Composite Cloth Structure for Absorbency, Repellency, and Buoyancy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cloths struggle to balance water absorbency and water repellency, and few designs allow for floating on water, which is a requirement for specific sports and activities like triathlon competitions.
Innovation Solution
A cloth combining a non-water-repellent polyester fiber A with a water-repellent fiber B, where the weight ratio and arrangement of fibers are optimized to achieve both water absorbency and repellency, with specific properties such as contact angles, yarn fineness, and porosity, allowing the cloth to float on water.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If water-absorbing processing is applied to improve water absorbency, then water absorbency is improved, but water repellency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by creating distinct regions within the cloth structure: hydrophilic regions (fiber A) for water absorption and hydrophobic regions (fiber B) for water repellency. The cloth contains both water-absorbing fibers and water-repelling fibers in specific arrangements, allowing different parts of the same material to perform opposite functions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite materials by combining two different fiber types with opposing properties: fiber A (hydrophilic, water-absorbing) and fiber B (hydrophobic, water-repelling). This composite structure allows the cloth to exhibit both water absorbency and water repellency as simultaneous properties, resolving the contradiction between these two functions.
2Weight of moving object
If the cloth is designed to float on water for aquatic sports, then buoyancy is improved, but water absorbency may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by creating distinct regions within the cloth structure: hydrophilic regions (fiber A) for water absorption and hydrophobic regions (fiber B) for water repellency. The cloth contains both water-absorbing fibers and water-repelling fibers in specific arrangements, allowing different parts of the same material to perform opposite functions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite materials by combining two different fiber types with opposing properties: fiber A (hydrophilic, water-absorbing) and fiber B (hydrophobic, water-repelling). This composite structure allows the cloth to exhibit both water absorbency and water repellency as simultaneous properties, resolving the contradiction between these two functions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The resulting cloth exhibits excellent water absorbency, water repellency, and the ability to float on water, making it suitable for amphibious wear and other textile products like sportswear and triathlon gear.
Implementation Method 1
a fiber B that is water repellent... the fiber B that is water repellent is a fiber having a contact angle of 120° or more
Implementation Method 2
a fiber A that is not water repellent... the fiber A that is not water repellent is a fiber having a contact angle of less than 120°
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the invention is to provide a cloth having water absorbency, water repellency, and a tendency to float on water, and also a textile product using the cloth. A means of resolution is to obtain a cloth using a fiber A that is not water repellent and a fiber B that is water repellent in a weight ratio (fiber A:fiber B) within a range of 50:50 to 87:13.