Spacing knitted fabric and method for producing a spacing knitted fabric

Abstract

A spacing knitted fabric has a first and a second flat knitted fabric layer that are connected to each other by incorporated spacing threads. The first knitted fabric layer has mesh-forming loop threads made from thermoplastic plastic and non-mesh-forming additional threads made of thermoplastic plastic. In the first knitted fabric layer, only the additional threads are at least partially melted and due to the at least partial melting, causing a reinforcement of the first knitted fabric layer.

Claims

1. A spacing knitted fabric, comprising: a first knitted fabric layer: and a second flat knitted fabric layer; wherein the first and second knitted fabric layers are connected to each other by incorporated spacing threads; wherein the first knitted fabric layer has loop-forming loop threads and non-loop forming additional threads, wherein the non-loop forming additional threads are made of a first thermoplastic polymer and the loop-forming loop threads are made of a second thermoplastic polymer; wherein in the first knitted fabric layer, only the non-loop forming additional threads are partially melted while the loop-forming loop threads remain unmelted, and due to the partial melting, the non-loop forming additional threads reinforce the first knitted fabric layer such that the partially melted non-loop forming additional threads bond and fix the loop-forming loop threads together due to the partial melting while a structure of the loop threads stays unchanged, wherein the non-loop-forming additional threads are formed from multi-filament yarn comprising a plurality of filaments that are partially fused together in the manner of a strand due to the partial melting, wherein the first thermoplastic polymer has a lower melting or softening temperature than the second thermoplastic polymer, and wherein at least one of the first and the second knitted fabric layers comprises openings formed by a plurality of loops.

2. The spacing knitted fabric according to claim 1, wherein in the first knitted fabric layer, the loop-forming loop threads are bonded together by the at least partially melted non-loop forming additional threads.

3. The spacing knitted fabric according to claim 1, wherein the second knitted fabric layer also comprises loop-forming loop threads made of a second thermoplastic polymer and non-loop forming additional threads made of a first thermoplastic polymer; and wherein in the second knitted fabric layer, only the non-loop forming additional threads are at least partially melted and due to the at least partial melting, reinforce the second knitted fabric layer.

4. The spacing knitted fabric according to claim 3, wherein the non-loop forming additional threads are incorporated into the respective knitted fabric layer as a continuous weft or partial weft thread.

5. The spacing knitted fabric according to claim 1, wherein channels that are free of spacing threads are formed between the first and the second knitted fabric layers.

6. The spacing knitted fabric according to claim 1, wherein in the first knitted fabric layer, a the weight ratio of the non-loop forming additional threads to the loop-forming loop threads is between 1:1 and 1:10.

7. The spacing knitted fabric according to claim 1, wherein the loop-forming loop threads and the non-loop forming additional threads of the first knitted fabric layer are formed from different types of polyester.

8. The spacing knitted fabric according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the different types of polyester comprises polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is explained in the following section by reference to the drawings, which represent at least one exemplary embodiment. Shown are:

(2) FIG. 1 a section of a spacing knitted fabric in a plan view;

(3) FIG. 2 a first knitted fabric layer of the spacing knitted fabric alone, in a plan view,

(4) FIG. 3 a variant of the spacing knitted fabric as shown in FIG. 1 in an abstract representation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a spacing knitted fabric comprising a first flat knitted fabric layer 1, shown above in the drawing, and a second knitted fabric layer 2 arranged underneath it.

(6) Both the first knitted fabric layer 1 and the second knitted fabric layer 2 each have openings 3a, 3b, which are formed by a plurality of loops in the knitting process. In FIG. 1 it can be seen that the first knitted fabric layer 1 and the second knitted fabric layer 2 are connected to each other by spacing threads 4.

(7) In the production of the spacing knitted fabric, rows of loops running in the transverse direction Q are formed sequentially in a production direction P.

(8) FIG. 2 shows a detail of the first knitted fabric layer 1, wherein for better visibility the second knitted fabric layer 2 and the spacing threads 4 are not shown. In particular, in the context of the invention the first knitted fabric layer 1 and the second knitted fabric layer 2 can be formed identically or substantially identically.

(9) From FIG. 2 it can be seen that the first knitted fabric layer 1, and therefore preferably also the second knitted fabric layer 2, has both mesh-forming loop threads 5 and non-mesh-forming additional threads 6.

(10) The additional threads 6 are shown thicker for better visibility, wherein these do not need to correspond to the actual thread thickness in practice, however.

(11) According to the invention the additional threads 6 are partially melted and solidified again, which reinforces the first knitted fabric layer 1.

(12) The additional threads 6 are preferably formed of multi-filament yarns, wherein the individual filaments can be connected to each other in the at least partial melting process. In addition, the melted additional threads 6 can also bond and fix the loop threads 5 to a certain extent. The loop threads 5 nevertheless retain their original structure, so that the first knitted fabric layer 1 is reinforced but does not become completely hard.

(13) Both the melting of the individual filaments of the additional threads 6 together and a certain amount of bonding of the loop threads 5 can contribute to the reinforcement of the first knitted fabric layer 1, and in an appropriate configuration, of the second knitted fabric layer 2 also.

(14) During processing of the spacing knitted fabric a small expansion is produced in the production direction P and in the transverse direction Q, which facilitates the processing. Individual fragments of the spacing threads 4 or of the loop threads 5 can be fixed to a certain extent by the melted additional threads 6, so that fragments such as these are not released when the spacing knitted fabric is cut to size.

(15) FIG. 3 shows a variant of the spacing knitted fabric shown in FIG. 1 in an abstract representation. In accordance with FIG. 1, the first knitted fabric layer, and optionally also the second knitted fabric layer, is formed from the mesh-forming loop threads 5 and the non-mesh-forming additional threads 6. FIG. 3 now shows a variant of this, in which on the basis of a uniform arrangement of the non-mesh-forming additional threads 6, individual additional threads 6 are displaced by non-mesh-forming tearing threads 7 in a specified pattern along the transverse direction Q. The first knitted fabric layer 1 can then be easily separated at the non-mesh-forming tearing threads 7. The non-mesh-forming tearing threads 7, in contrast to the non-mesh-forming additional threads 6, are not melted and have a lower tear strength. Advantageously, in each of the two knitted fabric layers 1, 2 a non-mesh-forming tearing thread 7 is provided at the same position in the transverse direction, one above the other.

(16) The non-mesh forming tearing threads 7 then extend particularly preferably along a longitudinal channel 18 on which the spacing threads 4 are also omitted. The entire spacing knitted fabric can then be torn into strips along these channels.