US2312200A - Elastic pile fabric - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 23, 1943.

M. c. TEAGUE ETAL ELASTIC PILE FABRICA Filed oct. 26. 1940 INVORS Manny 6.1@- BY 77z0maa 672.7[azv y,eff'.

ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 23, 1943 Merwyn C., Teague,

Ridgewood, N. J., and Thomas G. Hawley, Jr., Naugatuck, Conn., assignors to United States Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 26, 1940, Serial No. 362,964

2 Claims.

Our invention relates to an improved elastic pile ,fabric having a rubber backing bonded to the base of the tufts and the back of the fabric to hold the tufts in the ground fabric and to give it additional elasticity.

The fabric may be made by the method described and claimed in our copending application Serial No. 186,132, filed January 21, 1938, of which this application is a continuation in part, and is particularly useful as an upholstery material because it can be stretched smoothly over spherical surfaces.

Rubber has been applied to the back of pile fabrics for the purpose of securing the tufts in the ground fabric and to render it impervious. but the present pile fabric has an advantage over the prior fabrics because the rubber backing serves the dual purpose of holding the tufts in the fabric and imparting additional elasticity to it. Due to the double function of the rubber backing our pile fabric may be stretched and contracted freely without permitting the tufts to become loose and fall or the ground fabric.

The invention will be the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrat ing an elastic pile fabric embodying.the invention. and a method and mechanism for making same.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a form of mechanism for condensing fabric between two stretched belts;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through a piece of pile fabric before it is condensed;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing an elastic pile fabric embodying this invention, which comprises the pile fabric after it has been condensed and secured to the rubber backing; and

Fig. 4 is a plan shown in Fig. 3.

The elastic pile fabric E shown in Fig. 3 may be made with the construction disclosed in Fis. 1 of the drawing in which the pile fabric F in Fig. 2 to be made elastic is supplied from a roll lo. The' back K of the fabric F is adhered to a stretched condensing belt Il. to be described, with a rubber-containing uid which may take the form of a solvent rubber cement which does not soften when under heat of vulcanization to such an extent as to release the condensed condiview of the back or the fabric tion of the fabric, or an aqueous dispersion of rubber such as rubber latex with or without combe easily pulled out ofA further understood from pounding and/or vulcanizing ingredients and iu either a vulcanized or unvulcanized condition to a workable degree. Some of the solvent rubber cements of the class referred to above are those made from crude rubber without mastication and from reclaim rubber whichcontains combined sulphur. It is desirable to' use a desolvating agent during the solvating step to provide a maximum rubber cont-ent andminimum solvent content. Rubber containing fluid as used herein shall include any consistency or viscosity of the rubber containing materials which may be sprayed, spread or applied by a pick-up roll or the like. The rubber fluid may be applied to the fabric or to the condensing belt, or to both, but it is deemed preferable to employ rubber latex to impart the desired elastic properties to the fabric, and to apply it to the fabric by means of a spray. In the construction shown in Fig. 1,

the latex is applied to the upper face of the fabric by the nozzles L and L.

The present invention as above stated contemplatesusing the adhesive action of the rubber coating to temporarilysecure the fabric to theA condensing belt. It is thereforeA important that the coating upon the fabric be in a tacky condl- .tion when the fabric reaches the condensing belt. This tacky condition may be secured by heating or drying the latex upon the fabric, or by coagulating the latex either by heating or spraying a coagulant thereupon by means of the nozzle C, or a heat sensitive latex may be used. The heating or partial coagulation of the latex may serve-also to make it less fluid so as to prevent too deep penetration into the fabric and to prevent it from flowing together toclose the apertures of the fabric. The spraying nozzles L, L' and C are preferably inclined to the fabric as shown so that the spray will not be forced through the fabric but will be deposited upon the upper face thereof. If desired the nozzles L, L' may be arranged at such an angle and the pressure behind the spray may be so controlled as is known in the art that a porous layer of rubber may be deposited upon the fabric.

The fabric F is condensed in the construction of Fig. 1 by introducing it between the stretched portions of two elastic belts i i and I5 to be firmly between will has cooperating therewith the pinch roll I8, and' the lower drum I1 may be a free-running drum.

The drum I5 is operated at a slower surface speed than the large drum I2 so that the lower run of this belt will be stretched and the upper run relaxed to approximately the same extent as those portions of the belt I I.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1 the rubbercontaining fluid is deposited upon the back K of the fabric F which engages the inner belt II so that the fabric will adhere to this belt instead of to the outer belt I5. A pinch roll I 8 may be ernployed to press the belts II and I firmly together against the drum I2 to cause the fabric F to be firmly secured to the belt I I by its adhesive rubber coating. This pinch roll serves also to prevent slippage between the drum and belts at this point.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that when the rubber treated fabric F is introduced between the stretched lower runs of the belts II and I5 it will be strongly gripped between these belts as they pass around the drum I2, and that as these belts and the fabric approach the upper quadrant -of the drum I2, in the construction shown, the beltswill be1 permitted to contract gradually, with the result that the fabric therebe condensed gradually. The rubber-containing iiuid will cause the fabric to adhere more or less firmly to the belt I I', and the contraction of this belt will therefore serve first to condense the fabric and then to hold it in the condensed condition. The treated and condensed' fabric may be conducted by the belt II past the drying or heating mechanism I9 which will cause the rubber to set or become suiiciently vulcanized to yieldingly hold the fabric condensed. The condensed fabric E may then be stripped oil' ofthe belt Ii and wound upon the roll 20, whereupon the rubber may be further vulcanized or otherwise treated. For example, two such fabrics may be plied together but in order to unite the two fabrics additional rubber adhesive should beintroduced between them.

The construction shown in Fig. 1 utilizes the tension of an elastic belt to press the fabric against the drum and this serves to hold the fabric in a smooth nat condition while it is being condensed. The rubber-containing liquid on the fabric may if desired be partly dried or partly coagulated as it passes around. the drum I2 by heating the drum. Care should be taken however, not to set the rubber by vulcanization before the fabric is condensed.

The elastic belts Ii, and I5, may be formed of a porous or non-porous rubber sheet, or of a length,

of webbing, and the webbing if woven of elastic warps and non-elastic wefts can be stretched longitudinally without contracting appreciably transversely. In condensing a woven fabric it is freouently important to use a belt the width of which does not vary appreciably as the belt is stretched` longitudinally and then permitted to contract, for a woven fabric tends to pull away from a belt that expands transversely as it contracts lengthwise.

In some cases it may be desirable to produce a two-way stretch pile fabric. This may be done by stretching the condensing belt both longitudinally and transversely before the fabric is aclhered thereto, and then releasing the tension in both directions and condensing the fabric in both directions.

rI'he elastic fabric made in accordance with the present invention comprises one or more condensed laminae of textile fabrics elastically bonded to a lamina of rubber. The term textile fabrics shall include only those fabrics which are composed of interconnected, or interlaced textile threads or yarns and which have an open construction so that the fabric may be condensed ln accordance with the process herein described. Loosely woven fabrics composed of such textile threads `which may or may not contain bare or tile fabrics are adhered to the stretched condensing surface, and that the threads in such fabrics are relaxed in one or more of such directions to a greater extent than the threads in the normal unstretched textile fabrics and the term relaxed as applied to the present invention shall be so construed. As compared to the normal iinished condition of the textile fabrics used, the textile fabric lamina or laminae so condensed has an additional stretch imparted to it in either the longitudinal or transverse direction, or both.

In Fig. 2 is shown in longitudinal section a piece of pile fabric which may constitute the fabric F before it has been condensed, and Fig. 3 is a similar view o1' such fabric after it has been condensed upon the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, or by other means. It will ybe noted that the pile tufts T are closer together in Fig, 3 than in Fig. 2 and that the ground fabric is mally retains the ground fabric in a condensed condition, but permits the fabric to stretch under tension. The rubber backing B also assists in a'ble method, such as by spraying the rubber-con taining fluid on the fabric as previously referred to so as to produce the pores P.

Heretofore it was desirable to closely weave the ground fabric so as to hold the tufts in place. In

accordance with the present invention it is desirable to use' a relatively open Weave in the ground fabric so that it can be condensed and covered than non-elastic pile fabric, and will also stretch to relieve strains thereupon.

A loosely constructed pile fabric when treated the original fabric.

este@ Wherees the elastic pile fabric illustriited here in hes o, Woven ground fabric, it is to be uurierw stood that e, knitted ground iebric may o so be used. lis various other mcdicutious i .hose disclosed herein will occur to persons siiiiieri in the art, it is not intended to limit the invention other than as required vby the scope ci the prior art and as set forth in the appended claims.

Hoving thus described our invention what we claim oud desire to protect by Letters Potent is:

l. An elastic pile fabric comprising o lamine of rubber, u loosely constructed ground febrile, und tufts enmeshed with the threads ci seid ground fabric, seid ground fabric .being condensed im one direction so their, its threads extending in seid direction ere relaxed when said rubber lamine is riot 'under tension from any outside source, and seid rubber lamine. being elesticelly bonded to the @isses of said tufts and to seid ground fabric and retaining seid reisxed threads oi seid ground feb ric in such rele'ized condition when seid rubber ilumine is not 'tension from our; outside source, whereby seid iuiiric is rendered ir! seid direction by virtue ei the elasticity of? seid rubbern 2. ein. elastic pile tobric comprising e iruriiue. of rubber, si loosely Woven. ground i'obric, and tuits erimcsiicd with the threads ci seid ground fabric, seid ground fabric being condensed in the loiigi-n tudiuel direction so that its threads extending iu scid direction ure relaxed end the tufts ure brought cioser together when said rubber lemme, is uort under tension from any outside source, und seid rubber lemme being porous sind elesticully bonded to the bases of said tufts and to Suid ground fabric und retaining seid relaxed threads of suicl ground fabric in such relaxed condition when seid rubber lamine is not under teusiou from any outside source, whereby seid ebric is rendered elastic in seid direction by virtue oi' the eiosticity of scid rubber.

MERWYN c. 'memoir'. 'recrues or. Herr, Je.

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