Fabrics having flocked corduroy ribs

Abstract

Flocked fabric products having a woven corduroy appearance, including method and apparatus for producing such fabrics wherein an indefinite length substrate sheet is transported in a generally horizontal path of travel through a coating apparatus where a mass of viscous adhesive material is applied to the upper surface of the sheet while support means located beneath the sheet prevent displacement of the sheet from its path of travel and provide dimensional stability thereto. Immediately downstream of the support means the upper surface of the sheet and the adhesive material thereon is contacted by the notched edge of a knife blade to dispose the adhesive mass in a plurality of parallel upstanding ribs having upwardly tapered sides in transverse cross-section. The blade notches are of generally trapezoidal shape with side edges tapering inwardly from the bottom edge of the blade, and means are provided for adjusting the effective heights of the notches to control the height of the ribs applied to the substrate sheet. The adhesive-ribbed sheet is subsequently flocked, heated, brushed and vacuumed to provide a flocked fabric having the appearance of woven corduroy.