Textile material and manufacture

Abstract

A run-resistant textile material includes a knitted structure of warp threads on a backing layer of loose fibrous material. Individual fibers are pulled out of the layer by notched knitting needles of a warp knitting machine and formed into loops together with, and underlying the chain .[.switched.]. .Iadd.stitched .Iaddend.warp threads. The fiber loops whose ends are anchored in the backing layer protect the fabric from laddering when a single stitch is broken.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A textile material comprising a base, said base including a plurality of loose fibers, a warp knitted yarn system constituted of parallel rows of interlocking loops piercing said base and forming stitches on the opposite side thereof to secure said yarn system on said base, and a plurality of discrete fiber loops intermediate said base and said yarn system, each of said fiber loops being formed of at least one of said loose fibers and having ends which are located within the base and a closed loop portion closely underlying and following the configuration of a respective loop of the warp knitted yarn system, each of the fiber loops thereby being paired with a respective loop of the warp knitted yarn system, each of the pairs of loops passing through a next adjacent one of the pair of loops in the same row. 
     
     
       2. A method of producing a textile material on a warp knitting machine comprising feeding a relatively voluminous web of loose fibers in a relatively uncompressed condition into the operating range of the reciprocating needles of the warp knitting machine, advancing the knitting needles into and through said web for perforation of the web and for positioning of the hooks at the far side of the web, inserting warp yarns into the hooks of said knitting needles at the far side of the web, retracting said knitting needles into the web thereby to insert loose fibers into the hooks of the knitting needles, closing said hooks of said needles after said insertion of loose fibers but prior to withdrawal of the needles from said mass, forming the inserted warp yarns together with the inserted fibers into warp knit stitches on the near side of the web, and immediately proximate the operating range of the needles on the far side of the needles in the direction of travel of the web compressing the web into a cross section in the direction of reciprocation of the needles pronouncedly smaller than the cross section of the web in said direction as it is fed to the operating zone. 
     
     
       3. A method as defined in claim 2 wherein said fibers are formed into loop-like structures. .[.4. A warp knitting machine, comprising warp knitting means including a row of reciprocable knitting needles having hooks, the paths of reciprocation of the hooks defining a knitting zone, a row of yarn guides parallel to the row of knitting needles, means for supplying a respective yarn to each of the yarn guides, said yarn guides being adapted to insert the yarn into the hooks of the knitting needles for the forming by the knitting needles of the yarn into chains of warp knit stitches, knock-over means proximate to said needles for knocking over the stitches formed by the needles, counter means substantially parallel to the knock-over means, the knock-over means and the counter means being positioned along the knitting zone traversely of the paths of reciprocation of the needles, means for conducting a base to and passing the base through the knitting zone between the knock-over means and the counter means, and means for compressing the base in the direction of reciprocation of the needles immediately after the knitting zone..]. .[.5. A warp knitting machine as defined in claim 4 in which said counter means includes a bar and a plurality of pins extending downwardly from said bar, the pins being so spaced relative to each other as to permit the yarns to be guided and the needles to reciprocate between adjacent ones of the pins..]. .[.6. A warp knitting machine as defined in claim 5 including an abutment mounted adjacent to said pins on the side thereof remote from the knock-over means to limit or prevent deflection of the pins in the direction of forward movement of the needles during forward movement of said needles through the base..]. .[.7. A warp knitting machine as defined in claim 4 wherein said conducting means comprises a endless conveyor belt angularly disposed relative to the direction of said needles and a pair of guide members positioned for receiving the base from the belt and delivering the base to the operating zone between the knock-over means and 
     
     
        the counter bar..]. 8. A warp knitting machine as defined in claim 4 .[.in which.]. .Iadd.including means for displacing .Iaddend.the compressing means .[.is displaceable.]. laterally intermediate said knock-over means and said counter means and vertically toward and away from said knitting needles.