Splittable multicomponent elastomeric fibers
AssigneeFiber Innovation Technology, Inc.
InventorsFRANK O. HARRIS, JEFFREY S. DUGAN, JING-PEIR YU, ARTHUR TALLEY JR., ARNOLD WILKIE
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Abstract
Thermally divisible multicomponent fibers having at least a first component including an elastomeric polymer and at least a second component including a non-elastomeric polymer. The multicomponent fibers are useful in the manufacture of nonwoven structures, and in particular nonwoven structures used as synthetic suede and filtration media.
Claims62
A method for producing microfilaments, comprising:
- extruding a plurality of multicomponent fibers comprising at least one polymer component comprising an elastomeric polymer and at least one polymer component comprising a non-elastomeric polymer, wherein said elastomeric polymer has a solubility parameter (δ) sufficiently different from said non-elastomeric polymer so that said elastomeric component and said non-elastomeric component split upon thermal treatment;
- drawing said multicomponent fibers to plastically deform said non-elastomeric component so that said non-elastomeric component maintains substantially its same length after drawing upon release of drawing tension and to elastically deform said elastomeric component so that said elastomeric component is capable of substantially complete recovery to its original length upon release of drawing tension and release of adhesion to the non-elastomeric component;
- and
- thermally treating said drawn multicomponent fibers under conditions of low or substantially no tension to separate said multicomponent fibers to form a fiber bundle comprising a plurality of elastomeric microfilaments and a plurality of non-elastomeric microfilaments which are more bulked than said elastomeric microfilaments.
A method for producing microfilaments, comprising:
- extruding a plurality of multicomponent fibers comprising at least one elastomeric polyurethane component and at least one non-elastomeric polypropylene component;
- drawing said multicomponent fibers to plastically deform said non-elastomeric polypropylene component so that said non-elastomeric polypropylene component maintains substantially its same length after drawing upon release of drawing tension and to elastically deform said elastomeric polyurethane component so that said elastomeric polyurethane component is capable of substantially complete recovery to its original length upon release of drawing tension and release of adhesion to the non-elastomeric component;
- and
- contacting said drawn multicomponent fibers with heated air under conditions of low or substantially no tension to separate said multicomponent fibers to form a fiber bundle comprising a plurality of elastomeric polyurethane microfilaments and non-elastomeric polypropylene microfilaments, wherein said polypropylene microfilaments are more bulked than said polyurethane microfilaments, and wherein said polypropylene microfilaments substantially surround said polyurethane microfilaments.
A method for producing microfilaments, comprising:
- extruding a plurality of multicomponent fibers comprising at least one polymer component comprising an elastomeric polymer and at least one polymer component comprising a non-elastomeric polymer, wherein said elastomeric polymer has a solubility parameter (δ) sufficiently different from said non-elastomeric polymer so that said elastomeric component and said non-elastomeric component split upon thermal treatment;
- drawing said multicomponent fibers to plastically deform said non-elastomeric component so that said non-elastomeric component maintains substantially its same length after drawing upon release of drawing tension and to elastically deform said elastomeric component so that said elastomeric component is capable of substantially complete recovery to its original length upon release of drawing tension and release of adhesion to the non-elastomeric component;
- and
- contacting said multicomponent fibers with a heated substantially water free medium under conditions of low or substantially no tension to separate said multicomponent fibers to form a fiber bundle comprising a plurality of elastomeric microfilaments and a plurality of non-elastomeric microfilaments.
A fiber bundle comprising a plurality of elastomeric microfilaments and a plurality of plastically deformed non-elastomeric microfilaments which are more bulked than said elastomeric microfilaments, said microfilaments originating from a common multicomponent fiber having elastomeric and non-elastomeric components, wherein said elastomeric polymer has a solubility parameter (δ) sufficiently different from said non-elastomeric polymer so that said elastomeric component and said non-elastomeric component split upon thermal activation.
A fiber bundle comprising a plurality of elastomeric polyurethane microfilaments and a plurality of plastically deformed non-elastomeric polypropylene microfilaments which are more bulked than said elastomeric microfilaments substantially surrounding said elastomeric polyurethane microfilaments, said microfilaments originating from a common multicomponent fiber having elastomeric polyurethane and non-elastomeric polypropylene components which split upon thermal activation.
A fabric comprising a plurality of elastomeric microfilaments and a plurality plastically deformed non-elastomeric microfilaments which are more bulked than said elastomeric microfilaments, said microfilaments originating from a common multicomponent fiber having elastomeric and non-elastomeric components, wherein said elastomeric polymer has a solubility parameter (δ) sufficiently different from said non-elastomeric polymer so that said elastomeric component and said non-elastomeric component split upon thermal activation.
A method for producing fabric, said method comprising:
- extruding a plurality of multicomponent fibers comprising at least one polymer component comprising an elastomeric polymer and at least one polymer component comprising a non-elastomeric polymer, wherein said elastomeric polymer has a solubility parameter (δ) sufficiently different from said non-elastomeric polymer so that said elastomeric component and said non-elastomeric component split upon thermal activation;
- drawing said multicomponent fibers to plastically deform said non-elastomeric component so that said non-elastomeric component maintains substantially its same length after drawing upon release of drawing tension and to elastically deform said elastomeric component so that said elastomeric component is capable of substantially complete recovery to its original length upon release of drawing tension and release of adhesion to the non-elastomeric component;
- forming a fabric from said multicomponent fibers;
- and
- thermally treating said drawn multicomponent fibers under conditions of low or substantially no tension to separate said multicomponent fibers to form a fiber bundle comprising a plurality of elastomeric microfilaments and a plurality of non-elastomeric microfilaments which are more bulked than said elastomeric microfilaments.
A splittable multicomponent fiber comprising:
- at least one component comprising an elastomeric polymer, which is elastically deformed so that said elastomeric component is capable of substantially complete recovery to its original length upon release of drawing tension;
- and
- at least one component comprising a non-elastomeric polymer, which is plastically deformed so that said non-elastomeric component maintains substantially its same length after drawing upon release of drawing tension,
- wherein said elastomeric polymer has a solubility parameter (δ) sufficiently different from said non-elastomeric polymer so that said elastomeric component and said non-elastomeric component split upon thermal treatment.
A fabric comprising a plurality of splittable multicomponent fibers comprising at least one polymer component comprising a non-elastomeric polymer which is plastically deformed so that said non-elastomeric component maintains substantially its same length after drawing upon release of drawing tension and at least one polymer component comprising an elastomeric polymer which is elastically deformed so that said elastomeric component is capable of substantially complete recovery to its original length upon release of drawing tension and release of adhesion to the non-elastomeric component;
- wherein said elastomeric polymer has a solubility parameter (δ) sufficiently different from said non-elastomeric polymer so that said elastomeric component and said non-elastomeric component split upon thermal activation.
A method for producing splittable multicomponent fibers, said method comprising:
- extruding a plurality of multicomponent fibers comprising at least one polymer component comprising an elastomeric polymer and at least one polymer component comprising a non-elastomeric polymer, wherein said elastomeric polymer has a solubility parameter (δ) sufficiently different from said non-elastomeric polymer so that said elastomeric component and said non-elastomeric component split upon thermal activation;
- and
- drawing said multicomponent fibers to plastically deform said non-elastomeric components and elastically deform said elastomeric components so that said elastomeric component is capable of substantially complete recovery to its original length upon release of drawing tension and release of adhesion to the non-elastomeric component.
A method for producing fabric, said method comprising:
- extruding a plurality of multicomponent fibers comprising at least one polymer component comprising an elastomeric polymer and at least one polymer component comprising a non-elastomeric polymer, wherein said elastomeric polymer has a solubility parameter (δ) sufficiently different from said non-elastomeric polymer so that said elastomeric component and said non-elastomeric component split upon mechanical fabric formation;
- drawing said multicomponent fibers to plastically deform said non-elastomeric component so that said non-elastomeric component maintains substantially its same length after drawing upon release of drawing tension and to elastically deform said elastomeric component so that said elastomeric component is capable of substantially complete recovery to its original length upon release of drawing tension and release of adhesion to the non-elastomeric component;
- forming a web of said multicomponent fibers;
- and
- mechanically treating said web under conditions sufficient to intimately entangle said multicomponent fibers and to separate said multicomponent fibers to form fiber bundles comprising a plurality of elastomeric microfilaments and a plurality of non-elastomeric microfilaments which are more bulked than said elastomeric microfilaments.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.