TW202302943A - Cooling yarn and fabric made thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A cooling yarn includes a plurality of filaments. At least one of the filaments include polyethylene. A size of each one of the filaments is less than 8 denier. A size of the yarn is less than or equal to 300 denier.

Description

Cool yarn and its fabric

The present invention relates generally to fabrics for apparel, bedding, and automotive and household applications, and more particularly to cooling yarns and fabrics made from cooling yarns.

Issues related to the energy crisis and climate change are becoming more serious and need to be addressed. According to current research, 15% of all electricity consumed globally is used to cool homes and offices, which in turn contributes to an increase in global greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, new technologies need to be developed to reduce energy demand. For example, increasing the cooling setpoint by 2°C could save more than 20% of HVAC energy demand worldwide.

Personal cooling management will be an effective way to reduce energy consumption. In a typical indoor environment, the human body loses more than 50% of the total heat loss in infrared heat radiation (wavelength range of 7 to 14 µm) at a skin temperature of 33.5°C. Most conventional textiles such as cotton and polyester fail because they are infrared radiation (IR) opaque materials. In addition, fabrics made of high thermal conductivity materials will further increase the heat loss of the human body through conduction. Most conventional textiles such as cotton and polyester have low thermal conductivity.

Described herein are cooling yarns and fabrics for apparel, footwear, tents, sleeping bags, and bedding that can be comfortably used by humans and that can withstand wash cycles.

In one aspect, a yarn includes a plurality of filaments. At least one filament includes polyethylene (PE). The size of each filament is less than 8 denier. The size of the yarn is less than or equal to 300 deniers.

In some embodiments, the filaments comprise linear low density polyethylene fibers, low density polyethylene fibers, or high density polyethylene fibers.

In some embodiments, a filament includes a fiber having a core and a coating comprising polyethylene coated on the core.

In some embodiments, the filament comprises a plurality of fibers having at least one core fiber and at least one sheath fiber surrounding the at least one core fiber, wherein the at least one sheath fiber comprises polyethylene.

In some embodiments, the filaments include additives. For example, the additives include one or more of dyes, UV blocking agents, ceramic fillers and hydrophilic modifiers.

In some embodiments, the UV blocking agent includes one or more of ZnO or TiO ₂ and/or other organic compounds (eg, heterocyclic compounds).

In another aspect, a fabric includes a first yarn and a second yarn blended with the first yarn, wherein the second yarn is different from the first yarn. The first yarn includes a plurality of filaments. At least one filament includes polyethylene. The size of each filament is less than 8 denier. The size of the first yarn is less than or equal to 300 deniers.

In some embodiments, the second yarn includes one of polypropylene, nylon, polyethylene terephthalate, cotton, wool, rayon, bamboo, polylactic acid, polyolefin, or polyurethane.

In some embodiments, at least 20% of the surface of the fabric is covered by the polyethylene of the first yarn.

In some embodiments, at least 20% of the surface of the fabric is occupied by the first yarn.

In some embodiments, the fabric has an IR transmission of at least 37% at a wavelength of 9.5 μm.

In another aspect, the device includes one of the above fabrics. The equipment may be one of clothing, footwear, tent, sleeping bag, or bedding.

In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the invention. However, one skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without these details. In addition, although various embodiments of the invention are disclosed herein, many changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the invention according to the common general knowledge of those skilled in the art. Such modifications include the substitution of known equivalents for any aspect of the invention so as to achieve the same result in substantially the same manner.

Unless the context requires otherwise, in this specification and the claims, the word "comprise" and its variants (such as "comprises/comprising") should be regarded as open and inclusive, and also shall be deemed to be "including (but not limited to)". Throughout this specification, recitations of numerical ranges of values are intended to serve as shorthand notations of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range (including the value bounding the range), and each separate value is incorporated into this specification as if it were individually recited. General in this article. In addition, the singular forms "a" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but in some cases they may. In addition, particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

Various embodiments described herein are directed to cooling yarns and fabrics, and their use in apparel and footwear. In some embodiments, the cooling effect of the disclosed yarns and fabrics comes from specific material combinations and structures. The cooling effect of the disclosed yarns and fabrics can be achieved using the human factor, including both the instant and sustained cooling sensations provided by the disclosed technology based on material combinations and structures. In addition, fabrics made of cooling yarns are designed to be thermally conductive and infrared (IR) transparent to maximize the cooling effect.

In some embodiments, the cooling yarn includes a plurality of filaments. At least one filament includes polyethylene. Based on extensive testing of materials, it was found that polyethylene has excellent properties that can meet the requirements of continuous cooling and instant cooling touch. The technology disclosed herein uses polyethylene in one or more filaments to make yarns. The polyethylene may be in the form of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE) or high density polyethylene (HDPE). For example, at least one filament for yarn may be LLDPE, LDPE fibers or HDPE fibers.

In some embodiments, at least one filament of the cooling yarn includes PE polymer. For example, at least one filament of the cooling yarn includes pure PE polymer. FIG. 1 illustrates pure PE filament 100 . In some embodiments, at least one of the filaments for the cooling yarn may be bicomponent with PE polymer on its surface. For example, the filament can have a core-sheath structure, wherein the core comprises one or more of polypropylene (PP), nylon, polyester (PET), polyurethane (PU), polyolefin, and polylactic acid (PLA) , and the shell is made of PE. Figure 2 illustrates a filament 200 of core-shell construction. Referring to FIG. 2 , the filament 200 includes a core portion 202 made of one or more of PP, nylon, PET, PU, polyolefin, and PLA, and a sheath portion 204 on the core portion 202 . The housing portion 204 is composed of PE. In some embodiments, the filaments may have a core-sheath structure, where the core of the filament is not completely covered by the sheath. An example is illustrated in FIG. 3 . FIG. 3 illustrates another core-shell structure filament 300 . The filament 300 includes a core 302 made of one or more of PP, nylon, PET, PU, polyolefin, and PLA. The filament 300 includes a sheath portion 304 that surrounds the core portion 302 and does not cover the entire surface of the core portion 302 .

In some embodiments, the cooling yarn may be composed of a plurality of fibers/filaments including at least one core fiber and a sheath fiber surrounding the core fiber. The core fiber may or may not include PE polymer. For example, the core fiber can be a pure PE fiber, a bicomponent with PE polymer on its surface, or a fiber without PE polymer. The core fiber without PE polymer may include one or more of PP, nylon, PET, PU, polyolefin, and PLA. Bicomponent core fibers may include a core made of one or more of PP, nylon, PET, PU, polyolefin, and PLA, and a shell made of PE polymer. Figure 4 illustrates a yarn 400 made from a plurality of fibers/filaments 402 according to one embodiment. Yarn 400 may include at least one core fiber (eg, one of fibers 402 ) and a sheath fiber (eg, another of fibers 402 ) surrounding the core fiber.

In some embodiments, the filaments used in the cooling yarn may include one or more additives that impart more desirable properties to the cooling yarn. Additions to the filaments can enhance thermal conductivity, antimicrobial capabilities, UV protection factors, moisture absorption, opacity and/or flame retardant properties, or impart color to the yarn, for example. Additives may include dyes, for example. Alternatively or additionally, the additive may be a UV blocker including one or more of ZnO or TiO ₂ and/or other organic compounds (eg, heterocyclic compounds). In some cases, the additives may include ceramic fillers.

FIG. 5 illustrates a PE filament 500 having an additive 502 disposed in the PE filament 500 according to one embodiment. FIG. 6 illustrates a filament 600 having a core portion 602 and a sheath portion 604 disposed/coated over the core portion 602 according to one embodiment. The filament 600 includes an additive 606 disposed within the filament 600 . While the additives 606 are illustrated as being evenly distributed throughout the filament 600 , in some cases the additives 606 may be placed only in the core portion 602 or only in the sheath portion 604 .

In order to provide the desired cooling effect, the size of the individual filaments used in the cooling yarn is less than 8 denier. As is generally known, one denier is one gram per 9000 meters of filament. In order to provide more effective cooling characteristics, the size of each filament used in the cooling yarn can be smaller than 7.5 denier, 7 denier, 6 denier, 5 denier, 4 denier, 3 denier, 2 denier or 1 denier Ni.

In some embodiments, not only are the dimensions of the filaments of the cooling yarn designed as described above, but the dimensions of the yarn are also specifically configured. For example, to provide the desired cooling effect, the yarn is sized to be less than or equal to 300 denier. These designs can maximize the thermal conductivity and IR transparency of fabrics made of cooling yarns. In some embodiments, the size of the cooling yarn can be thinner, such as less than 280 denier, 260 denier, 250 denier, 240 denier, 220 denier, 200 denier, 180 denier, 160 denier, 150 denier Deny, 140 denier, 120 denier, 100 denier, 80 denier, 60 denier, 50 denier, 40 denier, 30 denier, 25 denier or 20 denier, or any two of these between. In one embodiment, the cooling yarn may have a size of 75 deniers to 150 deniers inclusive. Yarns can be fully stretched or textured.

For example, fabrics made from the cooling yarns of the present invention may have an IR transmittance of at least 37% at a wavelength of 9.5 µm. In some embodiments, with thinner cooling yarns, the IR transmission at a wavelength of 9.5 µm can be increased to, for example, at least 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, or even at least 90%, or between any two such values.

In addition to cooling yarns, the fabric may further include other materials to provide desired texture, feel, toughness and/or strength. For example, cooling fabrics may include yarns made of PP, nylon, PET, cotton, wool, rayon, bamboo, PLA, polyolefin or PU, as long as at least 20% of the fabric surface is covered by PE polymer . In order to provide a better cooling effect, the PE surface coverage on the fabric surface can be adjusted to at least 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75% %, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, and up to 100%, or between any two such values.

In some embodiments, when fabrics are made from the cooling yarns disclosed herein and one or more other yarns, at least 20% of the surface of the fabric is occupied by the cooling yarns. In order to provide a better cooling effect, the cooling yarn can cover the surface of the fabric at least 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80% %, 85%, 90%, 95%, and up to 100%, or between any two such values.

Cooling fabrics may be formed using the cooling yarns disclosed herein by weaving, knitting or non-woven techniques. In some embodiments, a cooling fabric can be layered with another cooling fabric or other types of fabrics to make clothing, bedding, or automotive and home products. The skin-contacting side of a cooling fabric of a weaving or knitting technique, such as plain or single jersey, or double weave or double jersey, may be composed of a PE polymer. Thermal conductivity test

The thermal conductivity of various yarn materials shows that the thermal conductivity of PE polymer is 0.33 W/(mK); the thermal conductivity of PET polymer is 0.05 W/(mK); the thermal conductivity of nylon is 0.25 W/( mK); the thermal conductivity of cotton is 0.04 W/(mK). The results show that the thermal conductivity of the PE polymer is better than other tested materials and is suitable for cooling purposes. Qmax test

The instant cooling feel is tested by measuring heat transfer (Qmax). Tested according to FTTS-FA-019 standard. The test results are shown in Table I below. According to the FTTS-FA-019 standard, acceptable Qmax values for cool feel fabrics are considered to be at least 0.130 in the case of knitted fabrics and at least 0.170 in the case of knitted fabrics. The test results show that the samples of plain weave 100% PE, plain weave nylon/PE blend (PE>20%) and single jersey 100% PE (157 gsm) meet the requirement of instant cooling touch. Furthermore, the PE-rich (back) side of the double jersey fabric (asymmetrical fabric) meets the requirements. In practice, the PE-enriched side of a fabric made from double-knit fabrics will be designed to come into contact with human skin for an instant cooling feel. Plain weave 100% PE Plain weave nylon/PE blended (PE＞20%) Plain weave 65% PET/35% cotton blend Single jersey 100% PE Single jersey 100% PET Double-knit fabric (asymmetrical fabric), nylon on the front, PE on the back Qmax (W/cm ² ) 0.336 0.253 0.158 0.216 0.094 0.212 (back side) 0.133 (front side) Table I Sustained Cooling Test

The continuous cooling test was performed with a hot plate according to ASTM F1868. The test results are shown in Table II below. Lower thermal resistance is believed to be a better characteristic of cool-feeling fabrics. As shown in Table 2, the 100% PE fabric was cooler than the PET fabric in both woven and knitted forms. Woven 100% PE Woven 100% PET Knitted 100% PE Knitted 100% PET Thermal resistance (C/Wm ² ) 0.110 0.120 0.105 0.120 Table II Softness Test

Softness is an important factor to consider when yarns and fabrics are used in the manufacture of garments. The softness/hardness test is carried out according to ASTM D1388 standard. The test results are shown in Table III below. The results showed that fabrics made from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) were much stiffer than those made from LLDPE/LDPE/HDPE. Tests have shown that UHMWPE is not suitable for clothing, while fabrics made of LLDPE/LDPE/HDPE have the softness required for clothing. UHMWPE LLDPE/LDPE/HDPE Known Garment Yarns/Fabrics Yarn tenacity (cN/dtex) - 100d 32.1 2.1 2.6 - 6.6 Fabric Hardness (ASTM D1388) Knitting: bending length (mm) 19.3 (L) 12.1 (W) 6.1 (L) 6.3 (W) 11.1 (L) 8.0 (W) Knitting: flexural stiffness (μjoule/m) 47.5 (L) 17.1 (W) 0.6 (L) 0.6 (W) 4.4 (L) 1.5 (W) Braiding: bending length (mm) 52.0 (L) 46.7 (W) 24.2 (L) 20.0 (W) 16.0 (L) 15.4 (W) Braiding: Flexural Stiffness (μjoule/m) 180.8 (L) 105.1 (W) 17.8 (L) 10.2 (W) 7.6 (L) 6.8 (W) L: Length; W: Width Table III

In one aspect, the technology disclosed herein provides cooling yarns and fabrics made from cooling yarns that provide cost-effective solutions for apparel applications. Through various tests to prove the cooling performance of the cooling yarn and fabric.

In some embodiments, the cooling fabric includes spun yarns and filaments (eg, 100 denier/48 filaments) to increase the contact area for regulating heat from the skin. Finer yarns provide a better, smoother next-to-skin feel.

The foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. The breadth and scope of the invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Modifications and variations include any relevant combination of disclosed features. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the disclosure of the various embodiments covered with various modifications as are suited to the particular use. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

100: Filament 200: filament 202: core part 204: shell part 300: filament 302: core part 304: shell part 400: Yarn 402: Fiber/filament 500: Filament 502:Addition 600: filament 602: core part 604: shell part 606:Addition

Certain features of various embodiments of the inventive technology are set forth in detail in the appended claims. The features and advantages of the technology will be better understood with reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which illustrate illustrative embodiments utilizing the principles of the invention, in which:

Figure 1 depicts PE filaments according to an example embodiment.

Figure 2 depicts a filament having a core-shell structure according to an example embodiment.

Figure 3 depicts a filament having another core-shell structure according to an example embodiment.

Figure 4 illustrates a yarn made from a plurality of fibers/filaments according to one embodiment.

Figure 5 depicts PE filaments with additives according to an example embodiment.

Figure 6 depicts a filament with a core-shell structure with additives according to an example embodiment.

100: Filament

Claims (20)

A yarn comprising: a plurality of filaments, wherein at least one of the filaments comprises polyethylene, each of the filaments has a dimension of less than 8 denier; and Wherein the size of the yarn is less than or equal to 300 denier. The yarn of claim 1, wherein the filaments comprise linear low-density polyethylene fibers, low-density polyethylene fibers or high-density polyethylene fibers. The yarn of claim 1, wherein the filaments comprise fibers having a core and a coating comprising polyethylene coated on the core. The yarn of claim 1, wherein the filaments comprise a plurality of fibers having at least one core fiber and at least one sheath fiber surrounding the at least one core fiber, wherein the at least one sheath fiber comprises polyethylene. The yarn of claim 1, wherein the filaments contain additives. The yarn as claimed in item 5, wherein the additive comprises a dye. The yarn as claimed in item 5, wherein the additive comprises an ultraviolet blocking agent. The yarn as claimed in item 7, wherein the ultraviolet blocking agent includes one or more of ZnO or TiO ₂ . The yarn as claimed in item 5, wherein the additive comprises ceramic filler. A fabric comprising: A first yarn comprising a plurality of filaments, wherein at least one of the filaments comprises polyethylene, wherein each of the filaments has a dimension less than 8 denier, and wherein the first yarn has a dimension less than or equal to 300 deniers; and a second yarn blended with the first yarn, wherein the second yarn is different from the first yarn. The fabric according to claim 10, wherein the second yarn comprises one of polypropylene, nylon, polyethylene terephthalate, cotton, wool, rayon, bamboo, polylactic acid, polyolefin or polyurethane. The fabric of claim 10, wherein at least 20% of the surface of the fabric is covered by the polyethylene of the first yarn. The fabric of claim 10, wherein at least 20% of the surface of the fabric is occupied by the first yarn. The fabric of claim 10, wherein the filaments of the first yarn comprise linear low density polyethylene, low density polyethylene fibers or high density polyethylene fibers. The fabric of claim 10, wherein the filaments of the first yarn comprise fibers having a core and a coating comprising polyethylene coated on the core. The fabric of claim 10, wherein the filaments of the first yarn comprise a plurality of fibers having at least one core fiber and at least one sheath fiber surrounding the at least one core fiber, wherein the at least one sheath fiber comprises polyester vinyl. The fabric of claim 10, wherein the filaments of the first yarn comprise additives. The fabric according to claim 17, wherein the additive comprises a dye. The fabric according to claim 17, wherein the additive comprises an ultraviolet blocking agent. The fabric as claimed in claim 19, wherein the ultraviolet blocking agent comprises one or more of ZnO or TiO ₂ .

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