COMPOSITE YARN FOR CUT RESISTANT FABRICS

Abstract

A cut resistant yarn includes a core-spun core. A first layer includes a first filament made of a cut resistant material. The first layer is wrapped around the core-spun core in a first direction, A second layer including a second filament is wrapped around the first layer in a second direction that is opposite of the first direction.

Description

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No 61/699,027, filed Sep. 10, 2012, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to yams and fabrics and, in particular, to a composite yarn fir making cut resistant fabrics.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating a system and process for manufacturing a core-spun yarn for use in an embodiment of the composite yarn of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of core spun-yams produced using the system and method of FIG. 1 for use in an embodiment of the composite yam or the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic of an embodiment of the composite yarn of the present invention:

FIG. 4 is an alternative schematic view of the composite yarn of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

According to embodiments of the present invention, a core-spun yarn is used to construct a composite, cut resistant yarn for making cut resistant fabrics, The fabrics may be used for making for example, gloves and other garments. In the following, description, the terms filament, fiber and thread are used interchangeably, while the term yarn is used to indicate a woven combination of filaments, fibers or threads. In an embodiment of the invention, the composite yarn is constructed from a core-spun yarn that is wrapped in one direction with a filament made from a cut resistant material such as, for example, stainless steel, fiberglass or synthetic materials, and wrapped in the transverse direction with an additional filament. In effect, embodiments of the composite yarn of the invention are created by core spinning an already core-spun yarn.

A system and process for making a core-spun yarn to serve as the core of an embodiment of the composite yarn of the invention is indicated in general at 10 in FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a core yarn 12, which may be an elastomeric filament yarn, a regular filament yarn, a textured yarn, or a previously spun yarn, is fed into a front delivery roll 14 of the spinning frame. The core yarn 12 may consist of any of the materials listed, in column 1 of Table 1 below Sheath fibers 16, which may consist of any of the materials listed in column 2 of Table 1, including one of the materials only or a combination thereof, cover the core yarn 12 during the spinning operation. The sheath fibers begin as roving 17, which as known in the art is a condensed sliver that has been drafted, twisted, doubled, and redoubled. The roving passes through drafting rollers 18a and 18b prior to delivery to front delivery roll 14 for the spinning; operation. As a result, a core-spun yarn 20 is formed, Embodiments of the core-spun yarn are indicated at 20a and 20b in FIG. 2.

TABLE 1
Core-Spun Yarn Combinations for
Core Cut Resistant Yarn Member
1                                2
CORE                             SHEATH
Filament member of the           or the fibers wrapped around
core-spun, core yarn             the core filament
Fiberglass 75D to 450D           Para-aramid fibers
Para-Aramid 75D to 660D          Meta-Aramid Fibers
Filament UHMWPE 100D to 600D     UHMWPE chopped fibers
Filament Polyester, size, 70D to 600D Basalt Fibers
Filament Nylon size, 70D to 600D Cellulose Based Rayon Fibers
Stainless Steel size 0.001 to 0.0025 Cotton
Vectran                          Polyester
                                 Nylon

As is known in the art, many of the materials listed in Table 1 may take the form of extruded fibers and resins. Such extruded fibers and resins may incorporate sifter particles for anti-microbial or anti-odor properties as well as phosphorus for resistance to flammability.

As noted previously, embodiments of the present invention provide a cut resistant yarn consisting of the core-spun core (20 of FIG. 1 and 20a and 20h of FIG. 2) and two additional outer wrapping layers. More specifically, with reference to FIG. 3, the core-spun core yarn 20 (or 20a and 20b of FIG. 2) is wrapped with a first layer in the L-direction using, a filament or yarn 22, which includes a cut resistant material which may be, for example, stainless steel, fiberglass or a synthetic material (such as polyester, nylon, an aramid, etc.), If stainless steel or fiberglass is used, it is preferably anywhere from 0.001″ to 0.003″ in diameter. Alternatively, the first layer may he in the S-direction. Next, the core-spun core yarn (wrapped with the first layer) is wrapped with a second layer in the S-direction for Z-direction if the S-direction was used for the first layer) using a filament or textured filament yarn 24. The filament 24 of the second layer preferably has a linear mass density in the range of 40 denier to 650 denier. The textured filament preferably is any of the following fibers: Para-aramid, Meta-aramid, UHMWPE, Polyester, Vectran, PPEK, Nylon or Polypropylene.

The completed composite yarn is indicated at 30 in FIGS. 3 and 4. An alternative view of the yarn components is provided in FIG. 4.

Using a core-spun core constructed of the materials of Table I in combination with the first and second layers described above provides the composite yarn with benefits and features that make it a high performance yarn. More specifically, the composite yarn 30 allows for smaller gauge knitting capabilities while maintain high performance properties previously only available in larger yarns that combine fiber types at the yarn level and not the fiber level. Embodiments of the composite yarn of the present invention therefore provide combined fiber properties, and therefore product features, on a more “micro” scale than previously available.

Furthermore, the loft, of the fibers around the core-spun core provides comfort to the wearer of the final knit structure, such as gloves, made from the composite yarn. In addition, the composite yarn provides a second layer (24 of FIGS. 3 and 4) to cover again a central filament such as glass or steel (22 of FIGS. 3 and 4) that may be more abrasive on its own when in contact with skin.

The loft of the central bundle of filament plus fibers in the core-spun core 20 of FIGS. 1 and 3 (or 20a and 20b of FIG. 2) helps to embed the first layer wrap (22 of FIGS. 3 and 4). If this wrap is a filament such as steel, the loft of the central bundle allows the more abrasive filament 22 to embed itself and therefore mask itself from the exterior of the resulting knit structure. Again this adds comfort when compared to more traditional forms of upwound yarns.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cut resistant yarn comprising:

a. a core-spun core;

b. a first layer including a first filament made of a cut resistant material wrapped around the core-spun core in a first direction; and

c. a second layer including a second filament wrapped around the first layer in a second direction that is opposite of the first direction.

2. The cut resistant yarn of claim wherein the first filament of the first layer is stainless steel.

3. The cut resistant yarn of claim 1 wherein the first filament of the first layer is fiberglass.

4. The cut resistant yarn of claim 1 wherein the first filament of the first layer has a diameter in the range of 0.0001″ to 0.003″.

5. The cut resistant yarn of claim 1 wherein the first layer is wrapped in the Z-direction and the second layer is wrapped in the S-direction.

6. The cut resistant yarn of claim 1 wherein the first layer is wrapped in the S-direction and the second layer is wrapped in the Z-direction.

7. The cut resistant yarn of claim 1 wherein the second filament of the second layer is a textured filament.

8. The cut resistant yarn of claim 1 wherein the second filament of the second layer is selected from the group consisting of Para-aramid, Meta-aramid, UHMWPE, Polyester, Vectran, PPEK, Nylon and Polypropylene.

9. The cut resistant yarn of claim 1 wherein the second filament of the second layer has a linear mass density in the range of 40 denier to 650 denier.

10. The cut resistant yarn of claim 1 wherein the core-spun core includes extruded fibers or resins that incorporate silver particles.

11. A method of making a cut resistant yarn comprising the steps of:

a. spinning a core-spun core;

b. wrapping a first layer including a first filament made of cut resistant material around the core-spun core in a first direction; and

c. wrapping a second layer including a second filament around the first layer in a second direction that is opposite of the first direction.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first layer is wrapped in the Z-direction and the second layer is wrapped in the S-direction.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the first layer is wrapped in the S-direction and the second layer is wrapped in the Z-direction.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the first filament of the first layer is stainless steel.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the first filament of the first layer is fiberglass.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the first filament of the first layer has a diameter in the range of 0.0001″ to 0.003″.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the second filament of the second layer is selected from the group consisting of Para-aramid, Meta-aramid, UHMWPE, Polyester, Vectran, PPEK, Nylon and Polypropylene.

18. The method o claim 11 wherein the second filament of the second layer is a textured filament.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the second filament of the second layer has a linear mass density in the range of 40 denier to 650 denier.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the core-spun core includes extruded fibers or resins that incorporate silver particles.