Patent ID: 6993939

Claim:
Method of producing a preconsolidated elongated multi-strata fabric suitable for reinforcing plastic or resin articles, each of said strata being oriented differently from adjacent said strata and being comprised of thread or fiber sheets, at least one of said strata being a stationary weft stratum, each said stationary weft stratum being comprised of thread or fiber sheet oriented at least substantially parallel to a machine direction, the method comprising forming at least one stationary weft stratum by forming a sheet of threads or fibers stretched between rows of hooks on laterally spaced substantially parallel conveyor chains thereby to produce at least one thread or fiber fabric, said stationary weft stratum being a lowermost stratum of said multi-strata fabric; transporting said at least one thread or fiber fabric by means of said conveyor chains in a working direction to a warp knitting machine; by means of said warp knitting machine forming loops which bind threads or fibers of all said strata comprised of a respective thread or fiber fabric thereby to form a preconsolidated thread or fiber multi-strata fabric; penetrating the multi-strata fabric with the needles of the warp knitting machine and forming needle loops, the lowermost stratum being immediately adjacent the needle loops, the needle loops comprising legs which in a stage of a row of needle loops being cast off cross one another due to a relative mutual displacement of the needle loops and the stationary weft threads relative to a preceding site at which a preceding row of needle loops were formed to bind said threads or fibers; and subsequently penetrating said multi-strata fabric again with the row of needles to form a subsequent row of loops additionally binding said threads or fibers.