GB713543A - Method and apparatus for producing an open-mesh unwoven fabric and product thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

713,543. Fabrics composed of adhesivelyunited threads. OWENS-CORNING FIBERGLASS CORPORATION. Aug. 21, 1951, No. 19715/51. Class 140 An open mesh fabric is made by moving a group of spaced parallel strands in a direction lengthwise of the strands, applying an adhesive coating to the strands, and laying one or more other strands on to the group of strands in a crosswise direction. In modifications, the adhesive may be applied to a single strand forming the crosswise elements, or the application of adhesive may be dispensed with where heatsoftenable or fusible strands such as cellulose acetate are assembled with heat-resistant material such as glass fibres, strands or yarns, union of the crossing strands being effected by heating the assembly. Threads 31, Fig. 1, drawn from bobbins 30 pass under a ring 33 supported by bars 34 welded to the ring and to a fixed framework 11. The threads are drawn upwardly in the form of a hollow cylinder, pass around a guide ring 54 provided with spacing fingers 56, downwardly under a second ring 58 which is immersed in a bonding material, e.g. heated asphalt, in an annular trough 46, and then resume their upward path in cylindrical formation. Threads are wound crosswise on the upwardly travelling cylinder of yarns, being led through guide eyes in brackets 81 from bobbins mounted on an annular platform 66 which is rotated by a belt drive from electric motor 75. The adhesive is set or hardened by heating, e.g. by gas jets 87, the fabric tube is passed over a set of rings which gradually change it to flattened form, the flattened tube is suit into two webs, e.g. by electrically-heated wires, and the webs are led off over feed rolls 36 to winding-up rollers 41. Two annular platforms rotating in opposite directions may be used to produce a fabric with oppositely inclined weftlike elements. The bonding agent may be applied to the warps by spraying. In an alternative form of apparatus threads 31<11>, Fig. 11, from bobbins 30<11>, are led upwardly as a hollow cylinder after passing around a ring 130 with spacing fingers 129; and pass downwardly as a hollow cylinder surrounding the first, after passing around ring 133. A glass strand 84<11> formed from molten glass extruded as a number of filaments 157 from orifices 156 is adhesive-coated while passing around a pulley 158, passes through a centrally-disposed guide 160, and is laid on the downwardly descending cylinder of warps by a-pulley 161 freely mounted on a cap 141 mounted on a vertical shaft 139 rotated by electricmotor 151. The adhesive is set by gas jets 176 and the fabric tube slit into two or more webs which are wound up at 174. The warp components may be cotton strands or yarns, on which cross-wise strands of cellulose acetate or nylon may be applied, or one or both. sets of components may consist of glass fibres. The adhesive may be starch, sugar, gum, polyvinyl chloride, acetate, vinyl chloride-acetate copolymer, polymethyl methacrylate, urea- or phenol-formaldehyde resin.