Blended Polypropylene Resin for High Elongation Fibers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional polyolefin fibers have limited elongation, making them less stretchable and less conformable to the body, while improving elongation often compromises processing speed and efficiency in fiber production.
Innovation Solution
A blended polypropylene composition with specific molecular weight distributions and melt flow rates is developed, combining high and low molecular weight polymer components to enhance elongation while maintaining high spinning speeds, achieved through a blend of polymers with broad and narrow molecular weight distributions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If polyolefin fibers are made with higher elongation to improve body conformance and stretchability, then fiber extensibility is improved, but processing speed and spinning efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the polymer system into two distinct components: a high molecular weight polypropylene (HMW-PP) providing elongation and a low molecular weight polypropylene (LMW-PP) providing processability. This segmentation allows each component to independently contribute its advantageous properties to the fiber blend, resolving the contradiction between elongation and spinning speed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite polymer system by blending HMW-PP and LMW-PP in specific ratios (30:70 to 70:30). This composite material combines the high elongation capability of HMW-PP with the high processability of LMW-PP, achieving both improved fiber extensibility and maintained spinning efficiency that neither component could achieve alone
Data Source
AI summary
A blended polypropylene composition, fiber, and nonwoven articles made therefrom are provided. In one aspect, the blended polypropylene composition comprises a first polymer component having a molecular weight distribution of from 2.5 to 8, and a second polymer component having a molecular weight distribution of from 1.8 to 3. The first polymer component has a melt flow rate of greater than 30 g/10 min. and the second polymer component has a melt flow rate of less than 40 g/10 min., and the blended polypropylene composition has a melt flow rate of greater than 5 g/10 min.