Yarn comprising gel-forming filaments or fibres

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9562305-B2
Application number	US-201214362050-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2012
Priority date	Dec 1, 2011
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

A yarn comprising gel forming filaments or fibers particularly one used to make a woven or knitted wound dressing or other gelling fabric structure. The invention provides a yarn comprising a blend of from 30% to 100% by weight of gel-forming fibers and 0% to 70% by weight of textile fibers. Process for making the yarns are also described including those using rotor spinning.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A yarn comprising a blend of from 30% to 100% by weight gel-forming fibres and 0% to 70% by weight textile fibres, wherein the fibres are rotor spun to produce the yarn, and the yarn has a dry tensile breaking strength of at least about 400 cN, the yarn capable of being converted into a fabric by knitting.

2. A yarn as claimed in claim 1 wherein the staple fibre length is from 30 to 60 mm.

3. A yarn as claimed in claim 1 having a dry tensile strength of at least 10cN/tex.

4. A yarn as claimed in claim 1 wherein the yarn comprises a blend of from 50% to 100% by weight of gel forming fibres with from 0% to 50% of textile fibres.

5. A process for making a yarn comprising gel-forming fibres comprising the steps of:
blending staple gel-forming fibres optionally with textile fibres;
carding to form a continuous web;
drawing the web to produce a sliver and rotor spinning to produce a yarn; wherein the yarn has a dry tensile breaking strength of at least about 400 cN.

6. A process for making a yarn comprising gel forming fibres or filaments, comprising the steps of
(i) obtaining a yarn of cellulosic filaments or fibres;
(ii) chemically modifying the yarn to give the yarn gel forming properties,
wherein the chemically modified yarn has a dry tensile strength of at least about 400 cN, the yarn capable of being converted into a fabric by knitting.

7. A process as claimed in claim 6 wherein the chemical modification is carboxymethylation using a reaction fluid comprising a solution of an alkali and monochloroacetate in an organic solvent.

8. A process for making a yarn as claimed in claim 5 wherein the tensile strength of the yarn is at least 10cN/tex.

9. A yarn as claimed in claim 1 wherein the gel forming fibres are polysaccharide fibres, chemically modified cellulosic fibres, pectin fibres, alginate fibres, chitosan fibres, hyaluronic acid fibres or fibres derived from gums.

10. A yarn as claimed in claim 1 wherein the gel forming fibres are modified cellulose fibres.

11. A process for making a yarn as claimed in claim 5 wherein the gel forming fibres are polysaccharide fibres, chemically modified cellulosic fibres, pectin fibres, alginate fibres, chitosan fibres, hyaluronic acid fibres or fibres derived from gums.

12. A process for making a yarn as claimed in claim 5 wherein the gel forming fibres are modified gel forming fibres.

13. A process for making a yarn as claimed in claim 6 wherein the tensile strength of the yarn is at least 10 cN/tex.

14. A process for making a yarn as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the gel forming fibres are polysaccharide fibres, chemically modified cellulosic fibres, pectin fibres, alginate fibres, chitosan fibres, hyaluronic acid fibres or fibres derived from gums.

15. A process for making a yarn as claimed in claim 6 wherein the gel forming fibres are modified gel forming fibres.

16. A process for making a yarn as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the gel forming fibres are modified cellulose fibres.

17. A process for making a yarn as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the gel forming fibres are modified cellulose fibres.

Assignees

• Convatec Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Bonnefin Wayne
• Wroe Sarah
• Prentice Amelia

Classifications

• D04B21/12

  characterised by thread material · CPC title

• A61L15/60

  Liquid-swellable gel-forming materials, e.g. super-absorbents · CPC title

• D02G3/04 Primary

  Blended or other yarns or threads containing components made from different materials · CPC title

• Y10T428/2975

  Tubular or cellular · CPC title

• D06M2101/06

  cellulosic · CPC title