Chambray fabric having unique characteristics and method of manufacturing same

#This invention relates to a woven fabric that has the traditional appearance of a chambray fabric, but which exhibits unusual stretch, strength, and tear resistance. Because of fabric construction and processing differences, the desired appearance is achieved in a more consistent and economical way. The fabric of the instant invention is comprised of a non-blended warp of one fiber type and a non-blended filling of a different fiber type, which, when combined in a woven product, result in a greige fabric. The greige fabric is subsequently dyed, with the dye preferentially penetrating only one part of the fabric (that is, either the warp or the filling). The dyed fabric has the traditional chambray appearance, without the production problems associated with conventional manufacturing processes.

#A chambray fabric is typically a plain-woven, spun fabric having a colored warp and a white filling that is used for shirts, dresses, children's clothing, and other apparel applications. Traditionally, such fabrics are made by weaving a package- or beam-dyed, polyester-cotton warp with an undyed (or white) polyester-cotton filling to produce a fabric. This method of production has several shortcomings, which are addressed by the present invention.

#In typical creation of a chambray fabric, the warp yarns must first be made and then be package-dyed. The dyeing step involves placing the individual yarn packages into an appropriate dyeing apparatus, operating the apparatus, and then removing the packages to a remote location before they are woven into fabric. Because the warp yarns contain both cotton and polyester fibers, two different dye cycles must be used. The first cycle usually dyes the polyester portion of the warp yarns, and the second cycle usually dyes the cotton portion of the warp yarns. The individual packages are then wound from the packages onto cones that are suitable for transferring the yarn from a package unit to a beam that is later used in weaving. The package-dyeing process, as described above, is one that is both labor-intensive and time-consuming.

#These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the specification and the accompanying drawings in which:

#FIG. 1 shows an enlarged fragmentary plan view particularly illustrating the warps and wefts of the fabric of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 shows a view that is essentially taken along the line of 2-2 of FIG. 1;

#The chambray fabric of the present invention is comprised of a warp of one type of yarn and a filling of a second type of yarn, one yarn type being comprised of cellulosic fibers and the second yarn type being comprised of synthetic fibers. The yarns are first woven into a greige fabric that is then non-union (preferentially) dyed to achieve the desired chambray appearance. The process described herein results in greater production efficiency and ease of manufacture, while producing a fabric having superior characteristics in terms of stretch, strength, and tear resistance.

#In a preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1, synthetic yarns 10 comprise the warp of fabric 4, synthetic yarns 10 being comprised of 100% polyester. It is anticipated that nylon and acetate yarns would also be acceptable; however, for purposes of discussion and because polyester is the preferred yarn type, polyester yarns should be assumed to be the yarn described by the term “synthetic yarns.” Synthetic yarns 10 are the dye-receiving component of fabric 4, and thus, substitutes for polyester should be capable of fully receiving the dyestuff used to preferentially color synthetic yarns 10. Synthetic yarns may be either spun or filament yarns, with the preferred type being spun polyester and the more preferred type being open-end spun polyester. Spun polyester is more suitable than filament polyester for continuous range dyeing; if filament polyester is used, fabric 4 will require the use of a jet-dyeing apparatus (as will be further discussed herein).

#In FIG. 1, cellulosic yarns 12 comprise the filling of fabric 4, with the preferred cellulosic yarns 12 being comprised of 100% spun cotton. It is anticipated that rayon may also be used. Because cotton is the preferred yarn type, it should be assumed to be the yarn described by the term “cellulosic yarns.” Again, open-end spinning produces the preferred type of cellulosic yarns 12, with the most preferred type being open-end spun cotton having a typical fiber length (about 0.75 inches to 1.0 inches). Using a longer fiber length increases fabric strength and durability, but may be less preferable because of an appearance that more closely resembles an oxford weave than the desired appearance of a chambray fabric.