Fabric seams
A method of manufacturing a fabric seam in a fabric for use as papermachine clothing, the fabric having loops at each of the fabric's transverse ends adapted for interconnection by way of a pintle to make the fabric endless, including the steps of bringing the ends into end-to-end disposition in order to interdigitate the loops, inserting a pintle in the interdigitated loops, heat setting to fix base yarns and the loops of the fabric in place, inserting at least one stuffer yarn, at least a part of which includes a low melt component, into selected void areas in the loops adjacent the pintle, adhering at least one batt layer to the seam by needling, and further heat setting to at least partially melt the stuffer yarn such that it deforms to substantially take on the shape of the void areas at the pintle joint, to bind fibers of the batt needled into the void areas and to bind adjacent yarns of the fabric.
1. A method of manufacturing a fabric seam in a fabric for use as papermachine clothing, said method comprising the steps of:
providing that the fabric includes a plurality of loops at each transverse end of the fabric, said plurality of loops being adapted for interconnection using a pintle to make the fabric endless;
bringing said transverse ends into an end-to-end disposition in order to interdigitate said plurality of loops;
inserting said pintle in said interdigitated plurality of loops;
heat setting to fix a plurality of base yarns of the fabric and said plurality of loops of the fabric in place;
inserting at least one stuffer yarn, at least a part of which includes a low melt component, into selected void areas in said plurality of loops adjacent said pintle, a melting point of said low melt component being up to 140° C., wherein said stuffer yarn is distanced from said pintle by the interdigitated plurality of loops connected by said pintle;
adhering at least one batt layer to the fabric seam by needling; and
heat setting to at least partially melt said at least one stuffer yarn such that said at least one stuffer yarn deforms to substantially take on a shape of said void areas at a pintle joint, to encapsulate and bind a plurality of fibers of said at least one batt layer needled into said void areas and to bind adjacent ones of said plurality of base yarns of the fabric.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said low melt component has a melting point which is less than that of the fabric.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein one of (a) the fabric is woven and said plurality of loops are formed by back-weaving a plurality of free warp yarns, and (b) said plurality of loops are separate seaming spirals which are bound into the fabric by a holding yarn.