EP0932718B1 - Rapid fabric forming - Google Patents

Rapid fabric forming Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0932718B1
EP0932718B1 EP97912735A EP97912735A EP0932718B1 EP 0932718 B1 EP0932718 B1 EP 0932718B1 EP 97912735 A EP97912735 A EP 97912735A EP 97912735 A EP97912735 A EP 97912735A EP 0932718 B1 EP0932718 B1 EP 0932718B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
yarns
subgroups
yarn
subgroup
fabric
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
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EP97912735A
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German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0932718A1 (en
Inventor
Peter Popper
William Charles Walker
Albert S. Tam
Paul Wesley Yngve
James K. Odle
George Yeaman Thompson, Jr.
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EIDP Inc
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EI Du Pont de Nemours and Co
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Publication of EP0932718A1 publication Critical patent/EP0932718A1/en
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Classifications

    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H3/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length
    • D04H3/02—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of yarns or filaments
    • D04H3/07—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of yarns or filaments otherwise than in a plane, e.g. in a tubular way
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H3/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length
    • D04H3/02—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of yarns or filaments
    • D04H3/04—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of yarns or filaments in rectilinear paths, e.g. crossing at right angles
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H3/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length
    • D04H3/02—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of yarns or filaments
    • D04H3/05—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of yarns or filaments in another pattern, e.g. zig-zag, sinusoidal
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
    • B63H9/00—Marine propulsion provided directly by wind power
    • B63H9/04—Marine propulsion provided directly by wind power using sails or like wind-catching surfaces
    • B63H9/06—Types of sail; Constructional features of sails; Arrangements thereof on vessels
    • B63H9/067—Sails characterised by their construction or manufacturing process

Definitions

  • the invention teaches a process and apparatus to rapidly form a flat or shaped fabric and the fabric formed thereby consisting of groups of yarn densely covering an area.
  • Textile fabric is often formed from strands, or filaments of yarn by weaving or knitting or the like to hold the strands together. Processes of weaving and knitting where strands are guided over and under adjacent strands are slow and do not permit much variety in forming fabric shapes. In a loom for weaving fabrics, the weft yarns are added one at a time. These processes typically result in flat or cylindrical fabrics. There is a need for a process that, in addition to making flat or cylindrical fabrics, permits more variety in forming fabrics with random three dimensional shapes, for instance, that would permit forming an article of clothing, such as a shirt, without having to cut pieces of fabric and seam them together.
  • a series of Oswald patents (U.S. 4,600,456; U.S. 4,830,781; and U.S. 4,838,966) lay down a pattern of partially vulcanized rubber coated strips, or cords, to make a loop of preformed reinforcing belt for a vehicle tire.
  • the strips or cords are stuck together wherever they touch to make a relatively stiff structure.
  • the cords are laid in a "zig-zag repeating pattern with succeeding lengths of the strips being displaced from each other.
  • the cord lengths are interleaved with lengths of cords disposed at an opposite angle... This interleaving relationship results in a woven structure".
  • the stickiness of the partially vulcanized rubber apparently holds the cords in place to a forming surface and to each other until the belt is assembled with other elements of the tire and molded under heat and pressure to form a completed tire.
  • US 4 325 999 discloses methods of making bias fabrics in which one or more pluralities of yarns are alternately moved back and forth between an opposite pair of movable conveyors provided with means for securing the yarns thereto.
  • the means for securing the yarns to the conveyors may include elongated, upstanding elements such as pins, or in the alternative may comprise ring-shaped elements mounting the pins thereon and movable in different groups, or slotted guides which can be coupled for transfer with a moving yarn laying unit and mounted on the conveyor to secure the yarns thereto.
  • the invention concerns a fabric product, and a process for making the product. Included in the invention are the following embodiments:
  • connections between the top subgroup of the structure and the bottom subgroup of the structure are either directly or through the yarns in other subgroups such that connection between crossing points of yarn groups occur at from 0.3% to 80% of the times the yarns cross.
  • the yarns in a subgroup of one group are folded over to become the yarns in a subgroup of another group and thereby to cross them.
  • a film or nonwoven sheet is placed between two adjacent subgroups within the structure.
  • the method may further comprise : urging the stacked subgroup of each group to nest together into a consolidated structure where the yarns in one group bend over the yarns in the adjacent groups.
  • the connecting step comprises bonding said subgroups at spaced regions and providing unbonded regions separate from the bonded regions wherein the inherent flexibility of the yarns is retained in the unbonded regions.
  • Connecting the outermost subgroups may also include connecting strands from the innermost subgroups.
  • the connecting means may consist of loops of yarn, spots of adhesive, bonded joints (such as those formed by squeezing the outermost groups together and applying ultrasonic energy to the squeezed yarns), staples and clips.
  • the interlaced fabric structure is a three dimensional shaped product where the yarns in the subgroups are not necessarily generally parallel, but are regularly spaced to follow the contours of the shape.
  • the three dimensional, shaped, interlaced, fabric structure comprises:
  • a fabric forming device suitable for forming a fabric structure from a plurality of yarns comprises:
  • a further yarn dispensing device suitable for laying down yarn accurately on a compound curvature, when using a mechanical actuator comprises the following elements:
  • Figures 1A-E show a simplified basic structure and process for forming a two-directional or biaxial yarn fabric 22 (Figure 1E) of the invention on a planar surface 23.
  • two yarns 30 and 32 are laid down in a first direction, such as a ninety degree direction 34.
  • Yarns 30 and 32 are spaced apart a cell distance, or space, 33 which may be about 3-20 yarn diameters (preferably 4-16, and most preferably 4-8); about four diameters are shown here to provide 4 positions for yarns to be laid down spaced from, or offset from, the other yarns in that direction.
  • two yarns 36 and 38 are laid down in a second direction, such as a zero degree direction 40, and on top of the first yarns.
  • Yarns 36 and 38 are also spaced apart a cell distance, or space, 42 which is the same magnitude as cell distance 33 for these yarns of the same width.
  • cell distances 33 and 42 may be different.
  • two yarns 44 and 46 are spaced apart at distance 33 and in direction 34, and are placed adjacent yarns 30 and 32 respectively, and on top of yarns 36 and 38.
  • Two yarns 48 and 50 are then spaced apart at distance 42 and in direction 40, and are placed adjacent yarns 36 and 38 respectively, and on top of yarns 44 and 46.
  • two yarns 52 and 54 are spaced apart at distance 33 and in direction 34, and are placed adjacent yarns 44 and 46 respectively, and on top of yarns 48 and 50.
  • Two yarns 56 and 58 are then spaced apart at distance 42 and in direction 40, and are placed adjacent yarns 48 and 50 respectively, and on top of yarns 52 and 54.
  • two yarns 60 and 62 are spaced apart at distance 33 and in direction 34, and are placed adjacent yarns 52 and 54 respectively, and on top of yarns 56 and 58.
  • Two yarns 64 and 66 are then spaced apart at distance 42 and in direction 40, and are placed adjacent yarns 56 and 58 respectively, and on top of yarns 60 and 62.
  • FIG. I E The structure shown in Figure I E is also shown in Figure 2A expanded slightly and the ends of the yarns extended for purposes of further discussion.
  • the structure as illustrated in Figure 2A has a characteristic structure, or cell 61, that would be repeated in a large area of the fabric; it is shown outlined by heavy dashed lines. There is a crossing point between the uppermost yarns and lowermost yarns in each cell of this structure, such as point 68 in cell 61 where an uppermost yarn 66 crosses a lowermost yarn 32.
  • Figure 2B shows a side elevation view 2B-2B of fabric 22 in Figure 2A where the yarns are shown as rigid elements.
  • the yarns are flexible, if untensioned they will bend over and under one another in the structure and collapse to about a two-to-four yarn thickness so it will be difficult to pull unbonded yarns from the structure.
  • This over and under path of a yarn in a structure is referred to in the fabric art as interlace.
  • FIG. 2C A representation of a fully collapsed structure is depicted in Figure 2C where the individual yarns in each subgroup 1-8 are identified.
  • the fully collapsed thickness at 57 is about the thickness of an individual yarn of one group in one direction, 34, stacked on top of an individual yarn of the other group in the other direction, 40.
  • This fully consolidated thickness is about two yarn diameters thick which may be achieved by urging the yarns together with an increased amount of bonding.
  • the fabric structure may be much bulkier and achieve a thickness 59 of 3-4 yarn diameters. This is 11 ⁇ 2-2 times bulkier than if the same yarn were used in a woven structure.
  • a less expensive, lower bulk yarn with less texture and/or crimp could be used in the structure of the invention to achieve the same bulky fabric as a woven structure using a more expensive high-bulk yarn. This is a unique advantage of the fabric of the invention.
  • a matrix can be created to describe the arrangement of yarns in a cell of a structure.
  • the matrix for the two groups of yarns, 0 and 90 would look like the following: group/direction subgroup no of pos. for subgroup yarns subgroup offset position 3rd group shift from orig. other group shift from orig. II/0 top 8 4 0/4 n/a n/a I/90 next 7 4 0/4 II/0 6 4 3/4 I/90 5 4 3/4 II/0 4 4 2/4 I/90 3 4 2/4 II/0 2 4 1/4 I/90 1 4 1/4
  • each space 33 and 40 determines the length of unsecured yarn on the top and bottom surfaces of the fabric structure, such as length 76 in the zero degree uppermost yarn 64, and length 78 in the ninety degree lowermost yarn 30 in Figure 1E.
  • this space increases when more subgroups of yarns are added to the structure, the unsecured yarn length, grows and may present a snagging problem in the finished fabric structure.
  • satin fabrics made by conventional weaving processes there are many long segments of unsecured yarn on the surface of such a fabric to create a special style and hand.
  • Figure 2A shows the basic module of fabric structure shown in Figure 1E where the sequence of subgroup placement going from left to right is 1-3-5-7 in each ninety degree group and going from bottom to top of the figure is 2-4-6-8 in each zero degree group.
  • Figure 3A the sequence of subgroup placement going from left to right is 1-5-7-3 in each ninety degree group; the sequence of subgroup placement going from bottom to top of the figure is 2-6-8-4 in each zero degree group.
  • Figure 3B is an elevation view 3B-3B of Figure 3A and shows the position of the subgroups in cell 79 in Figure 3A.
  • Figure 3C shows another pattern where the ninety degree yarns were shifted as in Figure 2A (1-3-5-7) and the zero degree yarns were shifted as in Figure 3A (2-6-8-4).
  • various patterns of yarn shifts in each subgroup are possible to vary yarn patterns or structural features as desired and the zero degree and ninety degree subgroups may be shifted differently.
  • Figure 4A Another variation is shown in Figure 4A where the yarns in succeeding subgroups are placed in the middle of the cell space remaining to produce a different looking pattern of yarns.
  • Figure 4A shows still another pattern.
  • a yarn placement device for sequentially placing the subgroups may also be varied further as desired. For instance, referring to Figure 2A and the ninety degree group, a device may step through the numerical sequence 1, 3, 5, 7 as seen in brackets 63, or 65, or 67, or 69; the zero degree group may be varied similarly. The steps followed will not affect the appearance and structure of the pattern in the mid-section of the fabric structure, but may be used to determine the appearance along the edge of the fabric.
  • an ultrasonic horn is traversed across the structure diagonally in a path 51, such as through point 68 and point 74 ( Figure 1E), to continuously bond all the yarns in the path to their overlapping neighbors.
  • a parallel path 53 would run through point 70 and another parallel path 55 would run through point 72 so a plurality of ultrasonically bonded pathways would exist to hold the structure together.
  • the bond pathways could run from point 68 to 70 or 68 to 72. In practice, the paths would not have to pass directly through points 68, 70, 72 and 74 to effectively trap the yarns in the structure.
  • top yarns and bottom yarns are connected to other yarns that are eventually connected to one another, so the top yarns are eventually connected by a series of connections to the bottom yarn.
  • This "pathway process" of connecting is beneficial in that precise location of the bonds at the top and bottom yarn overlap points is not required, although it is still preferred.
  • Such a spacing of paths as just discussed results in a bonding frequency that is low enough to retain the inherent flexibility of the yarns in the structure in spite of the high frequency of molten polymer fused bonds.
  • the bond pathways form a bonded region in the fabric structure and can be used to control the fabric bulk.
  • Figure 4C shows a small area of a portion of a fabric with a pattern that resembles that in Figure 1E (also 2A).
  • the small area fabric portion 22 shown in Figure I E/2A referred to as a simple cell/single step pattern (or just the simple cell pattern), can be made with four passes of two yarns in each group, such as four passes of two feed yarns 30 and 32 in the ninety degree direction; alternated with four passes of two feed yarns 36 and 38 in the zero degree direction. In each sublayer the succeeding yarns are placed next to the previous yarns at a single yarn step away. This fabric could be rapidly made in this manner.
  • An equivalent fabric portion 24 shown in Figure 4C was made with eight passes of only a single feed yarn in each group, such as eight passes of feed yarn 41 in the ninety degree direction alternated with eight passes of feed yarn 43 in the zero degree direction. If the numbered sequence shown at 45a is followed for the ninety degree feed yarn 41, and the numbered sequence shown at 45b is followed for the zero degree feed yarn 43, a pattern very similar to that in Figure 1E/2A is produced.
  • the pattern in the fabric portion made as in Figure 1E/2A shows four cells of fabric with four yarns per cell side, and the pattern in the fabric portion made as in Figure 4C shows one cell of fabric with eight yarns per cell side.
  • This pattern in Figure 4C is referred to as the split/single step pattern (or just the split cell pattern) since the second yarn layed down in each group of yarns, 41a and 43a, splits the cell distance, such as distance 47, into some cell fraction, such as 1/2 cell, as shown by the equal split cell distances 47a and 47b.
  • the succeeding yarns in each group, such as yarns 41 b and 43b, are then layed down next to previous yarns, such as yarns 41 and 43 respectively, at a single yarn step away in the first split cell distances, such as 47a.
  • Figure 4D shows, for comparison, a fabric 26 made using the simple cell pattern as in Figure 1E/2A but using eight yarns per cell distance instead of only four. Only a single feed yarn for each group of yarns would be needed for the area of fabric shown in this single cell.
  • the numbered sequence shown at 27a is followed for the ninety degree feed yarn 25, alternating with the numbered sequence shown at 27b which is followed for the zero degree feed yarn 28.
  • This single cell pattern covers the same area as the four cell area of Figure 1E/2A or the single cell area Figure 4C, but it has a large number of long unsecured yarn lengths which may be undesirable for some applications. When placing down a large number of yarns per cell (8 or greater), it is preferred to use the split cell pattern to minimize the number of long unsupported yarn lengths.
  • the fabric structure of the invention is an interlaced fabric structure comprising:
  • the interlaced fabric structure also includes:
  • the interlaced fabric structure also includes:
  • connection means for fabrics of the invention may be by ultrasonic bonding as discussed if the yarns are a thermoplastic polymer and the top and bottom yarns are compatible polymers that will bond together by fusion.
  • the connection (or bonding) means may also be a hot melt adhesive, a solvent that softens the yarn polymer and permits the yarns to fuse together, a room temperature curing adhesive, a solvent based adhesive or other impregnating type, a mechanical fastener such as a staple, strap, or tie, or other such means.
  • all of the yarns in the structure do not need to be thermoplastic yarns to act as binder yarns.
  • the binder yarns necessary to provide the sticky polymer, partially dissolved polymer, molten polymer, or the like to act as an adhesive, or binder, for the bond may be distributed throughout the structure in a variety of ways.
  • a binder yarn is a yarn that would mechanically or adhesively engage another binder yarn or a non-binder yarn during bonding.
  • a non-binder yarn is one that would not mechanically or adhesively engage another non-binder yarn during bonding.
  • some or all of the yarns for the structure can be made from non-binder fibers which are covered with binder fibers by twisting or wrapping.
  • thermoplastic yarn is a yarn with a multifilament non-thermoplastic core which is wrapped with a multifilament sheath that contains some or all thermoplastic filaments.
  • the sheath can be continuous filaments or staple fibers.
  • the sheath can be a blend of binder and non-binder fibers, such as thermoplastic nylon staple fibers and non-thermoplastic aramid or cotton staple filaments.
  • binder and non-binder fibers such as thermoplastic nylon staple fibers and non-thermoplastic aramid or cotton staple filaments.
  • Such a yarn construction can be made using a "DREF 3 friction spinning machine" available from Textilmachinenfabrik Dr. Ernst Fehrer AG of Linz, Austria.
  • a blend of 5-25% by weight thermoplastic binder fibers in the sheath may work well for this application.
  • binder and non-binder polymers may be used for the fibers in the yarn as desired.
  • sheath filaments When bonding using such a sheath/core yarn, it is to be expected that the sheath filaments would be affected by the bonding process while the core filaments would not.
  • the core filaments could be relied on to carry the load in the structure after bonding.
  • Another way to distribute binder adhesive material to bond the structure together is to provide binder yarn for one or more upper subgroups of, for instance, the zero degree group of yarns: and for one or more bottom subgroups of, for instance, the ninety degree group of yarns. These top and bottom yarns may be the sheath/core yarns described above.
  • Another way to distribute binder material is to use a binder containing yarn for some fraction of each subgroup of, for instance, zero and ninety degree yarns, such as every other or every tenth yarn in each subgroup.
  • One structure that has been found to work well is to make the top and next subgroups of yarns and the bottom and next subgroups of yarns with binder fibers.
  • top and next sublayer, and bottom and next sublayer, binder yarns are adhesively joined and other non-binder yarns may be mechanically engaged, such as by embedding, enveloping, encapsulating, or the like.
  • This additional engagement of non-binder fibers results in load paths extending from the top to the bottom subgroups of yarn even where the top and bottom subgroups don't directly contact each other.
  • a distribution of binder fiber in the structure of the invention it has been found that a distribution of about 5%-60% binder fiber by total fiber weight is useful, and preferably a distribution of about 10%-20% by total fiber weight works well to provide good fabric integrity while retaining good fabric softness (minimize fabric stiffness and boardiness).
  • FIG 14 is a diagrammic view of a unit cell 380 of fabric structure, and the cross marks represent the yarn crossings in the cell.
  • the cell 380 represents a biaxial fabric structure with eight yarns per direction for a total of (8X8) 64 crossings per cell.
  • the lines 382, 384, 386, and 388 represent possible edges for a bond path through the cell.
  • the circle 390 represents a single bond between a yarn on the top of the structure and a yarn on the bottom of the structure, which would be the minimum number of bonded crossings for the cell.
  • Between lines 384 and 386 would be a single-crossing-width bond path which would be a medium number of bonded crossings for a cell; between lines 384 and 388 would be a double-crossing-width bond path which would be a high number of bonded crossings for a cell; and between 382 and 388 would be a triple-crossing-width bond path which would be a very high number of bonded crossings for a cell.
  • N represents the number of yarns per direction in a square unit cell; in the unit cell 380 this number is 8.
  • Min is the bonding fraction if only one crossing is bonded out of N 2 total crossings;
  • Med is the bonding fraction if a single-crossing-width bond path is used that bonds N crossings out of N 2 crossings;
  • Hi is the bonding fraction if a double-crossing-width bond path is used that bonds N+(N-1) crossings out of N 2 crossings;
  • V Hi is the bonding fraction if a triple-crossing-width bond path is used that bonds N+(N-1)+(N-1) crossings out of N 2 crossings.
  • a bonding fraction within the range of from about .003 to .778 is preferred.
  • a bonding fraction within a range of about .008 to .520 is most preferred, or, that is, about 1% to 50% of the available crossings bonded or otherwise connected.
  • This fraction can be controlled by the number of yarns in a cell and the number of bonds in a cell, which can be controlled by the width of the bond path and the number of bond paths within a cell. If there is more than one bond path within a cell, the bond paths should be narrow.
  • the bond fraction table above that was prepared with the simple.cell process as a model, it should be noted that a fabric using 16 yarns per cell that is at one end of the preferred scale may be most preferred when made using the split cell/single step process. This is so, since the interlacing is improved and the number of long unsecured yarn lengths is reduced for a given number of yarns per cell by this process. In general, if more interlacing is provided in a fabric of the invention, the number of bonds per cell can be reduced and still maintain good fabric integrity. For instance, if the split cell fraction is 1/2, the 16 yarn per cell, split cell fabric may be equivalent (in preference) to the 8 yarn per cell, simple cell fabric in the table.
  • Figure 5A shows another flexible fabric structure where the yarns are layed down in groups in three directions, at 0 degrees. 60 degrees and 120 degrees to make a triaxial structure.
  • one parallelogram-shaped basic cell of the structure that repeats throughout, is shown at 88 with sides shown by dashed lines which are oriented along the zero and sixty degree direction.
  • the basic repeating cell could also have been selected as one with sides oriented along the zero and one hundred twenty degree direction.
  • the top subgroup yarn 81 defines the location of the X-axis and the intersection of yarn 81 with the next subgroup yarn 83 defines the origin 85 and thereby the Y-axis.
  • the cell space for the zero degree group is shown at 89; the cell space for the sixty degree group is shown at 90; The cell space for the one hundred twenty degree group is shown at 92.
  • Each cell space has four possible positions for yarn in the subgroups.
  • the third subgroup yarn 87 crosses the X-axis at about 0.5/4 which defines the third group shift from the origin.
  • the top and bottom yarn subgroups, 12 and 1 respectively, are joined where they cross and overlap at points 80 and 82 both of which fall at the edge of the cell. Other overlap bond points in the structure, when developed into a larger area fabric, would be at the cross-hatched points, such as 84 and 86.
  • Figure 5B shows a larger piece 95 of similar triaxial fabric, but made using eight yarns in each cell space, multiple cells, and a third group shift from the origin equal to zero, so equilateral triangles are formed by yarns of the three groups.
  • the matrix for the structure of Figure 5A would be the following: group/direction subgroup no. of pos. for subgroup yarns subgroup offset position 3rd group shift from orig. other group shift from orig. 1/0 top 12 4 0/4 n/a n/a 11/120 next 11 4 0/4 n/a n/a 111/60 10 4 0/4 0.5/4 n/a 1/0 9 4 1/4 11/120 8 4 1/4 111/60 7 4 1/4 1/0 6 4 2/4 11/120 5 4 2/4 111/60 4 4 2/4 1/0 3 4 3/4 11/120 2 4 3/4 111/60 1 4 3/4
  • the triaxial structure of the invention is similar to a biaxial structure of the invention with the addition that the interlaced fabric structure further comprises:
  • FIG 6 is shown an apparatus for continuously forming a biaxial fabric structure with basic cells similar to those of Figures 1E and 2A.
  • the apparatus consists of an elongated yarn support surface, such as a flat perforated belt 91, driven by motor 107, having an array of pins, such as pin 93, along one edge 94 and a parallel array of pins, such as pin 96 along the opposite edge 98 of belt 91 for positively holding yarns against the forces of yarn reversal.
  • Beneath the belt is arranged a vacuum plenum 97 attached to a source of vacuum 99 for holding the yarn in place on belt 91.
  • Shown along edge 98 are a plurality of yarn guide blocks 100, 102, 104, and 106 that are each mounted on guide means, such as guides 101 and 103, and each having drive means, such as actuator 105 for block 100, for traversing across belt 91 from one edge 98 to an opposed edge 94.
  • Each yarn guide block has a plurality of yarn guides, such as guide 173 in block 100, for guiding a yarn accurately onto the belt, such as yarn 111 coming off of yarn supply package 113.
  • Dashed outlines 100'. 102'. 104' and 106' at edge 94 show the position the blocks would take after traversing belt 91.
  • a plurality of ultrasonic horns are shown along edge 98.
  • horn 108 at location 110 are positioned across the belt 91 to act on yarn laid thereon to fusion bond the overlapping yarns to one another at spaced positions in a deposited fabric.
  • the belt and a rigid support 109 underneath act as the ultrasonic anvil to couple the energy through the yarn.
  • the fabric structure can be stripped off the pins or hooks along the edge of the belt and the belt can be recirculated while the fabric is wound in a roll on a core (not shown).
  • the winding tension for the fabric would be controlled to avoid distortion of the fabric along the direction of the belt which is along the fabric diagonal (bias) and along the axis of the bond path.
  • a representation of a two-group, biaxial, deposited fabric 112 is shown on the belt.
  • the representation shows the pattern of yarn laid down as the process starts up and the belt moves from right to left in the direction of arrow 114 as the blocks move substantially perpendicularly across the belt together from edge 98 to edge 94 in a manner coordinated with the belt motion along the belt elongated axis; and continue back and forth as represented by arrows 116. What is shown is what was produced at start-up and then was stopped and the belt backed up to align the start pattern with the guide blocks. For a true representation, block 100 (and the other blocks) would be shown shifted to the right in the figure to a location just beyond block 106.
  • the first and second (lower) subgroups of yarn are laid down by block 106, the third and fourth (middle) subgroups of yarn are laid down by block 104, the fifth and sixth (middle) subgroups of yarn are laid down by block 102, and the seventh and eighth (upper) subgroups of yarn are laid down by block 100.
  • a given yarn across the fabric may alternate between subgroups in the cells going back and forth across the fabric.
  • the belt is moving and the blocks move only back and forth across the belt and the belt moves continuously from right to left.
  • the same pattern can be generated if the belt is considered stationary and unusually long, and the blocks move back and forth diagonally at 45 degrees along the belt from left to right.
  • the pattern of over and under yarns varies in the fabric as evidenced by cells 124, 126, and 128.
  • Figure 7 shows this portion of fabric 112 enlarged for discussion. The yarns are shown slightly spaced apart in each group for clarity.
  • yarn 130 is the eighth subgroup top yarn in cells 124 and 126, but is the seventh subgroup yarn in cell 128.
  • yarn 132 is the sixth subgroup yarn in cells 124 and 126, but the fifth subgroup yarn in cell 128. Similar changes occur in the remaining subgroups.
  • This deviation from a perfectly regular pattern within a fabric unlike the pattern in Figures 1E and 2A, does not affect the structural integrity of the fabric and is an example of some acceptable variations in the patterns of the invention.
  • the adjacent cells 134, 136, and 138 are all identical and are the same as the cells of Figures 1E and 2A.
  • Each yarn has a subgroup assignment and a position assignment in a cell.
  • both the subgroup assignment and position assignment may vary from cell to cell in a given fabric structure, or they may remain constant, and in both cases still follow the basic rules for practicing the invention which are:
  • the top to bottom bond point for cell 124 is at 140; the bond point for cell 126 is at 142; the bond point for cell 128 is at 144. For a partial cell 146 at the edge of the fabric, the bond point is at 148. All these bond points would be covered by ultrasonic paths aligned with the arrows 150 at the left end of Figure 7.
  • each guide Four yarns in each guide are sufficient to cover the belt for a four-yarn-cell-space fabric at the width shown and for a 45 degree pattern.
  • the space covered by one yarn, such as yarn 152. going from belt side 94 over to belt side 98 and back across the belt 91 takes up a distance along the belt as shown at 154.
  • the first yarn guide hole 171 in block 102 is shown spaced from the last yarn guide hole 173 in block 100 by a distance 175 of one cell diagonal plus one yarn position diagonal to lay down the subgroup 5 and 6 yarns in offset positions from the subgroup 7 and 8 yarns laid bown by block 100. This spacing is similar for the succeeding guide blocks along the side of belt 91. This spacing may be less or more by units of a cell diagonal depending on how much room is needed for the guide blocks.
  • the position of subgroup yarns in the cell space can be varied by displacing the blocks along the length of the belt 91.
  • a space between the guide blocks and the manner of laying down yarns to form a fabric it is possible to add materials between the subgroups of yarns within a fabric structure.
  • a roll of film 117 could be arranged to continuously feed film between blocks 104 and 106, around a guide 119, and onto the fabric 112 between the subgroups of yarn laid down by block 106 (subgroups 1 and 2) and block 104 (subgroups 3 and 4).
  • machine direction yarns 121 and 123 could be arranged to continuously feed yarn between blocks 102 and 104, through guides 125 and 127 respectively, and onto the fabric 112 between the subgroups of yarn laid down by block 104 (subgroups 3 and 4) and block 102 (subgroups 5 and 6).
  • Such insertions of material between subgroups is a unique capability of the fabric of the invention.
  • the addition of the film and machine direction yarns can reduce the deflection of the bias fabric in the machine direction or can achieve other special purposes.
  • Other materials such as nonwoven fabrics, wires, elastomeric fabrics or yarns, webs of natural or synthetic materials, scrims, etc., can be inserted.
  • FIG. 8A There is another way of using guide blocks to lay yarn down continuously to form a fabric on a belt.
  • the blocks could be arranged in alternate locations along the edge of belt 91 and be arranged to travel in opposite directions across the belt as the belt is moving as shown in Figures 8A and 8B.
  • the blocks 100 and 104 are arranged along edge 94 of belt 91 and blocks 102 and 106 are arranged along edge 98.
  • the blocks cross the belt to the opposite side, thereby laying yarn down on the belt in a diagonal path. Repeated operation of the blocks back and forth as the belt continues to run will produce a pattern such as seen in enlarged fabric 174 of Figure 9.
  • cells 176, 178, and 180 are five subgroup cells while cell 180 is an eight subgroup cell.
  • yarn 181 is in subgroup 5; yarns 182 and 184 are in the same subgroup, subgroup 4; yarns 186 and 188 are both in subgroup 3; yarns 190 and 192 are both in subgroup 2 and yarn 194 is in subgroup 1.
  • yarn 181 is in subgroup 7; yarn 186 is in subgroup 5; yarn 188 is in subgroup 3 and yarn 194 is in subgroup 1.
  • Cell 180 has the same arrangement as the basic cell of Figures 1E and 2A.
  • Figure 10A shows another apparatus for producing two dimensional fabrics of the invention. It is suitable for making a batch fabric instead of a continuous fabric. It is a simplier apparatus than that of Figure 6.
  • a single guide block 206 is oscillated back and forth by actuator 207 over a table 208 that also oscillates back and forth by actuator 209 in a direction at right angles to the direction of oscillation of block 206.
  • Parallel rows of pins 210 and 212 hold the yarn at the reversals. Vacuum may also be applied to the plate if desired.
  • the block and table make numerous cycles back and forth in a manner coordinated with each other to produce dense groups of yarn crossing one another.
  • a single ultrasonic bonding horn 211 is then repeatedly passed over the fabric in paths parallel to the oscillation direction of table 208 to make spaced bond paths to connect the top and bottom subgroups of yarns together.
  • the fabric is then peeled off the edge pins 210, 212.
  • a three dimensional fabric could be made over a three dimensional form 203 mounted on table 208.
  • Figure 10B shows the curved yarn paths in a fabric 213 that may be employed to cover a three dimensional form.
  • Figure 11 A shows another apparatus for producing two dimensional batches of fabric structure. It is similar to the apparatus of Figure 10 except instead of laying yarn down on a table, the yarn is placed on a mandrel 214 by a guide block 216. Instead of the guide block 216 oscillating back and forth as in Figure 10, the guide block 216 is stationary and the mandrel 214 oscillates in a rotary motion by motor 215 as indicated by arrow 217 at the same time the table 208' moves the mandrel past the guide block by actuator 209'. A single row of pins 218 holds the yarn between reversals in both directions as the mandrel rotates. The result is a fabric having a cylindrical tubular shape during fabrication.
  • a single ultrasonic horn 219 repeatedly follows an axial path along the mandrel at different circumferential locations over the fabric as it is oscillated back and forth via the table and mandrel. This results in parallel bond paths to connect the top and bottom groups together. Alternatively, the horn could follow a circumferential path at different axial locations along the mandrel. When peeled off pins 218. the result is a flat fabric.
  • This fabrication on a cylindrical mandrel has an advantage over the flat plate of Figure 10A in that yarn tension can be used to hold the yarns securely against the mandrel.
  • Figure 11 B shows an apparatus similar to that in Figure 11A except the mandrel 214 would rotate continuously in one direction to make a cylindrical batch of fabric.
  • a rotating mandrel 220 is mounted on moveable table 208" oscillated by actuator 209".
  • a circular yarn guide support 222 holds a plurality of guides, such as yarn guide 224, that are spaced apart around the circumference of the mandrel 220.
  • Support 222 is held stationary relative to the mandrel and table.
  • a yarn strand, such as strand 226 from stationary package 228, is fed through each guide, such as 224, and is secured to end 230 of the mandrel where the support and mandrel are aligned before the mandrel starts to rotate and the table starts to move.
  • the mandrel 220 has a plurality of rings 232 and 234 of closely spaced pins near the ends 230 and 236, respectively, of the mandrel as shown. These engage the yarn at the ends of the traverse when the table reverses direction. At the end of each traverse as the yarn engages the pin rings, the table stops moving and the mandrel is moved through a few degrees of rotation to make sure the yarn is firmly engaged by the pins before the table reverses direction.
  • the mandrel may be moved precisely by a stepping motor, such as motor 238.
  • the yarn must also align with the desired offset position of the cell before laying down next to an adjacent yarn.
  • Figure 11C is an imaginary view of the mandrel as if it were flattened out into a two dimensional form.
  • mandrel end 236 and pin ring 234 At the left of the figure is mandrel end 236 and pin ring 234, and at the right of the figure is mandrel end 230 and pin ring 232.
  • the dashed lines in the figure trace the yarn paths on the back side of the flattened mandrel; the solid lines trace the yarn paths on the front side.
  • the yarns illustrated are only those that are seen to start on the front side of the figure at points 240, 242, 244, and 246; and of these, only the yarn starting at point 240 has its path traced throughout one complete laydown.
  • start points are those where the yarn is laid down by guides such as guide 224 in support 222.
  • Four other yarns from support 222 would be tracing out similar paths starting on the back side of the flattened mandrel at the same spacing as the yarns shown on the front side.
  • These points represent the first yarn position 0/4 of four possible positions for a first group in a cell space for the fabric.
  • Yarn at point 240 follows path 248 as mandrel 220 rotates and translates relative to yarn guide support 222: while yarns at points 242, 244, and 246 follow paths 250, 252, and 254, respectively.
  • Tracing path 248 for laying down yarn in a first group path 248 passes to the back side of the flattened mandrel at 256 and returns to the front side at 258 and reaches the ring of pins 232 at 260.
  • another first group yarn from point 242 would reach the ring 232 at point 262: yarn from point 244 would reach the ring 232 at point 264; and yarn from point 246 would reach the ring 232 at point 266.
  • the mandrel translation can immediately reverse and the yarn will return along path 248"'. If it is desired to change the yarn position for the cell, the translation of the mandrel can stop and the mandrel can continue rotating for a few degrees until the yarn is in the desired position in the cell space, and then the translation reverses and the yarn follows on a new path.
  • the yarn pattern in a cell can then be different for the first group yarns and the second group yarns. This pattern will continue until the yarn from point 240 lands back at pin ring 234 at position 278. At that point all the yarn positions for the cell space are occupied by subgroups of yarns and the cylindrical batch of fabric structure is ready for bonding.
  • An ultrasonic bonding horn (not shown, but similar to horn 219 in Figure 11) can make repeated passes along the axis of the mandrel by translating the mandrel without rotation under the stationary horn and rotating the mandrel through several degrees at the end of each pass.
  • the bonding can be along circumferential paths.
  • the pin rings may be removed (by retracting or other means) and the fabric pushed off the mandrel.
  • one end of the fabric may be cut at one pin ring and only the opposite pin ring removed. By pushing the fabric, it will expand, since the fabric is oriented on a bias relative to the mandrel axis, so it will be easy to slide the fabric off the mandrel.
  • the process just described for forming an interlaced fabric structure comprises:
  • Another possibility is a method of operating the mandrel motor 238 and table actuator 209" to apply a multiple pass of yarns from guide support 222 to make actual changes in the number of yarns per sublayer in the structure. For instance, to double the number of yarns per sublayer, the yarns, such as yarns 226 and 226', could be layed down in a path designated by dashed lines 227 and which would add one yarn between the original yarns laid down by the guide. This would be accomplished as follows:
  • This altered process is different from the simple cell process for forming sublayers on the mandrel 220 where the guide has all the yarns necessary for a sublayer and the mandrel rotates in the same direction as it lays yarn back and forth between the pin rings.
  • the altered process just described adds yarns to a sublayer by the continued rotation of the mandrel half the distance (or some other fraction) between the yarn guides 224, and then reversing the rotation of the mandrel to add yarns to that sublayer. If two more yarns were to be added between guided yarns instead of the one more yarn just described in the example above, the continued rotation would only be one third the distance between guides and this step would be repeated at the next pin ring.
  • Each guide referring to guide 224', includes a hollow shaft 280, a radiused guide tip 282, a spring 284, and a retainer 286.
  • the shaft passes through a hole 288 in support 222'.
  • Spring 284 is placed over shaft 280 between support 222' and tip 282 to thereby urge the tip toward the mandrel 230'.
  • Yarn 226 passes through hollow shaft 280 and out through tip 282 and directly onto mandrel 230'. In this way, the yarn is laid directly onto the mandrel much as if it were "painted" on the mandrel surface. This insures accurate placement of the yarn on the mandrel.
  • the shaft moves freely in hole 288 in support 222' to allow the guide tip to ride over any variations in the shape of the mandrel while the spring keeps tip 282. and the yarn 226 issuing therefrom, securely in contact with the mandrel surface.
  • the tip 282 may advantageously be coated with a low friction coating for ease of sliding over the mandrel and the yarns laying thereon.
  • Figure 20 shows another device for laying down yarn accurately on a compound curvature, such as a spherical surface, when using a robot or other mechanical actuator.
  • a compound curvature such as a spherical surface
  • the robot does not always follow complex curved paths in a continuous smooth motion and some irregular stepped motion is produced. It is useful to have some compliance in a yarn guide tip to keep it in contact with a curved mandrel surface during deviations in the path of the guide actuator or robot.
  • Yam guide 470 is attached to a slide 472 which is attached to a robot face plate 474. The slide is useful for fine positioning adjustments by way of screw 476 to set the initial deflection of the guide when programming the robot path.
  • the guide 470 comprises a frame 478 that supports a hollow shaft 480 for rotation.
  • a block 482 mounted on shaft 480 supports four thin flexible springs 484, 485, 486, and 487 (located behind 486). Attached at the intersection of the springs is a hollow tip 488 with a hemispherical end 489. The springs permit motion of the tip in the axial direction 490 and in a conical direction defined by angle 492. Rotation of shaft 480 allows the tip to roll over any surface it contacts while it is also free to deflect axially and angularly. This allows the tip to accurately place a yarn 494 on the surface while the yarn is passing through the hole 496 in hollow shaft 480 and the hole 498 in hollow tip 488.
  • Figure 12 shows an apparatus that is used to make a simple three dimensional tubular batch fabric using a lathe-type device or a textile yarn winding device where the mandrel 290 rotates continuously by motor 291, but without translating, and the circular guide support 292 traverses along the mandrel axis back and forth driven by a cam or screw 294 rotated by a motor 293. Coordination of motors 291 and 293 provides control of the fabric structure.
  • the pin rings of Figure 11B may be eliminated by providing shoulders 295 and 296 to engage the yarn at the reversals and by keeping the bias angle low relative to the shoulder. This is a variation of the device shown in Figure 11B which may allow fabrication of fabrics of the invention with slight modification of existing mandrel systems.
  • Figure 13 shows an apparatus that is used to make a continuous fabric where the two groups of yarn are oriented parallel and perpendicular to the direction of motion of the laydown belt.
  • One group of yarns is supplied as a plurality of subgroups each comprising a plurality of yarns in a warp direction; and another group is supplied as a plurality of subgroups each comprising a plurality of yarns in a weft direction.
  • a plurality of spaced ultrasonic bond paths connect the top and bottom subgroups together.
  • the weft direction yarns are supplied by a process and apparatus similar to that disclosed in U.S. 4.030.168 to Cole hereby incorporated herein by reference.
  • Figure 13 is an apparatus 500 for laying down subgroups of yarns 502. 504, 506, and 508 in the machine direction (MD) and combining them with subgroups of yarns 510. 512, 514. and 516 in the cross-machine direction (XD) on a conveyor surface 517 to continuously form a pre-bonded fabric structure 518.
  • the subgroups of yarns 502, 504, 506 and 508 are guided onto the conveyor surface 517 by guides extending across the surface 517, such as guide bar 503 for subgroup 502.
  • the guides may comprise rollers each having circumferential guide grooves (not shown) to act as individual yarn guides to guide each of a plurality of yarns spaced across the guide between the opposed edges of the conveyor surface for arranging the subgroup of yarns with respect to other MD yarns deposited on the conveyor surface.
  • the guides, such as guide bar 503, may also comprise a group of spaced eyelets on a bar to guide each of a plurality of yarns in the subgroup of the group arranged in the machine direction.
  • the subgroups of yarns 510, 512, 514 and 516 are guided onto the conveyor surface 517 by looped guides along the two opposed edges of belt 517, such as looped guides 505 on the near side and 507 on the far side for guiding subgroup 510.
  • the looped guides have spaced yarn holders or clamps (not shown) for holding the spaced relationship between the yarns in the subgroup of the group arranged in the XD direction.
  • the holders or clamps would release the yarn after it is deposited on the fabric support surface of the conveyor and on any MD yarns already placed there.
  • the XD yarns are not released by the clamps until they are engaged by the next MD yarns.
  • the MD yarns may be placed under tension and be able to provide enough support for the XD yarns so that a separate support surface is not required.
  • An alternative to the endless loop conveyor surface illustrated may be a circular drum support surface, as long as the yarns can be adequately held on the surface, such as with MD yarn tension or a vacuum, during rotation of the drum.
  • the conveyor would be driven and have a vacuum applied similarly to the conveyor described in Figure 6.
  • Fabric 518 is consolidated and connected by a plurality of spaced apart bonders located at position 520 to form a continuous fabric 522 of the invention.
  • Contact roller 524 presses against conveyor roller 526 to positively drive the fabric without slippage on conveyor surface 517.
  • the subgroup 502 comprises a sparsely spaced plurality of yarns that are spaced apart by a repeatable cell distance and are laid directly on a conveyor surface 517.
  • the subgroup 504 comprises a sparsely spaced plurality of yarns that are also spaced apart by the same cell distance and are offset one yarn position (into the paper) from subgroup 502;
  • subgroup 506 comprises a sparsely spaced plurality of yarns that are spaced apart by the same cell distance and are offset from both 502 and 504:
  • subgroup 508 comprises a sparsely spaced plurality of yarns that are spaced apart by the same cell distance and are offset from all of subgroups 502, 504. and 506.
  • the subgroup 510 comprises a sparsely spaced plurality of yarns with all the yarns, such as yarns 526 and 528. spaced apart a repeatable cell distance 530, which distance is the same for the spacing of all the yarns in the other subgroups 512, 514, and 516. This spacing determines the number of possible yarn positions for the yarns in the subgroups 510, 512, 514, and 516.
  • the yarns in subgroup 510 are spaced apart at a cell distance at 532; the yarns in subgroup 512 are offset from subgroup 510 by a repeatable offset 534 and are spaced apart by the cell distance at 536; the yarns in subgroup 514 are offset from subgroup 512 by a repeatable offset 538 and are spaced apart by the cell distance at 540; and the yarns of subgroup 516 are offset from subgroup 514 by a repeatable offset 542 and are spaced apart by the cell distance at 544.
  • These yarns are shown in a position pattern of 0/4, 1/4, 2/4, and 3/4 going sequentially from subgroup 510 to subgroup 516.
  • a variation of the process described in relation to Figure 13 is to preassemble the two orthogonal and adjacent subgroups, such as subgroups 502 and 510 to form a scrim.
  • the four scrims 502/510, 504/512, 506/514, and 508/516 would be joined with the offsets between subgroups described above to make the same fabric structure.
  • the preassembled subgroups could be temporarily assembled into the scrims with a size adhesive which is removed after final assembly and connecting of the upper and lower subgroups, or the connections between the preassembled subgroups could remain in the final fabric structure.
  • the flexible fabric of the instant invention can be made directly into a three dimensional shape referring to Figure 15 to Figure 18E.
  • a flexible fabric can be made directly to shape by laying each subgroup directly onto a shaped surface.
  • Figure 15 shows an example of using a generalized dispensing system to create the fabric.
  • a generalized actuator in this case, a six degree of freedom robot 401, carries a single yarn dispenser 402, similar to that shown in Figure 20, to the desired positions and orientations to deposit a yarn 403 onto a shaped mandrel 404.
  • the robot may also carry a plurality of yarn dispensers to deposit a plurality of spaced yarns simultaneously onto the shaped mandrel.
  • each group of yarns will include yarns that are curved in space.
  • neighboring yarns in the group are generally parallel and the yarns of a group densely cover the region of the surface bounded by the outermost yarns of that group; a given group may not necessarily cover the entirety of the desired final shape.
  • Figure 16A shows a plan view of the mandrel
  • Figure 16B and 16D show elevation views
  • Figure 16C an isometric view.
  • paths 410 are curved paths in space for one subgroup of one group of yarns on a spherical mandrel 411.
  • This subgroup path 410 consists of arcs 412, 413, 414, 41 S, 416, 417, 418, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423, joined by connectors 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429, 430, 431, 432, 433, 434.
  • Figure 16B clearly shows how the connectors join the arcs of subgroup path 410, such as connector 424 which joins arc 412 to arc 413.
  • the orientation of the subgroup paths 410 with respect to the mandrel 411 is given by two angles: a rotation about the z-axis 435 and an inclination about the x-y plane 436.
  • a rotation about the z-axis 435 and an inclination about the x-y plane 436.
  • To find the angle 435 start at the beginning of arc 412 at point 437 in the lower right of Figure 16D.
  • Angle 435 is defined as the angle from the positive x-axis 442 to vector 439, in the plan view I6A, which for the case shown is at -90 degrees.
  • the subgroup paths 410 are inclined to the x-y plane 440 at an angle 436. which for the case shown is at +75 degrees.
  • the angle 436 is inclined less than 90 degrees to insure that the yarns at the equator of this spherical mandrel cross in an intersecting relationship from subgroup to subgroup, rather than being nearly parallel if angle 436 were at 90 degrees.
  • Figures 17A-17D show two other subgroup paths 450 and 451 created by rotating the subgroup paths 410 about the z-axis.
  • the plan view angle, equivalent to angle 435, for path 450 is +30° and for path 451 is +150°.
  • the three groups of subgroups are evenly spaced, with the plan view angle 435 of path 450 being +120° from path 410 and the plan view angle 435 of path 451 being -120° from path 410.
  • the number of groups and the necessary angles 435 and 436 for each group may be varied to provide the required structural properties of the shaped fabric.
  • the subgroup path 410 defines the skeleton of paths for the entire group of yarns in this general direction. Other subgroups in this group are found by placing yarns in offset positions along the surface, generally parallel to the sparse yarns of the skeleton 410. In general, the subgroups of a directional group are not simply shifted versions of each other, as in the flat case; they have slightly different shapes. Other subgroups for the yarns in the other group directions 450 and 451 are found by offsetting the subgroup paths 450 and 451 similarly along the surface of the mandrel for those general directions.
  • Figures 18A-18E illustrate a summation and completion of what was discussed referring to the yarn paths of Figures 16A-D and 17A-D.
  • Figures 18A-E show the progression of yarn from a single subgroup in Figure 18A; to the first subgroups of three groups in Figure 18B; to the first two subgroups of three groups in Figure 18C; to the first three subgroups of three groups in Figure 18D; to four subgroups of three groups in Figure 18E, in this case, densely covering the desired surface region to form shaped fabric structure 452.
  • the yarns in each subgroup are spaced 4 yarns apart, and each subgroup is offset from the previous group by a single position.
  • a similar procedure can be used for groups with different number of yarns (say 3 to 8 yarns) separating the yarns in each subgroup, or a different offset sequence for successive subgroups (say 0/4. 2/4, 1/4, 3/4 instead of the 0/4. 1/4, 2/4, 3/4 sequence shown).
  • Each family of subgroup paths 410, 450, or 451, making up each of the three groups of yarn paths need not cover the entire final surface region desired, and need not be similar to each other, as in this example.
  • the different groups will not be similar.
  • Figure 18E shows that the flexible fabric structure 452 may combine triaxial regions 460, having three yarn directions, with biaxial regions 461, having two yarn directions.
  • the generalized actuator may be taught or programmed to dispense yarn along the subgroup paths defined for each group.
  • the dispenser may dispense a single yarn by traversing sequentially the arc 412, then the connector 424, then the arc 413, then the connector 425, etc.. then the arc 422, then the connector 434, then the arc 423.
  • a dispenser can dispense all the arcs 412, 413, 414, 415, 416, 417, 418, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423 simultaneously in one pass.
  • a dispenser can dispense selected numbers of the arcs, such as the arcs 412, 413, 414 in one pass; and complete remaining arcs in succeeding passes of arcs 415, 416, 417, then 418, 419, 420, and then 421, 422, 423; using some or all of the connectors 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429, 430, 431, 432, 433, 434.
  • the yarns may be cut at the end of an arc and reattached to the mandrel at the beginning of the next arc. In this way yarn from succeeding subgroups would not accumulate at the connector paths.
  • Subgroups in the other directions may be laid down by teaching or programming the robot along those paths, or in certain symmetric cases such as this one, by rotating the mandrel about the z-axis 441 by the desired angle 435 and repeating the program for path 410.
  • subsequent subgroups would be taught or programmed independently since they are not simple translation offsets of the path 410 for the first laid subgroup of the first group.
  • Yam tension control is important during the dispensing along these paths to maintain the yarn onto the generally curved path. Excessive tension will cause the yarn to deviate significantly from the desired path.
  • a temporary aid either mechanical or adhesive, is used on the mandrel surface and on yarns in preceding subgroups to maintain the yarn on the desired path.
  • a pressure-sensitive adhesive may be sprayed on the mandrel at the start and on each succeeding subgroup of yarn to aid in holding the applied yarns in place.
  • a roller may be used on each subgroup to press the adhesive covered yarns onto the mandrel and each other. These aids may remain in the final fabric, or be removed after the final connecting step.
  • the final step is to connect the final subgroup to be laid down in each region, the top subgroup, with the first subgroup to be laid down in that region, the bottom subgroup, at the crossing points between the two subgroups.
  • the top and bottom subgroups are arranged to be crossing one another. Since each group does not necessarily cover the entire surface (but covers a substantial portion greater than 1/3 and preferably greater than 1/2 of the fabric area), the top and bottom subgroups may be different subgroups from different groups in the triaxial and biaxial regions. It is also possible to connect yarns in the top subgroup with yarns in the bottom subgroup by connecting the top and bottom yarns to yarns in intermediate subgroups at a plurality of spaced locations, rather than making precise direct connections between the top and bottom subgroup yarns. Such a process was discussed when describing the flat fabric structures.
  • the above process makes a three dimensional, shaped, interlaced, fabric structure, comprising:
  • the fabric of the invention can also be wound on a composite rectangular parallelepiped form to make biaxial three dimensional fabric structures referring to Figures 19A-D.
  • Figure 19A shows a composite rectangular mandrel 300 that is the general configuration of the desired shape, which in this case would be a short sleeve shirt.
  • the mandrel may be a solid form made of connected rectangular parallelepiped pieces, such as torso piece 310, and an shoulder piece 312 detachably connected with rods or screws or clamps (not shown).
  • the mandrel may also be a frame structure outlining the shape, or an expandable/collapsable structure to assist in removal of the finished fabric.
  • a first pair of opposed grippers 302 and 303 are arranged to support the mandrel 300 for rotation about first mandrel axis 314.
  • a second pair of opposed grippers 304 and 305 are arranged for supporting the mandrel 300 for rotation about second mandrel axis 316.
  • the mandrel can be reoriented 90 degrees from the position in Figure 19A and the second pair of opposed grippers 304 and 305 are arranged for supporting the mandrel 300 for rotation about third mandrel axis 318.
  • Each pair of grippers are moveable rotationally and axially toward and away from one another; that is, gripper 302 can rotate and move axially toward and away from gripper 303, and gripper 303 can also rotate and move axially toward and away from gripper 302.
  • grippers 304 and 305 have both moved axially to engage the ends of mandrel piece 312 to rotate mandrel 300 about axis 316.
  • the face of each gripper of the pair engaging the ends of the mandrel may be covered with a resilient high friction surface to securely grip the mandrel and any fabric laid there, or they may be covered with pins or needles to engage the ends of the mandrel and fabric.
  • the guide 306 is supported and propelled by a rotating threaded rod 320 for transverse motion parallel to axis 316.
  • the rod is supported by simple supports and driven by a variable speed motor not shown.
  • the rotation of the mandrel grippers 304/305 and rod 320 are coordinated by a controller 321 so in one revolution of grippers 304/305 the yarn 307 moves one cell distance 322 along the mandrel 300 to lay down a first subgroup of yarn in the direction 324 on the mandrel.
  • the winding stops and grippers 302 and 303 engage the mandrel and grippers 304 and 305 retract.
  • Grippers 302/303 rotate the mandrel 90 degrees and stop, grippers 304 and 305 re-engage the mandrel, and grippers 302 and 303 retract. This places the mandrel in the position shown in Figure 19B.
  • grippers 304 and 305 have both moved axially to engage the sides of mandrel piece 312 to rotate mandrel 300 about axis 318.
  • the first yarn guide 306 is now arranged for winding yarn 307 onto mandrel 300 about axis 318.
  • the guide 306 will now be supported and propelled by the rotating threaded rod 320 for transverse motion parallel to axis 318.
  • the rotation of the mandrel grippers 304/305 and rod 320 are coordinated so in one revolution of grippers 304/305 the yarn 307 moves one cell distance 332 along the mandrel 300 to lay down a first subgroup of yarn in the direction 334 on the mandrel.
  • a special yarn deflector is used that is best seen in Figure 19D, which is a side view of the mandrel and grippers shown in Figure 19B.
  • Figure 19D is a side view of the mandrel and grippers shown in Figure 19B.
  • a yarn deflector 340 moves from a retracted position 342 to an extended position 344 and tucks the yarn into the underarm where an insert 346 having temporary fasteners, such as hooks or adhesive, engages the yarn and holds it in position in the underarm.
  • the deflector 340 then quickly returns to the retracted position 342 and the mandrel continues rotating and yarn continues being laid down. As the mandrel continues rotating and the other underarm 348 comes into the vicinity of the deflector 340, this cycle is repeated and the deflector tucks the yarn into underarm 348 where it is engaged by temporary fastener insert 350.
  • grippers 302 and 303 have both moved axially to engage the ends of mandrel 300 to rotate it about axis 314, and grippers 304 and 305 have retracted.
  • the face of each gripper of the pair 302/303 engaging the ends of the mandrel may be covered with a resilient high friction surface to securely grip the mandrel and any fabric laid there, or they may be covered with pins or needles to engage the ends of the mandrel and fabric.
  • the guide 326 is supported and propelled by a rotating threaded rod 330 for transverse motion parallel to axis 314.
  • the rotation of the mandrel grippers 302/303 and rod 330 are coordinated so in one revolution of grippers 302/303 the yarn 328 moves one cell distance 333 along the mandrel 300 to lay down a first subgroup of yarn in the direction 335 on the mandrel.
  • three dimensional fabric articles of clothing can be made easily using relatively simple mandrels.
  • a bidirectional yarn By winding in a simple manner about three axes of the mandrel, a bidirectional yarn, three dimensional fabric can be made without cutting and seaming separate fabric pieces as in the prior art. This produces unique articles of fabric clothing without seams.
  • Figure 19E illustrates the yarn pattern as seen on a corner of the mandrel at the end of a sleeve at corner 364 as also seen in Figure 19A.
  • the mandrel axes are labelled at 366.
  • Several of the first subgroup of yarns laid down about the mandrel axis 318 are labelled 1; several of the second subgroup of yarns laid down about the mandrel axis 314 are labelled 2.
  • Several of the third subgroup of yarns laid down about mandrel axis 316 are labelled 3.
  • the subgroups are labelled in the order in which they are laid on the mandrel. For subgroups above three, only one yarn in the subgroup is labelled to illustrate the pattern that develops on the mandrel.
  • the group of yarns laid down about mandrel axis 318 are labeled with the number 1 for the first subgroup, the number 4 for the fourth subgroup, the number 7 for the seventh subgroup, and the number 10 for the tenth subgroup.
  • the group of yarns laid down about mandrel axis 314 are labeled with the number 2 for the second subgroup, the number 5 for the fifth subgroup, the number 8 for the eighth subgroup, and the number 11 for the eleventh subgroup.
  • the group of yarns laid down about mandrel axis 316 are labeled with the number 3 for the third subgroup, the number 6 for the sixth subgroup, the number 9 for the ninth subgroup, and the number 12 for the twelfth subgroup.
  • yarns are wound about three axes of the mandrel, on mandrel face 368, the yarns form a biaxial structure; on mandrel face 370, the yarns form a biaxial structure; and on mandrel face 372, the yarns form a biaxial structure.
  • Points 374 and 376 on face 368 show some typical bond points between the outermost subgroup 11 and the innermost subgroup 1.
  • Points 378 and 380 on mandrel face 370 show some typical bond points between the outermost subgroup 12 and the innermost subgroup 2.
  • Points 382 and 384 on mandrel face 372 show some typical bond points between the outermost subgroup 12 and the innermost subgroup 1.
  • the process just described for forming an interlaced shaped fabric structure comprises:
  • a fabric structure was made from a sheath/core yarn of 710 total denier which included a 400 denier core of continuous multifilaments of nylon 6,6 flat yarn having 6 denier per filament.
  • the core was wrapped with a sheath of staple fibers comprised of a nylon 6.6 copolymer containing 30% by weight of units derived from MPMD (2-methyl pentamethylene diamine) which had a melt point lower than the core polymer.
  • the staple fibers being wrapped on the core were a sliver of 3,75 cm (1.5 inch) staple length and 1.8 dpf. This yarn was made on a "DREF 3 Friction Spinning Machine" manufactured by Textilemachinenfabrik Dr. Ernst Fehrer AG of Linz, Austria.
  • the fabric structure had 16 subgroups arranged as in Figure 2A and was wound on a device as in Figure 11B.
  • the fabric cell distance contained 8 yarns.
  • the bonds were made circumferentially using an ultrasonic generator made by the Dukane Co., model #351 Autotrak, which was operated at 40kHz with a force against the mandrel of about 1,8 - 2,2 kg (4-5 lbs).
  • the horn speed along the mandrel was such that about 0.2 joules per bond of ultrasonic energy was applied to the fabric.
  • the bond paths were spaced about 0,51 cm (0.2 inches) apart and the horn tip was about 0,25 cm (0.1 inch) wide and 1,9 cm (0.75 inches) long with a slightly concave surface across the 0.1 dimension for about 1,3 cm (0.5 inches) of the length.
  • the horn tip did not make full contact along the 1,9 cm (0.75 inch) dimension due to the radius of the mandrel.
  • the horn made highly bonded regions at the edges of the concave surface. It is believed that an improvement in bonding would be realized with a narrower horn of about 0,10 cm (0.04 inches) width with a flat bonding surface instead of a concave one.
  • the fabric was removed from the mandrel and was given a tensile test in a direction parallel to one group of the yarns.
  • the maximum theoretical tensile strength of this fabric without any bonds was computed to be 259N/cm (148 lbs/inch) by multiplying the yarn strength of 2,1 kg (4.6 lbs) by 32 yarns (2.54 cm per inch).
  • the bonded fabric of the invention had an actual grab strength of about 120 lbs/inch. It is believed that the sheath/core yarn bonded by primarily melting the lower melting sheath, while the core filaments remained essentially undisturbed, so the strength of the fabric was not significantly diminished due to bonding.
  • a fabric structure was made with limited permeability by inserting film sheets in the fabric structure during fabrication.
  • a sample was made using 630 denier continuous multifilament yarn wound on the device of Figure 11B and bonded with the ultrasonic system described in Example 1.
  • the fabric cell distance contained 8 yarns.
  • the film sheet was about a 3-5 mil thick Bynel polypropylene film.
  • the fabric was made by first laying two subgroups on the mandrel followed by a sheet of film, followed by 12 subgroups of yarn, followed by another sheet of film, followed by 2 subgroups of yarn. The fabric was then bonded in the manner of Example 1. The fabric was removed from the mandrel and when examined by blowing air at the fabric, it was found that very little air passed through the fabric and this occurred only at the bonded region.
  • a reinforced fabric structure was made by adding a sheet of spunbonded nonwoven fabric in the structure during fabrication.
  • the yarn was the same yarn as in Example 2.
  • the nonwoven was a low melt copolymer polyamide weighing about 33,9 g/m 2 (1 oz/sq yd.)
  • the fabric was made in the manner of Example 2. Fourteen subgroups of yarn were wound on the mandrel, the nonwoven sheet was laid on the mandrel and two subgroups of yarn were wound over the nonwoven.
  • the fabric was bonded in the manner of Example 1. The fabric was removed from the mandrel and was found to have improved strength and reduced deflection in the bias direction.
  • a preform for a composite panel was made using a non-thermoplastic yarn and sheets of thermoplastic film.
  • the yarn was 840 denier continuous multifilament aramid (KevlarTM) flat yarn.
  • the film sheet was a 2-3 mil thick polyester film.
  • the fabric was made in the manner of Example 2. Two subgroups of yarn were wound on the mandrel, followed by a film sheet, followed by four subgroups of yarn, followed by a film sheet, followed by four subgroups of yarn, followed by a film sheet, followed by four subgroups of yarn, followed by a film sheet, followed by two subgroups of yarn, for a total of 16 subgroups of yarn and four film sheet. The film made up about 15% by weight of the fabric.
  • the fabric was bonded in the manner of Example 1. The fabric was removed from the mandrel and was found to have adequate integrity for handling as a composite preform.
  • a fabric was made with a cotton sliver web inserted during fabrication to make a fabric that was soft to the touch.
  • the yarn was the same as used in Example 2.
  • the cotton was a sliver formed into a web of about 8 x 11 inches and about 0.5 oz/sq yd weight.
  • the fabric was made in the manner of Example 2. Eight subgroups of yarn were wound on the mandrel, followed by the cotton web, followed by eight subgroups of yarn.
  • the fabric was bonded in the manner of Example 1. The fabric was removed from the mandrel and was found to be a soft coherent structure, but it could be separated along the cotton web.
  • a fabric structure was made with natural fibers as the inner subgroups and thermoplastic fibers as the first and last subgroups.
  • the structure used 8 feed yarns with 28 subgroups.
  • the natural cotton yarns had a denier of 1600, while the thermoplastic yarns were nylon 6,6 of 630 total denier.
  • the laydown sequence was as follows: first subgroup was nylon 6,6; next 26 subgroups were cotton; and the last subgroup was nylon 6,6.
  • the structure was then bonded by tracing the path of each yarn in the last subgroup with the ultrasonic horn, bonding along the length to bond each intersection of the first and last subgroup.
  • a fabric structure was made of DacronTM yarns (1.3 dpf, 255 total denier) consisting of repeating groups of subgroups.
  • the fabric consisted of a two-layered fabric structure where one layer is a stack of two groups of subgroups that form a densely covered area, and the other layer is an identical group of subgroups that form a second densely covered area.
  • the resulting fabric had a basis weight equivalent to a fabric consisting of the same number of total subgroups that were parallel but offset with no subgroups on top of one another, but gave a bulkier feel and appearance.
  • Fabric A was comprised of two groups of yarns having a combined total of 18 subgroups, and with 9 yarns per cell space to make a 33,9 g/m 2 (1oz/yd 2 fabric).
  • Fabric B was comprised of two groups of yarns having a combined total of 36 subgroups, and with 18 yarns per cell space to make a 67,8 g/m 2 (2oz/yd 2 ) fabric.
  • Fabric B was more closely packed in the same cell space as were the yarns of Fabric A.
  • Fabric C was comprised of a two-layered fabric structure where a first layer like Fabric A was formed, and then a second layer like Fabric A was formed on top of the first layer to make a fabric with a combined total of 36 subgroups of yarn to make a 67,8 g/m 2 (2 oz/yd 2 ) fabric.
  • the two layers were bonded only after both layers were wound onto the mandrel.
  • the 3 fabrics were removed from the mandrel and were examined visually and by hand for bulk.
  • Fabric A seemed to have the least bulk; Fabric C had the most bulk; Fabric B had a bulk level between that of Fabric A and Fabric C.
  • Miscellaneous samples were made using two ply, bulked, continuous filament (BCF) nylon 6,6 carpet yarn of 2500 denier and 19 denier per filament; and using staple nylon 6,6 carpet yarn.
  • the bonding energy for this large denier yarn may be as much as 1-2 joules of ultrasonic energy per yarn crossing.
  • Miscellaneous samples were also made using 150 denier, 0.75 denier per filament textured polyester yarn.
  • Flat and three dimensional samples were also made manually using 0,3 cm - 0,6 cm (1/8-1/4) inch diameter rope or cord and plastic ties for connecting the yarns where the outermost subgroups cross.
  • the fabric structure of the invention can be made by a variety of ways, including by manual and automated means, either in a batch or continuous manner, and using a wide variety of yarns and connecting means.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Woven Fabrics (AREA)
  • Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
  • Chemical Or Physical Treatment Of Fibers (AREA)
  • Nonwoven Fabrics (AREA)
  • Yarns And Mechanical Finishing Of Yarns Or Ropes (AREA)
  • Acyclic And Carbocyclic Compounds In Medicinal Compositions (AREA)
  • Organic Low-Molecular-Weight Compounds And Preparation Thereof (AREA)
  • Moulding By Coating Moulds (AREA)
EP97912735A 1996-10-18 1997-10-17 Rapid fabric forming Expired - Lifetime EP0932718B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US2869696P 1996-10-18 1996-10-18
US28696P 1996-10-18
PCT/US1997/018641 WO1998017852A1 (en) 1996-10-18 1997-10-17 Rapid fabric forming

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0932718A1 EP0932718A1 (en) 1999-08-04
EP0932718B1 true EP0932718B1 (en) 2006-05-31

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EP97912735A Expired - Lifetime EP0932718B1 (en) 1996-10-18 1997-10-17 Rapid fabric forming

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EP (1) EP0932718B1 (ko)
JP (1) JP2001524169A (ko)
KR (1) KR100498947B1 (ko)
CN (1) CN1201041C (ko)
AU (1) AU731897B2 (ko)
BR (1) BR9712411A (ko)
CA (3) CA2638960A1 (ko)
DE (1) DE69736005T2 (ko)
IL (1) IL129266A0 (ko)
RU (1) RU2185469C2 (ko)
TW (1) TW366372B (ko)
WO (1) WO1998017852A1 (ko)

Cited By (1)

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US6107220A (en) * 1996-10-18 2000-08-22 E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Rapid fabric forming
FR2853914B1 (fr) 2003-04-17 2005-11-25 Hexcel Fabrics Procede et installation de fabrication d'une preforme de renfort
US7943535B2 (en) * 2005-11-17 2011-05-17 Albany Engineered Composites, Inc. Hybrid three-dimensional woven/laminated struts for composite structural applications
DE102007020906B4 (de) * 2007-04-26 2009-11-19 Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. Vorrichtung zum Legen von Verstärkungsfasern und Verfahren zur Herstellung eines faserverstärkten Bauteils
WO2011096607A1 (en) * 2010-02-08 2011-08-11 Agency For Defense Development Frequency selective filter
US10266972B2 (en) * 2010-10-21 2019-04-23 Albany Engineered Composites, Inc. Woven preforms, fiber reinforced composites, and methods of making thereof
GB2485215B (en) * 2010-11-05 2013-12-25 Gkn Aerospace Services Ltd Laminate Structure
RU2523238C2 (ru) * 2012-03-12 2014-07-20 Федеральное государственное бюджетное образовательное учреждение высшего профессионального образования "Костромской государственный технологический университет" Тканый армирующий наполнитель для объемных цилиндрических деталей, способ его получения и устройство для реализации способа
CN107090667A (zh) * 2017-04-28 2017-08-25 合肥特丽洁卫生材料有限公司 一种网格线、生产方法、设备及应用
JP7177100B2 (ja) * 2017-06-16 2022-11-22 アルバニー エンジニアード コンポジッツ インコーポレイテッド 製織３ｄファイバ補強構造体及びそれを作製する方法
FR3070402B1 (fr) 2017-08-30 2020-08-28 Safran Aircraft Engines Texture fibreuse tissee pour la formation d'une preforme de carter
EP3888905B1 (en) 2018-11-30 2024-05-01 Toray Industries, Inc. Sheet-shaped reinforced-fiber base material and manufacturing method therefor
IT201900015180A1 (it) * 2019-08-28 2021-02-28 Lorenzo Coppini Un metodo e un sistema per la creazione di un tessuto non tessuto
TWI754177B (zh) * 2019-10-16 2022-02-01 財團法人中華民國紡織業拓展會 彈性立體布料及其製作方法
RU2726078C1 (ru) * 2020-02-03 2020-07-09 Анатолий Николаевич Чистяков Способ ткачества и вертикальная ткацкая машина для его осуществления
NL2026254B1 (en) * 2020-08-11 2022-04-13 Sevenstar Yacht Transp B V Transport carrier for transport of large objects and method for loading of loading goods on the transport carrier
CN113604940B (zh) * 2021-08-08 2022-05-03 南京航空航天大学 一种回转异形体预制体纱线张力联合控制试验方法

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DE69736005T2 (de) 2006-12-28
KR100498947B1 (ko) 2005-07-04
BR9712411A (pt) 1999-10-19
CN1201041C (zh) 2005-05-11
RU2185469C2 (ru) 2002-07-20
AU4984597A (en) 1998-05-15
CA2638960A1 (en) 1998-04-30
CA2267790A1 (en) 1998-04-30
AU731897B2 (en) 2001-04-05
JP2001524169A (ja) 2001-11-27
WO1998017852A1 (en) 1998-04-30
KR20000049282A (ko) 2000-07-25
IL129266A0 (en) 2000-02-17
DE69736005D1 (de) 2006-07-06
TW366372B (en) 1999-08-11
CA2267790C (en) 2007-10-16
CA2638959A1 (en) 1998-04-30
EP0932718A1 (en) 1999-08-04
CN1240007A (zh) 1999-12-29

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