US2110867A

US2110867A - Pile fabric

Info

Publication number: US2110867A
Authority: US
Inventors: Eugene F Castles
Original assignee: Collins and Aikman Corp
Current assignee: Collins and Aikman Corp
Priority date: 1936-08-21
Filing date: 1937-09-04
Publication date: 1938-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 1955-03-15

Description

March 15, 1938. E. F. cAsTLES FILE FABRIC Original Filed Aug. 21, 1936 FIG. I..

In u/entor.

EUGENE E (74571.55. B

A ftor iii Patented 1, E5

2,110,867 lPlllLlE FABRIC Eugene F. Castles, Glen Ridge, N.

(Collins & Aihman Corporation,

.31., assignor to lihiladelplhia,

Pa, a corporation of Delaware @riginal appiication August 21,- 1936, Serial No. 91,189. Divided and this application Septemliter 4, 1937, Serial No. 162,459

3 @laims.

method of producing pile fabrics for upholstery and decorative use having pile of a plurality of heights, part or all of which pile may be what is commonly termed cut pile in the weaving art. It is sometimes desirable because of visual and wearing characteristics of such fabrics that the height of the cut pile be greater than that of the uncut pile or loops.

I may also produce simulations of natural pelts by the processes hereinafter more fully set forth.

It is within the scope of the present invention to fabricate and process fabrics which comprise pile yarns of a single textile fibre or of blends of textile fibres. These fibres may include wool, mohair, cotton, silk as well as artificial or natural animal or vegetable fibres which have the desired shrinking or dyeing qualities and which may be used to advantage alone or in combination with other fibres.

An object of my invention is to produce a pile fabric having a plurality of heights of pile tufts or fibres in the finished article.

It is a further object of my invention to produce pile fabrics having cut and uncut pile, the cut pile being of greater height than the uncut and to effect such difference in pile height by local treatment of the face side .of the fabricated piece.

Further objects and advantages will be manifest from the following description, claims and. drawing, wherein;

Fig. I illustrates a top view of a fabric dyed with a single dye solution, and having a design of cut pile therein.

Fig. II illustrates diagrammatically the interlacing of threads in both the figure and field of the fabric shown in Fig. I.

Fig. III illustrates diagrammatically a loop pile fabric produced from a fabric woven with a uniform pile height.

Fig. IV illustrates a simulation of an animal pelt with the backing yarns impregnated to give the fabric qualities closely resembling that of skins of animals.

In carrying my invention into practice, the particular treating agents selected for my procass is of course governed by the character of the fabrics and fibres being treated. My preferred practice is to treat a fabricated pile structure but in some instances the yarns or fibres subsequently used for intimately blended yarns may be treated before the blending operation and/or fabrication is complete.

One method which may be used in the practice of this invention is to Weave a uniform uncut pile fabric consisting of mohair or wool pile yarns and a cotton backing and. subsequently to impregnate predetermined areas of the pile portion thereof with a paste made by mixing 50 parts of dry calcium thiocyanate with 50 parts of water and 30 parts of a 2% carob gum aqueous dispersion. The paste may be applied by means of a print roller and after application of the paste, the fabric is steamed for 5 minutes at 212 F, washed and then dried. Although I have indicated the use of a print roller, I contemplate that screen, stencil or block printingmay be used if desired.

The fabric treated in the manner above described will now have uncut pile loops of different heights as indicated in Fig. III of the drawing, as the treatment of the wool or mohair pile will result in a shrinkage of approximately 50% of the height of the pile in the area on which the paste has been applied. The words substantial shrinkage as used in the claims are intended to mean sufficient shrinkage to produce fabric patterns because of the visually apparent differences in the height of the fibres, tufts, or loops. It is to be understood that 50% is not a critical percentage of shrinkage for producing these results. If the fabric has been previously dyed, it may be immediately used for furniture or other upholstery use or if the treatment was performed on a fabric in the grey, it will be subsequently dyed before us Pile fabrics (Figs. I and II) on their face may be produced according to this invention in contrasting shades of the same color with a single dye because the visual effect of dyed cut and uncut pile is materially different. This difference is accentuated by having the cut pile of greater height than the uncut. To accomplish this result, it has been a prior practice to weave the pile fabric on a wire loom and to use pile wires of different heights. This pri'or method is both expensive and restricted in its scope because of the limited number of patterns that can be woven by this method. I overcome the disadvantage of this and other prior practices and produce a fabric of any desired figuration by weaving an uncut pile fabhaving both out and uncut pile 4 ric of uniform pile height, (thus avoiding complicated shedding and wire arrangements) treating the fabric as above described and subsequently shearing the face side of the fabric. The untreated area will retain substantially its original heightand the tips of these pile loops can be sheared by a shear or cutter without injuring the shorter pile loops. After shearing, the cut pile tuft will be of greater height than the uncut loop. The fabric may be yarn dyed, yarn printed, dyed in the piece or dyed subsequently to the shrinking or shearing operation. The amount of shrinkage may be varied by modifying the treatment of the pile fibres and a single fabric may comprise the different modifications illustrated.

Simulations of natural animal pelts may be produced by using a yarn blended from two or more fibres, cotton and mohair for example. The fibres of the pile yarns are intimately blended during the yarn preparation and if the fabric be woven on the double plush principle and cut on the loom, a long cut pile fabric of uniform pile height may be woven. The uniform application of a paste prepared as described above and subsequent washing and drying of the fabric or the immersion of the fabric in a suitable bath will result in the production of a cut pile fabric having some of its cut pile fibres shorter in length than others in much the same fashion as certain pelts. Tussah silk and mohair' blended together will produce a similar result as the mohair will shrink approximately 50% and the silk will be unaffected. The blending is preferably done in a single soft twisted yarn rather than in a doubling operation. Attractive effects may be produced by union or cross dyeing if desired.

My invention is applicable to fabrics woven with loops, V-pile tufts or with W-pile tufts interlaced with three or more backing threads. The backing may consist of cotton wefts 3 and warps 4 and 5. The short treated loops are designated in the drawing at 6, the cut pile at I and the untreated loops at 8. The long fibres 9 (Fig. IV) are those unaffected by the shrinkage treatment, whereas short fibres ID are the effected fibres. The backing threads and that portion of the loops or tufts which lie in the plane of the backing threads may be impregnated with 8. normally insoluble adhesive material such as latex. The adhesive may be applied to the backing through the back without destroying the textile appearance of the back of the fabric and without filling the interstices between the threads with adhesive material. The application of latex or the like prevents a run or pulling of a thread if a single loop be snagged, keeps the V-pile. from pushing out the back and gives to the simulated pelt flexing characteristics approaching that of the animals skin. This latter result is obtained by applying a latex mix having a higher rubber content than is necessary or desirable in the other modifications illustrated. The latex or other adhesive is in all cases confined to the backing portion of the fabric. The adhesive may be applied before or after the shrinking treatment.

In general, barium, lithium and ammonium thiocyanates may be substituted for calcium thiocyanate and used in the same manner with substantially the same results. Shrinking agents such as sodium and potassium hydroxide in a 15% solution may in some cases be used and the fabric or yarn subsequently rinsed in dilute acetic acid. Caution must be exercised if the latter two shrinking agents be employed, or injury to the pile fibre, particularly if it be wool or mohair, will result.

The above description is illustrative of applications of my invention which is restricted only by the scope of the claims. Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A pile fabric comprising a backing structure and an upstanding pile structure interlaced therewith, said pile structure being of the same kind of yarn throughout and comprising a relatively low shrunken pile loop area and a higher unshrunk pile tuft area.

2. A pile fabric comprising a backing structure and an upstanding pile structure interlaced therewith, said pile structure being of the same kind of yarn throughout and comprising a relatively low shrunken pile loop area and a higher unshrunk pile loop area.

3. A pile fabric comprising a backing structure and an upstanding pile structure interlaced therewith, said pile structure containing mohair and being of the same kind of yarn throughout and comprising a relatively low shrunken pile loop area and a higher unshrunk pile tuft area.

EUGENE F. CASTLES.

DISCLAIMER 2,110,867. Eugene F. Castles, Glen Ridge, N. J. PILE FABRIC.

March 15, 1938. Disclaimer filed June 15, 1938, by the assi Ai/cman Corporation.

Hereby enters this disclaimer to 01 aim 2 in said specification. [Oflicial Gazette July 5, 1938.]

Patent dated gnee, Collins c