Fabric

Abstract

A method of producing a reinforced fabric including producing by a knitting or weaving process a ground fabric using ground yarns and incorporating into the ground fabric during the knitting or weaving process reinforcement yarns in a predetermined pattern to form predetermined areas of reinforcement, the reinforcement yarn being a stretch resistive yarn coated with a weldable material, and subsequently exposing the fabric to a weldable condition in order to cause said weldable material to weld to itself and to ground yarns with which it is in contact.

1 . A method of producing a reinforced fabric including producing by a knitting or weaving process a ground fabric using ground yarns and incorporating into the ground fabric during the knitting or weaving process reinforcement yarns in a predetermined pattern to form predetermined areas of reinforcement, the reinforcement yarn being a stretch resistive yarn coated with a weldable material, and subsequently exposing the fabric to a weldable condition in order to cause said weldable material to weld to itself and to ground yarns with which it is in contact.  
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein said reinforcement yarn is knitted to define a plain knit construction in selected ones of said predetermined areas.  
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1  or  2  wherein said reinforcement yarn is knitted to define a misknit-knit construction in selected ones of said predetermined areas.  
     
     
         4 . A reinforced fabric comprising a knitted or woven ground fabric incorporating a predetermined pattern of reinforcement yarns which define integral areas of reinforcement, the reinforcement yarns being stretch resistive yarns coated with a welded weldable material.  
     
     
         5 . A reinforced fabric according to claims  4  wherein said stretch resistive yarn comprises an arimid yarn.  
     
     
         6 . A reinforced fabric according to  claim 4  wherein said stretch resistive yarn comprises glass fibres.  
     
     
         7 . A reinforced fabric according to  claim 4  wherein said stretch resistive yarn is one of the group consisting of polyester, polyamide, polypropylene or other synthetic monofilament.  
     
     
         8 . A reinforced fabric according to claims  4 ,  5 ,  6  or  7  wherein said stretch resistive yarn is a yarn spun from staple fibres.  
     
     
         9 . A reinforced fabric according to any of  claims 4  to  8  wherein said weldable material in a low melt plastic.  
     
     
         10 . A reinforced fabric according to  claim 9  wherein said reinforcement yarn, prior to welding, comprises said stretch resistive yarn wrapped in covering yarns formed from said low melt plastics.  
     
     
         11 . A reinforced fabric according to  claim 10  wherein said stretch resistive yarn is wrapped by at least two of said covering yarns wrapped in opposite directions about the stretch resistive yarn.  
     
     
         12 . A garment incorporating fabric according to any of  claims 4  to  11 .