DESC:Form 2
THE PATENT ACT, 1970
(39 OF 1970)
&
THE PATENT RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(SEE SECTION 10 AND RULE 13)

WOVEN FABRIC FROM HANDSPUN YARN OF NERIUM OLEANDER FIBER AND METHOD OF PRODUCTION THEREOF

ROHIT KUMAR R/O 33 A, TAGORE GARDEN, NEAR
NARAINGARH ROAD, AMBALA CITY, HARYANA, INDIA
Contact No. 7876002778
E-mail id: rohitkuma6858@gmail.com
DR. RAMRATAN R/O SARDAR PURA BASS WARD NO.24, NEAR MASJID NOHAR-335523,DISTT: HANUMANGARH,
RAJASTHAN, INDIA
Contact no. 9781547442, 8949357243
E-mail id: ramratan333@gmail.com
DR. ANUPAM KUMAR
R/O QUARTER NO. P7, STAFF
COLONY, GZSCCET, DABWALI
ROAD, BATHINDA-151001, PUNJAB,
INDIA
Contact No. 9417025296
E-mail id: anup28298@yahoo.com

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to the field of textiles and woven fabrics. More specifically it pertains to preparation method of handspun yarn and woven fabric from Nerium oleander fiber and product thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently most of the fabrics and fabric based products are prepared using synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon, spandex etc and costly natural fibers such as cotton etc., as same possesses excellent chemical, mechanical and physical properties such as strength, softness, elasticity, etc.

However synthetic fabrics made up of polyester, nylon etc impart negative impacts on environment and human health as same are plastics usually made up of coal, petroleum and crude oil. Further the synthetic fabrics are non-biodegradable and require use of harmful toxins and chemicals during manufacturing, which contributes to water and air pollution and also causes skin irritations to manufacturers and wearers.

Further, use of cotton for yarn and fabric production is declining due to higher cost of cotton fiber and cotton fabric products as same involve complex water intensive cultivation, maintenance, fiber extraction and fabric production protocols. Because of all these drawbacks, customers are shifting towards synthetic fabrics which are considered as cheaper alternatives to cotton fabric.

Various other types of natural cellulosic fibers such as banana, sisal, flax, ramie, coir etc have characteristic properties of textile fiber and possesses immense potential for creating environmental friendly textile products however such fibers are rarely used due to lack of awareness, complex and lack of appropriate extraction and processing technologies.
Moreover for production of fabric from jute, flax, banana or any other natural fiber there is a need to blend these fibers with other supporting natural or synthetic fibers such as cotton, wool, modal, polyester etc to enhance the efficiency of fabric production by producing better quality yarn which possesses better process ability as compared to yarn produced by single natural fabric.

Hence there was need for development of woven fabric material from certain alternates, which are cost effective, biodegradable and environment friendly.

Innovative approach by Present Invention
Considering the above cited drawbacks of existing natural and synthetic fabrics, inventors in present invention came up with an approach of developing woven fabric from a completely different raw material, which is natural in origin, biodegradable, possesses similar cellulose content and moisture regain as that of cotton and possesses simplest fiber extraction protocols. The same can be woven using traditional weaving protocol i.e., hand spinning, Hand looming etc. Hence present invention will be of great source of income for people residing in rural areas.

Present invention discloses production of woven fabric from Nerium oleander fiber. Nerium oleander fiber is prepared from bark of Nerium oleander plant by simple water retting or chemical retting using NaOH only hence does not involve use of complex fiber extraction protocol. Further Nerium oleander is a wild plant, which grows on roadsides or in gardens without specialized growth and maintenance conditions. Hence the same is cheaper and ecofriendly alternate to existing costly natural and synthetic fibers for fabric production.

Quality of fabric usually depend upon the quality of raw fiber used for processing of the same. Light weight fiber results in production of light weight fabric. Thinner, lighter in weight and absorbent fabrics are currently in demand as the same are more comfortable to wear. Nerium oleander fiber comprises about 7.5 to 9% moisture regain which is lesser than other fibers such as jute, flax, hemp, wool etc.
Fiber with lesser moisture regain will result in production of light weight fibers with high absorbency. Hence, Nerium oleander fiber which has moisture content lesser than other fibres such as jute, hemp , flax etc. results in production of thinner and lighter weight fabrics possessing higher absorbance, hence are more comfortable to wear. The fabric made from Nerium oleander fiber is soft and comfortable as similar to that of cotton hence the same is better as compared to other bast fibers which possesses higher moisture regain but are quite stiff and harsh and are same are not comfortable to wear.

The product as disclosed in present invention is not disclosed in any of the prior art studies however some of the related prior art patents and journals are given below:

Prior art
Patent Application No: 202111011920 discloses “Method of extraction of textile fibre from stem of Nerium oleander and product thereof”
The above cited invention discloses a method of extraction of textile fibre from the stem of Nerium oleander and product thereof. Method for extraction of fibre comprises of various steps including, manual harvesting of the stem, process of retting comprising tank retting which involves the immersion of outer layer of stem in water followed by washing or the process of chemical retting, which involves the softening of the plant tissues by boiling with 3% sodium hydroxide for 5-7 hours and final washing with cold water, further the extracted fibre is sun dried and carded using woolen carding machine. The fibre obtained using present invention is of shiny white color with High cellulose content of about 81%, Low density i.e., 1.2 g/cm3, 5-40 mm length and 7.5 -9% moisture regain.
The cited invention discloses a method of Extraction of Textile Fibre from the stem of Nerium oleander and product thereof whereas the present invention discloses the handloom woven fabric products from Nerium oleander fibre such as sarees, dhoti, carpet, carry bag and home products, as well as sanitary pads and baby diapers as it has better water absorbent property than cotton, hence differs from above cited patent.
US Patent application no. US10689782B2 discloses “Textile fabric fabricated of twill weave sheeting”
Above cited patent relates to a new and improved textile fabric fabricated of twill weave sheeting that is prepared using wrap made up of natural fiber i.e., cotton and weft yarn made up of polyester. The resulting fabric disclosed is a blend of natural and synthetic yarn. The disclosed fabric is used for preparation of bed sheets, pillow case, comforter, blanket, bed spread, duvet cover etc.
In above cited patent, fabric prepared by blend of synthetic and natural fiber is disclosed, whereas in present invention, fabric is prepared by using only a single type of natural fiber, which is different from natural fiber disclosed in cited patent.
Indian Patent Application No. 201841025868 discloses “Alternate feed of bamboo and modal yarn and its blends in knit and woven fabric development”
Above cited patent discloses a method of preparation of knitted/woven fabrics using 100% bamboo or modal yarn or by using blend of bamboo and modal yarn. The blended yarn comprises of 50% bamboo/modal, 25-35% cotton and 15-25% polyester and same is converted to yarn. The prepared yarn could be used as wrap and weft yarn in woven clothes manufacturing to produce woven shirt fabric.
In above cited patent, fabric prepared by blending of bamboo, cotton and modal yarn or from 100% bamboo yarn is disclosed , whereas in present invention, fabric is prepared using completely different raw material i.e., Nerium oleander yarn, which is different from natural fiber yarn disclosed in cited patent.
There is another fibre from Cascabela thevetia stem but the non -woven sheet prepared from Nerium oleander possesses high absorbency and better comfort as compared to Cascabela thevetia fabric, hence Nerium oleander woven fabric sheet is also of better quality.
Journals and Publications
MahjoubJabli, NajehTka, KhiariRamziand Tawfik A.Saleh, "Physicochemical characteristics and dyeing properties of lignin-cellulosic fibers derived from Nerium oleander," 9 September 2017, Journal of Molecular Liquids Volume 249, January 2018.
In Above publication, a method for extraction of fibre from the seeds of Nerium oleander disclosed. Further in above invention, the physical parameters such as Length distribution, moisture and density of the extracted fibre were investigated. The above invention involves the use of chemicals such as sodiumhydroxide, non30 ionic detergent, and sodium carbonate for removal of impurities and separationof 7 fibres. After separation, the fibres are washed and air dried. In above invention, fibre of about 10.2 mm length is obtained.
The present invention involves the use of Nerium oleander plant fibre for making handloom woven fabric products such as sarees, dhoti, carpet, carry bag and home products, as well as sanitary pads and baby diapers as it has better water absorbent property than cotton whereas in above invention, Nerium oleander seed was usedforextraction of fibre only. Hence present invention differs from the above publication.

OBJECT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The main object of present invention is to disclose preparation method of handspun yarn and woven fabric from Nerium oleander fiber and product thereof.

Another object of present invention is to disclose woven fabric which are lighter in weight, thinner and highly absorbent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Present invention discloses preparation method of handspun yarn and woven fabric from Nerium oleander fiber and product thereof. Method of preparation of handspun yarn from Nerium oleander fiber comprises steps of extraction of fiber from stem of Nerium oleander plant, individualization and cleaning of fibers by drum carding machine, drawing out and twisting of extracted fibers by hand spinning in order to produce hand spun yarn. Further the hand spun yarn is woven by interlacing wrap and weft to produce woven fabric out of yarn. The prepared fabric is further used for preparation of various articles such as baby diapers, sanitary pads etc. The produced woven fabrics are lighter in weight, thinner and possesses higher absorbency due to higher moisture regain (7.5 – 9%) and higher cellulose content (81%) of Nerium oleander stem fiber.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1- Handloom Fabric
Figure 2- Hand spun yarn prepared using charkha
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Method of preparation
The method used for the preparation of hand spun yarn and woven fabric from Nerium oleander stem fiber comprises of following steps:
Step 1- Procurement of Raw Material
Wildly cultivated Nerium oleander stems were procured from public parks of Bathinda, Punjab.
Step 2- Extraction of Nerium oleander fiber
Nerium oleander fibers were extracted using the fiber extraction protocol disclosed in patent application no. 202111011920 titled “Method of extraction of textile fibre from stem of Nerium oleander and product thereof” filed by same applicant as that of present invention.
For extraction of fiber, bundles of outer layer of fibers are immersed in tank full of water for water retting or in NaOH solution for chemical retting. The fibers are further washed and sun dried for further processing.

Step 3- Drum carding
Carding is a process that opens and individualizes fiber to facilitate yarn spinning. Carding removes a lot of dirt and dust from the material which helps in subsequent processes. It is cheaper and may be widely used for cottage industry. Drum carder is a fast and efficient way to prepare fibers for spinning. It uses two set of drums in parallel direction for opening of fibers.

Step 4- Preparation of Hand spun yarn
The carded fibers further undergo hand spinning in order to prepare hand spun yarn. Individualized Nerium oleander fibers were drawn out and twisted together with hands or equipments operated by hand to prepare yarn. Traditional Charkha was used in present invention for preparation of hand spun yarn as it is low cost method.

Step 5- Conversion of Hand spun yarn to woven fabric
Hand spun yarn is then woven into fabric by process known as weaving. Weaving is a process of interlacing two distinct sets of yarn i.e., longitudinal/vertical threads “wrap” with lateral/horizontal threads “weft”. In present invention, weaving, that is interlacing/combining of Nerium oleander wrap and weft yarn was conducted using one of the simplest and traditional weaving equipment known as Handloom, which is operated by hand or foot power without the aid of electricity. Loom operated by hand usually holds the wrap thread in specific position while weft threads are woven through wrap thread to prepare an interlinked fabric network. Woven fabric is further used for preparation of various articles such as baby diapers, sanitary pads etc as the same possesses higher absorption property.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF WOVEN FABRIC

The obtained Nerium oleander handloom fabric undergoes physical characterization test to determine physical parameters of fabric such as breaking force, elongation percentage, tear strength etc. Further thermal properties such as thermal conductivity, diffusion, resistance, absorptivity, thickness and GSM etc. and water vapor permeability etc. were determined to detect whether the product of present invention is capable of absorbing water or is thermal resistant or not.
- Strength analysis: The breaking force, elongation and tear strength etc is determined to detect the the optimal strength of the obtained product. The strength of Nerium oleander handwoven fabric is disclosed in table 1 below:
Test Parameter Test Method Test Results
Fabric strength Breaking Force (Kg) IS: 1969-1985 0.97 kg
Elongation (%) 14.6 %
Tear Strength (gms) IS:6489-1990 994 gms

Table 1- Nerium Oleander handloom fabric tensile & tearing strength
From table 1, it is evident that the breaking force required to break the obtained fabric is 0.97 Kg. Further elongation % and tear strength of the same was 14.6% and 994 gms respectively.
- Thermal Performance- Thermal performance test is conducted to determine various thermal properties of the obtained fabric such as thermal conductivity, thermal diffusion, thermal absorptivity etc. Table 2 below discloses the thermal performance as well as thickness and GSM of the Nerium oleander handspun fabric.
S.No. Thermal Diffusion Thermal Conductivity Thermal Resistance Thermal absorptivity Thickness (mm) GSM
1. 0.24 to 0.26 53 to 54.4 56.4 to 58.7 106 to 115.4 2.8 to 2.9 130 to 150

Table 2- Thermal performance test result Nerium Oleander handloom fabric

From table 2 above, it is concluded that the obtained fabric has about 56-58% resistance from heat. Further, the thickness of the obtained fabric is 2.8 to 2.9 mm and the same is of 130-150 GSM.
- Water vapor permeability analysis- Water vapor permeability discloses the ability of any material to allow water vapors to pass through it. Water vapor permeability is analyzed by vertical wicking test. The vertical wicking test, which measures the rise of liquid on fabric with the immersion of one end of the fabric into liquid, is a preferred test method to determine liquid transport properties of the fabrics. Table 3 and 4 below discloses the results for water vapor permeability analysis test-
S. No. Time (Min.) Vertical Wicking Height (cm)
1 5 5.9
2 10 8.4
3 15 9.5

Table 3- Vertical wicking test result for Nerium Oleander handloom fabric
S. No. WVP (g/m2/day) Thickness (mm)
1 409 2.8 to 2.9

Table 4- Water vapour permeability test result for Nerium Oleander handloom fabric.

From table 3, it is observed that at intervals of 5 minutes, the liquid in fabric rises at the height of 5.9 cm, at interval of 10 minutes, the liquid rises about 8.4 cm height and at the interval of 15 minutes, the liquid rises about 9.5 cm in height. Further, from table 4, it is observed that the water vapor permeability of the obtained fabric is 409 g/m2/day.
The product of present invention i.e., Nerium oleander woven fabric offers significant advantage as the same is cheap, biodegradable and eco-friendly alternative to existing costly natural and non-biodegradable synthetic fabrics. It is lighter in weight, thinner, possesses better absorbency, and hence is comfortable for the wearer.
The product and process disclosed in present invention is novel as per the non-disclosure of same in prior art patents and journals.
Further, its non-anticipation and inventive step is evident from lack of availability of woven fabric made using Nerium oleander stem fiber. Nerium oleander was earlier used for medicinal purposes, dyes preparation, fiber extraction and non-woven fabric production, but there is non-availability of handspun yarn and woven fabric prepared using Nerium oleander stem fiber.
Further present invention offers significant economic advancement as a specific raw material, which is natural in origin, biodegradable, cost effective, easy to cultivate and which follows simplest fiber extraction protocol is carefully selected to facilitate production of woven fabric with numerous properties such as softness, light weight, thinness and higher absorbency.
Industrial application is duly clear as present invention will boost textile and hand loom sector. Present invention will be of great commercial importance as same will be used for manufacturing of baby diapers, sanitary pads etc. Further it will provide employment opportunities to people residing in rural areas as no heavy machinery is required to weave this fibre into fabric.
,CLAIMS:WE CLAIM:
1. Handloom woven fabric from handspun yarn of Nerium oleander fibre having 81% cellulose content and 7.5-9% moisture regain wherein the same is lighter in weight, thinner and highly absorbent due to following characteristic features:
- Thickness (mm) – 2.8-2.9;
- GSM- 130-150;
- Fabric strength- elongation (%)- 14.6%;
- Breaking strength (Kg) – 0.97 Kg;
- Tear strength (g) – 994 g;
- Vertical wicking height (cm) (after 15 minutes) – 9.5 cm
2. The fabric as claimed in claim 1 wherein the same possesses following physical characteristic features-
- Water vapor permeability (WVP) (g/m2/day): 409;
- Thermal diffusion: 0.24-0.26;
- Thermal conductivity: 53-54.4;
- Thermal absorptivity: 106-115.4;
- Thermal resistance: 56.4-58.7;
3. The fabric as claimed in claim 1 wherein the method for preparation of same comprises the following steps:
- carding of extracted fibers to open up and individualize fibers and to facilitate yarn spinning;
- hand spinning of carded fibers to draw out and twist the fibers together to prepare yarn;
- weaving of yarn by interlacing longitudinal/vertical threads “wrap” with lateral/horizontal threads “weft” using handloom to produce woven fabric;
- the yarn is woven to prepare fabric for making baby diapers, sanitary pads and the like.