Non-directional rectangular filaments and products
AssigneeAkzona Incorporated
InventorWalter Graham McCulloch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed herein are novel synthetic polymer filaments, and yarns made therefrom, for use in synthetic turf products. The filaments have a rectangular cross-section and the normal directional tendency of such filaments when used in synthetic turf is overcome by folding or texturing the filaments in such a manner that, while the normal advantageous flexibility of the rectangular filament is retained, the directional tendency is removed. When filaments of the invention are used to produce synthetic turfs, the turf surface imparts an essentially non-directional response to objects rolled thereon.
Claims25
Continuous universally-flexible ribbon filaments of at least 100 denier each for use in outdoor cut-pile synthetic turf, said filaments having a substantially rectangular cross-sectional configuration characterized by major and minor axes which impart a directional flexibility to the filament, each of said filaments having a plurality of folds wherein both the major and minor axes bend simultaneously, said folds being randomly oriented with respect to one another to overcome the natural directional flexibility of the rectangular cross-section and impart universal, non-directional flexibility to the filaments.
A continuous filament yarn comprising a plurality of entangled but physically separate ribbon filaments of at least 100 denier each, said filaments having a substantially rectangular cross-sectional configuration characterized by major and minor axes which impart a directional flexibility to the filament, each of said filaments having a plurality of folds wherein both major and minor axes bend simultaneously, said folds being randonly oriented with respect to one another to overcome the natural directional flexibility of the rectangular cross-section and impart universal, non-directional flexibility to the filament.
A cut-pile synthetic turf product wherein the pile is formed of ribbon filaments of at lest 100 denier each, having a substantially rectangular cross-sectional configuration and characterized by major and minor axes which impart a directional flexibility to the filament, each of said filaments having a plurality of folds wherein both the major and minor axes bend simultaneously, said folds being randomly oriented with respect to one another to overcome the natural directional flexibility of the rectangular cross-section and impart non-directional flexibility to the filaments, said turf having an essentially uniform, flat pile surface giving a non-directional response to objects rolled thereon, due to the universal flexibility of the filaments forming said surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.