Knitted fabric comprising areas with different cushioning properties

Abstract

A knitted fabric (100) with areas (10 - 50) with different cushioning properties, in particular a shoe sole (100), which is designed as a two-layer knitted fabric (1. 2) and on whose rows of stitches (R0, R5) at least one weft thread (S) is inserted in at least one section, wherein the knitted layers (1, 2) are connected to each other in areas (10.1, 20.1, 30.1) with no or low cushioning and are not connected to each other in areas (10, 20, 30, 40, 50) with higher cushioning.

Description

[0001] Knitted fabrics with cushioning properties have long been used in both the clothing and technical textile sectors. Examples of such knits include car seat covers, wrist supports, knitted garments with padded joint areas, and increasingly also shoes with knitted uppers. The cushioning areas are typically created using spacer knits. In the footwear sector, DE 10 2016 102 792 A1 describes a shoe upper that is partially manufactured as a spacer knit, the cushioning effect of which is determined by the choice of pile thread. In addition, weft threads can be incorporated into one of the knitted layers to control the elasticity of the shoe upper in specific areas.

[0002] However, padded areas are not only desirable in the upper of shoes, but also particularly in the sole area. DE 10 2013 207 156 A1 has therefore already proposed knitting the sole or one of the soles of a shoe, partially using spacer knits to achieve the desired cushioning effect of the sole. This sole therefore primarily replicates the insole of a conventional shoe, which serves to cushion the foot and comfortably support it. An insole is usually made from heavy foam. This foam can be shaped three-dimensionally and even printed. Pressure-absorbing elements such as gel cushions can also be used, preferably in the heel area. However, a shoe also requires a relatively stiff insole as a load-bearing element. The upper and outsole are attached to this insole.Insoles are usually thin, stiff soles made of plastic or leather.

[0003] In a spacer knit, the two knitted layers are always spaced apart from each other by the pile threads and can also be moved against each other.

[0004] This is not desirable in all applications of knitted fabrics with cushioning properties. In particular, when a sole is designed as a spacer knit, the function of an insole cannot be achieved with a spacer knit.

[0005] GB 1 148 086 describes the production of an insulating, double-layered knitted fabric on a two-thread knitting machine. A weft thread is inserted between each row of stitches. With the help of multiple weft guides, multiple weft threads can also be fed. The two knitted layers are connected by a regular pattern of joints that enclose diamond-shaped pockets of the same size and with an identical number of weft threads.

[0006] US 2010 / 0154256 A1 describes a knitted shoe upper in which the edge of the entry opening is formed by a tubular knit with inserted weft threads. The two layers of the tubular knit are not connected to each other. The number of weft threads is constant throughout. It is also mentioned that a separate sole part for the shoe upper can be knitted with a weft thread insert.

[0007] The present invention is based on the object of providing a knitted fabric that can be provided with any desired cushioning properties at any location, even in areas where no or only very low cushioning is present. The knitted fabric is intended to be particularly suitable for the production of shoe soles, but can also be used for other applications.

[0008] The problem is solved by a knitted fabric having the features of claim 1.

[0009] The knitted fabric according to the invention contains no pile threads. This means that in the areas where the knitted layers are not connected to one another, only the weft threads fill the hollow space between the knitted layers. In the other areas, however, the knitted layers are firmly connected to one another and therefore cannot be moved relative to one another. The knitted fabric can therefore have areas with varying damping properties, as well as areas with virtually no damping and high dimensional stability. These properties cannot be achieved with a spacer knit. Furthermore, a spacer knit is more complex to manufacture due to the knitting in of the pile threads.

[0010] The degree of damping of the areas of the knitted fabric is essentially determined by the number of consecutive rows of stitches with weft thread inlay in which the knitted layers are not connected to one another. If the two knitted layers are not connected to one another in many consecutive rows of stitches, a large number of weft threads lie in the pocket or tube formed between the knitted layers and can therefore push the two knitted layers apart in this hollow space. The more voluminous the weft threads, the better this effect works. Therefore, at least one weft thread can preferably be a filling thread, in particular a textured multifilament thread. These types of threads are very thin under tension and can therefore be processed perfectly on a knitting machine. If the tension is released and / or the thread material is exposed to heat and / or moisture, these threads assume a size several times their diameter.They are therefore very well able to produce the required damping properties in the desired areas of the knitted fabric.

[0011] To simplify the production of the knitted fabric, the weft threads can extend the entire length of the stitch rows. If an area within a stitch row is to have little or no cushioning properties, the two knitted layers can be joined together in that area of ​​the stitch rows, preventing the weft thread from creating an undesirable bulk or cushioning effect.

[0012] The knitted fabric can therefore have rows of stitches in which the knitted layers are not connected to each other across several adjacent stitches and are connected before and / or after them by one or more stitches or tuck loops. In this way, any desired damping areas can be incorporated into the knitted fabric. By connecting the two knitted layers across the entire length of the row of stitches, sections can also be created in the knitted fabric that, despite the weft thread being inserted across the entire width of the knitted fabric, have no or only very minimal damping properties.

[0013] However, the knitted layers can preferably always be connected at the edges of the fabric, resulting in a closed, tubular knit even in rows without mutual connection of the knitted layers. The weft threads can then also be easily secured to the knitted fabric at the edges.

[0014] In order to achieve very high damping properties in the various areas of the knitted fabric, a weft thread can be inserted on every or at least every second row of stitches in at least one section of the knitted fabric. However, it is of course also possible to insert a different number of weft threads, or weft threads with different volume properties, in an area where the two knitted layers are not connected to each other in order to regulate the damping in this area.

[0015] Furthermore, the knitted layers can be made from the same or different thread materials. In particular, one of the knitted layers can be made from a thermoplastic material. This material can be melted after the knit is finished. The subsequent curing creates a stiff and dimensionally stable layer. This is particularly advantageous when the knit is used as a sole. By making the lower knitted layer from such a thermoplastic material, the melting and curing process essentially allows a combination of an insole and an insole to be produced. The cured lower knitted layer forms the insole, while the upper knitted layer, together with the cushioning areas, forms the insole. Thus, two soles of a shoe can be produced from a single knitted fabric.

[0016] Further advantages arise when at least one of the knitted layers is knitted with different colored threads. This allows a visible side of the knitted fabric to be provided with any color pattern, which is also abrasion-resistant, which is particularly advantageous when the knitted fabric is designed as a sole. Furthermore, the areas with different cushioning properties can have any contour, particularly rectangular, round, or triangular contours. The areas can thus be optimally adapted to the intended use of the knitted fabric. However, purely visual effects can also be achieved by shaping the cushioning areas.

[0017] According to a method not encompassed by the invention for producing a knitted fabric with regions having different damping properties, a two-layer knitted fabric can be produced that has tubes or pockets of any shape and size and at any location on the knitted fabric between the knitted layers. The pockets or tubes are filled only by weft threads, not by connecting threads between the knitted layers.

[0018] In areas with little or no cushioning, the two knitted layers are tightly bonded together. The weft threads do not exert any volume-enhancing effect here, so these areas are dimensionally stable and offer little or no cushioning.

[0019] If, on the other hand, weft threads are inserted into each row of stitches but the knitted layers are not connected to each other, pockets or tubes are formed in the knitted fabric that can be filled by the weft threads.

[0020] It is advantageous if a textured multifilament thread is inserted as the weft thread, which increases in volume through appropriate treatment to such an extent that in those areas where the two knitted layers are not connected to each other, the weft thread(s) fill the hollow spaces between the knitted layers.

[0021] Furthermore, one of the knitted layers can be knitted with a thermoplastic thread material. This is particularly advantageous if the knitted fabric is intended to have a dimensionally stable and non-elastic side, as is desired, for example, in a sole.

[0022] A knitted fabric according to the invention and a method for its production not covered by the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing, using the example of a knitted shoe sole. Shown are: Fig. 1 a top view of a knitted sole; Fig. 2 a partial section through the knitted fabric Fig. 1 along the line II-II; Fig. 3a - 3c a thread path representation of a method not covered by the invention for producing a knitted fabric with different damping areas.

[0023] In Fig. 1 A knitted fabric 100 in the form of a shoe sole is shown. The top view shows an upper knitted layer 1 of the double-layered knitted fabric 100. This knitted layer 1 has regions 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 with different damping properties and / or shapes. Region 50 has the greatest damping effect and region 30 the lowest. This is particularly evident from the sectional view of Fig. 2 This partial section through the knitted fabric 100 shows the areas 20, 30, and 10 with different damping levels. This sectional view also shows the lower knitted fabric layer 2. In the example shown, this knitted fabric layer is made of a thermoplastic material that was melted after knitting and became dimensionally stable and stiff through subsequent curing. For this reason, the damping areas 10, 20, and 30 only bulge upward, since only the upper knitted fabric layer 1 is still elastic.

[0024] As the sectional view from Fig. 2 As shown, the knitted layers 1 and 2 are only made of Fig. 1 visible stitch rows 10.1, 20.1, 30.1, are connected to one another. The stitch rows 30.1 are spaced more closely apart than the stitch rows 20.1, which in turn are spaced more closely apart than the stitch rows 10.1. This results in the dampening areas 10 being more voluminous than areas 20, which in turn are more voluminous than areas 30. The distance between the connecting stitch rows 10.1, 20.1, 30.1 determines how many weft threads 15 are inserted into the pockets or tubes formed between the knitted fabric layers 1 and 2 and can thus fill the volume between the knitted fabric layers 1 and 2. If 15 textured multifilament threads are used as weft threads, which can assume a multiple of their diameter through appropriate treatment, quite remarkable damping properties can be achieved with a greater spacing of the connecting stitch rows 10.1, 20.1, 30.1.The cushioning properties are particularly high in the 40 and 50 ranges, i.e. in the heel area of ​​the shoe sole.

[0025] The Fig. 3a - 3c now describe a basic method with which a knitted fabric 100 with different damping ranges 10 to 50 can be formed.

[0026] In Fig. 3aIn row R0, a starting row of stitches is knitted on needles A - Z of a front needle bed V and needles a - z of a rear needle bed H. Subsequently, in row R1, after a carriage reversal, a weft thread S is inserted onto the stitches formed in row R0. In row R2, a row of stitches is formed on the front needle bed V on needles A - Z using another knitting system in the same carriage direction from right to left, before in row R3, a row of stitches is created on the rear needle bed H on needles a - z using a third knitting system while maintaining the carriage direction. The rows of stitches R1 - R3 can then be repeated several times to create a dampening area extending across the entire width of the knitted fabric 100.

[0027] In row R4, after a carriage reversal, another weft thread S is inserted. In row R5, a row of stitches is then formed on the front needle bed V on needles A - Z. At the same time, tuck loops are created on needles p - z of the rear needle bed H. In this area, the two knitted layers 1 and 2 are therefore joined together. This means that the stitch previously formed by repeating the

[0028] The damping zone formed by rows R1 - R3 in the needle area p - z is closed by a connecting partial row of stitches. In the area of ​​needles a - o, however, the damping zone continues in the wale direction.

[0029] In row R6, a row of stitches is formed on the back needle bed H on all needles a - z. The tuck loops formed in step R5 are knitted off on needles p - z of the back needle bed.

[0030] In row R7, a weft thread S is inserted again, before a row of stitches is formed on the front needle bed V on all needles A - Z in row R8. This is followed in row R9 by the formation of a row of stitches on the back needle bed H on all needles a - z. In row R10, a weft thread S is inserted again. Then, in row R11, a row of stitches is formed on the front needle bed V using needles A - Z, and tuck loops are formed using needles a - z of the back needle bed H. In row R11, the two knitted layers 1 and 2 are thus joined together. Row R11 therefore shows one of the connecting stitch rows 10.1, 20.1, 30.1 as an example. Row R11 completes all previous dampening areas that were created by weft thread insertion and not joining the two knitted layers 1 and 2.In row R12 the tuck loops are then knitted on the back needle bed H with the needles a - z of the back needle bed H.

[0031] By choosing where in the vertical repeat of the knitted fabric and in which needle areas of a stitch row the two knitted layers formed on the front and back needle bed are connected to each other, damping areas 10 - 50 of any shape and with different damping strengths can be created.

Claims

1. Knitted fabric (100) comprising regions (10~50) having different cushioning properties, which is designed as a two-layer knitted fabric (100) and between stitch rows of which, at least one weft thread (15, S) is inserted in at least one portion, the knitted fabric layers (1, 2) being connected to one another in regions (10.1, 20.1, 30.1) which have no or a low level of cushioning and not being connected to one another in regions (10, 20, 30, 40, 50) which have a higher level of cushioning, characterized in that a plurality of regions (10, 20, 30, 40, 50) which have a different, higher level of cushioning are provided, which regions each comprise a plurality of consecutive stitch rows in which the knitted layers (1, 2) are not connected to one another, so that these regions (10, 20, 30, 40, 50) are only filled by weft threads (15, S) between the knitted layers (1, 2), these regions (10, 20, 30, 40, 50) being distinguished by a different number of consecutive stitch rows having weft thread insertion without connection between the knitted layers (1, 2), and thus being distinguished by the number of weft threads (15, S) between the knitted layers (1, 2).

2. Knitted fabric (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one weft thread (S) is a filling thread, in particular a textured multifilament thread.

3. Knitted fabric (100) according to either of the preceding claims, characterized in that the weft threads (S) each extend over the entire length of the stitch rows.

4. Knitted fabric (100) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises stitch rows (R5) in which the knitted layers (1, 2) are not connected to one another across a plurality of adjacent stitches, and are connected to one another before and / or after by one or more stitches or tuck loops.

5. Knitted fabric (100) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the knitted fabric layers (1, 2) are connected to one another at the edges of the knitted fabric (100).

6. Knitted fabric (100) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the at least one portion, a weft thread (S) is inserted between every or at least every second stitch row.

7. Knitted fabric (100) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that one of the knitted layers (2) is made of a thermoplastic material.

8. Knitted fabric (100) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the knitted layers (1, 2) is knitted using threads of different colors.

9. Knitted fabric (100) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is a shoe sole.

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