GB2267511A

GB2267511A - Process and machine for the production of a non-woven fabric

Info

Publication number: GB2267511A
Application number: GB9311357A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Eberhard Knispel; Martin Schoenfus; Wolfgang Vogel; Peter Zeisberg; Stefan Bock; Dieter Erth; Dietmar Grenzendoerfer; Horst Heilmann
Original assignee: Malimo Maschinenbau GmbH
Current assignee: Malimo Maschinenbau GmbH
Priority date: 1992-06-03
Filing date: 1993-06-02
Publication date: 1993-12-08
Anticipated expiration: 2013-06-02
Also published as: DE4218234C2; GB9311357D0; ITMI931163A0; IT1271553B; FR2691986A1; GB2267511B; ATA80593A; FR2691986B1; CZ88193A3; ITMI931163A1; DE4218234A1

Abstract

A process for producing a mechanically consolidated fabric sheet with attached yarns involves inserting barbed needles (53) for the yarn-free consolidation of areas the sheet and simultaneously inserting compound needles (51, 52) for forming stitches to attach the yarns (3, 84) at spaced locations. The stitches may be formed from stitching yarns (22) or from fibres of the shoot and the attached yarns may include both warps (3) and wefts (84). The yarn-free regions are generally greater than the regions with attached yarns and the former may have a pile on one or both faces. <IMAGE>

Description

22675 11 PROCESS AND MACHINE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF YARN-REINFORCED

CONSOLIDATED FIBRE SHEETS AND A NON-WOVEN FABRIC PRODUCED THEREWITH The invention relates to a process for producing a consolidated sheet with attached, predominantly drawn yarns wherein a large number of fibres per unit area of the loosely laid fibre layer is deflected transversely through the sheet by the barbs of a large number of needles capable of moving through the sheet and the yarns are connected to the sheet by stitch-type connecting elements.

The invention also relates to a mechanically consolidated sheet produced by the process,,with.attached, predominantly drawn yarns which are fastenedon the sheet by means of stitch-type elements.

The invention also relates to a machine for producing a consolidated sheet by the above-mentioned process wherein the machine has feeders for at least one group of yarns and for at least one sheet, is equipped with at least one needle bar carrying the compound needles and has a take-off device for the consolidated sheet.

Various processes have been disclosed for producing consolidated sheets. For consolidating the sheet, so-called needling machines (e.g. DE 35 42 151) have needle bars with a large number of barbed needles, arranged in one area (socalled felting needles, e.g. DE 28 48 408). The barbs of the needles are directed in the insertion direction.

The needle bars described as needle boards move all needles simultaneously transversely through the sheet.

So-called knockover means having recesses for the needles are located on the insertion side of the sheet. These knockover 2 means strip the sheet from the needles.

On the exit side of the sheet there are arranged so-called counter holding means which ensure that the sheet is supported against the perforation direction and have recesses in which the needle tips plunge intermittently. The supply of reinforcing elements such as warp yarns or yarn-type elements orientated in the weft direction is not normal on such machines because it is accompanied by drawbacks which are not justifiable in practice. On these machines, warp and weft yarns have to be interposed between two sheets which are subsequently connected to one another by needling. This tehnologically induced method of binding reinforcing elements to the sheets may only be employed with relatively strong shee. ts. Only in this case canzthe adhesion of transversely deflected fibres in the opposing sheet be guaranteed sufficiently reliably. With this process, furthermore, at least one of the combined sheets should be preconsolidated in a separate operation.

A further drawback is that, owing to the very high immersion density, the interposed yarns are pierced according to their constitution and their strength is in all probability considerably reduced.

With this technology, therefore, stabilization of the sheet product has been permitted on the one hand by raising the degree of felting and on the other hand by increasing the mass of the sheet. This is not economically justifiable in the long term.

For the aforementioned reasons, warp-knitting machines have been used in the past for producing yarn-stabilized sheets (e.g. DE 31 40 480, DE 35 39 379 and PLOCH "MALIMO Nahwirktechnologie", among others, page 135 et seq., Fachbuchverlag Leipzig 1980).

3 Like needling machines, these warp knitting machines have at least one needle bar, knockover and counter holding means as well as feeders for at least one sheet, feeders for weft yarn bundles and/or feeders for vertical yarns which generally extend in the product passage direction of the machine. The needle bars of these machines are equipped with a row of needles having similar needles in the form of compound needles. These needles have barbs directed against the insertion direction. For intermittent closure of the hook space, these needles have so-called sliders or closing wires which are subjected to a separate synchronised drive. In the region of the counter holding means, these needles are allocated knitting yarn guides which are arranged in a bar and pla.ce the yarn requiredfok stitch formation in front of each needle for the purpose of stitch formation. These machines have the advantage that the reinforcing yarns may be guided in a defined manner in the region of the needles and can be bound to the sheet with high reliability by stitchtype elements. The machines operate at high speed, i.e. with a high number of stitches per unit time. These machines have the drawback that preconsolidated sheets or basic products have to be supplied if reinforcing yarns are to be applied to them at greater intervals. The preconsolidated sheets are generally produced on the needling machines described at the outset. Binding of the yarns reinforcing the sheet has to take place in a second operation. Further storage and transportation processes are generally necessary between them. Owing to this transportation and intermediate storage of the pre-consolidated sheet, which demands a certain degree of stability in the sheet, such a procedure is also restricted to relatively strong sheets.

It is also known on warp knitting machines to pull tufts of fibres onto the right side of the sheet in order to consolidate fibre sheets - while saving yarn material - by 4 means of the hooks of the compound needles during the return stroke thereof (Ploch: page 146).

These loop-type float stitches are applied to the needle shank during the next insertion process and are knocked over via the subsequently formed float stitch. Since the fibres are pulled from the face of the sheet opposite the insertion side transversely through the sheet and are bound in in the manner of stitches, a relatively stable textile fabric resembling a knitted fabric is formed. With this technology, also known as Mali sheet technology, weft yarns are already interposed between the right side of the sheet surface and the fibre stitches bound there. Such stabilization of a nonwoven fabric is adequate for some applications. The binding in of vertical yarns is theoretically also possible with such machines.

However, this process demands that these vertical yarns are interposed between the weft yarns and the right sheet surface. This po ses considerable problems for the arrangement of the feeder elements and warp beams on the warp knitting machine.

On the other hand, the fibre stitches now have to overlap both the weft yarns and the warp yarns. They are drawn out so as to be long for this purpose. As a result, their anchorage in the sheet may be weaker and the probability that they will detatch themselves becomes considerably higher. For the last-mentioned reason, Mali sheet technology has not been employed in practice for binding in reinforcing yarns. A further drawback of this technology is that it also allows the processing only of relatively bulky sheets. Preliminary needling of the sheet is not necessary with this method.

Chemical and thermal processes have been successful in the past, particularly for reasons of cost, for consolidating sheets - in particular very thin sheets.

In 'chemical processes, adhesive curing agents which settle at the points of intersection of the fibres under the influence of adhesion/cohesion forces and cure there are att-ached to the sheet. It is not possible to keep these curing agents away from the remaining parts of fibres or ta remove them selectively afterwards. Therefore, the sheets consolidated in this way are rigid and unsuitable for many purposes. The absorbency, insulating capacity, flexibility and many other properties are present only to a limited extent in sheets consolidated in this way.

With the thermal process, readily melting fibres or substances are mixed with the sheet among others and then melt when heated, settle at the points of intersection of the fibres and other points and solidify there during the subsequent cooling process. With this process also the properties of the sheet with respect to absorbency, insulating capacity and flexibility are adversely affected. Its range of application is restricted.

An aim of the invention is also to consolidate lighter sheets while maintaining the properties characteristic of textiles using a small number of yarns and with low expenditure.

The object of the invention is to achieve stabilization of the sheet adapted to the respective load using mechanical means and avoiding randomly distributed curable stabilizing substances, even in the case of very thin sheets, and to produce the consolidated sheet essentially in one operation.

It is desired to produce a consolidated sheet with maximum homogeneity over a large surface area for a wide.variety of purposes on a basically provided machine such as a warp knitting machine and/or needling machine with easily produced 6 modifications.

According to the invention there is Provided a -process of Droducing a consolidated fabric sheet with attached varns, wherein a large number of fibres per unit area of a looselv laid fibre laver are deflected transversely through the sheet by the barbs of a larae number of needles which are movable transversely through the sheet and the varns are connected to the sheet bv means of stitch-formina connectina textile elements bv usina barbed needles for the varnfree consolidation of the sheet and comDound needles -for tIhe. formation of: stitches with -'L-.he connectina elements, which needles are moved transversely through the sheet simult-aneously in directlv alternating restricted regions and by supplying the stitch-formina textile elements to enclose the varns aaainst the sheet to the hooks of the comnound needles.

In another asDect the invention Drovides a fabric sheet produced by the process wherein the mutually adjacent yarns are arranged in parallel in groups in intersecting directions and the yarns in a group are arranged at intervals from one another which are greater than 2mm and smaller than 30mm.

Owing to the mutually parallel overlapping implementation of stitchforming and yarn-free sheetconsolidating operations, additional procedures are saved. With respect to the costs, the low level of 7 chemical and thermal -Processes for sheet consolidation is almost achieved and clear additional positiveeffects with resiDect to environmental pollution are possible.

Since the transportation and intermediate storage processes for the pre-consolidated sheet are dispensed with, very thin f ibre sheets - right down to a gauze - may be processed in a continuous process. The properties of the sheet consolidated according to the invention are much better than those which have been chemically or thermally consolidated. The sheet which has been consolidated in this way preferably has the mutually adjacent yarns which are arranged.in-parallel in groups in intersecting directions and the yarns in the groups are arranged at intervals from one another which are areater than 2mm and smaller than 30mm. Such a sheet has a modifiable strength, is lighter, softer and more absorbent, has a better handling and better insulating -properties and is better adapted to the respective conditions of use.

In a further aspect the invention provides a machine for producing a consolidated fabric sheet comprising feeders for at least one group of varns and for at least one sheet and at least one needle bar carrying needles which is equipped with a take-off device for the consolidated sheet, wherein the needle bar has needles with barbs and in addition compound needles for connecting the yarns to the sheet and the needle bar is equipped with at least two rows of needles which are adjacent to one another in the direction of travel of the material.

The arranaement of needles havina different functions on a common bar allows rapid conversion of the machine to different articles in a very broad range in addition to saving successive operation and the investments required for them owing to the exchange of prepared needle combinations.

The regions in which the sheet is consolidated without yarn can be considerably greater than the region with stitch elements and yarns and 'E-he stitch elements may- -surround one or more yarns. The stitch formina elements mav be knitting yarns supplied in a tricot arrangement in groups. The imolementa-L--on of these features allows optimum use of st-abilisina varn material and a textile Product having high strength and low elongation in the warp direction, in which the reinforcing vertical yarn is drawn and anchored firmly on the sheet bv means of several knitting yarns can be realised.

The knitting yarns can be supplied in a fringe arrangement preferably underlaid by vertical yarns in alternate direction to minimise the number of yarns in the stabilised regions.

The stitch-forming elements can also consist of fibre stitches which are drawn f rom the sheet in the 9 form of float stitches, are pulled over the yarns and are combined therewith to form stitch assemblies.

In this case weft or/and warp yarns may be attached to the consolidated sheet without using additional knitting yarns. The resultant, generally somewhat stronger sheet is advantageously used or geotextile purposes in which the anchorage of warp and weft varns has to be maintained only to the laying site. the reciDrocal connection of sheet and reinforcing yarns is then ensured by the mass of earth application.

To consolidate and compact, the sheet between -tI-.-he regions with the bound-in varns the barbed.needles can be driven in with the barbs directed in the insertion direction or opposite thereto or by the compound needles which create needle float shank stitches pulled from the sheet (the so-called Mali sheet principle). This allows the sheet to be efficiently consolidated between the regions serving for the binding of yarns. This consolidation of the sheet in a pushing and pulling manner - combined in one operation - leads to a smooth sheet surface on the desired side or on both sides of the sheet. It utilises the effect of needling such that a smooth sheet surface is formed in the reaion where the fibres are grasped for deflection through the sheet. The compaction of the sheet by the Mali sheet principle additionally leads to a neat knit-like surface structure.

The textile fabric may be modified in further ways 1 C:5 essentially for adaptation of the consolidated sheet to the individual loads with optimum use of yarn and f or design for specific spheres of application.

The use of continuous fibres and reinforcina varns avoids optical interruption at the surface while ensuring the desired strenath while the needling of the sheet portions between the binding zone of the reinforcina yarns allows relatively high homogeneity of the sheet, in particular with the combined application of pushing and pulling needles.

It is nossible to have reaions between the yarns selected if one of the sheet. surfaces is to'-receive the character of a knit fabric.

A dimensionally stable plush-like product may be Droduced at low cost by pushing fibre portion throuah the sheet between the binding zones -'for the reinforcing yarns.

When using relatively long-staple sheets, pile loops may also be pulled and/or pushed from the sheet and may also be used for flooring materials, ceiling and the like with the possible stabilisation.

In particular for use on filters in which individual or a pluxality of layers of consolidated sheet, the unit weight of each sheet including the reinforcing yarns is preferably selected so as to be equal to or lower than 30 grams per square metre.

The machine for producing these consolidated sheets by the process described at the outset may be realised on needling machines but also particularly advantageously on warp knitting machines. In such a case the compound needles can be arranged individually or in pairs with greater intervals between needles with barbs in one respective needle plane. Pref erably, the compound needles are arranged individually in a lower needle plane and a closing wire with a shank movable in the needle plane passes through beneath the overhead needles with barbs.

The compound needles can be arranged in pairs in an uppermost needle plane and the needles with barbs set in the direction of travel of the material form a lane below the compound needles.

These different combination and arranaements of comDound needles and barbed needles can be adopted regardless of the working direction. It has nroven advantageous to provide needles on warp knitting machines differently depending on the degree of compaction desired in the sheet and according to the requirement for binding of the reinforcing yarns and the configuration of the sheet surface. The defined supply and binding in of the knitting, vertical and weft yarns on the one hand allows stable binding to the sheet and on the other hand the piercing of these yarns by the barbed needles is avoided. During the compaction of the sheet between the binding points of the reinforcing yarns according to the Mali sheet principle, it is beneficial to arrange the needle sliders or closing wires in a common bar and to drive them with it. The use of sliders of different lengths for the different functions of the compound needles leads to a clear reduction in the production costs at the stitch forming point.

A machine according to the invention can be adopted to use known feeders and positions for the sheet, the weft yarn bundle and the vertical varns.

The invention will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings wherein-:

Fiaure 1 is an enlarged detail of the consolidated sheet with regions consolidated without varns and with regions containing stabilising yarns.

Figure 2 is a cross section through the consolidated sheet in the reaion consolidated with varns with a fringe bond without vertical yarns.

- Figure 3 shows the band illustrated in figure 2 with a vertical varn on the left side of the material.

Figure 4 shows the bond according to Figure 3 with an additional weft yarn on the left side of the material.

Figure 5 shows the bond according to Figure 3 with weft yarns on the right side of the material.

Figure 6 shows the bond according to Figure 2 with weft and vertical yarns on the right side of the material.

Figure 7 shows the binding with weft yarns on the right side of the material by means of fibre stitches.

Figure 8 shows the bond according to Figure 7 with an additional vertical yarn on the right side of the material.

Figure 9 shows a sheet consolidated without yarns with fibres deflected transversely by pulling or pushing.

Figure 10 is a cross section through the sheet consolidated without yarns with fibre stitches pulled from the sheet.

Figure 11 is a partial view-ofa stabilized region in which the vertical yarn is fastened on the left side of the sheet by a tricot bond.

Figure 12 shows a sheet provided with pile loops on t-he left side.

Figure 13 shows a sheet with pile loops on the right side of the material.

FI igure 14 shows a sheet with floating loops arranged on both sides.

Figure 15 is a cross section through the stitch forming point of a stitch bonding machine with compound needles in the upper needle plane.

Figure 16 shows the stitch forming region of a stitch bonding machine similar to Figure 15 - with compound needles in the lower needle plane.

Figure 17 shows the stitch forming region according to Figure 1 k- 16 with modified vertical yarn supply.

Figure 18 is a schematic view of the needle bar from the side of the needle tips with the schematic allocation of knitting and vertical yarn guides.

Figure 19 is a schematic side view of Figure 18 from the left.

Figures 20 to 26 show further variations in the method of portrayal as in Figures 18 and 19 with differently arranaed compound needles.

The sheet 1 to be produced according to the invention is shown in a partial plan view of the surface in Figure 1. It consists of regions 10 which are arranged alternately in the weft and warp direction and in which the sheet 1 is consolidated without yarns and of narrow regions 20 in which the sheet is consolidated by means of yarn-type elements, generally vertical yarns 3 and weft yarns 4. These yarn-type.elements are bound to the sheet 1 by knitting yarns 21 (Figure 1) laid in a fringe bond. The vertical yarns are placed beneath the compound needles 51 on the left side of the sheet in alternating directions and are held on the sheet 1 by the sinker stitches 212. In the left portion of the sheet 1 illustrated, the sheet is consolidated by the deflection of fibres 11 transversely through the sheet on the right side of the material. This consolidation is sufficient to give these regions 10 an adequately strong textile structure and to connect these regions 10 in a stable manner to the adjacent reinforced regions 20.

However, the adjacent regions 20 which comprise knitting yarns, vertical yarns and weft yarns serve to increase the tensile strength in the warp or weft direction. The is consolidation within the sheet in these two regions 10, 20 and the incorporation of the fibres which exceed the limits into the consolidation are sufficient to ensure a stable connection between these regions. In the right portion of Figure 1, the sheet 1 is consolidated by fibre stitches 12 in the regions 10 consolidated without yarns. These fibre stitches are produced by arranging compound needles there which grasp fibres from the sheet 1 during the return stroke and intermesh them with one another in the form of stitches by application and knocking over in a known manner on the right side of the material.

This type of bond may preferably be used with reLativelv thick sheets which are to receive a knit-like surface. The weft..yarns which are supplied on the right side of the material are concealed by the floating fibre stitches. 11E the stitch structure is suitably adapted to the consolidated regions 20, a continuously homogeneous surface structure is obtained.

Figures 2 to 6 show different configurations of sheet consolidation in the stabilizing regions 20. Reference is made to the respective description of drawings at the beginning of the description of the embodiment. The creator of..a textile fabric can generally combine the weft yarns 4 and vertical yarns 3 with the sheet 1 as a function of the respective basic design of the machine, as demanded by the respective application.

Figure 7 shows the binding of weft yarns and Figure 8 of weft yarns 4 and vertical yarns 3 by means of fibre stitches 24. Such bonds in the regions 20 are preferably suitable for relatively strong geotextiles in which the stabilization and connection of the stabilizing yarns to the sheet 1 is secured at the site of use by the earth applied.

The combination of sheet consolidation shown in Figure 10 with stabilizing elements according to Figures 3 to 6 allows the production of a knit-like material which may also be used for clothing. The general strength is ensured by the substantially grid-shaped structure of the reinforcing elements while the fibre stitches determine the surface structure. An almost homogeneous knit surface may be produced when using a correspondingly thin vertical and knitting yarn.

If it is important to produce high strength with slight elongation in the warp or weft direction, it is beneficial to attach the vertical yarns 3 with a tricot bond according to Figure 11. The vertical yarn,3 is.. introduced.in a completely drawn manner, restricted on-th-- left side by the sinker stitches 222 of the knitting yarn 22 and on the right side by the fibres of the sheet 1. The fibres of the sheet 1 are bound in an either side of the vertical yarn by the needled stitches 221 of the wale from the knitting yarn 22 and the additional securing knitting yarn 23 so the vertical yarn 3 is reliably fixed even in the case of very thin sheets 1.

The term sheets in this instance covers, on the one hand, sheets which are also known as gauze and come from the carding engine, carder or another sheet forming device without panelling. On the other hand, the term sheet 1 also covers sheets which are brought to a considerable thickness by transverse panelling or layers of several thin sheets or slivers.

When compacted sheets are used on filters, a relatively loose bulky sheet has to be fixed in an air or gas stream. The greater the spaces between the fibres, the greater the filter effect generally is. For fixing the position of-the filter in the air streams, wire grids which were completed internally by layers of cloth were used in the past. The looser sheeting was laid between them. Such filters are quite expensive owing to the cloth used, particularly since the layers of cloth generally have to be exchanged with the entire filter. The consumption of expensive cloth for this purpose is high. The product produced by the process according to the invention has properties which allow it to be used with additional advantages instead of the fine-pore filter cloth.

The costs for this purpose are one multiple lower than when using cloths. Several very thin sheets reinforced by yarns may be folded directly on top of one another in the filter plane depending on the purpose of the filter. The cavities produced between them guarantee a very good filter effect in a minimum amount of space with high inherent stability of the layers of sheet. Relatively thin stuff-like textile fabrics which are suitable for domestic textiles and even highly stressed articles of clothing may be created it the intervals between the reinforced regions 20 and the design of the yarnfree regions 10 are suitably selected.

Owing to the use of very thin silk-like reinforcing yarns which are barely visible on the surface if appropriately treated but have a high stabilizing effect on the fabric, such sheets may also be employed for almost transparent materials for articles of clothing.

The takeover of the longitudinal and transverse stability by the yarntype elements and the restriction of sheet consolidation to the purpose of mere sheet consolidation by the transversely deflected fibres allow extremely thin sheets to be consolidated and the number of perforations per unit area to be reduced. It can be inferred that the number of needles which have to penetrate the sheet per unit area may be considerably reduced in comparison with earlier needling technology. A restriction can therefore be made to a number of needles which is smaller than that formerly used in the preliminary needling of sheets.

This also means that substantially lighter drives for the needle bars or boards may be used owing to the reduced stitching forces.

Such relatively light drives are provided on warp knitting machines, in particular stitch-bonding machines. It is sufficient there to arrange the barbed needles - combined with the corresponding compound needles - in a maxi-mum of four planes on the needle bar 5. Reference is made to Figure 15) for a further illustration of the modified warp knitting machine. Four planes of needles 51, 53 are provided on the need.le.bar 5. Compound needles 51 are arranged in the uppermost needle plane with greater intervals between needles 53 with barbs 531, 532. Such applications are also shown in Figures 18 to 21. The barbs 531 of the needles 53, also described as feltin,T needles, are orientated in the stitching direction. The sheet 1 which is generally supplied in an uncompacted form is supplied on the knockover side 6. The weft yarn bundle 4 (84) is placed onto the sheet 1 (81). The first weft yarn entering the stitch forming region is brought by known means (not shown) individually in succession below needle plane in which compound needles 51 are inserted. The abutment for the sheet 1 is formed, in this example, by counter holding bits 73 which are arranged in mountings 731 on the supporting bar 75 of the counter holder.

A through-opening for a vertical yarn 3 is provided on an overhead counter holding bar 74 in the upper region of the sheet consolidating zone. Aknitting yarn guide 82 is positioned with its bar 821 outside the counter holding needles and is capable of laying a knitting yarn in the needle hook or hooks in a known tricot or fringe con-figuration. When using a fringe configuration, it is beneficial laterally to offset the counter holding bar 74 with its yarn guide elements for the vertical yarn 3 in the rhythm of an underlap.

A different design of the stitch forming zone is shown in Figure 16. In this arrangement, the compound needles 51 are arranged in the lower needle plane, the'shank of the closing wires (tongue-shaped needle sliders may also be used) has to pass through a lane between the barbed needles (also called felting needles) and is moved above the needle bar 5 through the closing wire bar 522 in the rhythm of the machine. A second bar 831 with vertical yarn guides 83 which shifts the underlap in a known manner is provided here for the underlaying of the vertical yarns 3. Counter,holding needles 71 which have a meandering -design and wind round IC-Ihe needles 53 in the individual needle planes are provided as counter holding means. Such a design is beneficial if lanes between the rows of perforations are to be substantially eliminated. However, it is also possible to use perforated plates of the type normally employed on needling machines (not shown) instead of these meandering counter holding needles 71. However, this perforated plate has to be altered or exchanged during each changed needle insertion owing to the adapted openings for the compound needles.

In the variation according to Figure 16, the weft yarn bundles are supplied on the knockover side of the sheet whereas the vertical yarns 3 are located on the opposite side of the sheet 1. This design is preferably selected if a homogeneous surface is desired on the left side of the material.

The traces of the vertical yarns 3 and the sinker stitches 212, 222 of the knitting yarns 21, 22, 23 may be almost completely concealed by subsequent napping and milling processes. If very thin silk yarns are used with this yarn system, it may be possible to dispense with a subsequent surface treatment.

Figure 17 essentially conforms to Figure 16. The design of the vertical yarn guide 83 shown here is selected, in particular, if the vertical yarn 83 is bound in a tricot bond (Figure 11) and is to produce a patterned structure on the left side of the material owing to its large volume or its colour. Instead of the yarn guide illustrated there, it is obviously also possible to guide this vertical yarn 3 through the counter holder 74 and laterally to shift a shiftable element at larger intervals between counter holder 74 and sheet 84. As with the formerly known warp yarn shift, a patterned shift of the vertical yarns 3 can also be achieved (Cf. ..-Ploch: pages 199 et seq.): It can also be laid diagonally over the surface of the sheet at any angle. The respective wale from one of the knitting yarns 21, 22, 23 performs stabilization in the warp direction in these cases. It is obviously also possible to supply an extra vertical yarn in addition to the vertical yarn 3 which is shifted according to the pattern, the extra vertical yarn preferably being much thinner than the patterning vertical yarn 3, through a second guide bar, as shown in Figure 16.

The patterning warp yarn is guided through the counter holding bar essentially because the machine operator can draw a possibly torn yarn from the normal operating side of the machine.

Figures 18 to 26 again show different variations of the needle bar 5 in a schematic form.

According to Figure 18, compound needles 51 are interposed in pairs in each case in the top row of needles of a needle block. They are allocated knitting yarn guides 82 and a respective vertical yarn guide 83. The compound needles 51 a 1 are closable by the relatively short shank of the closing wire 52 and are easily accessible. It is beneficial to arrange a narrow lane for the vertical yarn 3 centrally below the pair of compound needles 51 in the needle arrangement located beneath it from the needles 53 and to position the needles such that their tips as far as possible do not contact the knitting yarn 22.

A design according to Figure 20 is therefore preferable. In this arrangement, a compound needle 51 is allocated to each group of needles 53 with barbs 531, 532 (pushing and pulling).

Each knitting yarn guide 82 places the knitting yarn 21 in an open_or. closed fringe into thezneedle barb, and the vertical yarn guide 83 performs an underlap shift in alternate directions. The narrow lane beneath the compound needle 51 picks up both the vertical yarn 3 and the wale of the knitting yarn 21.

Figure 22 shows a design in which compound needles 51 are arranged in the upper and lower plane. This is desirable if the regions with reinforcing elements are to be particularly emphasized and different vertical yarns 3 are optionally to be.bound in different manners and colours.

The design according to Figure 24 shows the arrangement of compound needles 51 for stabilization in the lower plane and for sheet consolidation in the regions 10 according to the Mali sheet principle in the upper needle plane.

The additional application of needles 53 with barbs 531, 532 below the yarn-free compound needles 51 is optional, i.e. according to the desired effect they may be omitted or arranged additionally such that they do not damage the stitch assembly formed by the compound needles 51.

The design according to Figure 25 shows that the stitch forming compound needles 51 may be arranged in virtually each plane if a lane is provided for the shank 521 of the closing wire 52 and a lane is provided for the stabilizing elements below the shank 521.

Figures 25 and 26 show how compound needles 51' which are arranged in the lower plane, of which the closing wire is omitted and of which the barbs 511 are open in the takeoff direction and toward the rear, may be used for nap formation on the right side of the material. If such a design is combined with longer needles 53 having pushing barbs 531, pile loops 13, 14 may be pulled out on both sides. Bulky stable coverings for many applications are formed as the result.of subsequent nappincj and milling. Sheets 1 provided with pile loops 13, 14 on one side are also suitable as flooring materials if the basic material is suitably stabilized. Owing to the stabilization according to the invention of the basic material, the expenditure required for this purpose is kept within limits.

--- 1) List of reference numerals 1 Sheet Region 11 (Transverse) fibres 12 Fibre stitches 13 Pile loops - left 14 Pile loops - right 2 Knitting yarn Region 21 Knitting yarn, fringe 211 Needled stitch 212 Sinker stitch 22 Knitting yarn, tricot 221 Needled stitch 222 Sinker stitch 23 Knitting yarn, securing 24 Fibre stitch 241 Float stitch 242 Stitch foot 3 Vertical yarn 4,4' Weft yarn Needle bar 51,511 Compound needle 511 Hook 52 Closing wire 521 Shank 522 Closing wire bar 53 Needle (with barb) 531 Barb (in stitching direction) 532 Barb (against stitching direction) 6 Knockover 61 Knockover bits 611 Knockover edge 613 Knockover guide (7)- Counter holder 71 Counter holding needle 72 Counter holding plate 73 Counter holding bit 731 Counter holding bit mounting 74 Counter holding bar 741 Recess Supporting bar (8) Supply means 81 Sheet supply 82 Knitting yarn guide 821 Bar 83 Vertical yarn guide 831 Bar 84 Weft yarn supply (9) Take off (91) Sheet consolidated j

Claims

1. Process of producing a consolidated fabric sheet with attached yarns, wherein a large number of fibres per unit area of a loosely laid fibre layer are deflected transversely through the sheet by the barbs of a large number of needles which are movable transverselv throuah the sheet and the yarns are connected to the sheet by means of stitch-forming connecting textile elements by using barbed needles for the yarn-free consolidation of the sheet and compound needles for the formation of stitches with the connecting,elements, which..needles are all moved transversely through the sheet simultaneously in directly alternating restricted regions and by supplying the stitch-forming textile elements to enclose the yarns against the sheet to the hooks of the compound needles.

2. Process according to claim 1.. wherein regions in which the sheet is consolidated without yarns are considerably greater than the regions with stitch-forming elements and yarns.

3. Process according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the regions with the stitchforming elements and yarns surround only one yarn in each case.

4. Process according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein knitting yarns are supplied as the stitch forming textile elements to the compound needles.

5. Process according to claim 4 wherein the knitting yarns are supplied in a tricot arrangement as the stitchformina textile elements to the compound needles in groups with the number of knitting yarns per group being one greater than the number of compound needles in a group.

6. Process according to claim 4 wherein the knitting yarns are supplied in a fringe arrangement as the stitchforming textile elements to the compound needles.

7. Process according to claim 6 wherein the knitting yarns in the fringe arrangement are underlaid-by vertical yarns in alternate directions and are supplied as the stitch-forming textile elements to the compound needles.

8. Process according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the compound needles are arranged in pairs.

9. Process according to any one claims 1 to 3, wherein the stitch-forming textile elements consist of fibres which are drawn from the sheet in the form of float stitches, are pulled over the yarns and are combined therewith to form stitch assemblies.

10. Process according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the sheet is compacted in the regions consolidated without yarn by means of the barbed needles of which the barbs are directed in the stitching direction.

11. Process according to claims 1 to 9 wherein the sheet is compacted in the region consolidated without yarn by the barbed needles of which the barbs are directed against the stitching direction.

12. Process according to claims 1 to 9 wherein the sheet is compacted in the regions consolidated without yarn by the compound needles which apply needle shank float stitches pulled from the sheet.

13. A process of producing a consolidated fabric sheet substantially as herein described with reference to any one or more of the Figures of the accompanying drawings.

14. Mechanically consolidated fabric sheet with attached predominately drawn,varns-which are fastened by means of stitch-formina elements on the sheet bv the process according to any one of claims 1 to 13 wherein the mutually adjacent yarns are arranged in parallel in groups in intersecting directions and the yarns in the groups are arranged at intervals from one another which are greater than 2mm and smaller than 30mm.

is. A sheet according to claim 14 wherein the mutually adjacent yarns are vertical yarns.

16. A sheet according to claim 14 wherein the mutually adjacent yarns are formed from a respective wale of a knitting yarn.

17. A sheet according to claim 14 wherein the mutually adjacent yarns are vert.ical yarns and weft yarns.

18. A sheet according to claims 14 to 17, wherein the yarns consist of continuous fibres.

19. A sheet according to any one of claims 14 to 18 wherein the regions between the yarns consist of needled sheet.

20. A sheet according to any one of claims 14 to 18 wherein the regions between the yarns consist of stitched sheet.

21. A sheet according to any one of claims 14 to 20 wherein the regions between the yarns are provided with nap arms of fibres.

22. A sheet according to any one of claims 14 to 20 wherein the reaions between the varns are occupied by pile.loops.

23. A sheet according to claim 17 or any one of claims 18 to 22 when dependent on claim 17 wherein- the unit weiaht of the sheet with attached vertical varns and weft yarns is equal to or lower than 30 grammes per square metre.

24. A consolidated fabric sheet substantiallv as described with refer to and as illustrated in anv one or more of Figures 1 to 14 of the accompanying drawings.

25. Machine for producing a consolidated fabric sheet comprising feeders for at least one group of yarns and for at least one sheet and at least one needle bar carrying needles which is equipped with a take-off device for the consolidated sheet, wherein the needle bar has needles with barbs in addition to compound needles which serve to connect the yarns to the sheet and the needle bar is equipped with at least two rows of needles which are adjacent to one another in the direction of travel of the material.

26. Machine according to claim 25 and in the form of a warD knitting machine of which the compound needles are arranged individually or in pairs with greater intervals between needles with barbs in one respective needle plane.

27. Machine according to claim wherein the compound needles are arranaed individually in a lower needle plane and a.closing wire with a shank movable in '-IChe needle plane passes through beneath the overhead needles with barbs.

28. Machine according to claim 26 wherein the compound needles are arranged in pairs in an uppermost needle plane and the needles with barbs set in the direction of travel of the material form a lane below the compound needles.

29. Machine according to claim 25 or 26 wherein respective knitting yarn guides are allocated to the compound needles of which one guide is able to form fringe bonds and another is driven so as to form underlaps for a vertical varn.

30. Machine according to claim 29 wherein the compound needles are arranged in pairs and each allocated to three knitting yarn guides drivable for tricot formation.

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31. Machine according to claim 29 or 30 wherein vertical yarn guides pass through counter holders for the sheet.

32. Machine according to any one of claims 25 to 31 wherein the needles with barbs take the form of compound needles without a closing wire of whidh the hooks are open to the rear and in the take-off direction.

33. Machine accordina to claims 25 to 31 wherein the needles with barbs take the form of compound needles of which the closing wire closes the hook directed against the take-off direction witihin the sheet.

34..._ Machine accordina to claim 33 wherein the closina wire of one of the comDound needles is shorter in the reaion between the Darallel varns than the compound needles forming the varn stitches and in that all the closing wires are held in a common closing wire bar.

35. Machine according to any one of claims 25 to 34 wherein weft yarns are placed in bundles between two conveying chains which are movable toward the stitch forming zone and are provided with hooks, and the weft yarn bundle is guided at an angle between the needle plane and the sheet supply so that the weft yarns may be placed individually in succession beneath the rows of compound needles.

36. Machine according to claims 35 wherein the weft yarn bundle is supplied at the angle above the sheet supply and there is provided means for orientating the first respective weft yarn beneath the needle plane with the compound needles in the region of a counter holder.

37. Machine according to claims 25 to 36 and further comprising an additional sheet supply at an angle between a weft yarn supply and a counter holder.

38. Machine for producing a consolidated fabric sheet substantially as described with reference to any one or more of Figures 15 to 26 of the accompanying drawings.