Undrawn, tough, durably melt-bondable, macrodenier, thermoplastic, multicomponent filaments
Assignee3M Innovative Properties 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.
Claims20
Matting of the type used as floor coverings or door mats for building entrances comprising an open, nonwoven web of a plurality of filaments, the filaments each comprising:
- (a) first plastic comprising synthetic plastic polymer;
- and
- (b) second plastic comprising lower melting, synthetic thermoplastic polymer;
- the components (a) and (b) being, along the length of the filament, elongated, contiguous, and coextensive in length, the component (b) defining all or at least part of the material-air boundary of said filament, the filaments in the matting having a linear density greater than 200 denier per filament and being durably melt-bonded at their points of intersection and contact.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.