JP7539642B2 - Male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric, pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners, and method for manufacturing male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric , a pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners, and a method for manufacturing a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric .

A hook fastener which is a male fastener is known in the art (Patent Document 1).
This hook surface fastener is a woven hook surface fastener comprising a plain weave woven fabric base fabric consisting of warp threads, weft threads and threads for hook-shaped engaging elements, and hook-shaped engaging elements consisting of the threads for hook-shaped engaging elements present in large numbers on the surface of the woven fabric base fabric, wherein the warp threads, weft threads and threads for hook-shaped engaging elements are each made of a polyester-based resin, the threads for hook-shaped engaging elements are woven into the woven fabric base fabric parallel to the warp threads, and the woven hook surface fastener satisfies the following conditions (1) to (5):
(1) The warp yarn is a false twist textured yarn;
(2) The weft yarn is a multifilament yarn made of a core-sheath type filament having a low melting point resin as a sheath component and a high melting point resin as a core component, and the base of the hook-shaped engaging element is fused to the low melting point resin, thereby being fixed to the woven base fabric;
(3) The thread for the hook-shaped engaging element is a monofilament thread of 200 to 400 dtex;
(4) The yarn for the hook-shaped engaging element floats up on the woven base fabric after floating down three weft yarns, and the hook-shaped engaging element is formed at the floated portion.
(5) There is no backcoat adhesive layer on the back surface of the woven fabric.

International Publication No. 2020/153160

However, in the hook surface fastener described in Patent Document 1, the thread for the hook-shaped engaging element is an extremely thick fiber of 200 to 400 dtex, which makes the hook-shaped engaging element visible to the naked eye of the user. This places restrictions on the design, etc., when the fastener is used for clothing or as a covering material or interior material for car seats, etc., resulting in poor aesthetic appeal.
Furthermore, even if a thin male engaging thread is simply used and a molten mass is formed at the tip of the male engaging thread as shown in Figure 17 to form a male hook-and-loop fastener, if the molten mass forms an angle of 90° or more with the longitudinal direction of the male engaging thread, the engagement with the female hook-and-loop fastener will immediately come out of engagement, and sufficient peel strength will not be exhibited.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric which achieves "improved design" and "improved peel strength" by forming a return portion at the tip side of the male pile fibers , a pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners, and a method for manufacturing a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric .

The male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 1 according to the present invention is a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric having male pile fibers on at least one surface, the male pile fibers being thermoplastic fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.1 dtex or more and 15.0 dtex or less, the male pile fibers having turned-up portions formed at their tip sides and forming an angle of less than 90° with the longitudinal direction of the male pile fibers, the length of the turned-up portions being 0.1 μm or more and 40.0 μm or less, and the diameter of the male pile fibers being 1 μm or more and 40 μm or less, as a first feature.
A second feature of the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 1 according to the present invention is that it is a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric having male pile fibers on at least one surface, the male pile fibers being thermoplastic fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.1 dtex or more and 15.0 dtex or less, and a return portion is formed on the tip side of the male pile fibers, the return portion forming an angle of less than 90° with the longitudinal direction of the male pile fibers .

A third feature of the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 1 according to the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned second feature, is that the length of the turnup portion is not less than 0.1 μm and not more than 40.0 μm, and the diameter of the turnup portion is approximately the same as or narrower than the diameter of the male pile fibers .

A fourth feature of the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 1 according to the present invention, in addition to the above first to third features, is that the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric is a warp pile fabric, the male pile fibers are cut pile, the warp pile density of the male pile fibers is 100,000 fibers/25.4 mm or more and 300,000 fibers/25.4 mm or less, and the pile height of the male pile fibers is 0.1 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, by using the male pile fibers 2 as thin fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.1 dtex or more and 15.0 dtex or less due to these characteristics, unlike Patent Document 1, the turned-back portions 3 at the tip ends of the thin male pile fibers 2 are even smaller, so that the turned-back portions 3 cannot be seen by the naked eye of the user. Therefore, even if the fabric is used as a covering material or interior material for clothing or car seats, there is no restriction on the design, and the designability is improved.
As shown in Figures 1 to 4, by making the angle of the turnup portion 3, which is invisible to the naked eye, less than 90° with the longitudinal direction of the male pile fibers 2, it is less likely to come off the engagement with the female pile fibers of various female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabrics than a molten mass or the like which makes an angle of 90° or more with the longitudinal direction of the male pile fibers, and it can be said that a stronger peel strength can be exhibited.

In addition, by making the length 3L of the return portion 3 0.1 μm or more, it is possible to "improve the peel strength" for female pile fibers of various thicknesses in the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric, and at the same time, by making the length 3L of the return portion 3 40.0 μm or less, it is possible to prevent the return portion 3 from being too long, causing the return portion 3 to flex (bend), or to prevent adjacent male pile fibers 2 from welding together, which would actually reduce the peel strength.

Furthermore, by applying male pile fibers 2 to the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 1, which is a warp pile fabric, in a cut pile manner with a warp pile density of 100,000 threads/25.4 mm or more and 300,000 threads/25.4 mm or less and a pile height of 0.1 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less, the number of engagement points with the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric increases, further improving the peel strength.

In addition, the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 10 is a female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric having female pile fibers on at least one surface, the female pile fibers being thermoplastic fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.001 dtex or more and 5.000 dtex or less, the female pile fibers being loop pile fibers having a crimp conforming to JIS-L-0208:2006-244, a web-like female pile layer being formed in which a plurality of the female pile fibers are entangled with each other, and the surface of the female pile layer is The female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric has at least a loop pile in which the tip side of the approximately U-shaped loop of the loop pile which is the female pile fiber, the crimped portion in the middle of the loop of the loop pile, and the portion where a plurality of the female pile fibers are entangled with each other are exposed, and the distance between the loops in the approximately U-shaped portion on the exposed tip side of the approximately U-shaped loop is 250 μm, and the diameter of the female pile fiber may be 0.1 μm or more and 20.0 μm or less.
Alternatively, the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 10 may be a female pile fiber having female pile fibers on at least one surface, the female pile fibers being thermoplastic fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.001 dtex or more and 5.000 dtex or less, the female pile fibers being loop pile having a crimp conforming to 244 of JIS-L-0208:2006, a web-like female pile layer being formed in which a plurality of the female pile fibers are entangled with each other, and the tip side of the approximately U-shaped loop of the loop pile which is the female pile fiber, the crimped portion in the middle of the loop of the loop pile, and the portion in which the plurality of the female pile fibers are entangled with each other may be exposed on the surface of the female pile layer.

In addition, in the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 10, the female pile fiber may have a shrinkage rate in accordance with JIS-L-1015:2010, 8.12.2, of 10% or more and 100% or less.

In addition, the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 10 may be a warp pile fabric, and the thickness of the female pile layer may be 0.1 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less.
In addition, in the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 10, the pile density of the female pile fibers may be 100,000 fibers/(25.4 mm) ² or more and 400,000 fibers/(25.4 mm) ² or less.

As shown in Figures 5 to 7, by using the female pile fibers 12 as extremely fine fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.001 dtex or more and 5,000 dtex or less due to these characteristics, unlike Patent Document 1, a user cannot visually recognize the engagement point with the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric with the naked eye, and therefore there are no design restrictions even when the fabric is used as a covering material or interior material for clothing or car seats, and the designability is improved.
As shown in Figures 5 to 7, by crimping the loop pile of the female pile fibers 12, a plurality of female pile fibers 12 can be entangled with one another to provide a web-like female pile layer 12'; even if a molten mass is formed in the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric at an angle of 90° or more with respect to the longitudinal direction of the male pile fibers, not only the tips of the loop pile but also the longitudinal middle parts of the loop pile and the portions where a plurality of female pile fibers 12 are entangled with one another become engagement points (in other words, a bulky female pile layer 12'), and the number of engagement points increases, so that it can be said that a stronger peel strength can be exhibited even with various male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabrics.

In addition, by setting the shrinkage rate of the female pile fibers 12 to 10% or more and 100% or less, the number of engagement points in the middle of the length of the loop pile and in the intertwined portions of multiple female pile fibers 12 can be further increased, thereby providing sufficient peel strength.

Furthermore, by setting the pile density of the female pile fibers 12 of the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 10, which is a warp pile fabric, to 100,000 fibers/(25.4 mm) ² or more and 400,000 fibers/(25.4 mm) ² or less and the thickness of the female pile layer 12' to 0.1 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less, the number of engagement points with the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric is increased, thereby achieving a further "improvement in peel strength."

The pair of male and female hook and loop fasteners 20 according to the present invention is a pair of male and female hook and loop fasteners comprising a male hook and loop fastener functional fabric having male pile fibers on at least one surface thereof, and a female hook and loop fastener functional fabric having female pile fibers on at least one surface thereof, the male pile fibers being thermoplastic fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.1 dtex or more and 15.0 dtex or less, the male pile fibers being provided at their tip ends with return portions which form an angle of less than 90° with the longitudinal direction of the male pile fibers, The first feature of the present invention is that the female pile fiber is a thermoplastic fiber having a single fiber fineness of 0.001 dtex or more and 5.000 dtex or less, the female pile fiber is a loop pile having a crimp conforming to JIS-L-0208:2006-244, a web-like female pile layer is formed in which a plurality of the female pile fibers are entangled with each other, the female pile fiber and the male pile fiber are engaged with each other, and the diameter value of the female pile fiber is equal to or less than the length of the return portion of the male pile fiber.
A second feature of the pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners 20 according to the present invention, in addition to the first feature described above, is that the peel strength between the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric and the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric is 0.8 N/cm or more at least in one of the states in which the warp directions of the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric and the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric are approximately perpendicular and approximately parallel.

As shown in Figures 1 to 12, due to this feature, as described above, by using thin male pile fibers 2 and female pile fibers 12, unlike Patent Document 1, the even smaller return portions 3 at the tips of the thin male pile fibers 2 and the engaging portions of the female pile fibers 12 with the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric are not visible to the naked eye of the user, and therefore there are no restrictions on the design, etc., even if the fabric is used as a covering material or interior material for clothing or car seats, and the like, and the designability is improved.
1 to 12, by making the angle that the turnback portions 3, which are invisible to the naked eye, make with the male pile fibers 2 in the longitudinal direction less than 90°, the turnback portions 3 are less likely to disengage from the female pile fibers 2 of the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 1, and by crimping the loop pile of the female pile fibers 12, a plurality of female pile fibers 12 can be entangled with one another to provide a web-like female pile layer 12'. Unlike Patent Document 1, not only the ends of the loop piles but also the midway portions of the loop piles in the longitudinal direction and the portions where a plurality of female pile fibers 12 are entangled with one another become engagement points, thereby increasing the number of engagement points. Furthermore, by making the diameter 12φ of the female pile fibers 12 equal to or less than the length 3L of the turnback portions 3 of the male pile fibers 2, the compatibility between the male and female fibers is improved, and it can be said that a stronger peel strength can be exhibited.

The manufacturing method of male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 1 according to the present invention is a manufacturing method of male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric having male pile fibers on at least one surface, the male pile fibers being thermoplastic fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.1 dtex or more and 15.0 dtex or less, and the method has a first feature in that it includes a turn-back forming step of forming turn-back portions on the tip side of the male pile fibers, the turn-back portions forming an angle of less than 90° with the longitudinal direction of the male pile fibers.
A second feature of the manufacturing method for male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 1 according to the present invention, in addition to the first feature described above, is that in the turn-back forming step, the tip side of the male pile fiber in a raised pile fabric having male pile fibers standing up from a male base fabric and not having a turnback portion formed therein is brought into contact with a heat roller to form the turnback portion.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, 13 and 14, by using the male pile fibers 2 as thin fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.1 dtex or more and 15.0 dtex or less, unlike Patent Document 1, the turned-back portions 3 at the tip ends of the thin male pile fibers 2 are even smaller, making them invisible to the naked eye of users. Therefore, even if the fabric is used as a covering material or interior material for clothing or car seats, there is no restriction on the design, and the designability is improved.
As shown in Figures 1 to 4, 13 and 14, by forming the turnup portion 3, which is invisible to the naked eye, at an angle of less than 90° with the longitudinal direction of the male pile fibers 2 in the turnup formation step S1, the turnup portion 3 is less likely to disengage from the female pile fibers of various female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabrics, as compared to a molten mass which forms an angle of 90° or more with the longitudinal direction of the male pile fibers, and therefore can exhibit greater peel strength.

In addition, the manufacturing method of the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 10 is a manufacturing method of a female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric having female pile fibers on at least one surface, the female pile fibers being thermoplastic fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.001 dtex or more and 5.000 dtex or less, the female pile fibers being loop pile fibers having a crimp conforming to 244 of JIS-L-0208:2006, a web-like female pile layer being formed in which a plurality of the female pile fibers are entangled with each other, and on the surface of the female pile layer, the approximately U-shaped loop tip side of the loop pile which is the female pile fiber, the crimped portion in the middle of the loop of the loop pile, and the plurality of the female pile fibers are entangled with each other to form a web-like female pile layer. The female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric has at least a loop pile in which the portions where the female pile fibers are entangled with each other are exposed, and the distance between the loops in the approximately U-shaped portion at the tip side of the exposed approximately U-shaped loops is 250 μm, the diameter of the female pile fibers is 0.1 μm or more and 20.0 μm or less, and the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric may be a warp pile fabric, and the fabric may further comprise a weaving step of weaving a double woven fabric by connecting one fabric containing soluble fibers and the other fabric not containing soluble fibers with warp pile yarns, and a dissolving step of dissolving the soluble fibers in one fabric of the double woven fabric after the weaving step to form loop pile which is the female pile fibers.
Alternatively, in the manufacturing method of the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 10, the loop pile, which is the female pile fiber, may collapse after the dissolving step, so that the pile height of the loop pile, which is the female pile fiber, becomes lower than the distance between the one fabric and the other fabric in the weaving step, and a plurality of the female pile fibers may become entangled with each other to form a web-like female pile layer.

As shown in Figures 5 to 7, 15 and 16, this feature makes it possible for the female pile fibers 12 to be very fine fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.001 dtex or more and 5,000 dtex or less, so that, unlike Patent Document 1, a user cannot visually recognize the engagement point with the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric with the naked eye. Therefore, even if the fabric is used as a covering material or interior material for clothing or car seats, there is no restriction on the design, and the designability is improved.
As shown in Figures 5 to 7, 15 and 16, by crimping the loop pile of the female pile fibers 12, a plurality of female pile fibers 12 can be entangled with one another to provide a web-like female pile layer 12', and even if a molten mass is formed in the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric at an angle of 90° or more with the longitudinal direction of the male pile fibers, not only the tips of the loop pile but also the longitudinal middle parts of the loop pile and the portions where a plurality of female pile fibers 12 are entangled with one another become engagement points, thereby increasing the number of engagement points and thus enabling the fabric to exhibit a stronger peel strength against a variety of male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabrics.
In the case of a method including both the weaving step S11 and the dissolving step S12, although the warp pile yarns which become the female pile fibers 12 are almost erected in the weaving step S11, after the dissolving step S12 the loop pile which is the female pile fibers 12 falls down randomly (the pile height of the loop pile becomes lower than the distance between one fabric 15 and the other fabric 16 at the time of the weaving step S11), so that the multiple female pile fibers 12 become more likely to intertwine with each other, forming a female pile layer 12' which is bulkier, and the number of engagement points with the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric increases, thereby achieving a further "improvement in peel strength".

According to the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric , pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners, and manufacturing method of the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric of the present invention, by forming a turnup portion on the tip side of the male pile fibers, it is possible to realize "improved design" and "improved peel strength".

1 is a perspective view of the male pile fiber side (surface side) of a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric according to the present invention; 1 is a photograph showing a side view of male pile fibers and return portions in a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric. 1 is a photograph substituting a drawing showing an enlarged side view of male pile fibers and return portions in a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric. 1 is a magnified plan view of male pile fibers and return portions in a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric; 1 is a perspective view of the female pile layer side (surface side) of a female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric. 1 is a photograph showing a side view of female pile fibers and a female pile layer in a female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric. 1 is a drawing-substitute photograph showing a plan view of female pile fibers and female pile layers in a female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric. 1 is a schematic side view showing a pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners according to the present invention. 1 is a photograph, substituted for a drawing, showing a side view of the engagement point when a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric is pressed against a female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric in a pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners. 1 is a photograph, substituted for a drawing, showing a side view of the engagement portion when a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric and a female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric are peeled away from each other in a pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners. This is a photograph, used as a substitute for a drawing, showing an enlarged side view of the engagement portion when a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric and a female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric are peeled away from each other in a pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners. 1 is a photograph, substituted for a drawing, showing an enlarged plan view of the engagement portion when a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric and a female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric are peeled away from each other in a pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing method of a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric according to the present invention, in which (a) shows a first embodiment, (b) shows a second embodiment, (c) shows a third embodiment, (d) shows a fourth embodiment, and (e) shows a fifth embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing each step, such as a melting step, in a manufacturing method for a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric. 1 is a flow chart showing one manufacturing method of a female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric, in which (a) shows a first embodiment and (b) shows a second embodiment. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams showing a weaving step and a dissolving step in one manufacturing method for a female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric, in which FIG. 1A shows the weaving step and FIG. FIG. 13 is a photograph substituting a drawing showing an oblique view of male pile fibers (male engaging yarns) and a molten mass in a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric (male hook-and-loop fastener) for comparison.

<Overall configuration of male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 1>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 4 and 9 to 12 show a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 1 according to the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as "male fabric 1"). This male fabric 1 is a sheet-like material having male pile fibers 2, which will be described later, on at least one surface.
In the present invention, "the male fabric 1 has a male pile fiber 2" means that the male fabric 1 has only one male pile fiber 2 (only one strand), or has a plurality of male pile fibers 2 (multiple strands).
Hereinafter, the male fabric 1 will be described as having a plurality of male pile fibers 2.

In the male fabric 1, a turnup portion 3, which will be described later, is formed at the tip side of the male pile fibers 2.
The male fabric 1 may have a base fabric (male base fabric) 6 that supports the male pile fibers 2, and may also have a backing layer.
The male fabric 1 may be a warp pile fabric.
Alternatively, the male fabric 1 may be a double Raschel knit fabric in which the connecting yarn is center-cut.

The "surface 1a" of the male fabric 1 refers to the surface that is exposed when the fabric is used as a covering material for clothing, a car seat, an interior material, or the like, and the "surface 1a" of the male fabric 1 can also be said to be the surface having the male pile fibers 2.
Conversely, the "reverse side 1b" of the male fabric 1 is the side that is not exposed when the fabric is used as a covering material for clothing, a car seat, an interior material, etc., and it can also be said that the "reverse side 1b" of the male fabric 1 is the side that does not have male pile fibers 2.
When the male fabric 1 has male pile fibers 2 on both the front and back sides, both sides can be said to be surfaces 1a.
Here, as described above, "one side" of the male fabric 1 means only the front side 1a when the male fabric 1 has a front side 1a having male pile fibers 2 and a back side 1b having no male pile fibers 2, whereas if the male fabric 1 has male pile fibers 2 on both the front and back sides, it means either one of the front and back sides of the male fabric 1.

When the male fabric 1 is a warp pile fabric, the warp pile density of the male pile fibers 2 may be any value, for example, 100,000 fibers/25.4 mm or more and 300,000 fibers/25.4 mm or less, preferably 105,000 fibers/25.4 mm or more and 250,000 fibers/25.4 mm or less, and more preferably 110,000 fibers/25.4 mm or more and 200,000 fibers/25.4 mm or less.
The thickness of the male fabric 1 may also be any value, for example, 0.1 mm or more and 7.0 mm or less, preferably 0.2 mm or more and 6.0 mm or less, and more preferably 0.3 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less.
The basis weight of the male fabric 1 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 50 g/ ^m2 or more and 1000 g/ ^m2 or less, preferably 70 g/ ^m2 or more and 800 g/ ^m2 or less, and more preferably 100 g/ ^m2 or more and 600 g/ ^m2 or less.

<Male pile fiber 2>
As shown in Figures 1-4 and 9-12, the male pile fibers 2 are thermoplastic fibers.
The male pile fibers 2 may be made of any material so long as they are thermoplastic fibers, and may be, for example, polyester fibers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), etc., nylon (polyamide) fibers, polyacrylic fibers (acrylic fibers) mainly composed of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyolefin fibers such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), rayon fibers, cupra fibers, acetate fibers, polyurethane (PU) fibers, polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) fibers, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers (vinylon fibers), etc., synthetic fibers, which may be used alone or in combination.

The male pile fibers 2 may have a single fiber fineness of 0.1 dtex or more and 15.0 dtex or less, preferably 0.5 dtex or more and 10.0 dtex or less, and more preferably 1.0 dtex or more and 8.0 dtex or less.
Here, the cross-sectional shape of the male pile fibers 2 is not particularly limited, and may be an approximately circular shape, an approximately elliptical shape, or an irregular shape (such as a flat (approximately rectangular) shape, an approximately square shape, an approximately triangular shape, an approximately Y-shape, an approximately V-shape, an approximately C-shape, or an approximately star shape).
In the following description, the cross-sectional shape of the male pile fibers 2 will be described as being substantially circular.
The diameter 2φ of the male pile fiber 2 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 1 μm to 40 μm, preferably 5 μm to 35 μm, and more preferably 10 μm to 30 μm. The diameter 2φ of the male pile fiber 2 may be the width of the male pile fiber 2 as seen in a side or plan view photograph (electron microscope photograph, etc.), or may be a value calculated from the specific gravity and single fiber fineness of the material when the cross section of the male pile fiber 2 is made substantially circular.

The male pile fibers 2 may be each filament constituting a multifilament yarn, or alternatively, a single male pile fiber 2 may constitute a monofilament yarn.
The yarn (multifilament yarn or monofilament yarn) of the male pile fiber 2 may be, for example, pre-dyed yarn (raw silk, FDY, Fully Draw Yarn).
The number of twists of the yarn of the male pile fiber 2 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 100 T (turns)/m or more and 300 T/m or less, preferably 150 T (turns)/m or more and 270 T/m or less, and more preferably 200 T (turns)/m or more and 240 T/m or less.
The male pile fibers 2 may be cut pile fibers.

<Return section 3>
As shown in Figures 1 to 4 and 9 to 12, the return portion 3 is formed on the tip side of the above-mentioned male pile fiber 2, and is a portion that forms an angle (return angle) α with the longitudinal direction of the male pile fiber 2 of less than 90°.
The turned portion 3 may be a curved tip portion of the male pile fiber 2 with a turning angle α of less than 90°, and when the turned portion 3 is a curved portion, the thickness of the turned portion 3 may be approximately the same as the thickness of the male pile fiber 2 or may be thinner than the male pile fiber 2 (see Figure 3, etc.).

Furthermore, the return portion 3 may be a lump-like portion (molten lump, molten portion) with a return angle α of less than 90° when the tip portion of the male pile fiber 2 melts and then solidifies, and when the return portion 3 is a molten lump, the thickness of the return portion 3 may be thicker than the male pile fiber 2. In other words, when the return portion 3 is a molten lump, the portion that is thicker than the male pile fiber 2 (protruding in the radial direction of the male pile fiber 2) and has a return angle α of less than 90° can be said to be the return portion 3 (not shown).
In addition, the turnback portion 3 may be a lump-like portion (molten lump, molten portion) with a turn angle α of less than 90°, where the tip portion of the male pile fiber 2 is bent (bent without curving), and when the turnback portion 3 is a bent portion, the thickness of the turnback portion 3 may be approximately the same as the thickness of the male pile fiber 2 or may be thinner than the male pile fiber 2 (not shown).

The return angle α is not particularly limited as long as it is less than 90°, but may be, for example, 20° or more and less than 90°, preferably 30° or more and 85° or less, and more preferably 35° or more and 80° or less.
The turnback portions 3 may be formed on the tip ends of all the male pile fibers 2, or may be formed on the tip ends of at least a portion of the male pile fibers 2.

<Length 3L of return portion 3>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and 9 to 12, the length 3L of the barb 3 is the distance from the base end to the tip end of the barb 3 described above.
When the return portion 3 is a curved portion, the length 3L of the return portion 3 can be said to be the length from the base end to the tip end of the curved portion where the return angle α is less than 90°.
When the turnback portion 3 is a molten mass, it can be said that the length 3L of the turnback portion 3 is the length from the base end to the tip end of the portion of the molten mass that protrudes in the radial direction of the male pile fibers 2 and has a turn angle α of less than 90°.
When the turned portion 3 is a bent portion, the length 3L of the turned portion 3 can be said to be the exact length from the bent point to the tip.
The length 3L of the turned portion 3 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 0.1 μm to 40.0 μm, 1.0 μm to 35.0 μm, or 5.0 μm to 30.0 μm. The length 3L of the turned portion 3 may be the length of the turned portion 3 as seen in a photograph (such as an electron microscope photograph) in a side view or a plan view.

<Base fabric (male base fabric) 6th class>
As shown in Figs. 1 to 4 and 9 to 12, the male base fabric 6 is a fabric (sheet-like material) that supports the male pile fibers 2 described above. is provided.
Here, the "surface" of the male base fabric 6 can be said to be the surface close to the surface 1a that is exposed when the male fabric 1 is used for clothing, a covering material for a car seat, an interior material, etc., and this surface Male pile fibers 2 are provided.
On the other hand, the "back side" of the male base fabric 6 is the side close to the back side 1b (or the back side 1b itself) that is not exposed when the male fabric 1 is used for clothing, a covering material for a car seat, an interior material, etc. It could be said that there is.

The yarns constituting the male base fabric 6 may be of any material, structure, fineness, etc., but first, regarding the material, for example, thermoplastic materials such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyester fibers such as polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), etc., nylon (polyamide) fibers, polyacrylic fibers (acrylic fibers) mainly composed of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyolefin fibers such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), rayon fibers, cupra fibers, acetate fibers, polyurethane (PU) fibers, polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) fibers, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers (vinylon fibers), etc., synthetic fibers, as well as glass fibers, wool, silk, etc., which may be used alone or in combination.
The yarn configuration of the male base fabric 6 may be any of multifilament, monofilament, spun yarn, and the like.
The yarns constituting the male base fabric 6 may include heat-fusible yarns (fusible yarns) as weft yarns or may include false twisted yarns, or may be a combination (blended) of these. The material of the fusible yarns may be, for example, nylon fiber, polyester fiber, polyolefin fiber, etc.
The material, structure, fineness, etc. of the yarns constituting the male base fabric 6 may be the same as or different from the material, structure, fineness, etc. of the male pile fibers 2 described above.

The fineness of the yarn constituting the male base fabric 6 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a total fineness of 30 dtex or more and 500 dtex or less, preferably 40 dtex or more and 400 dtex or less, and more preferably 50 dtex or more and 350 dtex or less.
When the yarn constituting the male base fabric 6 is a multifilament, the single fiber fineness of each filament is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.1 dtex or more and 50.0 dtex or less, preferably 0.5 dtex or more and 30.0 dtex or less, and more preferably 1.0 dtex or more and 20.0 dtex or less.
The thickness of the male base fabric 6 may be any value, but may be, for example, 10 μm or more and 2000 μm or less (0.01 mm or more and 2.00 mm or less), preferably 50 μm or more and 1500 μm or less (0.05 mm or more and 1.00 mm or less), and more preferably 100 μm or more and 1000 μm or less (0.10 mm or more and 1.00 mm or less).

If the male fabric 1 is a warp pile fabric, the male base fabric 6 is a woven fabric. In this case, the woven fabric of the male base fabric 6 may contain fusible yarns as weft yarns or the like.
In addition, if the male fabric 1 is a double Raschel knit fabric in which the connecting yarns are center-cut, the male base fabric 6 will be a knit fabric.

When the male base fabric 6 is a woven fabric, the woven fabric may have any weave structure, such as plain weave, twill weave, or satin weave.
Furthermore, when the male base fabric 6 is a knitted fabric, the knitted fabric may have any knit structure, but may also be a warp knit such as tricot knit.

When the male pile fibers 2 are "supported (provided)" on such a male base fabric 6, it can be said that the base ends of the male pile fibers 2 are connected (or fixed) to the surface of the male base fabric 6. In particular, this includes not only the case where the angle (male pile angle) between the surface of the male base fabric 6 and the longitudinal direction of the male pile fibers 2 is approximately 90°, but also the case where the longitudinal direction of the male pile fibers 2 is oblique to the surface of the male base fabric 6, and in such a case where the male pile angle is oblique, the male pile angle may be, for example, 45° or more and 90° or less, preferably 60° or more and 90° or less, and more preferably 80° or more and 90° or less.
In particular, when the male pile angle is, for example, 45° or more (in other words, when the male pile fibers 2 stand upright from the male base fabric 6), the male fabric 1 can also be said to be a piled fabric R.

The height of the male pile fibers 2 may be any value, for example, 0.1 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less, preferably 0.7 mm or more and 4.0 mm or less, and more preferably 1.0 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less.
Furthermore, when the male pile angle is approximately 90°, the height of the male pile fiber 2 can be said to be approximately the same as the length of the male pile fiber 2. When the male pile angle is not approximately 90°, the length of the perpendicular line from the tip of the male pile fiber 2 to the surface of the male base fabric 6 can be said to be the height of the male pile fiber 2.

When the male fabric 1 is a warp pile fabric, the male pile fibers 2 having such a predetermined height are engaged with the weft yarns of the male base fabric 6 and are aligned in a row (pile row) along the warp or weft direction of the male base fabric 6 (male fabric 1) (see FIG. 4).
A plurality of male pile fibers 2 may be connected to the weft of the male base fabric 6 as one pile yarn (multifilament yarn) to form a bundle (pile bundle), or may spread upward. Note that the spread of the plurality of male pile fibers 2 in this bundle may fill the spaces between adjacent pile rows and/or pile bundles in plan view, and a male pile layer 2' may be formed by the plurality of male pile fibers 2 (see Figures 2, 4, 10, etc.).
Furthermore, each male pile fiber 2 may be attached to the weft of the male base fabric 6 as a single pile yarn (monofilament yarn), or a plurality of male pile fibers 2 may form a male pile layer 2'.
The yarns of the male pile fibers 2 (multifilament yarns or monofilament yarns) may be engaged with the male base fabric 6 in any manner (i.e., there is no limitation to the weave structure or knit structure), and may be, for example, a weave structure in which the yarns repeatedly float once and sink once with respect to the weft yarns of the male base fabric 6, or other weave structures in which the yarns float twice and sink once, float twice and sink twice, float three times and sink once, float three times and sink twice, or float three times and sink three times.

<Overall configuration of female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 10>
5 to 12 show a female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 10 (hereinafter also referred to as "female fabric 10"), which is a sheet-like material having female pile fibers 12, described below, on at least one surface .
The term " female fabric 10 has female pile fiber 12" means that the female fabric 10 has only one female pile fiber 12 or has a plurality of female pile fibers 12.
Hereinafter, the female fabric 10 will be described as having a plurality of female pile fibers 12 .

The female fabric 10 is formed with a plurality of female pile fibers 12 to form a female pile layer 12', which will be described later.
The female fabric 10 may have a base fabric (female base fabric) 16 that supports the female pile fibers 12, and may also have a backing layer.
The female fabric 10 may be a warp pile fabric.
Alternatively, the female fabric 10 may be a double Raschel knit fabric in which the connecting yarns are center-cut.

The "surface 10a" of the female fabric 10 refers to the surface that is exposed when the fabric is used as a covering material for clothing, a car seat, an interior material, etc., and the "surface 10a" of the female fabric 10 can also be said to be the surface having the female pile fibers 12.
Conversely, the "reverse side 10b" of the female fabric 10 is the side that is not exposed when the fabric is used as clothing, a covering material for a car seat, an interior material, etc., and the "reverse side 10b" of the female fabric 10 can also be said to be the side that does not have female pile fibers 12.
When the female fabric 10 has female pile fibers 12 on both the front and back sides, both sides can also be called the surfaces 10a.
Here, as described above, "one side" of the female fabric 10 means only the front side 10a when the female fabric 10 has a front side 10a having female pile fibers 12 and a back side 10b having no female pile fibers 12; and when the female fabric 10 has female pile fibers 12 on both the front and back sides, it means either one of the front and back sides of the female fabric 10.

When the female fabric 10 is a warp pile fabric, the pile density of the female pile fibers 12 (warp pile density x weft pile density) may be any value, but may be, for example, 100,000 fibers/(25.4 mm) ² or more and 400,000 fibers/(25.4 mm) ² or less, preferably 150,000 fibers/(25.4 mm) ² or more and 350,000 fibers/(25.4 mm) ² or less, and more preferably 200,000 fibers/(25.4 mm) ² or more and 300,000 fibers/(25.4 mm) ² or less.
The thickness of the female fabric 10 may also be any value, but may be, for example, 0.1 mm or more and 7.0 mm or less, preferably 0.2 mm or more and 6.0 mm or less, and more preferably 0.3 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less.
The basis weight of the female fabric 10 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 50 g/ ^m2 or more and 1000 g/ ^m2 or less, preferably 70 g/ ^m2 or more and 800 g/ ^m2 or less, and more preferably 100 g/ ^m2 or more and 600 g/ ^m2 or less.

<Female pile fiber 12>
As shown in Figures 5-12, the female pile fibers 12 are thermoplastic fibers.
The female pile fibers 12 may be made of any material so long as they are thermoplastic fibers, and may be, for example, polyester fibers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), etc., nylon (polyamide) fibers, polyacrylic fibers (acrylic fibers) mainly composed of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyolefin fibers such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), rayon fibers, cupra fibers, acetate fibers, polyurethane (PU) fibers, polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) fibers, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers (vinylon fibers), etc., synthetic fibers, which may be used alone or in combination.

The female pile fibers 12 may have a single fiber fineness of 0.001 dtex or more and 5.000 dtex or less, preferably 0.010 dtex or more and 4.000 dtex or less, and more preferably 0.050 dtex or more and 3.000 dtex or less.
Here, the cross-sectional shape of the female pile fibers 12 is not particularly limited, but may be approximately circular, approximately elliptical, or irregular (flat (approximately rectangular), approximately square, approximately triangular, approximately Y-shaped, approximately V-shaped, approximately C-shaped, approximately star-shaped, etc.).
Hereinafter, the cross-sectional shape of the female pile fibers 12 will be described as being substantially circular.

<Diameter 12φ of female pile fiber 12>
5 to 12, the diameter 12φ of the female pile fiber 12 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 0.1 μm to 20.0 μm, preferably 0.5 μm to 15.0 μm, and more preferably 1.0 μm to 10 μm. The diameter 12φ of the female pile fiber 12 may be the width of the female pile fiber 12 as seen in a side or plan view photograph (such as an electron microscope photograph), or may be a value calculated from the specific gravity and single fiber fineness of the material when the cross-sectional shape of the female pile fiber 12 is made approximately circular.
The female pile fibers 12 may be each filament constituting a multifilament yarn, or alternatively, a single female pile fiber 12 may constitute a monofilament yarn.
The yarns (multifilament or monofilament) of the female pile fibers 12 may be, for example, Draw Textured Yarn (DTY) or Damage Dyed and Wash (DDW (registered trademark)).
When the yarn of the female pile fiber 12 is a false twist textured yarn, there is no particular limitation on the number of twists. For example, the yarn of the female pile fiber 12 may have 0 T (turns)/m, and it is also acceptable for residual torque to occur in the yarn of the female pile fiber 12 (each female pile fiber 12).
The female pile fibers 12 are loop piles, and to explain this in detail, it includes not only cases where all the female pile fibers 12 are loop piles, but also cases where only some of the female pile fibers 12 (such as those near the ends (cut surfaces) when the female fabric 10 is cut to a specified size and shape, or those that have been cut in parts other than the ends of the female fabric 10) have had their loops broken to form cut piles.

<Shrinkage and shrinkage rate>
As shown in Figures 5-12, the female pile fibers 12 have crimp .
" Crimping" refers to crimping in accordance with JIS-L-0208:2006, 244.
In addition , " conforming to JIS-L-0208:2006, 244" includes not only "fiber crimp" as described in JIS-L-0208:2006, 244, but also crimp that is based on the description in the JIS (or a partially modified version, meaning "a portion in which the fibers have become web-like (nonwoven fabric-like)" or "a portion in which the fibers have become snare-like").

The "crimp rate" of the female pile fibers 12 is measured in accordance with 8.12.2 of JIS-L-1015:2010.
In addition , " in accordance with 8.12.2 of JIS-L-1015:2010" includes not only measurement as described in 8.12.2 of JIS-L-1015:2010, but also measurement by applying the description of the JIS mutatis mutandis (or with some changes).
The crimp percentage of the female pile fibers 12 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 10% or more and 100% or less, preferably 15% or more and less than 100%, and more preferably 20% or more and 90% or less.

<Base fabric (female base fabric) 16 etc.>
As shown in Figs. 5 to 12, the female base fabric 16 is a fabric (sheet-like material) that supports the female pile fibers 12 described above. In other words, the female pile fibers 12 are provided on the female base fabric 16. It is being done.
Here, the "surface" of the female base fabric 16 can be said to be the surface close to the surface 10a that is exposed when the female fabric 10 is used for clothing, a covering material for a car seat, an interior material, or the like, and this surface 2, female pile fibers 12 are provided.
Conversely, the "reverse side" of the female base fabric 16 is the side close to the reverse side 10b (or the reverse side 10b itself) that is not exposed when the female fabric 10 is used for clothing, a cover material for a car seat, an interior material, etc. It can also be said that...

The yarns constituting the female base fabric 16 may be of any material, configuration, fineness, etc., but first, in terms of the material, for example, thermoplastic materials such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyester fibers such as polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), nylon (polyamide) fibers, polyacrylic fibers (acrylic fibers) mainly composed of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyolefin fibers such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), synthetic fibers such as rayon fibers, cupra fibers, acetate fibers, polyurethane (PU) fibers, polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) fibers, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers (vinylon fibers), as well as glass fibers, wool, silk, etc., which may be used alone or in combination.
The yarn configuration of the female base fabric 16 may be any of multifilament, monofilament, spun yarn, and the like.
In addition, the yarn constituting the female base fabric 16 may include heat-fusible yarn (fusible yarn), and the material thereof may be, for example, polyester fiber, nylon fiber, polyolefin fiber, or the like.
The yarns constituting the female base fabric 16 may be of the same material, construction, fineness, etc. as those of the male pile fibers 2 described above, or may be different.

The fineness of the yarn constituting the female base fabric 16 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a total fineness of 30 dtex or more and 500 dtex or less, preferably 40 dtex or more and 400 dtex or less, and more preferably 50 dtex or more and 350 dtex or less.
Furthermore, when the yarn constituting the female base fabric 16 is a multifilament, the single fiber fineness of each filament is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 0.1 dtex or more and 50.0 dtex or less, preferably 0.5 dtex or more and 30.0 dtex or less, and more preferably 1.0 dtex or more and 20.0 dtex or less.
The thickness of the female base fabric 16 may be any value, but may be, for example, 10 μm or more and 2000 μm or less (0.01 mm or more and 2.00 mm or less), preferably 50 μm or more and 1500 μm or less (0.05 mm or more and 1.00 mm or less), and more preferably 100 μm or more and 1000 μm or less (0.10 mm or more and 1.00 mm or less).

If the female fabric 10 is a warp pile fabric, the female base fabric 16 will be a fabric, and in this case, the fabric of the female base fabric 16 may contain fusible yarns as weft yarns or the like.
In addition, if the female fabric 10 is a double Raschel knit fabric in which the connecting yarns are center-cut, the female base fabric 16 will be a knit fabric.

When the female base fabric 16 is a woven fabric, the woven fabric may have any weave, such as a plain weave, a twill weave, or a satin weave.
Furthermore, when the female fabric 10 is a knitted fabric, the knitted fabric may also have any knitting structure, but may also be a warp knitted fabric such as a tricot knit.
Furthermore, when the female fabric 10 is a nonwoven fabric, the nonwoven fabric may have any configuration,

When we say that the female pile fibers 12 are supported (provided) on such a female base fabric 16, we mean that the base ends of the female pile fibers 12 are connected (or fixed) to the surface of the female base fabric 16.
On such a female base fabric 16, a female pile layer 12', which will be described later, is formed.

<Female pile layer 12'>
As shown in Figures 5 to 12 (particularly Figures 6, 7, 9, 10 and 12), the female pile layer 12' is a web-like layer in which a plurality of female pile fibers 12 are intertwined with each other as a result of the loop piles of each of the above-mentioned female pile fibers 12 being crimped.
In the female pile layer 12', not only the tips of the loop piles of the female pile fibers 12 but also the longitudinal middle parts of the loop piles and the parts where multiple female pile fibers 12 are entangled with each other become engagement points (in other words, the female pile layer 12' has bulkiness), so it can be said that the number of engagement points is increased.

In addition, when the female fabric 10 is a warp pile fabric, a plurality of the female pile fibers 12 are engaged with the weft yarn of the female base fabric 16 as one pile yarn (multifilament yarn), and at least a portion of the female pile fibers 12 may be slightly bundled (pile bundle) (such as the middle part in the vertical direction on the right side of Figure 6).
Furthermore, each female pile fiber 12 may be attached to the weft of the female base fabric 16 as a single pile yarn (monofilament yarn), or multiple male pile fibers 2 may be entangled with each other to form a web-like female pile layer 12'.
The yarns (multifilament yarns or monofilament yarns) of the female pile fibers 12 may be engaged with the female base fabric 16 in any manner (i.e., there is no limitation to the weave structure or knit structure), and may be, for example, a weave structure in which the yarns repeatedly float once and sink once with respect to the weft yarns of the female base fabric 16, or other weave structures in which the yarns float twice and sink once, float twice and sink twice, float three times and sink once, float three times and sink twice, or float three times and sink three times. The weave may be a weave that repeats floating four times and sinking once, floating five times and sinking once, floating six times and sinking once, floating four times and sinking twice and floating twice and sinking twice, floating five times and sinking twice and floating twice and sinking twice, floating six times and sinking twice and floating twice and sinking twice, floating seven times and sinking twice and floating twice and sinking twice, floating eight times and sinking twice and floating twice and sinking twice, or any other weave structure may be used.

In the female pile layer 12', the angle (female pile angle) between the surface of the female base fabric 16 and the longitudinal direction of the female pile fibers 12 is not uniquely determined for all female pile fibers 12 since multiple female pile fibers 12 are intertwined with each other, but it can also be said that the angle between the surface of the female base fabric 16 and the longitudinal direction of the female pile fibers 12 is determined for some female pile fibers 12 that are slightly bundled, etc.
This female pile angle is not limited to approximately 90°, but also includes cases where the longitudinal direction of the female pile fibers 12 is oblique to the surface of the female base fabric 16, and in such oblique cases the female pile angle may be, for example, 45° or more and 90° or less, preferably 60° or more and 90° or less, and more preferably 80° or more and 90° or less.
The female pile angle may, for example, be less than 45° (i.e., greater than or equal to 0° and less than 45°), or may be greater than or equal to 0° and less than or equal to 30°, greater than or equal to 0° and less than or equal to 20°, greater than or equal to 0° and less than or equal to 10°, or may even be approximately 0° (in other words, the female pile fibers 12 may be approximately aligned along the surface of the female base fabric 16).
In addition, when the female pile angle is equal to or greater than approximately 0° and less than 45°, it can also be said that the female pile fibers 12 are tilted (or lying) relative to the female base fabric 16.

In this way, the height of the female pile fibers 12, such as those that have fallen down, may be any value, but may be, for example, 0.1 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less, preferably 0.3 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less, and more preferably 0.6 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less.
Furthermore, when the female pile angle is approximately 90°, the height of the female pile fibers 12 can be said to be approximately the same as the length of the female pile fibers 12, and when the female pile angle is not approximately 90°, it can be said that the length of the perpendicular line from the tip of some of the female pile fibers 12 to the surface of the female base fabric 16 is the height of the female pile fibers 12.
In particular, when the female pile angle is less than 45°, the height of the female pile fiber 12 is not related to the length of the female pile fiber 12, since multiple female pile fibers 12 are entangled with each other to form a web.
The thickness of such a female pile layer 12' is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.1 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less, preferably 0.3 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less, and more preferably 0.6 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less.

<Overall configuration of a pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners 20>
Figures 1 to 12 show a pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners 20 (hereinafter also referred to as "hook-and-loop fasteners 20") according to the present invention, and this hook-and-loop fastener 20 comprises the above-mentioned male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 1 (male fabric 1) and the above-mentioned female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 10 (female fabric 10).
In the hook and loop fastener 20, the male pile fibers 2 of the male fabric 1 and the female pile fibers 12 of the female fabric 10 engage with each other.
In addition, one female pile fiber 12 may engage with one male pile fiber 2 (especially the return portion 3), or multiple female pile fibers 12 may engage with one male pile fiber 2, one female pile fiber 12 may engage with multiple male pile fibers 2, or multiple female pile fibers 12 may engage with multiple male pile fibers 2.
Also, all of the male pile fibers 2 may be engaged with any of the female pile fibers 12, or at least some of the male pile fibers 2 may be engaged with any of the female pile fibers 12. Similarly, all of the female pile fibers 12 may be engaged with any of the male pile fibers 2, or at least some of the female pile fibers 12 may be engaged with any of the male pile fibers 2.

The diameter 12φ of the female pile fiber 12 is equal to or less than the length 3L of the return portion 3 of the male pile fiber 12.
There is no particular limitation on the value of the diameter 12φ of the female pile fiber 12 so long as it is equal to or less than the length 3L of the return portion 3 (1.0 times or less). However, for example, the lower limit may be 0.1 times or more, 0.2 times or more, 0.3 times or more, 0.4 times or more, etc.

<1> Pressing of male fabric 1 against female fabric 10 As shown in FIG. 9, in a hook-and-loop fastener 20, when a male fabric 1 is pressed against a female fabric 10, the male pile fibers 2 of the male fabric 1 can be said to be in the form of pile rows, whereas the female pile fibers 12 of the female fabric 10 form a web-like female pile layer 12', and therefore the male pile fibers 2 cannot enter the female pile layer 12' (between the female pile fibers 12).
As a result, the male pile fibers 2 fall down roughly along the surface 10a of the female fabric 10 (the surface of the female pile layer 12'), and as they fall down, the tip side of the male pile fibers 2, including the turnup portion 3, passes under or is inserted into the corresponding loop of the female pile fibers 12, which are loop piles.

Here, the female pile fibers 12 which form the loop pile are exposed on the surface of the female pile layer 12' not only at their loop tip ends but also at their loop mid-way points, so that it can be said that the return portions 3 of the male pile fibers 2 can engage not only with the loop tip ends of the female pile fibers 12 which form the loop pile but also with the crimped portions at the loop mid-way points.
In addition, if the male fabric 1 and the female fabric 10 are both warp pile fabrics, and the male pile fibers 2 tend to collapse in the warp direction (i.e., pile row direction) when the male fabric 1 is pressed against the female fabric 10, the female pile fibers 12, which are loop piles, are also woven in the warp direction. Therefore, by pressing the male fabric 1 and the female fabric 10 so that the warp direction of the male fabric 1 and the warp direction of the female fabric 10 are substantially perpendicular to each other in a plan view, the female pile fibers 12 can be easily collapsed. It can also be said that the tip side, including the turnup portion 3, of the male pile fibers 2 is easily inserted into the loops of the fibers 12 from the weft direction of the female fabric 10. On the other hand, since the female pile layer 12' is web-like, the loops of the female pile fibers 12 face in various directions (see Figure 7, etc.), so it can also be said that the warp direction of the male fabric 1 and the warp direction of the female fabric 10 can be pressed together in a direction that is approximately parallel to each other in a plan view.

<2> Peeling of the male fabric 1 and the female fabric 10 As shown in Figures 10 to 12, when the male fabric 1 and the female fabric 10 are peeled off (just before peeling), the return portions 3 of the male pile fibers 2 are engaged with the female pile fibers 12, so that on the male fabric 1 side, the male pile angles of the male pile fibers 2 (bundles of male pile fibers 2) become larger (gradually become erect), while on the female fabric 10 side, some of the female pile fibers 12 that are engaged with the male pile fibers 2 in the female pile layer 12' are pulled toward the male fabric 1 side.
In particular, Figure 11 shows an enlarged side view of the engagement point, and in the central part of Figure 11, multiple male pile fibers 2 have entered the loop of one female pile fiber 12, and multiple male pile fibers 2 and multiple female pile fibers 12 have become entangled, and the multiple female pile fibers 12 are pulled upward (towards the male fabric 1).

FIG. 12 shows an enlarged plan view of the engagement portion (photographed from above in a range in which both the male fabric 1 and the female fabric 10 are visible at the same time as the male fabric 1 on top of the female fabric 10 is gradually peeled away like the pages of a book being opened), and in the central portion of FIG. 12, it can be seen that the turnup portion 3 of one male pile fiber 2 is engaged with the tip end of the loop of one female pile fiber 12 and pulling the one female pile fiber 12 to the left (towards the male fabric 1).
Furthermore, such male fabric 1, female fabric 10, and pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners 20 improve noise reduction and are less likely to catch and damage the user's body or clothing, or the covering material or interior material of a car seat.
Next, a method for producing the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 1 and the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 10 described above will be described in detail.

<Method of manufacturing male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 1>
As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the above-mentioned method for manufacturing the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "the method for manufacturing the male fabric 1") at least comprises a barb forming step S1 which will be described later.
The manufacturing method of the male fabric 1 may include a fabric constructing step S0-1, a cutting step S0-2, a heat setting (male heat setting) step S0-3, and a shearing step S0-4, which will be described later.
The manufacturing method of the male fabric 1 may include other steps (for example, a backing step, etc.).

In addition, in the manufacturing method of the male fabric 1, if it only has the return forming step S1, it is the first embodiment; if it has the fabric construction step S0-1 and the return forming step S1, it is the second embodiment; if it has the fabric construction step S0-1, the cutting step S0-2 and the return forming step S1, it is the third embodiment; if it has the fabric construction step S0-1, the cutting step S0-2, the heat setting step S0-3 and the return forming step S1, it is the fourth embodiment; if it has the fabric construction step S0-1, the cutting step S0-2, the heat setting step S0-3, the shirring step S0-4 and the return forming step S1, it is the fifth embodiment; and if it has a backing step or the like, it is another embodiment.

<Return forming process S1>
As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the turnback forming step S1 is a step of forming turnback parts 3 at the tip side of the above-mentioned male pile fibers 2, the turnback parts 3 forming an angle of less than 90° with the longitudinal direction of the male pile fibers 2.
In addition, the specific means for forming the return portion 3 in the return forming step S1 is not particularly limited.
As a means for forming the turnback portion 3, for example, the tip side of the male pile fiber 2 of the piled fabric R (a piled fabric in which the male pile fiber 2 standing up from the male base fabric 6 does not have the turnback portion 3 formed therein) may be brought into contact with a heat roller H to form the turnback portion 3, or the tip side of the male pile fiber 2 of the piled fabric R may be melted by irradiation with a laser (laser beam) to form the turnback portion 3.

When the return portion 3 is formed by contacting the tip side of the male pile fiber 2 with a heat roller H, the heat roller H itself may be equipped with a heat generating mechanism, or alternatively, the tip side of the male pile fiber 2 may be brought into contact with a roller made of metal or the like within a heating device.
The contact of the male pile fibers 2 with the heat roller H may be configured such that when the long piled fabric R, with the male pile fibers 2 side facing the heat roller H, is passed between the rotatably arranged heat roller H and a rotatably arranged support roller (e.g., rubber roller) G, the distance D between the rollers is made smaller than the thickness T of the piled fabric R, and this return formation step S1 may be performed by a calendar processing machine.
In this case, the temperature of the heat roller H, the passing speed of the long pile fabric R, the distance D between the rollers, the thickness T of the pile fabric R (the thickness when passing between the rollers), the rotation speed of the heat roller H, etc. may be set to predetermined values.
The temperature of the heat roller H is not particularly limited, but may be changed depending on the material of the pile fabric R (particularly, the male pile fibers 2). If the material of the male pile fibers 2 is polyester fiber, the temperature may be, for example, 190° C. or higher and 230° C. or lower, preferably 195° C. or higher and 225° C. or lower, and more preferably 200° C. or higher and 220° C. or lower.
The passing speed of the pile fabric R is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 1 m/min to 10 m/min, preferably 2 m/min to 8 m/min, and more preferably 3 m/min to 6 m/min.
The distance D between the rollers is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 0.1 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less, preferably 0.2 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less, and more preferably 0.3 mm or more and 2.5 mm or less.
The thickness T of the pile fabric R is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 0.1 mm or more and 4.0 mm or less, preferably 0.2 mm or more and 3.5 mm or less, and more preferably 0.3 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less.
In addition, the thickness T of the piled fabric R may be greater than or equal to the distance D between the rollers, and the value (T-D) obtained by subtracting the distance D between the rollers from the thickness T of the piled fabric R is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.0 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less, preferably 0.1 mm or more and 1.5 mm or less, and more preferably 0.2 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less.
In this way, by making the distance D between the rollers slightly narrower than the thickness T of the pile fabric R, the heat roller H comes into slight contact with the tip end of the male pile fibers 2 (i.e., strokes it, so to speak) and if the return portion 3 is formed, it can be said that a part of the tip end of the male pile fibers 2 is melted, but it can also be said that the tip end of the male pile fibers 2 is merely deformed without being melted (as a state between the glass transition point and the melting point).

When forming the return portion 3 by irradiating a laser, the energy density (energy per unit area on the fabric) applied to the piled fabric R, the laser output (watts), the moving speed of the beam spot, the beam spot diameter, and other factors, such as the oscillation frequency and focal length, may be set to predetermined values.
In this case, even if the laser output of the laser beam is not adjusted, the piled fabric R may be applied with a melting inhibitor (such as water) that prevents the thermoplastic male pile fibers 2 from melting, and then the laser beam may be irradiated thereto.

<Fabric composition process S0-1>
As shown in FIG. 13, in the fabric forming step S0-1, before the above-mentioned return forming step S1, the above-mentioned pile fabric (male pile fibers 2 standing from a male base fabric 6, return portions 3 are formed in the male pile fibers 2) is formed. This is a process for forming a non-raised pile fabric (R).
As described above, when the raised fabric (male fabric 1) R is a warp pile fabric (a double warp pile fabric in which one fabric and the other fabric are connected by a connecting thread (warp pile thread)), The fabric construction step S0-1 can be said to be a woven fabric weaving step S0-1, and the male fabric 1 is a double raschel knitted fabric (a double raschel knitted fabric in which one fabric and the other fabric are connected by a connecting yarn). In the case where the connecting yarn is center-cut, the fabric forming step S0-1 can be said to be a knitting step S0-1.
Here, in the case of the textile weaving process S0-1, the loom used in this process is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a vertical pile loom, a wire moquette loom, a needle loom, a jacquard loom, or the like.
In the case of the knitting step S0-1, the knitting machine used in the step is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a warp knitting machine such as a double Raschel knitting machine.

<Cutting process S0-2>
As shown in FIG. 13, the cutting step S0-2 is a step of cutting (severing) connecting yarns (warp pile yarns) in a warp pile fabric or connecting yarns in a double raschel knitted fabric, which can become male pile fibers 2, in the raised fabric R constructed in the above-mentioned fabric construction step S0-1.
In the cutting step S0-2, when cutting connecting yarns in warp pile fabrics or double raschel knitted fabrics, the connecting yarns may be center-cut midway (for example, approximately halfway) between one fabric and the other fabric using a wire or the like, so that a male base fabric 6 is formed from one fabric and the center-cut one connecting yarn forms a male pile fiber 2, and at the same time, another male base fabric 6 is formed from the other center-cut connecting yarn forms a male pile fiber 2.
The cutting of the connecting yarns and the formation of the fabric described above may be carried out in one step, in which case this step can also be called a fabric forming/cutting step.

<Heat setting (male heat setting) step S0-3>
As shown in FIG. 13, the male heat setting step S0-3 is a step of applying heat of a predetermined temperature (heat setting) to the pile fabric (i.e., the grey fabric) R cut in the above-mentioned cutting step S0-2, etc., using a heating device.
The male heat setting step S0-3 maintains the shape and dimensional stability of the pile fabric R, and when the weft yarn of the male base fabric 6 contains fusible yarn, prevents the male pile fibers 2 from coming off.
The male heat setting step S0-3 can also be called a finishing step or a heat setting step.

<Shirring process S0-4>
As shown in FIG. 13, the shearing step S0-4 is a step of shearing (cutting and trimming) the male pile fibers 2 of the piled fabric R that has been subjected to the heat setting step S0-3 and the like, by a shearing machine or the like.
In the shearing step S0-4, the male pile fibers 2 are sheared to align the male pile fibers 2 to a predetermined length (pile height), and the thickness T of the piled fabric R is set to a predetermined value.
As a result, when the tip side of the male pile fibers 2 is brought into contact with the heat roller H in the return forming step S1, it can be said that the piled fabric R can be made to have an appropriate thickness T for the distance D between the rollers.

<Method of manufacturing female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 10>
As shown in Figures 15 and 16, one of the manufacturing methods for the above-mentioned female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric 10 (hereinafter also referred to as the "manufacturing method for female fabric 10") may include at least a weaving step S11 and a dissolving step S12 described below when the female fabric 10 is a warp pile fabric.
The method for producing the female fabric 10 may include a heat setting (female heat setting) step S11' which will be described later.
The method for manufacturing the female fabric 10 may include other steps (for example, a backing step, etc.).

In addition, in the manufacturing method of the female fabric 10, if it only includes the weaving step S11 and the dissolving step S12, it is considered to be the first embodiment, if it includes the weaving step S11, the female heat setting step S11' and the dissolving step S12, it is considered to be the second embodiment, and if it also includes a backing step, etc., it is considered to be another embodiment.

<Weaving process S11>
As shown in Figures 15 and 16(a), the weaving process S11 is a process in which one fabric 15 containing the soluble fiber Y and another fabric 16 not containing the soluble fiber Y are connected with warp pile yarns (connecting yarns, yarns of the later female pile fibers 12) to weave a double woven fabric 17.
The soluble fiber Y may be used at least as the weft in one of the fabrics 15 (woven fabric), or may be used as both the weft and warp.
Incidentally , the " soluble fiber Y" refers to a fiber that dissolves in water, organic solvents, etc., and may be, for example, a water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber (vinylon fiber). In this case, the fibers in the other fabric 16 and the portions of one fabric 15 that are not to be dissolved are non-water-soluble fibers such as polyester fibers, nylon fibers, polyacrylic fibers, and polyolefin fibers.
The soluble fiber Y may be each filament constituting a multifilament yarn, or alternatively, a single soluble fiber Y may constitute a monofilament yarn.
Alternatively, the soluble fiber Y may be an acetate fiber that is soluble in 100% acetone or dimethylformamide organic solvents. In this case, the fibers in the other fabric 16 and the portions of the one fabric 15 that are not to be dissolved are made of polyester fiber, polyolefin fiber, or the like.
Here, the loom used in the fabric weaving step S11 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a warp pile loom, a wire moquette loom (not necessarily using wire), a needle loom, a jacquard loom, or the like.
In the weaving step S11, the warp pile yarns which become the female pile fibers 12 are almost erected, and the other fabric 16 in the weaving step S11 becomes the female base fabric 16 of the female fabric 10.

<Dissolving step S12>
As shown in Figures 15 and 16 (b), the dissolving step S12 is a step that follows the above-mentioned weaving step S11, in which the soluble fiber Y in one fabric 15 of the double woven fabric 17 is dissolved to form loop pile, which is the female pile fiber 12.
In the dissolution step S12, if the soluble fiber Y contained in one of the fabrics 15 is a water-soluble vinylon fiber, the soluble fiber Y is dissolved using water, and if the soluble fiber Y contained in one of the fabrics 15 is an acetate fiber, the soluble fiber Y is dissolved using an organic solvent such as 100% acetone or dimethylformamide.
After the dissolving step S12, the loop piles, which are the female pile fibers 12, fall randomly due to the distance between one fabric 15 and the other fabric 16 at the time of the weaving step S11, and the pile height of the loop piles, which are the female pile fibers 12, becomes lower, and the multiple female pile fibers 12 become entangled with each other to form a web-like female pile layer 12' by the amount of the lowering.

<Heat setting (female heat setting) step S11′>
As shown in FIG. 15, the female heat setting step S11' is a step for applying heat to the double woven fabric 17 at a predetermined temperature (heat setting) by a heating device between the weaving step S11 and the dissolving step S12.
The female heat setting step S11' maintains the shape and dimensional stability of the pile fabric R, and when the weft yarn of the female base fabric 16 contains fusible yarn, prevents the female pile fibers 12 from coming off.
The female heat setting step S11' can also be called a finishing step or a heat setting step.

<Test>
Hereinafter, we will first refer to Example 1 of the male fabric 1 according to the present invention , Specific Example 2 of the female fabric 10, and Comparative Examples 2-1 and 2-2 of the female fabric.
Using these Example 1, Specific Example 2, and Comparative Examples 2-1 and 2-2, the tests described below are carried out.

Example 1
As shown in Figures 1 to 4 and Figures 9 to 12, the male fabric 1 of Example 1 is a raised pile fabric R in which connecting yarns in a warp pile fabric (a warp pile fabric in which one fabric and the other fabric are connected by connecting yarns (warp pile yarns)) are center-cut and sheared, and cut piles, which are male pile fibers 2, are erected from a male base fabric 6.
In the first embodiment, in the return forming step S1, the tip side of the male pile fiber 2 was brought into contact with a heat roller H to form a return portion 3.
In the male fabric 1 of Example 1, the single fiber fineness of the male pile fibers 2 is about 3.5 dtex, the length 3L of the return portion 3 of the male pile fibers 2 is about 25.0 μm, the warp pile density of the male pile fibers 2 is 125,539.2 fibers/25.4 mm, the pile height of the male pile fibers 2 is about 0.9 mm, and the thickness of the male fabric 1 is about 1.4 mm and the basis weight is about 378 g/ ^m2 .
Here, in the fabric construction (woven fabric) step S0-1, the woven fabric that becomes the male base fabric 6 in Example 1 is woven on a warp pile loom with polyester multifilament yarn (yarn-dyed yarn, 167 dtex 48 filaments) as the warp yarn and a blend of polyester false twist textured yarn (56 dtex 36 filaments) and nylon fused yarn (110 dtex 34 filaments) as the weft yarn, and the polyester multifilament yarn (yarn-dyed yarn, 167 dtex 48 filaments) as the warp pile yarn that becomes the male pile fibers 2 is woven in a weave structure in which it repeatedly floats once and sinks once with respect to the weft yarn of the woven fabric.
The woven fabric which becomes the male base fabric 6 in Example 1 has a warp density of 170.7 ends/25.4 mm, a weft density of 61.5 ends/25.4 mm, and a warp density of the warp pile yarns of 171.5 ends/25.4 mm on the machine.
In Example 1, after the fabric forming step S0-1, the cut step S0-2, the male heat setting step S0-3, and the shearing step S0-4 are carried out, and then the return portion 3 is formed on the tip side of the male pile fiber 2 in the return forming step S1.

Example 2
As shown in Figures 5 to 7 and Figures 9 to 12, the female fabric 10 of Example 2 is a fabric in which soluble fiber Y (yarn of soluble fiber Y (multifilament yarn)) contained in one fabric 15 of a warp pile fabric (a double warp pile fabric in which one fabric 15 and the other fabric 16 are connected by a connecting yarn (warp pile yarn)) is dissolved, and loop piles which are a plurality of female pile fibers 12 are entangled with each other on a female base fabric 16 to form a web-like female pile layer 12'.
In the female fabric 10 of Example 2, the female pile fibers 12 have a single fiber fineness of about 0.583 dtex, a diameter 12φ of the female pile fibers 12 is about 7.0 μm, a crimp rate of the female pile fibers is about 23 (22.9)%, a pile density of the female pile fibers 12 is 214459.2 fibers/(25.4 mm) ² , a thickness of the female pile layer 12' is about 1.0 mm, and a thickness of the female fabric 10 is about 1.4 mm with a basis weight of about 364 g/ ^m2 .
Here, the woven fabric that becomes the female base fabric 16 in Example 2 is the other fabric 16 in the weaving process S11, in which polyester multifilament yarn (167 dtex, 48 filaments) is woven as the warp yarn in a warp pile loom, polyester multifilament yarn (167 dtex, 48 filaments) is woven as the weft yarn, and polyester false twist textured yarn (84 dtex, 144 filaments) as the warp pile yarn that becomes the female pile fiber 12 is woven in a weave structure that repeatedly floats once and sinks once relative to the weft yarn of the woven fabric.
The woven fabric which becomes the female base fabric 16 in Example 2 has, on the machine, a warp density of 165.1 threads/25.4 mm and a weft density of 86.4 threads/25.4 mm, a warp density of the warp pile yarns of 137.9 threads/25.4 mm and a weft density of 86.4 threads/25.4 mm, and a pile density of the pile yarns of 1439.3 threads/(25.4 mm) ² .
In Example 2, after the weaving step S11, a female heat setting step S11' and a dissolving step S12 are performed, and the loop piles which are the multiple female pile fibers 12 are entangled with each other to form a web-like female pile layer 12'.
One of the fabrics 15 in the weaving step S11 is a woven fabric, in which a water-soluble vinylon yarn (220 dtex, 50 filaments), which is a yarn of soluble fiber Y, is woven as the warp yarn in a warp pile loom, and a water-soluble vinylon yarn (84 dtex, 24 filaments), which is a yarn of soluble fiber Y, is woven as the weft yarn, and a polyester false twist textured yarn (84 dtex, 144 filaments), which is a warp pile yarn that becomes the female pile fiber 12, is woven in a weave structure in which it repeatedly floats once and sinks once with respect to the weft yarn of the woven fabric.
The single fiber fineness of the female pile fibers 12 may be about 0.875 dtex, and the polyester false twist textured yarn serving as the warp pile yarn for the female pile fibers 12 may be 84 dtex 96 filaments.

<Comparative Example 2-1>
The female fabric of Comparative Example 2-1 is a warp pile fabric (a single-ply warp pile fabric in which a floating yarn (warp pile yarn) is woven only with respect to the other fabric) in which the floating yarn serves as a female engaging yarn of the loop pile.
In addition, the female fabric of Comparative Example 2-1 has a single fiber fineness of about 12.944 dtex in each fiber of the female engaging yarn, a diameter of about 35.0 μm in each fiber of the female engaging yarn, a crimp rate of about 5% in each fiber of the female engaging yarn, a pile density of 511.95 fibers/(25.4 mm) ² in each fiber of the female engaging yarn, a height of about 1.7 mm in each fiber of the female engaging yarn, and a thickness of about 3.6 mm in each fiber of the female fabric 10 and a basis weight of about 922 g/ ^m2 .
Here, the woven fabric serving as the base fabric in Comparative Example 2-1 is woven on a needle loom with a warp thread consisting of a yarn obtained by doubling covering a polyurethane yarn (1240 dtex) with a nylon false twist textured yarn (110 dtex, 24 filaments) and a two-ply yarn (84 dtex, 36 filaments x 2) of a damage dyed wash textured yarn, and a weft thread consisting of a blend of a polyester false twist textured yarn (220 dtex, 72 filaments) and a nylon fusion yarn (110 dtex, 34 filaments). Nylon raw silk (233 dtex, 18 filaments) serving as a warp pile yarn serving as a female engaging yarn is woven in a weave structure in which it floats eight times, sinks twice, floats twice, and sinks twice against the weft thread of the woven fabric.
The woven fabric serving as the base fabric in Comparative Example 2-1 has a warp density of 170.2 threads/25.4 mm and a weft density of 85.6 threads/25.4 mm on the machine.
In Comparative Example 2-1, because the warp yarns of the woven fabric that serves as the base fabric contain polyurethane yarns, the grey fabric shrinks in the warp direction when separated from the warp pile loom after weaving, causing the floating yarns, which are the female engaging yarns of the loop pile, to float higher, forming a roughly semi-cylindrical female engaging yarn of the loop pile when viewed in the weft direction, and although the bulk is inferior to that of Example 2, a web-like female pile layer is formed.

<Comparative Example 2-2>
The female fabric of Comparative Example 2-2 is a warp pile fabric (a single-ply warp pile fabric in which a floating yarn (warp pile yarn) is woven only with respect to the other fabric), in which the floating yarn serves as a female engaging yarn of the loop pile.
In addition, the female fabric of Comparative Example 2-2 has a single fiber fineness of each fiber of the female engaging yarn of about 0.00467 dtex (value after weight reduction), a diameter of each fiber of the female engaging yarn of about 0.7 μm (value after weight reduction), a crimp rate of each fiber of the female engaging yarn of about 2%, a pile density of each fiber of the female engaging yarn of 1445.21 fibers/(25.4 mm) ² , a height of each fiber of the female engaging yarn of about 0.4 mm, and a thickness of about 1.5 mm and a basis weight of about 548 g/ ^m2 as the female fabric 10.
Here, the woven fabric serving as the base fabric in Comparative Example 2-2 is woven on a needle loom with a warp thread consisting of a polyurethane yarn (940 dtex) double covered with a polyester false twist textured yarn (56 dtex 24 filaments) and a two-ply yarn of polyester false twist textured yarn (84 dtex 36 filaments x 2), and a weft thread consisting of a polyester false twist textured yarn (167 dtex 48 filaments).A polyester reduced weight yarn (before reduction: 112 dtex 20 filaments, after reduction: 78 dtex 16,720 filaments) serving as a warp pile yarn serving as a female engaging yarn is woven in a weave structure in which it floats five times and sinks once against the weft thread of the woven fabric.
In addition, the woven fabric serving as the base fabric in Comparative Example 2-2 has a warp density of 121.9 threads/25.4 mm and a weft density of 91.4 threads/25.4 mm on the machine.
In Comparative Example 2-2, since the warp yarns of the woven fabric that serves as the base fabric contain polyurethane yarns, the grey fabric that leaves the warp pile loom after weaving shrinks in the warp direction. However, the fibers of the female engaging yarns are too thin and weak, so the surface of the male fabric is slimy and has no bulk at all, and no web-like female pile layer is formed.

<Peel strength>
The "peel strength" between the male fabric 1 and the female fabric 10 in the hook-and-loop fastener 20 of the present invention may be measured by measuring a test piece (width 1.5 cm, male and female overlap length 5.0 cm) with a force gauge (manufactured by Imada Co., Ltd., model number DS2-5N), or in accordance with 7.4.2 of JIS-L-3416:2000.
In the present invention, "in accordance with JIS-L-3416:2000, 7.4.2" not only includes measurement as described in JIS-L-3416:2000, 7.4.2, but also includes measurement mutatis mutandis based on the description in the JIS (or with some changes, such as the tensile speed).
In this peel strength measurement test, the male fabric 1 and the female fabric 10 are measured using test pieces whose longitudinal direction is the warp direction.
The peel strength between the male fabric 1 and the female fabric 10 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.8 N (Newton)/cm or more, preferably 1.3 N/cm or more, and more preferably 1.6 N/cm or more, at least in one of the states in which the warp directions of the male fabric 1 and the female fabric 10 are approximately perpendicular and approximately parallel to each other.
The peel strength measurement test will be described below.

<Peel strength measurement test>
The peel strength measurement test is performed using the above-mentioned force gauge (or 7.4.2 of JIS-L-3416:2000) with Example 1 of male fabric 1 serving as the common male side and female fabric 10 of Example 2 and the female fabrics of Comparative Examples 2-1 and 2-2 serving as the female side, with the warp direction of male fabric 1 approximately parallel to the warp directions of female fabric 10 and the female fabrics, and the peel strengths obtained in the peel strength measurement test are compared.
The results of the peel strength measurement test are shown in Table 1 below.
If the peel strength is 0.8 N/cm or more, the peel strength required for the hook-and-loop fastener is evaluated as being sufficient and is given an "O" mark, and if the peel strength is less than 0.8 N/cm, the peel strength required for the hook-and-loop fastener is evaluated as being insufficient and is given an "X" mark.

<Evaluation of peel strength measurement test>
As shown in Table 1, in the female fabric 10 of Example 2, the diameter 12φ of the female pile fibers 12 is less than the length 3L of the turnup portion 3 of the male fabric 1, and a web-like female pile layer 12' is formed in which a plurality of female pile fibers 12 are entangled with each other, so that the peel strength is 1.873 N/cm, which is greater than 0.8 N/cm, and it can be said that the peel strength required for a hook-and-loop fastener is fully exhibited.
On the other hand, in Comparative Example 2-1, although a web-like pile layer is formed, the bulkiness of the pile layer is inferior to that of Example 2, and since the diameter of each fiber of the female engaging yarn is larger than the length 3L of the return portion 3 of the male fabric 1, the peel strength is very weak at 0.265 N/cm, which is less than 0.8 N/cm, and it can be said that the peel strength as a hook-and-loop fastener is not fully exhibited.
In addition, in Comparative Example 2-2, although the diameter of each fiber of the female engaging thread is shorter than the length 3L of the return portion 3 of the male fabric 1, a web-like pile layer is not formed, and therefore the peel strength is 0.707 N/cm, which is less than 0.8 N/cm, and therefore it can be said that the peel strength as a hook-and-loop fastener is not fully exhibited.

＜Other＞
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Each component of the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric (male fabric) 1 , the pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners 20, the manufacturing method of the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric (male fabric) 1 , and the like, or the overall structure, shape, dimensions, etc., can be appropriately changed in accordance with the spirit of the present invention.

The male fabric 1 and the female fabric 10 may be, in addition to the above-mentioned warp pile woven fabric and double raschel knitted fabric, a base fabric such as a woven fabric, knitted fabric or nonwoven fabric (male base fabric 6 and female base fabric 16) on which yarn containing pile fibers (male pile fibers 2 and female pile fibers 12) are tufted (implanted).
If the male fabric 1 and the female fabric 10 are tufted, the base fabric (male base fabric 6 and female base fabric 16) will naturally be a woven fabric, knitted fabric, nonwoven fabric, or the like.
In other words, the base fabrics (male base fabric 6 and female base fabric 16) may be woven fabric, knitted fabric, nonwoven fabric, or a combination thereof.
When the base fabric (male base fabric 6 or female base fabric 16) is a woven fabric, the woven fabric may be of any weave, for example, a plain weave, a twill weave, a satin weave (five-ply satin weave, warp-out variable satin weave, etc.), a double weave, or a multi-layer weave of double or more layers.
Furthermore, when the base fabrics (male base fabric 6 and female base fabric 16) are knitted fabrics, the knitted fabrics may have any knitting structure, for example, warp knitting such as tricot knitting, or weft knitting such as circular knitting.
Furthermore, when the base fabric (male base fabric 6 or female base fabric 16) is a nonwoven fabric, the nonwoven fabric may have any configuration, but may be, for example, a needle-punched nonwoven fabric in which fibers are hooked on a reciprocating needle to entangle the fibers, a spunbonded nonwoven fabric in which long fibers (filaments) spun from a nozzle are layered and bonded on a moving screen, a thermal-bonded nonwoven fabric containing heat-fusible fibers and formed by heating, a stitch-bonded nonwoven fabric, etc., bonded by a needle-punching method or the like.

If desired, the male fabric 1 and the female fabric 10 may be made of materials to which extender pigments such as titanium oxide and calcium carbonate or fillers have been added, or to which deodorants, antibacterial agents, antifungal agents, flame retardants, water repellents, stain resistant agents, colorants, fragrances, foaming agents, etc. have been added.
The male fabric 1 and the female fabric 10 may have any color tone, such as black, brown, blue, white, red, orange, yellow, green, purple, etc., and may have any value for saturation or brightness. The pattern of the male fabric 1 may be any pattern, such as a solid color, a plant pattern such as a flower or a plant, an animal pattern, a geometric pattern, or a pattern with surface irregularities.
The male pile fibers 2 may be loop pile fibers, in which case the loop tip side may be bent to form a turned up portion 3.

A backing resin may be applied to the back surface 1b of the male fabric 1 and the back surface 10b of the female fabric 10 to form a backing layer.
The material of the backing resin is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, polyurethane (PU) resin, polyacrylic resin mainly composed of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), silicone resin, or other synthetic resins such as polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) resin, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin, polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), nylon (polyamide) resin, polyolefin resins such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), acetate resin, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) resin (vinylon resin), which may be used alone or in combination.
The amount of backing resin applied (adhesion amount) may be any value, but may be, for example, 30 g/ ^m2 or more and 180 g/ ^m2 or less, preferably 40 g/ ^m2 or more and 170 g/ ^m2 or less, and more preferably 50 g/ ^m2 or more and 160 g/ ^m2 or less, in terms of dry weight.
The thickness of the backing layer may be any value, but may be, for example, from 20 μm to 500 μm (from 0.02 mm to 0.50 mm), preferably from 15 μm to 400 μm (from 0.015 mm to 0.400 mm), and more preferably from 10 μm to 300 μm (from 0.01 mm to 0.30 mm).

In the turnback forming step S1 in the manufacturing method of the male fabric 1, if the turnback portion 3 can be formed on the tip side of the male pile fiber 2, the turnback portion 3 may be formed on the male pile fiber 2, for example, by roasting the surface side of the male fabric 1 (the tip side of the male pile fiber 2) with a fire.
In the above-described embodiment, when the tip side of the male pile fiber 2 is brought into contact with the heat roller H to form the turnback portion 3 in the turnback forming step S1, the long pile fabric R is passed between the heat roller H and the support roller G. However, in another embodiment, the long pile fabric R is moved while being stretched without using the support roller G, and the male pile fiber 2 side is brought into contact with the heat roller H.

In the fabric construction step S0-1 in the manufacturing method of the male fabric 1, when the male fabric 1 is a male base fabric 6 such as a woven fabric, knitted fabric or nonwoven fabric, in which a yarn containing male pile fibers 2 is tufted (implanted), if the male base fabric 6 is a woven fabric, the fabric construction step S0-1 can be said to be a fabric weaving step S0-1, if the male base fabric 6 is a knitted fabric, the fabric construction step S0-1 can be said to be a knitting step S0-1, and if the male base fabric 6 is a nonwoven fabric, the fabric construction step S0-1 can be said to be a nonwoven fabric formation step S0-1.
Here, in the case of the textile weaving process S0-1, the loom used in this process is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a dobby loom, a jacquard loom, a bull moquette loom, or a wire moquette loom.
In addition, in the case of the knitting process S0-1, the knitting machine used in the process is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a warp knitting machine such as a tricot knitting machine or a double raschel knitting machine, or a weft knitting machine such as a circular knitting machine.
Furthermore, in the case of the nonwoven fabric formation step S0-1, the manufacturing equipment used in this step is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a needle punch machine in which fibers are hooked on a reciprocating needle to entangle the fibers, a spunbond machine in which long fibers (filaments) spun from a nozzle are layered on a moving screen to bond them, a thermal bond machine in which heat-fusible fibers are molded, or an apparatus for bonding stitch-bonded nonwoven fabrics, etc., by a needle punch method or the like.

In the method for producing the female fabric 10, the female heat setting step S11' is performed between the weaving step S11 and the dissolving step S12, but the female heat setting step S11' may be performed after the weaving step S11 and the dissolving step S12.
When the female fabric 10 is a double Raschel knit fabric in which a connecting yarn has been center-cut, the manufacturing method for the female fabric 10 may include a knitting step of knitting a double knit fabric by connecting one fabric containing the soluble fiber Y and the other fabric not containing the soluble fiber Y with a warp knitted pile yarn, and a dissolving step of dissolving the soluble fiber Y in one fabric of the double knit fabric after the knitting step to form loop pile which is a female pile fiber.
In a manufacturing method of the female fabric 10, a yarn containing the female pile fibers 12 may be tufted as a loop pile onto a female base fabric 16 such as a woven fabric, knitted fabric or nonwoven fabric to form the female fabric 10.

The manufacturing method of the male fabric 1 and the female fabric 10 may include a backing step.
The backing step is a step of applying a backing resin to the back surface 1b of the male fabric 1 and the back surface 10b of the female fabric 10 to form a backing layer.
In the backing step, the backing resin may be applied in an emulsion state to the back surface 1b of the male fabric 1 and the back surface 10b of the female fabric 10.
The specific means of application is not particularly limited, and in addition to application with a brush or the like or spray application, a comma direct method, a gravure direct method, a gravure reverse method, a reverse roll coating method, an air knife coating method, a kiss coating method, or the like may be used. In addition, a thin film coater, a roll print processing machine, an inkjet print processing machine, a rotor dampening method, or the like may also be used.
Furthermore, when the backing resin is applied in an emulsion state, the solvent may be water or an organic solvent, and when the solvent is water, the backing resin to be applied will be an aqueous polyacrylic resin emulsion, an aqueous polyurethane resin emulsion, or the like.

The male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric of the present invention , a pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners, and a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric manufactured by the manufacturing method of the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric of the present invention can be used as covering materials for clothing, car seats in automobiles (passenger cars), interior materials, etc., and can also be used to cover chairs and interior materials (inner wall materials, ceiling materials, floor materials, etc.) in the interior (room) of vehicles such as railway cars, airplanes, and ships.
In addition, the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric of the present invention , a pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners, and a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric manufactured by the manufacturing method of the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric of the present invention can be used not only for clothing and the inside of vehicles such as car seat covering materials and interior materials, but also for covering furniture such as chairs and beds inside buildings such as houses and offices, interior materials such as wall materials, ceiling materials and floor materials, lighting fixtures, etc., and may also be used for industrial material applications and daily living materials such as shoes.

1. Male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric (male fabric)
2 Male pile fiber 3 Return portion 10 Female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric (female fabric)
12 Female pile fiber 12' Female pile layer 15 One fabric 16 Other fabric 17 Double woven fabric 20 Pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners S1 Barb forming process S11 Weaving process S12 Dissolving process Y Dissolvable fiber

Claims (8)

A male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric having male pile fibers on at least one surface thereof,
The male pile fibers are thermoplastic fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.1 dtex or more and 15.0 dtex or less,
A return portion is formed on the tip side of the male pile fiber, the return portion forming an angle of less than 90° with the longitudinal direction of the male pile fiber,
The length of the return portion is 0.1 μm or more and 40.0 μm or less,
A male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric, characterized in that the diameter of the male pile fibers is 1 μm or more and 40 μm or less. A male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric having male pile fibers on at least one surface thereof,
The male pile fibers are thermoplastic fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.1 dtex or more and 15.0 dtex or less,
A male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric characterized in that a return portion is formed on the tip side of the male pile fibers, the return portion forming an angle of less than 90° with the longitudinal direction of the male pile fibers. The length of the return portion is 0.1 μm or more and 40.0 μm or less,
3. The male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric according to claim 2, wherein the diameter of said turn-back portion is approximately the same as or smaller than the diameter of said male pile fibers. The male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric is a warp pile fabric,
The male pile fibers are cut pile fibers,
The warp pile density of the male pile fibers is 100,000 fibers/25.4 mm or more and 300,000 fibers/25.4 mm or less,
4. The male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric according to claim 1, wherein the pile height of said male pile fibers is 0.1 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less. A pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners comprising a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric having male pile fibers on at least one surface and a female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric having female pile fibers on at least one surface,
The male pile fibers are thermoplastic fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.1 dtex or more and 15.0 dtex or less,
A return portion is formed on the tip side of the male pile fiber, the return portion forming an angle of less than 90° with the longitudinal direction of the male pile fiber,
The female pile fibers are thermoplastic fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.001 dtex or more and 5.000 dtex or less,
The female pile fibers are loop pile fibers having a crimp conforming to JIS-L-0208:2006 244;
A web-like female pile layer is formed in which a plurality of the female pile fibers are entangled with each other,
the female pile fibers and the male pile fibers engage with each other;
A pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners, characterized in that the diameter of said female pile fibers is equal to or less than the length of the return portions of said male pile fibers. A pair of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners as described in claim 5, characterized in that the peel strength between the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric and the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric is 0.8 N/cm or more at least in one of the states in which the warp directions of the male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric and the female hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric are approximately perpendicular and approximately parallel. A method for producing a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric having male pile fibers on at least one surface thereof, comprising the steps of:
The male pile fibers are thermoplastic fibers having a single fiber fineness of 0.1 dtex or more and 15.0 dtex or less,
A method for manufacturing a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric, comprising a turn-back forming step of forming a turn-back portion at the tip side of the male pile fibers, the turn-back portion forming an angle of less than 90° with the longitudinal direction of the male pile fibers. 8. A method for producing a male hook-and-loop fastener functional fabric according to claim 7, characterized in that in the turn-back forming step, the tip side of the male pile fiber in a raised pile fabric having male pile fibers standing up from a male base fabric and not having a turn-back portion formed therein is brought into contact with a heat roller to form the turn-back portion.