# US 11,440,289 B2 · Melt blown nonwoven fabric, laminate using same, melt blown nonwoven fabric production method and melt blowing apparatus

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- Number: US 11,440,289 B2
- Document ID: US11440289B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/784,537
- Filed: 2020-02-07
- Published: 2020-06-04
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2017-08-10
- Assignees: Kuraray Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Kuraray Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Tetsuya Okamoto; Yasuhiro Shirotani
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11440289B2

## CPC

- B32B 5/26: another layer {next to it} also being fibrous or filamentary {(relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12)}
- D04H 1/435: Polyesters
- B32B 5/022: {Non-woven fabric}
- B32B 37/04: characterised by the partial melting of at least one layer
- B32B 37/26: with at least one layer which influences the bonding during the lamination process, e.g. release layers or pressure equalising layers
- D01D 5/08: Melt spinning methods {(D01D5/0023 takes precedence)}
- D01D 5/084: Heating filaments, threads or the like, leaving the spinnerettes
- D01D 5/092: in shafts or chimneys
- D01D 5/0985: {by means of a flowing gas (e.g. melt-blowing)}
- D01D 13/00: Complete machines for producing artificial threads
- D04H 3/011: Polyesters
- D04H 3/16: with bonds between thermoplastic filaments produced in association with filament formation, e.g. immediately following extrusion
- B32B 2305/18: Fabrics, textiles
- B32B 2307/102: Insulating
- B32B 2307/704: Crystalline
- B32B 2307/724: Permeability to gases, adsorption
- B32B 2367/00: Polyesters, e.g. PET, i.e. polyethylene terephthalate
- B32B 2605/00: Vehicles
- B32B: LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
- D04H: MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL (weaving D03; knitting D04B; braiding D04C; net-making D04G; sewing D05B; tufting D05C; finishing non-woven fabrics D06); FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING {; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION}(non-woven fabrics having an intermediate or external layer of a different kind, e.g. of woven fabric, B32B)
- D01D: MECHANICAL METHODS OR APPARATUS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS

## Abstract

Provided are a melt blown (MB) nonwoven fabric, a laminate using the same, a method of producing a melt blown nonwoven fabric as well as a melt blowing apparatus. A melt blowing apparatus 100 includes a die 10 configured to discharge a resin melt 42 with an accompanying jet to give fiber materials, a hollow cover 20, and a collector 60. The fiber materials 50 from the die 10 are heated to a temperature equal to or higher than a crystallization temperature of crystalline thermoplastic resin inside the hollow cover 20 and collected on a collecting surface 62 of the collector 60. The hollow cover 20 and the collector 60 are separated by a distance of 5 cm or longer between a lower edge 28 of the hollow cover 20 and the collecting surface 62 in a line extending downwardly from the nozzle holes 12 in a vertical direction.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A melt blown nonwoven fabric comprising a resin composition including a polyethylene terephthalate-series resin as a principal component, wherein
the melt blown nonwoven fabric has a surface shrinkage ratio at 200° C. of 20% or lower, a longitudinal 10% modulus (MMD) at 30° C. of 22 N/5 cm or lower, and a longitudinal tensile strength (TMD) of 20.3 N/5 cm or higher.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The melt blown nonwoven fabric according to claim 1, wherein the melt blown nonwoven fabric has a ratio (TMD/TCD) of the longitudinal tensile strength (TMD) to a transverse tensile strength (TCD) in a range from 1.00 to 1.40.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The melt blown nonwoven fabric according to claim 1, wherein the melt blown nonwoven fabric has a longitudinal elongation ratio (EMD) of 25% or higher and a ratio (EMD/ECD) of the longitudinal elongation ratio (EMD) to a transverse elongation ratio (ECD) in a range from 0.80 to 1.20.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The melt blown nonwoven fabric according to claim 1, wherein the melt blown nonwoven fabric has an air permeability of from 30 to 90 cm3/cm2·s in accordance with JIS L 1906.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

An acoustic material for a vehicle, comprising the melt blown nonwoven fabric according to claim 1.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A laminate comprising a support and a melt blown nonwoven fabric that is thermocompression-bonded to at least one surface of the support, wherein the melt blown nonwoven fabric is a melt blown nonwoven fabric according to claim 1.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The laminate according to claim 6, wherein the laminate has a peeling strength (T-peel test) of 0.2 N/5 cm or higher in accordance with JIS K 6854-3 at a thermocompression-bonded surface between the melt blown nonwoven fabric and the support.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The laminate according to claim 6, wherein the support is a nonwoven fabric or a felt.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

An acoustic material for a vehicle, comprising a laminate according to claim 6.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

A method of producing the melt blown nonwoven fabric of claim 1, the method comprising:
heating a resin composition comprising a polyethylene terephthalate-series resin to give a melt and discharging the melt with accompanying jet through nozzle holes to give fiber materials;
heating the fiber materials discharged through the nozzle holes in a heating zone;
exposing the heated fiber materials to outside air in an air gap zone to cool the fiber materials; and
collecting the cooled fiber materials on a collecting surface to obtain a web,
wherein at least a part of the heating zone is heated to a crystallization temperature of the polyethylene terephthalate-series resin or higher; and
the air gap zone is a space between a lower edge of the heating zone and the collecting surface, the space having a distance L of 5 cm or longer in a line extending downwardly from the nozzle holes in a vertical direction.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of producing a melt blown nonwoven fabric according to claim 10, wherein the heating zone is a space between the nozzle holes and the lower edge of the heating zone, the space having a distance H of 10 cm or longer in the line extending downwardly from the nozzle holes in the vertical direction.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method of producing a melt blown nonwoven fabric according to claim 10, wherein the fiber materials have a temperature equal to or higher than the crystallization temperature (Tc)−25° C., at a position 10 cm below the nozzle holes in the vertical direction in the heating zone.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method of producing a melt blown nonwoven fabric recited in claim 10, wherein the crystalline thermoplastic resin is a polyethylene terephthalate-series resin.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

A melt blowing apparatus to conduct the method of claim 10, comprising:
an extruder configured to heat a resin composition including a polyethylene terephthalate-series resin to give a melt;
a die configured to discharge the melt with an accompanying jet to give fiber materials;
a hollow cover provided in a downstream side of the accompanying jet and configured to surround the fiber materials;
a heating unit configured to heat the fiber materials;
a collector having a collecting surface configured to collect the fiber materials flowing from the hollow cover in a downward direction of the accompanying jet,
wherein the hollow cover and the collector are separated by a distance of 5 cm or longer between a lower edge of the hollow cover and the collecting surface in a line extending downwardly from the nozzle holes in a vertical direction.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The melt blowing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the nozzle holes and the lower edge of the hollow cover are separated by a distance of 10 cm or longer in the line extending downwardly from the nozzle holes in the vertical direction.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The melt blowing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the hollow cover is formed with an air blowing port configured to introduce heated air.