GB2183543A

GB2183543A - Laminated fabric

Info

Publication number: GB2183543A
Application number: GB08627400A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Murray James Mcleod; David Michael Kaplan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-11-17
Filing date: 1986-11-17
Publication date: 1987-06-10
Also published as: GB8627400D0

Abstract

A laminated fabric is disclosed comprising a fabric base constituted by a knitted ground with a loop pile raised from one surface thereof and a continuous plastics material film such as polyvinyl chloride applied to the non-pile surface thereof. The fabric base comprises a mixture of natural and heat settable synthetic fibres such as a polyester-cotton mixture.

Description

SPECIFICATION Lerninated Fabrics This invention relates to laminated fabrics and finds particular application in a waterproof fabric.

Waterproof fabric laminates are known, but normally comprise woven or non-woven fabrics to which a plastics material coating is applied as a means of waterproofing the fabric. In the linen and soft goods industries, in which, for instance, table linen and bedding, both domestic and institutional is used, it is often desirable to have a pile surface to the fabric. This is particularly true of bedding where waterproof fabrics are used as mattress protectors and where a non-pile fabric mattress protector is often accepted as a necessary discomfort.

Knitted fabrics lend themselves ideally to the production of pile surfaces, particularly loop piles. However, these fabrics suffer from the disadvantage that they are prone to stretching which can lead to unfavourable and unpredictable results in lamination processes.

It is an object of this invention to provide a fabric laminate with a knitted fabric base as well as a means of rendering a knitted fabric suitable for lamination.

Summary of the invention According to the invention a laminated fabric comprises a knitted fabric base with a continuous plastics material film applied to one surface thereof.

The fabric base may conveniently comprise a knitted pile fabric including a knitted ground with a pile raised from the one surface thereof, the non-pile surface of the base being coated with a plastics material.

The pile may conveniently comprise a loop pile and the fabric base may conveniently be of a circular knit terry towelling.

As a means of rendering the knit fabric suitable for lamination, the fabric base may include, in the fibre composition thereof, a proportion of heat settable synthetic fibres.

To increase the comfort of the fabric, particularly for skin contact or near skin contact applications, the fabric base may comprise a mixture of natural and heat settable synthetic fibres and the synthetic fibres may be confined to the ground of the fabric.

The plastics material film may be constituted by an initially discrete PVC based film applied to the fabric base by means of a suitable adhesive. Alternatively, the plastics material film may be constituted by an initially plastic paste which is applied to the fabric base either directly or by means of paper transfer and then cured on the base.

The invention includes a method of manufacturing a laminated fabric comprising the steps of applying a continuous plastics material film to one surface of a knitted fabric base.

The method may include the specific steps of manufacturing a circular knitted terry fabric with a loop pile raised from one surface thereof and applying the plastics material film to the non-piie surface of the fabric.

The plastics material may be applied to the fabric as a discrete PVC based film applied to the base by means of a suitable adhesive. Alternatively, an initially plastic paste may be applied to the fabric base either directiy or by means of paper transfer, and cured on the base.

Description of embodiments of the invention Depending on the eventual application of the laminated fabric, a number of fabric and plastics material combinations may be used. However, a particular combination will be described by way of example.

A circular knit loop pile terry towelling fabric base is knitted using a fibre composition of 82% cotton and 18% polyester fibres. The polyester fibres are incorporated in the ground only and a loop pile is raised from one surface of the fabric base with the raised pile constituted only by cotton fibres. The knitted fabric is scoured, relaxed and slit whereafter it is set and dried on a stenter frame to the required width. The polyester fibre used is a heat settable polyester which is set to the required width on the stenter frame so that the set of the fabric is held. The fabric is finished by a further treatment on the stenter frame, the application of gum strips on the edges of the fabric and the trimming of the needle hooks on both longitudinal edges of the fabric. The rolled fabric is then ready for lamination.

Lamination could be carried out either by wet or dry methods, the latter method typically requiring the paper transfer of a continuous film of a PVC based plastics material to the non-pile surface of the fabric. In this case an adhesive can be previously applied to a dry and un-cured or partially cured plastics film.

Alternatively, a film of plastics material could be applied to a silicon coated paper and before the film sets, the non-pile surface of the fabric is brought into contact with the film. Slight pressure, just greater than the mass of the fabric, can be applied to obtain proper penetration of the plastics film into the fibres of the fabrics ground, whereafter the paper is released from the film either before or after curing of the film.

The plastics material film could be applied to the non-pile surface of the fabric by means of a wet process in which a PVC based plastics material paste is applied to the non-pile surface whereafter the fabric with the wet paste thereon is passed through a drying and curing stage.

Samples of the laminated fabric were submitted to independent testing in which samples of the laminated fabric were tested for dimensional stability after laundering and tumble drying, excluding hydro-extraction or steam pressing treatment, but including treatment with commercial bleaches and other cleaning agents.

The tests included further cieaning and sterilising processes and samples of the fabric were tested, after each process, for water resistance in a rising water head pressure test.

In the tests for dimensional stability, the laundering was carried out near the boiling point of water and the samples were tumble dried.

In the commercial bleach test, Sodium dichlorn-s-triazine trione (NaCI2C3N303.2H2O) was used, which has an available elemental chlorine (Cl) content of 65% with a recommended 3g of elemental chlorine that would normally be present in a substance that contains 35% of available elemental chlorine in a commercial laundering bleach and based on a 3.8kg washing load in a WASCATOR (trade mark) washing machine with a cage volume of 701.

in the water resistance tests, the plasticised side of the test specimen was placed in contact with the water during each test. The sample or samples were subjected to various types of pretreatment as follows: Laundering: The test specimens for the water resistance tests were cut from the same sample specimens that were subjected to the dimensional stability to laundering tests.

Hydrochloric acid: The specimens were submerged in a 2 molil hydrochloric acid solution for 30 min followed by heat treatment for 10 min in an oven at 80 C.

Hydrogen peroxide: The specimens were submerged in a cold 30% (VN) solution for 10 min.

hanol: A circle with a radius of 25mm was constructed on the plasticised side of each specimen. The test specimen was then placed in a suitable watch glass. The whole area of the circle was covered with a 70% (VN) solution of ethanol and left for 30 min. After this treatment, all the test specimens were treated simultaneously for 10 min in an oven at 80 C.

Butanone (methyl-ethyl ketone (MEK)): The test specimens were fully submerged in the butt none for 30 minfollowed by heat treatment for 10 min in an oven at 80 C.

Sodium hydroxide: The test specimens were boiled in a 4% (mN) solution for lOmin.

Tetrachloroethene: (perchloroethylene/tetrachloroethylene): The test specimens were submerged in 1,1 -2.2-tetrachloroethene for 30 min followed by heat treatment for 10 min in an oven at 80"C.

Hydrolysis: The test specimens were exposed for 14 days to a relative humidity of 95% and at a temperature of 80 C.

Autoclave: The test specimens were exposed for 15 min in an autoclave at a temperature of 1 21 C.

Creasing: A separate set of test specimens previously exposed in the autoclave in accordance with the above test were subjected to creasing prior to the water resistance test. The test specimens were double-folded and the folded corners of four test specimens were placed adjacent to each other and a mass piece of 20kg was placed over the folded corners for 15min, The tests yielded the results set out in the table below: Test Masstm2,g g 373 Dimenrional stability on laundering and tumble-drying (no hydro-extraction or steam pressing) a. No commercial bleach: Shrinkage, %: length -1,0 width -2,4 b. Commercial bleach added: Shrinkage, %: length -0,8 width -1,9 Water resistance rising water head, (mm) after (a) 2 000+ b. laundering: 1. No commercial bleach 2000+ 2. Added commercial bleach 2 000+ c. Hydrochloric acid 2 000+ d. Hydrogen peroxide 2 000+ e. Ethanol 2 000 f. Butanone * g. Sodium hydroxide 2 000+ h. Tetrachoroethane * i. Hydrolysis 2 000+ j. Autoclave 2 000+ k. Autoclave followed by creasing 2 000+ Key !-) denotes "shrinkage" (+) denotes "beyond" (*) denotes specimens not suitablefortesting after immersion in the reagent (the specimens became hard and brittle) The laminated fabric of the invention can be used in a variety of different applications, which will, of course, dictate the fibre composition of the fabric base and the composition of the plastics material waterproofing film. Certain finishing operations will also be required to adapt the uncut and unsewn fabric to the various applications. For instance, the fabric may be used as a mattress cover, either as a loose protector or as a fitted mattress cover, in which case the outer edge will be elasticised to allow a snug fit across a mattress.

Claims

1. A laminated fabric comprising a knitted fabric base with a continuous plastics material film applied to one surface thereof.

2. A laminated fabric according to claim 1 in which the fabric base comprises a knitted pile fabric including a knitted ground with a pile raised from the surface thereof, the plastics material film being applied to the non-pile surface.

3. A laminated fabric according to claim 2 in which the pile is a loop pile.

4. A laminated fabric according to either of claims 2 or 3 in which the fabric base comprises a circular knit terry towelling.

5. A laminated fabric according to any one of claims 2 to 4 in which the fabric base comprises a mixture of natural and synthetic fibres, the synthetic fibres being heat settable and confined to the ground of the fabric.

6. A laminated fabric according to claim 5 in which the composition of the fabric is between 60 and 90% cotton fibre and between 40 and 10% polyester fibre.

7. A laminated fabric according to claim 6 in which the fibre composition of the fabric is 82% cotton and 18% polyester fibre.

8. A laminated fabric according to any one of the preceding claims in which the plastics material film is constituted by an initially discrete PVC based film applied to the fabric base.

9. A laminated fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 7 in which the plastics material film is constituted by an initially plastic PVC based paste applied to the fabric base and cured on the base.

10. A method of manufacturing a laminated fabric comprising the steps of applying a continuous plastics material film to one side of a knitted fabric base.

11. A method of manufacturing a laminated fabric according to claim 10 including the specific steps of manufacturing a circular knitted terry towelling fabric with a ground and a loop pile raised from one surface thereof, including heat settable synthetic fibres in the ground, setting the synthetic fibres and applying the plastics material film to the non-pile surface of the fabric.

12. A method of manufacturing a laminated fabric according to either of claims 10 or 11 comprising the steps of applying an initially discrete PVC based film to the fabric base.

13. A method of manufacturing a laminated fabric according to either of claims 10 or 11 comprising the steps of applying an initially plastic PVC based paste to the fabric base and curing the plastics paste on the base.