Yarn Filament For Artificial Turf And Method For Making Same
AssigneeColumbia Insurance Company
InventorJoel Corn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An artificial turf filament has a cross-section that includes a body having a center juncture having a first width and a first and second wing member arranged in diverging orientation from the center juncture. Each wing member having a plurality of legs and a plurality of leg junctures positioned between respective legs of the plurality of legs. Moving from the center juncture to a distal end of each wing member, the minimal cross-sectional widths of the respective legs of the plurality of legs decrease and the maximal cross-sectional widths of the respective leg junctures of the plurality of leg junctures decrease.
Claims20
A filament having a cross-section comprising:
- a body having a peripheral edge and an exterior surface, comprising, in cross-section:
- a center juncture having a first width, wherein the body has a body cross-sectional axis bisecting and transverse to the first width;
- a first wing member;
- and
- a second wing member opposing the first wing member, wherein the respective first and second wing members are arranged in diverging orientation from the center juncture and extend outwardly and generally downwardly therefrom the center juncture at an angle relative to the body cross-sectional axis of between about 3° to about 30° [A1],
- wherein each wing member comprises a plurality of legs and a plurality of leg junctures, wherein each leg juncture of the plurality of leg junctures is positioned between respective legs of the plurality of legs, wherein, moving from the center juncture to a distal end of each wing member, the minimal cross-sectional widths of the respective legs of the plurality of legs decrease and the maximal cross-sectional widths of the respective leg junctures of the plurality of leg junctures decrease, and wherein each wing member is defined by opposing top and bottom faces.
A process for melt spinning an artificial turf filament, the process comprising:
- (a) melt spinning a filament-forming polymeric material through a spinneret orifice the planar cross-section of which defines intersecting quadrilaterals in connected series with the respective junctures of the intersecting quadrilaterals being greater in width than the width of the adjoining defined quadrilaterals, with the juncture of the two intersecting quadrilaterals at a center of the spinneret orifice defining a center juncture section and with the remaining quadrilaterals defining a pair of opposed wing member sections to form a filament comprising:
- a body having a peripheral edge and an exterior surface, comprising, in cross-section:
- a center juncture having a first width, wherein the body has a body cross-sectional axis bisecting and transverse to the first width;
- a first wing member;
- and
- a second wing member opposing the first wing member, wherein the respective first and second wing members are arranged in diverging orientation from the center juncture and extend outwardly and generally downwardly therefrom the center juncture at an angle relative to the body cross-sectional axis of between about 3° to about 30°, and
- wherein each wing member comprises a plurality of legs and a plurality of leg junctures, wherein each leg juncture of the plurality of leg junctures is positioned between respective legs of the plurality of legs, wherein, moving from the center juncture to a distal end of each wing member, the minimal cross-sectional widths of the respective legs of the plurality of legs decrease and the maximal cross-sectional widths of the respective leg junctures of the plurality of leg junctures decrease, and wherein each wing member is defined by opposing top and bottom faces;
- and
- (b) quenching the filament at a rate sufficient to maintain at the desired geometry of the spun filament;
- and
- (c) taking up the filament under tension.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.