Lightweight warm-keeping breathable fabric and production method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a light-weight warm-keeping breathable fabric and a production method thereof. The light-weight warm-keeping breathable fabric is formed by interweaving wool yarns, ground yarns and bonding yarns, the fabric comprises a surface raising layer, a middle supporting layer and an inner raising layer; the surface raising layer is composed of fluff formed by cutting off wool yarns; the middle supporting layer is of a net-shaped structure formed by ground yarns which are knitted into loops; the inner gigging layer is composed of fluff formed by extending part of the velvet yarn to the back face of the fabric. The velvet yarns penetrate through the surface raising layer and the inner raising layer at the same time, and the bonding yarns are made of hot melting materials and are fused to consolidate the velvet yarns and the bottom yarns. According to the fleece fabric, the balance of light weight, high warmth retention property, high air permeability and structural stability is realized, the lint falling resistance and durability can be remarkably improved, and the problems that a traditional fleece fabric is thick and heavy, low in warmth retention efficiency or loose and vulnerable in structure and the like are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of textiles, and in particular to a lightweight, warm, and breathable fabric and a production method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In the field of functional textiles, demand for lightweight, highly warm, and breathable fabrics is growing, particularly for outdoor sports and everyday wear. Lightweight fleece fabrics, such as Polartec AlphaDirect and Teijin Octa, are emerging on the market. These fabrics offer lightweight, breathable properties, and can be used as midlayers or linings for warmth. They focus on static warmth retention and dynamic heat dissipation, achieving a balance between heat dissipation and warmth retention. These fabrics are well-suited for high-intensity outdoor activities like mountaineering and trail running, and are therefore highly sought after by consumers. While these fabrics achieve both lightweight and breathability, they each have significant technical limitations.

[0003] Conventional knitted fleece fabrics generally suffer from high weight and overly dense pile. This results in insufficient trapped air, limiting thermal efficiency and making garments feel heavy and unpleasant to wear. Polartec AlphaDirect fabric utilizes a warp-knitted napping process, resulting in a relatively loose structure. While this achieves both lightweight and breathability, it also presents significant challenges such as poor wind resistance, lint shedding, and poor abrasion resistance (prone to snagging and tearing in outdoor wear). Teijin Octa Fleece, on the other hand, is also a warp-knitted fabric, woven with a core made of high-denier octagonal hollow textured yarn (DTY). While also striving for lightweight and breathability, the yarn used has a relatively low filament count (F-number) of only 12-24F and a coarse single-filament fineness (2.08-4.16D), resulting in a stiff feel and insufficient loft. More importantly, its single-sided fleece structure limits the distribution of the fleece inside the fabric, making it impossible to form an effective double-sided fleece layer structure. The amount of still air that can be enclosed is small, so its thermal insulation performance is significantly inferior to other types of fleece fabrics.

[0004] Therefore, existing lightweight fleece fabric technology urgently needs to solve the following key problems: 1) How to achieve excellent warmth retention at a low weight (maintaining sufficient still air); 2) How to improve wind resistance and physical durability (anti-snagging and anti-hole) while maintaining high breathability; 3) How to overcome the low thermal insulation efficiency of traditional single-sided fleece or single-layer structures while giving the fabric a good soft touch. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical issues, the present invention aims to provide a lightweight, warm, breathable fabric and its production method. This fabric utilizes a double-sided fleece structure interwoven with a mesh support layer, supplemented by a melt-bonded adhesive yarn process. This achieves a balance of lightweight, high warmth retention, strong breathability, and structural stability. The double-sided fleece layer effectively locks in air for warmth, while the mesh structure ensures smooth airflow and heat dissipation. The adhesive yarn consolidation significantly enhances the fabric's integrity, significantly improving its shedding resistance and durability, overcoming the problems of traditional fleece fabrics, such as being heavy, inefficient, or having a loose and fragile structure.

[0006] In order to achieve the above technical objectives and the above technical effects, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solutions: On the one hand, the present invention provides a lightweight, warm and breathable fabric, which is interwoven with pile yarn, base yarn and adhesive yarn; the fabric includes a surface pile layer, an intermediate support layer and an inner pile layer; the surface pile layer is composed of pile formed by cutting the pile yarn; the intermediate support layer is a mesh structure composed of base yarn knitted into loops; the inner pile layer is composed of pile formed by part of the pile yarn extending to the back of the fabric; the pile yarn passes through the surface pile layer and the inner pile layer at the same time, and the adhesive yarn is a hot-melt material, which solidifies the pile yarn and the base yarn after melting.

[0007] Furthermore, the pile yarn is made of 150D / 228F flat polyester DTY yarn, the bonding yarn is made of 100D / 36FDTY hot melt yarn, and the base yarn is made of 100D / 96F high-strength polyester DTY yarn.

[0008] Furthermore, the fluff of the surface fleece layer exists in a tufted form; the inner fleece layer exists in a flocculent form and evenly covers the inner layer of the fabric.

[0009] Furthermore, the pile height of the surface pile layer is 2.0-4.5 mm.

[0010] Furthermore, the fabric has a gram weight of 80-120 g / m 2 , thermal resistance value is 0.075m 2 K / W or above, the Clo value of the fabric is above 0.4 Clo, and the air permeability of the fabric is 450-750 ft 3 / min / ft 2 .

[0011] Furthermore, each circulating tissue unit of the fabric is woven with 6 yarns; the first route is woven with velvet yarn, and the weaving structure is: loop, loop, floating line, floating line; the second route is woven with adhesive yarn, and the weaving structure is: loop, loop, floating line, floating line; the third route is woven with bottom yarn, and the weaving structure is: loop, loop, loop, loop, loop; the fourth route is woven with velvet yarn, and the weaving structure is: floating line, floating line, loop, loop; the fifth route is woven with adhesive yarn, and the weaving structure is: floating line, floating line, loop, loop, and the sixth route is woven with bottom yarn, and the weaving structure is: loop, loop, loop, loop, loop.

[0012] On the other hand, the present invention provides a production method of a lightweight, warm and breathable fabric, which includes base fabric weaving, pre-setting, dyeing, dehydration, width opening, drying, front combing, shearing, shaking, back brushing and finished product setting.

[0013] In the above production method, the process of weaving the base fabric is as follows: Provide weft knitting loop pile machines, which can be adjusted according to the needle and cam configuration; Provide yarns: pile yarn, base yarn and bonding yarn; The yarn is knitted, and each cycle organization unit is knitted with 6 yarns, the needle disc latch needles are configured as 1122, and the syringe knife needles are configured as AB. The first route is knitting for velvet yarn, the No. 1 latch needle forms a loop, the No. 2 latch needle does not knit, the syringe knife needle cuts the pile on the A needle, and does not cut on the B needle, the second route is knitting for bonding yarn, the No. 1 latch needle forms a loop, the No. 2 latch needle does not knit, and the syringe knife needle does not cut on the A and B needles, the third route is knitting for the bottom yarn, and all loops are knitted; the fourth route is knitting for velvet yarn, the No. 2 latch needle forms a loop, the No. 1 latch needle does not knit, the syringe knife needle cuts the pile on the B needle, and does not cut on the A needle, the fifth route is knitting for bonding yarn, the No. 2 latch needle forms a loop, the No. 1 latch needle does not knit, and the syringe knife needle does not cut on the A and B needles, and the sixth route is knitting for the bottom yarn, and all loops are knitted.

[0014] In the above production method, the dyeing temperature of the dyeing process is 110-135° C., and the heat preservation time is 20-40 minutes.

[0015] In the above production method, after dyeing and drying, the fabric is further subjected to a fluffy moisture absorption and perspiration wicking finishing.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: This invention utilizes a unique through-the-loop fleece design to create a fleece layer on both the front and back sides of the fabric (front and back), creating a richer, continuous, three-dimensional double-sided fleece structure. The granular, thermal fleece layer formed by combing and spinning the fleece on the front, combined with the flocculent, thermal insulation layer formed by brushing on the back, traps stagnant air over a wider area, significantly improving thermal efficiency per gram, achieving true lightweight yet high warmth retention.

[0017] In this invention, a mesh-like intermediate support layer, made of loops of ground yarn, creates a mesh-structured airflow channel between the two fleece layers. This not only provides excellent breathability, providing warmth when the wearer is stationary, but also allows for rapid expulsion of hot and humid air during exercise, achieving dynamic heat dissipation and adapting to changes in exercise intensity.

[0018] The adhesive yarn in this invention melts and flows under the high temperatures of the processing (such as dyeing and setting), effectively penetrating and consolidating the pile yarn, base yarn, and their interlacing points. This internal bonding and reinforcement mechanism acts as an "internal skeleton" for the fabric, greatly enhancing the bond between its components. This consolidation effectively inhibits the shedding of the pile yarn (effectively preventing it from falling), strengthens the fabric's skeleton, and significantly improves its durability, achieving lightweight and durable properties. Furthermore, the mesh structure of the intermediate support layer and the consolidation of the adhesive yarn work together to make the fabric more resistant to snagging and tearing, significantly extending its service life.

[0019] The fluff formed by cutting the surface of the fabric of the present invention provides a good hand feel, and the fluff formed by extending the inner layer enhances the comfort and warmth retention of the inner layer.

[0020] To sum up, the fabric adopts a double-sided pile structure with pile yarn running through it, interwoven with an intermediate mesh support layer, and supplemented by the melt consolidation process of adhesive yarn, which achieves a balance between light weight, high warmth retention, strong breathability and structural stability; its double-sided pile layer effectively locks in air for warmth, and the mesh skeleton ensures smooth airflow and heat dissipation. At the same time, the adhesive yarn consolidation greatly improves the integrity of the fabric, significantly improves the anti-shedding and durability, and overcomes the technical difficulties commonly found in existing lightweight fleece fabrics, such as low thermal efficiency, easy shedding, loose structure and easy damage. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of the lightweight, warm, and breathable fabric of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the interwoven structure of the lightweight, warm, and breathable fabric of the present invention (the fleece yarn is not cut).

[0023] Specific embodiment The technical solutions of the present invention are described clearly and completely below with reference to specific embodiments. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. All other embodiments derived by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are also within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] like Figure 1 and Figure 2A preferred embodiment of a lightweight, warm and breathable fabric is shown, which is a three-layer composite structure interwoven with pile yarn, base yarn and adhesive yarn; the three-layer composite structure of the fabric includes a surface pile layer, an intermediate support layer and an inner pile layer; the surface pile layer is composed of pile formed by cutting the pile yarn; the intermediate support layer is a mesh structure composed of base yarn knitted into loops; the inner pile layer is composed of pile formed by part of the pile yarn extending to the back of the fabric; the pile yarn passes through the surface pile layer and the inner pile layer at the same time; the adhesive yarn is a hot-melt material, which solidifies the pile yarn and the base yarn after melting.

[0025] In this preferred embodiment, the pile yarn is preferably 150D / 228F flat polyester DTY yarn, the bonding yarn is preferably 100D / 36F DTY hot-melt yarn, and the base yarn is preferably 100D / 96F high-strength polyester DTY yarn. The high filament count (F-number) pile yarn significantly increases the fiber's specific surface area and bulk, creating a denser, lighter, thermally insulating air-retaining layer while imparting an exceptionally soft feel to the fabric. The high-strength base yarn creates a tougher, less deformable mesh structure, effectively resisting external damage (snagging and holes). The bonding yarn is preferably 100D / 36F DTY hot-melt yarn, ensuring sufficient melt flow during subsequent processing, ensuring a secure bond between the pile yarn and base yarn, and significantly reducing shedding.

[0026] The pile on the surface fleece layer is tufted, with a height of 2.0-4.5mm. The inner fleece layer is in flocking form, evenly covering the inner layer of the fabric. The surface tufted pile provides excellent abrasion resistance and aesthetic appeal, reducing the risk of pile collapse. The inner flocking evenly covers the inner layer, maximizing next-to-skin comfort and warmth, reducing cold spots, and enhancing the fabric's lofty appearance.

[0027] The fabric weight is 80-120g / m 2 , thermal resistance value is 0.075m 2 K / W or above, the Clo value of the fabric is above 0.4 Clo, and the air permeability of the fabric is 450-750 ft 3 / min / ft 2 The fabric of the present invention achieves high warmth retention and strong breathability within a relatively light weight range.

[0028] Each loop unit of this fabric is woven with 6 yarns; among them, the first route is woven with velvet yarn, and the weaving structure is: loop, loop, floating line, floating line; the second route is woven with adhesive yarn, and the weaving structure is: loop, loop, floating line, floating line; the third route is woven with base yarn, and the weaving structure is: loop, loop, loop, loop; the fourth route is woven with velvet yarn, and the weaving structure is: floating line, floating line, loop, loop; the fifth route is woven with adhesive yarn, and the weaving structure is: floating line, floating line, loop, loop; the sixth route is woven with base yarn, and the weaving structure is: loop, loop, loop, loop, loop.

[0029] The production method of the lightweight, warm and breathable fabric includes base fabric weaving, pre-setting, dyeing, dehydration, width opening, drying, front combing, shearing, shaking out, back brushing and final product setting.

[0030] The specific process of base fabric weaving is: We provide weft knitting loop pile machines, which are adjusted according to the needle and cam configuration; the needle plate latch needle configuration is 1122 (i.e., latch needle No. 1, latch needle No. 1, latch needle No. 2, latch needle No. 2), and the needle cylinder knife needle configuration is AB; Yarns provided: velvet yarn, base yarn and bonding yarn; velvet yarn is 150D / 228F flat polyester DTY yarn, bonding yarn is 100D / 36F DTY hot melt yarn, and base yarn is 100D / 96F high-strength polyester DTY yarn.

[0031] The yarn is used for knitting, and each cycle organization unit is knitted with 6 yarns, the first route is knitted with velvet yarn, the No. 1 latch needle forms a loop, the No. 2 latch needle does not knit, the syringe knife needle cuts the pile on the A needle and does not cut on the B needle, the second route is knitted with adhesive yarn, the No. 1 latch needle forms a loop, the No. 2 latch needle does not knit, and the syringe knife needle does not cut on the A and B needles, the third route is knitted with the bottom yarn, and all loops are knitted; the fourth route is knitted with velvet yarn, the No. 2 latch needle forms a loop, the No. 1 latch needle does not knit, the syringe knife needle cuts the pile on the B needle and does not cut on the A needle, the fifth route is knitted with adhesive yarn, the No. 2 latch needle forms a loop, the No. 1 latch needle does not knit, and the syringe knife needle does not cut on the A and B needles, and the sixth route is knitted with the bottom yarn, and all loops are knitted.

[0032] In a weft-knitting loop-cut circular pile machine, the cylinder needle cuts the stretching threads (floating threads) to create the pile. Specifically, after the yarn is fed, it is held by both the latch needle (dial needle) and the knife needle (cylinder needle). The knife needle (sinker) descends (or moves relative to it), stretching the yarn to form the stretching threads (floating threads). The latch needle hooks the yarn and weaves it into a loop, securing the yarn base. The knife needle then ascends, and its blade cuts the stretched stretching threads (floating threads), creating the pile.

[0033] In the above production method, the dyeing temperature of the dyeing process is 110-135° C., and the heat preservation time is 20-40 minutes.

[0034] In the above production method, after dyeing and drying, the fabric is subjected to a fluffy moisture-wicking finishing process using a moisture-wicking finishing agent. After the fluffy moisture-wicking finishing process, the fabric is dried and then subjected to a front combing process.

[0035] In the above method, the front combing adopts a six-roller brushing machine (3 sets of forward-rotating wire brush rollers + 3 sets of reverse-rotating nylon brush rollers); the graining adopts a high-temperature airflow graining machine; the back brushing process adopts a special brushing machine (such as a steel wire raising machine, a carbon wire brushing machine), equipped with a high-speed rotating brush roller (made of flexible metal wire or nylon bristles).

[0036] The present invention provides a functional fabric that combines lightness, warmth, and breathability. Specifically, the fabric utilizes a double-sided fleece structure interwoven with fleece yarns and a mesh support layer, supplemented by a melt-bonded adhesive yarn process. This achieves a balance of lightness, high warmth retention, strong breathability, and structural stability. The double-sided fleece layer effectively locks in air for warmth, while the mesh skeleton ensures smooth airflow and heat dissipation. The adhesive yarn consolidation significantly enhances the fabric's integrity, significantly improving its shedding resistance and durability. This overcomes the technical challenges commonly encountered in existing lightweight fleece fabrics, such as low thermal efficiency, prone to shedding, and a loose and easily damaged structure.

[0037] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and that the invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and non-restrictive, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and it is intended that all variations that come within the meaning and range of equivalents of the claims be embraced therein.

[0038] In addition, it should be understood that although this specification is described in terms of implementation methods, not every implementation method contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative method of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other implementation methods that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A lightweight, warm and breathable fabric, characterized in that: The fabric is interwoven with pile yarn, base yarn and bonding yarn; the fabric includes a surface pile layer, an intermediate support layer and an inner pile layer; the surface pile layer is composed of pile formed by cutting the pile yarn; the intermediate support layer is a mesh structure composed of base yarn knitted into loops; the inner pile layer is composed of pile formed by part of the pile yarn extending to the back of the fabric; the pile yarn passes through the surface pile layer and the inner pile layer at the same time, and the bonding yarn is a hot-melt material, which solidifies the pile yarn and the base yarn after melting.

2. A lightweight, warm and breathable fabric according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pile yarn is made of 150D / 228F flat polyester DTY yarn, the bonding yarn is made of 100D / 36F DTY hot melt yarn, and the base yarn is made of 100D / 96F high-strength polyester DTY yarn.

3. A lightweight, warm and breathable fabric according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fluff of the surface fleece layer exists in a tufted form; the inner fleece layer exists in a flocculent form and evenly covers the inner layer of the fabric.

4. A lightweight, warm and breathable fabric according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pile height of the surface pile layer is 2.0-4.5 mm.

5. The lightweight, warm and breathable fabric according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fabric has a gram weight of 80-120 g / m 2 , thermal resistance value is 0.075m 2 K / W or above, the Clo value of the fabric is above 0.4 Clo, and the air permeability of the fabric is 450-750 ft 3 / min / ft 2 .

6. The lightweight, warm and breathable fabric according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each circular tissue unit of the fabric is woven with 6 yarns; the first route is woven with velvet yarn, and the weaving structure is: loop, loop, floating line, floating line; the second route is woven with adhesive yarn, and the weaving structure is: loop, loop, floating line, floating line; the third route is woven with base yarn, and the weaving structure is: loop, loop, loop, loop; the fourth route is woven with velvet yarn, and the weaving structure is: floating line, floating line, loop, loop; the fifth route is woven with adhesive yarn, and the weaving structure is: floating line, floating line, loop, loop; the sixth route is woven with base yarn, and the weaving structure is: loop, loop, loop, loop, loop.

7. The method for producing a lightweight, warm, breathable fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: It includes base fabric weaving, pre-setting, dyeing, dehydration, width opening, drying, front combing, shearing, shaking, back brushing and finished product setting.

8. The method for producing a lightweight, warm, breathable fabric according to claim 7, characterized in that: The process of base fabric weaving is: Provide weft knitting loop pile machines, which can be adjusted according to the needle and cam configuration; Provide yarns: pile yarn, base yarn and bonding yarn; The yarn is knitted, and each cycle organization unit is knitted with 6 yarns, the needle disc latch needles are configured as 1122, and the syringe knife needles are configured as AB. The first route is knitting for velvet yarn, the No. 1 latch needle forms a loop, the No. 2 latch needle does not knit, the syringe knife needle cuts the pile on the A needle, and does not cut on the B needle, the second route is knitting for bonding yarn, the No. 1 latch needle forms a loop, the No. 2 latch needle does not knit, and the syringe knife needle does not cut on the A and B needles, the third route is knitting for the bottom yarn, and all loops are knitted; the fourth route is knitting for velvet yarn, the No. 2 latch needle forms a loop, the No. 1 latch needle does not knit, the syringe knife needle cuts the pile on the B needle, and does not cut on the A needle, the fifth route is knitting for bonding yarn, the No. 2 latch needle forms a loop, the No. 1 latch needle does not knit, and the syringe knife needle does not cut on the A and B needles, and the sixth route is knitting for the bottom yarn, and all loops are knitted.

9. The method for producing a lightweight, warm, breathable fabric according to claim 7, characterized in that: The dyeing temperature of the dyeing process is 110-135°C, and the holding time is 20-40 minutes.

10. The method for producing a lightweight, warm, and breathable fabric according to claim 7, wherein: After dyeing and drying, the fabric is also given a fluffy, moisture-wicking finish.

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