Three-dimensional woven fabric with varied thread orientations

A method of producing a three-dimensional woven fabric by the use of a rotor-carrier type three-dimensional fabric weaving machine having a plurality of rotors arranged in a matrix of multiple rows and arrays alternately with thread carriers in such a manner as to hold a thread carrier in guide grooves on confronting sides of rotors in adjacent co-operative positions, weaving a three-dimensional fabric a weaving cycle of shifting the position of each thread carrier by rotating one of said rotors in said adjacent co-operative positions while using the groove on the other rotor as a guide, which comprises the steps of:

• dividing said rotors in a carrier shift area, corresponding in configuration to the sectional shape of the fabric to be produced, into two groups each including rotors in nonadjacent row and array positions;
• repeating a cycle of weaving operation where first rotors of a first group are turned through one of 90.degree. and 180.degree. in one direction using rotors of a second group as non-rotatable guides and then turning rotors of said second group through one of 90.degree. and 180.degree. in a reverse direction using the rotors of said first group as non-rotatable guides;
• and
• inserting for a predetermined number of times a cycle of partially regular weaving operations wherein the rotation of the rotors of said two groups is stopped in part of a sectional area of the three-dimensional fabric while rotating the rotors in other portions so as to form thread portions which are varied in one of an orientation angle and an angle of inclination from the longitudinal direction of the three-dimensional fabric in part of the sectional area of said fabric.