Patent ID: 8484940

Claim:
A method of making a composite fabric comprising the steps of: (a) providing fibers; (b) providing composite elastomeric yarns comprising an elastomeric core component and an elastomeric thermoplastic sheath component disposed about the core component wherein a melting point temperature of the sheath component is at least about 10° C. lower than a melting point temperature of the core component; (c) forming a composite yarn arrangement by disposing the fibers about the sheath component of the composite elastomeric yarns by spinning or twisting; (d) heating the composite yarns to a temperature so as to soften or at least tackify at least a portion of the sheath component of the composite elastomeric yarns to facilitate an anchoring of at least a portion of the fibers in at least a portion of the sheath component of the composite elastomeric yarns; (e) cooling the composite yarn arrangement of fibers and composite elastomeric yarns to anchor at least a portion of the fibers in at least a portion of the sheath component of the composite elastomeric yarns; and (f) forming the composite fabric by weaving, knitting, braiding, or felting the composite elastomeric yarns and fibers.