Stabilized fabric seam for flat-woven continuous fabric belts

Abstract

A continuous fabric belt with intersecting threads and a method to produce the belt, so that within fabric seam region at least two strip-shaped regions which extend over the entire width of fabric seam and contain meeting points are arranged between strip-shaped fabric regions in which there are crossovers between warp- or machine directional threads and weft or cross-machine directional threads. The crossovers are materially connected by transmission welding.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A flat woven continuous fabric belt, comprising:
 a plurality of intersecting threads including a plurality of warp threads extending in a machine direction and a plurality of weft threads extending in a cross machine direction, at least one of said warp threads and said weft threads being formed from a plurality of thermoplastic polymer yarns which are transparent for a light of a wavelength in a range of near infrared, at least some of said yarns being materially joined with each other at a plurality of crossover locations of said warp threads and said weft threads with a material arranged at a yarn contact region of said crossover locations and which absorbs light from said near infrared range, said materially joined crossover locations being arranged within at least three strip-like fabric regions in which no meeting point locations are disposed, which extend over an entire width of the flat woven continuous fabric belt and which between said at least three strip-like fabric regions there is always defined a fabric region including a plurality of meeting points.   
     
     
         2 . The flat woven continuous fabric belt according to  claim 1 , wherein said near infrared range is in a wavelength range of between approximately 700 to 1200 nanometers. 
     
     
         3 . The flat woven continuous fabric belt according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said at least three fabric regions with said materially joined crossover locations of said warp threads and said weft threads is arranged within a fabric seam which joins a pair of opposing ends of a flat fabric belt into the flat woven continuous fabric belt. 
     
     
         4 . The flat woven continuous fabric belt according to  claim 3 , wherein said at least three fabric regions including one or two of said materially joined crossover locations reach at least partially into a full weave portion of the flat woven continuous fabric belt outside of said fabric seam. 
     
     
         5 . The flat woven continuous fabric belt according to  claim 4 , wherein said warp threads and said weft threads are transparent for said light in said near infrared range and wherein said crossover locations are materially joined by absorption of light in a wavelength from within said near infrared range through a light absorbing material arranged at said crossover locations between said warp threads and said weft threads. 
     
     
         6 . The flat woven continuous fabric belt according to  claim 1 , wherein said warp threads absorb said light from a wavelength in said near infrared range and said weft threads are transparent for said light from said near infrared range, and a material to material joining is effected at said crossover locations by absorption of said light in a wavelength from said near infrared range by said warp threads. 
     
     
         7 . The flat woven continuous fabric belt according to  claim 1 , wherein said weft threads absorb said light from a wavelength in said near infrared range and said warp threads are transparent for said light from said near infrared range, and a material to material joining is effected at said crossover locations by absorption of said light of said wavelength in said near infrared range by said weft threads. 
     
     
         8 . A method for creating a stabilized fabric seam, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing a flat fabric belt including yarn formed of a plurality of thermoplastic materials, said flat fabric belt including a plurality of warp threads extending in a machine direction and a plurality of weft threads extending in a cross-machine direction, at least one of said warp threads and said weft threads being transparent for a light of a wavelength in a near infrared range, said warp threads being exposed to form a fabric seam at a pair of opposing ends of said fabric belt;   joining said opposing ends of said flat fabric belt into a continuous fabric belt to create a woven fabric seam;   introducing a light absorbing material for absorbing said light from said near infrared wavelength into a yarn contact region of a plurality of crossovers of said warp threads with said weft threads if neither said warp threads nor said weft threads absorb said light in said near infrared range, said absorbing material being introduced into at least said crossovers arranged within at least three strip-shaped fabric regions where no meeting points are disposed and which extend over an entire width of said flat fabric belt, where between said at least three strip-shaped fabric regions there is always defined a fabric region containing said meeting points; and   radiating said at least three strip-shaped fabric regions where none of said meeting points are disposed with said light from said near infrared wavelength range to fuse said yarns at a plurality of absorbing regions.   
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein said introducing step further comprises the step of coating said warp threads of said flat fabric belt in a region of said opposing ends with a light-absorbing material prior to said creation of said woven fabric seam. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein said introducing step further comprises the step of coating said plurality of yarns in a region of said woven fabric seam. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein said coating step further comprises the step of coating a plurality of yarns in an adjacent full weave region with said light-absorbing material. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 11 , further comprising the step of removing said absorbent material from outside said yarn contact regions at said crossovers of said warp threads and said weft threads by one of rinsing, washing and brushing. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein said step of joining said opposing ends of said flat fabric belt into a continuous fabric belt to form a woven fabric seam further comprises the step of arranging said meeting points relative to a direction of said warp threads at a plurality of locations at a distance from each other.