EP1675487A1

EP1675487A1 - Textile based on a mixture of abrasion resistant technical fibers

Info

Publication number: EP1675487A1
Application number: EP04791476A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Pierre Henry Servajean
Original assignee: PHP
Current assignee: PHP
Priority date: 2003-10-20
Filing date: 2004-10-06
Publication date: 2006-07-05
Anticipated expiration: 2024-10-06
Also published as: NO327385B1; DE602004007816T2; NO20062283L; JP2007510066A; EP1675487B1; WO2005041704A1; FR2860957B1; ES2291953T3; FR2860957A1; ATE367746T1; CN1870915B; CN1870915A; DE602004007816D1; KR101122622B1; KR20060122840A; JP4685790B2; US20070249250A1

Abstract

The fabric, made in a single woven layer is made from two yarns: a comfort yarn of a cellulose material such as cotton and a technical yarn with high abrasion and temperature resistance. The yarns are woven or knitted so that the technical yarn predominates on the outer surface and the comfort yarn on the inside. The technical yarn is made from continuous filaments with a core with at least 75 to 85% of its surface covered with natural fibres.

Description

The present invention relates to a textile based on a mixture of cellulosic fibers, for example cotton and technical fibers resistant to abrasion. More particularly, the subject of the invention is a fabric with a "blue-jean" appearance, or more generally having the appearance of cotton canvas, which is intended for making pants, jackets, jackets, gloves, etc .... Fabrics having qualities during abrasive shocks - for example the shocks undergone by the clothes of a biker when the latter makes a fall - are known in the prior art. These fabrics generally require a minimum of two separate layers: either a comfort liner is arranged to allow them to be worn directly on the skin, or a coating of products with a low coefficient of friction (silicone, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), etc.) is produced. on a resistant material (mesh or aramid fabric ...), this is the case of work gloves intended for protection against abrasive impacts, however the latter solution has two major drawbacks: the discomfort due to the lack of breathability of the complex because of the coating and the "industrial" aspect given by the coating. In addition, these are fabrics that allow only a little ventilation in the summer, so they are relatively uncomfortable to wear in this season. The vast majority of other alternatives known in the prior art are polyamides that can be melted at a temperature below 250 ° C. In addition, these are not self-extinguishing, which represents an obvious additional danger for the wearer of garments made with such textiles. Indeed, during an abrasive impact, for example on a motorcycle, such materials can quickly reach their melting point locally and are then in direct contact with the user's skin, causing injuries and burns that are difficult to treat. (the risk of complications is increased in the event of fire). The polyesters have a certain resistance to abrasion but do not have sufficient fire-resistant qualities. Polyethylene has very good mechanical qualities, but its melting point is around 120 ° C. Only para- and meta-aramids have mechanical and non-fire qualities, but their performance deteriorates in the presence of UV. The ceramics could combine these qualities, but their price is still too high to allow an economically viable industrial exploitation. In any case, all of these materials do not have sufficient textile qualities, these are difficult to dye and have an unpleasant feel for the wearer of clothing, which corresponds to the sensation of contact of plastic with the skin. . Thus, in the world of equipment for the motorcyclist in general, and in pants in particular, only overpants, pants in multilayer fabric, or even leather pants can claim to provide protection to abrasion. In each of these cases, respective drawbacks exist, in particular in summer (discomfort, lack of breathability and water repellency, poor appearance, etc.). Finally, American patent US 4,920,000 describes a monolayer fabric comprising two threads, a so-called "comfort" natural thread and a "technical" thread with high abrasion and temperature resistance properties, these two threads being woven in a weave defining at least two distinct portions in the thickness of the fabric, a first exterior portion, predominantly technical yarn, and a second interior portion, predominantly comfort yarn, said portions being at least partially entangled. The technical thread used in the invention described in this patent is an intimate mixture of different materials, natural and artificial, each having a specific technical role, the periphery of the thread being of the same composition as the center of the latter. The technical yarn thus obtained is only very partially covered on the surface, and the part of this yarn made of synthetic material is very exposed, which does not make it possible to resolve the disadvantages of textiles based on artificial yarns described above, especially in terms of visual appearance and comfort. In addition, such a technical thread does not make it possible to color the fabric obtained, because either the dyes are very poorly retained by the synthetic materials used for the technical fibers, or polyester and polyamide are used which are dyed well, but for which touch and shine are problematic in terms of the appearance of the fabric obtained, as well as in terms of technical performance which is lower. Thus, the main object of the present invention is to provide a fabric which makes it possible to reduce the performance gap between technical textiles and textiles intended for clothing. More specifically, the object of the invention is to provide a fabric which makes it possible to solve the technical problems of fabrics known in the prior art, and therefore has excellent mechanical properties, in particular resistance to fire, high temperatures and abrasion, which allows the dyes applied to it to be held at a level at least equal to that which fabrics in natural material - for example cellulosic (cotton or linen in particular) - and which is as comfortable to wear as these. The object of the invention is achieved with a monolayer fabric comprising two threads, a thread of cellulosic material called "comfort" and a technical thread with high properties of resistance to abrasion and temperature, these two threads being woven or knitted so as to define at least two distinct portions in the thickness of the fabric, a first exterior portion, predominantly technical yarn, and a second interior portion, predominantly comfort yarn, said portions being at least partially entangled. The invention is more particularly characterized in that the technical yarn is a yarn, produced from continuous filaments, preferably non-textured, technical yarn whose core is covered over at least 75%, preferably at least 85%, of its surface by a coating comprising at least partially natural fibers. This fabric has excellent mechanical and textile qualities (in terms of ease of weaving on the one hand, and comfort on the other hand), and it is intended in particular for motorcyclists, or users of skateboards or "skateboards""," roller skates ", bikes, snowboards or" snowboards "providing them with protection, comfort and looks. Due to its monolayer design, it is intended for making light clothing that can be worn next to the skin and offering excellent abrasion protection in the event of a fall. Protection is provided by the extreme abrasion resistance of the technical thread, which is mainly contained in the outer portion of the fabric. It should be noted here that by abrasion-resistant material is meant a material whose hardness and coefficient of friction are such that it allows it to be practically equivalent during abrasion resistance tests in real conditions to competition leathers approved by the French Motorcycling Federation, according to standard no prEN 13595-2. Thus, tests carried out on different textile samples have shown the results described below. The method used is not exactly the standardized method but it is approached by the stages involved, and by its reproducibility. At 37 ° C., samples with an area of 80 mm by 50 mm were tested, placed under a weighted support of approximately 10 kg, which is brought into direct contact with a dry road surface, of average particle size. The weighted support is put in translation until all the warp threads are completely torn. The measurements given below represent the distances traveled by each sample before complete destruction of the warp threads: - Toile de France (standard according to the EN388 standard of 1993 from IFTH, under the reference LEM 6), 100% cotton: 25 m - new "Levis 501 ™" type blue jeans, 100% cotton: 12 m - used "Levis 501 ™" type blue jeans, 100% cotton: 2.5 m - blue jeans with warp and warp threads polyester and kevlar ™ reinforced weft, intimate blend: 15 m - Competition leather: 62.5 m - textile according to the invention, consisting of a cotton weft and a warp of twisted cotton / aramid filaments: 29.5 m - textile according to the invention as described in the example below, consisting of a cotton weft and a chain of continuous aramid filaments covered with blue cotton: 45 m - textile according to the invention, consisting of a weft cotton and a chain of gimped polyethylene filaments cotton: 65 m. It is therefore noted that the textiles obtained according to the invention, although they make it possible to preserve the external appearance of a 100% cotton fabric, demonstrate performances much superior to those of 100% cotton fabrics of the blue-jean type, and in some cases, performances almost identical to those obtained with leathers used in competition by the Federation

French Motorcycling. The comfort comes from a special construction of the "warp effect" type, the warp effect can be obtained by the titrations of the threads used (for example larger in warp than in weft) or else by the weave itself

(satins, twills, half plaits ...) allowing to combine the previous qualities with a single layer of fabric which protects thanks to its outer surface and is worn next to the skin thanks to its hydrophilic inner surface. This fabric also has high level thermal qualities. According to a first, preferred embodiment of the invention, the fabric is obtained by weaving, the weft thread constituting the comfort thread, and the warp thread, the technical thread. In this case, the weave used is of the chain effect type, but having floats less than or equal to 4 threads, preferably a twill 3/1 (float of 3) or twill 2/1 (float of 2). Indeed, within the basic armor, we find: twill, satin and canvas. In this case, the canvas is the least suitable. Satin offers significant possibilities just like twill because of the possibility of controlling the proportion of warp threads on the outer surface of the fabric (the desired result being the warp effect). The twill, in its 3/1 or 2/1 version is the basic weave of denim, so it is the ideal weave in terms of the appearance of the fabric for an imitation blue-jean. However, any weave can be envisaged provided that the combination of the latter and of the son titrations promotes the presence of the warp yarns on the outside surface and promotes the presence of the weft yarns inside. The fabric can be stretch weft or fixed. In addition, in cases other than 3/1 or 2/1 twill weaves, it is necessary to properly control, in addition to the proportions of the outer / inner portions of the fabric, the number and extent of the floats. Indeed, certain weaves allow a large possible presence of warp threads outside the fabric - or "front" -, but at the cost of very large floats. The risk then is that a thread clings to an external element and is pulled by it, thus deforming the structure of the fabric. This characteristic is called resistance to weeding. As such, a float less than or equal to 4 wires is considered acceptable. According to a second embodiment of the invention, the fabric is obtained by knitting. Indeed, knitting can provide as good support as weaving, from the moment it is possible to differentiate the so-called "front" yarns (technical yarns) from the so-called "rear" yarns (comfort yarns). The important thing is not to have too much - 35% of the visible surface of the fabric at most - technical thread at the back of the mesh because of its high cost compared to the back thread. Generally, these knits will be made on double needle looms, however, the fleece that is made on a single needle loom will easily meet the performance and cost conditions (acceptable front wire / rear wire proportions). In the case of mesh, the elasticity of the fabric is natural, due to the structure given by knitting (no thread is stretched). Advantageously, the comfort thread is a thread of cellulose material, associated with an elastic thread, to give a thread called "stretch thread". Indeed, in the case of an abrasive impact, the fabric firstly deforms thanks to the elasticity of the elastic weft, which makes it possible to absorb part of the energy received by the fabric at the time of shock, then the rest of the energy released by the friction of the fabric on the roadway, is absorbed by the technical warp thread, which must then itself have sufficient abrasion resistance properties - in other words resistance to sufficiently high compression and a sufficiently low coefficient of friction - so as not to degrade. In addition, the core of the abrasion-resistant technical thread is advantageously made of a material whose melting point is greater than 250 ° C., preferably greater than 400 ° C. One can also consider the use of materials having an extremely high melting point such as meta- and para-aramid. During an abrasive shock causing their temperature to rise, these materials first lose their mechanical characteristics, then degrade without melting. It is also possible to envisage the use of a core fusible at 130 ° C. such as polyethylene or at 260 ° C. such as certain nylons (polyamide 6-6), but with design precautions such as the coating of this core with compounds. with a high melting point such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) for example. To achieve such mechanical and thermal performance, the choice of the material of the technical core is very important and constitutes a first step. Preferably, the latter is made of a material chosen from the group of para-aramids, meta-aramids, silicone resins, fluorinated resins of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) type, resins filled with glass (or ceramic), alumina, polyethylene-based resins, or a combination of these materials together. Still other materials can be used such as polyamides, polyesters, polyethylene for example, as long as these materials have sufficient abrasion resistance properties, as defined in the context of the present description. In a second step, we focus on the choice of a suitable structure for the core of the technical thread, which can be obtained in several ways: firstly by twisting of threads, for example a para-aramid or twisted glass thread with a PTFE or silicone wire, all in continuous fibers, secondly by spinning, combing (that is to say by intimate mixing) of these materials in the form of continuous fibers, thirdly by coating and / or impregnation (silicone, PTFE ...) of a core made of para-aramid fiber in particular, or any combination of these alternatives. This complex thread - or core - is then either wrapped with thread having textile qualities such as cotton, linen, wool ... (and having been previously dyed blue in the case of blue jeans), or impregnated and / or coated with a pasty or liquid mixture (PTFE, silicone, etc.) and very short, colored textile fibers (cotton, linen, wool, etc.) ensuring the color and appearance of said warp yarn. This operation can also have the function of constituting an anti-UV screen in the case of use of para-aramid within the core (this material being very sensitive to ultraviolet rays). According to a first embodiment of the invention, the coating of the technical fiber is carried out by wrapping in double helical cover with a cotton thread, or wool. According to a second alternative embodiment of the invention, the coating of the technical fiber is carried out by coating, with or without impregnation, of the technical fiber in a bath of a mixture of fluorinated resin, silicone, acrylate , or equivalent polymer resin, saturated with ultra-short natural fibers. This operation is applied directly to the core wire (s), the objectives being:

- to give slipperiness (necessary for weaving and the behavior of the "technical yarn / covering yarn" complex, in the case of a technical fiberglass yarn for example,

- to reduce the coefficient of friction of the complex, - to give fire-resistant characteristics (in particular in the case of a silicone or fluorinated resin impregnation on a polyethylene core),

- to give the color, appearance, and certain textile functions, for example in the case of a coating produced from a mixture of fluorinated resin (or silicone or similar products, etc.) saturated with ultra-short fibers (of cotton, linen, wool ...) and already colored. It should be noted that this operation can also be carried out in two stages: impregnation of the wire, then saturation in fibers at the periphery of the complex. Another alternative is possible, it is the coloring of the bath, without addition of fiber. For a good understanding, the invention will now be described by detailing by way of nonlimiting example, a particular embodiment of an abrasion resistant fabric according to the invention.

The present invention relates to a monolayer fabric comprising two threads, a thread of cellulosic material called "comfort" and a technical thread with high properties of resistance to abrasion and to temperature. In the description which follows, the comfort thread made of cellulosic material will be described as a cotton thread, which is the preferred material among the cellulosic materials grouping in particular: cotton, linen, viscose, or acetate. By “monolayer” fabric, it is meant that the fabric produced in a single layer makes it possible to ensure both comfort thanks to the majority presence inside, weft threads (material comfort and elasticity) and mechanical resistance. thanks to the majority presence outside, warp threads (resistance of the material and appearance given by the covering). The two threads are woven in a weave defining at least two distinct portions in the thickness of the fabric, a first portion, exterior, predominantly technical thread, and a second portion, interior, predominantly comfort thread, said portions being at least partially entangled. More specifically, this fabric according to the invention is obtained by weaving, the weft thread being constituted by the comfort thread, and the warp thread by the technical thread. More particularly, the weave used is a 3/1 or 2/1 twill. The weft, white in color as in the case of blue jeans, consists of cotton threads, in order to provide the comfort required for the almost daily use of the clothes made with the fabric according to the invention. These cotton threads are completed with elastane to obtain good elasticity, and therefore good extensibility of the fabric. The weft used here is a carded yarn, (or combed for greater tensile strength), of 1/12 Nm +/- 100% titration (or twisted 2/24 Nm for even more toughness) and added with elastane (1% to 8% of the finished fabric). The chain, blue in color as in the case of blue jeans, consists of a covered technical thread. This technical thread has resistance qualities with abrasion, qualities of low coefficient of friction, as well as qualities not fire. It is a para-aramid 440 Dtex with non-textured continuous filaments (i.e. a single core). According to the invention, the technical yarn is covered over more than 85% of its surface by a coating comprising at least partially natural fibers. More precisely, the coating of the technical core is carried out by covering in a double helical cover with a cotton thread. This allows excellent comfort in summer, thanks to the lightness of the fabric obtained, and thanks to its good sweat absorption capacity, while preserving an appearance of 100% cotton fabric. In this case, the covering is made in double cover (2 wires surround the core helically), so as to obtain a cover of

85% minimum of the surface of the technical thread (called core). The cover threads are very fine, that is to say with a titration of less than 1/80 Nm, and made of natural fibers, cotton or wool. In the specific case described here, the covering material is a 100% combed long fiber cotton for fabrics to be used for summer clothes, or a 100% combed wool for fabrics to be used for winter clothes . In the context of the present invention, the covering thread fulfills the functions of receiving dye particles, comfort, hydrophilicity, but above all of concealing the technical core around which it is arranged, the latter providing the function abrasion resistance. After weaving, the finishing does not require any particular attention, we can even consider piece dyeing or conventional surface treatments (printing, water-repellent coating ...). During a fall on a motorcycle, we speak of an abrasive shock, because the impact deteriorates the fabric, and raises its temperature before abrading it by the slip. The International Motorcycling Federation instead uses the term "impact abrasion", which is equivalent. In the case of the fabric according to the invention, the energy of the impact is partly absorbed by the deterioration of the coating of the warp threads. Then, the warp threads being exposed, the energy of the slip is diverted thanks to the low coefficient of friction and to the hardness of the materials constituting the soul of said warp threads (technical threads). On the other hand, the energy is also absorbed in part thanks to the flexibility of the tissue which accepts some distortions. The flexibility in the weft direction is given by the elasticity of the weft threads and the flexibility in the warp direction, although being weaker, is given by the Young's modulus of the core material which must be low. This has the effect of considerably delaying the appearance of a hole in the fabric. The fabric (in the case of woven-dyed) thus obtained strongly resembles denim. However, the use of such a fabric offers possibilities of new creativity for stylists; worn next to the skin for pants, or lined for jackets, in all possible colors, woven-dyed and piece dye, it offers real protection during a fall on a motorcycle for example. In addition, it does not melt in the event of fire or prolonged abrasion and does not degrade either to UV or to hydrocarbons. It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the embodiment described above by way of example, but on the contrary embraces all of its variants. Thus, the weaves used for weaving the comfort yarn and the technical yarn may vary, as long as the weave chosen favors the presence of the technical yarn in the portion of the fabric located outside of the latter, and simultaneously promotes the presence majority of comfort thread in the interior portion of the fabric. In addition, this structure allows different armor depending on the mode (half-braided, chevron, etc.).

Claims

1 - Monolayer fabric comprising two threads, a thread of cellulosic material called "comfort" and a technical thread with high properties of resistance to abrasion and temperature, these two threads being woven or knitted so as to define at least two distinct portions in the thickness of the fabric, a first portion, exterior, predominantly technical thread, and a second portion, interior, predominantly comfort thread, said portions being at least partially entangled, characterized in that the technical thread is a yarn, produced from continuous filaments, the core of which is covered over at least 75% of its surface by a coating comprising at least partially natural fibers. 2 - Fabric according to claim 1, characterized in that the core of the technical thread is covered over at least 85% of its surface by a coating comprising at least partially natural fibers.

3 - Fabric according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the continuous filaments constituting the core of the technical thread are non-textured filaments.

4 - Fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is obtained by weaving, the weft thread constituting the comfort thread, and the warp thread constituting the technical thread.

5 - Fabric according to claim 4, characterized in that it is obtained by weaving weave with chain effect, but having floats less than or equal to 4 threads, preferably a twill 3/1 or 2/1.

6 - Fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is obtained by knitting.

7 - Fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the yarn of cellulosic material called "comfort" is associated with an elastic yarn, giving a yarn called "stretch yarn". 8 - Fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the core of the technical thread is made of a material chosen from the group of para-aramids, meta-aramides, silicone resins, fluorinated resins polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) type, resins filled with glass or with one or more ceramics, alumina, resins based on polyethylene or polyamide, or a combination of these materials by twisting, coating and / or impregnation, or intimate mixture.

9 - Fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the coating of the technical yarn is carried out by wrapping in double helical cover with a cotton thread, or wool. 10 - Fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the coating of the technical fiber is carried out by coating, with or without impregnation, of the technical fiber in a bath of a mixture of fluorinated resin, silicone, acrylate or equivalent polymer resin saturated with ultra-short natural fibers.