Quilted elastic composite fabric

• US 4,879,169 A
• Filed: 04/11/1988
• Issued: 11/07/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xymid LLC
• Original Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Corteva, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zafiroglu, Dimitri P.
• Primary Examiner(s): McCamish, Marion C.
• Application Number:
  US07/179,620
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 428/102, 428/230, 428/234, 428/245, 428/253, 428/284, 28/107, 28/156, 112/413, 112/438
• US Class Current: 442/183
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2250/20 All layers being fibrous or filamentary
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/0207 Elastomeric fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/0261 Polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/304 Insulating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/3065 Flame resistant or retardant, fire resistant or retardant
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/51 Elastic
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/718 Weight, e.g. weight per square meter
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/72 Density
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/726 Permeability to liquids, absorption
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/732 Dimensional properties
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2437/00 Clothing anti-ballistic clothing B32B2571/02
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2535/00 Medical equipment, e.g. bandage, prostheses, catheter medical patches B32B2556/00
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2571/00 Protective equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/00 Layered products characterised by the non- homogeneity or physical structure , i.e. comprising a fibrous, filamentary, particulate or foam layer; Layered products characterised by having a layer differing constitutionally or physically in different parts
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/022 Non-woven fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/024 Woven fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/026 Knitted fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/06 characterised by a fibrous or filamentary layer mechanically connected, e.g. by needling to another layer, e.g. of fibres, of paper
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/26 another layer next to it also being fibrous or filamentary relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/05 the layers not being connected over the whole surface, e.g. discontinuous connection or patterned connection using interposed adhesives or bonding materials applied in spaced arrangements B32B7/14
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/4374 : using different kinds of webs, e.g. by layering webs
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/52 : by applying or inserting filamentary binding elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24033 : including stitching and discrete fastener[s], coating or bond
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3016 : Including a preformed layer other than the elastic woven fabric [e.g., fabric or film or foil or sheet layer, etc.]

Abstract

An elastic quilted composite fabric is provided. The quilted fabric has at least one gathered fibrous layer and at least one elastic fabric layer. The elastic fabric layer preferably includes 1/2 to 10% by weight of spandex fibers and is a stitch-bonded fabric whose elastic characteristics are not activated until after the various layers of the composite fabric have been quilted together.

Claims

1. A quilted composite fabric having a thickness of at least 6 mm, a unit weight of at least 75 g/m², a density of no greater than 0.05 g/cm³ and stretchability of at least 25% in at least one direction, the composite fabric comprising

a gathered fibrous layer,

an elastic fabric layer containing elastic spandex fiber which amounts to between 1/2 and 10% of the weight of the elastic fabric layer and no more than 5% of the total weight of the quilted composite,

the layers being quilted with thread that forms spaced-apart patterns of stitches extending along the composite fabric.

2. A quilted composite fabric of claim 1, wherein the elastic fabric layer is a multi-needle stitched nonwoven fabric in which the stitching thread is an elastic thread that forms parallel patterns of stitches along the elastic fabric layer, the parallel stitch patterns havinq a spacing of 2 to 10 parallel stitch patterns per centimeter and the stitch spacing being in the range of 2 to 15 per centimeter, the unit weight of the elastic fabric layer amounting to no more than one-half of the total weight of the composite fabric.

3. A quilted complosite fabric of claim 2 wherein elastic thread is made of a spandex polymer.

4. A quilted composite fabric of claim 2 or 3 wherein the gathered fibrous layer is formed from a carded staple fiber batt which is quilted to and located between two of the elastic fabric layers.

5. A quilted composite fabric of claim 3 or 4 wherein a woven or knitted outer layer is included in the quilted composite fabric.

6. A process for producing a quilted elastic composite fabric comprising the steps of:

providing a fabric layer containing latently elastic fibers which amount to between 1/2 to 10% by weight of the fabric layer,

quilt-stitching the fabric layer to a web of substantially nonbonded fibers with quilt-stitching patterns that are spaced in the range of 12 to 200 mm apart to form a quilted composite,

with the thusly formed quilted composite in a relaxed condition, activating the latently elastic fibers sufficiently to provide to the resultant quilted composite fabric a stretchability of at least 25% in at least one direction and a density of no greater than 0.05g/cm³.

7. A process of claim 6 wherein the latently elastic fibers are spandex fibers whose elastic characteristics are activated by heating the quilted composite fabric at a temperature of at least 70°

C. for a sufficient time to shrink the spandex fibers and reduce the fabric area by at least 25% while increasing its thickness at least 2.5 times

8. A process of claim 7 wherein the heat treatment is at a temperature of at least 1OO°

C. and the thickness increases at least 10-fold.