Folded Panel Non-Woven Textile With Interior Seams

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing non-woven industrial textiles face challenges in flexibility, permeability, and ease of assembly due to lack of internal structure and exposed edges, which lead to fraying and entanglement, and require additional perforation steps for porosity.

Innovation Solution

The development of selectively slit and profiled panels that interconnect to form a double-layered textile with interior seams, shielding lateral edges from abrasion and maintaining void volume, allowing for flexibility and porosity similar to woven textiles without subsequent perforation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If non-woven textiles are formed by spirally winding strips and joining using ultrasonic or laser welding, then the textile can be produced with continuous structure, but the textile is not easily seamed and requires additional perforation steps

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of assemblyVSAvoidtextile structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The textile is divided into discrete panel sections that can be independently manufactured and then assembled together. Each panel has pre-formed seam structures (loops and receiving openings) that enable easy connection between panels without requiring complex welding or perforation processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The seam structures (loops and receiving openings) are pre-formed on each panel during manufacturing, before assembly. This preliminary preparation of connection elements eliminates the need for complex joining operations during assembly and removes the requirement for subsequent perforation steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Stability of the object's composition

If strips are joined edge to edge to form continuous belt, then the textile provides continuous structure, but the edges are exposed to abrasion and fraying

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural continuityVSAvoidedge durability
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The vulnerable edge portions are extracted and repositioned from the exterior surface to the interior of the textile structure. By folding the edge regions inward and securing them internally, the exposed edges that would normally be subject to abrasion and fraying are removed from the wear plane.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The edge regions are folded inward and nested within the interior structure of the textile, where they are protected from external damage. The seam loops and receiving openings provide a nested configuration that shelters the edges within the body of the textile.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Device complexity

If conventional non-woven textiles are made without internal structure, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but there is no separation and void volume between layers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing process complexityVSAvoidflow path permeability
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The textile structure incorporates localized three-dimensional features (protrusions and corresponding recesses) at specific positions between layers. These localized structural variations create void volumes and maintain separation between layers at critical locations, enabling flow paths without requiring complex overall structural changes or additional manufacturing steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3077594B1Non- woven double layer industrial textile assembled from folded panels
Publication Date: 2019.01.30 ASTENJOHNSON INC
  • EP3077594B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP3077594B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP3077594B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

Nonwoven double layer industrial textiles comprising a plurality of interconnected selectively slit and profiled folded panels formed from suitable sheet or film materials. Each panel includes two fold regions having an array of slots and seaming loops. The folded panel is formed by folding each fold region toward the panel body, thereby providing seam loops and seam loop receiving openings, which are used to connect adjacent folded panels in a given layer of the textile. Two such layers are bonded together in overlapping relation such that outside free edges of any of the fold regions are returned and sealed interior to the double layer. Further panels composed of heat or wear resistant material can be connected to lateral outside edges of panels forming the textile.