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Process for forming a high loft, nonwoven web exhibiting excellent recovery

Inactive Publication Date: 2015-07-30
BIAX FIBERFILM CORP
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a process for making a high-loft, nonwoven web that has excellent recovery. The process results in a nonwoven web that is great for thermal and acoustical insulation. It can be shipped compactly without losing any material properties, and it has a recovery rate of between 40% and 90% after compression.

Problems solved by technology

Because of this, the finished web tends to lack recovery once it is compressed.
This presents an issue when such finished webs need to be rolled up or stacked for transport by truck, or rail to a distant manufacturing, or distribution facility.
If the webs are compacted or compressed during shipment, they lack the ability to recovery to their original thickness.
In addition, once compacted or compressed, such webs tend to become hard and / or stiff and their pore structure may become less open.
Furthermore, the drapeability of such webs can be diminished.
Functionally, if a compacted or compressed web cannot recover to approximately its initial loft thickness after shipment, it can lose some of its thermal and / or acoustical insulation properties, thereby rendering the material less than desirable for this purpose.

Method used

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  • Process for forming a high loft, nonwoven web exhibiting excellent recovery
  • Process for forming a high loft, nonwoven web exhibiting excellent recovery
  • Process for forming a high loft, nonwoven web exhibiting excellent recovery

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

example 1

[0097]In this example, the effects of the collector type on the high loft, nonwoven web properties were looked at. Sample 1 and 2 showed a big difference in thickness or caliper of the nonwoven web. The big difference is mainly due to collecting the spun fibers on a flat belt versus collecting them between two rotating drums having a nip gap of 2.5 cm. The dual drum collection system increased the thickness by 1,500% although both samples have the same mass per unit area. Sample 3 showed that by thermally bonding the high loft, nonwoven sample #2, one could enhance the recovery properties by 26%. Such enhancement will greatly increase the thermal insulation and acoustical properties of a web. With the proper tuning of the fiber formation conditions and the bonding conditions, the compression and recovery properties can be greatly enhanced, see Table 1 below.

TABLE 1Table (1): Effect of Collector type on polypropylene high loft nonwoven samplesNipBasisPercentPercentDCD,Collectorgap,we...

example 2

[0098]In this example, the effect of the Die-to-Collector Distance (DCD) on the compression-recovery properties of the high loft nonwoven web samples were looked at. The meltblown filaments were collected at a distance close to the die, where they are very tacky. This action created fiber to fiber bonding in the high loft, nonwoven web samples between the first and second rotatable drums and avoided the need for additional downstream bonding. This might work on equipment operating at a low polymer throughput to produce a high loft, nonwoven web with a basis weight of less than about 150 g / m2. However, when the polymer throughput and the basis weight increases, the blowing air causes the filaments to fly around and they prevent being captured on the first and second rotatable drums because of the difficult air management at a closer Die-to-Collector Distance (DCD). Samples 2 and 3 were collector at a DCD distance of 45 cm from the die face. Samples 4 and 5 were collected at a DCD dis...

example 3

[0099]In this example, the effect that basis weight had on the compression-recovery properties of the high loft, nonwoven web samples were looked at. As shown in Table 3, by increasing the mass per unit area, the compressibility decreased which is obvious because of the larger nonwoven mass passing between the nip of the first and second rotatable drums. It was also noticed that by increasing the basis weight, the percent recovery after compression also increased, which may be due to the larger number of fiber-to-fiber bonds that were created. Collecting the fibers of samples 6 and 7 at a closer Die-to-Collector Distance (DCD) was not successful on the pilot scale because of the difficult air management and the larger mass of filaments that blocked the way in front the blowing attenuation air.

TABLE 3Table (3): Effect of Basis Weight on polypropylene high loft nonwovensNipBasisPercentPercentDCD,Collectorgap,weight,Thickness,compressionRecoverySample(cm)type(cm)Bonding(g / m2)(mm)(%)(%)...

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Abstract

A process for forming a high loft, nonwoven web exhibiting excellent recovery.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates to a process for forming a high loft, nonwoven web exhibiting excellent recovery.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Typically, polymeric fibers, formed by spunbonding, meltblowing or by some other extrusion process are collected downstream from an emitter, such as a die with a plurality of nozzles, on a horizontal oriented conveyor belt. Such processes tends to produce two-dimensional web where the fibers are oriented in the x and y directions since they are laid down in a horizontal plane. There are few if any fibers within the formed web that are oriented in the z-direction. Because of this, the finished web tends to lack recovery once it is compressed. This presents an issue when such finished webs need to be rolled up or stacked for transport by truck, or rail to a distant manufacturing, or distribution facility. If the webs are compacted or compressed during shipment, they lack the ability to recovery to their original thickness....

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): D04H1/559D04H3/02D04H5/06D04H1/56D04H1/74
CPCD04H1/559D04H1/56D04H3/02D04H5/06D04H1/74D04H3/16
Inventor HASSAN, MOHAMMAD A.BROWN, DOUGLAS B.STARK, JEFFREY D.
Owner BIAX FIBERFILM CORP
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