Spacing fabric

• US 5,582,893 A
• Filed: 08/31/1993
• Issued: 12/10/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ZCL Composites Inc. (Shawcor Limited)
• Original Assignee: Vorwerk & Company Interholding Gesellschaft Mit Beschrã¤Nkter Haftung (Vorwerk & Company KG)
• Inventors: H orsch, Friedrich, B ottger, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): MORRIS, TERELL H
• Application Number:
  US08/114,515
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 428/85, 428/86, 428/102, 428/120, 428/224, 428/246, 428/255, 428/902
• US Class Current: 428/86
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 27/10 Fabrics woven face-to-face, e.g. double velvet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/902 High modulus filament or fiber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/23914 Interlaminar
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24033 including stitching and discrete fastener[s], coating or bond
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24182 Inward from edge of web or sheet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3472 Woven fabric including an additional woven fabric layer

Abstract

A spacing fabric (3), in particular velour fabric, which spacing fabric has a first and second layer (4, 5) and intermediate webs (7) connecting these layers (4, 5) and is made of a technical yarn like aramide fibre, carbon fibre, ceramic fibre, or, in particular, glass fibre, with a resetting force inherent to the intermediate webs (7) which tends to automatically keep the layers (4, 5) of the spacing fabric (3) apart, especially also after resinification. The invention proposes that, in order to control the spacing of the layers of the spacing fabric, the layers (4, 5) of the spacing fabric (3) be attached to one another so that they can be detached.

Claims

1. A spacing fabric made of fibers selected from the group consisting of aramid fibers, carbon fibers, ceramic fibers and glass fibers;

the spacing fabric comprising;

a first fabric layer and a second fabric layer;

a plurality of intermediate links of technical yarn extending from said first layer to said second layer, each of said links having a spring force for holding said second layer spaced apart from said first layer;

wherein said fabric is resinified with a heat hardenable resin and holding means are provided which overcome said spring force so that said second layer is held on said first layer with the resin in an un cured state such that said first and second layers are contacting; and

wherein said holding means is temperature sensitive such that, upon a raising of temperature of the spacing fabric, said holding means is disabled allowing said second layer to separate into a spaced apart relation from said first layer in response to the spring force of the intermediate links, said raising of the temperature and a subsequent lowering of the temperature being operative to cure said resin for maintaining said first and said second layer in the spaced apart relation.

2. The spacing fabric in accordance with claim 1, wherein said holding means provides for attachment of said first layer to said second layer, and the attachment of said first and said second layers is releasable by the application of heat.

3. The spacing fabric in accordance with claim 1, wherein said holding means comprises a fusible thread.

4. The spacing fabric in accordance with claim 3, wherein said first and said second layers are pinned to one another by means of said fusible thread.

5. The spacing fabric in accordance with claim 1, wherein said holding means comprises an adhesive coated to individual threads of the spacing fabric or threads inserted into the spacing fabric and having an adhesiveness which disappears totally or is reduced at a specific temperature.

6. The spacing fabric in accordance with claim 1, wherein said holding means includes said resin with which the spacing fabric is totally impregnated, said resin releases the spring force of said intermediate links in a state of reduced adhesiveness occurring prior to a hardening of said resin, and upon an increase of temperature.

7. The spacing fabric according to claim 1, wherein the fabric is in the form of a prepreg with a spacing fabric preimpregnated with resin.

8. The spacing fabric in accordance with claim 1, wherein said holding means comprises a fusible thread, and said first and said second layers are sewn to one another by means of said fusible thread.

9. The spacing fabric in accordance with claim 1, wherein said holding means comprises a fusible thread, and said first and said second layers are tufted to one another by means of said fusible thread.

10. A spacing fabric made of fibers selected from the group consisting of aramid fibers, carbon fibers, ceramic fibers and glass fibers;

the spacing fabric comprising;

a first fabric layer and a second fabric layer;

a plurality of intermediate links of technical yarn extending from said first layer to said second layer, each of said links having a spring force for holding said second layer spaced apart from said first layer, said fabric being resinified with a heat hardenable resin;

holding means that overcome said spring force and hold said second layer in contact with said first layer during an uncured state of said resin; and

wherein said holding means is temperature sensitive such that, upon a raising of temperature of the spacing fabric, said holding means is disabled allowing said second layer to separate into a spaced apart relation from said first layer in response to the spring force of the intermediate links, said raising of the temperature being operative to cure said resin for maintaining said first and said second layer in the spaced apart relation.