Reinforcing woven fabric and method and apparatus for manufacturing the same

A method for manufacturing a reinforced woven fabric of wefts between arranged warps, said method comprising the steps of:

• supplying a warp of flat and substantially untwisted multifilaments of reinforcing fiber, keeping the plurality of warps in a disposition wherein the width direction of each warp extends substantially in a vertical direction while arranging said warps at a predetermined density in the warp direction,
• thereafter shifting the width direction of each warp to a substantially horizontal direction and forming said shifted warps into a shed;
• supplying a weft of flat and substantially untwisted multifilaments of reinforcing fiber, unwinding said weft from a bobbin in a radially outer direction, positioning said weft with guidance so that the width direction of said weft is substantially arranged in a horizontal direction at said weft supplying position, and while storing said weft between said weft unwinding position and said guiding position by a length required for one weft supply motion relative to said warps, supplying said weft between said warps under guidance and tension, and
• for opening and widening said warps and said wefts with guidance after weaving said warps and said supplied wefts as a reinforcing woven fabric.

An apparatus for manufacturing a reinforced woven fabric having means for supplying warps, said warp supply means comprising:

• a comb having a plurality of wires for combing a plurality of warps of flat and substantially untwisted multifilaments of reinforcing fiber unwound from bobbins at a predetermined density while keeping the flat condition of each warp as well as arranging and positioning said warps in a condition wherein the width direction of each warp is substantially disposed in a vertical direction;
• guide means positioned for displacing the width direction of each warp moving from said comb to an arrangement substantially in a horizontal direction;
• warp opening and widening means for opening and widening each said warp moving from said guide by oscillating each warp while keeping the arrangement of said converted width direction of each warp;
• and
• a heald providing an opening and closing motion to said respective warps moving from said warp opening and widening means.

An apparatus for manufacturing a reinforced woven fabric comprising:

• a) warp supply comprising:
• a comb having a plurality of wires positioned for combing a plurality of warps of flat and substantially untwisted multifilaments of reinforcing fiber unwound from bobbins at a predetermined density while keeping a flat arrangement of each warp as well as keeping said warps in a disposition where the width direction of each warp extends substantially in a vertical direction;
• guide means positioned for shifting the width direction of each warp from said comb to a substantially horizontal direction;
• and
• a heald providing an opening and closing motion to the respective warps moving from said guide while keeping the disposition of said converted width direction of each warp;
• b) a weft supplying means comprising:
• a take-off roller positioned for rotating in accordance with the operation of a main shaft of a loom for unwinding a weft of a flat and substantially untwisted multifilament of reinforcing fiber from a bobbin in a radially outer direction at a constant speed:
• a guide roller arranged to position said take-off weft so that the width direction of said weft is substantially in a horizontal disposition at a weft supplying position;
• a weft storage means connected for supplying said weft to said guide roller while storing said weft between said take-off roller and said guide roller by a length required for one weft supply motion relative to said warps;
• and
• a tension providing means for keeping said weft moving from said guide roller in a tense condition;
• and
• c) means for opening and widening warps and wefts of the resulting woven fabric.