Fire retardant structural textile panel

A multi-layered, nonwoven fiber textile, fire retardant panel, suitable for use as a structural fascia, having thermal and acoustical insulating properties, and capable of being thermoformed, comprising:

• a core of first thermoplastic fibers and second thermoplastic fibers, having been formed into an nonwoven fibrous batt, and having a top side and a bottom side;
• a top side inner face of fibers selected from the group consisting of the first fibers or the second fibers, which have been formed into a nonwoven fibrous batt;
• a bottom inner face of fibers selected from the group consisting of the first fibers or the second fibers, which have been formed into a nonwoven fibrous batt;
• a top side intermediate face of fibers that have been formed into a nonwoven fibrous batt, and that is attached to the top side inner face fibers, and a bottom side outer face of fibers which has been formed into a nonwoven fibrous batt that is attached to the bottom side inner face of fibers, the fibers of each face so chosen from the group consisting of the first or second fibers such that the fibers chosen are not the same fibers as have been chosen for the top side inner face and the bottom side inner face;
• a top side outer face of a flexible, soft skin;
• the top side inner face and bottom side inner face attached to the top and bottom sides of the core by inter-engagement of fibers by means of a needle loom;
• the bottom side outer face attached to the bottom side inner face by physical adhesion with fibers of the bottom side inner face that have been softened or melted upon their exposure to a heating means;
• and
• the top side intermediate face attached to the top side inner face, being sandwiched in between the top side inner face and top side outer face attached thereto.

A multi-layered, nonwoven fiber, fire retardant, textile panel, suitable for use as structural fascia, having thermal and acoustical insulating properties and capable of being thermoformed to a desired predetermined shape, comprising:

• a core of first thermoplastic fibers and second thermoplastic fibers, which have been formed into a nonwoven fibrous batt;
• a top side inner face of first fiber that have been formed into a nonwoven fibrous batt;
• a bottom side inner face of first fibers that have been formed into a nonwoven fibrous batt;
• the top side and bottom side inner faces being attached to the core by fibrous interengagement produced by a needle punching means;
• a top side intermediate face of second fibers that have been formed into a nonwoven fibrous batt;
• a bottom side outer face of second fibers that have been formed into a nonwoven fibrous batt;
• the top side intermediate face and bottom side outer face being attached to the top side inner face and bottom side inner face, respectively, the bottom side outer face being attached by physical adhesion to softened or melted fibers in the bottom side inner face that have been heated by a thermoforming means, and the top side intermediate face being attached by similar adhesions with the top side inner face, produced by like thermoforming means;
• and
• a top side outer face of a flexible, soft skin, which is attached to the top side intermediate face by adhesion.

A fire resistant panel having textile and non-textile components, having acoustical and thermal insulating qualities, and suitable for use as a structural fascia, comprising:

• a core of a first and at least a second textile fibers, the fibers having been formed into a nonwoven fibrous batt having a top and a bottom side;
• a top side inner face, a bottom side inner face, and a bottom side outer face, each of which is a nonwoven fibrous batt;
• a top side intermediate face of a suitable foamed material;
• the top side inner face and bottom inner face being attached to and sandwiching the core to form an inner subassembly, and the top side intermediate face and bottom side outer face being attached to and sandwiching the inner subassembly to form a skin support assembly;
• and
• a skin, attached to the top side of the skin support assembly.

A method of making a textile panel comprising steps of:

• preparing a core of a first and at least a second type of fiber in a nonwoven, fibrous batt;
• preparing a top side inner face, top side intermediate face, bottom side inner face, and bottom side outer face;
• attaching the top side inner face and bottom side inner face to and sandwiching in between them, the core, to form an inner subassembly;
• attaching the bottom side outer face to the bottom side of the inner subassembly;
• attaching the top side intermediate face to the top side of the inner subassembly to form a skin support subassembly;
• preparing a flexible skin;
• and
• attaching the skin to the top side of the skin support subassembly.