Patent Application
20200165752
This application claims the benefit of priority of China Patent Application Number 201811436596.4, filed on Nov. 28, 2018, the content of which being hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
The present disclosure relates to low-twist-high-strength composite yarns, apparatus and methods of production thereof.
Twist is needed in fibers, filaments, or yarns to hold the fibers together, and is added in the spinning and plying processes. The amount of twist varies depending on the fibers, thickness of yarn, preparation of fiber, manner of spinning, and the desired result. The amount of twist in a yarn helps to define the style of yarn—a yarn with a lot of air such as a wollen-spun yarn will have much less twist than a yarn with little air such as a worsted-spun yarn. The amount of twist (or the twist factor) also affects the yarn in terms of stretchiness, strength, halo, and many other attributes. Filling or weft yarns usually have fewer twists per inch (lower twist factor) because strength is not as important as with warp yarns, and highly twisted yarns are, in general, stronger.
Yarns with low twist factors are generally soft and fluffy, but with severe loss in their strength. On the other hand, twist factors of yarns made by existing low-twist techniques are still relatively high. For example, the twist factor of cotton yarns is higher than 2.0, wherein the twist factor is calculated by dividing the number of twist per inch by the square root of the yarn count (Ne). Moreover, existing low-twist techniques have limited applicability. In particular, only fibers with certain length (e.g. longer than 28 mm) and certain thickness can be used to form required yarns with the existing low-twist techniques, whereas some synthetic chemical short fibers cannot be used, and this undermines the flexibility of material selection and poses an economic burden for making low-twist yarns.
In addition, while low-twist yarns with soft and fluffy textures are popular in the market, the low strength commonly resulting therefrom has been a problem.
Therefore, there is a need for developing a low-twist-high-strength yarn. There is also a need for developing a method and apparatus for making the low-twist-high-strength yarn, where the apparatus and the method using thereof have high flexibility in material selection, such as the use of short fibers regardless of their lengths and thicknesses.
Provided herein are improved low-twist-high-strength yarn, an apparatus for making thereof, and a method using the apparatus for making the low-twist-high-strength yarn. The low-twist-high-strength yarn of the present disclosure has at least one of the following advantages: soft and fluffy hand touch, flexible selection for raw materials, and high strengths.
In a first aspect of the present disclosure, provided herein is a composite yarn 2, comprising a central yarn 18 and wrapping fibers 19, wherein the central yarn 18 comprises a first body yarn 16a and a second body yarn 16b; and wherein the wrapping fibers 19 are combined with the central yarn 18 in at least one of the following states: a first state: a portion of the wrapping fibers 19 wrap around the first body yarn 16a or the second body yarn 16b; a second state: a portion of the wrapping fibers 19 wrap around the first body yarn 16a and the second body yarn 16b respectively; and a third state: a portion of the wrapping fibers 19 wrap around the central yarn 18.
In a first embodiment of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the portion of the wrapping fibers 19 are combined with the central yarn 18 in both the first state and the third state, wherein the portion of the wrapping fibers 19 in the first state have a wrapping direction opposite to the wrapping direction of the portion of the wrapping fibers 19 in the third state.
In a second embodiment of the first aspect of the present disclosure, a first portion of the wrapping fibers 19 are combined with the central yarn 18 in the first state; a second portion of the wrapping fibers 19 are combined with the central yarn 18 in the second state; and a third portion of the wrapping fibers 19 are combined with the central yarn 18 in both the first state and the third state, wherein the third portion of the wrapping fibers 19 in the first state have a wrapping direction opposite to the wrapping direction of the third portion of the wrapping fibers 19 in the third state.
In a third embodiment of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the first body yarn 16a and the second body yarn 16b are arranged in parallel to form the central yarn 18.
In a fourth embodiment of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the first body yarn 16a and the second body yarn 16b twist with each other to form the central yarn 18.
In a fifth embodiment of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the first body yarn 16a has a yarn count of about 5-200 denier, and the second body yarn 16b has a yarn count of about 5-200 denier.
In a sixth embodiment of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the weight percentage of the first body yarn 16a and the second body yarn 16b to the total weight of the composite yarn 2 is about 60% to 65%.
In a seventh embodiment of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the twist factor of the central yarn 18 is about 0 to about 1.5.
In a second aspect of the present disclosure, provided herein is an apparatus for preparing the composite yarn described herein, comprising: at least one back roller 11a for infeeding at least one roving 12 comprising at least one short fiber 12a; at least one front roller 11b for infeeding a first filament 13a, a second filament 13b and the at least one roving 12 outfeeding from the at least one back roller, the at least one roving 12 being positioned between the first filament 13a and the second filament 13b at the at least one front roller 11b; and a false twisting device 14 in front of the at least one front roller 11b for infeeding the first filament 13a and the second filament 13b and the at least one roving 12 outfeeding from the at least one front roller 11b, so that the at least one roving 12 is combined with the first filament 13a and/or the second filament 13b to form the composite yarn 2, wherein the first filament 13a and the second filament 13b together form the central yarn 18 of the composite yarn 2, and the at least one short fiber 12a of the at least one roving 12 forms the wrapping fibers 19 of the composite yarn 2.
In a first embodiment of the second aspect of the present disclosure, the front roller 11b and the false twisting device 14 are configured to form a twisting triangle region between the front roller 11b and the false twisting device 14 so that a first portion of the at least one short fiber 12a of the at least one roving 12 wraps around the first filament 13a or the second filament 13b within the twisting triangle region, and a second portion of the at least one short fiber 12a of the roving 12 remains free.
In a second embodiment of the second aspect of the present disclosure, the composite yarn apparatus further comprises a winding device 20 in front of the false twisting device 14 for directly winding the composite yarn 2.
In a third embodiment of the second aspect of the present disclosure, the winding device 20 comprises a twisting element for twisting the composite yarn 2 during the winding.
In a third aspect of the present disclosure, provided herein is a method for preparing the composite yarn 2 using the apparatus described herein, comprising: infeeding a first filament 13a and a second filament 13b into the front roller 11b, wherein the first filament 13a and the second filament 13b are separate by a distance at the front roller 11b so that the first filament 13a and the second filament 13b form a twisting triangle region before entering the false twisting device 14; infeeding at least one roving 12 comprising at least one short fiber 12a into the back roller 11a, and outfeeding the at least one roving 12 from the front roller 11b, wherein the at least one roving 12 is positioned between the first filament 13a and the second filament 13b at the front roller 11b; infeeding the first filament 13a and the second filament 13b and the at least one roving 12 into the false twisting device 14 to form the composite yarn 2, wherein the first filament 13a forms the first body yarn 16a, the second filament 13b forms the second body yarn 16b, and the at least one short fiber 12a of the at least one roving 12 forms the wrapping fibers 19, the first body yarn 16a and the second body yarn 16b being arranged to form the central yarn 18, and the wrapping fibers 19 being combined with the central yarn 18 in at least one of the following ways: a first way: a portion of the wrapping fibers 19 wrap around the first body yarn 16a or the second body yarn 16b; a second way: a portion of the wrapping fibers 19 wrap around the first body yarn 16a and the second body yarn 16b respectively; and a third way: a portion of the wrapping fibers 19 wrap around the central yarn 18.
In a first embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure, the distance is about 1.0 mm to about 20 mm.
In a second embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure, the yarn count (Ne) of the central yarn (18) is about 2.5 to about 120.
In a third embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure, the portion of the wrapping fibers 19 are combined with the central yarn 18 in both the first way and the third way, wherein the portion of the wrapping fibers 19 in the first way have a wrapping direction opposite to the wrapping direction of the portion of the wrapping fibers 19 in the third way.
In a fourth embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure, in the second way, the wrapping directions of the portion of the wrapping fibers 19 around the first body yarn 16a and the second body yarn 16b are the same.
In a fifth embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure, the method described herein further comprises twisting the first filament 13a and the second filament 13b while infeeding the first filament 13a and the second filament 13b into the false twisting device 14.
In a sixth embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure, the method described herein further comprises directly winding the composite yarn 2.
In a seventh embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure, the method described herein further comprises twisting while winding the composite yarn 2.
It should be understood that the drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, with emphasis generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the present teachings. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present teachings in any way.
The principles of the present disclosure are explained in conjunction with the following embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed description of the embodiments and examples are provided in the present disclosure to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present disclosure. It should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.
As shown in
The composite yarn apparatus of the present disclosure can further comprise a false twisting device 14 located in front of the front roller 11b. The false twisting device 14 of the present disclosure can be used for applying false twist onto the fibers, filaments, and/or yarns passing therethrough. The false twisting device 14 of the present disclosure can be a rubber false twisting device, a urethane false twisting device, an inlaid copper grooves and plastic false twisting device, or any other false twisting devices known to those skilled in the art that have false twisting functions.
The false twisting device 14 in front of the front roller 11b can be arranged such that a twisting triangle region is formed between the front roller 11b and the false twisting device 14. The twisting triangle region allows the first filament 13a, the second filament 13b, and the at least one roving 12 comprising at least one short fiber 12a to be intertwined or combined in a special manner. In certain embodiments, one portion of the at least one short fiber 12a of the roving 12 wraps around the first filament 13a or the second filament 13b, and the other portion remains free, as shown in
The composite yarn apparatus of the present disclosure can further comprise a winding device 20 located in front of the false twisting device 14. The winding device 20 can be used for directly winding the composite yarn of the present disclosure. The winding device 20 can further comprise a twisting element for twisting the composite yarn while winding the composite yarn.
During the operation, the first filament 13a and the second filament 13b are unwound from the first filament bobbin 10a and the second filament bobbin 10b before being fed into the frond roller 11b of the composite yarn apparatus of the present disclosure. The first filament 13a can be an elastic filament or an inelastic filament, such as a nylon filament, an acrylic filament, a polyester filament, a viscose filament, a spandex filament, or a silk filament; second filament 13b can also be an elastic filament or an inelastic filaments, such as a nylon filaments, an acrylic filament, a polyester filaments, a viscose filaments, a spandex filament, or a silk filament. In certain embodiments, the first filament 13a has a yarn count of about 5 denier to about 200 denier, about 15 denier to about 190 denier, about 25 denier to about 180 denier, about 35 denier to about 170 denier, about 45 denier to about 160 denier, about 55 denier to about 150 denier, about 65 denier to about 140 denier, about 75 denier to about 130 denier, about 85 denier to about 120 denier, or about 95 denier to about 110 denier. In certain embodiments, the first filament 13a has a yarn count of about 10 denier to about 180 denier. In certain embodiments, the second filament 13b has a yarn count of about 5 denier to about 200 denier, about 15 denier to about 190 denier, about 25 denier to about 180 denier, about 35 denier to about 170 denier, about 45 denier to about 160 denier, about 55 denier to about 150 denier, about 65 denier to about 140 denier, about 75 denier to about 130 denier, about 85 denier to about 120 denier, or about 95 denier to about 110 denier. In certain embodiments, the second filament 13b has a yarn count of about 10 denier to about 180 denier. The first filament 13a and the second filament 13b are separated by a distance at the front roller 11b, wherein the distance can be about 1 mm to about 20 mm, about 2 mm to about 19 mm, about 3 mm to about 18 mm, about 4 mm to about 17 mm, about 5 mm to about 16 mm, about 6 mm to about 15 mm, about 7 mm to about 14 mm, about 8 mm to about 13 mm, about 9 mm to about 12 mm, or about 10 mm to about 11 mm. In certain embodiments, the distance between the first filament 13a and the second filament 13b is about 1.5 mm to about 3.5 mm.
The roving 12 comprising at least one short fiber 12a can be unwound from the roving bobbin 10c, infed to the back roller 11a, and outfed from the front roller 11b. The positions of the roving 12 at the back roller 11a and the front roller 11b during infeeding can be determined so that the roving 12 is positioned between the first filament 13a and the second filament 13b at the front roller 11b. The short fibers of the roving 12 can be natural short fibers, including but not limited to cotton and wool. The short fibers of the roving 12 can be synthetic short fibers, including but not limited to polyamide and polyester. The short fibers of the roving 12 can also be regenerated short fibers, including but not limited to viscose fibers, cuprammonium fibers, acetate fibers, casein fibers, silk fibroin fibers, and soy protein fibers. The length of the short fibers can be greater than about 28 mm. In certain embodiments, the length of the short fibers can be no larger than about 28 mm, about 27 mm, about 26 mm, about 25 mm, about 24 mm, about 23 mm, about 22 mm, about 21 mm, about 20 mm, about 19 mm, about 18 mm, about 17 mm, about 16 mm, about 15 mm, about 14 mm, about 13 mm, about 12 mm, about 11 mm, about 10 mm, about 9 mm, about 8 mm, about 7 mm, about 6 mm, about 5 mm, about 4 mm, about 3 mm, about 2 mm, or about 1 mm. In certain embodiments, the length of the short fibers is about 25 mm to about 38 mm.
In certain embodiments, the roving 12 comprising the at least one short fiber 12a and the first filament 13a and the second filament 13b are combined within the twisting triangle region in the following manner: one portion of at least one short fiber 12a of the roving 12 wraps around the first filament 13a or the second filament 13b, and the other portion of at least one short fiber 12a of the roving 12 is free, as shown in
In certain embodiments, the first filament 13a, the second filament 13b and the roving 12 located within the twisting triangle region are fed into the false twisting device 14 for false twisting to form the composite yarn 2. As shown in
The composite yarn outfed from the false twisting device 14 can be wound into a mass by the winding device 20. In certain embodiments, the composite yarn is wound into a mass directly. In certain embodiments, the composite yarn is twisted while being wound into a mass.
The composite yarn prepared by the methods and apparatus described herein has a structure with heterogeneous distribution of fibers. In particular, the twist factors of the composite yarn described herein can be approximately 0 with no loss or minimal loss in yarn strength, and the internal torque of the composite yarn described herein can be close to 0. In addition, compared to existing low twist techniques, which can only use long fibers (such as fibers with a length of greater than 28 mm) to make low-twist yarns, the methods described herein can choose a wider range of fiber materials and have no particular requirements on the length of fibers (fibers with a length of less than 28 mm can be used to make low-twist yarns). In other words, the yarn preparation methods described herein are more applicable in terms of the selection of fibers, and the composite yarns prepared thereof show properties of low twist yet high strength, which cannot be achieved by existing composite yarns. Moreover, the weight percentage of the filaments in the composite yarns prepared using the methods described herein can reach up to 60% to 65% with respect to the total weight of the composite yarn, which is advantageous as the price of filaments is generally lower than the price of rovings, making the composite yarns described herein more cost effective compared to existing yarns while not compromising the appearance and hand touch thereof.
As shown in
In certain embodiments, the short fibers comprising the wrapping fibers 19 are combined with the central yarn 18 mainly in three states. The first state: the short fibers wrap around the first body yarn 16a or the second body yarn 16b, as shown in
As shown in
The composite yarns having the above-mentioned novel heterogeneous distribution of fibers have advantages over the existing composite yarns, such as low twist and therefore soft and fluffy hand touch, low yarn internal torque, and high strength.
The following non-limiting examples are illustrative of the low-twist-high-strength composite yarns prepared using the methods in accordance with the invention (
Two nylon filaments with a yarn count of 15 denier were fed into the front roller with a distance of 2.5 mm at the front roller. The rayon was fed into the back roller and was output between the two nylon filaments from the front roller. The two nylon filaments and the rayon were preliminarily twisted in the twisting triangle region before entering the false twisting device for false twisting, and followed by outfeeding from the false twisting device to form the composite yarn, which was then further twisted and wound by the winding device. The yarn count (Ne) of the composite yarn is about 40.
In the low-twist-high-strength composite yarn prepare according to Example 1, the yarn count of the first body yarn and the second body yarn respectively is 15 denier; the wrapping fibers are formed by the rayon, which takes up 77.5% of the total weight of the composite yarn. The twist factor of the composite yarn is 1.5, wherein the twist factor is calculated by dividing the number of twist per inch by the square root of the yarn count (Ne). The single yarn strength is 308cN (see
Two nylon filaments with a yarn count of 15 denier were fed into the front roller with a distance of 2.5 mm at the front roller. The rayon was fed into the back roller and was output between the two nylon filaments from the front roller. The two nylon filaments and the rayon were twisted in the twisting triangle region to form the composite yarn, which was then further twisted and wound by the winding device. The yarn count (Ne) of the composite yarn is about 40.
In the low-twist composite yarn prepare according to Example 3, the yarn count of the first body yarn and the second body yarn respectively is 15 denier; the wrapping fibers are formed by the rayon, which takes up 77.5% of the total weight of the composite yarn. The twist factor of the composite yarn is 3.8, wherein the twist factor is calculated by dividing the number of twist per inch by the square root of the yarn count (Ne). The single yarn strength is 299cN (see
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201811436596.4 | Nov 2018 | CN | national |
