Fibers, woven fabrics including the fibers, and methods of manufacturing the same

Abstract

Fibers, yarns, woven fabric including the yarns and fibers, and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed. Fibers can include base material staple fibers and dissolvable or water-soluble fibers. At least the base material staple fiber is mixed and cleaned to form a base material web or sliver. The clean base material web or sliver is then intimately mixed with the dissolvable fibers in a blow room to form a homogenously-mixed base material/dissolvable material sliver. The homogenously-mixed base material/dissolvable material sliver is then blended again during drawing so as to produce a twice-mixed, ultra-homogenous yarn comprising base material and dissolvable material. A processing step can allow for removal of the dissolvable fibers to produce a yarn defining a plurality of pores that are uniformly distributed throughout the structure of the yarn.

1 . An improved process for making a thermal-insulating fabric, comprising:
 providing a cotton bale and introducing the same to a first independent bale opener, the first independent bale opener opening the cotton bale such that cotton fibers can be carried to a first independent blow-room stage, the cotton fibers further being cleaned and carded to produce a cleaned cotton sliver;   providing a bale of water-soluble fibers and introducing the same to a second independent bale opener, the second independent bale opener opening the bale of water-soluble fibers such that the water-soluble fibers can be carried to a second independent blow-room stage, the water-soluble fibers being cleaned and carded to produce a cleaned water-soluble sliver, wherein the cleaned cotton sliver and cleaned water-soluble sliver are produced independently on separate processing lines;   mixing cleaned cotton slivers comprising cleaned cotton fibers with cleaned water-soluble slivers comprising cleaned water-soluble fibers at a third joint blow-room stage to produce one or more homogenously-blended slivers;   drawing the homogenously-blended slivers on a draw frame to produce a twice-mixed ultra-homogenous sliver;   spinning the twice-mixed ultra-homogenous sliver using a low twist multiplier empirical value of between about 3.2 to about 4.0 to produce a twice-mixed ultra-homogenous yarn with a bulky surface;   using the twice-mixed ultra-homogenous yarn in preparatory to make beam; and   weaving the twice-mixed ultra-homogenous yarn into a greige fabric for better thermal comfort.   
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1 , further comprising dissolving the water-soluble fiber to form a plurality of micro passageways in the yarn of the greige fabric, the plurality of micro passageways extending from a plurality of locations at an outer surface of the twice-mixed ultra-homogenous yarn to a central core portion thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric has a thread count from about 80 thread count per square inch to about 1000 thread count per square inch. 
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the step of weaving the twice-mixed ultra-homogenous yarn includes orienting the twice-mixed ultra-homogenous yarn in both the warp and weft directions of the fabric to produce maximum thermal comfort. 
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 1 , further comprising providing a base staple material yarn such that the step of weaving to form a greige fabric comprises the twice-mixed ultra-homogenous yarn in the warp direction and the base staple material yarn in the weft direction. 
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 1 , further comprising hot washing the greige fabric, after desizing it, at about 98 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes on a jigger machine or other dyeing machine to provide increased contact time of the water-soluble fiber with water. 
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 6 , further comprising processing the greige fabric to fix up the micro passageways produced from the dissolved water-soluble fibers, wherein the processing provides durability to the micro passageways such that they maintain their shape throughout the lifetime of the fabric. 
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the water-soluble fiber is a fine PVA fiber, about 0.9 denier to about 1.2 denier, with a 38 mm staple length, which helps uniform mixing at the third joint blow-room stage. 
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the step of mixing with water-soluble fiber includes mixing a PVA fiber in an amount of about 10% to about 25% by weight in the yarn. 
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the step of spinning includes spinning the cotton fiber with water-soluble fiber using an S or Z twist only. 
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the woven fabric comprises a thermal resistance index of about 0.024 C M2/W to about 0.030 C M2/W at about 23 degrees Celsius ambient temperature when tested according to testing method ASTM D 1518-11A. 
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the woven fabric comprises a total insulation value of about 0.12 Clo to about 0.20 Clo when tested according to testing method ASTM D 1518-11A. 
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the woven fabric comprises a dry heat flux of about 100 W/mt2 to about 140 W/mt2 when tested according to testing method ASTM D 1518-11A. 
     
     
         14 . A method of forming a twice-blended ultra-homogenous specialized yarn comprising:
 mixing a plurality of base material staple fibers, cleaning the base material staple fiber, carding the base material staple fiber and forming a cleaned base material staple sliver;   mixing a plurality of dissolvable fibers, cleaning the dissolvable fiber, carding the dissolvable fiber and forming a cleaned dissolvable sliver, wherein the cleaned base material staple sliver and cleaned dissolvable sliver are produced independently on separate processing lines;   combining the cleaned base material staple sliver and the cleaned dissolvable sliver for mixing in a blow room to produce a homogenous blend of base material staple fibers and dissolvable fibers;   cleaning the homogenous blend of base material staple fibers and dissolvable fibers;   carding the homogenous blend of base material staple fibers and dissolvable fibers;   forming a homogenously-blended sliver comprising a homogenous blend of base material staple fibers and dissolvable fibers;   drawing the homogenously-blended sliver on a draw frame; and   spinning the homogenously-blended sliver to produce the twice-blended ultra-homogenous specialized yarn, the twice-blended ultra-homogenous specialized yarn comprising an ultra-homogenous blend of base material staple fibers and dissolvable fibers that are evenly and uniformly distributed throughout the cross section thereof, wherein the dissolvable fibers are positioned amongst the base material staple fibers such that the removal thereof defines a plurality of air voids, wherein when viewing the yarn's cross-section the plurality of air voids are positioned such that at least one air void path, defined between the central core of the yarn and the outer surface, is defined between about every 1-30 degrees around the entire 360 degree circumference of the specialized yarn.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of base material staple fibers can be selected from a group consisting of cotton, silk, modal, acrylics, a blend of cotton and polyester, a blend of polyester and viscose, a blend of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) and cotton, a blend of Lyocell and cotton, a blend of cotton and bamboo, a blend of cotton and sea weed, a blend of cotton and silver, a blend of cotton and charcoal, and a blend of cotton and modal or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the dissolvable fibers comprise polyvinyl alcohol. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the polyvinyl alcohol fibers are between about 0.9 denier-1.2 denier with a staple length of about 38 mm. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising producing an ultra-homogenous blended roving on the roving machine after drawing the homogenously-blended sliver on the draw frame. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising storing the twice-blended ultra-homogenous specialized yarn such that the same can be issued to weaving to be used to weave a fabric. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the twice-blended ultra-homogenous specialized yarn is only provided in the warp direction of the fabric. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the twice-blended ultra-homogenous specialized yarn is provided in both the warp and weft directions of the fabric. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising dissolving the dissolvable fibers of the twice-blended ultra-homogenous specialized yarn so as to form a plurality of pores in the twice-blended ultra-homogenous specialized fiber, the pores being uniformly distributed throughout the structure of the yarn so as to provide a plurality of micro passageways extending from a plurality of positions along an outer surface thereof and to within a central core portion of the twice-blended ultra-homogenous specialized yarn, wherein at least one micro passageway of the plurality of micro passageways is provided between about every 1-30 degrees around the entire 360 degree circumference of the outer surface of the specialized yarn. 
     
     
         23 . A specialized yarn comprising an ultra-homogenous blend of base insoluble fibers and dissolvable fibers, the base insoluble fibers and the dissolvable fibers being uniformly distributed and evenly dispersed throughout the structure of the yarn, wherein the uniform distribution and even disbursement of the base insoluble fibers and dissolvable fibers allow for the dissolvable fibers to be positioned amongst the base insoluble fibers such that the eventual removal of the dissolvable fibers causes a plurality of air voids to form, wherein when viewing a cross-section of the yarn after the removal of the dissolvable fibers, at least one air void path is defined between about every 1-30 degrees around the entire 360 degree circumference of the specialized yarn, the air void paths being defined by a plurality of adjacent or proximal air voids that are positioned throughout a central core portion, an intermediate portion, and an outer surface portion of the yarn such that fluid communication is permitted from a first outer surface location, through the intermediate portion, through the central core, through the intermediate portion and to a second outer surface location that is different that the first outer surface location. 
     
     
         24 . The specialized yarn of  claim 23 , wherein the specialized yarn is provided for weaving a fabric in at least one of the warp and weft directions, wherein the woven fabric comprises a 2-move or 3-move sateen weave. 
     
     
         25 . The specialized yarn of  claim 23 , wherein two specialized yarns are twisted together to form a 2-ply specialized yarn. 
     
     
         26 . The specialized yarn of  claim 23 , wherein three specialized yarns are twisted together to form a 3-ply specialized yarn. 
     
     
         27 . The specialized yarn of  claim 23 , wherein the specialized yarn and a base staple yarn are twisted together to form a hybrid 2-ply specialized yarn. 
     
     
         28 . The specialized yarn of  claim 23 , wherein one or more specialized yarns and one or more base staple yarns are twisted together to form a hybrid 3-ply specialized yarn, the hybrid 3-ply specialized yarn comprising either two specialized yarns and one base staple yarn or one specialized yarn and two base staple yarns. 
     
     
         29 . The specialized yarn of  claim 28 , wherein three specialized yarns are configured to run parallel with respect to each other so as to form a 3-ply parallel specialized yarn. 
     
     
         30 . A woven fabric comprising at least one specialized yarn, the specialized yarn comprising a plurality of base material fibers and a plurality of air voids, the plurality of air voids being evenly and uniformly distributed throughout the structure of the yarn, between the central core portion, an intermediate portion and an outer surface portion, wherein when viewing a cross-section of the specialized yarn, at least one micro passageway is defined between about every 1-30 degrees around the entire 360 degree circumference of the specialized yarn, wherein each of the micro passageways are defined by a plurality of adjacent or proximal air voids that are positioned ultra-homogenously throughout the central core portion, the intermediate portion, and the outer surface portion of the yarn, and wherein each of the micro passageways permit the absorption of heat and moisture from a user covering at least a portion thereof with the woven fabric. 
     
     
         31 . The woven fabric of  claim 30 , wherein the woven fabric comprises a 2-move or 3-move sateen weave. 
     
     
         32 . The woven fabric of  claim 30 , wherein the at least one specialized yarn is single ply. 
     
     
         33 . The woven fabric of  claim 30 , wherein the at least one specialized yarn is 2-ply. 
     
     
         34 . The woven fabric of  claim 30 , wherein the at least one specialized yarn is 3-ply. 
     
     
         35 . The woven fabric of  claim 30 , wherein the at least one specialized yarn is provided in the warp direction of the fabric. 
     
     
         36 . The woven fabric of  claim 30 , wherein the specialized yarn is provided in the warp and weft directions of the fabric. 
     
     
         37 . The woven fabric of  claim 30 , wherein the plurality of base material staple fibers can be selected from a group consisting of cotton, silk, modal, acrylics, a blend of cotton and polyester, a blend of polyester and viscose, a blend of poly (trimethylene terephthalate) and cotton, a blend of Lyocell and cotton, a blend of cotton and bamboo, a blend of cotton and sea weed, a blend of cotton and silver, a blend of cotton and charcoal, and a blend of cotton and modal or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         38 . A method of forming a twice-blended ultra-homogenous specialized yarn comprising:
 mixing a plurality of base material staple fibers in a first blow room, cleaning the base material staple fiber, carding the base material staple fiber and forming a cleaned base material staple web;   providing a plurality of dissolvable fibers, wherein the dissolvable fibers of the specialized yarn are between about 10%-25% of the weight of the sum of the dissolvable fibers and the base material staple fibers;   combining the cleaned base material staple web and the plurality of dissolvable fibers for mixing in a third blow room to produce a homogenous blend of base material staple fibers and dissolvable fibers;   cleaning the homogenous blend of base material staple fibers and dissolvable fibers;   carding the homogenous blend of base material staple fibers and dissolvable fibers;   forming a homogenously-blended sliver comprising a homogenous blend of base material staple fibers and dissolvable fibers;   drawing the homogenously-blended sliver on a draw frame to produce a twice-blended ultra-homogenous sliver; and   spinning the twice-blended ultra-homogenous sliver to produce the twice-blended ultra-homogenous specialized yarn, the twice-blended ultra-homogenous specialized yarn comprising an ultra-homogenous blend of base material staple fibers and dissolvable fibers that are evenly and uniformly distributed throughout the cross section thereof, wherein the dissolvable fibers are positioned amongst the base insoluble fibers such that the removal thereof defines a plurality of air voids, wherein when viewing the yarn's cross-section the plurality of air voids are positioned such that at least one air void path, defined between the central core of the yarn and the outer surface, is defined between about every 0.5-15 degrees around the entire 360 degree circumference of the specialized yarn.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38 , further comprising mixing the plurality of dissolvable fibers in a second blow room, cleaning the dissolvable fibers, carding the dissolvable fibers and forming a cleaned dissolvable fiber web, and wherein the cleaned base material staple web and the dissolvable fiber web are combined in the third blow room and intimately mixed together to produce a homogenous blend of base material staple fibers and dissolvable fibers.