Breathable fabric lamination
AssigneeVelcro Industries B.V.
InventorPaul R. Erickson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A breathable fabric laminate is formed from fabrics of differing properties, by selecting respective faces of each of two fibrous fabrics to be adhesively joined across the selected faces, raising surface fibers of at least one of the selected faces by brushing or napping the surface fibers, applying a pattern of adhesive to at least one of the selected faces, the pattern including areas of adhesive and adhesive-free areas, and then joining the selected faces to form a fabric laminate. Napping or brushing the back sides of the fabrics prior to lamination creates a spacing layer that can increase air permeability and overall laminate thickness.
Claims28
A method of forming a breathable fabric laminate from fabrics of differing properties, the method comprising
- selecting respective faces of each of two fibrous fabrics to be adhesively joined across the selected faces;
- raising surface fibers of at least one of the selected faces by brushing or napping the surface fibers;
- applying a pattern of adhesive to at least one of the selected faces, the pattern including areas of adhesive and adhesive-free areas;
- and then
- joining the selected faces to form a fabric laminate.
A flexible, breathable fabric laminate, comprising
- a first fabric layer in the form of a knit fabric that carries hook-engageable fiber loops exposed on an outer surface of the fabric laminate, the first fabric layer formed primarily of hydrophilic yarns;
- and
- a second fabric layer bonded directly to the first fabric layer by an adhesive that covers no more than about 70 percent of either fabric layer, leaving adhesive-free areas of the laminate, the second fabric layer formed primarily of hydrophobic, microdenier yarns;
- wherein in the adhesive-free areas of the laminate the first and second fabric layers are spaced from each other by a spacing layer of air and raised fabric fibers, the spacing layer having a visual thickness of at least about 20 percent of an overall visual thickness of the laminate, as measured from oppositely surfaces of the first and second fabric layers and not including extending fibers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.