U.S. patent application number 11/707890 was filed with the patent office on 2007-08-16 for fabrics made of fibers having square cross section.
This patent application is currently assigned to Industrial Technology Research Institute. Invention is credited to Lien-Tai Chen, Shu Hui Cheng, Kai Jen Hsiao, Zhi Feng Jue.
Application Number | 20070190884 11/707890 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 21679604 |
Filed Date | 2007-08-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070190884 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chen; Lien-Tai ; et
al. |
August 16, 2007 |
Fabrics made of fibers having square cross section
Abstract
Fibers of square cross sections are presented in the invention.
The square fiber leads to higher packing density and results in
higher wind resistance in fabrics as compared to the conventional
round fibers and other polygonal fibers. Therefore, the square
fiber is more suitable for manufacture of the windproof clothing.
In addition, the square fibers exhibit higher luster than the round
fibers and other polygonal fibers due to the flat and shiny fiber
surface.
Inventors: |
Chen; Lien-Tai; (Taoyuan
County, TW) ; Hsiao; Kai Jen; (Miaoli County, TW)
; Cheng; Shu Hui; (Hsinchu County, TW) ; Jue; Zhi
Feng; (Yunlin County, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Assignee: |
Industrial Technology Research
Institute
Hsinchu
TW
|
Family ID: |
21679604 |
Appl. No.: |
11/707890 |
Filed: |
February 20, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10282083 |
Oct 29, 2002 |
|
|
|
11707890 |
Feb 20, 2007 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
442/400 ;
442/337 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D01F 6/62 20130101; D04B
1/14 20130101; D10B 2321/022 20130101; D04H 3/011 20130101; D04H
1/4291 20130101; D04H 3/16 20130101; Y10T 442/431 20150401; D10B
2331/04 20130101; D04H 1/4334 20130101; D01F 6/06 20130101; D10B
2321/02 20130101; Y10T 442/68 20150401; D01F 6/60 20130101; D03D
15/47 20210101; D03D 15/00 20130101; D10B 2331/02 20130101; Y10T
442/3089 20150401; Y10T 428/2915 20150115; Y10T 442/611 20150401;
Y10T 442/3114 20150401; Y10T 442/609 20150401; D04H 1/435 20130101;
D04H 1/4391 20130101; Y10T 442/608 20150401; D01D 5/253 20130101;
D03D 15/44 20210101; D10B 2401/041 20130101; Y10T 428/2973
20150115 |
Class at
Publication: |
442/400 ;
442/337 |
International
Class: |
D04H 13/00 20060101
D04H013/00; D04H 1/56 20060101 D04H001/56 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 29, 2001 |
TW |
90126697 |
Claims
1. A fabric of high wind resistance, made of melt-spinning fibers
having square cross-section, wherein each side of the square
cross-section has approximately equal length.
2. The fabric as claimed in claim 1, wherein variation of each side
of the polygonal cross-section of the fibers is less than 50% from
the mean value.
3. The fabric as claimed in claim 2, wherein variation of each side
of the polygonal cross-section of the fibers is less than 5% from
the mean value.
4. The fabric as claimed in claim 1, in the form of woven fabric,
knitted fabric or non-woven fabric.
5. The fabric as claimed in claim 1, having a wind resistance
higher than a fabric made of round fibers.
6. The fabric as claimed in claim 5, having a wind resistance of
more than 3 times higher than a fabric made of round fibers.
7. The fabric as claimed in claim 1, having a luster higher than a
fabric made of round fibers.
8. The fabric as claimed in claim 7, having a luster of more than 2
times higher than a fabric made of round fibers.
9. The fabric as claimed in claim 1, having a wind resistance
higher than a fabric made of triangular fibers.
10. The fabric as claimed in claim 9, having a wind resistance of
more than 50% higher than a fabric made of triangular fibers.
11. The fabric as claimed in claim 1, having a luster higher than a
fabric made of triangular fibers.
12. The fabric as claimed in claim 11, having a luster of more than
50% higher than a fabric made of triangular fibers.
13. The fabric as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fiber is formed
of a material selected from the group consisting of polyester,
polyamide and polyolefin.
14. The fabric as claimed in claim 13, wherein the polyester
comprises poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(proylene
terephthalate), poly(cyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate),
poly(lactide), poly(butylene terephthalate), poly(glycolic acid),
or poly(ethylene adipate).
15. The fabric as claimed in claim 13, wherein the polyamide
comprises nylon 6 (poly(6-aminohexanoic acid)), nylon 66
(poly(hexamethyleneadipamide)), nylon 4 (poly(4-aminobutyric
acid)), nylon 11 (poly(1l-amino-undecanoic acid).
16. The fabric as claimed in claim 13, wherein the polyolefin
comprises polyethylene, polypropylene, polyisobutene,
poly(4-methyl-1-pentene), poly(3-methyl-1-butene), or
poly(1-hexene).
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Continuation-In-Part of application
Ser. No. 10/282,083, filed Oct. 29, 2002, which claims the benefit
of Taiwanese Application No. 90126697, filed Oct. 29, 2001.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a method of fabricating
non-hollow fibers having regular polygonal cross-sections. In
particular, the present invention relates to a method of
fabricating a non-hollow fibers having a square cross-section with
approximately equilateral sides. The present invention also relates
to fabrics manufactured by the fibers, which demonstrate superior
brightness, and windproof characteristics.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Many efforts have been made to improve the characteristics
of synthetic filaments or fibers so as to impart fabrics or
textiles with enhanced performance and functions, such as moisture
transport, thermal insulation, air permeability, antistatic,
sustained release, antibacterial, and windproof properties.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,368 issued to Largman et al, disclosed
trilobal or quardrilobal filaments for use in various applications
such as filtration, insulation, moisture transport and others.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,879 issued to Goodall et al, disclosed a
hollow synthetic filament having a four sided cross-section and
four substantially evenly spaced continuous holes. The filament is
suitable for making thermal wear and carpets which require extra
thermal insulation or bulkiness.
[0008] High density fabrics in which yarns are woven in a compact
manner are more desirable for windproof wears. Such clothes are
conventionally made of ultra-fine round filaments to reduce
interfiber spaces and to achieve high fabric density. The present
invention discovers that fibers of square cross section lead to
even less interfiber spaces as compared to the conventional fine
round filaments.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The primary objective of the present invention is therefore
to provide fabrics or textiles that demonstrate superior windproof
(i.e., lower air permeability) characteristics and can be made at a
lower cost.
[0010] To attain the objective, the invention provides non-hollow
fibers having square cross-section where each side has
approximately equal length. The square fibers can be arranged in a
denser manner, which has reduced interfiber spaces, when woven and
finished properly. Therefore, the resultant fabrics or clothes
possess superior windproof characteristics.
[0011] Another advantage of this invention is that the dense
fabrics made of the square fiber may impart superior thermal
insulation due to reduction of air flow and thus heat loss by
convection.
[0012] A third unique attribute of this invention is that the
fabrics made of the square fibers are more lustrous than
conventional fabrics due to the flatter surface, which in turn is
the result of the flat surface of the square cross section. The
superior luster of the fabrics renders the designer an additional
dimension in fashion design.
[0013] The fibers or filaments of the present invention are made by
using a spinneret orifice having a contoured quasi-polygonal
cross-section.
[0014] Specifically, the fibers or filaments of the invention are
made by melting a thermoplastic polymer; extruding the melted
polymer through a spinneret orifice having a contoured quasi-square
cross-section to form molten filaments; and solidifying the molten
filaments. The solidified filaments are subsequently drawn to
achieve desired properties.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The present invention can be more fully understood by
reading the subsequent detailed description in conjunction with the
examples and references made to the accompanying drawing,
wherein:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a photo showing the cross-section of the square
fibers made in Example 1.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a photo showing the cross-section of the
triangular fibers made in Example 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The fibers or filaments of the invention are non-hollow
fibers and filaments having square cross-section.
[0019] The term "square" indicates that each side of the
tetrahedral polygon has approximately equal length. It is noted,
however, each side of square may have a variation less than 50%,
preferably less than 5%, from the mean value
[0020] The filaments are prepared by spinning molten polymer
through spinneret capillaries or orifices designed to provide the
desired configuration of the cross-section of the filaments. That
is, the orifices are designed and formed in a configuration having
a corresponding contoured polygonal cross-section.
[0021] The filaments may be prepared from synthetic thermoplastic
polymers. Examples of these polymers include but are not limited to
polyester, polyamide and polyolefin.
[0022] Polyesters that are suitable for use in this invention are
those derived from the condensation of aromatic and cycloaliphatic
dicarboxylic acids and may be cycloaliphatic, aliphatic or aromatic
polyesters. Examples or these polyesters are poly(ethylene
terephthalate), poly(proylene terephthalate),
poly(cyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate), poly(lactide),
poly(butylene terephthalate), poly(glycolic acid) and poly(ethylene
adipate). Among these, poly(ethylene terephthalate) is most
frequently used. Other examples of suitable polyesters are those
mentioned in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,454,196, 4,410,073 and 4,359,557
incorporated herein for references.
[0023] Polyamides of the above description are well known in this
art and include, for example nylon 6 (poly(6-aminohexanoic acid)),
nylon 66 (poly(hexamethyleneadipamide)), nylon 4
(poly(4-aminobutyric acid)), nylon 11 (poly(11-amino-undecanoic
acid) and the like. The preferred polyamides are nylon 6 and nylon
66. Other examples of suitable polyamides can be seen from "Textile
Fiber Handbook", 5th edition, Trowbridge GB (1984), pp 19-20.
[0024] Examples of polyolefin that can be used in this invention as
raw material include, but are not limited to polyethylene,
polypropylene, polyisobutene, poly(4-methyl-1-pentene),
poly(3-methyl-1-butene), and poly(1-hexene). Among these
polyolefins, polypropylene is the most commonly used. Other
examples of useful polyolefins can be found from U.S. Pat. Nos.
4,137,391, 4,562,869, 4,567,092 and 4,559,862 included herein for
reference. Also, a blend of the above-mentioned polymers is also
suitable for use according to the present invention.
[0025] The manufacturing method of the fibers or filaments of the
invention are substantially the same as conventional melt spinning
techniques except that a spinneret orifice having a configuration
sufficient to provide a fiber having regular polygonal
cross-section is used. The raw material, i.e., the thermoplastic
polymer, is melted and is extruded through the spinneret to form
molten filaments. The spinning temperature is usually set between
150-300.degree. C., depending on the melting point of the polymer
and the type of the spinneret. For example, if polyethylene
terephthalate is used as raw material, it is heated to
270-300.degree. C. to melt the polymer. However, if polypropylene
is employed, the spinning temperature is preferably set in the
range of 200-280.degree. C.
[0026] In the melt spinning process, the molten polymer is extruded
into air or other gases, or into a suitable liquid to quench and
solidify the molten filaments. The solidification process is
conducted by using quenching gas, usually cooling air, at a
temperature of about 10-25.degree. C. The setting of the
temperature and the velocity of the quenching air blown to the
molten filaments depend on the polymer and the filament properties
desired. The filaments may be lubricated with oil at about 100-120
cm below the spinneret to facilitate solidification. The amount of
oil (OPU, oil per unit) applied is about 0.5-0.8% and may vary
depending on the polymer used and spinning conditions. Before being
taken up, the filaments may be subjected to further processing such
as drawing or texturing to achieve desired properties.
[0027] The fibers or filaments produced by the above process have a
regular polygonal cross-section, in which all sides are of
approximately equal length. Preferably, variation of each side of
the polygonal cross-section of the fabricated fiber is less than
50%, more preferably less than 5% from the mean value. The fibers
of the invention can be employed in many applications, and are not
limited to the fabrication of woven, non-woven, and knitted fabrics
or clothes. The fibers of the invention are particularly suited for
use in the fabrication of fabrics or textiles that require superior
wind resistance, luster, and thermal insulation.
[0028] The following examples are presented to further illustrate
the invention and are not to be construed as limitations
thereon.
EXAMPLE 1
The Preparation of PET Fiber Having Square Cross-section (1)
[0029] A melt dope was prepared by melting regular polyester resin
(R-PET) of intrinsic viscosity of 0.64 (manufactured by Shinkong
Synthetic Fibers Co. Taiwan) at 285.degree. C. The melt was then
spun at 42.7 grams/minute through a spinneret having 48 contoured
quasi-square orifices. The filaments extruded from the spinneret
were then cooled by blowing with a quenching air of 16.degree. C.
at a velocity of 0.55 m/sec. After quenching, the filaments were
treated with an aqueous liquid containing 10% oil by contacting an
applicator located at a distance of 110 cm below the spinneret to
facilitate the solidification of the hot filaments. The amount of
oil applied onto the fiber was 0.83% of the fiber weight. The
cooled and solidified filaments were then passed through a set of
driven take-up rolls and winded up at a speed of 3200 meter/minute
to obtain a partially oriented yarn (POY). The obtained yarn
bundles have 48 filaments and 120 deniers in linear density. The
partially oriented yarn is further drawn to become fully oriented
yarn (FOY). The FOY bundles have 48 filaments and 75 deniers in
linear density. The properties of POY and FOY yarns are summarized
in Table 1. The cross-section of the resultant fiber is shown in
FIG. 1.
EXAMPLE 2
The Preparation of PET Fiber Having Square Cross-section (2)
[0030] A melt dope was prepared by melting regular polyester resin
(R-PET) of intrinsic viscosity of 0.64 (manufactured by Shinkong
Synthetic Fibers Co. Taiwan) at 285.degree. C. The melt was then
spun at 28.4 grams/minute through a spinneret having contoured
quasi-square orifice. The filaments extruded from the spinneret
were then cooled by blowing with a quenching air of 16.degree. C.
at a velocity of 0.45 meter/sec. After quenching, the filaments
were treated with an aqueous liquid containing 10% oil by
contacting an applicator located at a distance of 110 cm below the
spinneret to facilitate the solidification of the hot filaments.
The amount of oil applied onto the fiber was 0.81% of the fiber
weight. The cooled and solidified filaments were then passed
through a set of driven take-up rolls and winded up at a speed of
3200 meter/minute to obtain a partially oriented yarn (POY). The
obtained yarn bundles have 48 filaments and 80 deniers in linear
density. The partially oriented yarn is further drawn to become
fully oriented yarn (FOY). The FOY bundles have 48 filaments and 50
deniers in linear density. The properties of POY and FOY yarns are
summarized in Table 1 below.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1
The Preparation of PET Fiber Having Round Cross-section (1)
[0031] A melt dope was prepared by melting regular polyester resin
(R-PET) of intrinsic viscosity of 0.64 (manufactured by Shinkong
Synthetic Fibers Co. Taiwan) at 285.degree. C. The melt was then
spun at 42.7 grams/minute through a spinneret with 48 round
orifices. The filaments extruded from the spinneret were then
cooled by blowing with a quenching air of 16.degree. C. at a
velocity of 0.55 meter/sec. After quenching, the filaments were
treated with an aqueous liquid containing 10% oil by contacting an
applicator located at a distance of 110 cm below the spinneret to
facilitate the solidification of the hot filaments. The amount of
oil applied onto the fiber was 0.83% of the fiber weight. The
cooled and solidified filaments were then passed through a set of
driven take-up rolls and winded up at a speed of 3200 meter/minute
to obtain a partially oriented yarn (POY). The obtained yarn
bundles have 48 filaments and 120 deniers in linear density. The
partially oriented yarn is further drawn to become fully oriented
yarn (FOY). The FOY bundles have 48 filaments and 75 deniers in
linear density. The properties of POY and FOY yarns are summarized
in Table 1.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2
The Preparation of PET Fiber Having Round Cross-section (2)
[0032] A melt dope was prepared by melting regular polyester resin
(R-PET) of intrinsic viscosity of 0.64 (manufactured by Shinkong
Synthetic Fibers Co. Taiwan) at 285.degree. C. The melt was then
spun at 28.4 grams/minute through a spinneret with 48 round
orifices. The filaments extruded from the spinneret were then
cooled by blowing with a quenching air of 16.degree. C. at a
velocity of 0.45 meter/sec. After quenching, the filaments were
treated with an aqueous liquid containing 10% oil by contacting an
applicator located at a distance of 110 cm below the spinneret to
facilitate the solidification of the hot filaments. The amount of
oil applied onto the fiber was 0.81% of the fiber weight. The
cooled and solidified filaments were then passed through a set of
driven take-up rolls and winded up at a speed of 3200 meter/minute
to obtain a partially oriented yarn (POY). The obtained yarn
bundles have 48 filaments and 80 deniers in linear density. The
partially oriented yarn is further drawn to become fully oriented
yarn (FOY). The FOY bundles have 48 filaments and 50 deniers in
linear density. The properties of POY and FOY yarns are summarized
in Table 1. TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Before drawing After drawing
Linear Tenacity Elongation Linear Tenacity Elongation density (g/d)
(%) density (g/d) (%) Example (1) 120 d 2.64 123 75 d 4.79 34.5
square Example (2) 80 d 2.53 121 50 d 4.57 32.1 square Comp. Exam.
120 d 2.72 120 75 d 4.86 32.3 (1) round Comp. Exam. 80 d 2.65 118
50 d 4.65 30.2 (2) round Note: d: denier
EXAMPLE 3
The Preparation of PET Fiber with Regular Triangular
Cross-section
[0033] A melt dope was prepared by melting regular polyester resin
(R-PET) of intrinsic viscosity of 0.64 (manufactured by Shinkong
Synthetic Fibers Co. Taiwan) at 285.degree. C. The melt was then
spun at 28.4 grams/minute through a spinneret with 48 round
orifices. The filaments extruded from the spinneret were then
cooled by blowing with a quenching air of 16.degree. C. at a
velocity of 0.45 meter/sec. After quenching, the filaments were
treated with an aqueous liquid containing 10% oil by contacting an
applicator located at a distance of 110 cm below the spinneret to
facilitate the solidification of the hot filaments. The amount of
oil applied onto the fiber was 0.82% of the fiber weight. The
cooled and solidified filaments were then passed through a set of
driven take-up rolls and winded up at a speed of 3200 meter/minute
to obtain a partially oriented yarn (POY). The obtained yarn
bundles have 48 filaments and 80 deniers in linear density. The
partially oriented yarn is further drawn to become fully oriented
yarn (FOY). The FOY bundles have 48 filaments and 50 deniers in
linear density. The cross-section of the resultant fiber is shown
in FIG. 2.
[0034] One of the unique characteristics of the fibers with
equilateral polygonal cross section is related to stacking of the
fiber. As shown in Table 2, in the case of the equilateral
polygonal fiber, the wind resistance of the fabric, in terms of
pressure drop at a certain air flux, is significantly higher than
the fabrics made of conventional round fibers. Especially, the wind
resistance of the fabric of square fiber is much higher than the
fabrics made of triangular fibers. At higher air fluxes, the trends
are the same with slightly different ratios. In some embodiments,
the fabric of square fibers may have a wind resistance of more than
3 times higher than a fabric made of round fibers, and more than
50% higher than that of triangular fibers.
[0035] It is surprising and unexpected that the square fiber
results in remarkably higher wind resistance in fabrics as compared
to triangular fiber, since it was originally held that the square
fiber and triangular fiber would have the same packing behavior due
to their flat surfaces. TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Comparison of wind
resistance of PET woven fabrics Air flux Square fiber Triangular
Round fiber (l/min) (mm H.sub.2O) fiber (mm H.sub.2O) (mm H.sub.2O)
20 37 24 11 40 96 59 23 60 136 88 39 80 148 104 59 100 150 122 93
Remarks.quadrature.fiber spec: 50 d/48 f; fabric
structure.quadrature.1/1 plain weave, weft 200 threads/inch, warp
110 threads/inch.
[0036] The luster, measured as the percentage of the light
reflection from the fabric surface, is also shown in Table 3.
Fabrics of both square and triangular fibers show higher luster
than that of the round fiber. This is due to the light reflection
from the flat surface of either the square or the triangular fiber.
The fabric of square surface has the highest luster because of the
better fiber stacking on the fabric surface, which results in a
flatter and shinier surface. Specially, the fabric of square fibers
has a luster of more than 2 times higher than that of round fibers,
and surprisingly, more than 50% higher than that of triangular
fibers. TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Comparison of air permeability and
luster of PET woven fabrics Pressure Square fiber Triangular fiber
Round fiber (Pa) Air permeability (cc/cm.sup.2.quadrature. sec) 25
0.132 0.160 0.188 50 0.169 0.224 0.279 75 0.198 0.336 0.474 100
0.240 0.520 0.660 125 0.276 0.575 0.773 150 0.331 0.691 0.850
Luster (%) 5.78 3.24 2.56 Remarks.quadrature.(1) Fiber spec.: 50
d/48 f; fabric structure.quadrature. 1/1 plain weave, weft 200
threads/inch, warp 110 threads/inch. (2) Luster is measured in
terms of light reflection from the fabrics. All fabrics are not
colored.
[0037] While the invention has been described by way of examples
and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood
that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To
the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and
similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the
art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be
accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such
modifications and similar arrangements.
* * * * *