Consolidated fibrous structure
AssigneeMilliken & Company
InventorsSujith Nair, Sasha Stankovich, Yunzhang Wang, Venkatkrishna Raghavendran
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Abstract
A consolidated fibrous structure including a multiplicity of fibrous layers. Each fibrous layer comprises tape fibers, wherein the tape fibers contain a polypropylene core and a skin layer. At least a portion of the skin layers of the fibers in each fibrous layer are fused to at least a portion of other skin layers of fibers within the same fibrous layer and at least a portion of the skin layers of the fibers of each fibrous layer are fused with at least a portion of the skin layers of the fibers in an adjacent fibrous layer.
Claims9
A consolidated fibrous structure comprising at least two (2) fibrous layers, wherein each fibrous layer comprises tape fibers, wherein the tape fibers comprise:
- a core comprising polypropylene;
- a skin layer disposed on at least a portion of the core, wherein the skin layer comprises a polymer, wherein the polymer comprises a co-polymer having at least 50% α-olefin units and is characterized by a number-average molecular weight of about 7,000 g/mol to 50,000 g/mol, a viscosity of between about 2,500 and 150,000 cP measured at 170° C., wherein the viscosity of the second polymer is not greater than about 10 percent of the viscosity of the first polymer measured at 170° C., and a melting temperature lower than the melting temperature of the exterior surface portion of the core;
- wherein at least a portion of the skin layers of the fibers in each fibrous layer are fused to at least a portion of other skin layers of fibers within the same fibrous layer, at least a portion of the skin layers of the fibers of each fibrous layer are fused with at least a portion of the skin layers of the fibers in an adjacent fibrous layer, and the stiffness of the consolidated fibrous structure is at least 1 N-m measured by ASTM D 790.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.