US1931023A - Fabric and method of making the same - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 17, 1933. A. L. HELWITH FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed April 11, 1933 f VENT R ATTORNEY r Patented Oct. 17, 1933 PATENT OFFICE Q 1.9a1,o23 v FABRIC AND METHOD or" MAKING THE Alfred 1.. neiwm Larchmont, N. y. Application April 11, 1933. Serial No. 665,526

' v 9 Claims. (01. 139-426) This invention relates to textile fabricsand methods of making the same.

One object of the invention is to provide a textile fabric of uniform color having improved means for producing an optical rib, tension rep,

or ben galine effect thereon,- which effect shall be mainly visual, the fabric having a smooth ribless surface and being preferably of relatively uniform or conventional weave.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved method for producing a textile fabric as above referred to.

Other objectsof the invention andadvantases' thereof will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

Withthe aforesaid objects in view, the invention consists in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in their preferred embodiments, pointed out in the subjoined claims, and illustrated on the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views.-

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a considerably magninedplan view of a section of a textile fabric embodying the,

invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a section of the textile fabric showing the normal appearance thereof.

Fig. 3 is a magnified plan view of a section of a textile fabric showing a modification ofthe invention.

The advantages of the invention as here outlined are best realized when all of its features and instrumentalities are combined in one and the same structure, but, useful devices may be produced embodying less than the whole.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this inventionappertains, that the same may be incorporated in severaldiiferent constructions. The accompanying drawing, therefore, is

submitted merely as showing the preferred exemplification of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing,- 10 denotes a section of a textile fabric embodying the invention. The same may be constructed of a suitable weave and is of uniform color, and "has a surface that is smooth in the sense that it is free of any mechanical ribs such as may be produced by a special weave. Nevertheless, the fabric is characterized by a rib appearance as shown at 11, whereby the value of the fabric is enhanced. This rib appearance which is purely optical in nature as hereinafter more particularly described, is perfectlyuniformand neat, and. may extend either across the warp 12 or the weft 13, according to the construction'of the fabric, but is preferably arranged to extend transversely of the warp, and will be so referred to hereinafter, in describing an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

thelusterless yarns which have a flat appearance.

The weft or filling yarns may or may not'have lustre, as desired, but the most pronouncedetfect is produced by using a lusterless weft. The warp and weft yarns are of the same color and may consist of this samematerial, and at least the i yarns consist of one material, whereby the texture, softness, and appearance of the material are improved, and their adaptability for'inexpensive manufacture into a fabric enhanced.

They are preferably also of the same weight and character, and may or may not have twist.

It will be noted that according to my invention, "the ribbed efl'ect 11 extends transversely of the lustrous andlusterless yarns, and asin this case,

crosswise of the warp. The reason for this is difllcult to perceive, although it is noted that the rib effect is apparently caused by the difference in light reflection between the-lustrous and lusterless warp yarns, or by an'interpla-y between the light effects of these yarns, and henc'eisdenominated an optical ribbed effect.

For the purpose of more specifically indicating an embodiment .of the invention to which the same is particularly adapted, I have devised'this invention for especial application to rayon fabrics or other fabricsmade of a composition material. The yarns of such fabrics are plain and untwisted,

and the warp yarns l2a may'be lustrous while thewarp yarns 12bmay be lusterless or delusterized in any well known manner. Similarly,

the weft yarns mayipreferably be lusterless, and

the warp and weft yarns may beprecisel y the same in color. It'will be particularly noted that since the yarns of which rayon is produced are substantially wholly free of twist, suchch'aracteristic could not in any way be utilized 'to produce a rib effect.

It may be noted that rayon yam usually possesses a twist of between 2 to 5times per inch. This twist however, is tooslight to have any effect, on the appearance of the fabric, aswill be perceived bycomparison with any moderately twisted cotton yarn, whose twistsrange between 18 and 25 times per inch. Consequently-rayon yarn may for the purposes of this inventionbe regarded as freeof twist, unless otherwise stated, although there are special rayon yarnswhich' are free of any twistwhatever. I

It will be notedthat the optical ribbed; effect in a smooth. unicolor textile fabric is produced by reason. of-arranglng the lustrous and'lusterless yarns not only in alternation but in consecutive alternation; in other words, the order of the lustrous and lusterless yarns in a one to one ratio. If any larger ratio is used, as, for example, a two to two ratio the optical ribbed effect becomes, indistinct, so that such would not fulfill the objects of the invention.

The invention may also be embodied in a cotton fabric wherein the warp yarn 12a would indicate a mercerized cotton yarn, and the warp yarn 12b, and preferably also the weft yarn, an unmercerized or plain cotton yarn. The mercerized yarn may be of single or double ply, and I have found that in order to obtain a pronounced optical ribeffect according to the principle above disclosed, the mercerized cotton yarn must be double ply. Such double ply yarn may be twisted in the conventional manner. The weft yarn may be single or double'ply,'the former being sufficient. The optical ribbed effect, however, is caused wholly by the fact that the mercerized and unmercerized yarns are lustrous and lusterless, respectively.

Another possible embodiment of this invention is to produce a fabric 10 having yarns 13 and 12b of cotton, and yarns 12a of cotton impregnated or coated with any material such as a cellulose material, as, for instance, that of which rayon is made, in order toimpart a luster to such yarn.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modified smooth unicolored fabric 14, such as. rayon, having weft yarns 15,

' and warp yarns 16, 17. All of these yarns may havethe same luster or lack of luster, the warp .yarns 17 being twisted and the warp yarns '16 being untwisted or plain straight yarns. 'The yarns 1 6 and 1'7 are arranged in consecutive alternation. The weight and spacing of all the yarns 15, 16, and 17 may be of a suitable nature;

This textile fabric affords a ribbed effect 11 as shown in Fig. 2, transversely of the wa ihbut this ribbed effect is much less pronounced than that of the fabric .10. Another advantage of the fabric 10 over the. fabric 14 is that the latter is considerably more expensive than the fabric 10 because the rayon yarns '17 must be twisted, where-" as they are produced in plain untwisted form.

. However, the optical ribbed effect may be markedly accentuated by making one of the yarns 16, 1'1 lustrous and the other lusterless.

The method of weaving the fabric may be a conventional one, the distinguishing feature of the invention being the step of arranging of lustrous and lusterless yarns in consecutive al-.

ternation. 7

Heretofore it has been known to produce ribbed and stripe effects by using twisted yarns variously .arranged. In this invention'the element of twist'is not utilized, but a fabric, such as a rayon fabric, is provided with an optical ribbed effect transversely of the warp by employing merely alternately consecutive lustrous I and lusterless warp yarns.

' It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made in thedevice as shown the warp being of a uniform material andv weight, the weft yarns being lusterless, and the warp having lustrous and lusterless yams substantially free of twist and arranged in alternate single succession for producing said optical ribbed effect transversely of the warp.

2. A rayon textile fabric having an optical ribbed effect having its opposite surfaces smooth so as to be free of ribs and having a warp and a weft consisting of unicolored yarns of substantially the same uniform material and weight,

the warp consisting of parallel lustrous and lusterless yarns substantially free of twist and arranged in alternate single'succession. throughout the fabric to cause an action of light producing the optical ribbed appearance.

3. A regularly woven textile fabric having a warp and a weft, the warp consisting of parallel alternate singly successive yarns of lustrous and lusterless yarn, said fabric and the warp and weft yarns being of'uni'form color and substantially free of twist, and said yarns being substantially the same weight and appearance, and the fabric being characterized by an optical ribbed effect produced by the lustrous and lusterless yarns thereof.

. 4. A textile fabric of a single color, characterized by an optical ribbed effect, and having a warp and a weft relatively evenly woven so that the fabric has smooth surfaces, said'warp and weft being of uniform color and character, said weft consisting of lusterless yarns and said warp having alternate successive lustrous and lusterlar weave.

6. An optically ribbed textile fabric having smooth unicolor surfaces and having parallel lustrous and lusterless unicolored yarns of uniform characterarranged in single succession to produce the optical ribbed effect, and said fabric having other lusterless yarns of the same nature as the first mentioned yarns, interwoven with the latter and extending at 9. angle thereto, whereby said optical ribbed effect is emphasized.

7. An optically ribbed textile rayon fabric having a warp and a weft, said warp consisting of parallel alternate lustrous and lusterless y'arns in single succession and of uniform color for producing the optical ribbed effect transversely of the fabric, said warp and weft yarns being of the same weight and material.

8. A unicolored smooth textile rayon. fabric having an optical, ribbed effect and consisting of yarnsof uniform color and free of twist, said fabric having a wait and a warp, the latter con- ..sisting of'parallel lustrous and lusterless yarns in alternate consecutive arrangement and being of the same weight, and said fabric having a regular weave. 1

9. A regularly woven optically ribbed textile fabric having a warp consisting of parallel lustrous and lusterless unicolored yarns disposed in alternate single succession continuously throughout the fabric, said fabric having warp and weft yarns of the same color and appearance in texture.

ALFRED L. 'HELWITH.

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