U.S. patent application number 10/789143 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-01 for layered polymer fiber insulation and method of making thereof.
Invention is credited to Helwig, Gregory S., Parks, Jerry M., Targett, Larry E., Tilton, Jeffrey A..
Application Number | 20050191925 10/789143 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34887198 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050191925 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tilton, Jeffrey A. ; et
al. |
September 1, 2005 |
Layered polymer fiber insulation and method of making thereof
Abstract
A liner/insulator include including at least two individual
layers of wet processed mat wherein the layers including
thermoplastic polymer staple fibers and thermoplastic bicomponent
fibers. The layers are bonded together by heat and pressure to
provide "tunable" acoustical and thermal properties.
Inventors: |
Tilton, Jeffrey A.;
(Prospect, KY) ; Parks, Jerry M.; (Granville,
OH) ; Targett, Larry E.; (Pickerington, OH) ;
Helwig, Gregory S.; (Granville, OH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OWENS CORNING
2790 COLUMBUS ROAD
GRANVILLE
OH
43023
US
|
Family ID: |
34887198 |
Appl. No.: |
10/789143 |
Filed: |
February 27, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
442/361 ;
156/273.7; 156/311; 442/362; 442/363; 442/364; 442/381; 442/384;
442/392; 442/408; 442/409; 442/414; 442/415 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 442/641 20150401;
D04H 1/732 20130101; Y10T 442/696 20150401; Y10T 442/663 20150401;
B32B 5/26 20130101; Y10T 442/689 20150401; Y10T 442/69 20150401;
Y10T 442/64 20150401; B32B 2605/00 20130101; B32B 2307/306
20130101; Y10T 442/637 20150401; Y10T 442/697 20150401; B32B 5/08
20130101; Y10T 442/671 20150401; B32B 2307/10 20130101; B32B
2307/728 20130101; Y10T 442/638 20150401; D04H 1/559 20130101; B32B
2307/73 20130101; B32B 2419/00 20130101; Y10T 442/659 20150401;
D21H 27/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
442/361 ;
442/362; 442/363; 442/364; 442/381; 442/384; 442/392; 442/408;
442/409; 442/414; 442/415; 156/273.7; 156/311 |
International
Class: |
D04H 005/00 |
Claims
What is claimed:
1. A liner/insulator comprising: a) a first layer of wet processed
mat; b) a second layer of wet processed mat; wherein said first and
second layers comprise thermoplastic polymer staple fibers and
thermoplastic bicomponent fibers.
2. The liner/insulator of claim 1, further comprising a third layer
of wet processed mat comprising thermoplastic polymer staple fibers
and thermoplastic bicomponent fibers.
3. The liner/insulator of claim 2, wherein said thermoplastic
staple fibers and said thermoplastic bicomponent fibers are
selected from a group of materials consisting of polyester,
polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate and any
mixtures and/or copolymers thereof.
4. The liner insulator of claim 2, wherein said first, second and
third layers are bonded together.
5. The liner/insulator of claim 4, wherein said layers are bonded
together by heat and pressure.
6. The liner/insulator of claim 1, wherein said first and said
second layers are between about 0.05 to about 0.30 inches
thick.
7. The liner/insulator of claim 2, wherein said third layer is
between about 0.05 to about 0.30 inches thick.
8. The liner/insulator of claim 7, wherein said liner/insulator is
between about 0.125 to about 1.5 inches thick.
9. The liner/insulator of claim 2, wherein said first layer is
hydrophilic.
10. The liner/insulation of claim 2, wherein said first layer has a
high heat resistance.
11. The liner/insulator of claim 2, wherein said second layer is
hydrophobic.
12. The liner/insulator of claim 2, wherein said third layer is
sound absorbent.
13. A method of producing a wet processed liner/insulator
comprising the steps of: a) providing a first layer of wet
processed mat; b) providing a second layer of wet processed mat;
wherein said first and second layers comprise thermoplastic polymer
staple fibers and thermoplastic bicomponent fibers. c) applying
sufficient heat and pressure to said first and second layers of mat
to form said liner/insulator.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of
providing a third layer of wet processed mat comprising
thermoplastic polymer staple fibers and thermoplastic bicomponent
fibers.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein said thermoplastic staple
fibers and said thermoplastic bicomponent fibers are selected from
a group of materials consisting of polyester, polyethylene,
polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate and any mixtures and/or
copolymers thereof.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein said first and said second
layers are between about 0.05 to about 0.30 inches thick.
17. The method of claim 14, wherein said third layer is between
about 0.05 to about 0.30 inches thick.
18. The method of claim 13, wherein said liner/insulator is between
about 0.125 to about 1.5 inches thick.
19. The method of claim 14, wherein said first layer is
hydrophilic.
20. The method liner/insulation of claim 14, wherein said first
layer has a high heat resistance.
21. The method of claim 14, wherein said second layer is
hydrophobic.
22. The method of claim 14, wherein said third layer is sound
absorbent.
23. The method of claim 13, wherein heat is applied to said first
and said second layers at a temperature of about 250.degree. F. to
about 400.degree. F.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a multilayer, wet
processed, polymer-based mats having bicomponent and polymer staple
fibers, where the layers are bonded together using heat and
pressure. This acoustical and thermal liner/insulator may be
utilized to insulate an environment such as a passenger compartment
of a vehicle from the heat and sound generated by mechanical
components of that vehicle during its operation. Other uses include
application in insulating appliances such as dishwashers and
clothes dryers and providing sound and thermal insulation for
furnaces, air conditioning units and ductwork in buildings
including homes, offices and industrial structures.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Acoustical insulation is well known in the art. Acoustical
insulation typically relies upon both sound absorption, i.e. the
ability to absorb incident sound waves, and transmission loss, i.e.
the ability to reflect incident sound waves, in order to provide
sound attenuation. One of the more prevalent uses of such
insulation is in the motorized vehicle field where engine
compartments, fire walls, fender wells, doors, floor pans and other
components of the passenger compartment shell are commonly
acoustically insulated to reduce engine and road noise for the
benefit and comfort of passengers. Acoustical insulation is also
prevalent in appliances such as dishwashers and heating and air
conditioning units.
[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 6,008,149 discloses a moldable nonwoven
fibrous composite article including at least two functional layers,
which are made of the same nonwoven thermoformable polymeric
chemical substance or material. The composite articles are molded
from separate rolls or sheets of variable compression and formable
fabric layers.
[0004] Each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,156,682 and 6,364,976 discloses a
laminated structure having a core of polymeric fibers, a
thermosetting resin impregnated into the core, and individual
chopped fibers randomly applied to opposite sides of the core
layer. The preferred method of bonding the fibers together is by a
bicomponent fiber, in which an outer layer of fibers is constituted
by a low melt temperature polymer, and an inner core layer of
fibers which constitutes a polymer with a relatively higher melt
temperature.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,359 discloses a nonwoven textile panel
constructed of three layers of nonwoven textile fibers of
polyphenylene sulfide fibers and Nomex.RTM. brand aramid fibers
that have been carded, cross-lapped, needled-punched and thermally
bonded by heating the panel to the temperature softening point of
the polyphenylene sulfide fibers.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,898 discloses a support part for
automobile roof linings. The part may have from one to three layers
consisting exclusively of polyester fibers. The part contains no
binder resin, connective fibers or glass fibers. All of the layers
are pressed and compacted into the intended shaped by the action of
pressure and heat.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,925 discloses a multi-layered laminated
body used as an interior trim panel for an automobile. The panel
includes a three-layer substrate which includes a layer of natural
fiber filler material embedded in a thermoplastic matrix and two
cover layers comprising natural fibers, glass fibers or polyester
fibers in a thermoplastic matrix material. In additional to the
substrate, the panel further includes a foam intermediate layer and
a decorative surface layer. The panels are produced by
hot-laminating the individual layers of the substrate together and
then laminating and molding the decorative surface layer onto the
substrate.
[0008] In the past, it has been common practice of produce cotton
shoddy or polymer-based insulation blanket by methods such as
carding, garneting or using an air laid system. This is a need for
an improved insulation providing enhanced acoustical properties.
Further there is a need for a polymer-based that is produced from
layers of wet process mat to a thickness and fiber formulation that
yields a unique combination of properties that cannot be obtained
by single, uniformly produced materials. There is also a need for a
product that can be manufactured at a lower cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In accordance with the purposes of the present invention as
described herein, an improved acoustical, compressible, polymer
fiber liner/insulator is provided. The blanket is made of multiples
layers of wet process polymer based mats formed of bicomponent
fiber and polymer staple fibers bonded together using heat and
pressure. The liner/insulator is typically used in automotive
applications such as automobile doors or automobile passenger
compartments to insulate the compartments from the heat and sound.
The thermal/acoustical liner may also be used in appliances such as
dishwashers, heating and air conditioning units, marine
applications and commercial interiors.
[0010] It is an object of the present invention to provide a
liner/insulator having multiple layers of wet process polymer based
mats bonded together to yield a desired thickness with unique
acoustical properties.
[0011] It is a further objection of the present invention to
provide a liner/insulator having multiple layers of wet process
polymer based mats which are of varying thickness and varying fiber
formulation.
[0012] It is a further objection of the present invention to
provide a liner/insulator, which is made by a low cost
manufacturing process that provides a uniformity of fiber
distribution in the final product.
[0013] It is a further objection of the present invention to
provide a polymer based liner/insulator product comprised of built
up layers of wet process mat to a thickness and fiber formulation
that yields a unique combination of properties that cannot be
obtained by single, uniformly produced materials.
[0014] Still other objects of the present invention will become
apparent to those skilled in this art from the following
description wherein there is shown and described preferred
embodiments of this invention, simply by way of illustration of
several of the modes best suited to carry out the invention. As it
will be realized, the invention is capable of other different
embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in
various, obvious aspects all without departing from the invention.
Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as
illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part
of the specification, illustrates several aspects of the present
invention and together with the description serves to explain the
principles of the invention. In the drawings:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the liner/insulator of
the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates a wet-processing line for forming the
liner/insulator of FIG. 1.
[0018] Reference will now be made in detail to the present
preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0019] Reference is now made to FIG. 1, which illustrates the
liner/insulator designated by reference numeral 1. The polymer
fiber blanket 1 is constructed of a plurality of layers 2, 4, and
6. Layers 2, 4 and 6 are individual layers of wet processed
mat.
[0020] The wet process which is used to make the individual layers
of the liner/insulator is described in commonly assigned U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 10/636,078, filed Aug. 7, 2003, which
is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. FIG. 3
illustrates a typical processing line 50. A combination of polymer
staple fibers 22 and the bicomponent fibers 24 are added to a
whitewater chemical dispersion 52 within a mixing tank 56 to form
thick whitewater slurry 54 at consistency levels of approximately
0.2 to 1 percent. The thick slurry 54 formed is maintained under
agitation in a single tank 56 or series of tanks.
[0021] The whitewater chemical dispersion 52 is used to obtain
reasonable filamentation of the polymer staple fibers 22 and the
bicomponent fibers 24 through steric, thermodynamic, and charge
colloidal interactions. The preferred whitewater dispersion 52
includes a viscosity modifier, a defoamer and a surfactant.
[0022] The viscosity modifiers used in the whitewater dispersion 52
are commonly used in nonwoven-type applications. One preferred
class of viscosity modifiers is a polyacrylamide viscosity modifier
such as Nalco 7768, Magnifloc 1886A, and HyChem AE 874. Another
preferred viscosity modifier is a hydroxyethylcellulose, such as
Natrosol 250HHBR. However, other possible viscosity modifiers or
flocculants that may be used include high molecular weight,
water-soluble polymers that are well known to those of ordinary
skill in the art.
[0023] The surfactants, or cationic dispersants, used in the
whitewater dispersion aid in the wetting of the polymer staple
fibers and the bicomponent fiber so that bundles of the fibers will
disperse into individual filaments. One class of surfactants
utilized are ethoxylated alkylamine dispersants such as Schercopol
DS-140, Nalco 8493, or Rhodameen VP532. However, other dispersants
may be used as well, including fatty acid amine oxides and
polyethoxylated derivatives of amide condensation of fatty acid
products. Also, preferred defoamers utilized in the whitewater
dispersion 52 include Nalco PP04-3840 and GEO FM LTX.
[0024] The thick slurry 54 is then delivered through a control
valve 58 and combined with a whitewater stream 76 from a silo 78 to
form a lower consistency slurry 80 in the former 82. The ratio of
thick slurry 54 to the silo stream 78 in the lower consistency
slurry 80 will typically be in the range of 1:10 and 1:40.
[0025] The former 82, or headbox, functions to equally distribute
and randomly align the fibers 22,24 onto a moving woven fabric, or
forming wire 96, therein forming the filament network 14. Formers
82 that can accommodate the initial fiber formation include
Fourdrinier machines, Stevens Former, Roto Former, Inver Former,
cylinder, and VertiFormer machines. These formers offer several
control mechanisms to control fiber orientation within the network
14 such as drop leg and various pond regulator/wall
adjustments.
[0026] Deposited fibers forming the network 14 are partially dried
over one or more suction boxes 94. The dewatered network 14 is then
run through a drying oven 97 at a temperature sufficient to remove
any excess water and sufficient to melt the sheath of the
bicomponent fibers 24, typically about 130 to 180 degrees Celsius.
Upon removal from the oven 97, the sheath material cools and
adheres to polymer staple fibers 22, therein forming one of the
insulating layers.
[0027] The wet process is preferred over various dry-laid processes
because the wet process provides an insulating layer with a more
consistent weight per unit area. The wet process also provides more
intimate mixing of the fiber blends and more random fiber
orientation. Compared with dry-laid processes, the wet process is
capable of high production rates, thus providing a less costly
insulating layer.
[0028] The layers 2, 4 and 6 are preferably made of thermoplastic
polymer fibers including thermoplastic polymer bicomponent fibers
and thermoplastic polymer staple fibers. The thermoplastic staple
fibers and bicomponent fibers may be selected from a group of
materials including but not limited to polyester, polyethylene,
polypropylene, nylon, rayon, acetate, natural fibers (i.e., kenaf
or hemp), polyethylene terephthalate and any mixtures and/or
copolymers thereof. Further examples of fibers used can be found in
commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/636,078,
filed Aug. 7, 2003.
[0029] Preferably, the mat is made of 100% polymer fibers (polymer
bicomponent fibers and polymer staple fibers). The bicomponent
fibers bond the fibers together within each individual layer of the
mat. Heat and pressure is then applied to the mat and the multiple
layers 2, 4 and 6 are bonded together. Conventional flow-through
ovens used in the art are used to heat and apply pressure to the
layers 2, 4 and 6. Alternatively, a surface-treating device may be
used to bond the layers together such as that described in commonly
assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/609,947, filed Jun.
30, 2003 herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. The
preferred temperature used to bond the layers 2, 4, 6 is between
about 250.degree. to about 400.degree. F. The amount and type of
bicomponent fibers selected for the fiber formulation determines
the strength of the bond formed between the multiple layers.
[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the layers 2, 4 and 6 are
typically between about 0.05 to about 0.30 inches thick.
Preferably, the thickness of the final product is between about
0.125 and about 1.5 inches thick. The layers 2, 4, 6 can have the
same thickness, weight, fiber formulation or the layers can have
two or more different combinations of fiber formulations, thickness
and weight.
[0031] By utilizing different combinations of fiber formulations,
weight and thickness, in the individual layers, the final product
can be "tuned" to meet acoustical and thermal requirements. For
example, base layer 6 may be formulated to have a high heat
resistance and/or have hydrophilic properties. To provide high heat
resistance, fibers such as high-melting bicomponent fibers,
semi-crystalline fibers, thermoset polymer fibers or fibers coated
with a heat resistant resin may be used. To provide hydrophilic
properties, hollow or shaped polymer fibers may be utilized.
Further, the fibers may be coated with a water-swellable
coating.
[0032] Another layer, such a layer 4, may be composed of a fiber
formulation that provides a barrier to moisture (hydrophobic
fibers). Examples of such fibers in layer 4 include, but are not
limited to, polyolefins, polyacetate and fibers having small pores
or micro-denier fibers may be utilized. Layer 2 may be composed of
a fiber formulation that absorbs sound. Examples of sound absorbing
fibers include, but are not limited to, natural fibers such as hemp
and kenaf.
[0033] In another embodiment of the present invention, it may be
advantageous to use one or more layers of the wet processed mat, as
described above, in conjunction with a layer of polymer-based
fibrous mat insulation.
[0034] Optionally, the liner/insulator may include a facing, on one
or both sides, to improve strength and/or surface appearance. Other
embodiments including facings and fiber combinations that may be
used with the present invention are discussed in U.S. Pat. No.
6,669,265, which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
[0035] A facing may be applied to the liner/insulator by heating
one side of the liner/insulator, while the other side remains
relatively cool. A pressure is then applied for sufficient time to
allow the polymer binding fiber to soften near the hot surface but
not near the cold surface. When this occurs under compression, the
hot side is reshaped into a higher density surface layer. The cool
side of the polymer binding fiber does not soften and, therefore,
when the pressure is removed, the base zone retains most of its
original thickness and density characteristics. The intermediate
zone undergoes only moderate densification. This technique may be
performed in a standard molding press where one platen runs hot and
the other runs cool. This is followed by the printing of a selected
face of the facing layer with desired graphics, patterns, designs
or indicia. This process is described in detail in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/421,565, filed Apr. 23, 2002 and Ser. No.
10/749,087, filed Dec. 30, 2003, which are herein incorporated by
reference in their entirety.
[0036] The embodiments were chosen and described to provide the
best illustration of the principles of the invention and its
practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in
the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with
various modifications as are suited to the particular use
contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the
scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when
interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are
fairly, legally and equitably entitled.
* * * * *