a water static contact angle that is equal to or greater than 90° at 20° C. under 1 atm. Static contact angles can be measured when the droplet is sitting on the surface and the three-phase boundary is not moving. Static contact angles can be measured by a contact angle goniometer using an optical subsystem to capture the profile of a pure liquid on a solid substrate. The angle formed between the water drop and a flat surface of fiber material in contact with the water drop is the contact angle. [5] [6]
Hydrophilic and hydrophobic materials are defined by the geometry of a water droplet on a flat surface made of these materials. A contact angle is defined as the angle between the water droplet's edge and the flat surface.
If the water droplet spreads, wetting a large area of the surface, then the contact angle is less than 90 degrees, and that surface is considered hydrophilic. Alternatively, when the water droplet forms, for example, a sphere or oval shape that barely touches the surface, the contact angle is equal to or more than 90 degrees, and the surface is hydrophobic.
Usually in hydrophilic fiber: the time required for water droplets to be completely absorbed is within 3 s while hydrophobic fiber: the time required for water droplets to be completely absorbed is greater than 60 s as will be understood by a skilled person.
Exemplary hydrophilic fiber material comprises cotton, wool, alpaca wool, cashmere wool, linen, rayon, and silk.
Exemplary hydrophobic fiber material comprises polyester fiber, acrylic fiber, modacrylic fiber, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate, nylon, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyethylene, and polypropylene non-differentiated polyeste.
In a unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric of the disclosure the hydrophilic fiber material and hydrophobic fiber material are knitted in a pattern resulting in a first fabric layer formed by a first (outer) layer hydrophilic fiber material and a second fabric layer formed by a second (inner) layer hydrophilic fiber material and a second layer hydrophobic fiber material.
The configuration of the unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric results in a fabric having a differential hydrophilicity on the inner side of the fabric with respect to the one on the outer side. As a consequence, the knitted fabric of the disclosure uses the differential capillary effect on the inner and outer sides to quickly transfer water to the front side of the fabric after absorbing water, while the skin surface can still maintain air permeability and dryness, which is more and more favored by people. Herein “inner” refers to the side of the fabric facing the wearer of the article of clothing and “outer” refers to the side of the fabric facing away from the wearer. These terms do not necessarily mean that there are no other intervening layers between the wearer and the fabric or the exterior environment and the fabric.
An example is shown in cross-section in
In embodiments herein, the unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric is formed by a double-layer knit structure to ensure that the first fabric layer is all hydrophilic fiber material, and the second fabric layer is hydrophilic fiber material and hydrophobic fiber material.
The structure will be specific to specific fabrics. The weaving methods of some fabrics have been given in the examples, and the weaving diagram can be changed according to the weaving methods. For fabrics not specified herein, other diagrams would be used as understood by those skilled in the art.
In some embodiments, the hydrophilic fiber material and the hydrophobic fiber material in the second fabric layer are arranged in proportion, and the proportion of the surface area of the hydrophobic fiber material to the area of the hydrophilic fiber material ranges from 3:1 to 15:1. If the above proportion is less than 3:1, the moisture absorption point of the second fabric layer is too much, and the second fabric layer will also have a certain amount of wetting after moisture absorption, which cannot be kept dry. If the above proportion is greater than 15:1, the moisture absorption point of the second fabric layer is too little and the water absorption is poor. It takes a long time for the water conduction to the first fabric layer, which will cause poor wearing comfort. In the present application, the area proportion refers to the projected area of each fiber material in the second fabric layer on the plane, and it is related to the number of tissue points of each material and the linear density of the yarn used.
In some embodiments, the double-layer knit structure is a double-faced jacquard structure or French terry structure.
In some embodiments, the hydrophilic fiber material is rayon or cotton.
In some embodiments, the hydrophobic fiber material is non-differentiated polyester.
The present application also provides a production process of the unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric, the production process comprises following steps: knit→fabric inspection→dyeing (no softener added in the dye vat during dyeing) in cylinder→drying→stentering (heat treating).
In some embodiments, softener can be added to the vat after dyeing before drying.
The fabric containing spandex needs grey fabric heat setting.
In a stentering process, special softening agent is used, and the special softening agent neither affects the hydrophilicity performance of hydrophilic material nor affects the water repellency performance of hydrophobic material, and it can make the fabric feel soft. Suitable softening agent can be polyether modified silicon emulsion (such as Huntsman's ULTRATEX® STS-U), dosage is 8-40 g/L.
Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages:
The application adopts a double-layer knit structure, for example, a double-faced jacquard structure or French terry structure. The inner layer (the second fabric layer) close to the skin is alternately arranged with hydrophilic fiber material with good hydrophilicity (cotton or rayon) and hydrophobic fiber material with poor hydrophilicity (polyester), and the area proportion of polyester material is far more than rayon or cotton, and the outer layer (the first fabric layer) is all cotton or rayon with good hydrophilicity. No additional processes need to be applied in dyeing and finishing the dyeing and finishing process can be the same as ordinary fabrics, only a special softening agent including polyether modified silicone emulsion (such as Huntsman's ULTRATEX® STS-U) is used in the stentering which does not affect the hydrophilicity of rayon/cotton or the hydrophobicity of polyester and can give the fabric a soft hand feel. If other hydrophilic or ordinary softeners are used, it will reduce the hydrophilic difference between cotton/rayon and polyester.
Other hydrophilic softeners and common softeners include amino-modified organosiloxane and emulsifiers, stearic acid derivatives, high molecular polyethylene dispersions.
As used herein, a softening agent or a softener as used here refers to a chemical or composition which is capable of adhering to a fabric surface and produce a softer hand feel. The softening agent can attach to a fabric by covalent bond, electrostatic interaction, hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonds, Van der Waals forces, or dipole-dipole interaction.
The finished fabric thus obtained has greatly maintained the difference in moisture absorption performance of the material itself, and obtained a unidirectional moisture conducting fabric, of which the hydrophilic performance of the outer side is significantly better than the inner side. When the human body is sweating a lot, the significantly hydrophilicity difference between the outer and inner side of the fabric results in differential capillary effect. The moisture absorbed by the rayon/cotton on the inner side of the fabric can be quickly transferred to the outer side of the fabric. Since most of the inner side is polyester with poor moisture absorption, it can keep dry and greatly improve the wearing comfort of the fabric. Since cotton, rayon and polyester are very conventional fiber materials with not a high price and they are easy to dye, the fabric has advantages with low cost, rich colors and excellent fastness.
Methods of the present disclosure can be performed by combinations of at least two of a first fiber material formed by a hydrophilic fiber and a second fiber material formed by hydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers, and a device configured to knit the first fabric material and the second fabric material to provide a unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric herein described, as will be understood by a skilled person.
In particular a system to manufacture a unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric of the present disclosure comprises one or more first fiber material herein described in one or more second fiber material and/or one or more device for knitting the first and the second fiber material in the sense of the disclosure. In the system to manufacture a unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric of the present disclosure, the components of the system are comprised in combination, for use in performing the method for manufacturing a unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric in accordance with anyone of the methods of the disclosure, as will be understood by a skilled person.
In some embodiments, the system manufacture a unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric of the present disclosure, can comprise additional components directed to print a pattern on the knitted fabric produced by any one of the methods and/or systems of the disclosure as will be understood by a skilled person upon reading of the present disclosure.
In an additional aspect, a fabric item of the present disclosure comprises knitted fabric obtained with the method and/or system of the disclosure. The wording “fabric item” in the sense of the disclosure indicates an object that comprises fabric, such as drapes, towels, tablecloth, kitchen cloth, blankets and garments for humans or pets as well as further objects comprising fabric such as pillows and additional objects identifiable by a skilled person.
In particular, in preferred embodiments the fabric item can be a clothing item such as the exemplary garments schematically illustrated in
As used herein, “clothing” and “clothing items” refers to wearable fabric-based items, such as shirts, jackets, trousers, undergarments, coats, headbands, unitards, bodysuits, sweatpants, sweatshirts, t-shirts, gloves, socks, etc.
Further details concerning the knitted fabric of the disclosure as well as related methods, systems and fabric items will be apparent to a skilled person in view of the following exemplary embodiments.
The unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric and related clothing items manufacturing methods and systems of the present application will be further described below with reference to the exemplary embodiments of the present application which are provided by way of illustration and are not intended to be limiting.
In particular, the following examples illustrate exemplary fabric and related layers methods and systems. A person skilled in the art will appreciate the applicability and the necessary modifications to adapt the features described in detail in the present section, to additional fabric, fabric layer material methods and systems according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
In this exemplary embodiment, a unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric is provided. Its knit parameter is shown in Table 1. Take reverse bottom as front side of cloth. The fabric is made of rayon with good moisture absorption on the outer side and rayon with good moisture absorption and polyester with poor moisture absorption on the inner side, and the ratio of polyester to rayon is 11:1.
The production process as shown in
Finished fabric specification: 150 g/m2, width 160 cm, composition 39% polyester+61% rayon.
represents tuck
indicates data missing or illegible when filed
In this embodiment, a unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric is provided. Its knit parameter is shown in Table 2. The outer side of the fabric is all spun rayon with good moisture absorption, and the inner side is mixed with rayon with good moisture absorption and polyester with poor moisture absorption. The distribution ratio of polyester and rayon on the back side of the fabric is 3:1.
The production process shown in
Finished fabric specification: weight 170 g/m2, width 160 cm, 16% polyester+6% spandex+78% rayon. Wherein, the function of spandex is to give the fabric excellent elasticity, which has little relation with the unidirectional moisture conducting function.
represents tuck
In this exemplary embodiment, a unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric is provided. Its knit parameter is shown in Table 3. Take reverse bottom as front side of cloth. The outer side of the fabric is all rayon with good moisture absorption, and the inner side is mixed with rayon with good moisture absorption and polyester with poor moisture absorption. The distribution ratio of polyester and rayon on the back side of the fabric is 15:1.
The production process shown in
Finished fabric specification: weight 195 g/m2, width 165 cm, 30% polyester+70% rayon.
The knit structure, dyeing and finishing process and finished fabric specifications of this embodiment are the same as those of Example 1. The difference lies in the addition of softening agent ULTRATEX® STS-U in dosage of 15 g/L in stentering step of the finished product.
The knit structure, dyeing and finishing process and finished fabric specifications of this embodiment are the same as those of Example 2. The difference lies in the addition of softening agent ULTRATEX® STS-U in dosage of 12 g/L in stentering step of the finished product.
The knit process and production process of the fabric of this Comparative Embodiment are the same as that of Example 1, and the finished fabric specifications are the same, but the hydrophilic softening agent Siligen SIH Liq (Archroma) is used in the stentering step of the finished product in dosage of 20 g/L. The hydrophilic properties of polyester in the finished fabric become better, and both sides of the fabric are hydrophilic, and the difference in water absorption between the two sides becomes smaller.
The knit process and production process of the fabric of the Comparison Embodiment are the same as that of Example 1, and the finished fabric specifications are the same. But low-yellowing versatile film KL-37 (Wuxi KAILAI biotechnology co., LTD.) is used as softening agent in the stentering step of the finished product in dosage of 20 g/L. The hydrophilicity properties of rayon in the finished fabric are worse, both sides of the fabric are not hydrophilic, and the difference in water absorption between the two sides becomes smaller.
The knit parameter of the fabric in this Comparative Example is shown in Table 4. The outer and inner sides of the fabric are all polyester with poor moisture absorption.
The production process, as shown in
Finished fabric specification: weight 150 g/m2, width 160 cm, 100% polyester.
represents tuck
indicates data missing or illegible when filed
The knit parameter of the fabric in this Comparative Example is shown in Table 5. The outer and inner sides of the fabric are all polyester with poor moisture absorption.
The production process as shown in
This Comparative Example's knit parameter is shown in Table 6. Take reverse bottom as outer side of cloth. The fabric is made of rayon with good moisture absorption on the outer side and rayon with good moisture absorption and polyester with poor moisture absorption on the inner side, and the ratio of polyester to rayon is 2:1.
The production process shown in
This Comparative Example's knit parameter is shown in Table 7. Take reverse bottom as front side of cloth. The fabric is made of rayon with good moisture absorption on the outer side and rayon with good moisture absorption and polyester with poor moisture absorption on the inner side, and the ratio of polyester to rayon is 19:1.
The production process, shown in
Finished fabric specification: weight 190 g/m2, width 165 cm, 33% polyester+67% rayon.
According to AATCC 195, the wetting time, water absorption rate, one-way transport capability, OMMC (overall water management ability) and other aspects of the unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric are tested before and after 10th washing. The test results are listed in Table 8.
The fabric of the application emphasizes unidirectional transfer and moisture can be transferred from the skin surface to the outer side of the fabric quickly, so the characteristics of the fabric can be more prominent when tested by AATCC 195 or GB/T 21655.2.
As can be seen from the data in Table 8, compared with conventional fabrics, the unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric produced by this method has excellent one-way transport capability. After water absorption on the inner side of the fabric, it can be quickly transferred to the outer side of the fabric and quickly dried, while the inner side of the fabric remains dry, improving the comfort of wearing. The one-way transport capability is below level 3 before washing in the First and Second Comparative Examples, while after 10 times of washing, because part of the softening agent is washed down, it reflects the hydrophilic and hydrophobic performance of a material itself. The hydrophilic difference between the inner and outer sides of the fabric is better than before washing, so the one-way transport capability is also higher than before washing. As for the Third and Fourth Comparative Examples, due to the same materials, there is little difference in moisture absorption between outer and inner sides before and after washing, so the one-way transport capability before and after washing is lower. For the Fifth Comparative Example, the ratio of reverse hydrophobic point to hydrophilic point of the fabric is 2:1. There are too many hydrophilic points in inner side, and the hydrophilic point difference between outer and inner is small, so the one-way transport capability of the fabric is low. For the Sixth Comparative Example, the ratio of hydrophobic point to hydrophilic point of the fabric inner side is 19:1. There are too many water-repellent points in inner side, so the water absorption is slow, and the water cannot be quickly transferred to the outer of the fabric, so the one-way transport capability is also low.
Through the above embodiments, the ratio of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic material in inner side is vital for the performance of the unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric. The human body starts sweating, hydrophilic material in inner side of the fabric can quickly absorb sweat and transfer to the outer side of the fabric to evaporate, preventing sweat adhesion on the skin surface, which keeps skin dry. Most area of the fabric inner side is hydrophobic, therefore it can keep the skin surface dry and improve the comfort of wearing.
The above contents are merely illustrative of the preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, and the like within the spirit and principles of the application are intended to be included within the scope of the present application.
In summary, provided herein are a unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric and manufacturing method thereof in the technical field of functional fabric. The application adopts fiber materials with poor or good hydrophilicity. The double layer structure is obtained by a knit method, and the unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric is obtained leveraging the difference in hydrophilic property of the double layer material itself. The outer side of the fabric are all materials with good hydrophilicity. The inner side of the fabric are materials with both good hydrophilicity and poor hydrophilicity arranged in proportion. When the back side absorbs water, the moisture is quickly transferred to the outer side, keeping dry and greatly improving the wearing comfort of the fabric. The present disclosure shows embodiments having one or more of the following advantages: low manufacturing cost, no negative effect on fabric hand feel and dyeing process, good one-way transport capability, and washing durability.
The entire disclosure of each document cited (including patents, patent applications, journal articles, abstracts, laboratory manuals, books, or other disclosures) in the Background, Summary, Detailed Description, and Examples is hereby incorporated herein by reference. All references cited in this disclosure are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference had been incorporated by reference in its entirety individually.
It is to be understood that the disclosures are not limited to particular compositions, materials, or biological systems, which can, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. The term “plurality” includes two or more referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the disclosure pertains.
Unless otherwise indicated, the disclosure is not limited to specific reactants, substituents, catalysts, reaction conditions, or the like, as such may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting.
As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a polymer” includes a single polymer as well as a combination or mixture of two or more polymers, reference to “a substituent” encompasses a single substituent as well as two or more substituents, and the like.
As used in the specification and the appended claims, the terms “for example,” “for instance,” “such as,” or “including” are meant to introduce examples that further clarify more general subject matter. Unless otherwise specified, these examples are provided only as an aid for understanding the applications illustrated in the present disclosure, and are not meant to be limiting in any fashion.
Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice for testing of the specific examples, additional appropriate materials and methods are described herein.
A number of embodiments 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 present disclosure. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022106900624 | Jun 2022 | CN | national |
