Water-responsive shape memory wool fiber, fabric and textile comprising thereof, and method for preparing the same
AssigneesCity University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
InventorsJinlian Hu, Mohammad Irfan Iqbal
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A woven, water-vapor permeable, water-responsive, shape-memory wool fabric that possesses switchable pore size and shape responsive to varying water content absorbed thereby is demonstrated, more particularly, the wool fabric exerts corresponding thermal and water vapor regulations between the wearer and the surroundings with respect to the temperature and humidity changes.
Claims14
A knit, water-vapor permeable, water-responsive, shape-memory wool fabric comprising:
- a plurality of descaled wool fibers twisted into single yarns at a twisting density of 100 to 600 twists per meter of fibers;
- and
- multi-ply yarns formed from the single yarns and having a twisting frequency of 200 to 700 twists per meter of the single yarns, the multi-ply yarns being steam set to form shape-memory multi-ply yarns;
- wherein the shape-memory multi-ply yarns being formed into a first knitting pattern including dynamic pore openings reversibly responsive to an absorbed fabric water content, such that the knit, water-vapor permeable, water-responsive, shape-memory wool fabric has a pore area percentage that reversibly increases from zero percent pore area at zero percent fabric water absorption to approximately 70% pore area at approximately 75 percent fabric water absorption.
A method for preparing a knit, water-vapor permeable, water-responsive, shape-memory wool fabric, comprising:
- descaling surface scales of a plurality of wool fibers by chlorination under ultrasound to form the plurality of descaled wool fibers;
- combing or carding the plurality of descaled wool fibers after said descaling;
- twisting the plurality of descaled wool fibers at a twisting frequency of 100 to 600 twists per meter of the fibers to yield the single yarns;
- twisting the single yarns at a twisting frequency of 200 to 700 twists per meter of the single yarns to yield the multi-ply yarns;
- setting the multi-ply yarns by steaming followed by drying to form the shape-memory multi-ply yarns;
- forming a first knitting pattern into the shape-memory multi-ply yarns to obtain a knit, water-vapor permeable, water-responsive, shape-memory wool fabric, wherein the first knitting pattern including dynamic pore openings reversibly responsive to an absorbed fabric water content, such that the knit, water-vapor permeable, water-responsive, shape-memory wool fabric has a pore area percentage that reversibly increases from zero percent pore area at zero percent fabric water absorption to approximately 70% pore area at approximately 75 percent fabric water absorption.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.