Covering material

Abstract

To provide a covering material that can reflect light without the necessity of forming a metal deposition film.SOLUTION: The covering material comprises a fiber layer 41 composed of a plurality of fibers 42 arranged in a planar shape, the fiber layer 41 is laminated with 30 or more layers in the front and back directions, and the maximum external dimension L1 in the cross-section of the fibers 42 composing the fiber layer 41 is 1 to 6 μm.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a skin material.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a skin material constituting the surface of a vehicle interior material or the like, the one described in Patent Document 1 below is known. The skin material described in Patent Document 1 includes a reflective layer made of a metal vapor deposition film. By reflecting the sunlight that has entered the vehicle interior by the reflective layer, it is possible to suppress the situation where heat accumulates in the vehicle interior material. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise of the vehicle interior material.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the skin material described in Patent Document 1 above, it is necessary to form a metal vapor deposition film so as to cover a support layer (such as a fabric), and there is a problem that the man-hours and costs related to the formation increase.

[0005] The technology disclosed in this specification has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a skin material capable of reflecting light without forming a metal vapor deposition film.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] As a means for solving the above problems, the skin material disclosed in this specification includes a fiber layer composed of a plurality of fibers arranged in a planar shape, the fiber layer is laminated 30 layers or more in the front and back directions, and the maximum outer dimension in the cross section of the fibers constituting the fiber layer is 1 to 6 μm.

[0007] By forming a fiber layer with fibers having a small maximum outer dimension of the cross-section, the arrangement density of the fibers can be increased, and the total surface area (the area of the light reflection surface) of the fibers in the fiber layer can be increased, so that light can be surely reflected. According to the inventor of the present application, it has been confirmed that by setting the maximum outer dimension of the cross-section of the fibers constituting the fiber layer to 6 μm or less, near-infrared rays can be sufficiently reflected to improve the heat insulation performance. By the way, if the fibers constituting the fiber layer are damaged by friction, the gaps between the fibers constituting the fiber layer become larger and the light transmittance becomes higher, so there is a concern that the light reflection performance may deteriorate. In particular, as in the above configuration, the thinner the fibers, the more easily they are damaged. In the above configuration, by laminating 30 or more layers of the fiber layer, even if the fiber layer on the design surface side is damaged and the light reflection performance deteriorates, the light reflection performance can be ensured in the remaining fiber layers. Also, by setting the maximum outer dimension of the cross-section of the fibers to 1 μm or more, the strength of the fibers can be ensured and the durability can be ensured.

[0008] Also, the fibers constituting the fiber layer can be formed into a triangular shape in cross-section. If the cross-sectional shape of the fiber is circular, there is a concern that light will be reflected in various directions on the surface of the fiber and then pass through the fiber layer. By making the cross-sectional shape of the fiber triangular, the surface of the fiber can be made flat, the situation where light is reflected in various directions on the surface of the fiber can be suppressed, and the situation where light passes through the fiber layer can be suppressed.

[0009] Also, the fiber layer is constituted by a fabric, the density of the warp threads constituting the fiber layer can be 330 threads / inch or more, and the density of the weft threads constituting the fiber layer can be 45 threads / inch or more.

[0010] By forming a fiber layer with a fabric, each fiber constituting the fiber layer can be aligned and arranged, and a stronger gloss can be obtained. And by setting the density of the warp and weft threads to be equal to or greater than the above respective values, the density of the fibers can be ensured, the situation where light passes through the fiber layer can be suppressed, and sufficient light reflection performance can be ensured.

[0011] Also, among the plurality of said fiber layers, each of the fiber layers up to the Nth from the design surface side is subjected to a raising treatment, and when the total number of said fiber layers is X, it can be set that X - N ≧ 30.

[0012] By subjecting each of the fiber layers arranged on the design surface side to a raising treatment, the touch of the design surface can be made soft or a three-dimensional effect can be imparted. However, by subjecting the fibers to a raising treatment, the gaps between the fibers become larger and the light transmittance increases, so there is a concern that the light reflection performance of the fiber layer may deteriorate. In the above configuration, by making the number of fiber layers not subjected to the raising treatment 30 or more, sufficient light reflection performance can be ensured.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a skin material capable of reflecting light without forming a metal vapor deposition film.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] <Embodiment 1> Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In this embodiment, as the skin material, an example of one used for vehicle interior materials mounted on vehicles and the like will be illustrated. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle interior material 10 includes a base material 20 and a skin material 30. The base material 20 has a plate shape and is formed of a synthetic resin material (for example, a thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene), a mixture of a synthetic resin material and a wood-based material (for example, natural fibers such as kenaf), or the like.

[0016] Examples of the vehicle interior material 10 include interior materials arranged in locations in the vehicle that are easily exposed to sunlight, such as door trims, roof trims, instrument panels, and package trays for vehicles. The skin material 30 includes a first layer 40 that constitutes the design surface 40A of the skin material 30, and a second layer 50 arranged on the side of the base material 20 with respect to the first layer 40.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, the first layer 40 includes a fiber layer 41 constituted by a plurality of fibers arranged in a planar shape. The fiber layer 41 is laminated with 30 or more layers in the front-back direction of the skin material 30. In FIG. 3, an example in which the fiber layer 41 is laminated with 39 layers (in other words, the fibers 42 constituting the fiber layer 41 are arranged in 39 rows in the front-back direction as shown by the black circles in FIG. 3) is illustrated. Note that the number of laminated layers of the fiber layer 41 can be appropriately changed. However, as the number of laminated layers increases, the light reflection performance and strength increase, but the weight and material cost increase. Therefore, the number of laminated layers of the fiber layer 41 is more preferably in the range of, for example, 30 to 70 layers.

[0018] The fiber 42 (single fiber) constituting the fiber layer 41 preferably has a triangular cross-sectional shape. The maximum outer dimension L1 (single fiber diameter, see Fig. 2) in the cross-section of the fiber 42 is set within the range of 1 to 6 μm. The fiber layer 41 is a fabric composed of warp and weft threads made of the fiber 42. The density of the warp threads constituting the fiber layer 41 is preferably set within the range of 330 to 410 threads / inch, and the density of the weft threads constituting the fiber layer 41 is preferably set within the range of 45 to 120 threads / inch. By setting the respective densities of the warp and weft threads within the above ranges, sufficient heat insulation performance can be obtained. Note that the density of the warp threads constituting the fiber layer 41 is more preferably 360 to 405 threads / inch, and the density of the weft threads constituting the fiber layer 41 is more preferably 85 to 97 threads / inch. Note that the fiber 42 may be included in at least one of the warp and weft threads.

[0019] As the material of the fiber 42, for example, various synthetic fibers such as polyester fibers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber, polybutylene terephthalate fiber, polytrimethylene terephthalate fiber, and polylactic acid fiber, polyamide fibers such as polyamide 6 fiber and polyamide 66 fiber, polyacrylic fibers, and polyolefin fibers such as polypropylene fiber can be adopted. Among these synthetic fibers, polyester fibers, particularly PET fibers, are preferred from the viewpoints of high versatility and cost.

[0020] As a method for manufacturing the fiber 42 constituting the fiber layer 41, as shown in Fig. 2, for example, a method of splitting a composite fiber 60 having a circular cross-section into a plurality of thin fibers 42 can be used. More specifically, the composite fiber 60 is formed by melt spinning, and includes a radial portion 61 extending radially from the center in the cross-section view, and a plurality (eight in this embodiment) of fibers 42 having a triangular cross-section filling the space between the respective radial portions 61. The radial portion 61 is made of, for example, nylon or polyamide. By subjecting the composite fiber 60 to an alkali treatment, the radial portion 61 is dissolved, and only the plurality of fibers 42 remain. The fiber 42 manufactured by such a method may be called a split fiber.

[0021] In this embodiment, after forming a fabric using warp and weft threads made of composite fiber 60, the radiation part 61 is dissolved by subjecting the fabric to an alkali treatment, and only the fiber 42 is left, thereby forming the fiber layer 41. By making the cross-sectional shape of the fiber 42 triangular, the arrangement density of the fiber 42 in the composite fiber 60 having a circular cross-sectional view can be increased. In other words, a larger number of fibers 42 can be formed from a single composite fiber 60, and the density of the fiber 42 can be increased. When using the composite fiber 60, the above-mentioned densities of the warp and weft threads refer to the densities of the warp and weft threads before subjecting the composite fiber 60 to an alkali treatment.

[0022] The second layer 50 is a fabric formed using warp and weft threads made of fibers. As the material of the fibers constituting the second layer 50, the same material as the fiber 42 can be used, but different materials may also be used. Note that split yarns are not used in the second layer 50, and the fibers 51 constituting the second layer 50 have a circular cross-sectional view as shown in FIG. 3, and the maximum outer dimension (fiber diameter) in the cross section is set to a value larger than that of the fiber 42.

[0023] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, by forming the fiber layer 41 with the fibers 42 having a relatively small maximum outer dimension of the cross section, the arrangement density of the fibers 42 can be increased, and the total surface area (the area of the light reflection surface) of each fiber 42 in the fiber layer 41 can be made larger, so that light can be reliably reflected. According to the inventor of the present application, it has been confirmed that by setting the maximum outer dimension of the cross section of the fiber 42 constituting the fiber layer 41 to 6 μm or less, near-infrared rays can be sufficiently reflected to improve the heat insulation performance. Further, in the fiber layer 41, visible light can also be effectively reflected, so that a stronger gloss feeling can be obtained on the design surface 40A.

[0024] In the vehicle interior material 10 of this embodiment, the heat insulation performance was confirmed by conducting the lamp irradiation test shown in Fig. 4. In this lamp irradiation test, as shown in Fig. 4, light from a reflector lamp 84 (1000 W / m 2 ) was irradiated onto the surface of the vehicle interior material 10 (the surface of the skin material 30), and the temperature was measured with a thermocouple 82 (temperature sensor) arranged on the back surface of the vehicle interior material 10. This test was conducted at room temperature. The measurement results are shown in Fig. 5. In the measurement results of Fig. 5, the horizontal axis represents the time elapsed since the light from the reflector lamp 84 was irradiated onto the vehicle interior material 10, and the vertical axis represents the temperature measured by the thermocouple 82. As shown in Fig. 5, in the vehicle interior material 10, even when a sufficient time (for example, 20 minutes) has elapsed since the light from the reflector lamp 84 was irradiated, the temperature can be suppressed to about 40°C, and an excellent heat insulation effect was confirmed.

[0025] By the way, if the fibers 42 constituting the fiber layer 41 are damaged by friction, the gaps between the fibers 42 constituting the fiber layer 41 become larger, and the light transmittance increases, so there is a concern that the light reflection performance may deteriorate. In particular, as in this embodiment, when the fibers 42 are thin, they are more likely to be damaged. In the above configuration, by laminating 30 or more layers of the fiber layer 41, even when the fiber layer 41 on the design surface side is damaged and the light reflection performance deteriorates, the light reflection performance can be ensured in the remaining fiber layers 41. Also, by setting the maximum outer dimension of the cross-section of the fiber 42 to 1 μm or more, the strength of the fiber 42 can be ensured, and the durability can be ensured.

[0026] Moreover, the fibers 42 constituting the fiber layer 41 have a triangular cross-sectional shape. If the cross-sectional shape of the fiber 42 is circular, there is a concern that light will be reflected in various directions on the surface of the fiber 42, and as a result, the fiber layer 41 (and thus the first layer 40) will be transmitted through. By making the cross-sectional shape of the fiber 42 triangular, the surface of the fiber 42 can be made flat, the situation where light is reflected in various directions on the surface of the fiber 42 can be suppressed, and the situation where the fiber layer 41 is transmitted through can be suppressed.

[0027] Further, the fiber layer 41 is composed of a fabric. The density of the warp threads constituting the fiber layer 41 is 330 threads / inch or more, and the density of the weft threads constituting the fiber layer 41 is 45 threads / inch or more. By forming the fiber layer 41 with a fabric, each fiber 42 constituting the fiber layer 41 can be aligned and arranged, and a stronger gloss can be obtained. And by setting the densities of the warp and weft threads to the above respective values or more, the density of the fibers 42 can be ensured, and the situation where light passes through the fiber layer 41 can be suppressed, and sufficient light reflection performance can be ensured.

[0028] <Embodiment 2> Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The same parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the overlapping description is omitted. In this embodiment, the configuration of the first layer provided in the skin material is different from that in the above embodiment. In the first layer 140 of this embodiment, a raising treatment is performed from the design surface side (the upper side in FIG. 4). In FIG. 6, among the 56 fiber layers 41, an example is shown in which each of the fiber layers 41A from the 12th layer or less from the design surface side (12 fiber layers 41A) is subjected to a raising treatment. In other words, the 44 fiber layers 41B arranged on the back side are not subjected to a raising treatment.

[0029] It is possible to appropriately set up to which layer among the plurality of fiber layers 41 the raising treatment is applied, but it is preferable that 30 or more fiber layers 41B to which the raising treatment is not applied are arranged. That is, when the raising treatment is applied to the fiber layers from the Nth layer or less from the design surface side, and the total number of fiber layers is X, it is preferable that X - N ≧ 30. In addition, since it is preferable from the viewpoint of weight reduction that the total number of fiber layers 41 is 60 layers or less, the total number of fiber layers 41A to which the raising treatment is applied is preferably 30 or less.

[0030] The raising treatment can be performed, for example, by pressing a roller having a plurality of needles against the surface of the first layer 140 while rotating the roller. As the fibers 42 of the first layer 140 are scratched by the needles in the process of the first layer 140 passing through the surface of the roller, as shown in FIG. 6, the fibers 42 are partially cut and raised. Note that by increasing the number of times the first layer 140 passes over the roller, the number of layers (N described above) to which the raising treatment is applied can be increased. In FIG. 6, a dashed-dotted line L2 is drawn at the boundary between the fiber layer 41A to which the raising treatment is applied and the fiber layer 41B to which the raising treatment is not applied.

[0031] In the present embodiment, by applying the raising treatment to each of the fiber layers 41 arranged on the design surface side, the touch feeling of the design surface can be made soft, or a three-dimensional effect can be imparted to the first layer 140. However, by applying the raising treatment to the fibers 42, there is a concern that the gaps between the fibers 42 will increase and the light transmittance will increase, resulting in a decrease in the light reflection performance of the fiber layer 41. In the above configuration, by setting the number of fiber layers 41B to which the raising treatment is not applied to 30 or more layers, sufficient light reflection performance can be ensured.

[0032] <Other Embodiments> The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the embodiments described in the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope. (1) The total number of the fiber layers 41 and the number of layers to which the raising treatment is applied among the fiber layers 41 can be appropriately changed. FIG. 7 exemplifies, as a modification, a case where the raising treatment is applied to the 22nd or lower fiber layer 41A from the design surface side among the 62 fiber layers 41 that constitute the first layer 240 provided in the skin material. (2) The cross-sectional shape of the fiber 42 is not limited to a triangular shape and can be appropriately deformed. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the fiber 42 may be circular. When the cross-sectional shape of the fiber 42 is circular, the maximum outer dimension in the cross-section of the fiber 42 coincides with the diameter of the cross-section. (3) In the above embodiment, the fiber layer 41 is exemplified as a woven fabric, but it is not limited thereto, and the fiber layer 41 may be an aggregate of fibers such as a non-woven fabric or a knitted fabric. (4) The skin material of this embodiment is not limited to being used for vehicle interior materials. For example, it can also be used as the skin of a seat or a sunshade. (5) The skin material of this embodiment can be used for vehicles other than automobiles, and can also be used for applications other than vehicles.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0033] 30... skin material, 40A... design surface, 41... fiber layer, 42... fiber, L1... maximum outer dimension

Claims

1. It is provided with a fiber layer composed of a plurality of fibers arranged in a planar shape, the fiber layer is laminated in 30 or more layers in the front and back directions, a skin material in which the maximum outer dimension in the cross section of the fiber constituting the fiber layer is 1 to 6 μm.

2. The skin material according to claim 1, wherein the fiber constituting the fiber layer has a triangular cross-sectional shape.

3. The fiber layer is composed of a woven fabric, the density of the warp threads constituting the fiber layer is 330 threads / inch or more, the skin material according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the density of the weft threads constituting the fiber layer is 45 threads / inch or more.

4. Among the plurality of fiber layers, each of the fiber layers N or less from the design surface side is subjected to a raising treatment, the skin material according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein when the total number of the fiber layers is X, X - N ≥ 30.

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