Fabric seams

Details Fabric seams Fabric seams

1999-06-01

2001-01-23

Calvert, John J. (Department: 3741)

Textiles: weaving

Fabrics

Special shape

Reexamination Certificate

active

06176271

ABSTRACT:

This invention relates to improvements in fabric seams, as used for joining, e.g., papermachine clothing, especially press felts, into endless fabrics.
A common form of seam uses selected yarns extending in the longitudinal (machine direction, or MD) direction of the fabric to form loops which extend beyond the fabric end and can be interdigitated with corresponding loops on the other fabric end, to be joined by a pintle or binding yarn passed along the tunnel formed by the interdigitated loops. In an alternative, the interdigitatable loops may be formed by helical seaming spirals which are bound into the fabric edge by a holding yarn and/or loops formed by MD yarns.
Seam constructions of this nature often present a problem particularly with regard to marking of the paper sheet with hydraulic marks, caused by a density difference in the seam area due to the seam area being generally more open than the main body of the fabric. One proposal for alleviating this problem is discussed in our published International Patent No. WO 98/19077 wherein it is proposed to form the pintle wire or binding yarn from or incorporating an expansible component to fill some of the void space in the seam. The said application focuses on the pintle region, to fill the space within the interdigitated loops. The region where the loops are joined to the fabric edge also however includes a higher proportion of void space than the main body of the fabric. This is a particular problem when large core yarns form long seam loops greater than 1.4 mm in length during the felt basecloth weaving process, as discussed for example in EP-A-0,287,229.
It is an object of the invention to provide a seam construction whereby the propensity of the seam to mark the paper web is reduced.
According to the invention a fabric seam construction, for joining an industrial fabric such as papermachine clothing to form an endless belt, the seam construction comprising seaming loops formed from or connected to the fabric and interdigitatable with similar loops on the opposed fabric edge for connection with at least one pintle wire or binding yarn passed through the interdigitated loops, is characterised in that cross machine direction extending means are provided for closing the gap between the cross machine direction extending fabric yarns and the seaming loops of the opposed fabric end.
Said cross machine direction extending means may be in the form of a yarn, and may be elastic or resilient in nature.
The said means may be provided as a resilient deformable packing yarn inserted between the end CD yarn of the fabric and the ends of the seaming loops of the opposed fabric end.
Alternatively, the means may be provided as an elastic deformable yarn inserted into the end region of the fabric, to resiliently urge the end CD yarns into contact with the ends of the seaming loops of the opposed fabric end.
In an alternative, the said means may comprise an elongate member, comprising one or more continuous elements, for disposition in the cross machine direction of the fabric, and an array of transverse elements, extending across and beyond said continuous elements.
The elongate member may comprise a narrow mesh strip, comprising for example two, three or four etc continuous elements, and the transverse elements may be spaced to enter between seaming loops extending from each end of the fabric.
The elongate member may take the place of one or more CD yarns in the fabric end region, or may be used as a pintle for interconnecting interdigitated seaming loops, or as a binding yarn for binding a seaming spiral into the fabric end.
The elongate member can optionally comprise a spine formed of a single yarn, with ladder like cross wise members extending from the yarn to opposite sides thereof. Other variants of the elongate member may comprise thin woven or knitted strips with frayed selvedges, or hot pressed or melt bonded yarn tows.
In another embodiment, the means may comprise a strip or tape of a foamed or foamable material.
In the case of a narrow mesh strip, the mesh may comprise a matrix of a suitable synthetic material, such as plastics, and at least one of the continuous elements preferably incorporates a reinforcing yarn.
The said means may be expansible, or include parts which are expansible, as set out in the aforesaid International Patent Application.


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patent: 2 216 914 (1989-10-01), None
patent: 98/19077 (1998-05-01), None

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