KR20220044524A - composite yarn - Google Patents

Abstract

Composite yarns comprising cellulosic filaments are disclosed. The cellulosic filaments may be wound around a staple fiber core of the yarn, or may be included in the core of the yarn, and may be at least partially surrounded by a staple fiber sheath. Such composite yarns can combine the strength of regenerated cellulosic filaments with the “feel” and other properties of organic fibers. Textiles formed from composite yarn and articles comprising such textile are also disclosed.

Description

composite yarn

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Patent Cooperation Treaty patent application is based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/886,310, entitled "Composite Yarn," filed on August 13, 2019, and the invention entitled "Composite Yarn," filed on May 8, 2020. Priority is claimed to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/022,175, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

field of invention

The presently described embodiments relate generally to composite yarns and textiles and articles comprising such composite yarns and textiles. More specifically, the present embodiments relate to a composite yarn comprising a cellulose-based filament.

The composite yarn may combine a staple fiber component and a filament component. Some existing composite yarns contain filaments that are synthetic in nature, such as nylon or elastomers. In one configuration, the staple fibers may form the core of the composite yarn, and conventional synthetic filaments may be wound around the core. In other configurations, conventional synthetic filaments may form the core of the composite yarn, and staple fibers may form a sheath around the core.

The present disclosure provides a composite yarn combining cellulosic filaments with organic and/or recycled synthetic fibers. As an example, cellulosic filaments may be wound around or included in the core of a staple fiber of a yarn, and may be at least partially surrounded by a staple fiber sheath. The composite yarns disclosed herein can have a reduced environmental impact compared to composite yarns comprising conventional synthetic filaments. For example, cellulosic filaments and organic fibers can be obtained from renewable natural sources and can be biodegradable. Recycled synthetic fibers can help divert plastics from landfills and the ocean, and their production can be less energy intensive than the production of virgin synthetic fibers.

In some cases, the composite yarn includes a core comprising organic fibers, recycled synthetic fibers, or combinations thereof and cellulosic filaments at least partially surrounding the core. A strand comprising cellulosic filaments or multiple cellulosic filaments may be wound around a core. In other cases, cellulosic filaments and organic fibers and/or recycled synthetic fibers are twisted together. The cellulosic filament may be a regenerated cellulosic filament, such as a lyocell filament. Organic fibers and/or recycled synthetic fibers are generally in the form of staples. These composite yarns may have higher strength than comparable sized yarns spun solely from staple fiber(s) alone.

The organic fibers of the core may be fibers of plant origin or fibers of animal origin, and are generally in the form of staples. For example, the organic fibers may be wool fibers or cellulosic fibers. The cellulosic fibers may include at least one of regenerated cellulose fibers such as lyocell staple fibers or bast fibers such as hemp staple fibers. The core may include more than one type of organic fiber. For example, the core may include a combination of wool fibers and cellulosic staple fibers or a combination of cellulosic staple fibers. The core may also include synthetic fibers, such as recycled synthetic fibers, alone or in combination with organic fibers. Recycled synthetic fibers are generally in the form of staples, and may be recycled polyester fibers, recycled nylon fibers, and the like.

In a further instance, the composite yarn includes a core comprising at least one cellulosic filament, and a sheath at least partially surrounding the core and comprising organic fibers. The cellulosic filament may be a regenerated cellulose filament such as a lyocell filament. The organic fibers of the core are generally in the form of staples. The composite yarns disclosed herein can provide yarns that have the look and "feel" of organic fibers, but have higher strength than comparable sized yarns spun from organic staple fibers.

Organic fibers may be fibers of plant origin or fibers of animal origin. For example, the organic fibers may be wool fibers or cellulosic fibers. The sheath may include more than one type of organic fiber. For example, the sheath may comprise a combination of wool fibers and cellulosic staple fibers. In addition, the sheath may include primarily organic fibers, but may also include synthetic fibers.

In addition, the composite yarns disclosed herein can be used to make knitted or woven textiles. These textiles can be used in a variety of articles including apparel, footwear, and accessory articles. For example, an article of clothing may include a textile having a knit structure, the textile including the composite yarns of the present disclosure. Articles of clothing such as shirts, leggings, socks, underwear, and the like can be made from the microknitted textiles disclosed herein. Such articles can have a reduced environmental impact compared to conventional articles with a higher synthetic content.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present disclosure will be readily understood by the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals indicate like elements.
1 shows an example of a composite yarn having a core structure wound with a filament.
2 shows a further example of a composite yarn having a core structure wound with a filament.
3 schematically shows a composite yarn with a core-shell structure.
Fig. 4 is a detailed view of a region of the composite yarn of Fig. 3;
5 shows the composite yarn of FIG. 3 showing the core with a portion of the yarn cut away;
6 shows a further example of a composite yarn having a core-shell structure.
7 shows an example of a shoe including a composite yarn.
8 shows an example of a pair of leggings comprising a composite yarn.
9A shows a first example of a sock made at least in part from a composite yarn.
9B shows a second example of a sock made at least in part from a composite yarn.
The use of cross-hatching or shading in the accompanying drawings is generally provided to clarify boundaries between adjacent elements and to facilitate readability of the drawings. Accordingly, the presence or absence of cross-hatching or shading may indicate any preference or requirement for a particular material, material property, element ratio, element dimension, similarly illustrated elements, or any element illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It does not convey or represent any other feature, attribute, or characteristic of
Additionally, the ratios and dimensions (relative or absolute) of the various features and elements (and their aggregations and groupings) and the boundaries, separations, and positional relationships set forth therebetween are only to aid in understanding the various embodiments described herein. It is provided in the accompanying drawings, and thus may not necessarily be drawn to scale or illustrated, and is not intended to represent any preference or requirement for the illustrated embodiment except for the embodiments described thereto.

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following descriptions are not intended to limit the embodiments to one preferred implementation. On the contrary, the described embodiments are intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure and as defined by the appended claims.

The disclosure below relates to a composite yarn comprising at least one cellulosic filament. The cellulosic filaments may be wound around or included in the core of the yarn and may be at least partially surrounded by a staple fiber sheath. Recent developments have made it possible to produce cellulosic filaments with good mechanical properties, such as lyocell filaments. Composite yarns comprising cellulosic filaments that are supplied renewable can have reduced environmental impact compared to conventional composite yarns having a staple fiber core wound with synthetic filaments or a core comprised of synthetic filaments.

In some cases, the composite yarn comprises cellulosic filaments wound around a core comprising organic fibers, recycled synthetic fibers, or combinations thereof. The cellulosic filament may be a regenerated cellulose filament such as a lyocell filament. Organic fibers and recycled synthetic fibers may be in the form of staples. When the core comprises organic fibers, the composite yarn may comprise at least 40 wt%, 50 wt%, 60 wt% or 70 wt% and up to about 85 wt% organic fibers. In some cases, the composite yarn may comprise from about 40% to about 60% by weight organic fibers. Where the core comprises recycled synthetic fibers, the composite yarn may comprise 30% to 70% by weight or 40% to 60% by weight of recycled synthetic fibers. In some cases, the core may include one or more of primarily organic fibers or recycled synthetic fibers, but may also include virgin synthetic fibers. The composite yarn may comprise from about 15% to about 40% or from about 40% to about 60% cellulosic filaments.

In some examples, the composite yarn includes a core comprising wool fibers, regenerated cellulosic staple fibers, bast fibers, recycled synthetic fibers, or combinations thereof and lyocell filaments wound around the core. When the core comprises fine wool fibers, the fine wool fibers can contribute softness and moisture wicking properties to the composite yarn. A core comprising a moisture wicking recycled synthetic fiber such as polyester can also contribute moisture wicking properties to the composite yarn. Bast and regenerated cellulosic staple fibers may be supplied renewably and may also be biodegradable. Thus, yarns comprising these fibers may have reduced environmental impact compared to yarns comprising fibers that are not sourced renewable and/or that are not biodegradable.

In additional instances, the composite yarn comprises cellulosic filaments twisted into strands comprising organic fibers, recycled synthetic fibers, or combinations thereof. Where the strands comprise organic fibers, the composite yarn may comprise at least 40 wt%, 50 wt%, 60 wt%, or 70 wt% and up to about 85 wt% organic fibers. In some cases, the strands may comprise from about 40% to about 60% by weight organic fibers. Where the strand comprises recycled synthetic fibers, the composite yarn may comprise 30% to 70% by weight or 40% to 60% by weight of recycled synthetic fibers. The strands may be staple fiber strands. In some cases, the staple fiber strands may primarily include one or more of organic fibers or recycled synthetic fibers, but may also include virgin synthetic fibers. The composite yarn may comprise from about 15% to about 40% by weight or from about 40% to about 60% by weight cellulosic filaments.

In some examples, the composite yarn comprises lyocell filaments twisted into strands comprising any of wool fibers, bast fibers, regenerated cellulosic staple fibers, recycled synthetic fibers, or combinations thereof. Such composite yarns can have similar advantages as those in which lyocell filaments are wound around a core.

In a further case, the composite yarn has a core-shell structure and comprises at least one cellulosic filament in the core. The cellulosic filament may be a regenerated cellulose filament such as a lyocell filament. The sheath typically comprises organic fibers such as wool fibers and/or cellulosic fibers. The sheath may also include synthetic fibers. The filament(s) of the core may provide at least 2% and up to 5%, 10%, or 15% of the yarn, and the fibers of the sheath may constitute the remainder of the yarn.

The inclusion of organic fibers in the sheath in combination with the cellulosic filaments of the core can provide the composite yarn with a high content of renewable feed material and low environmental impact. When the sheath mainly comprises one or more organic fibers, the composite yarn may have the appearance and “feel” of the organic fiber(s) but with a higher strength than a comparable sized yarn spun from the organic fiber(s). For example, if the sheath includes fine wool fibers, the fine wool fibers can contribute softness and moisture wicking properties to the composite yarn. In some embodiments, the skin may be formed entirely of organic fibers.

Textiles knitted or woven from these composite yarns may be incorporated into articles such as articles of clothing, footwear, or accessories. Fine knitted textiles suitable for activewear and undergarments are also provided by the disclosure herein.

These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to FIGS. 1-9B . However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description provided herein in connection with these drawings is for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting.

1 shows an example of a composite yarn 100 having a core structure wound with a filament. Composite yarn 100 includes a plurality of filamentous fibers 118 wound around a core 115 that includes fibers 112 . Fibers 112 are typically staple fibers. The example of FIG. 1 is not limiting, and in some cases, more or fewer filamentous fibers may be wound around the core 115 .

As shown in Figure 1, the filament fibers 118 need not completely cover the core. Yarn 100 may also be described as having a wound structure in which filament fibers 118 and fibers 112 of a core 115 alternate at the surface of the yarn. This structure allows the fibers 112 of the core to contribute to the "feel" of the composite yarn. Composite yarns having a filament-wound core structure can be produced by processes such as siro-fil or embedded and positioning spinning processes.

In some cases, composite yarn 100 may primarily include fibers 112 of core 115 . For example, the fibers of the core may constitute at least 50%, 60%, or 70% and up to about 85% by weight of the composite yarn. In additional cases, the fibers of the core may constitute 30% to 70% or 40% to 60% by weight of the composite yarn. The amount of filament fibers and the amount of core fibers together comprise greater than 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80%, at least 90%, at least 95%, or even up to 100% by weight of the composite yarn. configurable.

Yarn 100 may be characterized by a number of yarns. Metric Yarn Count (Nm) is a measure of the number of meters per gram of yarn. In some cases, the metric yarn count is from 25 to 100, from 25 to 75, from 25 to 50, or from 50 to 100 for a single strand. A standard method test method, such as an ASTM test method (eg, ASTM D1059), can be used to determine the yarn count of the yarns described herein.

In the example of FIG. 1 , filament fibers 118 define a filament strand 117 . In some cases, filamentous fibers 118 within filament strand 117 may be twisted. When the filament fibers are relatively fine and have a relatively low linear density, the filament strand may include 10 to 100 filaments. When the filamentous fibers have a higher linear density, the filament strand may contain fewer filaments. In some cases, a single filament may be wound around the core. One measure of the winding of filament strand 117 around core 115 is the number of turns per unit distance. In some cases, the number of turns per meter is between 100 and 10,000 turns per meter.

In some cases, each filament fiber 118 is a regenerated cellulosic filament, also referred to herein as a regenerated cellulosic filament. Regenerated cellulosic fibers and filaments include, but are not limited to, rayon, viscose, and lyocell fibers and filaments. In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulosic filaments are lyocell filaments. Lyocell filaments and fibers are produced using the lyocell process. The lyocell process can reduce its environmental impact compared to some other fiber production processes due to its renewable raw materials, non-toxic solvents, and high solvent recycling efficiency. Lyocell filaments may have a strength close to that of synthetic filaments such as polyester or nylon filaments. For example, the lyocell filament may have a tensile strength of 500 MPa to 800 MPa, 600 MPa to 900 MPa, or 600 MPa to 700 MPa. The tensile strength of the cellulosic filament may be determined using a standard method such as the ASTM method.

Filament strand 117 may have a linear density between 25 dTex and 175 dTex, between 25 dTex and 160 dTex, between 30 dTex and 75 dTex, or between 50 dTex and 160 dTex. Individual filaments 118, such as Lyocell filaments, have a linear density of 1 dTex to 10 dTex, 1 dTex to 5 dTex, 1 dTex to 3 dTex, 5 dTex to 25 dTex, 10 dTex to 30 dTex, or 10 dTex to 50 dTex. can have When each filament has a linear density from about 1 dTex to about 5 dTex, the filament strand may contain from 25 to 100 filaments. A filament strand may contain fewer fibers when each filament has a higher linear density. Standard method test methods such as ASTM test methods or ISO test methods (eg, ISO 1973:1995) can be used to determine the linear density of fibers, strands, and yarns described herein.

In additional instances, the filamentary strand may comprise one or more synthetic filaments. The synthetic filaments may include at least a portion of the recycled material. For example, if the synthetic filament is a nylon filament, the nylon fiber may comprise at least a portion of recycled nylon.

In some embodiments, core 115 includes a single type of fiber 112 . For example, the core may comprise or consist essentially of organic fibers or recycled synthetic fibers. The organic fibers may be of animal origin, such as sheep, goats, silkworms, and the like. Fibers of animal origin include, but are not limited to, wool, cashmere, and silk fibers. Organic fibers may also be of plant origin such as wood (eg, eucalyptus, beech), bamboo, cotton, flax, and the like. Fibers of plant origin include, but are not limited to, cellulosic fibers (also referred to as cellulosic fibers). Cellulosic fibers include seed fibers such as cotton, bast fibers such as hemp or linen, and regenerated cellulosic fibers such as rayon fibers. Regenerated cellulosic fibers include, but are not limited to, viscose, modal, and lyocell fibers, and may be made from wood pulp and other plant sources such as bamboo and hemp. The recycled synthetic fibers may be recycled polyester staple fibers, recycled nylon staple fibers, and the like. In some cases, fibers 112 may be provided in staple fiber strands that may or may not be twisted.

In some cases, the core 115 includes wool fibers. Fine wool fibers, such as fibers having a median or average diameter of less than 24 microns, less than 20 microns, or even less than 17.5 microns, can be used to provide a soft "handle" to the resulting textile. The wool fibers may be merino wool fibers. The average diameter of wool fibers can be determined using test methods established by the International Wool Testing Organization (IWTO) or the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). IWTO standards include IWTO-8-2011, IWTO-12-2012, and IWTO-47-2013. ASTM standards include D3991, D6466, and D6500. For example, wool fibers may constitute 50% to 85%, 60% to 85%, greater than 65% to 85%, or 70% to 85% by weight of the composite yarn. The amount of filament fibers and the amount of wool fibers together constitute greater than 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80%, at least 90%, at least 95%, or even 100% by weight of the composite yarn. can do. It should be noted that in the present disclosure and claims, references to a fiber type in the singular (eg, "wool fiber") generally include reference to one or more fibers of that type (eg, a plurality of wool fibers). have to understand

In additional cases, the core 115 comprises cellulosic fibers. The core may include one or more of regenerated cellulosic staple fibers or bast staple fibers. As an example, the core may include lyocell staple fibers, hemp staple fibers, linen/flax staple fibers, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulosic staple fiber or bast staple fiber has a linear density of 1 dTex to 50 dTex, 2 dTex to 30 dTex, 2 dTex to 20 dTex, 1 dTex to 10 dTex, or 1 dTex to 5 dTex. The staple length may be between 20 mm and 40 mm or between 25 mm and 50 mm.

In further instances, core 115 comprises recycled synthetic polymer fibers, also referred to herein simply as recycled synthetic fibers. The recycled synthetic fibers may be recycled polyester fibers, recycled nylon fibers, and the like. In some embodiments, the synthetic fiber has a linear density between 1 dTex and 5 dTex. In other embodiments, the synthetic fiber may have a linear density of 1 dTex or less, such as 0.1 dTex to 1 dTex, 0.1 dTex to 0.5 dTex, 0.1 dTex to 0.3 dTex, or 0.3 dTex to less than 1 dTex.

The yarn may comprise 30% to 70% by weight, 40% to 60% by weight, or greater than 50% to 70% by weight of synthetic fibers; and 30 wt% to 70 wt%, 40 wt% to about 60 wt%, or 30 wt% to less than 50 wt% filament fibers. The amount of filament fibers and the amount of synthetic fibers together constitute greater than 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80%, at least 90%, at least 95%, or even 100% by weight of the composite yarn. can do.

The recycled synthetic fibers include at least a portion of the recycled polymer. In some cases, the synthetic fiber comprises 50% to 100% by weight, 60% to 100% by weight, 60% to 100% by weight, 70% to 100% by weight, 80% to 100% by weight, or 90% by weight. % to 100% by weight of recycled polymer. If the synthetic fiber contains less than 100% by weight recycled polymer, the recycled polymer may be blended with the virgin polymer. For example, polyester fibers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) may comprise at least a portion of recycled PET (also referred to as R-PET). When the polyester fibers comprise less than 100% by weight of R-PET, the R-PET may be blended with virgin PET (also referred to as V-PET). Polymers can be recycled through physical processes including pellet molding and extrusion. Polymers can also be recycled by chemical processes in which the polymer is broken down into depolymerized oligomers.

2 shows a further example of a composite yarn 200 having a filament wound core structure. Composite yarn 200 includes a plurality of filament fibers 218 wound around a core 215 . In the example of FIG. 2 , the core 215 includes a fiber blend 210 comprising two different types of staple fibers: fibers 212 and fibers 216 . Composite yarn 200 may have linear densities and other physical properties similar to those described for composite yarn 100, and filamentary fiber 218 and filament strand 217 may include filamentary fiber 118 and filamentary strand ( 117) may have similar composition and physical properties. For the sake of brevity, these details are not repeated here.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the core 215 of the yarn 200 includes two different types of fibers: a first fiber 212 that is an organic fiber and a second fiber 216 that is different from the first fiber. comprising a fiber blend 210 comprising: The second fiber may also be organic in many embodiments. The first fibers 212 and the second fibers 216 may be in the form of staples.

For example, the first fibers 212 may include wool fibers such as merino wool fibers. The wool fibers may have similar physical properties to the wool fibers previously described with respect to the core 115 , and for the sake of brevity, the description is not repeated herein. In some embodiments, the second fiber 216 may be a different organic staple fiber than the first fiber 212 . For example, the second fiber 216 may be a cellulosic staple fiber, such as a lyocell staple fiber. In some embodiments, the cellulosic fibers have a linear density between 1 dTex and 3 dTex. For example, the amount of wool fibers may be at least 40%, 50%, 60%, or 70% by weight of the core 215 . In some embodiments, the amount of wool fibers is greater than or equal to the amount of cellulosic staple fibers, and the composite yarn 200 may include predominantly wool fibers. The amount of wool fibers and the amount of cellulosic staple fibers together may constitute at least 80%, 90%, or 95% by weight of the core 215 .

Alternatively, the second fibers 216 may be synthetic fibers in the form of staples. For example, the synthetic fibers may include one or more of nylon fibers, polyester fibers, acrylic fibers, and the like. The synthetic fibers may be recycled polyester fibers, recycled nylon fibers, or the like, or may be virgin synthetic fibers. Synthetic fibers (recycled or pure) may have similar compositions and/or physical properties to recycled synthetic fibers previously described with respect to core 115 , and for the sake of brevity, the descriptions are not repeated herein. For example, the amount of wool fibers may be at least 40%, 50%, 60%, or 70% by weight of the core 215 , and in some cases, the amount of wool fibers may be greater than or equal to the amount of synthetic fibers. As another example, the amount of synthetic fibers may be at least 40%, 50%, 60%, or 70% by weight of the core 215 . The amount of wool fibers and the amount of synthetic fibers together may constitute at least 80%, 90%, or 95% by weight of the core 215 .

In additional cases, the first fibers 212 may include cellulosic fibers and the second fibers 216 may include other cellulosic or synthetic fibers. For example, the first fibers 212 may be regenerated cellulosic fibers such as lyocell staple fibers, and the second fibers 216 may be bast fibers such as hemp staple fibers or linen staple fibers (or vice versa). also). The cellulosic fibers may have similar composition and/or physical properties to the cellulosic fibers previously described with respect to the core 115 , and for the sake of brevity, the descriptions are not repeated herein.

The example of FIG. 2 shows a core 215 comprising two different types of fibers. In a further example, the core may include a blend of more than two types of fibers. For example, the core may include a blend of wool fibers, cellulosic staple fibers, and synthetic fibers. The amount of synthetic fibers may be less than wool fibers and cellulosic fibers. In a further example, the core may have an interior region comprising elastomeric filaments, such as spandex filaments, in a manner similar to that described with respect to FIG. 3 . For the sake of brevity, the description is not repeated here.

In some embodiments, the yarn may be made of the following fibers: 48% lyocell; 21% wool; 15% nylon (including recycled nylon); 7% polyester (including recycled polyester); and 2% spandex. In another embodiment, the yarn may be made of the following fibers; 47% lyocell; 21% wool; 18% nylon (including recycled nylon such as 17% recycled nylon and 1% non-recycled nylon); 12 % polyester (including recycled polyester such as 6 % recycled polyester and 6 % non-recycled polyester); and 2% spandex. In another embodiment, the yarn may be made of the following fibers: 50% lyocell; 22% wool; 18% nylon (including recycled nylon such as 17% recycled nylon and 1% non-recycled nylon); 8 % polyester (including non-recycled polyesters such as 4 % recycled polyester and 4 % non-recycled polyester); and 2% spandex. It is to be understood that the percentages given are by weight, density, volume, or any other suitable property (which may be any set of percentages discussed herein). It should also be understood that, although specific percentages are provided, with respect to any embodiment any or all of the above percentages may vary in absolute terms by 3% in either direction or by 20% in relative terms. "absolute aspect" refers to the percentage as part of the overall composition of the yarn; Thus, if fibers are given as 21% of the fibers in one example and vary by 3% in absolute terms, it may be as little as 18% of the yarn or as much as 24% in various embodiments. "Relative Aspects" refers to the percentage of material that makes up the yarn; Thus, given the same fiber that is 21% of the yarn, it can be as little as 16.8% or as much as 25.2% of the yarn in relative terms (eg, 80% or 21% or 120% of the 21%). Changes in percentages may occur during manufacturing, or they may be the result of altering the composition of the fibers to provide various material properties such as elasticity, tensile strength, damage resistance, breathability, and the like.

It should be understood that the ranges disclosed herein, as well as combinations of the various fibers of the yarn, provide unique and unique advantages to the yarn. For example, the use of recycled fibers in the indicated amounts on yarns (especially yarns for clothing, footwear, etc.) is unusual and difficult to achieve. The percentages and ranges given for combinations of organic fibers (e.g., wool) and other fibers (e.g., lyocell, nylon, polyester, spandex, etc.), unlike other fiber blends used to form the yarn, Recycled fibers and/or fibers may be produced that are relatively durable, breathable, and/or abrasion-resistant while not being brittle, shear, or detachable.

In some cases, the composite yarn includes filaments twisted into strands that include cellulosic filaments or organic fibers, recycled synthetic fibers, or combinations thereof. The cellulosic filaments or cellulosic filament strands may have one or more properties similar to the cellulosic filaments or cellulosic filament strands described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2 . Strands comprising organic fibers, recycled synthetic fibers, or combinations thereof may have one or more properties similar to those of the strand(s) used to form the core described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2 . For the sake of brevity, the description provided in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2 is not repeated herein.

3 schematically illustrates a composite yarn 300 . Composite yarn 300 has a core-sheath structure comprising a core 310 and a sheath 320 . In some embodiments, the composite yarn has a linear density between 50 dTex and 1000 dTex (100 Tex), between 50 dTex and 200 dTex, between 100 dTex and 500 dTex, or between 250 dTex and 1000 dTex. Standard method test methods, such as ASTM test methods, can be used to determine the linear density of the fibers and yarns described herein.

In the example of FIG. 3 , the core 310 includes cellulosic filaments. The cellulosic filament may be a regenerated cellulose filament such as a lyocell filament. The core may comprise a single cellulosic filament or multiple cellulosic filaments. Individual filaments of the core 310, such as lyocell filaments, are 1 dTex to 10 dTex, 1 dTex to 5 dTex, 1 dTex to 3 dTex, 5 dTex to 25 dTex, 10 dTex to 30 dTex, or 10 dTex to 50 dTex. It can have linearity. The core may contain fewer fibers when each filament has a higher linear density. The filament(s) of the core 310 may provide at least 2% and up to 5%, 10%, or 15% of the yarn, and the fibers of the sheath 320 may constitute the remainder of the yarn.

In some cases, core 310 may also include synthetic filaments, such as recycled synthetic filaments or elastomeric fibers (recycled or virgin). For example, core 310 may include one or more synthetic elastomeric fibers, such as spandex or elastin filament fibers. The elastomeric fibers can be polyurethane elastomers (eg, segmented polyurethane elastomers), crosslinked polyacrylates, or combinations of polyurethane elastomers with other polymers such as nylon. In some cases, spandex fibers may be bio-based spandex or post-industrial recycled spandex. The amount of elastomeric filaments may be from 1% to less than 10%, from 1% to 8%, or from 2% to 7% by weight of the core or yarn. The core may also include recycled synthetic filaments that are not substantially elastomeric, such as recycled nylon filaments.

Typically, sheath 320 includes fibers in the form of closely mixed and interlocked staples. Typically, staple fibers are twisted around the core 310 . If the filaments in the core are twisted, the staple fibers may be twisted in the opposite direction. The sheath may be formed around the core using a core spinning technique, such as a ring spinning technique or a friction spinning technique. However, other spinning techniques may also be used, such as rotor spinning techniques, air jet techniques, and the like.

The sheath 320 typically includes one or more organic fibers. The sheath may also include synthetic fibers in the form of staples, although this is not required or present in all embodiments. In some embodiments, the amount of synthetic fiber(s) in the sheath is less than the amount of organic fiber(s), so that the sheath comprises predominantly organic fibers. For example, the amount of synthetic fibers may be up to 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%, or 5% by weight of the sheath fiber. For example, the synthetic fibers may include one or more of nylon, polyester, acrylic, and the like.

3 shows the composite yarn 300 as having a single ply. In a further example, the composite yarn includes multiple plies. For example, multiple plies may be twisted together to obtain a desired yarn thickness, linear density, and/or mechanical properties. Yarn 300 may be used to form a textile by a weaving or knitting operation, and the yarn properties may be adjusted for a particular weaving or knitting operation.

FIG. 4 shows a detailed view of the sheath 420 of the yarn 400 , which is an example of the detail zone 1-1 of the yarn 300 of FIG. 3 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the sheath 420 of the yarn 400 comprises a blend of two different types of fibers: a first fiber 412 that is an organic fiber and a second fiber 416 that is different from the first fiber. including; The second fiber may also be organic in many embodiments. The first fibers 412 and the second fibers 416 may be in the form of staples.

For example, the first fibers 412 may include wool fibers, such as merino wool fibers. Wool fibers can have an average diameter of less than 24 microns, less than 20 microns, or even less than or equal to 17.5 microns.

In some embodiments, second fiber 416 may be a different organic staple fiber than first fiber 412 . For example, the second fiber 416 may be a cellulosic staple fiber, such as a lyocell staple fiber. In some embodiments, the cellulosic fibers have a linear density between 1 dTex and 3 dTex. For example, the amount of wool fibers may be at least 40%, 50%, 60%, or 70% by weight of the sheath 420 . The amount of wool fibers may be greater than or equal to the amount of cellulosic staple fibers, or the amount of cellulosic staple fibers may be greater than or equal to the amount of wool staple fibers. The amount of wool fibers and the amount of cellulosic staple fibers together may constitute at least 80%, 90%, or 95% by weight of the sheath.

Alternatively, the second fibers 416 may be synthetic fibers in the form of staples. For example, the synthetic fibers may include one or more of nylon fibers, polyester fibers, acrylic fibers, and the like. The synthetic fibers may be recycled synthetic fibers. In some embodiments, the synthetic fiber has a linear density between 1 dTex and 5 dTex. For example, the amount of wool fibers may be at least 40%, 50%, 60%, or 70% by weight of the sheath. In some cases, the amount of wool fibers may be greater than or equal to the amount of synthetic fibers. The amount of wool fibers and the amount of synthetic fibers together constitute at least 80%, 90% or 95% by weight of the skin.

In some embodiments, the yarn may be made of the following fibers: 48% lyocell; 21% wool; 15 % nylon (including recycled nylon), 7 % polyester (including recycled polyester); and 2% spandex. In another embodiment, the yarn may be made of the following fibers: 47% lyocell; 21% wool, 18% nylon (including recycled nylon such as 17% recycled nylon and 1% non-recycled nylon); 12 % polyester (including recycled polyester such as 6 % recycled polyester and 6 % non-recycled polyester); and 2% spandex. In another embodiment, the yarn may be made of the following fibers: 50% lyocell; 22% wool; 18% nylon (including recycled nylon such as 17% recycled nylon and 1% non-recycled nylon); 8 % polyester (including non-recycled polyesters such as 4 % recycled polyester and 4 % non-recycled polyester); and 2% spandex. It should be understood that the percentages given may be by weight, density, volume, or any other suitable property (which may be any set of percentages discussed herein).

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the composite yarn of FIG. 3 , with portions of yarn 500 cut to reveal core 510 and sheath 520 . For purposes of illustration, core 510 is shown forming a substantial portion of a composite yarn. However, the example of FIG. 5 is not limiting, and the core is 50% or less, 40% or less, 30% or less, 25% or less, 20% or less, 15% or less, or 10% or less by weight of the yarn. can form.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the sheath 520 substantially covers the core 510 . However, the sheath need not completely cover the core. For example, the coverage of the core by the sheath can be from 70% to 100%, from 80% to 100%, or from 90% to 100%. The level of coverage may be determined using image analysis techniques. As shown in FIG. 5 , substantially centering the core 510 within the sheath 520 may facilitate coverage of the core 510 by the sheath 520 .

Core 510 may include cellulosic filaments as previously described with respect to FIG. 3 . In some embodiments, the core 510 may have a linear density of 25 dTex to 150 dTex, and may include multiple cellulosic filaments. An individual filament, such as a Lyocell filament, may have a linear density of 1 dTex to 10 dTex, 1 dTex to 5 dTex, 1 dTex to 3 dTex, 5 dTex to 25 dTex, 10 dTex to 30 dTex, or 10 dTex to 50 dTex. . Cellulosic filaments in the core may be twisted together.

In some cases, core 510 may include synthetic filaments, such as recycled synthetic filaments or elastomeric fibers (recycled or virgin). The discussion of recycled synthetic filaments and elastomeric fibers provided in connection with FIG. 3 is generally applicable herein and, for the sake of brevity, is not repeated herein.

6 shows a further example of a composite yarn 600 having a core-skin structure. Core 610 includes multiple cellulosic filaments 618 . The sheath 620 includes organic fibers 622 such as wool fibers. As schematically shown in FIG. 6 , the organic fibers 622 are generally twisted around the core 610 , although some of the ends of the organic fibers 622 may protrude outwardly from the central portion of the core. Organic fibers 622 may be staple fibers. As previously discussed, in some cases, the sheath may include at least two different types of fibers, a first type of fiber being a wool fiber and a second type of fiber being different organic or synthetic fibers. Cellulosic filaments 618 of core 610 and organic fibers 622 of sheath 620 have composition, linear density, and other physical properties with cellulosic filaments and organic fibers previously described with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5 . This may be similar, and for the sake of brevity, the description is not repeated herein.

The composite yarns described herein can be used to form woven or knitted textiles. The textile may be formed solely from the composite yarns of the present disclosure, or may be formed from a combination of the composite yarn and one or more additional yarns. In some embodiments, the additional yarns may have a size comparable to or smaller than the size of the composite yarn. Knitted (or knitted) textiles have a knitted (or knitted) structure comprising interdigitated loops.

As previously discussed, the composite yarns described herein may enable the production of fine knitted textiles. For example, such a composite yarn may be knitted on a knitting machine comprising at least 30 needles per inch (30 gauge) and up to 48 needles per inch (48 gauge). The knit structure (or knit structure) of the textile may be described in terms of gauge (eg, 30 gauge to 48 gauge) or alternatively stitch density. Knitted textiles may be formed by weft knitting or warp knitting processes.

The knitted textile may have stretch properties such as two-way stretch (extending in one direction), four-way stretch (extending in the transverse and longitudinal directions), or the same stretch in all directions. For example, the textile may have stretch properties due to a knit structure such as a single jersey or a double jersey. In addition, the textile may have elasticity due to the incorporation of the elastomeric yarn into the textile. The elastomeric yarn may include one or more synthetic elastomeric filaments, such as spandex or elastane filaments. The elastomeric filaments can be polyurethane elastomers (eg, segmented polyurethane elastomers), crosslinked polyacrylates, or combinations of polyurethane elastomers with other polymers such as nylon. In some embodiments, the elastomeric yarn may be a “bare” elastomeric yarn, such as a spandex yarn. In further embodiments, the elastomeric yarn may be a covered yarn having a core comprising elastomeric filaments and a sheath comprising organic fibers, synthetic fibers, or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, all or part of the textile may be made of the following fibers: 48% lyocell; 21% wool; 15% nylon (including recycled nylon); 7% polyester (including recycled polyester); and 2% spandex. In another embodiment, all or part of the textile may be made of the following fibers: 47% lyocell; 21% wool; 18% nylon (including recycled nylon such as 17% recycled nylon and 1% non-recycled nylon); 12 % polyester (including recycled polyester such as 6 % recycled polyester and 6 % non-recycled polyester); and 2% spandex. In another embodiment, all or part of the textile may be made of the following fibers: 50% lyocell; 22% wool; 18% nylon (including recycled nylon such as 17% recycled nylon and 1% non-recycled nylon); 8 % polyester (including non-recycled polyesters such as 4 % recycled polyester and 4 % non-recycled polyester); and 2% spandex. It is to be understood that the percentages given are by weight, density, volume, or any other suitable property (which may be any set of percentages discussed herein).

The present disclosure also provides articles formed from the textiles disclosed herein. For example, textiles may be incorporated into apparel articles. The article of clothing may be a garment, such as a shirt, a pair of trousers, a pair of leggings, a sweatshirt, a jacket, socks, and the like. The article of clothing may be a piece of underwear or an undergarment such as a bra. An article of clothing, such as a garment or undergarment, may be suitable for use as an activewear or sportswear. Textiles may also be incorporated into articles of footwear, such as shoes.

The textiles disclosed herein may also be incorporated into other types of articles. For example, the textile may be included in an accessory such as a tote bag, handbag or drawstring bag. Textiles may also be incorporated into household articles such as sheets, bath towels, dishcloths, tablecloths, upholstered furniture articles, and the like.

7 shows an example of a shoe 700 including a composite yarn as described herein. Composite yarns are included in knitted textile 760 . Shoe 700 may have a higher percentage of renewable materials than some conventional footwear because of the higher percentage of organic fibers and filaments in the composite yarn. Additionally, the shoe 700 may have a desirable appearance, “feel”, etc. due to the organic fiber(s) in the sheath of the composite yarn.

As shown in FIG. 7 , knitted textile 760 is included in upper 710 of shoe 700 . In a further example, knitted textile 760 may be incorporated into tongue 730 or other portions of shoe 700 , such as liner 770 . 7 , shoe 700 also includes a sole 720 , eyelets 740 , and laces 750 .

8 shows an example of a pair of leggings 800 comprising a composite yarn as described herein. Composite yarns are included in textile 860 having a knit structure. Textile 860 has stretch properties due to its knit structure. In some embodiments, the knit structure includes an elastomeric yarn in addition to the composite yarn.

Textile 860 may be finely knitted and may have a fine gauge. The knit structure of textile 860 may help provide durability to leggings 800 . Also, the knitted structure of textile 860 may maintain opacity in areas that may be stressed by the wearer's movement or position, such as the knee or sheet of leggings 800 (eg, "see through"). can be prevented).

Leggings comprising the composite yarns disclosed herein may have a higher rate of renewably supplied material than some conventional leggings that are fully knitted with synthetic yarn. Accordingly, leggings comprising the textiles disclosed herein may have reduced environmental impact compared to some conventional leggings. In addition, the leggings 800 may have a desirable appearance, “feel”, etc. due to the organic fiber(s) in the sheath of the composite yarn. For example, wool fibers in the outer skin of a composite yarn can impart moisture wicking properties to leggings.

9A and 9B illustrate a sample garment formed from a composite yarn as disclosed herein. In particular, FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate socks that may be formed from any of the yarns described herein, including combinations of the various yarns and/or more conventional yarns (eg cotton or wool) described herein. .

9A illustrates a low-rise sock 900 including heel retention features 905 , forward retention features 910 , and elastic features 915 . any or all of the body 916 of the sock 900 (eg, portions of the sock excluding the heel retaining features 905 and the forward retaining features 910 ), forward retaining features 910 , and heel retention features 905 may be formed from any of the yarns described herein. Also, different portions of sock 910 may be formed from different yarns. As one non-limiting example, elastic feature 915 may be formed of a yarn including lyocell and wool, but having a greater proportion of spandex than the rest of sock 900 . Likewise, heel retention features 905 and/or front retention features 910 have lyocell and wool fibers but contain in different proportions than other portions of sock 900, or contain polyester and/or in other proportions. or yarns comprising nylon (whether virgin or recycled). In this way, heel retention feature 905 and front retention feature 910 may be more durable, less (or more) stretchable, or otherwise material than other portions of sock 900 . can have characteristics. As another example, portions of the sock may have a different knit or weave pattern than other portions of the sock. Although the same yarn is used throughout sock 900 (or across different portions of sock, including retention features 905 , 910 and/or elastic features 915 ), end, density, stitch Other numbers such as, etc. can be used to change the material properties. As one non-limiting example, the knitting or weaving of the sock may be varied in the elastic feature 915 as opposed to the rest of the sock to increase the elasticity of the elastic feature, so that the sock does not move excessively. The ability to be held in place at the wearer's foot is improved.

9B is another example that may be formed from any suitable yarn described herein, or a combination of yarns described herein, or one or more yarns described herein and one or more of wool, cotton, and/or lyocell yarns. A typical sock 920 is shown. Sock 920 includes calf retention features 925 , heel 930 , and elastic portion 935 . Here, the calf retaining feature 925 may have a composition, structure, and/or composition different from the forward retaining feature 910 and/or heel retaining feature 905 of the sock 900 shown in FIG. 9A . may be similar. Likewise, the body 940 of the sock 920 may be made of the same or similar yarn as the body 916 of the sock 900, the elastic portion 935 having a composition with the elastic portion 915 of FIG. 9A; The structure and the like may be similar.

The calf retaining features 925 may be knitted, woven, or otherwise formed in a manner that enhances the elasticity of the features 925 compared to the body of the sock 920 , thereby causing the sock 920 to be worn. Allows to remain "up" while being The yarn used to form the calf retention features 925 may likewise be the same as the yarns of the body of the sock 920 , or may be made of the same or similar fibers in different proportions. However, in general, while the yarn itself is the same throughout the sock 920 (and, for that matter, the sock 900 ), the weave or knit pattern varies and/or the different yarns have the retaining feature(s). added to a specific area, such as

Likewise, heel 930 may be reinforced or formed with yarns made from the same fibers as the rest of the sock 920 but in different proportions to strengthen the heel compared to the rest of the sock. However, in some embodiments, this may not be the case.

In certain embodiments, the yarn used to form the socks 900 , 920 may vary depending on the shape, height or structure of the socks 900 , 920 . For example, the sock 900 shown in FIG. 9A may be formed from a yarn having the following fibers in the following proportions: 48% lyocell; 21% wool; 15% nylon (including recycled nylon); 8 % polyester (including recycled polyester); and 2% spandex. For the sock 920 shown in FIG. 9B, the yarn may be made of the following fibers: 50% lyocell; 22% wool; 18% nylon (including recycled nylon such as 17% recycled nylon and 1% non-recycled nylon); 8 % polyester (including non-recycled polyesters such as 4 % recycled polyester and 4 % recycled polyester); and 2% spandex. Low-rise socks can be made from yarn made from the following fibers: 47% lyocell; 21% wool; 18% nylon (including recycled nylon such as 17% recycled nylon and 1% non-recycled nylon); 12 % polyester (including recycled polyester such as 6 % recycled polyester and 6 % non-recycled polyester); and 2% spandex. As noted above, the specific percentages given herein may be by weight, density, volume, or any other suitable metric. Likewise, although specific percentages are provided, it should be understood with respect to any embodiment that any or all of the above percentages may vary in absolute terms by 3% in either direction or by 20% in relative terms.

Although some of the foregoing examples have been discussed with respect to compositions by weight, it is to be understood that in other examples the same percentages and ranges may apply to compositions by volume, number, or density. This applies to any and all of the examples, percentages, and/or ranges disclosed herein.

As used herein, the terms “substantially” or “about” refer to relatively small variations, such as +/-10%, +/-5%, +/-2%, or +/-1%. It is used to describe variation. The term “substantially free” may refer to an amount of 10% or less, 5% or less, 2% or less, or 1% or less of the specified element. Also, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include the plural forms unless the context dictates otherwise.

As used herein, the phrase "one or more" preceding a series of items, together with the terms "and" or "or" separating any of the items, refers to the list as a whole, rather than each member of the list. to correct The phrase "one or more" need not select at least one of each listed item; Rather, this phrase permits meanings that include at least one of any of the items, and/or at least one of any combination of items, and/or at least one of each of the items. For example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” or “at least one of A, B or C” refer to A only, B only, or C only; any combination of A, B and C; and/or at least one of each of A, B and C; Similarly, it can be understood that the order of elements presented for a connected or adjacent listing provided herein should not be construed as limiting the disclosure to only that order in which it is presented.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, has used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the specific details are not required to practice the described embodiments. Accordingly, the foregoing description of the specific embodiments described herein is provided for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings.

Claims (20)

A composite yarn comprising:
a core comprising wool fiber, regenerated cellulose staple fiber, bast fiber, recycled synthetic fiber, or a combination thereof; and
Regenerated cellulose filaments at least partially surrounding the core
A composite yarn comprising: According to claim 1,
The regenerated cellulose filament is a lyocell filament, and
The composite yarn is
from about 60% to about 85% by weight of said wool fibers; and
from about 15% to about 40% by weight of said lyocell filaments. According to claim 1,
wherein the wool fibers have an average diameter of less than 20 microns. According to claim 1,
The regenerated cellulose filament is a lyocell filament, and
The composite yarn is
from about 40% to about 60% by weight of the regenerated cellulose staple fiber, the bast fiber, or a combination thereof; and
from about 60% to about 40% by weight of said lyocell filaments. 5. The method of claim 4,
The composite yarn, comprising lyocell staple fibers, composite yarn. According to claim 1,
The regenerated cellulose filament is a lyocell filament, and
The composite yarn is
from about 40% to about 60% by weight recycled polyester staple fibers; and
from about 60% to about 40% by weight of said lyocell filaments. According to claim 1,
wherein the composite yarn comprises a filament strand comprising a plurality of lyocell filaments wound around the core;
wherein the filament strand has a linear density of 25 dTex to 160 dTex. 8. The method of claim 7,
wherein said filament strand comprises 25 to 100 filaments. According to claim 1,
and having a metric yarn number from about 25 to about 100. As a textile,
A textile comprising the composite yarn of claim 1 . As an article,
An article comprising the textile of claim 10 and selected from an article of clothing, an article of footwear, or an article of accessories. 12. The method of claim 11,
the textile has a knit structure; And
wherein the article is selected from socks, underwear, or a pair of leggings. As a composite yarn:
a core comprising at least one regenerated cellulose filament; and
a sheath at least partially surrounding the core and comprising organic fibers
A composite yarn comprising: 14. The method of claim 13,
wherein the organic fiber is a wool fiber having an average diameter of less than 20 microns. 15. The method of claim 14,
wherein said sheath comprises at least 70% by weight of said wool fibers. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the at least one regenerated cellulose filament is a lyocell filament. 14. The method of claim 13,
wherein the core has a linear density of 25 dTex to 100 dTex. As a textile,
A textile comprising the composite yarn of claim 13 . As an article,
An article comprising the textile of claim 18 and selected from an article of clothing, an article of footwear, or an article of accessories. 20. The method of claim 19,
the textile has a knit structure; And
wherein the article is selected from socks, underwear, or a pair of leggings.

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