JPH0221892A - Fiber-filled body and manufacture thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a fiber-filled body from cracking even though it is stretched in a vertical or lateral direction or any other arbitrary direction, by blowing staples from nozzles into a gas permeable mold flask, in the plural directions which are substantially perpendicular to and parallel with the flat surface of the mold flask. CONSTITUTION:Staples are blown into a mold frame 3 or a basin 4 from blow-in ports 5 attached substantially perpendicularly to and parallel to a flat surface of the mold frame 3 or the basin 4. Accordingly, the staples are stacked up successively while forming thin layer webs 2 from the bottom to the top of the mold frame or the basin, and are finally formed into a fiber filler. The mold frame 3 or the basin 4 to be used may have an arbitrary shape, but has to have a suitable gas-permeability since the staples are packed therein by means of an air stream. With the use of this method, the staples may be surely and uniformly filled in the mold frame even though the latter has a complicated shape having concave and convex parts. Further, a fiber filler including parts having different harnesses may be produced in one step.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a fiber filler used for cushions such as vehicle seats and furniture, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[Prior Art and Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Conventionally, the method for manufacturing fiber fillers was to stack short fiber webs taken out from a carding machine, cut them into predetermined sizes, and insert them into side fabrics. There was a method of stuffing, and a method of blowing short fibers into the side fabric or formwork from a direction parallel to the flat surface thereof using an air stream.

In the fiber filling obtained by the former method of laminating card webs, most of the short fibers are arranged in the direction in which they are spun from the card machine. Therefore, while the cutting force in the direction parallel to the direction in which the card is spun (hereinafter referred to as the spinning direction) is large, the cutting force in the direction perpendicular to the spinning direction is small, and therefore, the force in the direction perpendicular to the spinning direction is small. The disadvantage is that the fiber filler easily cracks when exposed to heat.

Fiber-filled bodies obtained by the latter method, in which short fibers are blown in by an air flow in a direction parallel to the flat plane, have a structure in which thin webs of randomly arranged short fibers are laminated, and usually the air flow Since the thin web is laminated in a direction almost perpendicular to the blowing direction (hereinafter referred to as the blowing direction), the cutting strength in the direction perpendicular to the blowing direction is high, but the cutting strength in the direction parallel to the blowing direction is high. small, therefore
There was a problem in that the fiber filler easily cracked when subjected to a force in a direction parallel to the blowing direction.

In addition, if the formwork or side fabric has an uneven part in a direction close to perpendicular to the air blowing direction, it is difficult to uniformly fill the uneven part with short fibers, so the formwork Another problem is that it is not possible to obtain a fiber filler with a shape that is faithful to the side fabric.

On the other hand, contrary to the above, when the direction in which the short fibers are blown into the air permeable formwork is almost perpendicular to the flat plane of the air permeable formwork, the fiber-filled body obtained when the short fibers are blown into the air permeable formwork is created by a force parallel to the flat plane. There was a problem in that the fiber filler became viscous when exposed to water.

Generally speaking, when producing fiber fillers with different hardness depending on the part, conventional methods have been to prepare fiber fillers with different hardnesses in advance and glue and laminate them, or to partially apply a resin solution to the fiber filler. It required multiple steps such as impregnation, and was impossible to obtain in one step.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fiber filler that solves the above problems and a method for producing the same.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the fiber filler of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, a fiber-filled body formed by laminating thin-layer webs mainly consisting of short fibers, the fiber-filling bodies being arranged substantially parallel to the surface of the outer layer of the fiber-filling body, and the fibers. The fiber filling body is characterized in that it consists of thin webs arranged substantially perpendicularly to the surface of the outer layer of the filling body.

Moreover, the manufacturing method of the fiber filler of this invention has the following structure. In other words, it is a method for manufacturing a fiber filling material in which a fiber material mainly composed of short fibers is filled into a breathable mold from a blowing nozzle using an air flow, and the direction in which the short fibers are blown into the breathable mold is controlled by the breathable mold. This is a method for manufacturing a fiber filling body, characterized by a plurality of directions substantially perpendicular and substantially parallel to the flat plane of the frame.

The short fibers used as a base material in the present invention include synthetic fibers such as polyester, polyacrylic, polyamide, and polypropylene, natural fibers such as cotton, linen, silk, and wool, or combinations of these synthetic fibers and natural fibers or different types of synthetic fibers. , short fibers such as mixed fibers such as natural fibers,
Both are applicable. Among these, polyester is the most preferred material because of its excellent compression properties. Further, in order to uniformly disperse and blow the fibers, it is more preferable to use fibers with low entanglement.

The fineness of the short ll1f/fL is preferably in the range of 1 to 30 d from the viewpoint of the density of the fiber filler and recovery properties against compressive loads. Moreover, from the same viewpoint, the fiber length of the short fibers is preferably in the range of 20 to 100111 m.

In the present invention, "mainly short fibers" means that the proportion of the short fibers in the fiber filler is 40% by weight or more.

In the present invention, the term "thin layer web" refers to each layer of a fiber material consisting mainly of short fibers that is blown into a formwork or geodesic surface by an air stream, and then compressed by air pressure to form thin layered materials. do.

Within the laminar web, the staple fibers are each randomly oriented. When observed from the side of the fiber filler, a large number of the thin webs are stacked, and the side surface near the surface of at least one outer layer exhibits a striped pattern. Furthermore, when the surface of the other outer layer is observed, it exhibits a tree-ring-like pattern.

In the present invention, the fibers or the thin webs do not need to be bonded to each other, but may be bonded to each other. When bonded, the fibrous filler becomes hard, has strong compression resistance, and exhibits good cushioning properties.

On the other hand, if it is not bonded, it becomes soft. The presence or absence of adhesion may be determined depending on the hardness required of the fiber filler and the intended use.

In the present invention, the bonding means for bonding short fibers or thin webs may be an adhesive or may be fusion bonding.

In the present invention, when using an adhesive, it is preferable to use adhesive fibers as the adhesive, and by mixing it into the short fibers at a stage before forming the fiber filler, it is possible to Thin webs can be easily bonded together.

As the adhesive fiber, a low melting point fiber is preferably used. Examples of such low melting point fibers include fibers made of copolyester, copolyamide, polyolefin, etc., which have low melting point properties. Further, as adhesive fibers, composite fibers having the above-mentioned low melting point polymer component on at least one side are preferable as adhesive fibers because they have excellent shape retention and strength properties. When the composite form is a core-sheath composite fiber, a low melting point component is arranged in the sheath component. Particularly preferred is one in which the core components are composited into a multi-core structure.

The adhesive fibers made of such a low melting point component are preferably short fibers. This is because by using short fibers, they can be uniformly dispersed throughout the fiber filler, and therefore, short fibers and thin webs can be bonded uniformly. Also,
From the viewpoint of improving the dispersibility of short fibers of this adhesive fiber, it is preferable that the fineness is in the range of 2 to 10 d and the fiber length is in the range of 20 to 60 mm.

In the present invention, from the viewpoint of optimizing the degree of adhesion between short fibers and the hardness of the fiber filler, the mixing ratio of the adhesive fibers when mixed with the fiber filler is 10 to 60% of the fiber filler. Preferably it is 1% by weight.

The method for manufacturing the fiber filler of the present invention having the above structure will be explained below.

In the method for manufacturing a fiber filler of the present invention, first, the short fibers are defibrated using a defibrating machine, a card machine, or the like.

This is done to loosen the clumps of short fibers and make full use of the crimp of the short fibers. Through this step, the fiber filler fully exhibits the bulk provided by the short fibers, and exhibits excellent cushioning properties that are sufficiently resilient against compression.

In this way, the sufficiently defibrated short fibers are packed into the air-permeable mold by the air flow from the cotton blowing fan. In addition, in the present invention, the breathable formwork includes not only the literal formwork but also the side fabric.

The conditions for this process are that the flow rate of the air flow is 1 to 200 m'/min, and the air pressure is 10 to 100 m'/min, from the viewpoint of controlling the packing density of the fiber filler and the pressure loss of the breathable formwork, which will be described in detail.
Preferably, it is 0 mmt1Mri.

As shown in Fig. 1, short fibers are blown into the formwork 3 or the side material 4 by the blowing ports 5 installed in a direction substantially perpendicular and parallel to the flat surface of the formwork 3 or the side material 4. It is something that can be done. Thereby, the short fibers are laminated one after another from the bottom to the top of the geodesic or formwork, forming a thin web 2, thereby forming a fiber filling body.

In the present invention, the formwork 3 or the side fabric 4 used may be of any shape, but since the short fibers are stuffed with air flow, appropriate air permeability is required.

Measured value by Frazier type air permeability tester is 5-200
Air permeability in the range of CC/-.sec is preferred.

Furthermore, by using a formwork rather than by geodesic, it is possible to manufacture a fiber filling body whose end shape is more faithful to the formwork. In addition, when a fiber filling body with a complex shape with unevenness is required, better results can be obtained with a formwork than with a geodesic one.

The method of the present invention is particularly effective even if the formwork has a complex shape with uneven parts, since even the uneven parts can be uniformly and reliably filled with short fibers. Furthermore, a fiber filler having different hardness depending on the part can be obtained in one step.

The fiber filling body according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.
As shown in the figure, a thin web laminated in a direction parallel to the flat plane and a thin web laminated in a direction perpendicular to the flat plane coexist, and within this thin web, each short fiber 1 are arranged randomly and are not oriented in a specific direction. This is because the short fibers are blown into the mold over the entire surface by the airflow.

Note that in order to uniformly fill the fibers, it is preferable to supply the fibers as described below. That is, FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating a preferred embodiment of the fiber supply lower used in the present invention.

The cross-sectional shape of the short fiber supply lower may be arbitrary, but from the viewpoint of reducing the variation in the packing density of the fiber filler in the width direction, it should be made so that the central part is flat and both sides are flat, as shown in (A) to (D> in Fig. 7). It is preferable to have a large side cross-sectional area.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a neck type fiber supply port.

Furthermore, from the same point of view as above, as shown in FIG.
It is also preferable to oscillate periodically.

Known means can be used for rocking.

The fibrous filler of the present invention and the method for producing the same will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples.

[Example] (Example 1) Polyester short fibers 6d x 38mm and low melting point polyester fibers with a core-sheath cross section of 4d x 51mm at a weight ratio of 60
After mixing at a ratio of % to 40% and opening the fibers, a width of 30% was obtained.
cm, length 40cm, and thickness 7cm, the air outlet (25cm x 4cm rectangle) was installed perpendicular to the flat surface, and the air outlet (23cm x 4cm) was installed parallel to the flat surface.
Packing was carried out by air flow using a 4 cm rectangle. First, from the air inlet installed parallel to the flat surface,
Next, the air was injected through an inlet installed perpendicular to the flat surface.

After the blowing was completed, heat treatment was performed to melt the low melting point fibers and to bond the short fibers and the thin web. As a result, the obtained fiber filling material had a packing density of 40 g/l.
ooocc, which has a structure as shown in FIG. 1, and when viewed from the side of the fiber filling body, the thin web 2 exhibits a striped pattern approximately parallel and perpendicular to the outer layer surface (oblate plane). They were arranged in layers.

Table 1 shows the bow tensile strength of the obtained fiber filler in the longitudinal direction (aa' direction in FIG. 1) and in the transverse direction (bb' direction in FIG. 1).

According to this, it can be seen that the tensile strengths in the longitudinal and lateral directions are almost uniform. Here, the measured value of the tensile strength of the fiber filler was determined by taking a sample with a thickness of 7 cm, width of 5 cm, and length of 15 cm, and attaching it to a tensile tester with a test length of 10 cm. This is the value obtained by reading the maximum strength during tension and cutting.

(Hereinafter, blank space) (Comparative Example 1) A blowing port was attached to the mold in a direction parallel to the flat surface, and short fibers were blown into the mold using an air flow to produce a fiber filling body. The fiber material, packing density, heat treatment method, and tensile strength measurement method were exactly the same as in Example 1. The obtained fiber filling body is as shown in FIG. 4, and the thin web 2 is arranged in layers at an angle to the flat plane, and when viewed from the top of the flat plane, the thin web 2 is , were arranged substantially in the lateral direction bb' of the fiber filler.

In addition, as shown in Table 1, the tensile strength of the fiber filler is very small in the longitudinal direction (aa') than in the transverse direction (bb'), and has the disadvantage that it is brittle in the longitudinal direction and easily breaks. there were.

(Comparative Example 2) A blowing port was attached to the formwork in a direction perpendicular to the flat plane, and short fibers were blown into the formwork to produce a fiber filling. The measurement method was exactly the same as in Example 1. The obtained fiber-filled body is as shown in FIG. 5, and the thin web 2 exhibits a striped pattern almost parallel to the flat plane. The thin webs constituting the surface of the other outer layer were stacked and arranged in the shape of tree rings.

In addition, as shown in Table 1, the tensile strength of the fiber filler is different in the longitudinal direction (aa') and in the transverse direction (bb
”), it shows a very large value and is brittle in the lateral direction.
It had the disadvantage of being easily broken.

(Comparative Example 3) Fibers were spun using a card machine to produce a laminated web, and the web was stuffed into the side fabric by hand. fiber material, packing density,
The heat treatment method and the measurement of tensile strength were exactly the same as in Example 1.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the obtained fiber-filled body, the web layer 2 is laminated in a direction parallel to the flat plane 7, and within the web layer, the short fibers 1 are laminated in the longitudinal direction aa of the fiber-filled body. '
were aligned in a direction parallel to.

This is because the carded web was packed so that its spinning direction was parallel to the longitudinal direction aa' of the fiber filler. Further, the tensile strength of the fiber filler obtained by this card method was as shown in the table, and was large in the longitudinal direction (aa'), small in the transverse direction (bb'), and easily cracked in the transverse direction.

As described above, the fiber filler shown in the embodiments of the present invention has thin webs arranged in a laminated manner in a striped pattern substantially parallel to and perpendicular to the surface of the outer layer, and each short web in the flat plane. Since the fibers are arranged in random directions and have no directionality, the fibers are arranged in the longitudinal direction (aa') and the transverse direction (bb'
) has a well-balanced tensile strength, is resistant to cracking in practical use, and exhibits strong durability. On the other hand, Comparative Examples 1, 2.3
When the short fibers are packed by air flow from a direction parallel or perpendicular to the flat plane shown in , or when carded cotton is stacked and packed, the short fibers are oriented in a certain direction, so the vertical The balance between directional and lateral tensile strength is poor,
There was a defect that it was easy to break.

[Effects of the Invention] In the fiber-filled body of the present invention, all the short fibers are not arranged in one specific direction, so even if the fiber-filled body is pulled in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, or any direction, the tension is The strength is approximately equal and balanced, and therefore it has become possible to provide a durable fiber filling that does not cause problems such as cracking in practical use.

Further, according to the method for manufacturing a fiber filling body of the present invention, even when manufacturing a fiber filling body with a complicated shape having unevenness, it is possible to fill the short fibers uniformly and faithfully to the mold. .

Roughly speaking, the w4#1 filling body having different hardness depending on the part can be manufactured in one step, and the hardness can be easily controlled. Moreover, a hard laminated interface is not formed, which is a problem when manufacturing by laminating fiber fillers having different hardness depending on the part by laminating or the like.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1, 2 and 3 are side views of examples of fibrous fillers according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side view of a fiber filler (Comparative Example 1) in which the blowing was performed in a direction parallel to the flat plane. FIG. 5 is a side view of a fiber filler (Comparative Example 2) in which the air was blown in a direction perpendicular to the flat surface. FIG. 6 is a side view of a fiber filling body using a card method (Comparative Example 3). Further, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a preferred embodiment of the fiber outlet used in the present invention, and FIG. 8 is an example of a fiber outlet using an oscillating type. In the figure, 1: Short fiber 2: Thin web 3: Formwork 4: Side material 5: Inlet 6: Flat surface 7: Fiber supply port 8: Tip 9: Fulcrum

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A fiber filling body formed by laminating thin webs mainly composed of short fibers, the fiber filling bodies being arranged approximately parallel to the surface of the outer layer of the fiber filling body, and A fiber-filled body comprising a thin web arranged substantially perpendicular to the outer layer surface of the fiber-filled body. (2) A method for manufacturing a fiber filling material in which a fiber material mainly consisting of short fibers is filled into a breathable mold from a blowing nozzle using an air flow, and the direction in which the short fibers are blown into the breathable mold is air-permeable. A method for manufacturing a fiber filling body, characterized in that the fiber filling material is produced in a plurality of directions substantially perpendicular and substantially parallel to the oblique plane of a formwork.