Woven brushed elastic fabric and method of making the same

Abstract

A woven brushed elastic fabric includes a fabric blank and a plurality of yarn segments. The fabric blank is formed by interweaving a plurality of first yarns and composite yarns. Each composite yarn is composed of a second yarn and an elastic yarn. The second yarn is wound around the elastic yarn. The fabric blank has a first side, and a second side opposite to the first side and formed with a plurality of yarn loops. The yarn loops are formed by the interweaving of the first yarns and the composite yarns in a skip manner along a first direction or a second direction transverse to the first direction. The yarn segments are formed on the second side of the fabric blank by breaking at least some of the yarn loops.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A woven brushed elastic fabric comprising:
 a fabric blank formed by interweaving a plurality of first yarns and a plurality of composite yarns, each of said composite yarns being composed of a second yarn and an elastic yarn said second yarn being wound around said elastic yarn, said fabric blank having a first side, and a second side opposite to said first side and formed with a plurality of yarn loops, said yarn loops being formed by the interweaving of said first yarns and said composite yarns in a skip manner along a first direction or a second direction transverse to the first direction; and   a plurality of yarn segments formed on said second side of said fabric blank by breaking at least some of said yarn loops.   
     
     
         2 . The woven brushed elastic fabric as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each of said yarn segments has a length at least 1.5 times larger than a thickness of said fabric blank. 
     
     
         3 . The woven brushed elastic fabric as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each of said yarn segments has a length larger than or equal to a thickness of said fabric blank when a portion of an end of each of said yarn segments is cut off. 
     
     
         4 . The woven brushed elastic fabric as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each of said first and second yarns is one of a draw textured yarn made of synthetic fiber, a high oriented yarn, a fully draw yarn and a natural fiber. 
     
     
         5 . The woven brushed elastic fabric as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said elastic yarn is made of polyurethane fiber. 
     
     
         6 . The woven brushed elastic fabric as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said yarn segments are formed after carding and shearing said broken yarn loops. 
     
     
         7 . The woven brushed elastic fabric as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said yarn segments further undergo heat setting. 
     
     
         8 . A method of making a woven brushed elastic fabric, comprising:
 (A) preparing a fabric blank, the fabric blank being formed by interweaving a plurality of first yarns and a plurality of composite yarns, each of the composite yarns being composed of a second yarn and an elastic yarn the second yarn being wound around the elastic yarn, the fabric blank having a first side, and a second side opposite to the first side and formed with a plurality of yarn loops, the yarn loops being formed by the interweaving of the first yarns and the composite yarns in a skip manner along a first direction or a second direction transverse to the first direction; and   (B) breaking at least some of the yarn loops so that each of the broken yarn loops is formed with two yarn segments.   
     
     
         9 . The method as claimed in  claim 8 , further comprising a step (A1) between step (A) and step (B), in which the fabric blank is heated so as to shrink the fabric blank, to reduce the gaps among the yarn loops and to enlarge the yarn loops. 
     
     
         10 . The method as claimed in  claim 9 , further comprising a step (C) after step (B), in which the yarn segments are carded such that each of the yarn segments is straightened along a direction away from the fabric blank. 
     
     
         11 . The method as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein each of the yarn segments has a length at least 1.5 times larger than a thickness of the fabric blank. 
     
     
         12 . The method as claimed in  claim 10 , further comprising a step (D) after step (C), in which a portion of the end of each of the yarn segments is cut off. 
     
     
         13 . The method as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein, after the portion of the end of each of the yarn segments is cut off, each of the yarn segments has a length larger than or equal to a thickness of the fabric blank. 
     
     
         14 . The method as claimed in  claim 12 , further comprising a step (E) after step (D), in which the yarn segments are heated so that the yarn segments are hardened and set to shape. 
     
     
         15 . The method as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein each of the first and second yarns in step (A) is one of a draw textured yarn made of synthetic fiber, a high oriented yarn, a fully draw yarn and a natural fiber. 
     
     
         16 . The method as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein each of the first and second yarns is made of synthetic fiber selected from one of polyester, polyamide, polypropylene, and polyethylene. 
     
     
         17 . The method as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the synthetic fiber is polyester. 
     
     
         18 . The method as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein each of the first and second yarns is made of natural fiber selected from one of cotton, linen, wool, silk, viscose, rayon, lyocell, animal fiber, and plant fiber. 
     
     
         19 . The method as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein each of the first and second yarns in step (A) is a high oriented yarn made of polyester fiber. 
     
     
         20 . The method as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the number of the yarn loops in step (A1) is between 15 and 1000 per square centimeter. 
     
     
         21 . The method as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the denier per filament (d/f) of each of the yarn segments in step (D) is between 0.1 and 5. 
     
     
         22 . The method as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein in step (B), a brush finishing is used to break the at least some of the yarn loops so as to form the yarn segments. 
     
     
         23 . The method as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein in step (D), a shearing machine is used to cut off the portion of the end of each of the yarn segments. 
     
     
         24 . The method as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein each of the composite yarns is further composed of a third yarn wound around the elastic yarn in a direction opposite to that in which the second yarn is wound around the elastic yarn.