Homogeneous predispersed fiber compositions

A substantially homogeneous predispersed fiber composition useful for dispersing a fibrous material in a rubber or plastic compound stock, said composition comprising a fibrous material and a rubber or plastic polymer binder, wherein said composition is prepared by mixing a latex of the rubber or plastic polymer with the fibrous material to form a wetted fiber mixture, mixing a coagulant with the wetted fiber mixture thereby forming said fiber composition,

• wherein the percent of total solids in the wetted fiber mixture prior to coagulation which will result in the formation of said fiber composition is determined by first preparing several test predispersed fiber compositions having the same composition as that desired from several test wetted fiber mixtures, each of which has a different percent of total solids decreasing in equal increments from the point at which the total amount of water present in one of the test wetted fiber mixtures prior to coagulation is substantially equal to that required to completely wet the fibrous material by either capillary action, surface adsorption or a combination thereof,
• from each of the several test fiber compositions obtained, a sufficient number of samples of approximately equal weight are analyzed to determine the percent of fibrous material present in each of the samples and to determine the standard deviation in the percent of fibrous material for each of the test fiber compositions,
• plotting a curve of the standard deviations obtained versus the percent of total solids in the test wetted fiber mixtures used to prepare each of the test fiber compositions,
• and then selecting a percent of total solids for the wetted fiber mixture prior to coagulation which corresponds to a point on the portion of the curve which extends from the point where the total amount of water present in one of the test wetted fiber mixtures prior to coagulation is substantially equal to that required to completely wet the fibrous material by either capillary action, surface adsorption, or a combination thereof to the inflection point.

A substantially homogeneous predispersed fiber composition useful for dispersing a fibrous material in a rubber or plastic polymer binder, wherein said composition is prepared by mixing a latex of the rubber or plastic polymer with the fibrous material to form a wetted fiber mixture, mixing a coagulant with the wetted fiber mixture thereby forming said fiber composition,

• wherein the percent of total solids in the wetted fiber mixture prior to coagulation which will result in the formation of said fiber composition is determined by first preparing several test predispersed fiber compositions having the same composition as that desired from several test wetted fiber mixtures, each of which has a different percent of total solids decreasing in equal increments from the point at which the total amount of water present in one of the test wetted fiber mixtures prior to coagulation is substantially equal to that required to completely wet the fibrous material by either capillary action, surface adsorption, or a combination thereof,
• from each of the several test fiber compositions obtained, a sufficient number of samples of approximately equal weight are analyzed to determine the percent of fibrous material present in each of the samples and to determine the standard deviation in the percent of fibrous material for each of the test fiber compositions,
• plotting a curve of the standard deviations obtained versus the percent of total solids in the test wetted fiber mixtures used to prepare each of the test fiber compositions,
• and then selecting a percent of total solids for the wetted fiber mixture prior to coagulation which corresponds to a point on the curve at which the value of the standard deviation is less than about 3.

A process for preparing a substantially homogeneous predispersed fiber composition useful for dispersing a fibrous material in a rubber or plastic compound stock, wherein said composition comprises a fibrous material and a rubber or plastic polymer binder, said process comprising,

• (a) mixing a latex of the rubber or plastic polymer with the fibrous material to form a wetted fiber mixture wherein the percent of total solids in the wetted fiber mixture prior to coagulation which will result in the formation of said fiber composition is determined by first preparing several test predispersed fiber compositions having the same composition as that desired from several test wetted fiber mixtures, each of which has a different percent of total solids decreasing in equal increments from the point at which the total amount of water present in one of the test wetted fiber mixtures prior to coagulation is substantially equal to that required to completely wet the fibrous material by either capillary action, surface adsorption, or a combination thereof,
• from each of the several test fiber compositions obtained, a sufficient number of samples of approximately equal weight are analyzed to determine the percent of fibrous material present in each of the samples and to determine the standard deviation in the percent of fibrous material for each of the test fiber compositions,
• plotting a curve of the standard deviations obtained versus the percent of total solids in the test wetted fiber mixtures used to prepare each of the test fiber compositions,
• and then selecting a percent of total solids for the wetted fiber mixture prior to coagulation which corresponds to a point on the homogeneous portion of the curve wherein the homogeneity of the test fiber compositions is substantially equal to that obtained at the point where the total amount of water present in one of the test wetted fiber mixtures prior to coagulation is substantially equal to that required to completely wet the fibrous material by either capillary action, surface adsorption, or a combination thereof, and
• (b) mixing a coagulant with the wetted fiber mixture thereby forming the predispersed fiber composition.

A process for preparing a substantially homogeneous predispersed fiber composition useful for dispersing a fibrous material in a rubber or plastic compound stock, wherein said composition comprises a fibrous material and a rubber or plastic polymer binder, said process comprising

• (a) mixing a latex of the rubber or plastic polymer with the fibrous material to form a wetted fiber mixture wherein the percent of total solids in the wetted fiber mixture prior to coagulation which will result in the formation of said fiber composition is determined by first preparing several test predispersed fiber compositions having the same composition as that desired from several test wetted fiber mixtures, each of which has a different percent of total solids decreasing in equal increments from the point at which the total amount of water present in one of the test wetted fiber mixtures prior to coagulation is substantially equal to that required to completely wet the fibrous material by either capillary action, surface adsorption or a combination thereof,
• from each of the several test fiber compositions obtained, a sufficient number of samples of approximately equal weight are analyzed to determine the percent of fibrous material present in each of the samples and to determine the standard deviation in the percent of fibrous material for each of the test fiber compositions,
• plotting a curve of the standard deviations obtained versus the percent of total solids in the test wetted fiber mixtures used to prepare each of the test fiber compositions,
• and then selecting a percent of total solids for the wetted fiber mixture prior to coagulation which corresponds to a point on the portion of the curve which extends from the point where the total amount of water present in one of the test wetted fiber mixtures prior to coagulation is substantially equal to that required to completely wet the fibrous material by either capillary action, surface adsorption or a combination thereof to the inflection point.
• (b) mixing a coagulant with the wetted fiber mixture thereby forming the predispersed fiber composition.

A process for preparing a substantially homogeneous predispersed fiber composition useful for dispersing a fibrous material in a rubber or plastic compound stock, wherein said composition comprises a fibrous material and a rubber or plastic polymer binder, said process comprising

• (a) mixing a latex of the rubber or plastic polymer with the fibrous material to form a wetted fiber mixture wherein the percent of total solids in the wetted fiber mixture prior to coagulation which will result in the formation of said fiber composition is determined by first preparing several test predispersed fiber compositions having the same composition as that desired from several test wetted fiber mixtures, each of which has a different percent of total solids decreasing in equal increments from the point at which the total amount of water present in one of the test wetted fiber mixtures prior to coagulation is substantially equal to that required to completely wet the fibrous material by either capillary action, surface adsorption, or a combination thereof.
• from each of the several test fiber compositions obtained, a sufficient number of samples of approximately equal weight are analyzed to determine the percent of fibrous material present in each of the samples and to determine the standard deviation in the percent of fibrous material for each of the test fiber compositions,
• plotting a curve of the standard deviations obtained versus the percent of total solids in the test wetted fiber mixtures used to prepare each of the test fiber compositions,
• and then selecting a percent of total solids for the wetted fiber mixture prior to coagulation which corresponds to a point on the curve at which the value of the standard deviation is less than about 3, and
• (b) mixing a coagulant with the wetted fiber mixture thereby forming the predispersed fiber composition.