Two-way stretch fabric and method for the preparation thereof

• US 5,102,724 A
• Filed: 01/31/1989
• Issued: 04/07/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kanebo, Ltd. (HOYU Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kanebo, Ltd. (HOYU Company Limited)
• Inventors: Okawahara, Tsuneo, Masuda, Yugoro
• Primary Examiner(s): CANNON, JAMES
• Application Number:
  US07/315,891
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 26/18.5, 28/155, 28/247, 428/231, 428/370, 428/374, 428/224
• US Class Current: 442/199
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/435 Polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/43828 sheath-core
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/43832 side-by-side
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/43835 Mixed fibres, e.g. at least two chemically different fibres or fibre blends
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/43838 Ultrafine fibres, e.g. microfibres
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2924 Composite
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3146 Strand material is composed of two or more polymeric materials in physically distinct relationship [e.g., sheath-core, side-by-side, islands-in-sea, fibrils-in-matrix, etc.] or composed of physical blend of chemically different polymeric materials or a physical blend of a polymeric material and a filler material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/444 Strand is a monofilament composed of two or more polymeric materials in physically distinct relationship [e.g., sheath-core, side-by-side, islands-in-sea, fibrils-in-matrix, etc.] or composed of physical blend of chemically different polymeric materials or a physical blend of a polymeric material and a filler material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/638 Side-by-side multicomponent strand or fiber material

Abstract

A lengthwise and crosswise stretchable fabric comprising bicomponent polyester filaments produced by conjugate spinning in side-by-side relationship component (A), a polyethylene terephthalate copolymerized with a structural unit having a metal sulfonate group, and component (B), a polyethylene terephthalate or polybutylene terephthalate. The fabric is rendered stretchable by inducting crimps in the bicomponent filaments thereof through exposure to infrared rays while said filaments are in a relaxed condition. The filaments may have been mechanically crimped prior to being formed into the fabric.

Claims

1. A method for the preparation of a fabric which has a stretching rate in both of the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction within the following range:

##EQU5## wherein L₁ is the vertical length of a specimen of a definite length and 5 cm wide when loaded by 5 g weight and L₂ is the vertical length of said specimen when loaded by a given weight, which is 240 g when said fabric is non-woven fabric and 1500 g when said fabric is woven or knitted fabric, characterized in preparing by fiber intermingling, weaving or knitting a raw fabric comprising a polyester conjugate fiber having a birefringence of 85×

10^-3 to 190×

10^-3 in an amount of at least 30 weight % and a crimp number of 8 to 13/inch, which is produced by conjugate spinning a polyethylene terephthalate (component A) copolymerized with a structural unit having a metal sulfonate group in a ratio of 1.5 to 6.0 mol % and a polyethylene terephthalate or polybutylene terephthalate (component B) in side by side method, drawing the product, and mechanically crimping the fiber to a crimp number of 8 to 13/inch, and irradiating the raw fabric with far-infrared rays in a relaxed condition to proceed three-dimensional crimping of said conjugate fiber to produce a stretch fabric comprising said conjugate fiber having a birefringence of 90×

10^-3 to 195×

10^-3.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the number of crimp of said conjugate fiber is increased to 30 to 50/inch by said far-infrared irradiation.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said raw fabric is supplied to the heat treatment process in a manner of forming a short loop.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the initial temperature of the heat treatment process is not higher than 70°

C.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said raw fabric contains 5 to 35 weight % of a low-melting fiber.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said fabric is a woven fabric having a void percentage of at least 50% in the condition of loading weight of 1500 g to 5 cm width of said fabric in each of the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, said percentage of void being indicated by the following equation:

##EQU6## wherein N is English count converted to single fiber, S is density of the spun yarn (g/cm²) and P is punching density per inch.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said void percentage is within the range of 53 to 72%.

8. A two-way stretch fabric produced according to the method of claim 1.