AU2004315983A1

AU2004315983A1 - Natural feather fabric construction

Info

Publication number: AU2004315983A1
Application number: AU2004315983A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Charishma Mohini Wickremesinghe Seneviratne
Original assignee: Senevens Int Pty Ltd; Senevens International Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Senevens International Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2004-02-24
Filing date: 2004-02-24
Publication date: 2005-09-01
Also published as: WO2005080656A1

Description

WO 2005/080656 PCT/AU2004/000220 1 NATURAL FEATHER FABRIC CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND INFORMATION THE PRESENT INVENTION RELATES TO A NEW AND INNOVATIVE FABRIC CONSTRUCTION OF NATURAL FEATHERS WHICH WILL BE USED IN MANY PRODUCTS OR AS AN INDIVIDUAL MATERIAL. IN THE MODERN ERA, WHEN THE MULTIPLICITY OF FABRICS OFFERED TENDS TO MAKE ONE THINK THAT NO PARTICULAR BASIC FABRIC CONSTRUCTION COULD PREDOMINATE, IT WILL BE FOUND THAT FABRICS CONSTRUCTED OF YARNS OUT-NUMBER ALL OTHER FABRIC CONSTRUCTIONS. LOST IN THE ANTIQUITY OF MAN'S HISTORY IS THE ANONYMOUS INVENTOR OF THE FIRST YARN. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN MADE IN AN IDLE MOMENT FROM A CLUMP OF ANIMAL FIBRES BY PULLING AND TWISTING, THEN TO BE CAST ASIDE AS A STRAND OF TWISTED FIBRES. THIS IDLE PAST TIME MAY HAVE BEEN REPEATED MANY TIMES THE WORLD OVER, UNTIL THE TWISTED STRAND OF FIBRES FOUND A PURPOSEFUL APPLICATION AND REVEALED ITS POTENTIAL. TODAY EVERYONE DEPENDS VERY MUCH ON STRANDS OF TWISTED FIBRES KNOWN VARIOUSLY AS YARNS, THREADS, STRING, ROPE ETC. WHICH PROVIDE THE LIVELIHOOD, COMFORT AND ENJOYMENT OF LIFE. SPINNING IS AN ANCIENT CRAFT WHICH HAS BEEN DEVELOPED INTO A HIGHLY TECHNICAL PROCESS, PARTICULARLY OVER THE LAST TWO CENTURIES. HOWEVER, WITH ALL THE SKILLED TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN SPINNING THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE AND STILL TAKE WO 2005/080656 PCT/AU2004/000220 2 PLACE, THE PRINCIPALS OF SPINNING ESTABLISHED SO VERY LONG AGO ARE SO SOUND THAT THEY STILL FORM THE BASIC PROCESS. SPINNING IS DEFINED AS THE DRAWING OUT OF AN ASSEMBLY OF FIBRES TO A DESIRED THICKNESS AND INSERTING A TWIST TO IMPROVE THE NECESSARY STRENGTH OF THE FIBRE ASSEMBLY. THE SPINNING MILL FOR THE ACTUAL SPINNING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MACHINE, YET CONSTITUTES ONLY A SMALL PART OF ALL THE OPERATIONS CARRIED OUT IN THE COURSE OF PRODUCING THE SPUN YARN. THERE ARE VARIED AND COMPLEX OPERATIONS INVOLVED IN MANUFACTURING YARN AND THESE ARE BASED ON FOUR PRINCIPLES. I. CLEANING THE FIBRES, TO OBTAIN THE PURE FIBRE. 2. UNTANGLING, STRAIGHTENING AND OFTEN LAYING THE FIBRES PARALLEL TO ACHIEVE AN ORDERLY FIBRE ASSEMBLY. 3. DRAWING OUT THE STRAIGHTENED FIBRES TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED THICKNESS OF THE YARN. 4. SPINNING OR INSERTING OF FIBRES TO STRENGTHEN THE STRAND. TO BE ABLE TO SPIN A YARN IT HAS TO BE SPINNABLE. A FIBRE SUITABLE FOR SPINNING MUST HAVE, AMONG MANY OTHER DESIRABLE FEATURES, AT LEAST THE FOLLOWING: a. A LENGTH OF AT LEAST 100 TIMES ITS DIAMETER OR WIDTH. THIS REQUIREMENT IS USUALLY EXCEEDED MANY TIMES. THE MINIMUM LENGTH SEEMS TO BE ABOUT 15 MM, THE MAXIMUM LENGTH MAY EXCEED 500MM. THE MAJORITY OF FIBRES SPUN VARY IN LENGTH FROM ABOUT 15MM TO 150 MM.

WO 2005/080656 PCT/AU2004/000220 3 b. PLIABILITY, I.E. ALLOWS ITSELF TO BE TWISTED. c. COHESIVENESS, I.E. WHEN FIBRES ARE TWISTED TOGETHER THEY WILL COHERE OR CLING TOGETHER THROUGH THEIR FIBRE FRICTION. d. STRENGTH, I.E. ADEQUATE STRENGTH TO WITHSTAND THE NUMEROUS PROCESSES IN YARN MANUFACTURE AND PROVIDE A YARN OF DESIRABLE AND SATISFACTORY STRENGTH FOR THE ULTIMATE END USE. THERE ARE MANY TRADITIONAL METHODS OF SPINNING AND THEY ARE; I. CAP SPINNING; 2. FLYER SPINNING; 3. MULE SPINNING; 4. RING SPINNING; 5. OPEN-END SPINNING; 6. SELF TWIST SPINNING; 7. SELF SPINNING; 8. AIR-VORTEX SPINNING; 9. GREENBANK AXISPINNER; 10. INTEGRATED COMPOSITE SPINNING DREFF SPINNING SYSTEM, It. SPLIT OR FILM YARNS. IN THE EVENT OF FIBRES THAT MAY HAVE PROBLEMS IN SPINNING, THE BEST WAY TO GET MAXIMUM BENEFIT IS A SIMPLE METHOD KNOWN AS FELTS. THIS METHOD PRODUCES NON-WOVEN MATERIALS. THE METHOD USED TO PRODUCE FELTS IS TO CONVERT FIBRES DIRECTLY TO FABRIC WITHOUT THE INTERMEDIATE PROCESS OF SPINNING, WEAVING OR KNITTING.

WO 2005/080656 PCT/AU2004/000220 4 IT IS THOUGHT THAT NON-WOVEN FABRICS SUCH AS FELTS WERE ONE OF THE FIRST FABRICS PRODUCED BY MAN FOR CLOTHING PURPOSES AND TH ESE ARE STILL MADE TODAY. IT IS KNOWN THAT THE NATIVES OF AFRICA AND THE PACIFIC ISLANDS PRODUCED THEIR NON WOVEN FABRICS BY BEATING THE WET FIBROUS BARK OF CERTAIN TREES INTO THIN SHEETS WHICH WERE THEN USED FOR CLOTHING. THE DISCOVERY OF FELT IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO MONKS IN THE MIDDLE AGES WHO USED TO STUFF WOOL INTO THEIR SANDALS FOR WARMTH. DURING WEAR, THE INFLUENCE OF PRESSURE, MOISTURE AND HEAT RESULTED IN WOOL BECOMING MATTED AND THIS WAS THE ORIGIN OF FELT. AS A RESULT OF DEVELOPING THE FEATHER FABRIC THE SUBJECT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION, THE INVENTOR HAS USED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY, THE METHOD OF FELTING NATURAL FEATHERS. THE INVENTOR STRONGLY RECOMMENDS MANUFACTURED FELTS AS THE BEST IN THE PRODUCTION OF A NON-WOVEN, NATURAL FEATHER FABRIC. HOWEVER, THE PRESENT INVENTION HAS NO LIMITATIONS AS TO ITS MANUFACTURING PROCESS. THE NATURAL FEATHER MATERIAL COULD BE USED AS A WIKING IN DISPOSABLE PRODUCTS OR IN ANY FORM WHICH BENEFITS FROM THE HYDROPHOBIC PROPERTIES IN THE NATURAL FEATHER. IT WOULD BE LIG HT TO MEDIUM WEIGHT AND A VERY HARD WEARING FABRIC. THE FEATHER FIBRE/YARN BELONGS TO STAPLE FIBRES/PROTEIN FIBRES. TO DATE THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF AN INVENTED FEATHER FABRIC. THE WO 2005/080656 PCT/AU2004/000220 5 MANY OTHER FABRICS AVAILABLE UNDER STAPLE FIBRES/PROTEIN FIBRES ARE MADE FROM HAIR, ALPACA, ANGORA, CAMEL, CASHMERE, GOAT, LLAMA, MOHAIR, RABBIT, VICUNA, WOOL MERINO, OR OTHER TYPES OF WOOL AND SILK WHICH IS CULTIVATED OR WILD AND WHICH IS A FILAMENT UNDER PROTEIN FIBRE. WITH REGARD TO DISPOSABLE PRODUCTS, THERE HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUSLY DAMAGING IMPACT DUE TO THEIR NON BIODEGRADABILITY AND ONE MAIN REASON IS THAT A SUITABLE WIKING HAS NOT YET BEEN DEVELOPED. THE TIME FRAME OF BIODEGRADABILITY OF SOME CONVENTIONAL DISPOSABLE PRODUCTS IS AS MUCH AS 500 YEARS OR MORE. OBJECTIVES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION. IN THE PRESENT INVENTION, THE INVENTOR OF THE NATURAL FEATHER CONSTRUCTION BELIEVES THAT THE INVENTED FABRIC COULD BE USED IN MANY APPLICATIONS AS A WIKING OR AN INDIVIDUAL MATERIAL THUS AVOIDING THE USE OF SYNTHETICS/POLYMERS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO EVER-GROWING MOUNTAINS OF NON-BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS IN LAND FILL SITES. THIS IS A MAJOR CONCERN AND THE PRESENT INVENTION AIMS TO REDUCE GLOBAL WARMING AND THE THREATS TO OUR ENVIRONMENT, CROPS, AS WELL AS TO MARINE LIFE. AS DESIGNERS WE PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN SAFEGUARDING THE PLANET. THIS HAS BEEN IGNORED BY MANY AND NOW THE THREAT IS SEVERE. THE INVENTOR DOES NOT WANT TO RELATE TO ANY PARTICULAR PRODUCT OR PRODUCTS THAT HAVE BEEN A CONTRIBUTION TO THIS ONGOING ISSUE. AS DESIGNERS WE ARE INSPIRED TO START WITH AN IDENTIFICATION OF AN ONGOING PROBLEM OR REQUIREMENT, FOLLOWED BY EXPERIENCE, IDEAS AND SOLUTIONS FOR A DESIGN WO 2005/080656 PCT/AU2004/000220 6 OUTPUT. AS THE PRESENT INVENTION IS FULLY BIO-DEGRADABLE, IT PROVIDES A SOLUTION TO ONE OF THE MAIN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: LANDFILL. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION AND THE METHOD OF PROCESS IN THE PRESENT INVENTION DISCLOSED HEREUNDER IS A NATURAL FEATHER, NON-WOVEN FABRIC, THE FABRIC, ONCE PRODUCED, COULD BE USED IN MANY APPLICATIONS. AS A WIKING OR A TOP SURFACE LAYER FOR BED PROTECTORS, NAPPIES/DIAPERS, CHAIR PROTECTORS AND EVEN FASHION CLOTHING. THE MAIN PURPOSE IS TO HAVE A 100% FEATHER FIBRE CONSTRUCTION TO ENSURE 100% DRYNESS NEXT TO THE SKIN AND 100% BIODEGRADABILITY WHEN DISPOSED. THE FEATHER INDUSTRY IS A LARGE INDUSTRY AND THE AVAILABILITY OF RAW MATERIALS IS NOT CONSIDERED TO PRESENT A PROBLEM. THIS RENEWABLE RESOURCE IS USED IN MANY FORMS OF FEATHER PRODUCTS SUCH AS PILLOWS, MATTRESSES AND QUILTS. THE PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING THE FEATHER FABRIC IS DISCLOSED HEREUNDER. THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY HAS ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN ELIMINATING THE INTERMEDIATE PROCESS OF FABRIC MANUFACTURE TO PRODUCE SATISFACTORY AND SUITABLE FABRICS. FELTS WHICH ARE MADE FROM WOOL HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED FOR CENTURIES. HOWEVER, THEY LACK THE NECESSARY FLEXIBLE PROPERTIES OF CONVENTIONAL FABRICS SUCH AS DRAPE.

WO 2005/080656 PCT/AU2004/000220 7 THE PRODUCTION OF NON WOVEN FABRICS, THAT IS, FABRICS PRODUCED BY DIRECT CONVERSION OF FIBRE TO FABRIC, MAY BE ATTAINED BY NUMEROUS TECHNIQUES AND MAY BE CLASSIFIED AS FOLLOWS: 1. FELTS A. TRUE FELTS B. NEEDLE FELTS. A. NON- WOVEN OR BONDED FABRICS CHEMICALLY BONDED NON WOVENS I. WET BONDED NON WOVENS, I[.THERMOPLASTICALLY BONDED NON WOVENS III. SPUN BONDED NON-WOVENS. B. MECHANICALLY BONDED NON WOVENS I. NEEDLE NON-WOVENS, II. NEEDLE AND SHRUNK NON-WOVENS (SYNTHETIC FELTS) 111. STITCHED THROUGH NON-WOVENS. THE TERM FELTS REFERS TO THE DENSELY MATTED NON WOVEN FABRICS THAT ARE PRODUCED FROM ANIMAL OR HAIR FIBRES AS A RESULT OF THEIR INHERENT ABILITY TO BECOME ENTANGLED -FELTED- WHEN SUBJECTED TO AGITATION IN THE PRESENCE OF MOISTURE AND HEAT. THE INVENTOR SUGGESTS THAT THE BEST FORM OF FELTING FEATHERS (DUCK, SWAN, OR ANY WATER PROOF FEATHERS) IN THE PRESENT INVENTION IS IN THE FORM OF TRUE FELTS OR NEEDLE FELTS. THE PROPERTIES OF FELT IN GENERAL ARE STRENGTH, RESILIENCE, INELASTICITY AND AVERAGE STIFFNESS WHICH MAY BE LIGHTWEIGHT WO 2005/080656 PCT/AU2004/000220 8 OR HEAVYWEIGHT. FELTS HAVE GOOD INSULATING PROPERTIES BUT POOR DRAPING QUALITIES. THE INVENTOR RECOMMENDS A WET BONDED NON-WOVEN METHOD OR NEEDLE NON-WOVEN METHOD FOR THE NATURAL FEATHER FABRIC CONSTRUCTION. WET BONDING IS ALSO USED IN THE PAPER MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY. (REFER TO N03. ON PAGE 9) NON-WOVEN FABRICS FORMED BY THIS TECHNIQUE RESEMBLE PAPER MORE THAN TEXTILES AND REQUIRE LENGTHY RUNS TO BE ECONOMICAL. WET BONDED, NON-WOVENS ARE USUALLY LIGHT AND HAVE MODERATE INSULATING PROPERTIES. THE RANDOM-LAID TYPE IS THE STRONGEST WITH CROSS-LAID FIBRES SECOND IN STRENGTH. THE PARALLEL-LAID TYPE HAS REASONABLE STRENGTH. THESE THREE TYPES ARE THE BEST FORMS OF DISPOSABLE TYPES OF FABRICS. THE INVENTOR RECOMMENDS THE WET BOND PROCESS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NATURAL FEATHER FABRIC WITHOUT LIMITATIONS IN THE METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE INVENTED NON-WOVEN, NATURAL FEATHER FABRIC. LIQUID BONDING OR ADHESIVE AGENTS ARE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WET BONDED NON-WOVEN FABRICS. AS A FIRST STEP THE FIBRES MUST ULTIMATELY FORM A FABRIC, AS THE INVENTOR SUGGESTS WET BONDED NON-WOVEN FABRIC, THE BEST METHODS TO BE USED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF THE FEATHER FABRIC ARE DETAILED BELOW: 1. PARALLEL-LAID FIBRES: THIS METHOD INVOLVES PASSING THE FIBRES THROUGH A CARDING MACHINE, FROM WHICH A SUITABLE WEB IS FORMED WITH THE FIBRES LYING MORE OR LESS PARALLEL. FABRICS PRODUCED BY THIS WO 2005/080656 PCT/AU2004/000220 9 TECHNIQUE PROVIDE THE CHEAPEST NON-WOVEN FABRICS OWING TO HIGH PRODUCTIVITY AND SIMPLICITY OF OPERATION. FABRICS SO PRODUCED ARE REFERRED TO AS PARALLEL-LAID-FABRICS. 2. CROSS-LAID FABRICS A SECOND METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A SUITABLE WEB INVOLVES THE SAME INITIAL OPERATION TO PRODUCE THE WEB AS IN PARALLEL LAID FABRICS. HOWEVER, THE CARDED WEB IS LAID ACROSS ANOTHER WEB MOVING AT RIGHT ANGLES TO IT. THIS METHOD OF FORMATION, ALTHOUGH MORE COSTLY THAN THE FIRST, HAS GREATER CROSSWISE STRENGTH AND RESULTS IN A MORE UNIFORM WEB. THE INVENTOR RECOMMENDS THIS METHOD WHICH IS USED IN THE PRESENT INVENTION. 3. RANDOM-LAID-FABRICS ANOTHER METHOD IS TO FEED LOOSE FIBRES INTO A MACHINE, SUCH AS THE RANDO-WEBBER, WHICH FORMS THE WEB WITH THE AID OF A FEEDING MECHANISM THAT PRESENTS THE FIBRES TO A CURRENT OF AIR WHICH SUCKS THE FIBRES ON TO A SCREEN WHERE THEY FORM IN A RANDOM FASHION. 4. COMBINATION METHOD A FURTHER TECHNIQUE IN WEB FORMATION IS COMBINING THE FIRST AND SECOND METHODS DESCRIBED ABOVE. WEBS SO FORMED ARE REFERRED TO AS "SANDWICHES" OR LAMINATES OF PARALLEL AND CROSS LAID WEBS. FOR BEST RESULTS THE INVENTOR SUGGESTS ONE OF THE ABOVE METHODS BE USED IN THE PROCESS.

Claims

1. THE METHOD OF DEVELOPING A FEATHER YARN AND FABRIC WITH NATURAL DUCK, SWAN OR ANY OTHER BIRD FEATHERS WHICH HAVE A WATER PROOF TEXTURE (HYDROPHOBIC ABILITY) AND IN THE METHOD OF DEVELOPING AS TRUE FELTS OR NEEDLE FELTS OR SPINNING OR KNITTING TO DEVELOP THE BEST PERFORMING FEATHER FABRIC TO SUIT ANY PURPOSE, FOR EXAMPLE AS A WIKING, A TOP DRY SHEET, AS A COMBINATION OR INDIVIDUALLY, WITHOUT ANY LIMITATIONS AS TO THE METHOD, PROCESS OR DESIGN AND IN THE MANUFACTURE AS A YARN OR AS A FABRIC WHICH COULD BE USED IN NAPPIES/DIAPERS FOR BABIES, CHILDREN AND ADULTS, IN BED PROTECTORS, CHAIR PROTECTORS, MEDICAL CLOTHING, SANITARY PRODUCTS, PANTY LINERS, NAPPY LINERS, SPORTSWEAR, RAINWEAR, CASUAL WEAR, SWIMWEAR AND AS MULTIPURPOSE FABRICS.

2. CLAIMS PRIORITY IN THE STRUCTURE AND METHOD ACCORDING TO ANY ONE OF CLAIMS I WHERE THE NATURAL FEATHER IS USED IN AN AMOUNT OF 0%-100% IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF YARN AND FABRIC.

3. CLAIMS PRIORITY IN THE STRUCTURE AND METHOD ACCORDING TO ANY ONE CLAIMS 1 TO 2 WHEREIN THE SAID WO 2005/080656 PCT/AU2004/000220 11 NATURAL FEATHER YARN OR FABRIC IS USED IN THE PRODUCTS MENTIONED, INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A STRUCTURE.

4. CLAIMS PRIORITY IN THE STRUCTURE ACCORDING TO ANY ONE OF CLAIMS I TO 3 WHEREIN THE SAID WIKING LAYER IS COMPRISED OF NATURAL FEATHERS.

5. CLAIMS PRIORITY IN THE STRUCTURE AND METHOD AS A DISPOSABLE AND REUSABLE PRODUCT HAVING A FABRIC COMPRISED OF NATURAL FEATHERS ACCORDING TO ANY ONE OF CLAIMS I TO 4.

6. CLAIMS PRIORITY IN THE METHOD OF PREPARING A NON WOVEN, WOVEN OR KNITTED FABRIC WHICH COMPRISES NATURAL BIRD FEATHERS OF ANY SPECIES AS BEST KNOWN TO THE INVENTOR PRESENTLY OR IN THE FUTURE AS ANY ONE OF CLAIMS I TO 5.

7. CLAIMS PRIORITY IN THE METHOD, DESIGN, MANUFACTURE AND STRUCTURE AS A YARN OR FABRIC WITH NO LIMITATIONS TO ITS PROCESS OR USE ACCORDING TO ANY ONE OF CLAIMS I TO 6. WO 2005/080656 PCT/AU2004/000220 12 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS. DRAWING - PARALLEL NON-WOVEN FABRIC. DRAWING 2 - CROSS-LAID- NON-WOVEN FABRIC. DRAWING 3 - RANDOM-LAID NON-WOVEN FABRIC.