GB2305870A

GB2305870A - Coating to assist fabric grip

Info

Publication number: GB2305870A
Application number: GB9520265A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Iain Thomas Arthur Finden; Miles Stephen Cain
Original assignee: FINDEN COATINGS Ltd
Current assignee: FINDEN COATINGS Ltd
Priority date: 1995-10-04
Filing date: 1995-10-04
Publication date: 1997-04-23
Also published as: GB9520265D0

Abstract

A narrow fabric intended for use as part of a garment or appliance to be worn on part of the body of a wearer has a plurality of longitudinally extending beads (15) of friction-generating material, each bead having a relatively flat exposed surface (16) and the thickness of each bead at its edges being at least as great as the thickness at its centre. The fabric is used for stockings. The beads are of silicone rubber.

Description

NARROW FABRICS This invention relates to narrow fabrics and more particularly concerns narrow fabrics intended for use as part of a garment or appliance to be worn on part of the body of a wearer.

There have been a number of proposals for providing on narrow fabrics areas of a friction-generating material which serves to assist in retaining a garment or appliance in position during wear. Generally, these proposals have been in the field of ladies hosiery, particularly relating to stockings intended to be retained in position without any external support means.

There have been a number of proposals for providing a frictiongenerating material on a garment. In UK patent specification no.

1,171,063 there is described and claimed a stocking or the like wherein a support band is formed by diffusing into a portion of the fabric of the stocking a synthetic elastomeric material such as a silicone elastomer. The methods of application of the elastomeric material suggest that the resulting coating would be a wide continuous band.

UK specification no. 1,425,161 also describes a process for applying a silicone rubber material to a textile fabric garment. The process is concerned with relatively heavy duty applications such as waistbands of trousers and elasticated corsetry and employs a plurality of individual nozzles arranged to produce a product having a plurality of parallel beads of silicone rubber applied thereto.

A development of the above process is described and claimed in UK patent specification no. 2,190,018. In this process the friction generating material is a room temperature vulcanising silicone rubber having an elongation of at least three times that of the yarn or fabric to which it is applied. The process includes contacting the coated yarn or fabric with steam and thereafter vulcanising the rubber.

UK patent specification no. 2,258,135 describes the application of a stripe of silicone material to the surface of a welt ring of a stocking and subsequently curing the silicone material. The object of the invention described and claimed in this specification is to avoid the step of attaching a separate strip of lace or braid to a stocking by applying the silicone material directly to the welt ring of a stocking.

We have found that prior art products suffer from one or more deficiencies. In particular, many products are not sufficiently effective in retaining a garment or appliance in position, and the more effective products often induce discomfort and/or irritation for the wearer in the area of contact of the friction-generating material. It is an object of the present invention to provide a narrow fabric, for use as part of a garment or appliance intended for wear, provided with an area of frictiongenerating material which is more effective in use. It is also an object to provide such a narrow fabric which reduces or eliminates wearer discomfort and/or irritation.

According to the present invention we provide a narrow fabric intended for use as part of a garment or appliance to be worn on part of the body of a wearer, said narrow fabric being provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending beads of friction-generating material, each bead having a relatively flat exposed surface and the thickness of each bead at its edges being at least as great as the thickness at its centre.

The beads may be continuous or discontinuous along the length of the narrow fabric and may be arranged in relatively linear configuration, a non-linear pattern, or a combination thereof.

The provision of a relatively flat exposed surface as opposed to a convex surface has been found not only to improve the frictional performance of the product but also to increase the comfort of garments during wear. Prior art methods have produced beads with a pronounced convex cross-section. Where such beads provide an adequate frictional performance, beads tend to increase substantially the resilience of the treated fabric which is believed to be one of the factors, but not the only one, which contributes to the discomfort of a wearer.

We have found that one of the factors in reducing the discomfort of a wearer is to arrange that the beads of friction-generating material contribute as little as possible to the resilience of the coated fabric.

Another factor is believed to be the area of friction-generating material in contact with the skin which affects the ability of the skin to "breathe".

It is preferred that the relatively flat exposed surface of each bead should have a maximum transverse dimension of no more than 8mm, more preferably 6mm, still more preferably 4mm and, with advantage 2mm.

In some cases a maximum transverse dimension of lmm is appropriate.

The number of parallel beads may be 2, 3, 4, 5 or more depending upon the dimensions of the beads and the application for which the product is intended. Generally, it is preferred that the spacing between adjacent parallel beads should be a minimum of lmm, preferably 1 .Smm, more preferably 2mm and, desirably, 2.5mm.

The invention also includes a process for producing a narrow fabric intended for use as part of a garment or appliance to be worn on part of the body of a wearer, which process comprises extruding a plurality of beads of a curable friction-generating material onto a length of narrow fabric using an extrusion head comprising a plurality of extrusion channels, and curing the resultant beads in situ on the fabric. Preferably, the friction-generating material has a relatively short curing time, for example, by the application of dry heat.

The shape of the extrusion channels should be such as to beads which conform to the features identified in the foregoing paragraphs as being essential or preferable according to the invention.

The friction-generating material is preferably a silicone elastomer and is more preferably a heat-curable silicone elastomer.

The invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig 1 is a diagrammatic cross-section of a prior art bead of frictiongenerating material; Fig 2 is a diagrammatic cross-section of a prior art bead arrangement; Figs 3 and 4 are diagrammatic cross-sections of beads in accordance with the present invention; Fig 5 is a diagrammatic cross-section of a bead arrangement in accordance with the present invention; and Fig 6 is a schematic drawing of an apparatus suitable for carrying out the process according to the invention.

The beads shown in the drawings are suitable, inter alia, for application to lengths of stretch lace or elasticated narrow fabric which is subsequently attached to the top of a stocking. In each Fig of the drawings the substrate is represented by the reference 20.

The bead 10 of the prior art has a convex cross-section as shown in Fig 1. Fig 2 shows a pair of beads 10, each having edges 11 and a spacing 12 between the beads.

The beads 15 of the present invention have a generally flat exposed surface 13 as shown in Fig 3 and Fig 4. The embodiment has slightly raised portions 14 extending longitudinally along the edges of each bead 15.

A preferred arrangement according to the invention is shown in Fig 5 including three parallel beads 15.

The beads 15 have a transverse dimension 16 and a spacing 17.

An apparatus suitable for carrying out the process according to the invention is shown in Fig 6. A length of narrow fabric 20, such as a lace fabric, is fed continuously from a supply reel 21 to a take-up reel 22. A dry heat curable silicone elastomer is fed from a supply chamber 18 to an extrusion head 19 which is arranged to extrude three beads 15 onto the surface of the fabric 20.

The silicone elastomer is cured as it passes through a curing station 23 prior to being taken up on the reel 22.

The invention is particularly suitable for providing beads of frictiongenerating material on a length of narrow fabric which is suitable for use on self-supporting stockings.

Whilst the invention has been described and claimed in relation to narrow fabrics in an alternative form the invention may be applied to the surface of any material where an enhanced frictional effect is required.

By way of example the provision of beads as described and claimed herein on the surface of a conveyor provides an improved holding capability for articles transported by the conveyor.

Claims

1. A narrow fabric intended for use as part of a garment or appliance to be worn on part of the body of a wearer, said narrow fabric being provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending beads of frictiongenerating material, each bead having a relatively flat exposed surface and the thickness of each bead at its edges being at least as great as the thickness at its centre.

2. A narrow fabric according to claim 1 in which the beads are continuous.

3. A narrow fabric according to claim 1 in which the beads are discontinuous.

4. A narrow fabric according to any of claims 1 to 3 in which at least one of the beads is non-linear.

5. A narrow fabric according to any of claims 1 to 4 in which the maximum transverse dimension of each bead is no more than 8mm preferably no more than 6mm.

6. A narrow fabric according to claim 5 in which the maximum transverse dimension of each bead is no more than 4mm, preferably 2mm.

7. A narrow fabric according to claim 5 in which the maximum transverse dimension of at least one bead is no more than imam.

8. A narrow fabric according to any of claims 1 to 7 in which the average thickness to width ratio of each bead in cross-section is no more than 0.5.

9. A narrow fabric according to any of claims 1 to 8 in which the friction-generating material is a heat-cured silicone elastomer.

10. A narrow fabric substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.

11. A process for producing a narrow fabric as claimed in any of claims 1 to 11 which comprises extruding a plurality of beads of a curable friction-generating material onto a length of narrow fabric using an extrusion head comprising a plurality of extrusion channels and curing the resultant beads in situ on the fabric.

12. A process substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.