College of Textiles

 

All of the following textile professors at NCSU have received patents. Topics covered below include: three-dimensional weaving systems, an automated drafting system, water-dispersible polyster fibers, etc. To find additional information on any of the patents listed below, search the U.S. Patent Office Database at: http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html

 

Timothy G. Clapp & John D. Rust John A. Cuculo Hechmi Hamouda
Trevor J. Little Mansour Mohamed Donald Shiffler

 

Photo of Timothy Clapp.

Dr. Timothy G. Clapp

Dr. John D. Rust

 Photo of John Rust.

Timothy Clapp

Dr. Timothy G. Clapp researches the design of affordable technology for automating apparel manufacturing, the development of sensor systems to monitor fabric properties and joining (seaming) quality on-line, and design processing equipment to automate textile and hosiery manufacturing.

  

John Rust

Dr. Jon P. Rust researches the broad area of short staple yarn manufacturing. He has been successful in projects ranging from process controls in drawframe autolevelling to novel sensing and control in carding to roller-drafting and autoleveling at carding. He and Dr. Clapp have worked together on projects that resulted in 4 patents.
Securing and pressuring system for drafting rollers for automated textile drafting system
U.S. Patent Number 5,761,772
Click on the images at the right to read more about the patent. Description of Clapp and Rust's Patent #5,761,772 entitled, "Securing and pressuring system for drafting rollers for automated textile drafting system." Figures that accompany Patent #5,761,772.

Dr. John A. Cuculo

Photo of Dr. Cuculo.
Ultra-oriented crystalline filaments
U.S. Patent Number RE35,972
Description of Cuculo's Patent #RE35,972 entitled, "Ultra-oriented crystalline filaments." Figures that accompany Patent #RE35,972.  
Anisotropic cellulose articles, fibers, and films and method of producing same
U.S. Patent Number 4,840,673
Description of Cuculo's Patent #4,840,673 entitled, "Anisotropic cellulose articles, fibers, and films and method of producing same."Figures accompanying Patent# 4,840,673.    

Dr. John A. Cuculo worked at duPont for 18 years and at NC State University for 30 years. He has worked with most of the thermoplastic fiber forming polymers. He developed a process call Liquid Isothermal Bath (LIB) which operates via a threadline control process for the production of high-performance high-speed spun fibers. He has also studied the dissolution of cellulose, the formation of high-performance cellulose fibers via the solution of spinning of anisotropic solutions in the NH3/NH4SCN solvent system and the structure/property relationships of cellulose.

 

The above images can be clicked on to view additional information on Cuculo's patents.

Dr. Hechmi Hamouda
     Dr. Hechmi Hamouda researches thermal and fluid sciences applications to textiles, specifically infra-red and radio frequency heat treatments, thermal evaluation and testing of fire protective fabrics, textile pollution prevention, textile waste elimination/reduction, effects of textile products on indoor air quality, numerical simulation and modeling, finite differences resolution techniques, finite element analysis, fluidized beds and stability analysis of convective flow. Other areas of research include mechanics and formation of fibrous structures, principles of polymer engineering, instrumentation and control systems, monitoring and control of knitting equipment, and Textile applications in biomedical engineering.
Photo of Hechmi Hamouda.

U.S. Patent Number 5,749,259

Apparatus for simulating the thermoregulatory responses of human skin and related method for predicting fabric comfort level

Description of Hamouda's Patent #5,749,259 entitled, "Apparatus for simulating the thermoregulatory responses of human skin and related method for predicting fabric comfort level." Click on the image to read more about this patent.  
Dr. Trevor J. Little

Dr. Trevor J. Little researches apparel manufacturing and management, production and assembly systems, design for manufacturability, automated manufacturing systems, handling systems, manufacturing simulation, human factors, technology development, and information technology.

Sewing machine having sewing forces measurement system
U.S. Patent Number 4,869,187
Description of Little's Patent #4,869,187 entitled, "Sewing maching having sewing forces measurement system." The image to the left describes Little's sewing machine patent.  
Photo of Trevor Little.
 
Dr. Mansour Mohamed  

Professor Emeritus Mansour Mohamed patented three-dimensional weaving systems Photo of Dr. Mansour Mohamed.that produce lightweight, superstrong, high-performance textile composites that are used in cars, planes, and in the aerospace industry. His research led him to start a company called 3TEX, which produces and markets the products. Mohamed developed the technology nearly a decade ago for NASA's Mars Mission Research Center at NC State. Carbon, Kevlar, fiberglass or ceramic fibers are woven on the weft, warp, and Z (thickness) direction, and then impregnated with polymer resin, ceramic, or metal and hardened to produce stable, preformed structures that can be steel. Mohamed continues to explore an array of applications for the process, and his latest patent for five-dimensional weaving technology adds strength to its end products. Recently, he collaborated with his NC State colleagues in architecture and civil engineering to use textile composites to reinforce concrete for building and infrastructure material.

 

Drawing of 3-D woven fibers.

3-D woven fibers remain straight in each axis, reducing the fiber stress damage that can occur with other weaving methods.

Picture of 3-TEX carbon.

3-TEX carbon preform composites are stronger than steel and lighter than aluminum.
The office of the director of NC State's Office of Technology Transfer and Industry Research (OTTIR) has played a major supporting role in launching 3TEX. Mark Crowell, director of OTTIR, says, "the start-up venture underscores NC State's commitment to help move important discoveries from the laboratory to the marketplace." NC State is commited to securing patents to protect intellectual properties and to evaluate the commercial potential of the technology. Robert Pozner, associate director of OTTIR, notes that feedback has been positive. In fact, a German automotive company that purchased one of Mohamed's early three-dimensional weaving machines for research purposes has demonstrated that composites out-perform aluminum in strength and rigidity. The company's findings support Mohamed and his colleagues' research that anything that can be made with metal can be made with fiber-reinforced composites--from engine parts to oil rigs to heat shields.

 
Dr. Donald Shiffler
Improvements in process for preparing water-dispersible polyester fiber
U.S. Patent Number 5,145,622
Many millions of pounds of polyster are produced worldwide using the technology in this patent. Commercial plants are currently located in North and South Carolina, People's Republic of China, India, Turkey, Russia, and other site's throughout the world. The advantages are extremely low investment, internal waste recycling leads to high yields and low environmental impact, and low heavy-metal catalyst usage.
Description of Shiffler's Patent #5,145,622 entitled, "Improvement in process for preparing water-dispersible polyester fiber." Click on the image to the left to read more about Shiffler's patent.
 
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