Article

Abstract

Article (1), comprising: male and female fastening parts (3, 4) attached to the article (1) at separate locations, the male and female fastening parts (3, 4) being engageable with each other; and at least one article component (2) has a knobbable area (5) with which the male fastening part (3) is at least partially brought into contact, wherein the male fastening part (3) comprises a plurality of male engagement elements (G32), where the male engagement elements (32) are arranged two-dimensionally, wherein the plurality of male engagement elements (G32) comprises two or more male engagement elements (32), each having an upper surface (35) which is brought into contact with the knobbable area (5), and the respective ones of the engagement elements (32) of the plurality of engagement elements (G32) or of the two or more engagement elements (32) are made of a same polymer material having a flexural elastic constant of 800 MPa or less, or 500 MPa or less, or 450 MPa or less.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONSThis application claims priority to Japanese Utility Model Application No. 2024-001831 filed in Japan on Jun. 5, 2024 (and registered as Utility Model No. 3247754), the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.TECHNICAL FIELDThe present disclosure relates to an article, and more particularly to an article having male and female fasteners engageable with each other.PRIOR ARTJapanese Patent Application No. 2007-44139 (D1) relates to a male fastening part of a so-called hook and loop fastener, and discloses that a feature (see Claim 1 of D1) solves various problems related to fastening an absorbable member to undergarments and the like in terms of size ratio and density (one of the various problems relates to reduction of the burls on undergarments).Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-522538 (D2) also relates to a male fastening part of a hook and loop fastener, and discloses that an aspect ratio feature (see Claim 1 of D2) contributes to a skin-friendly property. D2 discloses that the hooks are made of a polymer having a volume bending elastic constant of 48 MPa to 207 MPa (see paragraph 0063 and claim 4 of D2).SUMMARYIn a state where a hook and loop fastener is attached to an article by sewing or the like, the male attachment part may inadvertently come into contact with a nubable surface of an article component other than the female attachment part (e.g., a fabric surface near the female attachment part). When such contact is repeated a plurality of times (e.g., tens, hundreds, or thousands of times), a situation may occur in which burls form on the surface of the article component and the male engaging elements engage with the threads (which may be referred to as filaments) of the burls forming, thereby impairing the appearance of the article component. It should be noted that the male fastening component must be designed for repeated engagement and disengagement with the female fastening component, and it would therefore not be possible to construct male engagement elements which serve specifically to suppress the studs on a surface of the article component.As is apparent from the above descriptions, there is a need to solve a phenomenon of burlling caused by accidental contact of a male fastener with a burlable portion of the article while ensuring sufficient reliability of engagement between male and female fasteners.The inventors have analyzed the above phenomenon in detail and identified a factor that causes filaments (alternatively filaments) on the nubable surface of the article component to be struck and loosened by the male engagement members before they have developed the following inventions.An article according to an aspect of the present disclosure may include: male and female fasteners fastened to discrete locations of the article, the male and female fasteners being engageable with each other; and at least one article component having a nubable region with which the male fastener is at least partially contacted. The male fastening part includes a plurality of male engaging elements where the male engaging elements are arranged two-dimensionally, the plurality of male engaging elements including two or more male engaging elements each having an upper surface to be brought into contact with the nubable portion. The respective male engaging elements of the plurality of male engaging elements or the two or more male engaging elements are made of a same polymer material having a bending elastic constant of 800 MPa or less, 500 MPa or less, or 450 MPa or less.In some embodiments, the female fastening part comprises a plurality of loops where the respective loops stand upright as a plurality of female engaging elements, and the nubable region comprises a woven or knitted structure, wherein the respective unit structures of the woven or knitted structure are flat. The woven or knitted structure comprises a group of piles, the piles being arranged two-dimensionally. The maximum number of the unit structures touched by an upper surface is 9 or less, 7 or less, or 5 or less. The minimum number of the unit structures touched by a top surface is 2 or more or 3 or more.In some embodiments, the bending elastic constant of the polymer material is 100 MPa or more or 150 MPa or more.In some embodiments, the male engagement member includes a shaft and at least one protrusion protruding from the shaft, wherein the top surface is a curved surface.In some embodiments, the top surface has a greater width in a first direction in which the at least one protrusion protrudes from the shaft and a smaller width in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, wherein the smaller width may be 2 / 5 or less of a pitch of the male engagement elements or the rows of the male engagement elements in the second direction. The smaller width may be 1 / 5 or less of the pitch. The smaller width may be in a range of 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm (alternatively, 0.45 mm to 0.75 mm).In some embodiments, the male engagement elements of the plurality of male engagement elements are arranged at a density in the range of 20 pieces / cm 2 to 100 pieces / cm 2.In some embodiments, the at least one article component is a composite material formed on a surface of a soft layer of nubable piles. The article may be a neoprene suit, sports apparel, clothing, a bag, or a bag.According to an aspect of the present disclosure, burls on a burlable surface of an article component are suppressed.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 is a schematic partial perspective view of an article according to an aspect of the present disclosure illustrating a male fastener properly engaging a female fastener. FIG. 2 is a schematic partial perspective view of the article according to an aspect of the present disclosure illustrating that the male fastener partially engages the female fastener and partially contacts a nubable region proximate the female fastener. FIG. 3 is a schematic partial perspective view of the male fastening part. FIG. 4 is a schematic partial top view of the male fastener. FIG. 5 is a partial schematic view from the side of the female fastener in the column direction. FIG. 6 is a partial schematic view from the side of the female fastener in the row direction. FIG. 7 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the article schematically illustrating the female attachment portion and the nubable region adjacent to each other. FIG. 8 is a schematic top partial view of the female fastener with regularly arranged loops. FIG. 9 is a schematic partial top view of the nubable region with regularly arranged tufts. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the simultaneous occurrence of the intended engagement state of the male fastening member with the female fastening member and the unintended engagement state of the male fastening member with the nubable portion. FIG. 11 is a comparative diagram of a working example with a comparative example. FIG. 12 is a comparative diagram between working examples. FIG. 13 is a comparative diagram between working examples with a comparative example attached.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONHereinafter, non-limiting embodiments and features of the present invention will be explained with reference to drawings. In a case where an article is a wearable article on the human body, an inner direction corresponds to a direction toward the human body and an outer direction corresponds to a direction away from the human body. In a case where an article is not a human body wearable article, the inside and outside direction may be newly defined in consideration of a principal feature of the article. For example, if a bag is involved, its primary feature refers to its storage space such that the inboard direction corresponds to a direction directed toward the storage space and the outboard direction corresponds to a direction directed away from the storage space.FIG. 1 shows an article 1 according to a non-limiting example, i.e. a portion around the neck of a neoprene suit comprising male and female fastening parts 3, 4 and at least one article component 2. The article 1 is a neoprene suit and the article component 2 thereof is a fabric portion of the neoprene suit, but is not necessarily limited thereto. The article component 2 may be a composite member having a napped woven or knitted structure (e.g., pile) formed on a surface of a soft layer.More specifically, the neoprene suit is manufactured by sewing together a plurality of pieces of fabric of a certain thickness (3 mm, 5 mm or the like) which are characterized by waterproof and heat insulating ability. Each fabric piece may have a soft layer, such as a multi-pore sponge layer made of rubber, and a skin layer formed (e.g., laminated or embedded) on one or both sides of the soft layer. The skin layer may have a woven or knitted structure to provide better contact with the human skin and may be referred to as a jersey layer. The woven or knitted structure may typically comprise nubable piles, but other structures may also be used. Of course, the web of neoprene suit may in some cases also be used in articles other than neoprene suits.The male and female fastening members 3, 4 form a so-called hook and loop fastener and are respectively fastened to separate sites of the article 1 in an engageable manner. Specifically, the two parts are disposed on both sides of a slide fastener extending from a neck toward a waist of a neoprene suit. As described below, a fabric area around the female fastening part 4 comprises a nubable area 5 with which the male fastening part 3 can be at least partially contacted. Note that the nubable region 5 is not necessarily formed on the outer side of the fabric portion, but may be formed on the inner side of the fabric portion. It is contemplated that the male fastening part 3 may abut against the tissue portion on the back side of the female fastening part 4 (i.e., the inner side of the tissue portion) due to the softness of the tissue portion.The male fastening member 3 may be produced by usual injection molding using an upper and a lower mold or using an extruding apparatus and a die wheel having a peripheral surface on which mold cavities are disposed. The female fastening part 4 can be made (e.g. woven) from a plurality of threads using an automatic weaving machine. Of course, the number of the male and female fastening members 3, 4 included in the article 1 is not limited.When the reader views FIGS. 1 and 2 in front, the male fastening part 3 is fastened to the inner surface of the fabric part 2 aon the left side of the slide fastener (e.g., by sewing or bonding or the like), and the female fastening part 4 is fastened to the outer surface of the fabric part 2 bon the right side of the slide fastener (e.g., by sewing or bonding or the like). When a user pulls on or off the neoprene suit, he cannot see his own back side. Therefore, situations may occur in which the male fastening part 3 is pressed onto the nubable region 5 of the tissue portion 2 bby being slid to the right from the female fastening part 4 as shown in FIG. 2. In order to cancel this state, the user must pull the tissue section 2a from the tissue section 2b and then press the tissue section 2a back onto the tissue section 2b. It would be okay if only one action successfully resulted in a shift from Fig. 2 to Fig. 1, but if not, further repetitions would be required. As a result, the contact (i.e., pressing or pressing) of the male fastener 3 on the nubable portion 5 would be repeated. Repeating such an action over a longer period of time would result in burls in the burlable region 5.The male fastening member 3 will now be described. For the description, a height direction D 1, a front-rear direction D 2, and a lateral direction D 3 are defined for the male fastening part 3. As will be understood from the following description, the height direction D 1 corresponds to a standing direction of a male engagement member 32 from a first base layer 31. the front-rear direction D 2 is a direction orthogonal to the height direction D 1 and corresponds to a protrusion direction of a protrusion 32 bof a shaft 32 a(therefore, this direction may be reversed between the arrangements of male engagement members 32). The lateral direction D 3 is a direction orthogonal to the height direction D 1 and the front-rear direction D 2.The male fastening member 3 has a first base layer 31 and a plurality of male engaging elements G 32, the male engaging elements 32 being arranged two-dimensionally on a main surface of the first base layer 31. The first base layer 31 and each of the male engagement members 32 are integrally molded from a same polymeric material, and the first base layer 31 and the respective male engagement members 32 are integrally continuous. The first base layer 31 is typically formed to have a constant thickness, but may be partially thinned. The first base layer 31 is fixed to the inner surface of the fabric part 2 aby sewing, bonding, welding, or the like, and each male engagement member 32 of the plurality of male engagement members G 32 protrudes (e.g., inward) from the fabric part 2 a.The plurality of male engagement members G 32 are arranged two-dimensionally, i.e., in M columns and N rows, where M and N each denote a natural number of 2 or more (see FIG. 3 ). Typically, the plurality of male engagement members G 32 are arranged two-dimensionally with an arrangement density in the range of 20 pieces / cm 2 to 100 pieces / cm 2. If it is less than 20 pieces / cm 2 there is a possibility that the article 1 does not have sufficient peel strength and shear strength based on the engagement of the members G32 with the female fastening member 4.Note that the peel strength is given by the force required to peel the male and female mating fastening members 3 and 4 from each other perpendicular to the common plane (e.g., by gripping an edge of the male fastening member 3 and peeling it off the female fastening member 4). Shear strength is indicated by the force required to displace the male and female mating fastening members 3 and 4 in plane relative to each other.Figure 3 shows a total of nine male engaging elements 32 in 3 columns*3 rows, the number being just one example. FIG. 3 shows a column direction D Spalte and a row direction D Zeile, which are referred to as needed. The male engaging members 32 are arranged in the row direction D Zeile so that adjacent male engaging members 32 form a loop receiving space 43 of the female fastening part 4 described below. The male engaging members 32 are arranged in the column direction D Spalte so as to form spaces that allow the loops 43 to access the male engaging members 32.Each male engaging member 32 is a kind of hook whose engaging direction is restricted in a direction with respect to a circumferential direction of the member. Each male engagement member 32 includes a shaft 32 astanding on the main surface of the first base layer 31, and at least one (typically a single) protrusion 32 bprotruding along the surface of the shaft 32 a(e.g., a head of the shaft 32 a) at a height from the main surface of the first base layer 31. Since the protrusion 32 bprotrudes from the shaft 32 a, a space SP 1 allowing engagement between the loop 43 and the protrusion 32 bis formed between the protrusion 32 band the main surface of the first base layer 31.The description will be made with reference to FIGS. 4-6. The male engagement member 32 has an upper surface 35, a rear surface 36 (on the rear surface in the front-rear direction), a front surface 37 (on the front surface in the front-rear direction), a terminal end surface 38, and a concave surface 39. the front surface 37 rises substantially perpendicularly from the main surface of the first base layer 31. the rear surface 36 includes an inclined surface that extends obliquely forward (toward the front surface 37) and rises from the main surface of the first base layer 31. Accordingly, the shaft 32 ashould have a length in the front-rear direction that gradually decreases as the distance from the first base layer 31 increases. This may contribute to increased softness of the male engagement member 32.The upper surface 35 has two curved surfaces at the front and back sides, which gradually approach the first base layer 31 from the highest position furthest from the first base layer 31, these curved surfaces being joined together to form an arcuate curved surface. The top surface 35 may be a flat surface, for example, parallel to a plane in which the first base layer 31 is provided, but may preferably be a curved surface to achieve softer contact with the nubable region 5. When the engagement side of the male fastening part 3 (the plurality of male engagement members G 32) is viewed in the height direction, it can be seen that the upper surface 35 and the rear surface 36 are adjacent in the front-rear direction for each male engagement member 32.A boundary between the upper surface 35 and the terminal end surface 38 is positioned in the plane L 5. A boundary between the upper surface 35 and the rear surface 36 is disposed in the plane L 4. The planes L 4 and L 5 are both orthogonal to a plane in which the first base layer 31 lies, and can be defined for the respective male engagement members 32 by the following description. The plane L 5 is positioned at a position where an imaginary plane (not illustrated) orthogonal to the plane in which the first base layer 31 exists is brought into first contact with the protrusion 32 of the male engagement member 32 after being shifted rightward toward this male engagement member 32 from a home position on the left side of the male engagement member 32 when FIG. 5 is in front of the reader. Next, a plane L 6 parallel to the plane in which the first base layer 31 lies is set and includes a contact point P 6 between the male engagement member 32 and the plane L 5. The plane L 4 is positioned to include an intersection point P 7 at which the plane L 6 intersects the male engagement member 32 on the opposite side of the contact point P 6.Note that the terminal end surface 38 is a curved surface facing from an obliquely upward position from the main surface of the first base layer 31. The concave surface 39 is formed at an appropriate depth to engage with the female engaging member (the loop). Concave surface 39 is positioned on the opposite side of top surface 35 and contributes to the increased softness of protrusion 32b.The male engagement member 32 has side surfaces 96, 97 by which its lateral width in the lateral direction D 3 is defined (see FIG. 4 ). Typically, the side surfaces 96, 97 lie in planes that are orthogonal to the lateral direction D 3, whereby the male engagement member 32 may have a constant lateral width and facilitate removal of the male engagement member from a mold cavity of a die wheel. The male engagement member 32 may have additional protrusions 33 on both sides of the shaft 32 ain the lateral direction D 3, but these may be omitted. Due to the arrangement of the additional projections 33, the male engagement element 32 can have an increased mechanical strength and at the same time a reinforced connection with the first base layer 31. The additional protrusion 33 is formed to have a height lower than the shaft 32 a, thereby ensuring sufficient softness of the male engagement member 32. Note that in FIG. 4, the planes L 1, L 2, and L 3 are disposed at the center of the male engagement member 32 in the width direction thereof.The male engagement member 32 may possibly be mushroom-shaped, wherein the direction of engagement is not limited with respect to the circumferential direction of the member. The mushroom-shaped male engagement element has, for example, a shank and a head. The shank has a cross section in the form of a circle, oval or polygon or the like. The head is connected to the upper end of the shank and has an upper surface of circular, oval or other shape. The top surface of the head may be a flat or curved surface.The female fastening part 4 and the nubable region 5 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 7-10. The female fixing member 4 is fixed to the fabric portion 2b by sewing, bonding, welding or the like. The female fastening part 4 has a second base layer 41 and a plurality of loops G43, respective loops 43n as a group of female engaging elements standing upright on the main surface of the second base layer 41. The plurality of loops G 43 may include a random arrangement of the loops 43 (see FIG. 7 ) or a regular arrangement of the loops 43 (see FIG. 8 ), and even include a combination or a mixture of the random and the regular arrangement. In a case where the plurality of loops G 43 are arranged regularly, the loops 43 may be arranged two-dimensionally in a density in a range of 20 pieces / cm 2 to 100 pieces / cm 2 also like the plurality of male engagement members G 32. Note that the loop 43 may have a height corresponding to the height of the male engagement member 32. This ensures that the male engagement member 32 is smoothly caught by the loop 43. An equivalent includes + / - 5% variation of a predetermined value.FIG. 8 shows the female fastening part 4 in which the loops 43 are formed regularly. Each loop 43 is composed of a plurality of bundled filaments (filaments). Pairs of loops 43 arranged in the V-shape are repeatedly formed in the running direction, and this pattern repeats in the stitch direction. Instead, other knitting methods may be used.Fig. 9 shows a woven or knitted structure exposed in the nubable region 5, in particular a group of piles G6 in which the piles 6 are arranged two-dimensionally. The pile 6 consists of loops of bundled several threads. A unitary structure of the woven or knitted structure, namely the piles 6, is flattened as opposed to the loops 43. Therefore, it would be rare for the male engaging member 32 to be caught by the lay-flat pile 6. However, when the male engaging members 32 are repeatedly pressed onto the piles 6, the piles 6 may be broken and loosened, and the piles 6 or their constituent members may likely rise from the laid state to an upright state, resulting in a state in which the male engaging members 32 are more likely to be caught by them. As a result, the male engaging member 32 can be caught by the pile / pile 6 or the component thread / component threads 59 in the right portion as shown in FIG. 10, possibly causing the nub(s) and resulting in deterioration of the appearance of the fabric portion. It should be noted that the pile 6 is farther from the male fastening member 3 than the female fastening member 4, but this does not contribute to solving the problem.In the present embodiment, the plurality of male engagement members G 32 include two or more male engagement members 32 each having an upper surface 35 to be brought into contact with the nubable portion 5. Moreover, the respective male engaging members 32 of the plurality of male engaging members G 32 or the two or more male engaging members 32 are made of the same polymer having a bending elastic constant of 800 MPa or less, 500 MPa or less, or 450 MPa or less. Thereby, the above-mentioned beating-up of the unit structure of the woven or knitted structure by the male engaging member 32 is suppressed. In simple terms, the male engaging members 32 are sufficiently soft as compared with conventional members (e.g., Comparative Example 2 below). This prevents the unitary structure of the woven or knitted structure from being easily loosened by crushing the male engaging members 32, particularly the upper surfaces 35, thereby preventing deterioration of the surface condition of the fabric portion 2b. Preferably, the polymeric material has a bending elastic constant of 100 MPa or more or 150 MPa or more, thereby ensuring sufficient engagement with the female engaging member loop 43. Note that the bending elastic constant should be measured according to JIS K 7171. The polymeric material may comprise a polyester elastomer, but other elastomers such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polypropylene-polyethylene block copolymer, vinyl chloride, polyacetal and polyamide may alternatively or additionally be used.Not each male engaging element 32 of the plurality of male engaging elements G 32 can be brought into contact with the nubable portion 5, depending on the respective planar dimensions or the relative position between the male fastening part 3 and the female fastening part 4. Regardless, the respective male engagement members 32 of the plurality of male engagement members G 32 are typically formed to have the same shape and size for reasons of design or manufacturing efficiency.The maximum number of the piles 6 of the woven or knitted structure (in the nubable area 5) contacted by an upper surface 35 may be 9 or less, 7 or less, or 5 or less. In such a case, the load received by each pile 6 would likely not be negligible, which would likely result in a crash-triggered raising of the piles 6 and allow for hooking of the male engagement elements 32. Therefore, there is a particular advantage in using the male fastening part 3 according to the present disclosure. Note that the pile 6 is a non-limiting example of a unit structure of the woven or knitted structure (the same applies hereinafter).The minimum number of the piles 6 contacted by an upper surface 35 may be 2 or more or 3 or more. The load is shared by the respective piles 6, thereby suppressing the raising of the piles 6 caused by breakage.The above two conditions can be unified so that the number of the piles 6 contacted by an upper surface 35 can be in a range of 2 to 9, 2 to 7, or 2 to 5.The upper surface 35 may have a larger width W 2 in the front-rear direction D 2 and a smaller width W 1 in the lateral direction D 3. The greater width W2 is defined between the two above-mentioned planes L4 and L5. The smaller width W 1 is defined between two parallel planes that include the above-mentioned side surfaces 96 and 97 (see FIG. 4 ), respectively. The smaller width W 1 may be 2 / 5 or less of a pitch P 1 of the male engagement elements 32 or a pitch P 1 of the rows of the male engagement elements in the lateral direction D 3 (see FIG. 4 ), and may optionally be 1 / 5 or more of the pitch P 1. This feature easily achieves that the number of piles contacted by an upper surface 35 is in an appropriate range with respect to a conventional woven or knitted structure. The area of the upper surface 35 can be easily adjusted while suppressing the influence on the arrangement density of the male engaging members 32 and the properties (peel strength, shear strength) of the hook fastener. Moreover, the properties (peel strength, shear strength) of the hook fastener can be improved in the same manner as in Embodiment 4 below. The peel strength is preferably 2.0 N / cm or more and may be significantly higher. The shear strength is preferably 5.0 N / cm 2 or more and may be significantly higher.Typically, the distance P 1 is in a range of 0.3 mm to 4.0 mm or 1.5 mm to 2.5 mm. Additionally or alternatively, the smaller width is in a range from 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm or in a range from 0.45 mm to 0.75 mm. The greater width is in a range from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm or in a range from 0.7 mm to 1.2 mm.An aspect ratio (W 1 / W 2) of smaller width / larger width may be 0.2 or more, or 0.4 or more. The smaller width may be intentionally increased to increase the aspect ratio. Of course, if the aspect ratio were too large, smooth engagement with the female engaging member loop 43 (having a common opening size) could be difficult. Therefore, the aspect ratio is preferably 1.8 or less or 0.7 or less.For the sake of caution, the protrusions 32 bin the lateral rows of the male engaging members 32 protrude in the lateral direction (column direction) in opposite directions from the shafts 32 a, but this should not be limited. It is possible to reverse the direction of protrusion of the protrusions alternately every one row or every two rows. The article should not be limited to neoprene suits, but may also be sports apparel or clothing, a bag, or a bag.[Working Example]In Comparative Examples 1, 2 and Working Examples 1-3, each male fastening member was repeatedly pressed over 1000 times with the same load on a nubable portion of a same pile structure, and the extent of the burls in the nubable portion was observed. The male engaging members were hook-shaped as shown and arranged as shown in the drawings, except for Comparative Example 1. The density of the naps was about 5000 pieces / cm 2.In Comparative Example 1, instead of the hook-shaped male engaging elements, male engaging elements configured by cutting loops from monofilaments were used. As the polymer material of the male fastening member, polyamide having a bending elastic constant of 2800 MPa was used. The arrangement density of the male engaging members was 60 pieces / cm 2.In Comparative Example 2, a male fastener member made of a polymer material of polypropylene having a bending elastic constant of 1800 MPa was used. The arrangement density of the male engaging members was 39.2 pieces / cm 2. The smaller width of the top was 0.3 mm. The greater width of the top was 1.05 mm.In Working Example 1, a male fastener member was used which is made of a polymer material of polyester elastomer having a bending elastic constant of 490 MPa. The arrangement density of the male engaging members was 39.2 pieces / cm 2. The smaller width of the top was 0.3 mm. The greater width of the top was 1.05 mm.In Working Example 2, a male fastener member was used which is made of a polymer material of polyester elastomer having a bending elastic constant of 290 MPa. The arrangement density of the male engaging members was 39.2 pieces / cm 2. The smaller width of the top was 0.3 mm. The greater width of the top was 1.05 mm.In Working Example 3, a male fastener member was used which is made of a polymer material of polyester elastomer having a bending elastic constant of 162 MPa. The arrangement density of the male engaging members was 39.2 pieces / cm 2. The smaller width of the top was 0.3 mm. The greater width of the top was 1.05 mm.As shown in FIG. 11, the nub in the nubable region was suppressed in Working Examples 1-3 in comparison with Comparative Examples 1 and 2. In particular, a favorable improvement around 490 MPa of the bending elastic constant of Working Example 1 is observed. From this result, it can be estimated that the bending elastic constant is preferably 500 MPa or less (or less than 500 MPa), and more preferably 450 MPa or less (or less than 450 MPa). More preferably, in view of Working Example 2, it is considered that the bending elastic constant is preferably 300 MPa or less or less than 300 MPa. Note that, due to the comparison between Comparative Example 2 and Working Example 1, an appropriate effect is expected from the bending elastic constant in a range of 500 MPa to 800 MPa.In Working Example 4, the smaller width of the upper surface of the male engaging member was doubled as compared with Working Example 2. In Working Example 5, the smaller width of the upper surface of the male engaging member was doubled as compared with Working Example 3. The pitch P1 was constant. As shown in FIG. 12, the burls were further suppressed. As shown in Fig. 13, there were also improvements in peel strength and shear strength. In view of Working Examples 4 and 5, it is clear that two conditions are favorably satisfied: (i) The bending elastic constant is 300 MPa or less, and at the same time, (ii) the smaller width is in a range of 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm or in a range of 0.45 mm to 0.75 mm. The smaller width feature may be replaced by an aspect ratio of smaller width to larger width.Based on the above disclosure, those skilled in the art can make various changes to the respective features and the respective embodiments. The reference numerals included in the claims are merely for reference and should not be used to limit the scope of the claims.[Reference Numeral]1 Article 2 Article component 3 Male fastener 4 Female fastener 5 Nubable portion 32 Male engaging member 32 a Schaft 32 b Vorsprung 35 Top surface 43 Loop 59 Component threadReferences included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedJP 2024-001831

[0001] JP 2007-44139

[0003] JP 2004-522538

[0004]

Claims

An article (1) comprising: male and female fastening members (3, 4) fastened to the article (1) at separate locations, the male and female fastening members (3, 4) being engageable with each other; and at least one article component (2) has a napped portion (5) with which the male fastener (3) is at least partially brought into contact, the male fastener (3) comprising a plurality of male engaging elements (G32) where the male engaging elements (32) are two-dimensionally arranged, the plurality of male engaging elements (G32) comprising two or more male engaging elements (32) each having an upper surface (35) brought into contact with the napped portion (5), and the respective ones of the engaging elements (32) of the plurality of engaging elements (G32) or the two or more engaging elements (32) are made of a same polymeric material having a bending elastic constant of 800 MPa or less, or 500 MPa or less, or 450 MPa or less.The article according to claim 1, wherein the female fastening part (4) comprises a plurality of loops (G43) in which respective loops (43) stand upright as a plurality of female engaging members, and the nubable portion (5) comprises a woven or knitted structure where respective unit structures of the woven or knitted structure are flat.The article of claim 2, wherein the woven or knitted structure comprises a group of piles, the piles being arranged two-dimensionally.The article of claim 2, wherein the maximum number of the unit structures contacted by a top surface (35) is 9 or less, 7 or less, or 5 or less.The article of claim 4, wherein the minimum number of the unit structures touched by a top surface (35) is 2 or more or 3 or more.The article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the bending elastic constant of the polymer material is 100 MPa or more or 150 MPa or more.The article of claim 6, wherein the male engagement member (32) comprises a shaft (32a) and at least one protrusion (32b) protruding from the shaft (32a), wherein the top surface (35) is a curved surface.The article of claim 7, wherein the top surface (35) has a greater width in a first direction in which the at least one protrusion (32b) protrudes from the shaft (32a), and a smaller width in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the smaller width being 2 / 5 or less of a pitch interval of the male engagement elements (32) or the rows of the male engagement elements (32) in the second direction.The article of claim 8, wherein the smaller width is 1 / 5 or less of the spacing interval.The article of claim 9, wherein the smaller width is in a range from 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm.The article of claim 10, wherein the smaller width is in a range of 0.45 mm to 0.75 mm.The article of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the male engagement members (32) of the plurality of male engagement members (G32) are disposed at a density in the range of 20 pieces / cm 2 to 100 pieces / cm 2.The article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the at least one article component (2) is a composite material in which napped piles are formed on a surface of a soft layer.The article of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the article is a neoprene suit, sports apparel, clothing, a bag, or a pouch.

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