Fabric structure with cellular construction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9562306-B2
Application number	US-201414766474-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2014
Priority date	Feb 7, 2013
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

A fabric structure ( 1 ) having a cellular construction. The fabric structure comprises at least one base layer ( 6 ) consisting of warp threads ( 10 ), at least one top layer ( 7 ) consisting of warp threads ( 11 ) and weft threads ( 2 ) placed in between, wherein the fabric structure ( 1 ) is formed by a multiplicity of three-dimensional cells ( 3, 9 ) and the height ( 8 ) of each individual cell ( 3, 9 ) is defined by the spacing ( 8 ) between two warp threads ( 10, 11 ), located above the other in height direction z, in adjacent layers ( 6, 7 ), the length ( 12 ) of the cell ( 3, 9 ) is defined by the spacing ( 12 ) between two warp threads ( 10 ) or ( 11 ) adjacent in the weft direction x, in one layer ( 6, 7 ) and the width ( 13, 14 ) of a cell ( 3, 9 ) is defined by the extent ( 13 ) of the weft thread course in the warp direction y and/or the spacing ( 14 ) between the two weft threads ( 2 ) that are opposite in the warp direction y and adjacent to the particular cell ( 9 ). According to the invention, each weft thread ( 2 ) extends at least regionally in the fabric structure ( 1 ) in a dimensionally stable and three-dimensional manner and winds in the weft direction x about this axis ( 4 ) an imaginary, three-dimensional elongate hollow body, extending through the cells ( 3 ), having any desired end face ( 5 ). The weft threads ( 2 ) intersect the warp threads ( 10, 11 ) such that the weft threads ( 2 ) and warp threads ( 10, 11 ) retain one another and the fabric structure ( 1 ) is self-supporting.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fabric structure having a cellular construction comprising,
at least one base layer of warp threads,
at least one cover layer of warp threads and
weft threads interposed therebetween,
said cellular construction including a multitude of three-dimensional cells, each having a height, a length and a width dimension, wherein the height is defined by the distance between two superposed warp threads in an adjacent layer in a height direction z, the length defined by the distance between two, in a weft direction x adjacent warp threads or adjacent layer, and the width defined by the expansion of the weft thread course in warp direction y and/or, by the distance between two, in warp direction y, opposite weft threads and adjacent to each cell,
wherein at least area-wise, each weft thread extends form-stable three-dimensional along the weft direction x winding around an axis that extends each through a row of cells and defines an three-dimensional elongated hollow body having a variable-shaped end face, said hollow body extends through the row of cells and wherein the weft threads are crossed with each other in such a way that the weft threads and the warp threads hold each other and renders the fabric structure self supporting.

2. The fabric structure according to claim 1 , further comprising one or more additional cover layers and wherein weft threads are interposed between each of the more than one additional cover layers, and wherein the cells are between each of the layers.

3. The fabric structure of claim 1 , wherein the, in weft direction x form-stable three-dimensional extending, weft thread is wound around the three-dimensional hollow body in a spiral manner so as to define a plain cylindrical shaped hollow body.

4. The fabric structure of claim 1 , wherein the, in weft direction x form-stable three-dimensional extending, weft thread is wound around the three-dimensional hollow body in a zigzag manner so as to define a prismatic shaped hollow body with a triangular end face.

5. The fabric structure of claim 1 , wherein additional form-stable three-dimensional threads that are wound around an axis along the warp direction y defining the three-dimensional elongated hollow body extending through the cells with a variable shaped end face, are weaved in warp direction y.

6. The fabric structure of claim 1 , wherein form-stable three-dimensional extending weft threads and/or form-stable three-dimensional threads are disposed in warp direction y at various orientations within one of the layers.

7. The fabric structure of claim 1 , wherein additionally stretched and/or profiled threads of variable form are weaved in warp direction y and/or in weft direction x.

8. The fabric structure of claim 7 , wherein the profiled threads have a two-dimensional triangular or trapeze shape.

9. The fabric structure of claim 7 , wherein the profiled threads are tied-up by the warp threads of the base layer and the cover layer and/or layers adjacent to each other and thus effect the distance between the base layer and the cover layer and/or between two adjacent cover layers.

10. The fabric structure of claim 9 , wherein all threads have defined cross sectional shapes.

11. The fabric structure of claim 10 , wherein the shapes are circular, triangular or rectangular.

12. The fabric structure of claim 9 , wherein the threads are of metal or plastic.

13. The fabric structure of claim 9 , wherein all threads are wire and/or yarn.

14. The fabric structure of claim 13 , wherein the yarn is a fiber yarn or a yarn in the form of filaments.

15. The fabric structure of claim 1 , wherein the rows of cells oriented in weft direction x are arranged with or without weft threads.

16. The fabric structure of claim 2 , wherein the rows of cells oriented in weft direction x, along the warp direction y and/or, if there are several cover layers, along the height direction z are alternately arranged.

17. The fabric structure of claim 1 , wherein the cell measurements along the warp direction y and/or the weft direction x and/or—if there are more than one cover layer—varies along the height direction z.

18. A method of using the fabric structure of claim 1 , comprising incorporating a finished structure within a light weight construction.

Assignees

• Univ Dresden Tech

Inventors

• Sennewald Cornelia
• Hoffmann Gerald
• Cherif Chokri

Classifications

• D03D11/00

  Double or multi-ply fabrics not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• D10B2101/20

  Metallic fibres · CPC title

• D10B2403/021

  Lofty fabric with equidistantly spaced front and back plies, e.g. spacer fabrics · CPC title

• D03D15/02

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic

• D03D25/005 Primary

  Three-dimensional woven fabrics · CPC title