A fabric substrate having a warp direction and a fill direction is provided. The fabric substrate includes a plurality of warp yarns, a plurality of fill yarns. A portion of the plurality of the fill yarns form a hollow channel extending in the fill direction, and the hollow channel contains an encased fill yarn. As such, the encased fill yarn is protected from abrasion, bending, flexing, folding, compression, shrinkage, or expansion of the fabric substrate and remains undamaged after the fabric substrate is woven and subsequently handled or processed. In other embodiments, a hollow channel containing an encased yarn is formed in the warp direction, or hollow channels each containing an encased yarn are formed in both the fill direction and the warp direction.

The present invention relates to a composite membrane (10) comprising a fibrous fabric (1) of nanofibres (11), wherein the thickness of the fabric (1) is between 10 nm and 50 m and said fabric is impregnated with a wetting liquid (A). According to the invention, the composite membrane is immersed in a second fluid (B) which is immiscible with the wetting liquid (A), forming an A/B interface between the wetting liquid (A) and the immiscible fluid (B), and the composite membrane is capable of remaining tensioned when it is compressed from its resting state until reaching dimensions corresponding to 5% of its dimensions in the resting state, and when it is stretched from its compressed state until reaching dimensions corresponding to 2000% of the length in the compressed state. The present invention also relates to a process for manufacturing such a membrane.

A composite material for garments, such as shapewear and sportswear garments, is formed of an outer layer that is highly elastic with high compression and an inner layer provided on the outer layer and made of a material that is elastic, waterproof and oil proof. The outer layer is a fabric base fabricated from a blend of polyester and spandex. The inner layer comprises a coating of polyurethane (PU) containing nano-titanium dioxide (nano-TiO.sub.2). When used to fabricate a garment, the inner layer of the composite material is adjacent to the body of the wearer when the garment is worn such that perspiration from the wearer's skin and/or skin contact products, such as oil/water based body creams and gels, applied to the wearer's skin are not absorbed by the inner layer and are thereby prevented by the inner layer from being transmitted to the fabric base.

To provide an inorganic fiber sheet with high workability, which is also excellent in tackiness or adhesiveness when a pressure-sensitive adhesive or an adhesive has been applied thereto. The inorganic fiber sheet is a non-woven fabric containing inorganic fibers. The inorganic fiber sheet has a thickness T of 1 mm or more and contains shots derived from inorganic fibers and having a diameter of 45 ?m or more. The shots included in the inorganic fiber sheet is distributed in a sheet thickness direction as represented by Formula 1. Provided that Formula 1 is 1?Y/X? 0.11, where X represents a total weight of the shots in the inorganic fiber sheet per unit area / a total weight of the inorganic fiber sheet per unit area, and Y represents a weight of the shots per unit area included in the inorganic fiber sheet from which a portion having a thickness t and satisfying 0?t?s is removed, provided, however, that 0.10 mm?s?0.55 mm, with a wire side surface of the inorganic fiber sheet as a reference surface / a weight per unit area of the inorganic fiber sheet from which the portion having the thickness t is removed with the wire side surface of the inorganic fiber sheet as the reference surface.

The present disclosure relates to a hydroentangled composite fabric and a method of making such a hydroentangled composite fabric. In one embodiment, a method for making a hydroentangled composite fabric is disclosed. The method comprises forming a first web of nonwoven fibers using a first carding machine; forming a second web of nonwoven fibers using a second carding machine; combining the first web of nonwoven fibers and the second web of nonwoven fibers into a final web of nonwoven fibers; and entangling the final web of nonwoven fibers with a woven fabric using a plurality of water jets, wherein the water jets are applied at a pressure of 75 to 400 bars.

Disclosed are insulating materials, and in particular materials that offer improved insulation properties without compromising breathability. The insulating materials may include a base material having a moisture vapor transfer rate (MVTR) of at least 2000 g/m.sup.2/24 h (JIS 1099 A1); a plurality of heat-reflecting elements coupled to a first side of the base material, each heat-reflecting element having a heat-reflecting surface and being positioned to reflect heat towards an underlying surface; and a plurality of spacer elements coupled to the first side of the base material, each spacer element sized and shaped to reduce contact of the heat-reflecting elements with the underlying surface

Disclosed is a method of forming a 3D woven omega-shaped stiffener by flat weaving a plurality of layers of interwoven warp and weft fibers to form a flat woven fabric having a cap portion, a first and a second web portion, a first and second foot portion, and an inner wrap portion. The 3D woven fabric is woven so that least some of the weft fibers are continuous across a juncture between the web portion and the foot portions. The flat woven fabric is then formed into the omega shape.

A novel wire harness protection structure and a method for producing a braided cover-equipped wire harness that can prevent interference between the braided cover and other members without increasing the number of extra steps after braiding. The wire harness protection structure that protects an outer circumferential surface of a wire harness by using a braided cover, including a fold-back portion provided on one end side in an axial direction of the braided cover, the fold-back portion being formed by folding back a terminal end processed portion provided at a braiding start end, inward in a radial direction of the braided cover.

A breakaway clasp having two clasp components that can be releasably coupled together to provide a quick release closure mechanism. A first clasp component having a coupling portion and an attachment portion, and an identical second clasp component having a coupling portion and an attachment portion. The attachment portions may be configured to be coupled to a portion of an article, such as a necklace or bracelet, and the coupling portions are configured to releasably couple to each other, thereby forming a closure. Each coupling portion comprising two, identical hemisphere elements and a connecting section that connects the two hemisphere elements. The hemisphere elements and connecting section may define a receiving cavity configured to receive at least a portion of the hemisphere elements of the other clasp component.

Starch-based fibers, compositions comprising same, method of preparing said starch-based fibers, kits and methods for use of said starch-based fibers including but not limited to oral delivery of cells (e.g., probiotic microorganisms) and/or molecules of interest (e.g., nutrients) are provided.