Soft Fabric Touch Fastener with Headed Fibers and Intact Loops
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch fasteners, such as hook and loop fasteners, often compromise on softness and flexibility to achieve adequate fastening performance, lacking a balance between secure attachment and comfortable tactile experience.
Innovation Solution
A method involving shearing and heating processes to create a male touch fastener with both headed fibers and intact loops on a flexible fabric, using a linear energy source to form enlarged heads on sheared fibers while preserving intact loops, resulting in a soft yet effective fastening surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If discrete male fastener elements (hooks) are used to engage with female elements (loops or fibers), then fastening performance (peel and shear strength) is achieved, but the surface feel becomes less soft and more rigid
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a heterogeneous surface with two distinct types of fastening elements: headed fibers (providing strong engagement) and intact loops (providing softness). This spatial differentiation allows different regions of the fastener surface to serve different functions - the headed fibers deliver reliable fastening while the intact loops maintain soft tactile properties, resolving the contradiction between fastening performance and surface softness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite fastening surface by combining two different fiber configurations (headed fibers and intact loops) within the same fabric structure. This composite approach allows the fastener to exhibit both strong fastening characteristics (from headed fibers engaging with loops) and soft tactile properties (from the compliant intact loops), simultaneously achieving reliable fastening and comfortable surface feel
2Ease of operation
If the fabric is made softer and more flexible to improve comfort, then surface softness is enhanced, but fastening strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses local quality to concentrate the fastening function in specific locations (headed fibers) while allowing other areas (intact loops) to provide softness. This localized functional differentiation enables the fabric to be soft overall while maintaining strong fastening capability at critical engagement points, resolving the contradiction between softness and fastening strength
3Reliability
If a continuous field of hooks is used to maximize fastening engagement, then fastening performance is improved, but the fabric loses flexibility and softness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a non-uniform distribution of fastening elements where headed fibers (providing engagement) and intact loops (providing flexibility) are interspersed throughout the fabric. This local differentiation allows the fabric to maintain overall flexibility while providing sufficient fastening engagement through the headed fiber elements, resolving the contradiction between fastening engagement and fabric flexibility
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 method produces a fastener with a soft surface feel while maintaining strong fastening capabilities, utilizing a continuous process to form small headed fibers within a field of fibers, enhancing both comfort and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
heating the distal ends with energy supplied by a linear energy source, such that resin of the distal ends flows to form enlarged heads on the extending fibers
Implementation Method 2
resin of the distal ends flows to form enlarged heads on the extending fibers
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
Methods of making a male touch fastener product, by shearing distal portions of loops extending from a side of a flexible fabric, leaving fibers extending from the side of the flexible fabric in place of the sheared loops, the fibers extending to respective free distal ends, while leaving other loops extending from the side of the fabric intact, and then heating the distal ends with energy supplied by a linear energy source, such that resin of the distal ends flows to form enlarged heads on the extending fibers, while leaving at least some of the other loops intact. A male touch fastener product has a flexible fabric base with a broad side, and fibers extending from the broad side of the base. The fibers form both loops of fibers, each loop extending from the base at two spaced-apart points, and fiber segments extending from the base to respective distal fiber ends spaced from the base. Each distal fiber end forms an enlarged head of fiber resin for snagging other fibers.