Stabilized fabric
AssigneeJohnson & Johnson Products, Inc.
InventorsJohn Dyer, John W. Kennette
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A loosely constructed knit or woven fabric is dimensionally stabilized by causing staple length textile fibers to be entangled about the intersections of the yarns comprising the fabric. The stabilized fabric is formed by covering one or both sides of the loosely constructed base fabric with a light web of the staple length fibers, and subjecting the composite material to hydraulic entanglement while supported on a porous forming belt configured to direct and concentrate the staple length fibers at the intersections of the yarns comprising the base fabric.
Claims32
A stabilized fabric comprising a loosely woven component and a staple fiber component,
- said woven component comprising a plurality of substantially parallel, spaced apart warp yarns intersecting at right angles with a plurality of substantially parallel spaced apart fill yarns, said warp and fill yarns defining a plurality of openings in said woven component,
- said staple fiber component comprising staple length fibers entangled about said warp and fill yarns without completely encasing said woven component, said staple fibers substantially anchoring said warp and fill yarns at the intersections thereof,
- said stabilized fabric maintaining a plurality of openings defined by said warp and fill yarns.
A stabilized surgical gauze comprising a woven fabric component and a staple fiber component,
- said woven component comprising warp and fill yarns and having from 6 to 12 yarns per inch in one direction and from 10 to 20 yarns per inch in the other direction, whereby said intersecting yarns define a plurality of openings in said woven fabric component,
- said staple fiber component comprising staple length fibers, entangled about said yarns at the intersections thereof without completely encasing said fabric, said staple length fibers substantially anchoring said yarns at the intersections thereof,
- whereby said woven fabric is physically stabilized against relative displacement of said yarns.
A method for physically and dimensionally stabilizing a loosely woven fabric composed of spaced apart warp and fill yarns, said method comprising
- a. forming a fibrous web of staple length fibers,
- b. positioning said fibrous web on one or both surfaces of said loosely woven fabric to form a layered structure,
- c. supporting said layered structure on a liquid pervious forming belt having a series of surface ridges and valleys extending in one direction, said valleys being substantially in registry with one of said warp and fill yarns of said woven fabric,
- d. subjecting said layered structure to hydraulic entanglement while supported on said forming belt whereby the staple fibers of said fibrous web are entangled about said warp and fill yarns and substantially anchor said yarns at the intersections thereof, whereby said warp and fill yarns are restrained from movement relative to one another and said fabric is physically and dimensionally stabilized.
A stabilized fabric comprising a loosely constructed base fabric composed of spaced apart intersecting yarns defining a plurality of openings in said base fabric and a discontinuous fiber component comprising a plurality of fibers entangled about said intersecting yarns of said base fabric without completely encasing said yarns, said discontinuous fibers substantially anchoring said intersecting yarns at the intersections thereof, said stabilized fabric including a plurality of openings defined by said intersecting yarns of said base fabric.
A method for physically and dimensionally stabilizing a loosely constructed fabric composed of spaced apart intersecting yarns, said method comprising
- a. forming a fibrous web of discontinuous fibers,
- b. positioning said fibrous web on one or both surfaces of said loosely constructed fabric to form a layered structure,
- c. supporting said layered structure on a liquid pervious forming belt having a series of porous surface depressions, said depressions being substantially in registry with the intersections of the yarns of said fabric,
- d. subjecting said layered structure to hydraulic entanglement while supported on said forming belt whereby the discontinuous fibers of said fibrous web are entangled abut said intersecting yarns and substantially anchor said yarns at the intersections thereof, whereby said yarns are restrained from movement relative to one another and said fabric is physically and dimensionally stabilized.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.