FABRIC WITH COOL FEELING FUNCTION AND RELATED CLOTHING ITEMS, MANUFACTURING METHOD AND MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

Abstract

A fabric with cool feeling function and related cloth clothing items and method and systems. The fabric comprising a first fabric layer and a second fabric layer and related method of making are disclosed, wherein the first fabric layer is formed by interweaving hygroscopic yarn materials, and the second fabric layer is formed by interweaving thermally conductive yarn materials; the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer are connected through knotting spots formed by interweaving the hygroscopic first fabric layer and the thermally conductive second fabric layer. A layered structure weaving method and resulting structure of the fabric results in an interaction between the hygroscopic yarn materials and the thermally conductive yarn materials which continuously produces cool feeling effects.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. CN 2022107797936 filed on Jul. 4, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of functional fabrics, and in particular to a fabric with cool feeling function and related clothing items manufacturing methods and manufacturing systems.

BACKGROUND

Fabrics with cool feeling function are widely used in underwear, home, daily, outdoor, sport and other clothing scenarios.

The main features of the fabric with cool feeling function include good moisture conductivity and thermal conductivity. In particular, the cool feeling fabric has the functions of rapidly diffusing body heat, accelerating sweating and cooling, and can maintain the coolness and comfort of the human body for a long time.

Such a demand, however, presents challenges in situations in which long lasting perceived cool feeling and/or contained costs and controlled production time are desired. In particular providing a fabric with a long lasting perceived cool feeling function, through a procedure which also has contained time and costs remains a challenging objective of the clothing industry.

SUMMARY

In order to overcome the above issues, a fabric with cool feeling function is described and related cloth, clothing item, manufacturing method and systems, for the preparation of fabric possessing the cool feeling function.

In particular, in accordance with a first aspect, a fabric with cool feeling function is described, which comprises a first fabric layer and a second fabric layer; the first fabric layer is formed by interwoven hygroscopic yarn materials; the second fabric layer is formed by interwoven thermally conductive yarn materials; the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer are connected through knotting spots formed by interweaving the hygroscopic yarn materials of the first fabric layer and the thermally conductive yarn materials of the second fabric layer.

According to a second aspect, a cloth and related clothing item are described, each of the cloth and the clothing item has an inner surface configured to contact an individual user and an outer surface configured to face an environment external to an individual user. The clothing item comprises the fabric with cool feeling herein described in a configuration in which the first fabric layer forms at least part of the outer surface of the clothing item and the second fabric layer forms at least part of the inner surface of the clothing item.

According to a third aspect, a method is described to provide a fabric with cool feeling function, the method comprising interweaving hygroscopic yarn materials to obtain a first fabric layer; and interweaving thermally conductive yarn material to obtain a second fabric layer. The method further comprises connecting the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer by interweaving knotting spots through the hygroscopic yarn materials of the first fabric layer and the thermally conductive yarn materials of the second fabric layer to connect the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer through the knotting spots.

According to a fourth aspect a system to manufacture a fabric with cool feeling function is described. The system comprises a first fiber material formed by hygroscopic fibers and a second fiber material formed by thermally conductive fiber material, and a device configured to interweaving the first fabric material and the second fabric material to provide a fabric with cool feeling function herein described.

The fabric with cool feeling function and related cloth, clothing item, manufacturing method and systems, provide in several embodiments a fabric with a better cool feeling function compared with existing fabric of the same type.

The fabric with cool feeling function and related cloth, clothing item, manufacturing method and systems, provide in several embodiments a fabric with a long-lasting cool feeling function, lasting longer than the cool-feeling function of existing fabric of the same type.

The fabric with cool feeling function and related cloth, clothing item, manufacturing method and systems, provide in several embodiments a fabric with the desired cool feeling function at a lower cost compared to certain existing methods to provide the same type of fabric.

The fabric with cool feeling function and related cloth, clothing item, manufacturing method and systems, in several embodiments is the result of a simple process of manufacturing a fabric with the desired cool feeling function, with lower time and complexity compared to existing method to provide the same type.

The fabric with cool feeling function and related cloth, clothing item, manufacturing method and systems herein described can be used in connection with applications wherein textile material configured to provide a user with the cool feeling functions is desired. Exemplary applications comprise design production and/or distribution of textile material, cloth and/or clothing and additional applications rapid elimination of the moisture from textile material are desired. Additional applications can be identified by a skilled person.

The details of one or more embodiments of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the detailed description and the examples, serve to explain the principles and implementations of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a plaiting stitch structure of Example 1 according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of an example fabric according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows an example item of clothing including a fabric according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure provides a fabric with a cool feeling function and related clothing items, methods and systems.

The word “fabrics” or “textile” as used herein refers to various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, and additional fiber-based material identifiable by an ordinary skilled person in the art. Fabrics in the sense of the disclosure comprise consumer textiles such as clothing, where the primary purpose of the fabric is comfort and/or style. Fabrics in the sense of the disclosure also comprise technical textiles such as geotextile, industrial textile, medical textiles where functionality is the primary purpose of the fabric. Exemplary fabrics comprise woven fabrics, knitted fabrics, non-woven fabrics and additional fabrics identifiable by an ordinary skilled person in the art. Fabrics in the sense of the disclosure comprise natural fabric and synthetic fibers or mixtures thereof [1]

In embodiments herein described, the fabrics are fabrics formed by interweaving fabric material by a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of fiber materials which are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. [2]

The term “fiber material” as used herein indicates a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. Synthetic fibers can often be produced very cheaply and in large amounts compared to natural fibers, but for clothing natural fibers can give some benefits, such as comfort, over their synthetic counterparts. [3]

Fiber material can take various forms, typically the form of a yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibers, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. Additional fabric materials comprise threads and embroidery threads, as well as additional material which can in some instances be finished with wax or other lubricants to withstand the stresses involved in sewing. [4]

The fabric of the instant disclosure is fabric with a “cool-feeling function”, which in the instant disclosure is a wording directed to indicate good moisture conductivity and thermal conductivity. In particular, the cool feeling fabric has the functions of rapidly diffusing body heat, accelerating sweating and cooling, and can maintain the coolness and comfort of the user for a long time as would be understood by a skilled person. Accordingly, fabric with cool feeling function and related cloth, clothing item, manufacturing method and systems with raising temperature, clothes of fabrics with cool feeling function can make users feel, happy, cool and comfortable and therefore be considered superior with respect to other clothing options.

In particular, a fabric with a with a cool-feeling function of the present disclosure comprises hygroscopic fiber material and thermally conductive fibers interwoven in distinct fabric layers at opposite sides of the fabric.

The term “hygroscopic fiber material” as used herein indicates fiber material capable of attracting and holding water molecules via either absorption or adsorption from the surrounding environment, which is usually at normal or room temperature. [5]

In general, the term “hygroscopy” as used herein refers to a property of a material for attracting and holding water molecules via either absorption or adsorption from the surrounding environment, which is usually at normal or room temperature. Hygroscopicity as used herein refers to a degree of hygroscopy of the material. [5]

For the evaluation of the hygroscopic yarn materials, hygroscopicity is determined by the value of the conventional moisture regain of the yarn materials. The conventional moisture regain refers to the percentage of moisture content in the fiber to the dry fiber mass, in a case close to the standard state (a humidity is 65%±3%, a temperature is 20° C.). A material with good hygroscopicity has a high-water content, and the higher the humidity is, the stronger the cool feeling is.

Exemplary hygroscopic fiber materials comprise viscose which has a high-water content and is suitable for developing fabrics with cool feeling, as well as polyamide, cotton, wool and acrylic, mixed fiber materials comprising these fabrics, as well as other fabric material identifiable by a skilled person.

The term “thermally conductive” as used herein in connection with fiber material indicates fiber material capable of conducting heat as measured by the related coefficient of thermal conductivity. [6] Evaluation of the thermally conductive yarn materials is determined by the value of the coefficient of thermal conductivity of the yarn materials. The coefficient of thermal conductivity refers to the rate at which heat energy diffuses through a material itself under a certain temperature gradient field. The greater the coefficient of thermal conductivity is, the better the thermal conductivity of the material is, and the stronger the cool feeling is, which a skilled person would be able to identify. The thermal conductivity of both polymeric and conventional textile materials can be improved by the introduction of conductive fillers as understood by a skilled person.

Exemplary thermally conductive fiber materials comprise polyester, linen, mixed fiber materials comprising these fabrics, as well as other fabric material identifiable by a skilled person.

In the fabric with cool feeling function herein described, the hygroscopic yarn material is interwoven to form a first fabric layer and the thermally conductive fabric material is interwoven to form a second fabric layer.

The term “interweaving” as used herein indicates “a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. This method can be distinguished from other methods such as knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting as understood by a skilled person. Of the two sets, the longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are called the weft, woof, or filling as will also be understood by a skilled person. The method in which these threads are interwoven affects the characteristics of the cloth. Cloth is usually woven on a loom, a device that holds the warp threads in place while filling threads are woven through them. A fabric band that meets this definition of cloth (warp threads with a weft thread winding between) can also be made using other methods, including tablet weaving, back strap loom, or other techniques that can be done without looms as understood by a skilled person. [7]

Accordingly, the term “interwoven” as used herein indicates any fabric made by interlacing two or more threads at right angles to one another as understood by a skilled person. In particular, in a woven fabric in the sense of the disclosure, the two or more threads woven fabrics can be made of both natural and synthetic fibers, or from a mixture of both. Woven fabric can comprise threads of a same different material in various percentages. Woven fabric is typically used in clothing, garments, for decoration, furniture or covering purposes such as carpets and additional fabric items identifiable by a skilled person. [2]

FIG. 1 shows an example plaited knit fabric with inner yarns 101 and outer yarns 102 as described herein, particularly in some of the Examples.

In a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer are formed by interweaving the hygroscopic yarn materials of the first fabric layer and the thermally conductive yarn materials of the second fabric layer in accordance with a plaiting stitch structure; the hygroscopic yarn materials are interwoven in accordance with the plaiting stitch to form outer yarns, the thermally conductive yarn materials are interwoven in accordance with the plaiting stitch to form inner yarns (see FIG. 1 for an example of plaiting).

In a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, a conventional moisture regain of the hygroscopic yarn materials is 11% to 13%.

In a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the conventional moisture regain of the hygroscopic yarn materials is 8.5% higher than that of the thermally conductive yarn materials.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a coefficient of thermal conductivity of the thermally conductive yarn materials is at least 0.2 W/(m·K), preferably in the range of 0.244-0.337 W/(m·K).

In a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the hygroscopic yarn materials are viscoses or regenerated cellulose yarns, and a spinning method thereof is compact siro spinning.

In a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the thermally conductive yarn materials are ordinary polyamide filaments, and a spinning method thereof is fully drawn yarn.

In some embodiments, the fabric with cool-feeling function in the sense of the disclosure comprises the first fabric layer formed by interwoven hygroscopic yarn materials; and the second fabric layer is formed by interwoven thermally conductive yarn materials, and the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer connected through knotting spots formed by interweaving the hygroscopic yarn materials of the first fabric layer and the thermally conductive yarn materials of the second fabric layer.

The term “knotting spot” in the sense of the disclosure indicates places between two fabrics where the threads of one fabric are interwoven (or knotted) with the threads of the other fabric in order to connect the two fabrics along their surfaces (see FIG. 2 for an example of knotting spots).

The present disclosure further provides a manufacturing method to provide a fabric with cool feeling function in accordance with the present disclosure. The method comprises interweaving hygroscopic yarn materials to obtain a first fabric layer; and interweaving thermally conductive yarn material to obtain a second fabric layer.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer are formed by interweaving the hygroscopic yarn materials of the first fabric layer and the thermally conductive yarn materials of the second fabric layer in accordance with a plaiting stitch structure; the hygroscopic yarn materials are interwoven in accordance with the plaiting stitch to form outer yarns, the thermally conductive yarn materials are interwoven in accordance with the plaiting stitch to form inner yarns.

The method further comprises connecting the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer by interweaving knotting spots through the hygroscopic yarn materials of the first fabric layer and the thermally conductive yarn materials of the second fabric layer to connect the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer through the knotting spots.

In some embodiments, in the preparation method of the fabric with cool feeling function, the interweaving step can be performed by:

• • (1) weaving a grey cloth: weaving the hygroscopic yarn materials and the thermally conductive yarn materials using a weft knitting circular knitting machine, so as to produce the grey cloth.

In some embodiments the manufacturing method of the disclosure can further comprise one or more of the following steps:

• • (2) inspecting grey cloth: inspecting the woven grey cloth, where inspection items comprise streaky mark, broken hole, crumple, foreign fiber, missed stitch, and snagging;
  • (3) dyeing: adding a colorant to dye the grey cloth before or preferably after inspection to obtain a dyed gray cloth;
  • (4) dehydrating: dehydrating the dyed grey cloth, scutching and drying the same to obtain a dehydrated grey cloth;
  • (5) shaping: shaping the dehydrated grey cloth, where a temperature of the shaping is 103-160° C.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a hydrophilic silicone oil is added in a process of the shaping.

In some embodiments, the dying can be performed at a temperature of the dyeing selected from any temperature from 60° C. to 100° C.

In some embodiments, the shaping can be performed at a temperature of 103° C. to 160° C.

The method to manufacture a fabric with cool feeling function herein described can be performed with a combination of a first fiber material formed by hygroscopic fibers and a second fiber material formed by thermally conductive fiber material, together a device configured to interweaving the first fabric material and the second fabric material to provide a fabric with cool feeling function herein described.

FIG. 2 shows an example fabric. The first side 210, which can be used as an outer layer of a garment, has a first layer 205 with hygroscopic fibers. The second side 220, which can be used as an inner layer of a garment, has a second layer 215 of thermally conductive fibers. The two layers can be joined by knotting spots 225 between the layers.

In particular a system to manufacture a fabric with cool feeling function of the present disclosure comprises one or more hygroscopic fiber material herein described and one or more thermally conductive fiber material herein described and/or one or more device for interweaving the hygroscopic and the thermally conductive fiber material in the sense of the disclosure. In the system to manufacture a fabric with cool feeling function of the present disclosure, the components of the system are comprised in combination, for use in performing the method for manufacturing a fabric with cool feeling function in accordance with any one of the methods of the disclosure, as understood by a skilled person.

In some embodiments, the system manufactures a fabric with cool feeling function of the present disclosure, can comprise additional components directed to print a pattern on the fabric produced by any one of the methods and/or systems of the disclosure as understood by a skilled person upon reading of the present disclosure.

In an additional aspect, a fabric item of the present disclosure a fabric with cool feeling function obtained with the method and/or system of the disclosure. The wording “fabric item” in the sense of the disclosure indicates an object that comprises fabric, such as drapes, towels, tablecloth, kitchen cloth, blankets and garments for humans or pets as well as further objects comprising fabric such as pillows and additional objects identifiable by a skilled person.

In particular, in some embodiments the fabric item can be a clothing item such as the exemplary garments schematically illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows an example jacket utilizing the fabric. It has an outer layer 310 made from the hygroscopic layer and an inner layer 305 made from the thermally conductive layer, combined as described herein. The combination of the outer layer 310 and the inner layer 305 produces a cool feeling effect for the wearer.

As used herein, “clothing” and “clothing items” refers to wearable fabric-based items, such as shirts, jackets, trousers, undergarments, coats, headbands, unitards, bodysuits, sweatpants, sweatshirts, t-shirts, gloves, socks, and additional items identifiable by a skilled person.

The features and effects of the fabric and related cloth, clothing methods and systems present disclosure include the following:

The fabric and related cloth, clothing methods and systems of the present disclosure employs a layered structure weaving method, wherein the plaiting stitch weaving method is a relatively common weaving method and can be implemented without any special weaving device.

The outer layer (the first fabric layer) away from the skin is made from hygroscopic yarn materials with good hygroscopicity, and if a compact siro spinning method with less hairiness is used, there would be an increased contact area which is beneficial for the hygroscopicity.

The inner layer (the second fabric layer) close to the skin is made from thermally conductive yarn materials with good thermal conductivity, and if the fully drawn yarn is smooth, there would be an increased skin contact area, which is beneficial for the thermal conductivity.

In the dyeing and finishing process, which is the same as the dyeing and finishing process of ordinary fabrics, it is only necessary to use the added hydrophilic soft oil when shaping, and no additional processes are required for the prepared fabric to obtain the cool feeling function.

The inner layer of the fabric that contacts the skin is made from thermally conductive yarn materials, which has good thermal conductivity, can conduct heat quickly, and thus making the skin of the user feel cooler.

The thermally conductive yarn materials of the inner layer have better hygroscopic performance after a hydrophilic finishing, but the hygroscopicity is different from that of hygroscopic yarn materials of the outer layer. Moisture from the inner layer that contacts the skin can be quickly absorbed and transferred to the hygroscopic yarn materials of the outer layer of the fabric.

The outer layer of the fabric is made from the hygroscopic yarn materials, which have good hygroscopic performance. The moisture absorption process can take heat away, and the thermal conductivity of water is good, which can improve heat conduction and increase the feeling of coolness on the skin of the user.

The interaction between the hygroscopic yarn materials and the thermally conductive yarn materials continuously produces cooling effects.

Most of the yarns used in the present invention are conventional fiber materials such as viscose and polyamide, which do not require additional processing, thus the fabrics produced have stable properties and are not prone to decrease in cool feeling due to multiple washings.

Furthermore, alternative yarn materials are relatively cheap, and thus the cost of the produced fabric with cool feeling is low.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

In order to understand the technical features, purposes and beneficial effects of the present invention more explicitly, the technical solutions of the present invention are described in detail below, but should not be regarded as limiting the scope of implementation of the present invention.

The coefficient of thermal conductivity and the conventional moisture regain of the yarns in the examples and comparative examples are shown in the following Table 1:

TABLE 1
Parameter table of yarn fibers
		Conventional
		moisture	Coefficient of thermal
	Fiber	regain/%	conductivity/W/(m · K)
	Viscose	13	0.055-0.071
	Polyamide	4.5	0.244-0.337
	Cotton	8.5	0.071-0.073
	Polyester	0.4	0.084
	Wool	16	0.052-0.055
	Acrylic fiber	2	0.051

Example 1

This example provides a fabric with cool feeling function, and its weaving process is as follows:

The plaiting stitch as shown in FIG. 1:

It includes the following materials: yarn count: outer yarn 102: 40S/1 viscose (compact siro spinning), inner yarn 101: 70D/24F polyamide (fully drawn yarn).

In the exemplary illustration of FIG. 1, the outer yarn 102 is always exposed on the front side of the fabric, and the inner yarn 101 is always exposed on the back side of the fabric. The loop forming process of the plaiting stitch is the same as the basic weave; however, when weaving the plaiting stitch, a yarn guide must be used to feed the inner yarn and the outer yarn at the same time. The knitting conditions include: in a process of laying yarn and looping, it must be ensured that the outer yarn 102 is exposed on the front side of the fabric, and the inner yarn 101 is on the back side of the fabric, and the two cannot be misplaced.

The production process is as follows:

• • (1) weaving grey cloth: weaving the yarn count using a weft knitting circular knitting machine, so as to produce the grey cloth;
  • (2) inspecting grey cloth: inspecting the woven grey cloth, where inspection items comprise streaky mark, broken hole, crumple, foreign fiber, missed stitch, and snagging;
  • (3) dyeing: adding a colorant to dye the grey cloth after inspection, the outer yarn is first dyed with reactive dyes at a dyeing temperature of 60° C., and then the inner yarn is dyed with acid dyes at a dyeing temperature of 98° C.;
  • (4) dehydrating: dehydrating the dyed grey cloth, scutching and drying the same;
  • (5) shaping: shaping the dehydrated grey cloth, where a temperature of the shaping is 150° C., the hydrophilic silicone oil is added in a process of the shaping.

Finished fabric specifications: the gram weight is 180 g/m2, the width is 155 cm, the viscose content is 70% (part by weight), the polyamide content is 30% (part by weight).

Example 2

This example provides a fabric with cool feeling function, and its weaving process is as follows:

• • non-plaiting stitch; ordinary plain weave structure;
  • yarn arrangement method: one yarn 1+one yarn 2;
  • yarn count: yarn 1: 40S/1 viscose (compact siro spinning), yarn 2: 70D/24F polyamide (fully drawn yarn).

The production process is as follows:

• • (1) weaving grey cloth: weaving the yarn count using a weft knitting circular knitting machine, so as to produce the grey cloth;
  • (2) inspecting grey cloth: inspecting the woven grey cloth, where inspection items comprise streaky mark, broken hole, crumple, foreign fiber, missed stitch, and snagging;
  • (3) dyeing: adding a colorant to dye the grey cloth after inspection;
  • (4) dehydrating: dehydrating the dyed grey cloth, scutching and drying the same;
  • (5) shaping: shaping the dehydrated grey cloth, where a temperature of the shaping is 150° C., the hydrophilic silicone oil is added in a process of the shaping.

Finished fabric specifications: the gram weight is 150 g/m2, the width is 155 cm, the viscose content is 70% (part by weight), the polyamide content is 30% (part by weight).

Example 3

This example provides a fabric with cool feeling function, and its weaving process is as follows:

• • the plaiting stitch is the same as the structure described in Example 1;
  • yarn count: outer yarn 102: 40S/1 viscose (compact siro spinning), inner yarn 101: 100D/24F polyamide (fully drawn yarn);
  • the production technological process is the same as that described in Example 1.

Finished fabric specifications: the gram weight is 200 g/m2, the width is 160 cm, the viscose content is 60% (part by weight), the polyamide content is 40% (part by weight).

Example 4

This example provides a fabric with cool feeling function, and its weaving process is as follows:

• • the plaiting stitch is the same as the structure described in Example 1;
  • yarn count: outer yarn 102: 40S/1 cotton (ring spinning), inner yarn 101: 70D/36F polyester (DTY low stretch yarn);
  • the production technological process is the same as that described in Example 1;

Finished fabric specifications: the gram weight is 180 g/m2, the width is 155 cm, the cotton content is 70% (part by weight), the polyester content is 30% (part by weight).

Example 5

This example provides a fabric with cool feeling function, and its weaving process is as follows:

• • the plaiting stitch is the same as the structure described in Example 1;
  • yarn count: outer yarn 102: 40S/1 viscose (compact siro spinning), inner yarn 101: 70D/24F polyamide (fully drawn yarn);

The difference between the production process and that of Example 1 is that no hydrophilic silicone oil is added in a process of the shaping.

Finished fabric specifications: the gram weight is 180 g/m2, the width is 155 cm, the viscose content is 70% (part by weight), the polyamide content is 30% (part by weight).

Example 6. First Comparative Example

The fabric weaving process and production process of this comparative example are the same as those in Example 1, and the finished fabric specifications are also the same, but all yarns used are 40S/1 viscose (compact siro spinning).

Example 7. Second Comparative Example

The fabric weaving process and production process of this comparative example are the same as those in Example 1, and the finished fabric specifications are also the same, but all yarns used are 70D/24F polyamide (fully drawn yarn).

Example 8. Third Comparative Example

The fabric weaving process and production process of this comparative example are the same as those in Example 1, and the finished fabric specifications are also the same, but all yarns used are polyester, with the conventional moisture regain of 0.4%, and the coefficient of thermal conductivity of 0.084 W/(m·K).

Example 9. Fourth Comparative Example

The fabric weaving process and production process of this comparative example are the same as those in Example 1, and the finished fabric specifications are also the same, but the hygroscopic yarn used is wool, with the conventional moisture regain of 16%, and the coefficient of thermal conductivity of 0.052-0.055 W/(m·K).

Example 10 Fifth Comparative Example

The fabric weaving process and production process of this comparative example are the same as those in Example 1, and the finished fabric specifications are also the same, but the thermally conductive yarn used is acrylic fiber, with the conventional moisture regain of 2%, and the coefficient of thermal conductivity of 0.051 W/(m·K).

Example 11. Sixth Comparative Example

The fabric weaving process and production process of this comparative example are the same as those in Example 1, and the finished fabric specifications are also the same, but the difference is that the yarn used is mainly made from polyamide fiber and added with a cool-feeling functional yarn made from mica.

Example 12. Seventh Comparative Example

The fabric weaving process and production process of this comparative example are the same as those in Example 1, and the finished fabric specifications are also the same, but the difference is that the yarns used are all polyamide fibers, and the final fabric is processed by dipping with a xylitol cool-feeling finishing agent.

Example 13: Testing of Examples and Comparative Examples

The fabrics obtained from the above examples and comparative examples are tested, and the specific description and methods are as follows:

Cool feeling test: Qmax test method, in accordance with the national standard GB/T35263-2017 “Textiles—Testing and evaluation for cool feeling in contact instant” implemented on Jul. 1, 2018. The standard specifies the testing and evaluation methods for cool feeling performance of textiles in instant contact with the skin, which is applicable to all kinds of fabrics and their products. Test principles include: under the specified test environmental conditions, contacting the thermal detection plate with a temperature higher than the sample with the sample, measuring the temperature change of the thermal detection plate with time, and calculating its contact cool-feeling coefficient (Qmax), which can characterize the instant cool feeling performance of the sample. The contact cool-feeling coefficient Qmax refers to the maximum value of the heat flux density during the heat transfer process after the thermal detection plate with a temperature higher than the specified temperature difference of the sample is contacted with the sample at a certain pressure, with the unit represented by a heat flow (W/cm2) of the instant cool feeling of the fabric. The larger the Qmax value is, the stronger the cool feeling is on the skin, and the smaller the Qmax value is, the weaker the cool feeling is on the skin (ΔT=15° C.).

Overall cool feeling test: 5 testers try on clothes made of this fabric and give a score based on the overall cool feeling, taking the average score.

The test results are shown in Table 2 below,

	TABLE 2
			Overall cool feeling
	Before washing	After 10 washings	(grade)
	Qmax	Qmax	Qmax	Qmax	Before	After 10
No.	(surface)	(bottom)	(surface)	(bottom)	washing	washings
Example 1	0.214	0.227	0.205	0.216	5	5
Example 2	0.181	0.176	0.166	0.164	4	4
Example 3	0.220	0.231	0.210	0.226	5	5
Example 4	0.183	0.178	0.164	0.163	4	4
Example 5	0.193	0.187	0.190	0.181	4	4
Example 6	0.180	0.172	0.148	0.141	2	2
(First
Comparative
Example)
Example 7	0.191	0.180	0.151	0.143	2	2
(Second
Comparative
Example)
Example 8	0.145	0.132	0.136	0.127	2	2
(Third
Comparative
Example)
Example 9	0.141	0.173	0.136	0.155	3	2
(Fourth
Comparative
Example)
Example 10	0.174	0.122	0.167	0.117	2	2
(Fifth
Comparative
Example)
Example 11	0.216	0.240	0.203	0.224	5	4
(Sixth
Comparative
Example)
Example 12	0.230	0.239	0.182	0.174	5	3
(Seventh
Comparative
Example0

Note: the overall cool feeling is gradually increasing from 1 to 5 grades. Specifically, grade 1 represents no cool feeling, grade 2 represents slight cool feeling, grade 3 represents good cool feeling, grade 4 represents comfortable cool feeling, and grade 5 represents very comfortable cool feeling.

The latest national standard GB/T35263-2017 “Textiles—Testing and evaluation for cool feeling in contact instant” published in 2017 specifies that when the temperature difference is 15° C., if the Qmax is above 0.15, it will be considered to have the cool feeling.

It can be seen from the data that the fabric with cool feeling function produced by this method has an excellent cool feeling function; the specific performance is that the Qmax of the fabrics in the examples before washing and after 10 washings are always above 0.15, which improves the cooling comfort of the fabrics as a whole. Furthermore, compared with other preparation methods of cool-feeling fabrics (Comparative Examples 6-7), the Examples reduce the production cost, shorten the production process, save resources, and conform to the trend of environmental protection and energy saving.

The specific analysis of Examples and Comparative Examples is as follows:

In Example 1, the viscose has a high conventional moisture regain of 13%, and the polyamide has a high coefficient of thermal conductivity of 0.244-0.337 W/(m·K). The research results of the international journal “Artificial Fiber” shows that: when the water content of the human skin surface is 12%-15%, the skin comfort is the best; in order to ensure 12%-15% moisture of human skin, it is correspondingly required that textile fibers in contact with human skin must have a moisture absorption rate of 12%-15%. Furthermore, the conventional moisture regain of polyamide is 4.5%, which is 8.5% different from that of viscose. Test results have shown that the fabric prepared under this difference has an excellent cool feeling, and the overall cool feeling is grade 5. The viscose adopts compact siro spinning. Compared with ordinary ring spinning, the yarn hairiness obtained by compact siro spinning is less, and the evenness is better. The yarn is clean and smooth, which is more conducive to the improvement of the cool feeling. The polyamide is drawn yarn, and the polyamide is filament, where the fiber yarn itself is relatively smooth and flat, and the fully drawn yarn is selected. The drawn yarn which is straightened after being stretched is not bent, which reduces the space for air to stay, increases the contact area, improves the thermal conductivity, and can improve the cool feeling. Moreover, a softener added in the process of shaping can improve the hydrophilicity and hygroscopicity of the polyamide yarn material, which is more conducive to the polyamide to transmit the absorbed moisture to the viscose yarn with good hygroscopicity. Moisture conduction takes heat away at the same time, which increases the cooling effect. The added softener can also increase the soft and smooth feel of the fabric and increase the cooling effect.

The ordinary plain weave structure is adopted in Example 2, hence, compared with the plaiting stitch, the contact area between the fabric and the skin of Example 2 is not as good as that of the fabric of Example 1, so the cool feeling is not as good as that of Example 1, and the overall cool feeling is grade 4.

The yarn count of the thermally conductive yarn in Example 3 is slightly thicker than that in Example 1, and the thermal conductivity effect is slightly better than that in Example 1. Although the overall cool feeling in Example 3 is the same as grade 5, the parameter of Qmax is slightly higher than that of Example 1.

In Example 4, since the hygroscopicity of cotton is lower than that of viscose, the thermal conductivity of the thermally conductive yarn polyester is lower than that of polyamide, the overall cool feeling is lower than that of Example 1, and the overall cooling is grade 3.

In Example 5, no hydrophilic silicone oil is added, and the hygroscopicity of polyamide is not further improved; although the thermal conductivity is good, the moisture transfer performance is poor, and the heat conduction effect is not as good as that of Example 1, so the cool feeling is slightly worse than that of Example 1, and the overall cool feeling is grade 4.

In Example 6 (First Comparative Example), the simple hygroscopic material viscose has moderate thermal conductivity, and the capability of the fabric to transmit heat decreases, which has a greater impact on the cool feeling, and thus the cool feeling effect is significantly reduced, and the overall cool feeling is grade 2.

In Example 7 (Second Comparative Example), the simple thermally conductive material polyamide has average hygroscopic performance, and thus the cool feeling is not as good as that of Example 1, and the overall cool feeling is grade 2.

In Example 8 (Third Comparative Example), the thermal conductivity of polyester is not as good as that of polyamide, and the moisture absorption performance is poor, and thus the cool feeling is poor, and the overall cool feeling is grade 2.

In Example 9 (Fourth Comparative Example), although wool yarn has high hygroscopicity, its thermal conductivity is too low, and the cool feeling of the overall fabric is not good. The overall cool feeling before washing is grade 3, but after the wool is washed for many times, the cool feeling decreases, and the overall cool feeling drops to grade 2.

In Example 10 (Fifth Comparative Example, the acrylic fiber yarn has poor thermal conductivity and poor moisture absorption performance, and the overall cool feeling of the fabric is not good, and its overall cool feeling is grade 2.

In Example 11 (Sixth Comparative Example), the thermally conductive yarn is mainly made from polyamide fiber and added with a cool-feeling functional yarn made from mica. The cool-feeling function is equivalent to that of Example 1, and the overall cool feeling before washing is grade 5. However, the production cost is relatively high. Furthermore, after several times of washing, the unstable mica reagent on the surface of the cool-feeling functional yarn will also fall off, causing the cool feeling to decrease, and the overall cool feeling decreases to grade 4.

In Example 12 (Seventh Comparative Example), when finishing, the xylitol cool-feeling finishing agent is used to achieve cool feeling function, the obtained cool feeling is good, and the overall cool feeling before washing is grade 5. However, after washing with water or increasing the number of washings, after the xylitol cool-feeling finishing agent on the surface is rinsed, the cool feeling is weakened, and the overall cool feeling decreases to grade 3.

The above description of the embodiments is for the convenience of those skilled in the art to understand and apply the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications to these embodiments can be readily made, and the generic principles described herein can be applied to other embodiments without inventive steps. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein, and improvements and modifications made to the present invention by those skilled in the art according to the disclosure of the present invention should all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

In summary, described herein are a fabric with cool feeling function, related cloth and clothing items and a manufacturing method and systems thereof, which belong to the technical field of functional fabrics. A fabric with cool feeling function comprises a first fabric layer and a second fabric layer, where the first fabric layer is formed by interweaving hygroscopic yarn materials, and the second fabric layer is formed by interweaving thermally conductive yarn materials; the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer are connected through knotting spots formed by interweaving the hygroscopic yarn materials of the first fabric layer and the thermally conductive yarn materials of the second fabric layer. The fabric with cool feeling function, related cloth and clothing items and a manufacturing method and systems thereof, employ a layered structure weaving method, and the interaction between the hygroscopic yarn materials and the thermally conductive yarn materials to continuously produce cool feeling effects. It is not necessary but it is possible to add additional processes in a dyeing and finishing process, which is the same as the conventional dyeing and finishing process of fabrics, that is, it can give the prepared fabrics a cool feeling function. Most of the yarns used in the fabric with cool feeling function, related cloth and clothing items and a manufacturing method and systems thereof are conventional fiber materials such as viscose and polyamide, which do not require additional processing, thus the fabrics produced have stable properties and are not prone to decrease in cool feeling due to multiple washings. Furthermore, alternative yarn materials are relatively cheap, and thus the cost of the produced fabric with cool feeling is low.

The entire disclosure of each document cited (including patents, patent applications, journal articles, abstracts, laboratory manuals, books, or other disclosures) in the Background, Summary, Detailed Description, and Examples is hereby incorporated herein by reference. All references cited in this disclosure are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference had been incorporated by reference in its entirety individually.

It is to be understood that the disclosures are not limited to particular compositions materials, or biological systems, which can, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. The term “plurality” includes two or more referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the disclosure pertains.

Unless otherwise indicated, the disclosure is not limited to specific reactants, substituents, catalysts, reaction conditions, or the like, as such may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting.

As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a polymer” includes a single polymer as well as a combination or mixture of two or more polymers, reference to “a substituent” encompasses a single substituent as well as two or more substituents, and the like.

As used in the specification and the appended claims, the terms “for example,” “for instance,” “such as,” or “including” are meant to introduce examples that further clarify more general subject matter. Unless otherwise specified, these examples are provided only as an aid for understanding the applications illustrated in the present disclosure, and are not meant to be limiting in any fashion.

Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice for testing of the specific examples, additional appropriate materials and methods are described herein.

A number of embodiments of the disclosure have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

REFERENCES

• ADDIN EN.REFLIST 1. Wikipedia-textile. Textile. 2022; Available from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile.
• 2. textile, W. W. 2023; Available from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woven_fabric.
• 3. Wikipedia, F. Fiber. 2023; Available from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiber.
• 4. Wikipedia, Y., Yarn. 2023.
• 5. Hygroscopicity, W. 2023; Available from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygroscopy.
• 6. Conductivity, W. T. 2023; Available from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_conductivity.
• 7. Interweaving, W. 2023; Available from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaving.

Claims

1. A fabric with cool feeling function, comprising a first fabric layer and a second fabric layer;

the first fabric layer is formed by an interwoven hygroscopic yarn material;

the second fabric layer is formed by an interwoven thermally conductive yarn material;

the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer are connected through knotting spots formed by interwoven hygroscopic yarn material of the first fabric layer and/or interwoven thermally conductive yarn material of the second fabric layer.

2. The fabric with cool feeling function according to claim 1, wherein

the hygroscopic yarn material is interwoven in accordance with the plaiting stitch to form an outer yarn, the thermally conductive yarn material is interwoven in accordance with the plaiting stitch to form an inner yarn.

3. The fabric with cool feeling function according to claim 1, wherein a conventional moisture regain of the hygroscopic yarn material is from 11% to 13%.

4. The fabric with cool feeling function according to claim 1, wherein a conventional moisture regain of the thermally conductive yarn material is 4.5%, and the conventional moisture regain of the hygroscopic yarn material is at least 8.5% higher than that of the thermally conductive yarn material.

5. The fabric with cool feeling function according to claim 1, wherein a coefficient of thermal conductivity of the thermally conductive yarn materials is 0.244-0.33 W/(m·K).

6. The fabric with cool feeling function according to claim 1, wherein the hygroscopic yarn material is a viscose or regenerated cellulose yarn, and a spinning method thereof is compact siro spinning.

7. The fabric with cool feeling function according to claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive yarn material is ordinary polyamide filaments, and a spinning method thereof is fully drawn yarn.

8. A cloth comprising the fabric of claim 1, having an inner surface formed at least part of the first fabric layer and an outer surface formed at least in part by the second fabric layer.

9. A clothing item having an inner surface configured to contact an individual user and an outer surface configured to face an environment external to an individual user, the clothing item comprising the fabric of claim 1 in a configuration in which the first fabric layer forms at least part of the outer surface of the clothing item and the second fabric layer forms at least part of the inner surface of the clothing item.

10. A manufacturing method to provide a fabric with cool feeling function of claim 1, the method comprising

interweaving hygroscopic yarn materials to obtain a first fabric layer; and interweaving thermally conductive yarn material to obtain a second fabric layer; and

connecting the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer by interweaving knotting spots through the hygroscopic yarn materials of the first fabric layer and the thermally conductive yarn materials of the second fabric layer to connect the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer through the knotting spots.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the interweaving is performed in accordance with a plaiting stitch structure.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the interweaving is performed by

weaving the hygroscopic yarn material and the thermally conductive yarn material using a weft knitting circular knitting machine, so as to produce a woven grey cloth.

13. The method of claim 12, the method further comprising

inspecting the woven grey cloth, comprising comprise inspecting streaky mark, broken hole, crumple, foreign fiber, missed stitch, and snagging;

adding a colorant to dye the woven grey cloth to obtain a dyed grey cloth, wherein a temperature of the dyeing is from 60° C. to 100° C.;

sequentially dehydrating, scutching and drying the dyed grey cloth to obtain a dehydrated grey cloth; and

shaping the dehydrated grey cloth, wherein a temperature of the shaping is from 103° C. to 160° C.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein a hydrophilic silicone oil is added in the shaping the dehydrated grey cloth.

15. A manufacturing system to make a fabric with cool feeling function, the system comprising a first fiber material formed by hygroscopic fibers and a second fiber material formed by thermally conductive fiber material, and a device configured to interweaving the first fabric material and the second fabric material to provide a fabric with cool feeling function herein described.