FOOTCLOTH AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING FOOTCLOTH

Abstract

 A footcloth (1) includes a base fabric (11) formed to extend in a planar direction and a pile material (12) provided in the base fabric so as to cover a front surface (11a) of the base fabric. The pile material includes piles (121) formed by pulp. The piles are implanted with such a density that flow of air into an inner part of the pile material is restricted.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a footcloth and a method for manufacturing a footcloth.

2. Description of the Related Art

[0002] Many of footcloths intended for use both indoors and outdoors, such as rugs, carpets, and artificial turfs, are formed by synthetic resin such as polyethylene and polypropylene.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2013-503273 is an example of related art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] Footcloths made of synthetic resin cause problems when disposed of, as they are not satisfactory in biodegradability and produce toxic substances when incinerated.

[0005] Under such circumstances, the present invention has as an object to provide a footcloth that is satisfactory in biodegradability, that produces less toxic substances when incinerated, and that is superior in environmental characteristic and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a footcloth comprising: a base fabric formed to extend in a planar direction; and a pile material provided in the base fabric so as to cover a front surface of the base fabric, wherein the pile material includes piles formed by pulp, and the piles are implanted with such a density that flow of air into an inner part of the pile material is restricted.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the present invention, the pile material is implanted with such a density that a number of the piles per square inch of the base fabric in a longitudinal direction is larger than or equal to 10 and a number of the piles per square inch of the base fabric in a transverse direction is larger than or equal to 10.

[0008] According to a third aspect of the present invention, the pile material is implanted with such a density that a number of the piles per square inch of the base fabric in a longitudinal direction is larger than or equal to 14.9 and a number of the piles per square inch of the base fabric in a transverse direction is larger than or equal to 10, and each of the piles protrudes from the base fabric in a direction of the front surface thereof by a length of 10 mm.

[0009] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the footcloth is an artificial turf laying body that is laid on a ground or a rug intended for use indoors.

[0010] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a footcloth, the method comprising: a pulp-producing step of producing pulp by digesting Manila hemp pulp or wood pulp; a paper-making step of producing Japanese paper thread base paper by paper making; a slitting step of preparing tapes by cutting the Japanese paper thread base paper into widths of 1 mm to 4 mm; a yarn-twisting step of producing Japanese paper threads by executing a twisting step of twisting the tapes thus cut; and a weaving step of producing, by machine weaving, a paper footcloth having a base fabric with piles of the Japanese paper threads implanted in a front surface thereof.

[0011] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the base fabric is composed of a nonwoven fabric made of synthetic resin, the method further comprising a backing step of applying a resin coating to a back surface of the base fabric so as to prevent the piles from falling out of the base fabric.

[0012] According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the Japanese paper threads are formed by twisting the tapes having widths of 1 mm to 4 mm.

[0013] According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, each of the piles is formed by twisting together two or four of the Japanese paper threads.

[0014] According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the weaving step, the piles are implanted with such a density that a number of the piles per square inch of the base fabric in a longitudinal direction is larger than or equal to 10 and a number of the piles per square inch of the base fabric in a transverse direction is larger than or equal to 10.

[0015] According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the weaving step, the piles are implanted a number of the piles per square inch of the base fabric in a longitudinal direction is larger than or equal to 14.9 and a number of the piles per square inch of the base fabric in a transverse direction is larger than or equal to 10, and each of the piles protrudes from the base fabric in a direction of the front surface thereof by a length of 10 mm.

[0016] According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the footcloth is an artificial turf laying body that is laid on a ground or a rug intended for use indoors.

[0017] According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the piles that constitute the pile material are formed by pulp (paper), it is possible to provide a footcloth that is satisfactory in biodegradability, that produces less toxic substances when incinerated, and that is superior in environmental characteristic.

[0018] Furthermore, since the piles are implanted with such a density that the flow of air into the inner part of the pile material is restricted, it is possible to, even while using pulp (paper), provide a footcloth that is superior in fire-proof performance.

[0019] According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the density with which the piles are implanted per square inch of the base fabric is higher than or equal to 10 in each of the longitudinal and transverse directions, the flow of air into the inner part of the pile material can be satisfactorily restricted for higher flame retardancy and improvement in fire-proof performance.

[0020] According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the density with which the piles are implanted per square inch of the base fabric is higher than or equal to 14.9 in the longitudinal direction and higher than or equal to 10 in the transverse direction, the flow of air into the inner part of the pile material can be more satisfactorily restricted for further improvement in fire-proof performance.

[0021] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an artificial turf laying body and a rug that are superior in environmental characteristic and fire-proof performance.

[0022] According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the piles to be implanted in the base fabric are made of Japanese paper threads containing pulp, it is possible to manufacture and provide a footcloth that is superior in environmental characteristic.

[0023] Note here that it is possible to, by preparing the tapes by cutting the Japanese paper thread base paper produced by paper making and producing the Japanese paper threads by twisting the tapes thus cut, secure the Japanese paper threads good workability in machine weaving and ensure the strength of the piles implanted in the base fabric.

[0024] Furthermore, using Manila hemp pulp or wood pule makes it possible to provide a paper footcloth that is superior especially in environmental characteristic.

[0025] According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to, by employing the base fabric composed of a nonwoven fabric made of synthetic resin and applying a resin coating to the back surface of the base fabric, easily implant piles in the base fabric and satisfactorily prevent the piles thus implanted from falling out of the base fabric.

[0026] According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, cutting the Japanese paper thread base paper into tapes having widths of 1 mm to 4 mm makes it possible to smoothly execute the twisting step, give the Japanese paper threads thus twisted appropriate thickness and strength, and implant the piles at the required density in the base fabric.

[0027] According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to, by forming the piles by twisting together a plurality of (specifically, two or four) Japanese paper threads, make the piles uniform and strong and provide a paper footcloth that can sufficiently withstand repeated use and washing.

[0028] According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since the density with which the piles are implanted per square inch of the base fabric is higher than or equal to 10 in each of the longitudinal and transverse directions, the flow of air into the inner part of the pile material can be satisfactorily restricted for higher flame retardancy and improvement in fire-proof performance.

[0029] According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, since the density with which the piles are implanted per square inch of the base fabric is higher than or equal to 14.9 in the longitudinal direction and higher than or equal to 10 in the transverse direction, the flow of air into the inner part of the pile material can be more satisfactorily restricted for further improvement in fire-proof performance.

[0030] According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to manufacture an artificial turf laying body and a rug that are superior in environmental characteristic and fire-proof performance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] 

Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a footcloth (artificial turf laying body) according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line A-A shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line B-B shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a flow chart showing basic steps of a method for manufacturing a footcloth according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a slitting step and a twisting step of the manufacturing method;

Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a weaving step of the manufacturing method;

Fig. 7 is a schematic view showing facilities that are used for a surface temperature test;

Fig. 8 is a schematic view showing a positional relationship between artificial turf samples and an illuminating lamp in the test; and

Fig. 9 is a graph schematically showing changes in surface temperature as results of the test.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the drawings.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 1, a paper footcloth (hereinafter simply referred to as a "footcloth) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a base fabric 11 and a pile material 12. Fig. 1 schematically shows the outer shape of the pile material 12 with chain double-dashed lines.

[0034] In the present embodiment, the footcloth 1 is an artificial turf laying body that is laid on a ground. An artificial turf can be formed by bedding the whole or part of the ground with this footcloth 1. The targeted ground may be an outdoor or indoor ground.

[0035] The base fabric 11 fixes piles 121 for forming the turf. The base fabric 11 is formed to have predetermined vertical and horizontal dimensions so as to spread in longitudinal and transverse directions of the footcloth 1, i.e. a planar direction parallel with a ground surface or a floor surface on which the footcloth 1 is laid. Fig. 1 indicates the longitudinal and transverse directions of the footcloth 1 as a Y direction and an X direction, respectively. A Z direction is a vertically upward direction, i.e. an upward direction. The base fabric 11 can be formed by an appropriate synthetic resin material such as polyester or polypropylene and may be a nonwoven fabric or a plain-woven fabric of synthetic resin yarn (thread).

[0036] The pile material 12 is provided so as to entirely cover a front surface 11a of the base fabric 11. The pile material 12 includes a large number of the piles 121 formed by pulp, and these piles 121 are implanted in the base fabric 11 with such a density that flow of air into an inner part of the pile material 12, i.e. into gaps between individual piles 121 or Japanese paper threads 1211 that constitute the pile material 12 is restricted. The term "pile material 12" here means an aggregate of a plurality of or a large number of the piles 121.

[0037] In the present embodiment, each of the piles 121 is constituted by twisting together a plurality of the Japanese paper threads 1211. That is, the piles 121 take the form of twisted threads. The Japanese paper threads 1211 that constitute the piles 121 are also called "paper yarn", which is made commercially available as "OJO⁺" by the applicant of the present application. The Japanese paper threads 1211 are colored with a color that is similar to that of blades of grass (e.g. green).

[0038] As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, which are enlarged cross-sectional views of the footcloth 1, the piles 121 are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction (Y direction) (Fig. 3), and a plurality of similar rows are placed at regular spacings in the transverse direction (X direction) (Fig. 2). Moreover, each of the piles 121 has a root portion 121a passed through the base fabric 11 from the front surface 11a to a back surface 11b of the base fabric 11 and fixed to the base fabric 11 by a resin coating 13 applied to and formed on the back surface 11b of the base fabric 11.

[0039] As previously mentioned, each of the piles 121 is formed by twisting together a plurality of the Japanese paper threads 1211, and in the present embodiment, one pile 121 is formed by twisting together four Japanese paper threads 1211. Note here that each of the piles 121 is in such a state that a distal end portion of the pile 121 opposite to the root portion 121a, which is fixed to the base fabric 11, is freed from a twisted bondage and disentangled into individual (i.e. four) Japanese paper threads 1211. Each one of the Japanese paper threads 1211 imitates a blade of grass. The number of Japanese paper threads 1211 that are twisted together may be an appropriate number other than 4, e.g. 2.

[0040] The density of piles 121 are set at such a density that the number of piles 121 per square inch of the base fabric 11 in the longitudinal direction is larger than or equal to 10 and the number of piles 121 per square inch of the base fabric 11 in the transverse direction is larger than or equal to 10 or, in the present embodiment, at such a density that the number of piles 121 per square inch of the base fabric 11 in the Y direction, which is the longitudinal direction, is larger than or equal to 14.9 and the number of piles 121 per square inch of the base fabric 11 in the X direction, which is the transverse direction, is larger than or equal to 10. Note here that the number of piles 121 per square inch of the base fabric 11 in the longitudinal direction and the number of piles 121 per square inch of the base fabric 11 in the transverse direction may be equal to or different from each other. Moreover, each of the piles 121 is set such that a height dimension of a portion of the pile 121 that protrudes upward from the base fabric 11, i.e. a length L, is 10 mm.

[0041] The following describes a method for manufacturing the footcloth 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0042] In the flow chart shown in Fig. 4, reference sign S101 denotes a pulp-producing step of producing pulp by digesting Manila hemp pulp or wood pulp.

[0043] Reference sign S102 denotes a paper-making step of producing Japanese paper thread base paper P by performing paper making with use of the pulp produced in S101. The paper-making step is accompanied by a dyeing step of coloring the base paper P.

[0044] Reference sign S103 denotes a slitting step of preparing Japanese paper tapes TP by cutting the base paper P produced in step S102 into predetermined widths W. Specifically, as shown in (a) of Fig. 5, the base paper P is cut into widths W of 1 mm to 4 mm with a slit cutter C1 placed on the base paper P while the base paper P is moved in a direction of conveyance indicated by an arrow. As a result of this, tapes TP having widths W are prepared.

[0045] Reference sign S104 denotes a yarn-twisting step of producing Japanese paper threads TH by twisting the tapes TP prepared in step S103. Moreover, Japanese paper twisted threads, i.e. piles 121, are each formed by twisting together a predetermined number of (in the present embodiment, four) Japanese paper threads TH. The piles 121 are each wound around a creel stand for storage. (b) of Fig. 5 shows a step of producing a Japanese paper thread TH by twisting a tape TP, and (c) of Fig. 5 shows a step of forming the pile 121 by twisting together four Japanese paper threads TH.

[0046] Reference sign S105 denotes a weaving step of, by performing tufting by a tuft-weaving machine (tufting machine) with use of the piles 121 produced in step S104, the paper footcloth 1 having the base fabric 11 with the piles 121 implanted in the front surface 11a thereof.

[0047] Specifically, as shown in (a) of Fig. 6, while the base fabric 11 is being conveyed in a direction indicated by an arrow (unidirectional arrow), the pile 121 is woven into the base fabric 11 in a manner that is similar to that in which a carpet is woven. A needle N reciprocating in a direction perpendicular to the back surface 11b of the base fabric 11 drives the pile 121 so that the pile 121 passes from the back surface 11b to the front surface 11a of the base fabric 11, and a keeper K reciprocating in a direction parallel to the front surface 11a of the base fabric 11 fixes the pile 121 to the position into which the pile 121 has been driven. After the fixation by the keeper K, the needle N is pulled out and the keeper K is retreated to the original position. After that, as shown in (b) of Fig. 6, by cutting a loop portion 121b at a distal end of the pile 121 with a cutter or a hook knife C2, the distal end portion of the pile 121 is unbound, so that the pile 121 is disentangled into individual Japanese paper threads 1211. Thus, implanting of two piles 121 is completed.

[0048] In the backing step denoted by reference sign S106, a backing process is executed on the back surface 11b of the base fabric 11. Specifically, an appropriate synthetic resin material such as styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) or nitrile rubber (NBR) is applied to the back surface 11b of the base fabric 11, and this resin material is dried by a dryer called a tenter to form a resin coating. Thus, the piles 121 are fixed to the base fabric 11 so that the piles 121 are prevented from falling out of the base fabric 11.

[0049] As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the piles 121 that constitute the pile material 12 are formed by pulp (paper), it is possible to provide the footcloth 1 that is satisfactory in biodegradability, that produces less toxic substances when incinerated, and that is superior in environmental characteristic.

[0050] Specifically, from the piles 121 or the Japanese paper threads 1211 of the footcloth 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to achieve the footcloth 1 that is extremely low in harmfulness to humans, that is high in safety, and in which detected values obtained by a test specified in Japanese Industrial Standards JIS L 1030 for eight types of heavy metal (antimony Sb, arsenic As, barium Ba, cadmium Cd, chromium Cr, lead Pb, mercury Hg, and selenium Se) are all below a detection limit value (antimony Sb, arsenic As, barium Ba, cadmium Cd, chromium Cr, lead Pb, mercury Hg, selenium Se: detection limits of 5 mg/kg for Sb, As, Cd, Cr, and Hg and 10 mg/kg for Ba, Pb, and Se), undetected results are obtained, and undetected results are also obtained for formaldehyde (detected value of free formaldehyde by the Harmful Substances Test Method provided for in Order of the Ministry of Health and Welfare No. 34 is less than or equal to 20 µg per gram). Furthermore, an antibacterial activity value obtained by the bacterial solution absorption method specified in JIS L 1902:2015 is 2.3, and it has been proven to have antibacterial properties.

[0051] Furthermore, since the piles 121 are implanted with such a density that the flow of air into the inner part of the pile material 12 is restricted, it is possible to, even while using pulp (paper), provide a footcloth that is superior in fire-proof performance.

[0052] Note here that since the density with which the piles 121 are implanted per square inch of the base fabric 11 is higher than or equal to 10 in each of the longitudinal and transverse directions or, specifically, higher than or equal to 14.9 in the longitudinal direction and higher than or equal to 10 in the transverse direction, the flow of air into the inner part of the pile material 12 can be satisfactorily restricted for higher flame retardancy and improvement in fire-proof performance.

[0053] A flame-proof performance test certified by the Japan Fire Retardant Association was conducted on each of the following footcloths of Example 1, Comparative Example 1, and Comparative Example 2. Only Example 1 passed the test, and the other Comparative Examples 1 and 2 failed. Comparative Example 1 differs from Example 1 in that Comparative Example 1 is low in density of piles, that level cutting is not executed, and that a pile having a loop portion remains. On the other hand, Comparative Example 2 differs from Example 1 in that Comparative Example 2 is low in density of piles and that the weight of piles per unit square (i.e. mass per unit area) is small, although level cutting is executed.

(1) Example 1

[0054] A footcloth with a pile length of 10 mm and a pile weight of 1230 g per square meter was obtained by implanting piles at a density of 14.9 per square inch in the longitudinal direction and 10 per square inch in the transverse direction with use of a 1/10G tufting machine (tuft gauge) and removing the loop portions at the pile distal ends by level cutting.

(2) Comparative Example 1

[0055] A high-cut and low-loop (1:1) footcloth with a pile length of 14 mm or 5 mm and a pile weight of 812 g per square meter was obtained by implanting piles at a density of 9.6 per square inch in the longitudinal direction and 6.4 in the transverse direction with use of a 5/32G tufting machine.

(3) Comparative Example 2

[0056] A footcloth with a pile length of 10 mm and a pile weight of 1100 g per square meter was obtained by implanting piles at a density of 11 per square inch in the longitudinal direction and 6.4 per square inch in the transverse direction with use of a 5/32G tufting machine and removing the loop portions at the pile distal ends by level cutting.

[0057] In addition, according to the present embodiment, since the piles 121 are made of paper and the pile material 12 breathes well, stuffiness is lessened and a rise in surface temperature in response to heat from sunlight is suppressed, so that comfort can be ensured even during outdoor use in summer.

[0058] A surface temperature measurement test was conducted on the footcloth 1 according to the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as a "paper artificial turf"), an artificial turf whose piles are formed by nylon (hereinafter referred to as a "nylon artificial turf"), and an artificial turf whose piles are formed by polyester (hereinafter referred to as a "polyester artificial turf") with use of a test apparatus shown in Fig. 7.

[0059] A paper artificial turf SPL1, a nylon artificial turf SPL2, and a polyester artificial turf SPL3 were laid on a styrofoam sample stage 301 with their front surfaces facing upward and their back surfaces facing downward, and the front surface of each of the artificial turf samples was irradiated with artificial sunlight for a predetermined period of time by an artificial sunlight illuminating lamp (Artificial Solar Lighting XC-500EFSS, manufactured by SERIC LTD.; hereinafter referred to as "illuminating lamp") 201 placed at a predetermined height (H) from the upper surface of the sample stage 301. The height H is, for example, 50 cm.

[0060] Then, after the start of a irradiation with the illuminating lamp, the surface temperatures of the artificial turf samples SPL1, SPL2, and SPL3 were measured hourly by a thermocamera (manufactured by Nippon Avionics Co., Ltd., InfReC R550, set at an emissivity of 1.0) 202. The irradiation was executed more than once (in the present embodiment, four times), and the positions of the artificial turf samples SPL1, SPL2, and SPL3 were changed in each time. As shown in Fig. 8, a range of irradiation R with artificial sunlight by the illuminating lamp 201 is divided into four quadrants, and in the drawing, the upper left quadrant is defined as a first region Rq1 and the quadrants arranged clockwise from the first region Rq1 are defined as a second region Rq2, a third region Rq3, and a fourth region Rq4. In Fig. 8, reference sings SPLa, SPLb, SPLc, and SPLd denote artificial turf samples placed separately in each of the four quadrants Rq1 to Rq4. The center (i.e. the point of intersection of two axes by which each quadrant is divided from the other) C among the artificial turf samples SPLa, SPLb, SPLc, and SPLd placed separately in each of the quadrants Rq1 to Rq4 coincides with the center of the illuminating lamp 201.

[0061] In the first round of irradiation, the nylon artificial turf SPL2 is placed in the first region Rq1, the polyester artificial turf SPL3 is placed in the second region Rq2, and the paper artificial turf SPL1 is placed in the third region Rq3. No artificial turf sample is placed in the remaining fourth region Rq4 so that the upper surface of the sample table 301 is exposed. In the second round of irradiation, the nylon artificial turf SPL2 is placed in the second region Rq2, the polyester artificial turf SPL3 is placed in the third region Rq3, and the paper artificial turf SPL1 is placed in the fourth region Rq4. As mentioned above, no artificial turf sample is placed in the remaining first region Rq1 so that the upper surface of the sample table 301 is exposed. In this way, the artificial turf samples SPL1, SPL2, and SPL3 placed separately in each of the regions Rq1 to Rq4 are replaced each time, and surface temperatures Tspl measured in each time for each of the artificial turf samples SPL1, SPL2, and SPL3 are averaged. The average values thus obtained are used as test results.

[0062] Fig. 9 shows temporal changes in the surface temperatures Tspl obtained as results of the test for each of the artificial turf samples SPL1, SPL2, and SPL3. The vertical axis represents time t elapsed since the start of the irradiation, and the horizontal axis represents the surface temperatures Tspl of the artificial turf samples. The thick solid line indicates the surface temperature Tspl1 of the paper artificial turf SPL1, the dot-and-dash line indicates the surface temperature Tspl2 of the nylon artificial turf SPL2, and the chain double-dashed line indicates the surface temperature Tspl3 of the polyester artificial turf SPL3. The temperature of the test room was 20±2°C.

[0063] As shown in Fig. 9, the surface temperatures Tspl tend to increase with passage of the time t for all of the artificial turf samples SPL1, SPL2, and SPL3, and it is recognized that there are significant differences in surface temperature Tspl between the paper artificial turf sample SPL1 and the other artificial turf samples SPL2 and SPL3. Moreover, it is found that these differences tend to increase with passage of the time t. At time t1 (e.g. thirty minutes after the start of the irradiation), the surface temperature Tspl1 of the paper artificial turf SPL1 was 55.7°C, the surface temperature Tspl2 of the nylon artificial turf SPL2 was 71.6°C, and the surface temperature Tspl3 of the polyester artificial turf SPL3 was 70.2°C.

[0064] Since the surface temperature of a natural turf under irradiation with sunlight is approximately 50°C, it was found that the footcloth 1 according to the present embodiment significantly suppresses the rise in the surface temperature Tspl1 as compared with the artificial turf samples SPL2 and SPL3, which are formed by synthetic resin materials, and can provide a usage environment that is close to that provided by a natural turf.

[0065] In this case, as noted above, the surface temperature Tspl2 of the nylon artificial turf SPL2 is 71.6°C and the surface temperature Tspl3 of the polyester artificial turf SPL3 is 70.2°C. Such a surface temperature constitutes such a rise in temperature that a user cannot walk on the nylon artificial turf SPL2 or the polyester artificial turf SPL3 barefoot, for example, and even in a case where the user is wearing shoes, the influence of temperature on the user's feet and the influence of heat on the whole body by heat reflection are anticipated to a considerable extent.

[0066] On the other hand, since the rise in temperature of the paper artificial turf SPL1 according to the present embodiment is similar to that of a natural turf even under identical ambient temperature conditions, the user can walk on the paper artificial turf SPL1 barefoot, and it is found that the influence of heat on the feet and the influence of heat on the whole body in a case of walking or running on the paper artificial turf SPL1 with shoes on are reduced to a considerable extent as compared with the polyester artificial turf and the nylon artificial turf.

[0067] In the present embodiment, a case has been described where the footcloth 1 is an artificial turf laying body that is laid on a ground. After the piles 121 have been implanted in the base fabric 11, the loop portions at the distal ends of the piles 121 are removed and the piles 121 are uniformly cut into a state where their end faces are open. This makes it possible to provide an artificial turf laying body that is good in water absorbing property, drying characteristic, and drainage performance and that breathes well. The footcloth 1 is not limited to an artificial turf laying body but may be a rug intended for use indoors. In this case, the pile material 12 can also be constituted by not only removing the loop portion 121b at the distal ends of the piles 121 to form cut piles but also leaving the loop portion 121b uncut to form loop piles.

Claims

1. A footcloth comprising:

a base fabric formed to extend in a planar direction; and

a pile material provided in the base fabric so as to cover a front surface of the base fabric,

wherein

the pile material includes piles formed by pulp, and

the piles are implanted with such a density that flow of air into an inner part of the pile material is restricted.

2. The footcloth according to Claim 1, wherein the pile material is implanted with such a density that a number of the piles per square inch of the base fabric in a longitudinal direction is larger than or equal to 10 and a number of the piles per square inch of the base fabric in a transverse direction is larger than or equal to 10.

3. The footcloth according to Claim 2, wherein

the pile material is implanted with such a density that a number of the piles per square inch of the base fabric in a longitudinal direction is larger than or equal to 14.9 and a number of the piles per square inch of the base fabric in a transverse direction is larger than or equal to 10, and

each of the piles protrudes from the base fabric in a direction of the front surface thereof by a length of 10 mm.

4. The footcloth according to Claim 2 or 3, wherein the footcloth is an artificial turf laying body that is laid on a ground or a rug intended for use indoors.

5. A method for manufacturing a footcloth, the method comprising:

a pulp-producing step of producing pulp by digesting Manila hemp pulp or wood pulp;

a paper-making step of producing Japanese paper thread base paper by paper making;

a slitting step of preparing tapes by cutting the Japanese paper thread base paper into widths of 1 mm to 4 mm;

a yarn-twisting step of producing Japanese paper threads by executing a twisting step of twisting the tapes thus cut; and

a weaving step of producing, by machine weaving, a paper footcloth having a base fabric with piles of the Japanese paper threads implanted in a front surface thereof.

6. The method according to Claim 5, wherein the base fabric is composed of a nonwoven fabric made of synthetic resin, the method further comprising a backing step of applying a resin coating to a back surface of the base fabric so as to prevent the piles from falling out of the base fabric.

7. The method according to Claim 5 or 6, wherein the Japanese paper threads are formed by twisting the tapes having widths of 1 mm to 4 mm.

8. The method according to any one of Claims 5 to 7, wherein each of the piles is formed by twisting together two or four of the Japanese paper threads.

9. The method according to any one of Claims 5 to 8, wherein in the weaving step, the piles are implanted with such a density that a number of the piles per square inch of the base fabric in a longitudinal direction is larger than or equal to 10 and a number of the piles per square inch of the base fabric in a transverse direction is larger than or equal to 10.

10. The method according to Claim 9, wherein

in the weaving step, the piles are implanted a number of the piles per square inch of the base fabric in a longitudinal direction is larger than or equal to 14.9 and a number of the piles per square inch of the base fabric in a transverse direction is larger than or equal to 10, and

each of the piles protrudes from the base fabric in a direction of the front surface thereof by a length of 10 mm.

11. The method according to Claim 9 or 10, wherein the footcloth is an artificial turf laying body that is laid on a ground or a rug intended for use indoors.

Drawing