Sheared wool fleece and method for making sheared wool fleece utilizing yarn knitting
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost and limited availability of natural sheepskin fleece due to quality variations and limited supply restrict the production and profitability of sheepskin products, necessitating an alternative that replicates the desirable qualities of sheepskin.
Innovation Solution
A method to create a sheared wool, deep pile fabric that closely resembles natural sheepskin by forming a yarn from wool fibers, knitting it with a scrim, and employing specific finishing processes to achieve softness, density, and performance characteristics similar to natural sheepskin, including polishing and cutting the wool fibers to precise lengths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If natural sheepskin fleece is used, then the product has excellent insulation and softness, but the cost is high and availability is limited due to quality variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates an artificial wool pile fabric that copies the appearance, texture, and performance characteristics of natural sheepskin fleece. The fabric replicates the soft, dense, and insulating properties through controlled manufacturing processes including knitting wool fibers into a pile structure and applying finishing treatments, thereby providing a consistent quality alternative不受natural supply constraints
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls key parameters of the wool pile fabric during manufacturing, including fiber length, pile height, density, and surface texture, to match the desirable properties of natural sheepskin. By precisely controlling these parameters through knitting and finishing processes, the invention achieves consistent quality that is not dependent on natural variations in sheepskin
2Reliability
If natural sheepskin is used, then the product has desirable qualities, but the cost increases as demand grows and supply is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs relatively inexpensive materials and manufacturing processes to create an artificial wool pile fabric that substitutes for expensive natural sheepskin. By using standard textile manufacturing techniques rather than requiring costly natural hides and complex leather processing, the invention significantly reduces manufacturing costs while maintaining performance quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure by knitting wool fibers into a pile fabric with a backing material. This composite construction allows the use of cost-effective components that together replicate the performance of natural sheepskin, achieving both quality and cost efficiency
3Reliability
If wool pile fabric is made from natural wool fibers, then it achieves softness and density similar to sheepskin, but the finishing process becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions during the knitting process itself to prepare the wool pile fabric for its final soft and dense state. By controlling fiber arrangement, pile formation, and initial compaction during manufacturing, the invention reduces the complexity of subsequent finishing operations compared to treating rough natural sheepskin
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 fabric is soft, dense, and performs like natural sheepskin, offering a cost-effective alternative for use in various products such as footwear and apparel, reducing reliance on natural sheepskin and its associated costs.
Implementation Method 1
polishing the wool fiber side of the pile fabric by guiding the length of pile fabric over plural heated polishing rolls
Data Source
AI summary
A method of making a sheared wool, deep pile fabric that closely resembles natural sheepskin fleece, that includes forming a yarn made from wool fibers and simultaneously knitting the yarn and a scrim together, where the yarn is attached to and extends from the scrim to form a length of wool pile fabric having natural wool fibers on one side and the scrim on an opposing side. The method includes finishing the wool pile fabric as natural sheepskin by polishing the wool fiber side of the pile fabric by guiding the length of pile fabric over plural heated polishing rolls, where at least two of the plural heated polishing rolls rotate in opposite directions, and cutting the wool fibers to a designated length.