Composite cotton and polyester yarn and method for making same

Abstract

A composite polyester and cotton yarn is formed by blending polyester fibers with cotton fibers which have been regenerated from waste cotton material such as trimmings and cuttings from the apparel manufacturing industry. The fibers are cleaned and blended, then carded to align the fibers into strands. Depending on the size and texture of the desired yarn, the fibers are stretched and drawn into slivers prior to spinning to join the fibers together. The polyester fibers are preferably recycled polyethylene terephthalate fibers which are up to three time longer than the regenerated cotton fibers, so that the polyethylene terephthalate fibers overlap and braid onto the regenerated cotton fibers during spinning. The resultant yarn is stronger and more absorbent than yarns made solely out of regenerated cotton fibers. The yarn is suitable for producing woven or knit fabric for the production of colorful and functional clothing and home textiles without the need for further bleaching or dyeing.

Description

[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 11 / 971,473 filed Jan. 9, 2008.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Textile fabric treatment typically includes bleaching vast amounts of greige fabric and then dyeing the fabric to a desired color for use in manufacturing various fabric articles such as clothing, household linens, and canvas. Unfortunately, the effluents produced by the treatment processes can be harmful to the environment, thus increasing the costs of manufacture of such fabrics to safeguard the environment. In addition, waste fabric resulting from trimming and cutting the fabric during the formation of fabric articles must be discarded. The waste is typically dumped into landfills or incinerated, thereby releasing harmful pollutants into the environment and / or atmosphere.[0003]Accordingly, there exists a need to recapture and reuse the waste fabric material, particularly bleached and dyed materials formed of cotton. The present invention relates ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]The finished yarn is between 30 and 45% recycled and regenerated cotton fibers which are generally shorter than the natural hemp fibers. Prior to spinning the fibers into yarn, they are blended and cleaned to remove any impurities from the mixture. Next, the blended fiber

Problems solved by technology

While the composite yarns of the prior art are satisfac

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