WEFT-INSERTED WARP KNIT FABRIC
A single-ply warp knitted fabric webbing with at least one sealed selvage edge is provided. The fabric is knit with a sheathed, bi-component warp (longitudinally extending) yarn positioned at an edge of the fabric and includes a sheath formed from a low melting point polyester and a core formed of a higher melting point polyester. A fabric is formed that has superior edge stabilization at lower amperage and air pressure manufacturing values than those exhibited by yarns coated with EVA, PVC, and TPO while simultaneously possessing abrasion and cut resistance which meet or exceed current regulatory requirements.
The invention herein pertains to sheaths of a first material wrapped around a core of a second material, and more particularly pertains to a fabric formed from edge warp yarns of low melt polyester wrapped around a core comprised of higher melt polyester yarn, resulting in a fabric with superior edge stabilization compared to fabrics formed from other unsheathed yarns.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART AND OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTIONFabric webbing in the form of belts and slings are conventionally used to bind, carry, and otherwise transport other members, for example conveyor belts or tie-down straps. In certain operating conditions, these webbings bear heavy articles that subject the webbing to repetitive, abrasive impact. This impact is most prevalent at the edges of the webbing, where increased cutting and abrasion may result in expedited fabric degradation. Various methods for increasing the structural stability of these webbings have been developed (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,951 to Golz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,837 to Hammersla, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,782 to Weatherly) but a continued need exists for a fabric webbing with a resistance to abrasion and degradation, particularly at the edges where the fabric may be the most susceptible to damage. This situation is exacerbated when the fabric webbing is exposed to the elements for extended periods of time, for example when the webbing serves as a roofing yarn in connection with residential or commercial siding. Further, with new regulations constantly being promulgated, a need also exists for a reinforced fabric that can meet and exceed current fabric regulations, for example ASTM D6878-11a Standard Specification for Thermoplastic Polyolefin-based Sheet Roofing, the contents of which are hereby incorporated in its respective entirety.
Thus, in view of the problems and disadvantages associated with prior art fabrics and webbings, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is to provide a fabric webbing edge formed from a sheathed, bi-component yarn.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a weft-inserted warp knit fabric with at least one edge formed from a sheathed yarn with a sheath formed from a first material and a core formed from a second material.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a bi-component yarn with a sheath formed from a material defining a “low” melting point and a core formed from a material defining a “high” melting point.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a sheathed yarn with a sheath formed from a polyester defining a “low” melting point and a core formed from a polyester defining a “high” melting point.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a fabric webbing formed from a bi-component warp yarn defining a stabilized selvage edge.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a fabric webbing formed from a sheathed yarn with an ultrasonically sealed and stabilized edge.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a knit fabric formed from a sheathed yarn at the edge that does not experience surface softening at less than three hundred degrees Fahrenheit (300° F.) and more preferably at three hundred forty degrees Fahrenheit (340° F.).
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a sheathed yarn with a stabilized edge that meets or exceeds current regulations such as ASTM D6878-11a.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a fabric webbing that is efficient to manufacture and simple to use.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a method of forming a fabric webbing with a stabilized edge from a sheathed yarn that is structurally superior to fabrics formed from EVA, PVA, PVC, and TPO coated yarns, in addition to fabrics formed by uncoated yarns.
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description is set forth below.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe aforesaid and other objectives are realized by providing a single-ply, warp-knit fabric webbing with at least one ultrasonically-sealed longitudinally extending lateral edge. The fabric is knit with one or more sheathed warp (longitudinally extending) yarns including a sheath formed from low melting point polyester and a core with higher melting point polyester. A fabric is formed that demonstrates superior edge stabilization at equal to or lower amperage and air pressure manufacturing values than those exhibited by yarns coated with EVA, PVC, and TPO while simultaneously possessing abrasion and cut resistance and meeting or exceeding current regulatory requirements.
For a better understanding of the invention and its operation, turning now to the drawings,
Each section of fabric webbing 10 is formed by knitting a plurality of warp strands 14 with weft strand 15, whereby strands 14 and 15 are formed from conventional materials such as coated or uncoated polymeric yarns, polyester yarns such as PET, nylon yarns, or other such materials as are known in the art, ranging in size from a monofilament to two hundred filaments (1-200 filaments) or denier weights from seventy to three thousand (70-3000). In preferred fabric webbing 10, a small number, preferably three to four (3-4), of edge warp strands 14′ positioned proximal at least one lateral edge of webbing 10 are comprised of one or more sheathed, bi-component yarns 11 comprised of a fiber defined by core 12 formed from a first material and sheath 13 formed from a second material (illustrated schematically in
It is known in the art that webbing and selvage formed from untreated, non-coated, or otherwise “plain” polymer yarns requires edge treatment in the nature of stabilization, usually with heat or an adhesive, to prevent degradation and destruction of the webbing, curling prevention, and to ensure total encapsulation both in the sealed edge and within the roofing material (not shown). Polymer yarns are preferred for this treatment, as the treatment results in a uniform fabric edge for encapsulation. However, non-coated polymer yarns are disadvantageous in the formation of fabric webbing 10 as they require significantly more manufacturing resources during production to produce a sealed edge, such as energy in the form of amperage and pressure as required by the ultrasonic edge sealing system, resulting in less efficient production and higher cost. Failure to provide these increased resources during production results in a webbing that contains structural abnormalities as has been experimentally proven (not shown).
By way of example, but not intended to limit the scope of the instant invention,
The illustrations and examples provided herein are for explanatory purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A fabric webbing comprising a plurality of warp strands oriented generally perpendicular to a plurality of weft strands, at least one warp strand formed from at least one yarn including a core of polyester defining a first melting point and a sheath surrounding the core formed from polyester defining a second melting point, whereby the first melting point is greater than the second melting point, and whereby the at least one warp strand is positioned in a sealed selvage edge of the fabric webbing.
2. The fabric webbing of claim 1 whereby the at least one warp yarn is a bi-component warp yarn.
3. The fabric webbing of claim 1 further comprising at least one ground yarn disposed between the plurality of warp strands and the plurality of weft strands.
4. The fabric webbing of claim 3 whereby the at least one ground yarn is warp knit between the plurality of warp strands and the plurality of weft strands.
5. The fabric webbing of claim 1 whereby the core defines a melting point of at least four hundred degrees Fahrenheit (400° F.).
6. The fabric webbing of claim 1 whereby the sheath defines a melting point of at least three hundred degrees Fahrenheit (300° F.).
7. The fabric webbing of claim 1 whereby the at least one warp strand is formed by at least one hundred (100) filaments.
8. The fabric webbing of claim 7 whereby each of the at least one hundred (100) filaments define a denier weight in excess of eight hundred (800).
9. A fabric webbing comprising a plurality of longitudinally oriented warp strands knitted generally perpendicular to a plurality of laterally oriented weft strands, at least one of the warp strands formed from at least one hundred (100) bi-component filaments, each filament including a core of polyester defining a first melting point and a sheath surrounding the core formed from polyester defining a second melting point, whereby the first melting point is greater than the second melting point, and whereby the at least one warp strand is positioned at a selvage edge of the fabric webbing which is ultrasonically sealed.
10. The fabric webbing of claim 9 further comprising a plurality of ground yarns, one of the plurality of ground yarns disposed between the plurality of warp strands and the plurality of weft strands.
11. The fabric webbing of claim 10 whereby the plurality of ground yarns are each warp knit between the plurality of warp strands and the plurality of weft strands.
12. The fabric webbing of claim 9 whereby the at least one warp strand is formed from one hundred and fifty (150) bi-component filaments.
13. The fabric webbing of claim 12 whereby the bi-component filaments each define a denier weight between one thousand (1000) and thirteen hundred (1300).
14. The fabric webbing of claim 9 whereby each core defines a melting point of between four hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit and four hundred sixty degrees Fahrenheit (450° F.-460° F.).
15. The fabric webbing of claim 9 whereby each sheath defines a melting point of about three hundred forty degrees Fahrenheit (340° F.).
16. A method of supplementing siding with a fabric webbing comprising the steps of
- providing the fabric webbing of claim 1,
- passing at least one edge of the fabric webbing between a hammer member and an anvil member to seal the edge, and
- positioning the fabric webbing within the siding substrate.
17. The method of claim 16 whereby the step of providing a fabric webbing includes providing a plurality of ground yarns, the plurality of ground yarns disposed between the plurality of warp strands and the plurality of weft strands.
18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of warp knitting the plurality of ground yarns among the plurality of warp strands and the plurality of weft strands.
19. The method of claim 18 whereby the step of passing at least one edge of the fabric webbing between a hammer member and an anvil member further includes passing the fabric between an ultrasonic sonotrode and a drum.
20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of oscillating the sonotrode thirty thousand times (30,000) per second approximately one millimeter (1.0 mm) from the fabric webbing.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 12, 2015
Publication Date: Aug 18, 2016
Inventors: Barry G. Pritchett (Asheboro, NC), Michael D. Chapman (Cheraw, SC)
Application Number: 14/620,641