Abstract: The inventive method provides highly desirable hand to various different types of fabrics through the initial immobilization of individual fibers within target fabrics and subsequent treatment through abrasion, sanding, or napping of at least a portion of the target fabric. Such a procedure includes "nicking" the immobilized fibers thereby permitting the fibers to produce a substantially balanced strength of the target fabric in the fill and warp directions while also providing the same degree of hand improvements as obtained with previous methods. Furthermore, this process also provides the unexpected improvement of non-pilling to synthetic fibers as the "nicking" of the immobilized fibers results in the lack of unraveling of fibers and thus the near impossibility of such fibers balling together to form unwanted pills on the fabric surface. Fabrics treated by this process are also contemplated within this invention.

Abstract: A napper fabric processing machine implements a number of improvements. First, the worker rolls are aluminum, reducing their weight and attachable to the cylinder using a quick release mechanism, enabling quick replacement. The worker roll are also easily serviceable and accessible from the side of the machine. Further, carding wear is monitored electrically by detecting torque generated by the motors driving the worker rolls. Finally, a tensioning system is used for the drive belts, negating the need for cylinder disassembly to replace the belts.

Abstract: An improved filter media that is stable in both the lengthwise and widthwise directions and that does not stretch or similarly distort during pressure stops and starts. The filter media is formed from a circular knitted felt fabric having a napped face and a knitted back.

Abstract: A nonwoven lap of very fine continuous filaments, crimped or not, obtained by means of a controlled direct spinning process, with a weight between 5 g/m.sup.2 and 600 g/m.sup.2, and formed, after napping, of composite filaments separable in the direction of their length, characterized in that said composite filaments have a filament number between 0.3 dTex and 10 dTex and are formed, each, of at least three elementary filaments of at least two different materials and comprising between them at least one plane of separation or cleavage, each elementary filament having a filament number between 0.005 dTex and 2 dTex, the ratio between the cross-sectional area of each elementary filament and the total cross-sectional area of the unitary filament being between 0.5% and 90%.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for loosening, cutting, and abrading a web of textile fabric having spun yarns containing wrapper fibers. The textile fabric web is directed under high tension around pairs of rotatable, small diameter tubes coated with abrasive particles. Abrasive particles are preferably rounded (nonfaceted) tungsten carbide particles. The tubes (rolls) are rotated at differing speeds in relation to the fabric web speed through the apparatus. Preferably, the first, regressive roll rotates at a speed slower than the web speed and the second, progressive roll rotates at a faster such speed. Such a process and apparatus provide improved conditioning and napping of a fabric web as well as a quicker, more efficient method of performing such fabric treatment.

Abstract: A process of decorating fabric includes the step of imparting wrinkles to the fabric oblique to the warp and weft directions and heat setting the wrinkles into the fabric. The wrinkle imparting step may include moving the fabric longitudinally and simultaneously moving portions of the fabric from side to side by frictionally engaging the fabric to an oscillating means such as an elastomeric pad or interleaved fingers and oscillating the pad or fingers from side to side. Heat setting of the fabric includes exposing the wrinkled fabric to heat at a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient duration to set the wrinkles in the fabric. Desirably, the wrinkled fabric is in contact with a transfer print paper while the fabric passes through the heat setting step to set the wrinkles and fix color on the fabric. The longitudinal movement is desirably coordinated with the side to side movement to obtain aesthetically pleasing results. The invention also includes apparatus and the product.

Abstract: A container for a strip (12) of light-sensitive material includes an elongated opening for withdrawing the material from the container. Strips (22) of light-locking material are provided on both sides of the opening, the strips being made from a napped and sheared woven fabric (12, 14). The fabric is dyed, dried, napped, sheared and heat set prior to preparation of the strips. A method of producing such a light-locking material is taught which includes steps of passing the woven fabric multiple times through napping and shearing operations to increase the pile density.

Abstract: A teaseling and/or fluffing machine for fabric, including a load-bearing structure having two sidepieces supporting at least one drum which rotates about a central shaft and supports on its two lateral endpieces two series of teaseling and/or fluffing rollers of with-pile type and against-pile-type. These rollers are arranged along generatrices of the drum, with those of one series rotating relative to those of the other under independent drive. A fabric to be treated passes about the teaseling and/or fluffing rollers and is fed to the machine by a driven feed roller and extracted therefrom by a driven exit roller. There also being provided brushes which interact alternately with the teaseling and/or fluffing rollers. The with-pile and against-pile teaseling and/or fluffing rollers are provided with supports.

Abstract: A method for obtaining a fluffy surface on cloth on which short fluff is thickly and uniformly formed. In this fluff-raising process there is no deterioration of the cloth such as undue heating of cloth or the cutting off of raised fibers. The method includes the conveying of the cloth between a working rotary member formed of a cylindrical grindstone and a pressure-contact member having a cooperating circular arc-shaped concave surface portion with which a part of a peripheral surface of the working rotary member is cooperatively engaged. The pressure-contact member is disposed in such a manner that the circular arc-shaped concave surface portion thereof faces closely to the adjacent part of the peripheral surface of the working rotary member.

Abstract: A napped textile product is prepared by supplying a polyethylene terephthalate homopolymer yarn having an elongation of from about 20% to about 80%, a tenacity of from about 2.5 to about 3.5 grams/denier, and a boiling water shrinkage of from about 2% to about 15%; (b) forming a fabric from the yarn, so that substantially all yarn is the polyester yarn supplied in step (a); and (c) providing the fabric prepared in step (b) to a napping machine.

Abstract: A soft, bulky light weight fabric having good absorbency and suitable for use as a wound dressing is prepared from a hydroentangled nonwoven fabric comprising a plurality of parallel spaced apart ribs interconnected by loose fiber bundles extending between adjacent ribs. The ribs comprise high density, highly entangled masses of fibers and contain at least about 60 percent by weight of the fiber in the fabric. The fabric is napped in a direction perpendicular to the ribs to obtain the soft, bulky fabric without tearing or disrupting the integrity of the fabric.

Abstract: A textile napping machine is equipped with pivotable arms for supporting its napping cylinder for selective movement between an operative position wherein the cylinder is arranged in driven relationship with the machine's cylinder drive system and an inoperative position wherein the cylinder is moved to one side of the machine for easy demounting and replacement. A traveling cart docks with the machine at the inoperative position for lateral transfer of a napping cylinder between the cart and the cylinder support arms. The various operating components of the machine are microprocessor-controlled for easy programmed adjustment. The machine may be of a reduced scale in comparison to conventional production machines for experimental, research-and-development, and laboratory usage.

Abstract: A novel textile fabric having a napped face which is uniform in height and in which most of the fibers comprising the nap extend from yarns extending in the warp direction of the fabric.

Abstract: The napping operation of a napping machine of the type having a rotating cylinder with a plurality of toothed rotating napping rollers at its periphery for napping engagement with a traveling fabric web is controlled for repeatable napping results by measuring the cyclical pattern of a radially inward deflection of the fabric web under the napping engagement of the rollers as a characteristic of an adjustment of a variable operating parameter which may be later utilized as a reference value for subsequent adjustment of the operating parameter to repeat the results of the napping operation.

Abstract: Insulating fabric having a knitted base fabric incorporating air-entrapping cells on one or both sides. The base fabric is knit from a bulk acrylic yarn, preferably high bulk acrylic yarn, and a combination polyester and cotton yarn, the yarns being knitted separately in selected fabric courses. The inner face of the fabric is formed of the bulk acrylic yarn, to provide a soft, warm and comfortable interior surface when worn. The outer face of the fabric is formed of the polyester/cotton yarn, which provides a knitted framework for anchoring and stabilizing the high bulk yarn in the fabric. Following knitting, the fabric is subjected to a series of finishing operations which include scouring, padding, drying and calendering. Preferably, the inner acrylic surface of the fabric is napped prior to calendering. As the result of repeated washings, the insulating fabric of the invention increases in thickness to enhance its heat insulating capability and provide increased warmth.

Abstract: Insulating fabric having a knitted base fabric incorporating air-entrapping cells on one or both sides. The base fabric is knit from a high bulk acrylic yarn and a combination polyester and cotton yarn, the yarns being knitted separately in selected fabric courses. The inner face of the fabric is formed of the high bulk yarn, to provide a soft, warm and comfortable interior surface when worn. The outer face of the fabric is formed of the polyester/cotton yarn, which provides a knitted framework for anchoring and stabilizing the high bulk yarn in the fabric. Following knitting, the fabric is subjected to a series of finishing operations which include scouring, padding, drying, napping and calendering. As the result of repeated washings, the insulating fabric of the invention increases in thickness to enhance its heat insulating capability and provide increased warmth.

Abstract: A self-engaging separable fastener is disclosed which comprises a base member of woven separable fastener material having at least two adjacent mating fastener sections. At least one section is defined by a plurality of loops upstanding from the base member, and the other section is defined by a plurality of hooks upstanding from the base member. The loops are formed of respective generally parallel rows of multifilament yarns interwoven into their respective base section so as to repeat the same loop direction and construction every predetermined number of picks and the hooks are cut from respective generally parallel rows of loops of monofilament yarns interwoven into their respective base section so as to repeat their loop direction and construction every predetermined number of picks, which latter number of picks is greater than the number of picks in which the direction of the multifilament loops is repeated.

Abstract: A method for the finishing of textile sheets, in which textile sheets for outer wear, upholstered furniture and car seat covers, as well as for decoration, preferably made of yarns having yarn strengths typical for carded yarns and/or worsted yarns (for example, ring yarns, OE-yarns, MJS yarns, friction yarns), are adjusted in a "custom-made" fashion, according to the sheet forming process. Textile sheet is supplied to a needling process alone, or together with the most varied sheets (for example, fleece, woven materials, foam materials, etc) or warps as well. Because of the needling process, by means of which the fibers are displaced from one layer into another with 50 to 1200 stitches per cm.sup.2 by felting needles, preferably CB notched needles, there is a permanent layering which, however, for the production of sheets with naps, can be cut as well.

Abstract: A textile sheet made with improved surface effects and from yarns with typical unfavorable characteristics (firm round yarn cross-section, low hairiness), of the rotor OE (open end), MJS (murate-jet), sirospun or friction yarns, which, as the result of a multiple needle process with the effect of already known felting needles, shows improved properties including a higher volume, a softer touch, is warmer, and has increased tenacity and hairiness than before the finishing process.

Abstract: A method for the production of textile sheets with specific surface effects, and the textile sheet as a product, for outer wear, upholstered furniture or car seat covers or decoration, from yarns of yarn strengths typical for carded yarns (for example, ring-spun yarn, OE Yarn, MJS yarn, friction yarn), generally having low hairiness and low wool portion. This is accomplished in that on one or both surfaces of the textile sheet, a wool fleece remnant is present as the original of the wool fiber portions, the portions penetrating the thread system partially through the entire thickness of the sheet, in the stitch direction of a multiple one or two-sided needle device, and projecting in the stitch direction from the surface of the sheet as a nap, together with such fiber material portions, which have their origin in the textile sheets to be finished.

Abstract: A high density textile fabric having an excellent water-repellent property comprises a woven fabric having at least one water-repellent surface layer formed by a number of warps and wefts each consisting of a number of extremely fine, water-repellent fibers having a denier of 1.2 or less, the surface layer having a sum of cover factors (CF) in the warp and weft directions thereof, of from 1,400 to 3,400 determined in accordance with the equation: ##EQU1## wherein n represents the number of the warps or wefts per inch of the fabric and de represents a denier of the warps or wefts.

Abstract: A process is provided for mechanically surface-finishing a textile fabric which comprises continuously feeding said fabric from a source of supply, such that said fabric lies in a single plane, subjecting successive adjacent sections of the fabric to intermittent mechanical impact with an abrasive means across the width of said fabric thereby avoiding substantial sustained contact between the fabric and the abrasive means, the mechanical impact being at a force and frequency sufficient to cause a substantially uniform modification of the surface characteristics of the fabric. Textile fabrics with modified surface which may be made by the above process are also provided. Apparatus for mechanically surface-finishing a textile fabric according to the aforedescribed process is further provided.

Abstract: An apparatus for napping a textile material includes a plurality of rollers for advancing the material to be napped in continual longitudinal movement and a plurality of napping rollers arranged in contact with the material to be napped and adapted for rotational movement. The napping rollers includes one group of napping rollers arranged in contact with one side of the material and a second group of napping rollers arranged in contact with the opposite side of the material. The rollers for advancing the material and the napping rollers are operatively connected to each other. A drive for generating the movement of the material and rotation of the napping rollers is provided in the apparatus. A device for varying a speed and direction of the movement of the napping rollers to provide alternate oscillating movement thereof is arranged in the apparatus.

Abstract: This invention relates to a partially fibrillated textile ribbon yarn, a woven primary backing fabric made therefrom and fine or ultrafine gauge tufted carpets prepared utilizing such a backing fabric.

Abstract: A process is provided for mechanically surface-finishing a textile fabric which comprises continuously feeding said fabric from a source of supply, such that said fabric lies in a single plane, subjecting successive adjacent sections of the fabric to intermittent mechanical impact with an abrasive means across the width of said fabric thereby avoiding substantial sustained contact between the fabric and the abrasive means, the mechanical impact being at a force and frequency sufficient to cause a substantially uniform modification of the surface characteristics of the fabric. Textile fabrics with modified surface which may be made by the above process are also provided. Apparatus for mechanically surface-finishing a textile fabric according to the aforedescribed process is further provided.

Abstract: A fur-like napped fabric and process for manufacturing same are disclosed wherein a fiber layer comprising uncrimped short fibers or short fibers having a number of crimps of not greater than 10 crimps per inch are provided as a fiber layer on a base fabric. The fibers are then implanted into the base fabric by needle punching. Thereafter, the fibers are raised to form a nap. After needle punching, the base fabric and fibers may be bonded to each other by means of a backing treatment or the like which is carefully applied so as not to permeate the raised hair portion extending on the front surface of the fabric. Especially pleasing aesthetic effects are produced when the napped fibers have static frictional coefficients of less than 0.35 and wherein the bending recovery rate of said fibers is higher than 50%.

Abstract: In a methd for producing a soft sheet material containing thinned fibers or filaments and a viscoelastic substance, the improvement comprising:(A) applying a mixture of a viscoelastic substance and a temporary filler to a sheet material containing thinnable fibers or filaments;(B) thinning the thinnable fibers or filaments forming said sheet material;(B') applying temporary filler to said sheet material or relocating said temporary filler applied previously at step (A) within said sheet material, whenever necessary;(C) applying a viscoelastic substance;(D) removing said temporary filler; and(E) napping the sheet, whenever necessary.In accordance with the present invention, it is possible to obtain a leather-like sheet material which, though soft, has good mechanical properties such as high abrasion resistance and high tear strength. A leather-like sheet material is produced which is free from deficiencies such as low abrasion resistance and tear strength even where the thickness is further reduced.

Abstract: An extremely fine acrylic polymer fiber pile fabric, which comprises a substratum fabric impregnated with an elastic polymer and having at least one pile layer formed by raising at least one surface of said fabric, is characterized in that said piles consist essentially of extremely fine independent acrylic polymer fibers, each of which has a denier of 0.8 or less and is provided with a number of amorphous scale-shaped protuberances formed on the peripheral surface thereof, and which has been produced by a wet spinning method from an acrylic polymer containing at least 80% by weight of acrylonitrile.

Abstract: Disclosed are an improved islands-in-a-sea type multi-core composite filament comprising at least two different polymer components and having a cross-section wherein each island is surrounded by some other islands and most of the islands have an approximately quadrilateral to hexagonal cross-section, and also a process for producing the above-said composite filament. Using the multi-core composite filaments, fibrous sheet materials resembling a deer skin and having an excellent quality can be obtained.

Abstract: A woven synthetic textile, useful as the primary and secondary backing for carpets and as woven cloth to manufacture bags, bale wrap, wall covering, drapes and the like, can be prepared using a heavily fibrillated synthetic ribbon as at least one of the warp and fill members. The textile is characterized by the look and feel of a jute fabric. The fabric may be further treated after weaving to lift the fibril ends above the fabric surface as by brushing and/or needling.

Abstract: A suede woven fabric comprises a warp yarn selected from the group consisting of polyester textured yarn, polyester filament yarn and polyester spun yarn, and a weft yarn of polyester island filaments whose mean thicknesses in denier are within the range from 0.05 to 0.50 and whose degree of variation of thickness is 15 to 60%; wherein a portion of said island filaments on at least one surface of the fabric is raised to form piles of individual island monofilaments whose mean lengths are from 0.5 to 4.0mm; wherein the number of floating points on said weft yarn, whose number of floats in within the range of 3 to 11, is 100 to 500/cm.sup.2 of woven fabric, and wherein the relation between the shear stiffness G.sub.0.5 at a shear angle of 0.5.degree. and the stiffness G.sub.5 at a shear angle of 5.degree., represented by G.sub.5 /G.sub.0.5, is 1.5 to 15.

Abstract: Disclosed is a suede-like raised woven fabric of a combination weave. A yarn having a thickness in a range between 30 and 300 denier, the thickness of most of individual filaments or fibers thereof being in a range between 1.0 and 8.0 denier, is utilized as the warp; while a spun yarn having a thickness represented by a total denier in a range between 50 and 1000 denier, the thickness of the most of individual component fibers thereof being in a range between 0.0001 and 0.4 denier, is utilized as a first weft, and a yarn having a fineness represented by a total denier in a range between 30 and 300 denier, the thickness of the most of individual filaments or fibers thereof being in a range between 1.0 and 8.0 denier, is utilized as a second weft. At least one of the warp and the second weft does not substantially involve crimped filaments or fibers. A combination woven fabric structure provided with a number of floating points of the first weft upon the warp in a range between three and seven is adopted.

Abstract: An open frame structure has spring fingers for lightly gripping a tennis ball. A shaft rotatably mounts a napping wheel in the open frame structure, the periphery of the napping wheel having bristles except for a given circumferential section. Also secured to the shaft is a radially extending arm terminating in a friction pad to one side of the napping wheel and positioned to engage the tennis ball when gripped in the spring fingers. The arrangement is such that rotation of the napping wheel causes the bristles to successively engage the tennis ball to rotate the same about an axis parallel to the axis of the napping wheel shaft. Once each rotation, the friction pad on the radially extending arm will engage a side portion of the tennis ball and rotate it slightly about a different axis so that the bristles will engage a different circumferential path portion about the ball resulting in substantially the entire area of the ball being napped after several rotations.

Abstract: Tightly woven colored fabrics such as twills, denims, sateens, and poplins are provided with pattern areas thereon simulating the appearance of a printed design and wherein the pattern areas are of a color tone contrasting with the color of adjacent pattern areas and have a discernible softer texture imparting further contrast with the non-pattern areas. The contrasting tone colored pattern areas may either have a lighter color tone appearance than the non-pattern areas or a darker color tone appearance or the pattern areas may appear to change in color tone with respect to the background areas when the fabric is viewed at different angles.

Abstract: An artificial tennis-playing court surface which comprises a flat, woven, fiber-glass, base sheet, one surface of the sheet characterized by a plurality of napped, generally upright, glass fibers and a layer of a cross-linked resin bonded to the upper surface, the resin forming a coating about and between the napped glass fibers to provide a rough, resin, fiber-coated surface, and a backing sheet secured to the opposite surface of the fiber-glass base sheet. A process of manufacturing an artificial tennis court-playing surface, which process comprises: napping the surface of a woven fiber-glass base sheet to provide a napped surface comprising a plurality of fine glass fibers protruding therefrom; coating the napped surface with a thin layer of a cross-linkable resin to coat the napped fibers and between the napped fibers; and securing a backing sheet to the fiber-glass base sheet.

Abstract: A fabric is superficially dyed by stamping and then subjected to abrasion to produce a feltlike appearance and a simultaneous mutation in coloring.