Undrawn tough durably melt-bondable macrodenier thermoplastic multicomponent filaments
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorsPhilip G. Martin, Gary L. Olson, Dennis G. Welygan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Undrawn, tough, durably melt-bondable, macrodenier, thermoplastic, multicomponent filaments, such as sheath-core and side-by-side filaments, comprising a first plastic component and a second lower-melting component defining all or at least part of the material-air boundary of the filaments. The filaments can be made by melt-extruding thermoplastics to form hot filaments, cooling and solidifying the hot filaments, and recovering the solidified filaments without any substantial tension being placed thereon. Aggregations of the filaments can be made in the form of floor matting and abrasive articles.
Claims42
Multicomponent filament comprising:
- (a) first component comprising synthetic plastic polymer;
- and
- (b) second component having a melting point lower than that of the first component, the second component comprising a first synthetic thermoplastic polymer and a second synthetic thermoplastic polymer, the first synthetic thermoplastic polymer comprising a block copolymer of styrene, ethylene and butylene wherein the styrene content is between about 1 to 20% by weight;
- the filament being tough and durably melt-bondable in its undrawn state, the first and second components being, along the length of the filament, elongated, contiguous, and coextensive, the second component defining all or at least part of the material-air boundary of the filament.
Multicomponent filament comprising:
- (a) a central core comprising a synthetic thermoplastic polymer;
- and
- (b) a sheath comprising a blend of a block copolymer of styrene, ethylene and butylene wherein the styrene content is between about 1 to 20% by weight and material selected from the group consisting of ethylene-propylene copolymer, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene methyl acrylate copolymer and ethyl methacrylate copolymer having a counterion comprising zinc;
- the filament being tough and durably melt-bondable in its undrawn state and having a linear density of 500 to 20,000 denier per filament.
Matting comprising:
- an open, nonwoven web of thermoplastic, sheath-core bicomponent filaments having a linear density of 500 to 20,000 denier per filament, the filaments being undrawn, tough and durably melt-bonded to one another at mutual contact points, the filaments each comprised of (a) a central core comprising a synthetic plastic polymer;
- and (b) a sheath comprising a block copolymer of styrene, ethylene and butylene wherein the styrene content is between about 1 to 20% and material selected from the group consisting of ethylene-propylene copolymer, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene methyl acrylate copolymer and ethyl methacrylate copolymer having a counterion comprising zinc.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.