ES2385391T3 - Flame resistant fiber combinations - Google Patents

Abstract

A combination of flame-resistant fibers (FR) comprising: amorphous silica fibers comprising a mixture of 94 to 97% by weight of SiO2, 3 to 4% by weight of Al2O3, 0.1 to 0.3% in Na2O weight, 0.03 to 1.3% by weight of CoO and 0.01 to 1.2% by weight of SO3; and at least one fiber selected from the group consisting of FR fibers, binding fibers and mixtures thereof.

Description

Flame resistant fiber combinations.

Background of the invention

This invention relates to a combination of flame resistant fibers useful in the preparation of textile materials having flame resistance, particularly including nonwoven flame resistant materials such as barrier textile materials.

Flame resistant materials (FR) are used in many textile applications. For example, FR materials are useful as barrier layers between the outer textile material and the interior filling of furniture, comforters, pillows and mattresses. Such materials may be woven or nonwoven, knitted, or laminated with others.

10 materials

The flame resistance is defined by the ASTM as “the property of a material by which flame combustion is prevented, terminated or inhibited after the application of a flame or flameless ignition source, with or without subsequent removal from the source of ignition. ” The material that is flame resistant may be a polymer, fiber or textile material. A flame retardant is defined by ASTM as “a chemical compound used to confer

15 flame resistance ”.

Flame-blocking, heat-blocking and flame-resistant textile materials are commonly used as protective barriers for other materials in a set. Recent examples of the growing need for protective barriers include mattresses, bedding, upholstered furniture and bedding; all governed by regulations beginning the majority through efforts of the State of California, in particular, the Bureau of Home

20 Furnishings and Thermal Insulation (Department of Consumer Affairs) of the State of California. The State of California led the campaign to regulate these materials in an attempt to reduce the number of lives lost in fires by limiting the amount of energy released when the article is exposed to open flame.

In the case of mattresses and mattress sets, the proposed regulation became law on January 1, 2005 in

25 the State of California and similar national legislation is expected to follow in 2007. Based on the market history established to date, the value to the final consumer is limited. Because the significantly higher costs associated with meeting the newly imposed standards cannot be avoided, mattress manufacturers have demonstrated a need for high-performance, low-cost barrier textile materials.

The flame resistance properties of such FR materials are usually determined according to various methods.

30 conventional, such as California TB117 and TB 133 for upholstery; NFPA701 for curtains and curtains; California test bulletin 129, dated October 1992, referring to flammability test procedures for mattresses in public buildings, and California test bulletin 603 referring to mattresses for residential use. Desirably, the FR material does not melt or shrink away from the flame, but forms a carbonized material that helps control burning and protect the materials surrounded by the textile material.

The required protection of the flame and heat barrier textile material refers to the other components used in the final set of the desired product. For example, mattresses normally contain layers of fiberfill and foam padding and cuti for a durable cover. Most quilting materials are made of foam and fibers that burn when exposed to open flame. Much of the effort governed by regulations to date has been directed at protecting the inner padding layers against

40 open flame or ignition against the heat of the open flame without compromising the comfort or aesthetics of the mattress.

Other desired properties of FR barrier textile materials include a white or other neutral color so that they do not contaminate the manufacturing facility or change the appearance of the composite article; the ability to remain unaffected by ultraviolet light so as not to yellow and change the appearance of upholstery or cuti textile materials of light colored mattresses; be soft to the touch, thus conferring the sensation desired by the

45 consumer; and profitability.

It is known that some fibers have FR properties, such as halogen-containing materials, phosphorus-containing and antimony-containing. However, these materials are heavier than similar types of non-FR materials and have a reduced shelf life.

There is still a need in the industry to create a non-woven barrier textile material that can pass the

50 rigorous flammability test guidelines. In addition, there is a need in the industry to produce such a non-woven article from materials that are relatively cheap and have low fill weights. Additionally, other industries would benefit from the availability of flame-resistant textile materials, manufactured from fibers that have flame-resistant properties, for use instead of textile materials that do not have such properties.

55 As an example, sleeve filters are widely used to control particulate contaminants in many

industries such as food processing, cement processing, minerals and conglomerates, metal processing, dust generation, and in the production of various chemical compounds. Such a textile filter material will ideally have (1) a sufficient mechanical strength to withstand pressures developed during use and multiple bending cycles, (2) a resistance against aggressive chemical compounds for long periods of time, (3 ) a capacity not to be affected by continuous operating temperatures of up to 482ºC (900ºF), (4) a resistance against hot sparks, (5) less than 1% contraction at the use temperature, (6) high efficiency of filtration, and (7) a resistance not to be attacked by microorganisms.

There is still a need for textile materials of flame and heat barrier of lower cost that protect other components of a set of a desired product so that the set meets all customer and regulatory requirements.

Prior art document JP 2002 316009 A provides a flame retardant filter material comprising a veil of interwoven and / or coupled denatured silica fibers with a fiber length of 10100 mm, and curly organic fibers with a fiber length 15-100 mm. Silica fiber contains (in% by weight) silica (85-99), alumina (1-10), components (0-10) other than silica and alumina. The fiber veil contains silica fibers (5-95) and organic substance fibers (5-95).

JP 2001 262453 A discloses a felt material, which is formed by integrating a wrapping material comprising silica fibers for ignition and heat-resistant organic fibers with melting point of 250 ° C or more or with no melting point defined, with a base material by punching, after eliminating organic or soluble components of the fibrils. The felt material is set to a pre-set density and thickness, after thermal processing.

Brief summary of the invention

In general, the present invention provides a combination of flame resistant (FR) fibers comprising amorphous silica fibers as defined in claim 1; and at least one fiber selected from the group consisting of FR fibers, binding fibers and mixtures thereof.

A textile barrier material can be made from a combination of fibers comprising amorphous silica fibers; and at least one fiber selected from the group consisting of FR fibers, binding fibers and mixtures thereof.

A flame-resistant textile material can be made from a combination of fibers comprising amorphous silica fibers; and at least one fiber selected from the group consisting of FR fibers, binding fibers and mixtures thereof.

A method of protecting materials in a product from fire and heat comprises assembling a flame-resistant textile material adjacent to at least one component comprising a material susceptible to damage due to exposure to fire and heat, caused by exposure to flame. open.

Advantageously, it has been found that combinations of fibers containing amorphous silica show improved carbonization resistance when formed to give nonwoven textile material, as compared to nonwoven textile material that does not contain amorphous silica. The carbonization resistance ratio with respect to the weight of nonwoven textile material containing amorphous silica is also improved, as compared to nonwoven textile material containing other fibers conventionally used to improve carbonization resistance, such as para fibers. -aramid and melamine fibers.

Brief description of the drawings

The drawing figure is an exploded perspective view to show the assembly of a bolted button test apparatus.

Detailed description of the invention

Two types of fiber combinations are disclosed: a first, comprising amorphous silica fibers and at least one type of FR fiber and a second, comprising amorphous silica fibers and at least one type of binding fibers. As will be explained in greater detail herein, the fiber combinations can then be used to form textile materials, both nonwoven and woven textile materials, for a variety of uses.

Generally, any amorphous silica fiber that improves carbonization resistance can be used when added to a combination of fibers. The term "silica" refers to silicon dioxide that occurs naturally in a variety of crystalline and amorphous forms. Silica is considered to be crystalline when the basic structure of the molecule (silicon tetrahedra arranged in such a way that each oxygen atom is common to two tetrahedra) is repeated and symmetrical. Silica is considered to be amorphous if the molecule lacks structure

crystalline The SiO2 molecule is randomly bound, without forming a repeat pattern. Crystalline silica is not desired due to the associated health effects related to the fragmentation of its fragile crystalline structure into fragments of respirable size.

Amorphous silica fiber is a high-content silica fiber that has a silica content (SiO2) of at least

5 90 percent by weight, based on the total weight of the high content silica fiber. In one or more embodiments, the high content silica fibers have a silica content of at least 95 percent by weight, and in other embodiments, the high content silica fibers have a silica content of at least 98 weight percent For example, high content silica fibers may contain 98 percent by weight silica, the predominantly alumina residue containing. In certain embodiments, the amount of halogen in the

10 high content silica fiber is minimal, less than 120 parts per million by weight.

As indicated above, silica fibers are substantially amorphous. Although the fibers may contain some crystalline material, a substantial amount of crystallinity is not desired. Suitable silica fiber is commercially available, for example from Polotsk-Steklovokno, Belarus.

In one embodiment, the composition of the starting material for the high content silica fibers is: from 72

15 to 77% of SiO2, from 2.5 to 3.5% of Al2O3, from 20 to 25% of Na2O, from 0.01 to 1.0% of CoO and from 0, 01 to 0.5% SO3, all percentages by weight, based on the total weight of the composition. The composition can be melted at 1480 ± 10 ° C to form a continuous fiber. This fiber can then be leached using hot sulfuric acid having a concentration of 2 N at a temperature of 98 ± 2 ° C with a residence time of 60 minutes. The fiber can then be rinsed with tap water until the

20 pH is 3-5. In this embodiment, the resulting fiber has a SiO2 content of from 95 to 99% ± 1 percent by weight, the rest being predominantly Al2O3.

A high content silica glass composition and a process for preparing high content silica fibers are described in Russian Patent No. 2,165,393 (the ’393 patent), the description of which is incorporated by reference herein. It is described that the high content silica fibers of the ’393 patent have

25 a lower coefficient of variation of the resistance of the basic filaments, which provides the possibility of stabilizing the resistance characteristics of the resulting fiber, especially in high temperature exposure. The following description of high content silica fibers is taken from the ’393 patent for example purposes.

In one or more embodiments, a precursor glass composition may include SiO2, Al2O3 and Na2O, as well as CoO and SO3 in the following proportions (mass percentage):

30 Al2O3: 2.5-3.5

Na2O: 20-25

CoO: 0.01-1.0

SO3: 0.01-1.0

SiO2: rest

The glass may also contain at least one oxide from the group of CaO, MgO, ZrO2, TiO2, Fe2O3 in the following amounts (mass percentage):

CaO: 0.01-0.5

MgO: 0.01-0.5

TiO2: 0.01-0.1

40 Fe2O3: 0.01-0.5

ZrO2: 0.01-0.5

A high temperature silica fiber resulting from the glass composition approximately will then include SiO2 and Al2O3, but will also contain Na2O, CoO and SO3 in the following proportions (mass percentage):

45 SiO2: 94-96

Al2O3: 3-4

Na2O: 0.01-1.0

CoO: 0.01-1.0 SO3: 0.01-1.0

Silica fiber may also contain at least one oxide from the group of CaO, MgO, TiO2, Fe2O3, ZrO2 in the following amounts (mass percentage):

CaO: 0.01-0.5

5 MgO: 0.01-0.5

TiO2: 0.01-0.1

Fe2O3: 0.01-0.5

ZrO2: 0.01-0.5

In one embodiment, the silica fibers are substantially free of any metal oxide coating.

10 The diameter of the silica fibers may range between 5.6 micrometers and 12.6 micrometers and, in one embodiment, the diameter is 8 micrometers. The length of the silica fibers can range between 50 millimeters and 125 millimeters and, in one embodiment, the length is 75 millimeters, (shorter and longer fibers are available by adjusting the length of the fiber cut, but they are not practical for punching applications).

A method of preparing the silica fibers according to the aforementioned Russian Patent No. 2,165,393, such

15 as set forth in example 1 below herein, it can be carried out as follows: to produce a continuous filament glass fiber of the proposed composition, a container containing (mass percentage) SiO2: 72 can be prepared , 39, Al2O3: 2.5, Na2O: 25, CoO: 0.01, SO3: 0.1. The container can be loaded in an oven, and the composition melted at a temperature of 1480 ± 10 ° C. From the mass of molten glass, a continuous glass fiber with a diameter of 6-9 micrometers can be formed at a temperature of 1260

20 ± 50 ° C using 400 hole glass forming aggregates. It has been shown that the resulting fiber has a resistance of 1030 Mpa and a surface tension of 0.318 H / m.

Then the continuous fiberglass leaching can take place using a hot sulfuric acid solution having a concentration of 2 N (10%) at a temperature of 98 ± 2 ° C. The contact time for the fiber in the solution is 60 minutes. Then the leaching solution, the

25 reaction products and the leftover remains of the fiber leached with tap water until the pH is 3-5. A final wash with deionized water and simultaneous dehydration is performed.

The preparation of the glass composition, its processing and leaching for examples 2 and 3 below are analogous to what was set forth above for example 1, but with different amounts of starting materials. Table 1 presents the starting quantities for the glass as well as the quantities of materials for the

30 resulting silica compositions. Table 2 presents the characteristics of the molten product, the processing characteristics, and the characteristics of the glass and silica fibers. Table 3 provides strength characteristics of silica materials after exposure to 1000 ° C.

Tables 1- 3 also provide data confirming that the introduction of cobalt and SO3 in the glass composition increases the heterogeneity of the glass mass, reduces its surface tension, decreases the fragility of the

Fiber during processing and also increases the stability of the technical characteristics of the silica fiber and the resulting materials based on that fiber.

TABLE 1

RESULTS GLASS COMPOSITIONS AND SILICONE COMPOSITIONS

Component Glass composition Silica composition

Example No. 1 2 3 1 2 3 SiO2 72.39 73.0 76.94 95.65 93.87 96.58 Al2O3 2.5 3.5 3.0 2.8 3.9 3.2 Na2O 2 / 5 22 20 0.32 0.23 0.12 CoO 0.01 1.0 0.05 0.03 1.3 0.08 SO3 0.1 0.5 0.01 1.2 0.7 0, 02

TABLE 2

GLASS AND SILICA FIBER PROPERTIES

Composition of glass or silica No. Example No. 1 2 3 prototype Precursor glass fiber Resistance, Mpa 1030 1150 1220 1020 Resistance variation coefficient,% 12.2 10.6 9.2 14.7 Useful working coefficient (CUW ) for crucible during 0.75 0.72 0.78 0.68 glass production Surface tension of molten glass, before fiber (N / m) 0.318 0.27 0.29 0.228 Silica fiber Resistance, Mpa 800 860 925 750 Coefficient of variation of resistance,% 12.4 11.7 9.6 15.9 Silica thread Resistance, Mpa 61 69 73 --- Coefficient of variation of resistance,% 14.8 12.6 10.9 - - Silica tape Resistance, Mpa 1700 1920 2150 --- Resistance variation coefficient,% 13.2 12.7 10.3 ---

TABLE 3

BREAK LOAD SILICONE MATERIAL AFTER THERMAL PROCESSING AT 1000ºC, N

Example No. Silica thread Silica tape 1 12.1 142 2 14.3 157 3 18.1 164

Tables 4 and 5 show various fiberglass compositions from which it can be seen that the silica fibers taught by Russian Patent No. 2,165,393 differ from all other types of fiberglass by the presence of trace amounts of CoO and SO3.

TABLE 4

VARIOUS GLASS FIBER COMPOSITIONS TO PRODUCE HIGH CONTENT SILICON FIBERS

Glass type

country Org. SiO2  Al2O3  B2O3  CaO MgO TiO2  ZrO2 ZnO Na2O + K2O Fe2O3  F2

TYPE A

Glass A

USA 71.8 1.0 8.8 3.8 14.2 0.5

Neutral

 USSR CHALK 71.0 3.0 8.5 2.5 15.0

No. 65

USSR VNIISV 60.0 3.0 8.0 3.0 6.0 12.0 2.0

No. 70

USSR VNIISV 69.0 3.0 8.0 3.0 1.0 14.0 2.0

TYPE E

Std, free of alkali with 10% of B2O3

USSR VNIISV 54.0 14.5 10.0 16.5 4.0 0-1.0 0.5 0.3

Alkali free with 8% of B2O3

USSR VNIISV 54.0 14.5 8.0 18.0 4,5 0-1.0 0.5 0.3

T-273A

 USSR VNIISPV 55.5 16.0 14.0 8.0 6.0 0-1.0 0.5 0.4

No. 2334961

USA  Owens Corning 5256 12,016.0 16,019.0

No. 621 No. 2571074

USA  Owens Corning 5256 12,016.0 8,013.0 19.0-25.0 HAS-TA 3.0

No. 4542106

USA  PPG 5860 11,013.0 21.0-23.0 1.04.0 1.05.0 0-1.0

No. 3037136

JAPAN NIPPON 5457 13,016.0 21.0-23.0 0.63.0 01.0 0-1.0 0-1.0

ECRGLAS

 USA Owens Corning 5465 9,015.0 17.0-25.0 0-4.0 2.55.0 0-1.0

Advantex, No.

USA  Owens Corning 59.9 13.5 22.3 3.2 0.2 0.3 0-1.0

5789329

TYPE C

No. 2308857

USA  Owens Corning 65.0 3.8 5.5 13.7 2.4 8.5 0.3

No. 4628038

USA  Owens Corning 53.3 16.0 3.0 15.8 2.5 0 - 2.0 7.0 0 - 2.0

No. 7, No. 289991

USSR VNIISV 64.0 5.5 12.0 2.0 2.0 BaO 2.0 1.7 Mn3O4 9.5 0.3

No. 7-A, No. 787382

USSR VNIISPV 64.0 4,5 12.0 12.0 0.2 4.2 11.5 0.3

TYPE D

D (US)

USA 75.5 0.5 20.0 0.5 3.0

D-4.5

 USSR VNIISPV 5171 1.05.0 25,045.0

No. 63002831

JAPAN  Nippon 7080 15,021.5 2.05.0

No. 8333137

JAPAN  Nittoboseki 5060 10,020.0 20,030.0

TABLE 5 VARIOUS GLASS COMPOSITIONS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HIGH CONTENT SILICON FIBERS AND SILICON FIBER COMPOSITIONS

Glass type

country Org. SiO2  Al2 O3 B2 O3  CaO MgO TiO2  ZrO2 ZnO Na2 O + K2 O Fe2 O3  F2  CoO SO3 B CuO Ni2 O3  CrO3

TYPES

No.3402055

USA Owens Corning 55,079.9 12,632.0 4,020.0

# 3,4459568

USA PPG Industries 54,062.0 20,027.0 10.0 0-0.2 of LiO2

R. No. 1435073

FRANCE VETRO-TEX 55,065.0 20,030.0 5.0-20.0 2,010.0

No. 11021147

JAPAN Nitto-Boseki 60,070.0 17,027.0 7,017.0 0.1-0.5

VMP

USSR VNIISPV 58,073.0 15,025.0 4,015.0 0.32.8 0.30.7 0.5

VM-1

USSR VNIISPV 55,057.0 24,026.0 14,016.0 1.32.7

No. 2129102

USSR  StekloplAstic co. 57,060.0 20,027.0 10,016 0.20.7 0-0.2  0.1-0.4 0.1-0.6

Res. To alkali

Cemfil, No. 1243972

R.U. Pilkington 71.0 1.0 16.0 1.0 of Li2 O 11.0

AR. # 5307116

JAPAN KaneboLTD. 60.7 21.5 16.5 1.3 of Li2 O

Sheh15Zh, inventor's certificate No. 451652

USSR  CHALK 65.8 5.6 7.4 7.4 9.0 4.7

Sheh15Zh, inventor's certificate no.874689

USSR  CHALK 63.0 4.1 9.2 0.3 6.2 3.5 8.3 4.7

No.2083516

USSR  D.i.medelEEVRkhTU 50,660.0 12,023.0 5.0-14.0 0.511.0 0.10.5 12,519.0

High silica content

Patenterusa2165393 - precursor glass

USSR  Npob StekloplAstik Aoot 72,077.0 2.5-3.5 20,025.0 of Na2 O 0.1-1.0 0.010.5

Patenterusa2165393 fiber delimice transducer delimitation

USSR  Npob StekloplAstik Aoot 94,097.0 2.8-3.9 0,120.32 of Na2O 0.031.3 0.021.2

Q fiber

USA JohnsManville 99.68 0.13 0.3 0.01 0.01 0.03 0.04 0.01

OMNISIL

USSR PolotsksteklovOlokno

REFRASIL

USA HITCO 98.8 0.16 0.29 0.044 0.0041 0.47 0.024 0.0004 0.0046

AMISIL

USA Auburn Manufacturing 97.9 0.71 0.16 0.23 0.17 0.8 0.01 0.03  0.01 <0.01 <0.01

Having commented on the amorphous silica component, the additive fibers will be discussed below. As indicated hereinbefore, two embodiments are disclosed, one that uses flame-resistant fibers (FR) and another that uses binder fibers. In the following evaluation, it will be understood that the use of the term "silica fiber" means those fibers that contain amorphous silica (as opposed to crystalline).

Starting with the first type of additive fibers, specifically FR fibers, the amount of silica fiber in the fiber combination may vary, depending on the other fibers used. In one embodiment, the amount of silica fiber in the combination is from 5 to 65 percent by weight, based on the total weight of the combination. In another embodiment, the amount of silica fiber in the combination is from 15 to 50 percent by weight. In another embodiment, the amount of silica fiber in the combination is from 20 to 30 percent by weight. The remaining fibers in the combination include the necessary amount of non-amorphous fibers, specifically the FR fibers, to be equal to 100 percent by weight.

Various FR fibers are known in the art. The FR fibers can be an inherent flame resistant fiber or a fiber (natural or synthetic) that is coated with an FR resin. The inherent flame resistant fibers are not coated, but have an FR component incorporated into the structural chemistry of the fiber. The term FR fiber, as used herein, includes both inherent flame resistant fibers as well as fibers that are not inherently flame resistant, but are coated with FR resins. Therefore, by way of example, a polypropylene fiber coated with an FR resin will be a FR polypropylene fiber.

Suitable inherently flame resistant fibers include polymer fibers having a phosphorus-containing group, an amine, a modified aluminosilicate, or a halogen-containing group. Examples of inherently flame resistant fibers include melamines, meta-aramides, para-aramids, polybenzimidazole, polyimides, polyamidaimides, partially oxidized polyacrylonitriles, novoloids, poly (p-phenylene benzobisoxazoles), poly (p-phenylenebenzothiazoles), poly ( phenylene sulfides), viscose scratches flame retardants; (for example, a fiber based on viscose rayon containing 30% silica modified with aluminosilicate, SiO2 + Al2O3), polyether ether ketones, polyketones, polyetherimides, and combinations thereof.

Melamines include those sold under the trade names Basofil by McKinnon-Land-Moran LLC. The meta-aramides include poly (m-phenylene isophthalamide), for example sold under the trade names NOMEX® by E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Co., TEIJINCONEX® and CONEX® by Teijin Limited and FENYLENE® by Russian State Complex. Para-aramides include poly (p-phenylene terephthalamide), for example sold under the trade name KEVLAR® by E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Co., and poly (para-aramid of diphenyl ether), for example sold under the trade name TECHNORA® by Teijin Limited, and under the trade names TWARON® by Acordis and FENYLENE ST® (Russian State Complex) .

Polybenzimidazole is sold under the trade name PBI by Hoechst Celanese Acetate LLC. Polyimides include those sold under the trade names P-84® by Inspec Fibers and KAPTON® by E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Co. Polyamidaimides include, for example, those sold under the trade name KERMEL® by Rhone-Poulenc. Partially oxidized polyacrylonitriles include, for example, those sold under the trade names FORTAFIL OPF® by Fortafil Fibers Inc., AVOX® by Textron Inc., PYRON® by Zoltek Corp., PANOX® by SGL Technik, THORNEL® by American Fibers and Fabrics and PYROMEX® by Toho Rayon Corp.

Novoloids include, for example, phenol-formaldehyde novolac, such as that sold under the trade name KYNOL® by Gun Ei Chemical Industry Co. Poly (p-phenylene-benzobisoxazole) (PBO) is sold under the trade name ZYLON® by Toyobo Co. Poly (p-phenylene-benzothiazole) is also known as PBT. Poly (phenylene sulfide) (PPS) includes those sold under the trade names RYTON® by American Fibers and Fabrics, TORAY PPS® by Toray Industries Inc., FORTRON® by Kureha Chemical Industry Co. and PROCON® by Toyobo Co.

Viscose flame retardant scratches include, for example, those sold under the trade names LENZING FR® by Lenzing A. G. and VISIL® by Sateri Oy Finland. Polyether ketones (PEEK) include, for example, the one sold under the trade name ZYEX® by Zyex Ltd. The polyketones (PEK) include, for example, the one sold under the trade name ULTRAPEK® by BASF. Polyetherimides (PEI) include, for example, the one sold under the trade name ULTEM® by General Electric Co.

Modacrylic fibers are manufactured from copolymers of acrylonitrile and other materials such as vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride or vinyl bromide. Flame retardant materials such as antimony oxide may be added to further enhance the flame resistance property. Modacrylic fibers are manufactured by Kaneka with the product names KANECARON PBX and PROTEX-M, PROTEX-G, PROTEX-S and PROTEX-PBX. The latest products contain at least 75% acrylonitrile-vinylidene chloride copolymer. SEF PLUS by Solutia is a modacrylic fiber also with flame retardant properties.

Additional examples of inherent FR fibers suitable for use in the combination of the present invention include polyester with phosphalene such as that sold under the trademark TREVIRA CS® fiber or AVORA® PLUS fiber by KoSa.

Chloropolymeric fibers, such as those sold under the trade names THERMOVYL®, are also useful.

L9S & ZCS, FIRBRAVYL® L9F, RETRACTYL® L9R, ISOVYL® MPS by Rhovyl SA, PIVIACID®, Thueringische, VICLON® by Kureha Chemical Industry Co., TEVIRON® by Teijin Ltd., ENVILON® by Toyo Chemical Co., VICRON® , SARAN® by Pittsfield Weaving, KREHALON® by Kureha Chemical Industry Co., OMNI-SARAN® by Fibrasomni, SA of C.V., and combinations thereof. Also useful are fluoropolymeric fibers such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), poly (ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene) (E-CTFE), poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), polyperfluoroalkoxy (PFA), and polypropylene ethylene-propylene (FEP) and combinations of the same.

Also useful are natural or synthetic fibers coated with an FR resin in the combination of fibers of the present invention. Suitable fibers coated with an FR resin include those in which the resin contains one or more phosphorus, phosphorus compounds, red phosphorus, phosphorus esters and phosphorus complexes; amine compounds, boric acid, bromide, urea-formaldehyde compounds, phosphate urea compounds, ammonium sulfate, or halogen-based compounds. Generally, non-resin coatings, such as metal coating, are not used for the present invention, because they tend to peel off after continuous use of the product. Suitable commercially available FR resins are sold under the trade names GUARDEX FR®, and FFR® by Glotex Chemicals in Spartanburg, S.C.

The way in which the resin is coated on the fiber is not particularly limited. In one embodiment, the FR resin is a liquid product that can be applied as a spray. In another embodiment, the FR resin is a solid that can be applied as a hot molten product to the fibers, or as a solid powder that then melts into the fibers. In one embodiment, the FR resin is applied to the fibers in an amount of from 6 to 25% by weight, based on the total weight of the coated fibers.

The amount of FR fiber coated in the combination may vary, but is from 35 to 95 percent by weight, based on the total weight of the combination. In one embodiment, the amount of FR fiber coated in the combination is from 40 to 90 percent by weight. In another embodiment, the amount of FR fiber coated in the combination is from 45 to 85 percent by weight.

The denier of the FR fibers is from 1.5 to 15 dpf (denier per filament). The above list of FR fibers illustrates the fact that any known FR fiber with an amorphous silica fiber can be used and used. Thus, the types of fiber include multifilament and monofilament yarns, which have a variety of cross sections and shapes as well as fibrillated yarns, normally manufactured from ribbons or strip films.

The fiber combination of the present invention may further contain one or more non-FR fibers. Non-FR fibers can be synthetic or natural fibers. Suitable non-FR synthetic fibers include polyester such as poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET); cellulosic fibers, such as rayon and / or liocel; nylon; polyolefin such as polypropylene fibers; acrylic fiber; melamine and combinations thereof. Liocel fibers are a generic classification for solvent spun cellulosic fibers. These fibers are commercially available under the name TENCEL®. Natural fibers include flax, kenaf, hemp, cotton and wool. In one embodiment, non-FR fibers are used to enhance certain characteristics such as fluffyness, elasticity or flexibility, tensile strength and thermal retention.

The fiber combination includes amorphous silica fiber and at least one type of FR fiber. Therefore, a combination of fibers containing amorphous silica fiber, an FR fiber, optionally additional FR fibers, and optionally one or more non-FR fibers is used. In one embodiment, the fiber combination includes: modacrylic fiber; a cellulosic fiber, liocel and amorphous silica fiber.

In another embodiment, the fiber combination further includes more than one type of FR fiber. In another embodiment, the fiber combination includes amorphous silica fiber, modacrylic fiber and VISIL. In yet another embodiment, the fiber combination includes modacrylic fiber, FR rayon fiber and amorphous silica fiber.

In another embodiment, the fiber combination includes modacrylic fibers, VISIL fibers (FR viscose rayon), amorphous silica fibers and FR polypropylene fibers. The amounts of each component may vary; however, advantageous carbonization resistance is obtained when a punched textile material is prepared from a combination containing 40 percent by weight of modacrylic fiber, 40 percent by weight of VISIL, 15 percent by weight of amorphous silica and 5 percent by weight of FR polypropylene fibers.

The fibers of the present invention can be used to make textile materials, in which FR properties are desired or will be useful. Essentially any type of textile material, produced from fibers, such as nonwoven textile materials can be prepared; woven textile materials, both open and closed ligament; Knitted textile materials and various laminated materials using the fibers of the present invention. The manufacture of such textile materials is not limited to a particular method or apparatus. For woven textile materials, it is possible to use amorphous silica fibers in the machine direction or in the transverse direction to the machine, alternating with one or more of the FR fibers. Alternatively, the fibers may alternate in the machine direction and be woven with either an amorphous fiber or an FR in the machine transverse direction. In percentage, woven textile materials may comprise the above-mentioned compositions for the combination of amorphous and FR fibers.

Nonwoven textile material can be produced by mechanically interlocking the fibers of a veil. Interlocking

Mechanical can be achieved through a punching operation. Punching methods for preparing nonwoven textile material are known in the art. In one embodiment, the nonwoven textile material, sometimes referred to as filler, can be constructed as follows: the combination of fibers can be weighed and then dry deposited / deposited in the air on a moving conveyor belt. The speed of the conveyor belt can be adjusted to provide the desired fill weight. Multiple layers of fillings are fed through a needle loom in which harvested needles are driven through the layers to provide interlacing.

There are several other known methods for producing nonwoven textile materials including hydro-entanglement (hydrolyzing) processes, thermal bonding (calendering and / or air), latex bonding or adhesive bonding. The hydrolyzing method is similar to punching except that water jets are used to interlace the fibers instead of needles. Thermal bonding requires either some type of thermoplastic fiber or powder to act as a binder. It should be appreciated that all forms of nonwoven materials can be prepared with the combinations of FR fibers of the present invention to produce barrier textile materials having FR properties. Accordingly, the reference to nonwoven textile materials herein includes all forms of manufacturing.

Suitable nonwoven textile materials have a filler weight greater than 76.29 grams per square meter (g / m2). In one embodiment, the fill weight ranges between 76.29 (g / m2) and 678.12 (g / m2). In another embodiment the filling weight is 118.87 (g / m2). In one embodiment, the fibers are carded. Then the conveyor belt moves to an area where spray material can optionally be added to the nonwoven padding. For example, FR resin can be sprayed on the nonwoven filler like a latex. In one embodiment, the conveyor belt is foraminous, and excess latex spray material falls through the belt and can be collected for later reuse. After optional spraying, the fiber combination is transported to a dryer or oven. The fibers can be transported by conveyor belt to the punching loom in which the fibers of the filling are mechanically oriented and interlocked to form a nonwoven textile material.

The non-woven FR textile material is useful as a barrier textile material for bed and bedding materials. The textile material is also useful in upholstery and curtain applications where flame resistance is desired. Another use for such textile materials is as textile hot gas filtration materials. Additionally, textile materials other than nonwoven materials can be prepared from the fibers when an FR textile material is desired.

General experiments

In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of various fiber combinations as FR materials, several samples were prepared and tested, as described hereinbelow.

Examples

Example No. 4 -15

Samples were prepared in a miniature card and needle loom. First, the fiber was opened manually and layered on the card feed tray. The carded sample was passed back through the card a second time to ensure an intimate combination of fibers. The carded veil, arranged in layers around the winding roller, was cut transversely and removed from the card. Then he fed the punching line for punching. A second pass was made to achieve punching from the opposite side.

Conventional tensile strength test instruments were modified to measure the carbonization resistance of the barrier textile material. More specifically, the stiffness test of textile material commonly used with pocket spring material was modified to measure the amount of force, measured and reported in pounds, required to push a sample of textile material through a hole with a plunger. To force the material to break, a template was manufactured so that the textile material could be sandwiched between the template and the existing test plate.

Samples of the barrier textile material were cut into samples of 10.16 cm by 20.32 cm (4 ”by 8”) and weighed. Samples were placed in a carbonization frame and charred using a Bunsen burner. The frame was then mounted on the modified stiffness test instrument and the carbonization resistance of the sample was measured. Table 6 summarizes the results for examples # 4-15. As a standard, a combination comprising 40% modacrylic fiber and 60% Visil (eg # 4) was selected. The following types of fiber were used: Basofil® (abbreviated Bas); modacrylic fiber KANECARON PBX; VISIL® (abbreviated Vis); poly (ethylene terephthalate) (abbreviated PET); and amorphous silica (abbreviated Sil). Examples 5-11 and 13-14 are comparative examples of textile material prepared from various combinations of fibers as indicated. Examples 5 and 6 contained 10% Basofil fibers as a substitution for equal amounts of modacrylic fiber or Visil fiber; Examples 7 and 8 contained 10% and 20% PET fibers as a replacement for equal amounts of Visil fiber; Example 9 comprised a 10% combination of Basofil fibers with PET fibers, modacrylic fiber and Visil fiber; Examples 10 and 11 contained 10% and 15% of PET fibers as a replacement for varying amounts of modacrylic fiber and Visil fiber; Examples 13 and 14 contained 10% Basofil fibers as a replacement for varying amounts of

modacrylic fiber and Visil fiber; Examples 12 and 15 were prepared from combinations of fibers containing amorphous silica fibers.

TABLE 6

REASON FOR CARBONIZATION RESISTANCE REGARDING WEIGHT FOR NON-FABRICED TEXTILE MATERIAL MANUFACTURED FROM DIFFERENT FIBER COMBINATIONS

Ex #

COMBINATION OF FIBERS Resistance Weight Resistance / Weight

(kg)

(pounds) (g) (ounces)

4

40 PBX / 60 Vis 0.145 0.32 153 5.4 0.06

5

10 Bas / 30 PBX / 60 Vis 0.141 0.31 167 5.9 0.05

6

10 Bas / 40 PBX / 50 Vis 0.163 0.36 196 6.9 0.05

7

10 PET / 40 PBX / 50 Vis 0.145 0.32 190 6.7 0.05

8

20 PET / 40 PBX / 40 Vis 0.145 0.32 184 6.5 0.05

9

10 Bas / 10 PET / 25 PBX / 55 Vis 0.145 0.32 119 4.2 0.08

10

 10 PET / 25 PBX / 65 Vis 0.136 0.30 133 4.7 0.06

eleven

 15 PET / 25 PBX / 60 Vis 0.132 0.29 142 5.0 0.06

12

10 Sil / 35 PBX / 55 Vis 0.191 0.42 150 5.3 0.08

13

 10 Bas / 30 PBX / 60 Vis 0.136 0.30 90.7 3.2 0.09

14

 10 Bas / 40 PBX / 50 Vis 0.136 0.30 93.6 3.3 0.09

fifteen

10 Sil / 35 PBX / 55 Vis 0.141 0.31 82.2 2.9 0.10

It can be seen that when the carbonization resistance of the textile material correlates with the weight of the sample, the textile material formed from combinations of fibers containing amorphous silica (examples 12 and 15) show a strength ratio with regarding the weight from 0.08 to 0.10.

Examples # 16-45

10 Examples 16-45 were prepared and tested as for examples 4-15, except that different fiber combinations were used, as summarized in Table 7. The strength of each textile material is reported in pounds. , as discussed earlier in this document. Textile materials have been reported in six groups of four combinations and two groups of three combinations. Examples 19, 23, 27, 31, 34, 38, 41 and 45 notify a base textile material and the immediately preceding examples notify the addition of

15 different types of FR fiber. The resistance to carbonization was measured, in pounds, and the results have been reported by decreasing values for each group.

For example, FR rayon and modacrylic fibers were used to prepare example 19, termed FR rayon / modacrylic fiber base material. Examples 16-18 were variations of this base textile material, because in each case one or another type of FR fiber was added: para-aramid fibers were added to example 16, added

20 melamine fibers to example 17, and amorphous silica fibers were added to example 18, according to the present invention.

Similarly, example 23 was prepared from FR rayon fibers and is called FR rayon base textile material, while examples 20-22 were variations of this base textile material: para-aramid fibers were added to example 20, melamine fibers were added to example 21, and amorphous silica fibers were added to example 22.

Also, example 27 is a rayon / modacrylic fiber base textile material, and examples 24-26 were variations of this base textile material: melamine fibers were added to example 24, para-aramid fibers were added to the example 25, and amorphous silica fibers were added to example 26.

Example 31 is a liocel / modacrylic fiber base textile material, and examples 28-30 were variations of this base textile material: para-aramid fibers were added to example 28, melamine fibers were added to the

30 example 29, and amorphous silica fibers were added to example 30.

In the following series, example 34 is the Visil / modacrylic fiber base textile material, and examples 32, 33 and 35 were variations of this base textile material: para-aramid fibers were added to example 32, fibers were added from amorphous silica to example 33; and melamine fibers were added to example 35.

Example 38 is a Visil base textile material, while examples 36-37 were variations of this base textile material: melamine fibers were added to example 36, and amorphous silica fibers were added to example 37.

Example 41 is a rayon-based textile material, while example 39 contains rayon and melamine, and example 40 contains rayon and amorphous silica.

Example 45 is a textile material based on liocel, while example 42 contains para-aramid, example 10 43 contains liocel and melamine, and example 44 contains liocel and amorphous silica.

TABLE 7

CARBONIZATION RESISTANCE OF NON-WOVEN TEXTILE MATERIAL MANUFACTURED FROM DIFFERENT FIBER COMBINATIONS

Ex #

TEXTILE MATERIAL RESISTANCE

16

Rayon FR / modacrylic fiber / 10% para-aramid 3.22

17

Rayon FR / modacrylic fiber / 10% melamine 2.39

18

Rayon FR / modacrylic fiber / 10% silica 2.23

19

Rayon base fabric / modacrylic fiber 1.77

twenty

Rayon FR / 10% para-aramid 2.98

twenty-one

Rayon FR / 10% melamine 2.37

22

Rayon FR / 10% silica 1.39

2. 3

Rayon base textile material FR 0.63

24

Rayon / modacrylic fiber / 10% melamine 2.85

25

 Rayon / modacrylic fiber / 10% para-aramid 2.34

26

Rayon / modacrylic fiber / 10% silica 2.12

27

Rayon / modacrylic fiber base fabric 0.74

28

 Liocel / modacrylic fiber / 10% para-aramid 2.37

29

Liocel / modacrylic fiber / 10% melamine 1.49

30

Liocel / modacrylic fiber / 10% silica 1.43

31

Liocel / modacrylic fiber base textile material 0.64

32

Visile / modacrylic fiber / 10% para-aramid 2.08

33

Visile / modacrylic fiber / 10% silica 1.76

3. 4

Visil base material / modacrylic fiber 1.54

35

Visile / modacrylic fiber / 10% melamine 1.32

36

Visile / 10% melamine 1.65

37

Visile / 10% silica 1.29

38

Visil base textile material 0.92

39

 Rayon / 10% melamine 1.55

40

 Rayon / 10% silica 1.36

41

Rayon-based textile material 0.01

42

 Liocel / 10% para-aramid 1.27

43

 Liocel / 10% melamine 0.37

44

Liocel / 10% silica 0.32

Four. Five

Liocel base textile material 0.01

It can be seen from the data in Table 7 that the textile material containing 10 percent by weight of

15 amorphous silica shows an improved carbonization resistance compared to the same base textile material without amorphous silica for example, example # 18 compared to example # 19. It will be noted that although the use of other materials FR, specifically para-aramid and melamine, with the base textile material generally provided greater strength than the combination containing amorphous silica, the first two materials are much more expensive than silica. In addition, aramids provide a yellow color

20 gilded to the textile material, while the melamines have a bone color. Amorphous silica does none of that and therefore, the resulting textile material is white without the addition of pigments. Finally, the carbonization resistance of textile materials comprising amorphous silica is more than adequate for use in beds, clothes, furniture, curtains and related purposes.

Example # 46-53

Examples 46-53 were prepared using a punching line that included a 12-inch card, a cross overlapping instrument, and a 24.9-inch 60.96 cm needle loom. OD-1. Example # 46

it was the base combination of 271.25 (g / m2) comprising 40% modacrylic fiber and 60% Visil; and in the following examples, various FR materials or fibers were used. Example 47 comprised a combination of the combination of base (79%) and back gauze ligament carpet support, 71.20 (g / m2) (21%). Example 48 comprised a combination of the combination of base (89%) and Conwed buccane 33.91 (g / m2), (11%). Conwed 5 is a very light polypropylene material with the "wrapped" and "stuffed" monofilaments "welded" together at the vertices to provide a "chiffon-like" look. Example 49 comprised a combination of the combination of base (85%) and Basofil (melamine) (15%). Example 50 comprised a combination of the combination of base (85%) and Conex (15%). Conex is a meta-aramid. Example 51 comprised a combination of the combination of base (85%) and amorphous silica (15%). Example 62 comprised a combination

10 of the combination of base (85%) and Kynol (phenol-formaldehyde novolac) (15%). Example 53 comprised a combination of amorphous silica (15%), modacrylic fiber (40%) and Visil fiber (45%). Example No. 53 represents a textile material.

A bolted button simulation was designed to expose the carbonized textile material to stresses that you may experience in a real mattress burn, and provides a pass / fail indication of the resistance of the

15 textile material. A small wooden test bench was built. The components shown in the drawing figure were assembled to form the bolted button test apparatus 10. The mattress components that included 10.16 cm (4 inches) of foam 12 were assembled, two foams 14, 16 1-inch superblanders, barrier material 18, which had 152.57 (g / m2), fill 20 of PET fiber and a PET cuti textile material 22 as described below, and then burned under tension.

20 The components were assembled on top of an upper plate 24. The foam components 12, 14 and 16 were compressed, and the barrier textile material 18, fiberfill and cuti 20 wrapped around all sides of the upper plate 24. A lower plate 26 was placed to interleave the textile materials 18, 20, 22 between the upper plate 24 and the lower plate 26. A bolted button simulator 28 was welded to a threaded rod 30, and the rod 30 was pushed through all the mattress components, and through holes 32, 34 aligned in the

25 upper and lower 24, 26 A wing nut 36 was attached to the rod 30 to apply tension to the assembly and pull the button simulator 28 bolted down into the foam.

A top burner 28 TB 603 was placed in the center of the bolted button simulator 10, lit and allowed to burn for 70 seconds. The results are summarized in table 8.

TABLE 8

30 SIMULATION OF BUTTON BUTTON

Ex #

COMBINATION OF FIBERS SUITABLE RESULTS FOR USE

46

271.25 (g / m2) base combination (comparative example) The sample cracked within 30 seconds and was completely on fire in 40 seconds.

47

271.25 (g / m2) of base combination and 71.20 (g / m2) of back gauze ligament The sample cracked within 20 seconds of ignition.

48

271.25 (g / m2) of Conwed base and buccane combination The sample cracked within 30 seconds.

49

203.43 (g / m2) 15% Basofil and base combination The sample cracked within 30 seconds.

fifty

203.43 (g / m2) 15% of Conex and base combination The sample cracked within 25 seconds.

51

203.43 (g / m2) 15% silica and base combination The sample did not crack and self-extinguished in 8 minutes.

52

203.43 (g / m2) 15% Kynol and 85% base combination The sample did not crack and self-extinguished in 11 and a half minutes.

53

169.53 (g / m2) 16% silica / 40% modacrylic fiber / 45% Visil The sample did not crack and self-extinguished in 1215 minutes

In various burns of previous complete mattresses of various constructions, a 271.25 (g / m2) 60% Visil / 40% modacrylic fiber punching material had passed satisfactorily according to the criteria set forth in California test bulletin 603 Only in constructions in which this barrier was subjected to tension after carbonization this textile material was not satisfactory. As a control, to show that the yield of 35 known textile materials in full-scale tests worked in a manner comparable to this bench test, the 271.25 (g / m2) textile material (eg # 48) was used. . The sample cracked in the areas surrounding the bolted button within 30 seconds and the entire assembly was completely on fire within 40 seconds. This was the desired performance, since it accurately represented the performance of this textile material in full-scale burns. The ej. No. 47 used the 271.25 (g / m2) textile material in a composite material 40 with a 71.20 (g / m2) back gauze ligament secondary carpet support textile material. It also cracked within 20 seconds and was removed as a possible solution. Similarly, ex. No. 48 used a polypropylene buccane, of very light weight of 33.91 (g / m2) that had a "gauze-like ligament appearance". But not

they were woven textile materials, the vertices of the monofilaments of "wrapped" and "stuffed" were fused together. This sample also cracked in less than 1 minute.

The remaining samples prepared were not composite materials, but combinations of punched fibers made in a card / cross overlap / loom instrument set of pilot line needles. These samples were also produced at lower weights to achieve economic advantages. The first textile material evaluated, eg. No. 49, was a textile material of 203.43 (g / m2) consisting of 15% melamine and 85% "base combination" of 60/40 Visil / modacrylic fiber. This textile material cracked within 30 seconds and presented flames out of control. It was removed as a candidate for this application. The ej. No. 50, a textile material of 203.43 (g / m2) consisting of 15% meta-aramid; and 85% "base combination" of 60/40 Visil / modacrylic fiber, also cracked and burned out of control within 25 seconds. The ej. No. 51, a 203.43 (g / m2) textile material consisting of 15% amorphous silica and 85% "base combination" of 60/40 Visil / modacrylic fiber, did not crack, and the complete set was extinguished within 8 minutes of ignition. Similarly, ex. No. 52, a textile material of 203.43 (g / m2) consisting of 15% novoloid and 85% "base combination" of 60/40 Visil / modacrylic fiber did not crack, and self-extinguished within 11.5 minutes. Although many other fibers were considered for this demonstration, the higher cost of some fibers prevented them from being considered economical. In a follow-up of these tests, a textile material, ex. No. 53, a 169.53 (g / m2) textile material that consisted of 15% amorphous silica, 40% modacrylic fiber and 45% Visil, was assembled in the bolted button simulator bench and it didn't crack, and in fact it self-extinguished in about 13 minutes.

Having demonstrated that the use of amorphous silica fibers with FR fibers is highly effective in providing FR textile materials, the second embodiment will be discussed below.

As indicated hereinbefore, a single-layer nonwoven textile material useful in the protection of articles from fire and related heat and also a method of protecting adjacent materials in a set using the material is disclosed. Textile barrier to fire and heat. The nonwoven barrier is at least 15.26 (g / m2) of an amorphous silica fiber and at least 15.26 (g / m2) of a binding fiber; the nonwoven textile material having a single layer weighing at least 101.72 (g / m2). The combination of fibers by weight of the nonwoven textile material comprises from 15 to 80 percent by weight of amorphous silica fiber, from 15 to 85 percent by weight of binder fiber and may contain, but not necessarily, up to 70 percent. by weight of complement fibers with a reduction of the other two fibers to a total of 100 percent by weight without falling below the minimum amounts.

As indicated above, amorphous silica fiber is always present in the nonwoven textile composition and comprises at least 15 percent by weight of the fiber combination, but not more than 80 percent. In one embodiment, the amorphous silica fiber comprises between 35 and 50 percent by weight of the fiber combination. As the weight percentage of the silica fiber combination is reduced, the effectiveness of the single-layer non-woven material to protect against open flames and heat decreases. Although individual amorphous silica fibers continue to resist burning and melting at levels less than 15 percent by weight in the nonwoven material, at least this level must be maintained to provide adequate structure and integrity within the construction of non-textile material. tissue during and after exposure to an open flame. At least 15 percent by weight of the amorphous fibers by weight in the nonwoven material is required to maintain an acceptable level of carbonization resistance.

The percentage by weight of the amorphous silica combination is limited to no more than 80 percent by weight in the nonwoven described to preserve the required functional characteristics of a fire and heat barrier textile material. The cohesion between amorphous silica fibers is such that at least 20 percent by weight of more cohesive fibers is required for a sufficient fiber web strength and an interlacing of fibers in the nonwoven material. It is this interlacing combined with thermal bonding that makes this single-layer non-woven material unique. The combination of mechanical and thermal bonding results in a non-woven construction, in at least one embodiment, which can perform at least one of the following without limiting its ability to protect against flame and heat, in another embodiment, which can perform a majority of the following without limiting your ability to protect against flame and heat and, in another embodiment, you can do all of the following without limiting your ability to protect against flame and heat:

i) can maintain a stitched stitch in a sewn set without the support of additional textile layers as required by conventional thermally bonded nonwoven materials for support and reinforcement

ii) can maintain a thermal stitch in an ultrasonic welded assembly without the support of additional textile layers as required by conventional thermally bonded nonwoven materials for support and reinforcement

iii) can maintain a thermal stitch in a heat-welded assembly without the support of additional textile layers as required by conventional thermally bonded nonwovens for support and reinforcement

iv) can maintain the integrity of its non-woven construction as the surface layer of an assembly without excessive abrasion along the exposed surface, especially when compared to materials using FR surface coatings

v) you can combine colors to avoid aesthetically unpleasant contrasts in a set of different materials and common colors with many conventional flame resistant materials (the natural color is white and combination tones are achieved by interlacing colors of the binder fiber or other additional fibers)

vi) can be used in a set in motion and / or contact without excessive noise related to its non-woven construction

vii) can be sufficiently fluffy, have a lower density and greater thickness, to provide a satisfactory padding seam depth considered aesthetically pleasing in a needle-stitched assembly (conventional punched constructions are not)

viii) can be sufficiently fluffy, have a lower density and greater thickness, to provide a satisfactory padding seam depth considered aesthetically pleasing in an ultrasonic welded assembly (conventional punched constructions are not)

ix) can be sufficiently fluffy, have a lower density and greater thickness, to provide a satisfactory padding seam depth considered aesthetically pleasing in a heat-welded assembly (conventional punched constructions are not)

x) can maintain protection efficiency against flame and heat after exposure to moisture (no aqueous solutions depending on the performance that can be washed)

xi) can provide sufficient manual stiffness to prevent wrinkling and / or clustering around cutting surfaces which is commonly a problem with softer constructions.

In addition to amorphous silica fiber, a binder fiber is always present in the nonwoven textile composition and comprises at least 15 percent by weight of the fiber combination. In one embodiment, the amorphous silica fiber comprises between 50 and 65 percent by weight of the fiber combination. Binding fiber is necessary for the required thermal bonding of the nonwoven barrier textile material, but a multi-component binding fiber can also serve both in a mechanical and thermal role in the construction of nonwoven textile material. Mechanically, at least one fiber must offer sufficient cohesion between fibers to maintain the integrity of the fiber veil and sufficient structure after thermal bonding to maintain interlacing of the fibers between the amorphous silica fibers. This cohesive fiber can be a component of the binder fiber (in the case of a multi-component binder fiber) that remains intact after thermal bonding, or it can be a fiber, or fibers, additive to the binder fiber and amorphous silica in the combination.

The binder fiber may be a low melting fiber, of a single component that strictly acts as a ligation agent for the necessary thermal bonding in the nonwoven material. Exemplary single component fibers include low melting poly (ethylene terephthalate), polypropylene, polyethylene, low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, poly (lactic acid), poly (trimethylene terephthalate) , poly (cyclohexanediol terephthalate), poly (ethylene glycol terephthalate), nylon 6, nylon 6,6, nylon 11, nylon 12, polymethylpentene and other thermoplastic polymers that have sufficiently low melting points, either inherent or modified. By "sufficiently low" it is meant that such thermoplastic fibers will not have the lowest melting point of all the component fibers present. Some polymers will inherently have the lowest melting point while it may be necessary to modify others, such as polyesters, with an appropriate additive to produce a lower melting point than that inherently unmodified polymer.

The single component binder fiber comprises at least 15 percent by weight of the combination of fibers in the nonwoven material. Any case in which a single component binder fiber is used requires the addition of at least 15 percent by weight of a fiber of greater cohesion for the mechanical interlocking of the fibers after thermal bonding. The single component binder fiber must have a melting temperature of not less than 107 ° C, but the melting temperature cannot exceed 10 ° C lower than the lower melting temperature of any other structural fiber in the nonwoven fiber combination .

The maximum melting temperature of the single component binder fiber allows the binder fiber to melt and flow, forming a ligation matrix along and between structural fibers since these fibers are left intact at a temperature lower than their point of fusion. The minimum temperature varies according to the end-use application of the non-woven material heat / fire barrier and is based on a temperature greater than the maximum temperature exposure of the nonwoven material barrier in subsequent assembly procedures and environments and use Daily operations Optimally, the melting temperature of the single component binder fiber is minimized within the range to reduce the energy and time required to thermally bond the nonwoven barrier textile material.

The diameter of the single component binder fiber ranges between 20 micrometers and 60 micrometers and in a

embodiment, is 31 micrometers. The length of the single component fiber ranges from 50 millimeters to 125 millimeters and in one embodiment, it is 75 millimeters, for punching applications. The single component binder fiber must not act as a contributing fuel source for an open flame.

The binder fiber can be a low melting, multi-component fiber that acts strictly as a ligation agent for the necessary thermal bonding in the nonwoven material. Exemplary multi-component fibers include coextruded polymer fibers in combinations containing at least two of the following polymers: poly (ethylene terephthalate), polypropylene, polyethylene, low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, poly (lactic acid), poly (trimethylene terephthalate), poly (cyclohexanediol terephthalate), poly (ethylene glycol terephthalate), nylon 6, nylon 6,6, nylon 11, nylon 12, polymethylpentene and other thermoplastic polymers having dots sufficiently low melting, either inherent or modified. The term "sufficiently low" has the same meaning set forth above for single component fibers. Similar to single component fibers, multi component fibers provide two polymers that fuse to provide thermal bonding.

This multi-component thermal binder fiber comprises at least 15 percent by weight of the combination of fibers in the nonwoven material. Any case in which a multi-component binder fiber acts only as a thermal ligation agent, its use requires the addition of at least 15 percent by weight of a fiber of greater cohesion, but not more than 70 percent by weight, for mechanical interlocking of the fibers after thermal bonding. This multi-component thermal binder fiber must have a melting temperature of not less than 107 ° C, but the melting temperature cannot exceed 10 ° C lower than the lowest melting temperature of any other structural fiber in the nonwoven fiber combination .

The maximum melting temperature of the multi-component thermal binder fiber allows the binder fiber to melt and flow, forming a ligation matrix along and between structural fibers since these fibers are left intact at a temperature lower than their point of fusion. The minimum temperature varies according to the end-use application of the non-woven material heat / fire barrier and is based on a temperature greater than the maximum temperature exposure of the nonwoven material barrier in subsequent assembly procedures and environments and use Daily operations Optimally, the melting temperature of the multi-component binder fiber is minimized within the range to reduce the energy and time required to thermally bond the nonwoven barrier textile material.

The diameter of the multi-component binder fiber ranges from 20 micrometers to 60 micrometers and in one embodiment, it is 31 micrometers. The length of the single component fiber ranges from 50 millimeters to 125 millimeters and in one embodiment, it is 75 millimeters, for punching applications. The multi-component binder fiber should not act as a contributing fuel source for an open flame.

The binder fiber can be a low melting, multi-component, multi-ligation fiber (both mechanical and thermal ligation functions), which acts as a ligation agent for the necessary thermal bonding in the non-woven material and as a mechanical agent which has sufficient cohesion between fibers to maintain the interlacing of the fiber matrix of nonwoven material. Multi-component, multi-component component fibers by way of example include coextruded polymer fibers in combinations containing at least two of the following polymers: poly (ethylene terephthalate), polypropylene, polyethylene, low density polyethylene, linear polyethylene Low density, poly (lactic acid), poly (trimethylene terephthalate), poly (cyclohexanediol terephthalate), poly (ethylene glycol terephthalate), nylon 6, nylon 6,6, nylon 11, nylon 12, polymethylpentene and others thermoplastic polymers that have sufficiently low melting points, either inherent or modified. The term "sufficiently low" has the same meaning set forth above for single component fibers. Similar to single component fibers, multi-component, multi-link fibers provide a polymer that melts to provide thermal bonding; however, the second polymer does not melt and provides the mechanical function for interlacing the fibers. This last difference is a distinction between multi-component fibers and multi-component, multi-link fibers.

In other words, multi-component, multi-ligation fibers must contain at least one component composed of a ligation agent with a lower melting point and a component with a higher melting point that remains intact after exposure to heat in the heat phase. thermal union This last difference is a distinction between multi-component fibers and multi-component, multi-link fibers.

Multi-component, multi-ligation fiber comprises at least 15 percent by weight of the combination of fibers in the nonwoven material. Any case in which a multi-component, multi-link fiber is used does not necessarily require the addition of another fiber of greater cohesion for the mechanical interlocking of the fibers after thermal bonding provided that all the described criteria are met.

The diameter of the multi-component, multi-link fiber ranges from 20 micrometers to 60 micrometers and in one embodiment, it is 31 micrometers. The length of the single component fiber ranges from 50 millimeters to 125 millimeters and in one embodiment, it is 75 millimeters, for punching applications. Multi-component, multi-ligation fiber should not act as a contributing fuel source for a

open flame and may, in fact, be flame resistant.

Multi-component, multi-link fibers may be any of several different fiber configurations (e.g., concentric core / shell, eccentric core / shell, side by side or bilateral, circular sectors, hollow circular sectors, islands at sea or matrix, and the like), but must retain core fibers of

5 almost original length after thermal bonding. These remaining core fibers must have sufficient strength to keep the mechanical entanglement under tension and must not act as a contributing fuel source for an open flame. In one embodiment, a minimum of 10 percent, but not more than 90 percent, by weight of the individual fiber acts as a thermal ligation agent and must have a melting temperature not less than 107 ° C, but not greater than 150 ° C. In another embodiment, the melting temperature is 110 ° C. The core fiber described previously comprises a minimum of 10 percent, but not more than 90 percent, by weight of the individual fiber and must have a melting temperature of not less than 115 ° C.

A useful binder fiber is a bi-component core / shell configuration composed of a poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) core and a lower melting temperature PET shell in which the shell is 60 percent by weight of the Individual fiber and the core is the remaining 40 percent. The cover acts as an agent of

15 thermal ligation that forms the outer surface of the binder fiber and has a melting temperature of 110 ° C and the core has a melting temperature of 130 ° C. A bicomponent core / shell binder fiber of this type is available from Huvis Corporation in Korea. In one embodiment, the bicomponent core / shell binder fiber comprises between 50 and 65 percent by weight of the combination of fibers in the barrier of nonwoven material.

Other multi-component, multi-ligation fibers that can also be used include coextruded polymer fibers in combinations containing at least two of the following polymers: poly (ethylene terephthalate), polypropylene, polyethylene, low density polyethylene, linear polyethylene Low density, poly (lactic acid), poly (trimethylene terephthalate), poly (cyclohexanediol terephthalate), poly (ethylene glycol terephthalate), nylon 6, nylon 6,6, nylon 11, nylon 12, polymethylpentene and other polymers thermoplastics that have sufficiently low melting points, either inherent or modified, or any natural cellulosic fiber (cotton, linen, ramie,

25 jute, kenaf, hemp, and the like) or protein fibers (wool, cashmere, camel hair, mohair, other animal hair, silk, and the like) coated or bonded together with any of the thermoplastic polymers mentioned above. The term "sufficiently low" has the same meaning set forth above for single component fibers.

These multi-component, multi-ligation fibers must contain more than one component composed of a ligation agent with a lower melting point and a component with a higher melting point that remains intact after exposure to heat in the thermal bonding phase of similar to the multi-component, multi-ligation fibers described above herein. The ligation agent may be any synthetic fiber with a melting temperature within the range mentioned above that does not act as a contributing fuel source for an open flame. The remaining core part can be any synthetic fiber or

35 natural with a melting temperature of not less than 115 ° C, which does not act as a source of contributing fuel for an open flame, and has sufficient cohesion between fibers to maintain the integrity of the fiber veil and sustain the interlacing between fibers after punching.

A fiber must have a minimum oxygen limiting index (LOI) of at least 21 to be considered a non-contributing fuel source. LOI is a relative measure of flammability that is determined by igniting a sample in an oxygen / nitrogen atmosphere and then adjusting the oxygen content to the minimum amount required to sustain a constant burn. The higher the value, the less flammable is considered a material. The oxygen limiting index (LOI), also called critical oxygen index (IOC) or oxygen index (OI), is defined as:

45 in which [O2 (conc)] and [N2] are the minimum oxygen concentration in the inlet flow gases required to pass the “minimum burn duration” criterion and the nitrogen concentration in the flow gases of entry respectively. If the inlet flow gases are maintained at constant pressure, then the denominator of the equation is constant since any reduction in the partial pressure (concentration) of oxygen is balanced by a corresponding increase in the partial pressure (concentration) of nitrogen. The oxygen limiting index is most commonly reported as a percentage rather than as a fraction.

Since the air comprises 20.95% oxygen by volume, any material with a lower oxygen limiting index than this will easily burn in the air. Conversely, the burning behavior and the tendency to spread the flame for a polymer with an oxygen limiting index greater than 20.95 will be reduced or even zero after removal of the ignition source. Self-sustaining combustion is not possible if LOI> 100, such values are not

55 are physically significant. Below in Table 9, examples of the LOI of various compounds are set forth.

Table 9

LIMIT INDEX OF OXYGEN (LOI) OF VARIOUS COMPOUNDS

Polyolefin 18 Cotton 18 Wool 25 Polyamide 22 Polyesters 21 Poly (phenylene sulfide) (PPS) 34 Para-aramid 28 Meta-aramid 30 Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) 55 Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) 95 100 fiberglass 100 amorphous silica

Some examples of commercially available binder fibers include the following specialty single polymer fibers, which are all available from Fiber Innovations Technology (FIT) of Johnson City, Tennessee, the product code of each being provided in parentheses: PETG binder fiber (unstretched) (T-135), 5 PETG binding fiber (stretched) (T-137), PCT (T-180), FR (flame resistant) PET (T-190) and FR PET for spinning ( T-191). Other examples of binder fibers include the following two-component concentric shell / core fibers, also available from FIT and having the product code shown in parentheses: CoPET / PET "melted" at 110 ° C (T-201), CoPET / PET fusion at 185 ° C (T-202), dawn gray version of T-201 (T-203), black version of T-202 (T-204), CoPET / PET melting at 130 ° C (T-207), CoPET / PET high crystallinity

10 fusion at 150 ° C (T-215), black version of T-215 (T-225), PCT / PP (T-230), PCT / PET (T-231), PETG / PET (T235), 185 ° C , high Tg coPET / PET (T-236), HDPE / PET (T-250), HDPE / PP (FDA food contact) (T-251), LLDPE / PET (T-252), PP / PET (T-260), nylon 6 / nylon 6.6 (T-270), and black version of T-270 (T271). Poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is particularly useful but there is a wide variety of types of binder fiber.

Still other binding fibers available from FIT include PET (polyester), coPET, Tf = 110 ° C, coPET, Tf = 125 ° C, coPET, Tf = 180 ° C, coPET, Tf = 200 ° C, PLA (poly (lactic acid)), Tf = 130 ° C , PLA, Tf = 150 ° C, PLA, Tf = 170 ° C, PTT (poly (trimethylene terephthalate)) available under the trade name Corterra ™, PCT (poly (cyclohexanediol terephthalate)), PETG (PET-glycol), HDPE (polyethylene) High density, LLDPE linear low density polyethylene, PP (polypropylene), PE / PP copolymer, PMP (polymethylpentene), nylon 6, nylon 6,6, nylon 11 and nylon 12.

In addition to the above, polyester binder fibers may be used in some cases. Examples of polyester binder fibers include those available from Wellman, Inc. of Fort Mill, South Carolina, with various type names such as 209, H1305, H1295, H1432, M1440, M1429, M1427, M1425, M1428 and M1431.

In addition to the required amorphous silica fiber and the required binder fiber, the nonwoven textile composition may comprise up to 70 percent by weight of other fibers, i.e., complement fibers, which are

25 consider them to be a non-contributing source of fuel. Any embodiment composed of a thermal-only binder fiber, such as a single component binder fiber containing a low melting polymer, requires the addition of at least 15 percent by weight of a higher cohesion fiber to provide interlocking. Mechanical fiber after thermal bonding. An embodiment comprises between 35 and 50 percent by weight of the amorphous silica, between 50 and 65 percent by weight of the binder fiber, the binder fibers being a

30 bicomponent core / shell configuration composed of a poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) core and a lower melting temperature PET shell, and between 5 and 10 percent by weight of a complement fiber such as a solution-dyed (pigmented) PET fiber to have color in the single-layer non-woven heat and heat barrier textile.

It may also be possible to include up to 15 percent by weight and, in one embodiment up to 10 percent in

35 weight, and in another embodiment, up to 5 percent by weight of complement fibers that are not considered to be a "non-contributing" fuel source (as defined hereinbefore), that is, they have A LOI of less than 21. However, any such fiber used will have limited application in the production of flame-resistant textile materials or fire and heat-resistant textile materials.

40 The method of producing single-layer non-woven textile material through light mechanical interlacing of a fiber veil and additional thermal bonding to reduce the directional bias of physical properties, maintaining a more complete length is also disclosed. of the individual fibers, encapsulate and contain individual fibers, and reduce the density per area of the nonwoven textile material without significantly decreasing the integrity of the textile material.

45 The non-woven textile material can be constructed as follows. The various combinations of fibers that can be used can be weighed and formed dry or in humerus to give a veil of fibers. The veil can form

by any of several different methods:

1) Veil formation by carding method, dry deposition.

Bullets of each type of fiber are fed to the procedure in which the agglutinations and fiber bundles are separated (opened). The open fibers of each type are weighed in the process and fed together to a combined veil reservoir calculated as a percentage by weight of the total fiber type. This veil reservoir is then fed to a card using rotating cylinders with fine teeth to orient the fibers in parallel arrangements. This carded veil is then transferred directly to the joining procedure or overlaps a cross on a conveyor that moves at a right angle allowing the arrangement in layers of carded veil to increase the veil width, veil weight and / or strength in the transverse direction before proceeding to the joining procedure.

2) Veil formation by wet deposition method

Bullets of each type of fiber are fed to the procedure in which the agglutinations and fiber bundles are separated (opened). The open fibers of each type are weighed in the process and fed together to a combined veil reservoir calculated as a percentage by weight of the total fiber type. This veil deposit is formed by suspending the fibers in the air and then collecting them as filler in a sieve that separates the fibers from the air. This veil is then transferred directly to the joining procedure or overlaps in a cross on a conveyor that moves at a right angle allowing the arrangement in layers of carded veil to increase the veil width, the veil weight and / or the resistance in the transverse direction before proceeding to the joining procedure.

A useful method of veil formation is the dry deposition carding procedure.

The formation of useful textile material is the mechanical interlacing of fibers by punching the veil and then thermal bonding through the application of heat above the melting temperature of the binder, but below the melting temperature of the structural fibers that mechanically link the textile material through interlacing.

It is also possible to subject the fibers to hydro-entanglement through the use of high pressure water jets, although water jets tend to damage more delicate amorphous silica fibers than punching.

Although one embodiment is a nonwoven textile material with mechanically interwoven fibers that are then heat bonded, it is also possible to combine the fibers in a woven configuration and then thermally bond them. For woven textile materials, it is possible to use amorphous silica fibers in the machine direction or the transverse direction to the machine, alternating with one or more of the FR fibers or binders. Alternatively, the fibers may alternate in the machine direction and be woven with either an amorphous or FR fiber or a binder fiber in the direction transverse to the machine. As a percentage, they may comprise the compositions set forth above for the combination of amorphous silica fibers and FR as well as amorphous silica fibers and binders. The construction of particular ligament for textile materials of open ligament and all the ranges of numbers of ends are included so much in the direction of the machine as in the transversal to the machine.

The combination in the woven material is possible through various wire structures ("types" = fiber types for the combination):

1) Individual threads:

a) Combine multiple types of cut fiber before spinning to give a continuous thread.

b) Combine multiple types of continuous filaments before twisting or interlacing them together to give a continuous thread.

2) Wire strands / cords:

a) Twist two or more individual threads of different types together to give a resulting wire of ends.

b) Twist between two or more wire strands of different types to give a resulting cord thread.

3) Threads with soul / wrapped:

a) A central soul of a filament or continuous thread or around which another type of fiber is wrapped or twisted, resulting in a continuous thread with a type of fiber such as the soul and another type that composes the outer layer.

The combination in the woven material is also possible through a woven construction of threads of different types of fiber:

1) The warp threads can be of one type and the weft threads of another type.

2) Threads of different types of fiber can be combined in the warp at some interval.

3) Threads of different types of fiber can be combined in the weave at some interval.

4) Threads of different types of fiber can be combined both in the warp and weft directions.

A textile material useful in the protection of articles, or products, such as mattresses, against fire and related heat is described; a process for producing the textile material; and a procedure to protect materials in a product using the fire and heat barrier textile material. Such a method for protecting materials in a product using the fire and heat barrier is by ultrasonic bonding or ultrasonic welding of the barrier textile material directly to at least one component that is also present in the product. Such a component comprises a material that is susceptible to damage due to fire and heat, caused by exposure to open flames and therefore requires barrier protection. Ultrasonic bonding is well known in the art, but the ability to directly incorporate a barrier to fire and heat in a subset is novel. Ultrasonic bonding uses ultrasonic energy to bond layers of thermoplastic materials. High speed ultrasonic vibrations result in welds between thermoplastic materials that melt the materials together. This fusion, or welding, requires similar thermoplastic materials to form the joint.

As an example, many traditional mattress constructions are covered by a surface assembly of a high-fluffy fiberfill between an outer layer of cuti material and an inner layer of a light textile material (usually, non-woven of filaments) to hold the stitching of the needle and thread padded set. The padded assembly forms a surface that is both soft and visually attractive due to the fluffy quilted pattern. Because the high fluffy fiberfill is conventionally PET, and because both the outer skin layer and the inner structural layer are available in PET or a combination of mostly PET, these assemblies, or products, and the like , for example, furniture, transport surfaces and seats, bedding and the like, are sometimes padded by means of ultrasonic joining, instead of padded by needle sewing and traditional thread.

The use of ultrasonic bonding for the production of padded assemblies normally has advantages over the sewing method because of the highest possible production speeds, less raw materials (no thread) required, less mechanical wear (no thread breakage; less parts mobile), and can form a joint between the layers comparable to, or better than, the sewn seams of traditional quilting.

Many materials and combinations of materials that can form a suitable flame and thermal barrier are not thermoplastic, and those that are significantly vary from the other thermoplastic components used in the final product. Therefore, as products are increasingly required to meet new open flame requirements, the possibility of using ultrasonic bonding for padding is lost.

The resulting combinations and textile materials are such that they allow ultrasound bonded padding of a set containing a flame and thermal barrier. Within the described range of combinations, combinations comprising at least 40 percent by weight of PET, or other suitable thermoplastic, are suitable for ultrasonic bonding to other materials containing a minimum of 40 percent of the same thermoplastic or Similary. One embodiment is for the flame and thermal barrier textile material to comprise a minimum of 50 percent PET by weight, and the other layers of the assembly contain at least 50 percent by weight of PET or similar thermoplastic.

Sets for the construction of mattresses can be produced in any number of configurations (the inner layer is not necessary) such as the following:

one.

 The flame and thermal barrier textile material can be ultrasonically bonded to the outer skin layer at points across the full width and along the length of the assembly.

2.

 The flame and thermal barrier textile material can be ultrasonically bonded to the outer skin layer at points only along the edges of the assembly.

3.

 For additional softness or depth of the padded pattern along the flat surface, called "pop" in the mattress industry, high fluffy fill layer (s) can be added between the flame barrier textile material and thermal and the cuti before bonding as described in 1, earlier herein.

Four.

 For additional smoothness along the flat surface, high fluffy fill layer (s) can be added between the flame and thermal barrier textile material and the cuti before bonding as described in 2, earlier in this document.

5.

 The configurations set forth in points 2 and 4, earlier in the present document, allow an improved protection against flame and thermal because the body of the barrier textile material does not contain junction points. The nature of the ultrasonic joint requires pressure between the sonotrode and the jaw. This results in a compression of the layers at each junction point and these compressed points usually result in greater thermal transfer through the materials and possibly weaken the carbonization resistance of the materials when exposed to open flame. If the smooth surface resulting from assembly configurations 2 and 4 is not desired, it is taught herein that high fluffy filler or other thick textile material can be ultrasonically bonded directly to the outer skin layer in the manner described

in 1 and 3, before the flame and thermal barrier textile material is subsequently joined by ultrasound at points along the edge of the assembly as the inner layer.

6.

 Variations of the configuration 3 that offer the same or similar effect are possible by layering the flame and thermal barrier textile material directly in the cuti layer and the high fluffy filling is arranged in layers before joining by ultrasound as described in 1, earlier in the present document.

7.

 Variations of the configuration 4 that offer the same or similar effect are possible by arranging the flame-retardant and thermal textile material in layers directly in the cuti layer and the high fluffy filling is arranged in layers before joining by ultrasound as described in 2, earlier in this document.

Another product used in the construction of mattresses, is the textile edging material, or lateral textile material. As an example, satisfactory edging sets for mattresses and / or bed bases can be produced in any of the above configurations using full-width article materials of rolls up to approximately 120 inches wide (theoretically the width is unlimited because the jaws and sonotrodes are Ultrasounds can be arranged in a modular format, but in a practical way, the width is limited to the currently available widths of high fluffy filler and cuti of rolled items as well as the support equipment currently available). The body padding pattern is joined by ultrasound using a series of wide sonotrodes applied across the width of a pattern cylinder jaw. The typical width of a trim set ranges from 22.86 cm (9 inches) to 35.56 cm (14 inches) (or more). These individual widths can be cut into strips by ultrasound and the edges sealed by ultrasound with a stitch pattern (or other pattern) using an in-line or off-line series of sonotrodes and sealing jaws / strip cutting machine.

Textile materials are particularly useful for mattress trims because there is no need for comfort, as it is in the upper and lower parts of the mattresses, the panels, which will incorporate padding to provide the panel with softness and make it soft. Therefore, on the edges, the FR textile material is easily assembled to the cuti, such as by ultrasonic welding, to form that product, which can be conceived as a subset of the entire product, the mattress.

An exemplary procedure configuration for ultrasonic sealing would employ power supplies of 1.1 kW to 9-inch sonotrodes in series across the width of a pattern cylinder jaw for the desired padding design on the assembly body. After the layers have been fed from and unrolled in this part of the process, additional layers can be introduced if desired before flow through a series of one inch diameter sonotrodes spaced at the desired widths of the edging assemblies to be cut in strip and seal simultaneously (if desired) using a 1.1 kW power supply for each sonotrode. Procedural variables such as pressure, speed, amplitude, power amplifiers and loads differ based on the types of materials used and the mass.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of textile materials, several samples of textile material were subjected to open flame tests to determine their respective resistance to fire and related heat and, in turn, the ability to provide protection to the article. It should be noted that the essays of the article are often specific to the end use application of the protected article and the essay includes that article as a whole rather than tests of the individual components that make up that article. Textile material tests as a component to predict or correlate results in the finished article usually differ between the manufacturers of the article. Preliminary tests were performed with a variety of barrier textile materials that comprised a range of amorphous silica ratios with respect to binder fiber. As a result of this examination, it was determined that for use in mattresses, an amorphous silica content of 40 percent was a useful amount, since it balanced costs against the necessary barrier protection. However, larger or smaller amounts of amorphous silica may well be used in other environments (products) where the barrier property requirements may differ as will the allowable costs to produce the textile material. Such other uses are discussed below in this document.

For the development of fire and thermal barrier textile materials for use in the mattress industry, a patented test was used in an independent testing laboratory to establish an initial level of performance and track progress against that initial level. Although the details of the test are kept confidential by the independent laboratory, it can be revealed that the test is based on an open flame in contact with the face of the textile material for a fixed period of time. After the open flame is removed, the textile material is allowed to continue burning until it completely extinguishes itself. The maximum temperature on the opposite side of the flame is measured throughout the duration of the test. The mass of the sample is measured before and after exposure to the flame to calculate the mass loss. The resistance of the textile material at the point of exposure can be tested to determine the strength conserved or resistance to carbonization (depending on the application, this could be tensile, puncture, inspection to determine cracks or others). The test results are reported in table 10 below:

TABLE 10 OPEN FLAME TESTS OF TEXTILE MATERIALS FR

Example No.

Mass per unit area Combination,% by weight Temp. max. Mass loss in%

(g / m2)

(ounce per square yard) (ºC) (ºF)

54

227 6.7 Related commercial product - FR-coated stitched mesh material 310  590 5.4

55

305 9.0 Related commercial product - FR-coated woven material 255  491 1.7

56

176 5.2 Related Commercial Product - FR Coated Hydrolyzed Material 286  546 5.3

57

200 5.9 50% lysocel / 50% PET binder 442  827 49.7

58

190 5.6 50% lysocel / 50% PET binder plus FR coating 211  411 5.8

59

237 7.0 50% PET / 50% liocel plus FR coating 489  913 30.4

60

397 11.7 100% modacrylic fiber plus FR coating 509  948 17.9

61

295 8.7 20% patented “Fiber C” / 80% PET binder plus FR coating 284  544 25.9

62

2. 3. 4 6.9 20% patented “Fiber C” / 80% PET plus FR coating 261  501 2.5

63

468 13.8 100% PET plus fiberglass bucarán plus FR coating 538  1000 3.2

64

210 6.2 40% amorphous silica / 60% PET binder 236  457 3.2

65

193 5.7 40% amorphous silica / 60% PET binder 228  443 3.4

66

166 4.9 40% amorphous silica / 60% PET binder 274  526 9.1

67

159 4.7 40% amorphous silica / 60% PET binder 277  530 7.7

68

359 10.6 40% amorphous silica / 60% PET binder 175  347 2.0

69

292 8.6 40% amorphous silica / 60% PET binder 171  339 1.1

70

237 7.0 40% amorphous silica / 60% PET binder 188  371 2.4

71

2. 3. 4 6.9 45% amorphous silica / 45% patented "Fiber C" / 10% PET binder 190  374 3.0

72

651 19.2 40% amorphous silica / 55% PET binder / 5% PET 107  224 0.5

73

420 12.4 40% amorphous silica / 52% PET binder / 8% PP 288  551 13.4

74

566 16.7 40% amorphous silica / 60% PET binder 182  360 3.7

Although the details of the test are patented, the shared results demonstrate the performance of amorphous silica combinations, compared to other flame and thermal barriers when exposed to open flame. The values of "mass per unit area", "maximum temperature" and "mass loss in percentage" are averages of six samples tested for each combination or product. The tests carried out by the independent laboratory established an initial level of performance for products currently in use as flame and thermal barrier textile materials in the mattress industry ("Incumbent Market Product" / "Related Commercial Product", examples n. os 54-56). Without representing that the results of this test 10 correlate directly with the performance of a tested bed set according to the standard for open flame California TB603 described above, however, the results are an indicator of the capacity

of a component textile material to resist exposure to an open flame without excessive loss of mass or excessive thermal transfer through the textile material.

What is, or is not, "excessive" may differ between mattress manufacturers, but trials of this class allow direct comparison of candidate textile materials against established component textile materials that have been extensively tested in finished bedding sets. . The textile materials under test include 10 examples (# 54-63) of textile materials outside the present invention, followed by 11 examples (# 64-74) of textile materials. With reference to the data in Table 10, it can be seen that the use of barrier textile materials comprising 40 percent amorphous silica provided acceptable protection, as compared to related products. It should be noted that while examples 66 and 67 did show a greater mass loss in percentage, this could be attributed to the lower mass per unit area (4.9 and 4.7) compared to the other textile materials. In addition, example 73 showed both a higher maximum temperature and mass loss, which was due to the presence of 8 percent PP fiber, a complement fiber that can be a source of fuel, that is, not a source of "non-contributing" fuel, added to provide a colored, or pigmented, textile material.

In view of the above description, it should be appreciated that possible end uses for FR textile materials in various articles include the following:

one.

 Bed materials - barrier under the cuti or exposed on the bottom of mattresses on one side or on the top and / or bottom of the bed bases. The trims, as discussed above, are also products that benefit from the presence of the barrier.

2.

 Furniture - barrier under furniture upholstery or exposed on the lower side of the furniture or other areas that are not visible.

3.

Transportation - barrier under the seat upholstery or exposed on the bottom side of the seat or other areas that are not visible. Barrier under wall covering materials or attached to the back side or inside layers of curtains or sheer curtains. Coating for cargo and engine compartments or areas that need protection against extreme heat.

Four.

 Bedding - arranged in layers with blankets, comforters, pillows and the like.

5.

 Garments - arranged in layers inside personal protective clothing to protect against flame and heat. Uses include for firefighters, military, astronauts, industry, laboratories and the like, in items such as coats, pants, gloves, boots and the like.

6.

 Automobile - internal lining of engine compartments, tube wrap, barrier inside seats and behind carpeted and upholstered surfaces.

7.

 Construction / home / industry - domestic wrap, inner wall protective layer, fire blankets, coatings for fuel storage areas, welding blankets, landfill lining and the like that emit potentially flammable gases, hot gas filtration, carpet reinforcement and carpets, mittens and gloves for cooking and the like.

Therefore, it should be apparent that the use of amorphous silica fibers is extremely effective in providing combinations and FR textile materials. Amorphous silica fibers can be combined with at least one other flame resistant fiber, or a binder fiber. The fiber combinations of the present invention can be used to make flame-resistant textile materials for a variety of purposes including, but not limited to, textile barrier materials for upholstery applications, bed materials and bedding. In addition, textile materials are not limited to nonwoven types.

Based on the above description, it should now be apparent that the fiber combinations described herein are novel and will provide barrier textile materials and flame resistant textile materials, as set forth herein. Therefore, the scope of the invention will include all modifications and variations that may be within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (20)

1. Combination of flame resistant fibers (FR) comprising: Amorphous silica fibers comprising a mixture of 94 to 97% by weight of SiO2, 3 to 4% by weight of Al2O3, 0.1 to 0.3% by weight of Na2O, from 0.03 to 1.3 % by weight of CoO and 0.01 to 1.2% by weight of SO3; Y at least one fiber selected from the group consisting of FR fibers, binding fibers and mixtures thereof.

2.

Combination of fibers according to claim 1, wherein said FR fibers are selected from the group consisting of modacrylic fibers, polyester with phosphalene, melamine, meta-aramides, para-aramids, polybenzimidazole, polyimides, polyamidaimides, partially oxidized polyacrylonitriles, novoloids, poly (pphenylene-benzobisoxazoles), poly (p-phenylenebenzothiazoles), poly (phenylene sulfides), flame resistant viscose scratches, viscose rayon containing silica modified with aluminosilicate, cellulosic, polyether ketones, polyketones, polyetherimides, natural or synthetic coated fibers with a FR resin, or mixtures thereof.

3.

Combination of fibers according to claim 1, the combination comprising at least about 5 percent by weight of amorphous silica fibers, based on the total weight of fibers in the combination.

Four.

Combination of fibers according to claim 3, the combination comprising from 5 to 65 percent by weight of amorphous silica fibers and from 35 to 95 percent by weight of said FR fibers.

5.

Combination of fibers according to claim 2, comprising amorphous silica fibers, modacrylic fibers and FR rayon fibers.

6.

Combination of fibers according to claim 2, comprising amorphous silica fibers, modacrylic fibers and viscose rayon fibers.

7.

Combination of fibers according to claim 2, comprising amorphous silica fibers, modacrylic fibers and cellulosic fibers.

8.

Combination of fibers according to claim 2, comprising amorphous silica fibers and FR rayon fibers.

9.

Combination of fibers according to claim 2, comprising amorphous silica fibers, modacrylic fibers, viscose rayon fibers and FR polypropylene fibers.

10.

Combination of fibers according to claim 1, wherein said binding fibers are selected from the group consisting of single-component, multi-component, multi-ligation and complement fibers, said fibers having a melting temperature not less than 107 ° C .

eleven.

Combination of fibers according to claim 10, wherein said single-component, multi-component and multi-ligation fibers and complement fibers provide thermal bonding properties and wherein said multi-component, multi-ligation and fiber fibers Complementary provide additional mechanical properties.

12.

Combination of fibers according to claim 10, said combination comprising at least 15 percent by weight of amorphous silica fibers, based on the total weight of fibers in the combination.

13.

Combination of fibers according to claim 12, said combination comprising from 15 to 80 percent by weight of amorphous silica fibers; from 15 to 85 percent by weight of said binder fibers and up to 70 percent by weight of complement fibers, with a reduction of the other two fibers to a total of 100 percent by weight, without decreasing below said minimum amounts mentioned above.

14.

Combination of fibers according to claim 13, said combination comprising from 15 to 80 percent by weight of amorphous silica fibers; from 15 to 85 percent by weight of said single component binding fibers and at least 15 percent by weight of said complement fibers.

fifteen.

Combination of fibers according to claim 11, wherein said single component binding fibers are selected from the group consisting of low melting poly (ethylene terephthalate), polypropylene, polyethylene, low density polyethylene, linear low polyethylene density, poly (lactic acid), poly (trimethylene terephthalate), poly (cyclohexanediol terephthalate), poly (ethylene glycol terephthalate), nylon 6, nylon 6.6, nylon 11, nylon 12, polymethylpentene and other thermoplastic fibers selected to have the lowest melting point of the polymers present.

16.

Combination of fibers according to claim 11, wherein said multi-component binding fibers comprise coextruded polymer fibers in combinations containing at least two polymers selected from the group consisting of poly (ethylene terephthalate), polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene. low density, linear low density polyethylene, poly (lactic acid), poly (trimethylene terephthalate), poly (cyclohexanediol terephthalate), poly (ethylene glycol terephthalate), nylon 6, nylon 6,6, nylon 11, nylon 12, polymethylpentene and other thermoplastic fibers selected to have the lowest melting point of the polymers present.

17.

Combination of fibers according to claim 11, wherein said multi-component, multi-binding binder fibers are selected from the group consisting of core / shell, eccentric core / shell, side-by-side or bilateral constructions, circular sectors, circular sectors holes, islands in the sea or matrix, and mixtures thereof, which retain core fibers of substantially original length after thermal bonding.

18.

Combination of fibers according to claim 17, wherein said multi-component binding fibers comprise coextruded polymer fibers in combinations containing at least two polymers selected from the group consisting of poly (ethylene terephthalate), polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene. low density, linear low density polyethylene, poly (lactic acid), poly (trimethylene terephthalate), poly (cyclohexanediol terephthalate), poly (ethylene glycol terephthalate), nylon 6, nylon 6,6, nylon 11, nylon 12, polymethylpentene and other thermoplastic fibers selected to have the lowest melting point of the polymers present; said multi-component, multi-ligation fibers containing at least one component composed of a polymer with a lower melting point and a polymer with a higher melting point that remains intact after exposure to sufficient heat to melt said polymer with a lower melting point.

19.

Combination of fibers according to claim 18, wherein said multi-component, multi-binding binder fibers comprise a bi-component core / shell configuration comprised of a poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) core and a smaller PET shell melting temperature while the cover is 60 percent by weight of the individual fiber and the core is the remaining 40 percent.

twenty.

Combination of fibers according to claim 11, wherein said complement fibers comprise coextruded polymer fibers in combinations containing at least two polymers selected from the group consisting of poly (ethylene terephthalate), polypropylene, polyethylene, low density polyethylene , linear low density polyethylene, poly (lactic acid), poly (trimethylene terephthalate), poly (cyclohexanediol terephthalate), poly (ethylene glycol terephthalate), nylon 6, nylon 6,6, nylon 11, nylon 12, polymethylpentene and other thermoplastic fibers selected to have the lowest melting point of the polymers present, as well as natural cellulosic fibers and protein fibers, coated or bonded together with any of the polymers mentioned above; said multi-component, multi-ligation fibers containing at least one component composed of a polymer with a lower melting point and a polymer with a higher melting point that remains intact after exposure to sufficient heat to melt said polymer with a lower melting point.

Fig. 1