US2103133A

US2103133A - Elastic fabric and garment

Info

Publication number: US2103133A
Application number: US675190A
Authority: US
Inventors: Adamson Percy
Original assignee: United States Rubber Co
Current assignee: Uniroyal Inc
Priority date: 1933-06-10
Filing date: 1933-06-10
Publication date: 1937-12-21
Anticipated expiration: 1954-12-21

Description

Dec. 21, 1937. P, ADAMSON 2,103,133

ELASTIC FABRIC AND GARMENT Filed June l0, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Bgm?.

ATTORN Y Dec. 2l, 1937.

P. ADAMsoN l 2,103,133

ELASTIG FABRIC AND GARMENT Filed June 1o, 193s 2 sheets-sheet 2 l/Img glljllgguliu- MMI/mln; li

BY effe/MMM# gaaf@ ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 21,1937

PATENT OFFICE -ELASTIC FABRIC AND GARMENT Percy Adamson, Rye, N.

States Rubber Company,

Y. assigner to United New York, N. Y., a

corporation ofNew Jersey Application June 10, 1933, Serial No. 675,190 9 claim.l (o1. ca -19o) This invention relates to improvements in elastic fabrics and garments, and more particularly to knitted and woven fabrics and garments of a new type having a predetermined 'or con- 6 trolled stretch in two directions.

This application is a continuation-impart of my application Serial No. 604,379, filed` April ll, 1932.

In rnyvprior Patent No. 1,822,847, granted Sept. 8, 1931, there is disclosed a new type of elastic thread or yarn having a fine rubber core covered with textile fibres preferably helicallylwound with two windings inopposite directions over the elastic core. This elastic yarn is capable of being knitted on fine gauge knitting machines, and may be readily woven into fabric materialsutllizing the elastic threadl in the warp and weft, or filling., of such woven material. The core of the elastic yarn described in my prior patent is preferably made directly from an aqueous dis'- persion of rubber such as latex, as described in the patent to Hopkinson and Gibbons No. 1,545,257, granted July '1, 1925, in order to produce an elastic yarn or thread of a gauge fine enough for use in such knitting and weaving operations, but it isv not essential to so produce the rubber core where the article or fabric is of l a quality permitting less uniform rubber cores to be used and for such articles or fabrics other methods of producing the rubber cores may be utilized. A

The rubber core, preferably made directly from latex as above described, is preferably round and is covered with a relatively inelastic fibrous covering ofl textile material of the type desired. The relatively inelastic fibrous covering may be applied in any suitable and convenient manner, as those skilled inthe art will understand` lYarns of cotton, linen, flax, silk, rayon, wool or the 40 like, or mixtures of these, may be employed, and while they may be braided about therubber core, it is preferred to use right and left helical windings of the same or different pitch, the relative pitch of the windings'being selected with due consideration to the size-and nature of the mate rials being wound in order to obtain an approximately balanced elastic yarn, relatively free from a tendency to kink. The helical windings may be of like or different materials and may either consist of one or more ends of yarn-or plied yarn de` pending upon the characteristics it is desired lto build into the elastic yarn to meet the requirements 4of the service to which it is to be subjected in the fabricimanufactured' therefrom. In general the rubber core while being wound and covthe spirit of the invention. 1

ered should be elongated uniformly. The final size of the covered elastic yarn will depend yon s the rubber core and the type of covering threads and the amount'of stretch given the core while covering. l

Covered elastic yarns preferably with a round core of rubber deposited directly from an aqueous dispersion of rubber may be made in finished sizes small enough to knit on fine gauge knitting machines and, if desired, of a size approximately the same as a yarn made wholly of textile material, with which it may be knitted, if desired, in'alternate courses or plated with the same. In fabrication it is knitted under no tension as distinguished from the knitting of non-elastic yarns. Coarse and fine elastic yarns may be used as laid-in yarns in, knitted materials and may be used in vconjunction with knitted fine elastic yarns as above described.

yRubber threads preferably with a round ruby ber core deposited directly from an aqueous dispersion of rubber and. covered with textile material may be used in woven materials, preferably in conjunction with relatively inelastic threads of textile material, in the warp and weft, or filler, to produce a new type of commercial `woven material having a' stretch both inl the direction of the warp and weft. Many different types of new fabrics may be evolved by utilizing the'elastlc threads in the warp or weft or both, alone, or together with relatively inelastic threads.

As stated in my prior patent above referred to, the old elastic yarns, .as heretoforey utilized in making fabrics and articles, generally, if Anot invariably, imparted a capacity to stretch in one direction only. In other words, they were practically lonly used for making articles which resisted a. one-direction pull or which exerted a constrictive force in one direction. Knitted and woven fabrics, as described herein, may nowlbe made with a capacity to stretch in two directions, lengthwise and widthwise of the fabric. In other words, fabrics and articles may now be made which will resist a two-directional pull, or exert the 'desired contractive forces in two directions.

Several embodiments of the present invention especially adapted for the manufacture of cor sets, girdles, or like supporting garments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and it is without intention to limit the invention to the particular fabrics shown, thatA the same are included since many fabrics differing from the ones illustrated may be made without departing from vns In the drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates a covered elastic yarn preferably used in the manufacture of the fabrics of the present invention;

Figs. 2 to 10 illustrate a Wide variety of textile fabrics made according to the present invention; and

Fig. 11 illustrates a girdle made in whole or in part of one or more of the fabrics of the present invention. 4

Referring more particularly tol Fig. 1, there is shown an elastic yarn capable of being knitted on a' ne gauge knitting machine or used in the warp and weft of woven materials, with a round rubber core I deposited directly from latex byextruding the latex through a nozzle into a bath of coagulantkremoving the thus formed lilamentary coagulum from the coagulating bath, drying and vulcanizing. The rubber core is covered While under tension with right and left windings Il and I2 of textile yarn of the type de- Sired. 'I'his preferred 'type' of elastic thread or yarn, with a round rubber core deposited directly from an aqueous dispersion of rubber, is the type of elastic thread or yarn preferred for both, fine and coarse` elastic yarns in the various fabrics, although as above described other kinds of core may be utilized in producing the elastic yarn.

Fig. 2 illustrates a fabric composed of. elastic yarn and inelastic or ordinary yarn. The fabrics in this gure and the other figures illustrating knitted fabrics are shown in greatly stretched condition .for facilitating the illustration of the constructions thereof. yarn I3 and inelastic yarn I4 are knitted in alternate courses providing an-elastic material with a desired amount of stretch and recovery from stretching or resistance to stretch, sometimes called contractlve force, in the direction of the courses and wales. The degree of stretch and Vrecovery from stretch may be varied as desired by utilizing various types of yarns, sizes of yarns, varying the courses of elastic and non-elastic yarns, for example, having. alternate bands of two ofv each kind of courses or one course of inelastic and two courses of elastic yarns, or the like. Such a knitted fabric may be said to have a predetermined or controlled stretch in two directions, in this case both in the direction of the courses and in thedirection ofthe wales of the material. A foundation garment made with the materialof Fig. 2 with the knitted courses running vertically of the garment will have a nrm or strong stretch around and an easy or weak stretch up and down, the contractive force being materially greater in the direction of the wales than in the direction of This type of fabric similarly to the various other fabrics is especially adapted for the manufacture of corsets,

the courses under like conditions.

girdles or like supporting garments where the stretch in two directions produces a garment that will not ride up and 'down during natural move ments of the body.

Figure 3 illustrates another knitted fabric for foundation garmentshaving coarse elastic yarns laid in the knitted fabric. 'I'he fabric as illustrated shows alternate courses I5 and I 6 of elastic and inelastic yarns respectively and coarse elastic yarn I 1' laid in the courses of inelastic yarn. This produces an entirely new type of material with laid-in elastic yarns which has a capacity for stretching a desired amount, depending on the types of yarns used, in two directions, that is along the laid-in yarns or courses and also along the wales or in a direction at right angles to the In Figure 2, the elasticskilled in the art. Such a fabric when made into corset, girdle or like supporting garment is preferably utilized-with the coarse laid-in yarns II running horizontally of the garment to give the -garment a greater resistance to stretching around the body and a lesser resistance to stretching up and down, the laid-in elastic yarns producing a strong contractlve effort and the knitted elastic yarns producing a materially lesser contractive effort as the garment is worn. 'Ihe direction in which stretch is more greatly resisted results in the garment having a greater contractlve force in that direction.

Fabrics having a predetermined or controlled "stretch in two directions may be formed with selected portions, such as borders and the like having a stretch in only one direction. For example,

the new type twoway stretch fabric with laidin coarse elastic yarns and ne knitted elastic and inelastic yarns as shown in Fig. 3 may be integrali ly knitted with borders or other sections made of one-way stretch fabric with only laid-in coarse.A

elastic yarns and fine knitted inelastic yarns,- in other words with the knitted elastic yarn of the fabric shown in Fig. 3 omitted. Such a composite fabric is shown in Figure 4 where the borders A to B and C to D are made with laid-in coarse elastic yarns and fine knitted inelastic yarnand have a capacity to stretch in only one direction lengthwise of the fabric, while the middle section B to C is made with laid-in coarse elastic yarns and line knitted elastic and-inelastic yarns as shown in Figure 3 and has a capacity to stretch in the two directions lengthwise and crosswise of the fabric. The construction may readily be seen in the enlarged portion of the Figure 4. 'I'he middle section B to C is the same as the fabric of Figure 3, with alternate csourses of elastic yarn I5 and inelastic yarn I6, with coarser elastic yarn I1 laid in the courses of inelastic yarn. The border sections A to B and C to D are composed of knitted courses of the inelastic yarn I6 and coarse elastic yarns I'I laid '-in the courses of inelastic yarn, and without the knitted lastic yarngas in the sections B to C.

This pro uces a fabric or web, especially adapt-y stretching both lengthwise and crosswise of the fabric while the border portions are capable only of stretch in a lengthwise direction. As with the fabric of Figure 3,-the fabric of Figure 4 is preferably made into the supporting garment with the laid-in yarns running around the garment. 'I'he one-Way stretch portion may, of course, constitute one or more marginal,` border, or inlaid portions, of the desired width.

Fig. 5 illustrates another type of foundation garment fabric having a predetermined or controlled stretch in two directions and composed of knitted elastic and inastic yarns together with laid-in coarse elastic yarns. This material, as will readily be understood.' may be knitted on a Raschel warp knitting machine. The construction of the fabric may be termed. a one-in yarn -II and one beam of'inelastic yarn I9 and a,`

arcaica and one-out knit, with a heavy elastic yarn laid in. In practice, one beam will be of fineelastic heavy elastic yarn 29 laid-in. covering the entire width of the piece. The fabric will have a quicker recovery from stretching and 'hence a socalled stronger stretch or greater resistance to yarns, that is widthwise of the fabric, and a slower recovery from stretching and hence a so-called weaker stretch or lesser resistance to stretching lengthwise of the fabric.4 In general, this type of fabric is of a looser construction than the fabric shownin Fig. 3 and is well adapted to the manufacture of light weight foundation gare'l ments.

Figure 6 illustrates another fabric for a supporting garment having the desired resistance to stretching "in the two directions lengthwise and widthwise -of the fabric. This fabric comprises knitted inelastic yarn and knitted elastic yarn commensurate in size with the inelastic yarn, and laid-in elastic yarns preferably of the same size as the knitted elastic yarn. The fabric, which, as is readily discernible, may be made on a fiat bed knitting-machine with the proper laying-'in attachments, is preferably utilized in a supportcourses of the knitted yarns,

ing garment with the straight laid-in elastic yarns horizontal ofv the garment or running aroimd the same, since the contractive effort of the straight laid-in yarns as the garment is worn is stronger than that of the knitted elastic yarns due to their freedom from a looped or knitted structure, thus providing a greater resistance to.

pull or stretching around the bodyK than up and down. The fabric shows knitted ne elastic yarns 2| and 22 and knitted fine inelastic yarn 23 with fine elastic yarns 2l similar to the knitted elastic yarns 2| and 22 laid-inthe loops of the knitted elastic yarns 2| and 22 as shown. Such a fabric is capable of simultaneous stretching in the direction o f the laid-in elastic yarns 24 and at right angles' thereto, and it is obvious that under the same conditions a greater resistance to stretching or pull-back will be exerted in the direction of the parallel laid-in yarns by virtue of their freedom from loops than in the direction at right angles thereto.

Figure 7 illustrates a fabric for use in sup- A porting 'garments made on a ribber with a plating and laying-in attachment as willl be obvious to those skilled in the art. Fine elastic yarn 25 and fine inelastic yarn 26 are knitted together on a ribber and plated so that the inelastic yarn i --appears onboth faces of the fabric on the outside of the ribs. Fine elastic yarns 29, substantially identical with knittedelastic yarns 2l (but obviously not necessarily so), are laid in'each of the knitted courses of the plated elastic and inelastic yarns. As in the case of the fabric illustrated in Figure 6, this fabric is capable of simultaneous stretching in two directions, alongthc that is, along the laid-in yarns, and at right angles thereto or along the wales or ribs of the knitted yarns. Also under the same conditions of -stretching or elongation or as in'wear, there will be a greater resistance 'to the stretching or a greater contrac- 'tive force in the direction of the laid-in yarns by virtue of their freedom from' loops due to knitting than in the direction of the'lwales.` As is usual with elastic fabrics having knitted elastic yarns and laid-inelastic yarns asshown in Figures 3 .to 6. th'e resistance to stretching of the pfarallel laid-in elastic yarns is greater under the stretching in the direction of the coarse laid-in l silk threads 29, line elastic threads 30 with cotton covering, and cotton threads 3l. The silk threads 29 form one face of the material, as clearly shown in the figure, and the back of the material Ais of the cotton covered elastic threads, the cotton inelastic thread being practically hidden in the finished material in a manner well known in the art. This material, due to the incorporation of elastic threads in the weft as well as warp, may also be described as a-predetermined or controlled two-way stretch fabric. 'As stated above, many other Atypes of new fabrics may be evolv'ed by utilizing the elastic threads in the warp-or weft, or both, alone, or together with krelatively inelastic threads. Various known weaves may be used, and if desired, silk or other inelastic material may be used for both the front and back faces, or, if desired, woven materials with elastic yarn in both the front and back faces or entirely composed of elastic yarn may be made.

In corsets, girdles and like foundation garments matie with controlled two-Way stretch lelastic wearer than in the vdirection up and down the body.

as the garment is worn. It is desired to confine or hold the body in radially and thus enhance the ligure, and yet allow freedom for'bending Amovements and the like without the garment riding up and. necessitating its being pulled down Y to its proper position on return of the body to It is thus preferred to'have greater resistance to stretching or stronger contractive force in one direction of the woven fabric than in the other direction. The warp and normal posture.

- weft may be so controlled that the greater resistance to stretching may be either lengthwise lor widthwise of the fabric, and the fabric should preferably be incorporated in the foundation garment so that the directionof greater resistance is around the garment. This greater refsistance .to vstretching or strongercontractive -force in one direction, and lesser resistance to stretching or weaker contractive force in the other direction of the fabric, is sometimes termed rm or quick" or strong stretch in the one direction and easy" or sleazy or weak" stretch in the other direction.l The greater resistance to stretching'in one direction than in the other provides a quicker recovery from stretching-or greater snap or kick or pull-back in that direction than inthe other. 'Ihe resistance of the fabric to stretching may be varied in numerous ways. For example, a larger number of elastic threads of the same size and under the same tension will obviously produce a greater resistance to stretching than a smaller number.

'Ihe weaving of the elastic threads under a'high tension or near their safe limit of stretch will generallygive a greater resistance to stretching than weaving the same under a lower tension or only at a fraction of' their safe limit of stretch.

The covering of the rubber core while it is held under a high degree .of tension will produce 'an elastic thread with the covering holding the core elongated and hence produce a thread having itself a greater resistance to stretching than a rubber thread covered While the core is under relatively little tension, and when such threads are incorporated in a fabric they will exert a greater contractive eiort than threads covered while under little tension. Likewise elastic threads having a larger size of rubber core will effect a greater contractive eiort than elastic threads of smaller size and provide a greater resistance to stretch in the fabric, other conditions being equal. The amount of stretch or elongation is generally different in the lengthwise and widthwise directions, and may be varied by the amoun't of tension put on the elastic thread in the weaving operation, especially if usedin conjunction with parallel inelastic threads. The elastic threads are generally incorporated in the warp -at or near maximum safe tension, while in the weft they are generally incorporated at less than the maximum safe tension in order to reduce the shrinkage widthwise of the fabric by virtue of the elastic weft threads. When inelastic threads are woven parallel to the elastic threads, such inelastic threads limit the stretch of the elastic threads. v

If the elastic threads are woven at or near their 'maximum safe tension and inelasticthreads are incorporated in the same direction in the fabric, the inelastic threads will allow substantially full stretching of the elastic thread and will only limit the stretch of the elastic thread at or near its maximum extensibility. If the elastic threads are. woven at less than the maximum safe tension and inelastic threads yare incorporated in the same direction in the fabric, such inelastic threads will obviously limit the stretch of the elastic threads to less than their maximum extensibility. 'I'he amount of stretch may also be varied by varying the size and numbers of the elastic threads. The amount ofA stretch and the resistance to stretching of the fabric or garment may also be varied by the sizes and amount of inelastic threads vused with the elastic threads, and by the construction of the weave and by many other factors. Other means of accomplishing these results will obviously suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art.

Figures 9 and 10 show conventional weaving diagrams of woven fabrics having a controlled stretch in"- two directions and are naturally only intended to further illustrate'the present .invention.

Fig. '9 is a diagram of a woven fabric havingv a weft composed of fine

elastic threads

32, 33, and a warp composed of heav'y elastic threads 34. the elastic warp threads being associated with three cottonv threads 35 and one rayon thread 36 for each elastic warp thread. As clearly shown in the diagram, the elastic Wefts 32 and 33 are not interwoven with the elastic warps 34 and are face and back wef'ts, the

inelastic warps

35 and 36 being interwoven with the elastic wefts as indicated. i

Fig. 10`s a diagram of ail/oven fabric having a Weit composed of fine elastic threads 31, 38, preferably incorporated at less than their maximum tension to prevent too great Ta decrease in width when taken off the loor'n and finished, and a we rp b composed of fine elastic threads 39, said elastic "warp threads being incorporated under substantially maximum tension and associated with four inelastic threads 40 for each elastic warp thread. The elastic wefts 31 and. 38 are not interwoven with the elastic warps 39 and are face and back wefts, the inelastic warps 40 being interwoven with the elastic wefts as indicated.

Figure 11 .illustrates a typical girdle made in whole or in part of any on'e or more of the various fabrics of the present invention.

It is understood that the invention is not limited to the specific textile fabrics and articles shown' in the illustrations and described in the specification, as it will be Aevident to those skilled in the art that the invention permits of various modifications and applications without departing from the spirit thereof, and itis my intention not to be limited in the scope'of'the invention except as required by the state of the art and as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A warp knit fabric comprising elastic and inelastic yarns incorporated therein in a one-in and one-out knit, said fabric also comprising elastic yarn laid-in the width of the fabric.

2. A warp knit fabric comprising elastic and inelastic yarns incorporated therein in a one-in and one-out knit, said fabric also comprising elastic yarn of a larger size than said knitted elastic yarn laid-in the width of the fabric.

3. A garment of the corset type comprising a body-encircling member having a section formed of material closely knit from elastic and inelastic threads, said threads being so arranged in said garment as to permit substantial stretching by said section in all directions but providing a firm molding action transversely of the body and an easier stretch longitudinally of the garment to avoid slippage of said section relative to the body in bending. l

4. A garment of 'the corset type comprising a body-encircling member having a section formed of material closely knit from elastic and inelastic threads, said threads being so arranged in said garment as to permit substantial stretching by said section in all directions but providing a flrm molding action to the abdomen, hips and buttocks transversely of the body and an easier stretch longitudinally of the garment to avoid slippage of said section relative'to the body in bending.

5. A garment of the class described for molding and confining the lower portion of the body, comprising a wide body-encircling member havins a section formed ofknitted elastic and inelasticthreads and which section is-capable of substantial 'and simultaneous stretching longitudinally and transversely and is adapted to impart to the garment-as worn a firm molding action to the abdomen, hips and buttocks transversely of the body and an easier stretch longitudinally of the body to avoid slippage of said section relative to the body in bending.

6. A garment of the corset or girdle type, comprising a body encircling member having a section formed at least-to a substantial degree of knitted elastic threads to cause the section to be capable of a substantial and simultaneous stretch longitudinally and transversely anu to be capable of imparting to the garment as worn a firm molding action to the abdomen, hips and buttocks transversely of the body and an easy stretch longitudinally of the body to avoid slippage of said section relative to the body in bending. y

7. A garment of the corset or girdle type. comprising a body encircling member having a secalong certain courses and arranged to cause the section to be capable of a. substantial and simultaneous stretch longitudinally and transversely and to be capable of imparting to the garment as worn a firm molding action to the abdomen,

v hips and buttocks transversely of the body and an easy stretch longitudinally of the body to avoid slippage of said section relative to the body in bending. l

`8. A garment of the corset or girdle type, comprising a body encircling member having a section formed of knittedelastic and inelastic threads and laid-in elastic threads extended along certain courses, said laid-in threads being so arrangedin the garment as to impart to the garment when worn a firm molding action to the abdomen, hips and. buttocks transversely of the body while the knitted elastic threads impart to the garment when worn stretch longitudinally of the lbody to avoid slipa substantial.

page of said section relative to the body in bend- 9. A garment of the character described adapted to encircle the hips of the wearer and be worn next to the body, said garment including porous material comprisingknitted strands at least some rows of which are of elastic material in combination with other strands of elastic material laid along certain of said knitted rows, said material `being positioned at the rear of the wearerand extending between points on the posterior portions of the wearer above and below a point of greater posteriory projection-than either of said points.

PERCY ADAMSON.