Stabilized continuous filament web
OwnerReinhardt N. Sabeeinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A non-woven web is provided that has conformability and drapability approaching that of woven fabrics. The non-woven web comprises a number of substantially parallel continuous filaments that are stabilized by melt blown fibers to create a coherent web. The continuous filaments are molecularly oriented, as by drawing before, during, or after deposition of the melt blown fibers. The melt blown fibers may be deposited on one or both sides of the continuous filaments, and two or more webs may be cross laid and laminated together. In one embodiment, the continuous filaments of a cross laid laminate are not bonded to each other. The continuous filaments are above to slide and slip relative to each other when the laminate is deformed, thereby decreasing stiffness and increasing drapability.
Claims241
A non-woven web comprising a multiplicity of substantially longitudinal molecularly oriented continuous filaments of a thermoplastic polymer, and a multiplicity of melt blown fibers or filaments deposited on the longitudinal continuous filaments, the melt blown fibers or filaments forming bonds at least at some of their intersections with the longitudinal continuous filaments to thereby stabilize and fix the longitudinal continuous filaments in the substantially longitudinal orientation.
The non-woven web of claim 54 wherein the longitudinal continuous filaments of the first and second arrays thereof are cross laid under tension.
A laminate comprising first and second plies of a multiplicity of molecularly oriented continuous filaments of a thermoplastic polymer, the filaments of at least one ply being stabilized in a substantially longitudinal non-random array with at least one face to face deposition of melt blown fibers, the melt blown fibers being self-bonded at least at some of their intersections with the continuous filaments, the first and second plies being bonded together transversely at a plurality of discrete areas or points of autogenous bonds, the discrete areas being distributed in a discontinuous regular pattern that provides spans between tee autogenous bonds that contain continuous molecularly oriented filaments having a substantially non-random orientation.
A non-woven laminate comprising an integrated mat of thermoplastic melt blown fibers and at least one web comprised of at least two non-random arrays of longitudinal molecularly oriented continuous filaments of a thermoplastic polymer, each array being stabilized with a deposition of melt blown fibers, the arrays being positioned in laminar face to face relationship and united together so that the longitudinal filaments of at least one array is transverse to the longitudinal filaments of at least one other array, the laydown patterns of the longitudinal filaments having a substantially non-random predetermined alignment and a substantially controlled predetermined porosity, basis weight and opacity, said web being positioned on one side of said mat in laminate face to face relationship and united together to provide a unitary structure and to integrate the stabilized web to provide the mat on at least one side with a web having a controlled predetermined porosity.
An integrated non-woven web comprising:
- a. a first web comprising a multiplicity of continuous thermoplastic filaments stabilized and fixed in a substantially longitudinal orientation by a deposition of melt blown fibers or filaments;
- and
- b. a second web comprising a multiplicity of continuous thermoplastic filaments stabilized and fixed in a substantially longitudinal orientation transverse to the orientation of the continuous thermoplastic filaments of the first web, the second web being positioned in laminar face-to-face relationship with the first web and bonded thereto to thereby provide an integrated web with the continuous filaments of the second web lying at a transverse angle across the continuous filaments of the first web.
A non-woven web comprising at least two layers of substantially parallel continuous filaments, the continuous filaments of each layer being constrained and maintained in a substantially parallel arrangement by at least one deposition of melt blown fibers, the continuous filaments of one of the layers being non-parallel with the continuous filaments of the other layer.
A method of forming a non-woven fabric-like material having improved strength, cloth-like appearance, and improved drapability, said method comprising the steps of:
- a. forming one or more rows of closely spaced filaments by spinning molten polymer streams;
- b. directing said spun continuous filaments onto the surface of a temperature controlled accumulator;
- c. directing an air stream containing melt blown molten fibers to said temperature controlled accumulator surface and onto rows of closely spaced continuous filaments to form bonds at the junctions of melt blown fibers and continuous filaments and to form bonds at the cross over points of the melt blown fibers with themselves to produce a web of stabilized longitudinal substantially parallel continuous filaments, said air stream having a temperature in the range of about 250.degree. F. to about 900.degree. F.;
- d. drawing said stabilized web;
- and
- e. collecting said web.
The method of clam 135 further comprising the step of applying at least one deposition of a melt blown not melt adhesive.
The method of claim 177 wherein the step of applying at least one deposition of hot melt adhesive comprises the step of supplying a viscoelastic hot melt pressure sensitive adhesive.
A method of forming a non-woven fabric-like material having improved strength, cloth-like appearance, and improved drapability, said method comprising the steps of:
- a. forming one or more rows of closely spaced filaments by spinning molten polymer streams;
- b. directing said spun continuous filaments onto the surface of a temperature controlled accumulator;
- c. drawing said stabilized web;
- d. directing an air stream containing melt blown molten fibers to said temperature controlled accumulator surface and onto rows of closely spaced continuous filaments to form bonds at the junctions of melt blown fibers and continuous filaments and to form bonds at the cross over points of the melt blown fibers with themselves to produce a web of stabilized longitudinal substantially parallel continuous filaments, said air stream having a temperature in the range of about 250.degree. F. to about 900.degree. F.;
- and
- e. collecting said web.
A method of forming a non-woven fabric comprising the steps of:
- a. forming one or more rows of closely spaced filaments by spinning molten polymer streams;
- b. directing said spun continuous filaments onto the surface of a temperature controlled accumulator;
- c. directing an air stream containing melt blown molten fibers to said temperature controlled accumulator surface and onto one face of the rows of closely spaced continuous filaments thereby forming bonds at least at some of the cross-over points of the melt blown fibers, thereby locking in place the continuous filaments, to produce a stabilized web of longitudinal substantially parallel continuous filaments, said air stream having a temperature in the range of about 250.degree. F. to about 900.degree. F.;
- d. drawing said stabilized web;
- and
- e. collecting said web.
The method of claim 180 further comprising the step of laminating and bonding at least one ply or mat of melt blown fibers to the collected web.
The method of claim 180 further comprising the step of adding an adhesive of melt blown adhesive fibers subsequent to the step of collecting the web on a cross lapper.
A method of forming a non-woven fabric comprising the steps of:
- a. forming one or more rows of closely spaced filaments by spinning molten polymer streams;
- b. directing said spun continuous filaments onto the surface of a temperature controlled accumulator;
- c. drawing said stabilized web;
- d. directing an air stream containing melt blown molten fibers to said temperature controlled accumulator surface and onto one face of the rows of closely spaced continuous filaments, thereby forming bons at least at some of the cross-over points of the melt blown fibers, thereby locking in place the continuous filaments, to produce a stabilized web of longitudinal substantially parallel continuous filaments, said air stream having a temperature in the range of about 250.degree. F. to about 900.degree. F.;
- and
- e. collecting said web.
A method of forming non-woven fabric comprising the steps of:
- a. forming one or more rows of closely spaced continuous filaments by spinning molten polymer streams of one or more polymers;
- b. drawing said continuous filaments mechanically;
- c. directing a first air stream containing melt blown molten fibers onto a first side of the rows of drawn continuous filaments, thereby forming bonds at the cross over points of the melt blown fibers and locking in place the drawn continuous filaments to produce a stabilized web of longitudinal, substantially parallel, drawn, and substantially continuous filaments, said air stream having a temperature in the range of about 250.degree. F. to about 900.degree. F.;
- d. directing a second air stream containing melt blown fibers onto the opposite side of said stabilized web, forming bonds at the cross over points of the melt blown fibers of the first and second air streams, further locking the drawn, substantially continuous filaments of the stabilized web in place, said air stream having a temperature in the range of about 250.degree. F. to about 900.degree. F.;
- e. cross lapping said stabilized web to form a web of transversely crossing plies of drawn filaments onto a conveyor;
- f. autogenously bonding the cross lapped plies together in discrete compact areas;
- and
- g. collecting said autogenously bonded web.
A method of forming a non-woven fabric comprising the steps of:
- a. forming one or more rows of closely spaced continuous filaments by spinning molten polymer streams;
- b. directing a first air stream containing melt blown molten fibers onto a first side of the rows of drawn continuous filaments, thereby forming bonds at the cross over points of the melt blown fibers and locking in place the drawn continuous filaments to produce a stabilized web of longitudinal, substantially parallel, drawn, and substantially continuous filaments, said air stream having a temperature in the range of about 250.degree. F. to about 900.degree. F.;
- c. drawing said continuous filaments mechanically;
- d. directing a second air stream containing melt blown fibers onto the opposite side of said stabilized web, forming bonds at the cross over points of the melt blown fibers of the first and second air streams, further locking the drawn, substantially continuous filaments of the stabilized web in place, said air stream having a temperature in the range of about 250.degree. F. to about 900.degree. F.;
- e. cross lapping said stabilized web to form a web of transversely crossing plies of drawn filaments onto a conveyor;
- f. autogenously bonding the cross lapped plies together in discrete compact areas;
- and
- g. collecting said autogenously bonded web.
A method of forming a non-woven fabric comprising steps of:
- a. forming one or more rows of closely spaced continuous filaments by spinning molten polymer streams;
- b. directing a first air stream containing melt blown molten fibers onto a first side of the rows of drawn continuous filaments, thereby forming bonds at the cross over points of the melt blown fibers and locking in place the drawn continuous filaments to produce a stabilized web of longitudinal, substantially parallel, drawn, and substantially continuous filaments, said air stream having a temperature in the range of about 250.degree. F. to about 900.degree. F.;
- c. directing a second air stream containing melt blown fibers onto the opposite side of said stabilized web, forming bonds at the cross over points of the melt blown fibers of the first and second air streams, further locking the drawn, substantially continuous filaments of the stabilized web in place, said air stream having a temperature in the range of about 250.degree. F. to about 900.degree. F.;
- d. drawing said continuous filaments mechanically;
- e. cross lapping said stabilized web to form a web of transversely crossing plies of drawn filaments onto a conveyor;
- f. autogenously bonding the cross lapped plies together in discrete compact areas;
- and
- g. collecting said autogenously bonded web.
A method of forming a non-woven fabric comprising the steps of:
- a. forming one or more rows of closely spaced continuous filaments by spinning molten polymer streams;
- b. drawing said continuous filaments mechanically;
- c. directing a first air stream containing melt blown molten fibers onto a first side of the rows of drawn continuous filaments, thereby forming bonds at the cross over points of the melt blown fibers and locking in place the drawn continuous filaments to produce a stabilize web of longitudinal, substantially parallel, drawn, and substantially continuous filaments, said air stream having a temperature in the range of about 250.degree. F. to about 900.degree. F.;
- d. cross lapping said stabilized web to form a web of transversely crossing plies of drawn filaments onto a conveyor;
- e. autogenously bonding the cross lapped plies together in discrete compact areas;
- f. cross laying and bonding said autogenously bonded web;
- and
- g. collecting said autogenous bonded web.
A method of forming non-woven fabric comprising the steps of:
- a. forming first and second curtains of one or more rows of closely spaced continuous filaments by spinning molten polymer streams;
- b. mechanically drawing the continuous filaments of the first and second curtains;
- c. directing a stream of melt blown fibers onto one side of each of the first and second curtains of drawn continuous filaments thereby forming bonds at the cross over points of the melt blown fibers and locking in place the drawn continuous filaments to produce stabilized first and second webs of longitudinal, substantially parallel, drawn, and substantially continuous filaments, said air stream having a temperature in the range of about 250.degree. F. to about 900.degree. F.;
- d. cross lapping each of the first and second stabilized webs to form first and second webs of transversely crossing plies of drawn filaments onto a conveyor;
- e. autogenously bonding the first and second cross lapped webs together in discrete compacted areas;
- and
- f. collecting said autogenously bonded web.
A method of forming a non-woven fabric comprising the steps of:
- a. forming one or more rows of closely spaced filaments by spinning molten streams of one or more polymers;
- b. drawing and stretching said continuous filaments mechanically;
- c. directing an air stream containing melt blown molten fibers onto at least one side of the rows of drawn continuous filaments to form bonds at least at some of the intersections with the continuous filaments and to form fusion bonds to at least some of the intersections of the molten melt blown fibers with each other, thereby locking in place the continuous filaments to produce a stabilized web of longitudinal substantially parallel, drawn, continuous filaments, said air stream having a temperature in the range of about 250.degree. F. to about 900.degree. F.;
- d. cross lapping or cross laying said stabilized web to form a web of plies of transversely crossing filaments;
- e. autogenously bonding the plies of the cross lapped or cross laid web in discrete compacted areas;
- and
- f. collecting said autogenously bonded web.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.