GB2145124A

GB2145124A - Fabric and method and machine for making it

Info

Publication number: GB2145124A
Application number: GB8418034A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ian Powell; Brian Finnigan
Original assignee: Cosmopolitan Textile Co Ltd
Current assignee: Cosmopolitan Textile Co Ltd
Priority date: 1983-08-11
Filing date: 1984-07-13
Publication date: 1985-03-20
Also published as: GB8321650D0; GB8418034D0

Abstract

A pile fabric comprises a fleece 36 stitch bonded with a pile yarn. The fabric may be made on a two bar stitch bonding machine, one bar 34 knitting pillar stitch not in pile loops, the other bar 35 knitting tricot stitch over pile forming nebs 33. The fabric may be left as loop pile fabric or may be finished by brushing, raising and cropping or sueding. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Fabric and method and machine for making it THIS INVENTION relates to fleece fabrics, that is to say fabrics which are made from fibre fleece so that a substantial part of the fabric is supplied tothe fabricating processasfibre and not yarn.

One method for making a fleece fabric is by stitch bonding, in which a fibre fleece, usually in the form of a cross-folded card web, is stitchedwith warp yarn so asto tie the fleecefibres together.

Such fabrics are inexpensive to produce since the fabricating process is simple and relativelyfast, compared to weaving and knitting, and uses relatively inexpensive fibre with only a minor content of more expensive yarn.

However, they are in general not very attractive, especially when they are made in coarser gauges, and, on account of the high loose fibre content, have poor pilling resistance.

The present invention provides a fleece fabric which does not suffer from these drawbacks.

The invention comprises a fabric comprising a fleece stitch bonded with a pile yarn.

The pile conceals the underlying stitch structure, or in fabrics where pile regions are separated by regions without pile, provides an interesting contrast or relief effect that can enhance the appearance of the fabric.

Moreover, the presence of the pile has been found, unexpectedly, to improve the abrasion performance ofthefabric considerably.

Fabrics with pile have been made by techniques similarto stitch bonding. However, these techniques, carried out on machinery such as Malipol machinery manufactured by VEB Nähwirkmaschinenbau of Karl Marx-Stadt in East Germany, have involved supplying a base fabric, which has already been produced as by weaving or even by stitch bonding, and then stitching the pile yarn into it.

This involves two steps and is thus bound to be more expensive than the fabric of the present invention.

The fabric is desirably a two-barfabric, the stitches formed by one bar being pillar stitches.

The pile yarn may be stitched intricot stitch or even over more than two needles.

The pile yarn may be in warp-wise stripes separated by regions without pile yarn. Weft-wise stripes can also be produced for example by varying thefront bar notation between tricot and chain stitch. In combination, warp-wise and weft-wise stripes can give checks.

Thefabric may be finished so asto leavethe pile yarn as a loop pile, or it may be brushed, or raised and cropped, or sueded.

The invention also comprises a method for making a pile fabric comprising stitch bonding a fleece with a pile yarn, and a stitch bonding machine according to the invention comprises a needle bar, at least one guidebar,forguidinga pileyarntotheneedlesofthe needle bar, and a neb bar carrying pile forming nebs overwhich the pile yarn is guided to form pile loops.

The nebs may be adjustable to form pile of different heights.

Pile height may also be adjusted by adjusting yarn tension.

Embodiments offabrics, methods for making them and stitch bonding machinery according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure lisa cross-section along the warp-wise direction of a fabric according to the invention, Figure 2 is a view of the face of another fabric according totheinvention, and Figure 3 is a side elevation of the knitting elements of a stitch bonding machine according to the invention.

The fabric illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a fleece 11 stitch bonded with a pile yarn 12.

The fabrics are two-bar stitch bonded fabrics, the stitches 13 are formed by one bar being pillar stitches and, of course, notforming pile loops.

The pile yarn 12 is stitched in tricot stitch, but the lapping motion could be anything that laps the pile yarn over two or more needle spaces. Lapping motions 0-1,1-2 or 0-1.2-3 have been found to give very good results, but more complicated lapping motions involving atlas motions, silk laps, cotton laps and soon can be used to creat different pattern and texture effects.

Thefabricillustrated in Figure2 hasthe pileyarn in warp-wise stripes 14 separated by regions 15without pile. This is effected by part-set threading the pile bar.

Part-set threading of single bar stitch bonding machines is of course known for producing warp-wise strip effects in a stitch bonded fabric, but the stripes in fabrics according to the present invention can if desired be widerthan the striped effects of such single barfabrics, which are limited to one or at mosttwo needles in width on account of having to maintain the fabric strength.

Figure 3 illustrates the knitting elements of a stitch bonding machine operative to produce the fleece pile fabrics of the invention. The machine comprises a needle bar having needles 31 a equipped with closing wires 31 b operated by a second bar to open and close the needle hooks 31 cat appropriate times during the knitting cycle. The needles 31 a are interdigitated with knock-over sinkers 32 and pass between pileforming nebs 33. The guides 34a, 35a respectively of guide bars 34,35 laying the stitching threads 34b, 35b in the open hooks ofthe needles during that part of the knitting cycle when the needles 31 a pass up between the nebs 33. The pile thread 35b because ofthe tricot orotherstitching extending overtwo or more needles effected bythe bar35, forms loops 35c overthe pile nebs 33. Cross-folded card web 36 is fed between the sinkers 32 and nebs 33 and is stitch bonded by the actions just described to form a fleece pile fabric 37.

The materials used for the fleece and the stitching threads can be those conventionally used for stitch bonded fabrics, such as viscose, rayon or polyester fibre in the fleece, and nylon or polyester stitching yarn. Finishing processes may be used which leave the pile as loop pile, or which cut abrade the pile as by sueding or brushing or raising and cropping.

Cut pile can be produced at the knitting stage by using suitable nebs and knitting elements.

Claims

1. Afabriccomprising afleecestitch bonded with a pileyarn.

2. Afabric according to claim 1, being atwo-bar fabric, the stitches formed by one bar being pillar stitches.

3. Afabric according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the pile yarn is stitched in tricot stitch.

4. Afabric according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the pile yarn isstitched over mare than two needles.

5. Afabric according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the pile yarn is in warp-wise stripes separated by regions without pile yarn.

6. Afabric according to any one of claims 1 to 5, having weft-wise stripes.

7. Afabric according to claim 6, said weft-wise stripes being produced by varying the front bar notation between tricot and chain stitch.

8. Afabric according to any one of claims 1 to 7, finished so astoleavethe pileyarn as a loop pile.

9. Afabric accordingto any one of claims 1 to 7, finished by brushing.

10. Afabric according to anyone of claims 1 to 7, finished by raising and cropping.

11. Afabric according to any one of claims 1 to7, finished by sueding.

12. Afabric substantially as hereinbefore de scribedwith referenceto the accompanying drawings.

13. Amethodformaking a pile fabric, comprising stitch bonding a fleece with a pile yarn.

14. Astitch bonding machine for making a pile fabric comprising a needle bar, at least one guide bar for guiding a pile yarn tothe needlesofthe needle bar, and a neb bar carrying pileforming webs oven which the pile yarn is guided to form pile loops.

15. A stitch bonding machine, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

15. A stitch bonding machine according to claim 14, in whichthe nebs are adjustabletoform pile of different heights.

16. A stitch loading machine, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Supersededclaimsl,2, 13,14,16 New or amended claims:

1. Afabriccomprising a fleece stitch bonded with a pile yarn, being a two-barfabric,the stitches formed by one bar being pillar stitches.

Claim 2 deleted, subsequent claims and appendancies correspondingly re-numbered.

12. A method for making atwo-barstitch bonded pile fabric, comprising stitch bonding a fleece with a pile yarn, one bar of the stitch bonding machine knitting pillar stitches.

13. Astitch bonding machine for making a pile fabric comprising a needle bar, at least one guide bar arranged to knit pillar stitch at least one guide bar for guiding a pile yarn to the needles of the needle bar, and a neb bar carrying pileforming nebs oven which the pileyarn is guidedtoform pile loops.