U.S. patent application number 14/417335 was filed with the patent office on 2015-06-25 for primary carpet backing and tufted carpet comprising the same.
The applicant listed for this patent is BONAR B.V.. Invention is credited to Leonardus Lucas.
Application Number | 20150176164 14/417335 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48793267 |
Filed Date | 2015-06-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150176164 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lucas; Leonardus |
June 25, 2015 |
PRIMARY CARPET BACKING AND TUFTED CARPET COMPRISING THE SAME
Abstract
A primary carpet backing having at least a nonwoven layer of
fibers, the nonwoven layer of fibers including fibers having a
higher melting component and a lower melting component, wherein the
fibers are 12 to 20 vol. % of the lower melting component. After
tufting, a tufted carpet backing having the primary carpet backing
exhibits improved stitch holding performance.
Inventors: |
Lucas; Leonardus; (Dieren,
NL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
BONAR B.V. |
Arnhem |
|
NL |
|
|
Family ID: |
48793267 |
Appl. No.: |
14/417335 |
Filed: |
July 17, 2013 |
PCT Filed: |
July 17, 2013 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2013/065046 |
371 Date: |
January 26, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
428/95 ; 442/361;
442/364 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06N 2201/10 20130101;
D04H 3/147 20130101; D10B 2321/022 20130101; B32B 5/022 20130101;
D10B 2331/04 20130101; Y10T 442/641 20150401; D05C 17/023 20130101;
B32B 2262/0284 20130101; B32B 2471/02 20130101; D04H 3/007
20130101; B32B 2262/12 20130101; D10B 2331/02 20130101; B32B
2250/02 20130101; B32B 5/10 20130101; B32B 2262/0261 20130101; B32B
5/028 20130101; B32B 5/024 20130101; B32B 5/06 20130101; B32B
2250/20 20130101; Y10T 442/637 20150401; D04H 3/011 20130101; B32B
7/02 20130101; D04H 3/16 20130101; Y10T 428/23979 20150401; B32B
2250/26 20130101; B32B 2262/0253 20130101; D06N 7/0068 20130101;
D10B 2503/042 20130101; B32B 7/12 20130101 |
International
Class: |
D04H 3/011 20060101
D04H003/011; D06N 7/00 20060101 D06N007/00; D04H 3/007 20060101
D04H003/007; D04H 3/147 20060101 D04H003/147 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 26, 2012 |
EP |
12178032.4 |
Claims
1. A primary carpet backing comprising a nonwoven layer of fibers,
wherein the nonwoven layer of fibers comprises fibers comprising
two components, a first melting component and a second melting
component that melts at a temperature lower than the first melting
component, wherein the fibers are 12 to 20 vol. % of the second
melting component.
2. The primary carpet backing according to claim 1 wherein the
fibers are 14 to 18 vol. % of the second melting component.
3. The primary carpet backing according to claim 1 wherein the
nonwoven layer of fibers has a uniform composition throughout the
nonwoven layer of fibers.
4. The primary carpet backing according to claim 1 wherein the
fibers are bicomponent fibers.
5. The primary carpet backing according to claim 4 wherein the
bicomponent fibers are core/sheath bicomponent fibers.
6. The primary carpet backing according to claim 5 wherein the
bicomponent fibers consist of a polyester core and a polypropylene
sheath.
7. The primary carpet backing according to claim 5 wherein the
bicomponent fibers consist of a polyester core and a polyamide
sheath.
8. The primary carpet backing according to claim 4 any of the
preceding claims wherein the primary carpet backing is thermally
bonded by means of the second melting component of the bicomponent
fibers.
9. The primary carpet backing according to claim 1 wherein the
carpet backing comprises additional layers of fibers selected from
a nonwoven layer of fibers, a woven layer of fibers or a scrim.
10. A tufted carpet comprising the primary carpet backing according
to claim 1.
11. The primary carpet backing according to claim 1 wherein the
fibers are 15 to 17 vol. % of the second melting component.
12. The primary carpet backing according to claim 1 wherein the
fibers are 16 vol. % of the second melting component.
13. The primary carpet backing according to claim 1 wherein the
fibers have a linear density in the range of 1 to 25 dtex.
14. The primary carpet backing according to claim 1 wherein the
fibers are filaments.
15. The primary carpet backing according to claim 1 wherein the
second melting component has a melting temperature at least
5.degree. C. lower than the melting temperature of the first
melting component.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The disclosure pertains to primary carpet backings
comprising a nonwoven layer of fibers. The disclosure also pertains
to tufted carpets comprising such primary carpet backings.
[0002] Primary carpet backings for tufted carpets comprising a
nonwoven layer of fibers have been known for many years. The
nonwoven primary backings used in tufted carpet production are
generally either nonwovens comprising a backbone of polyester, for
example polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers, or nonwovens
comprising a backbone of polypropylene fibers. The term "fibers" as
used herein refers both to staple fibers and filaments.
[0003] In general, the polypropylene or polyester fibers are
filaments in the range of 1 to 25 dtex, preferably in the range of
2 to 20 dtex, most preferably in the range of 5 to 15 dtex
providing acceptable processing stability. The unit dtex defines
the fineness of the filaments as their weight in grams per 10,000
meters.
[0004] The backbone fibers of the nonwoven primary backing can be
entangled by mechanical needling and/or hydroentanglement with fine
water jets and optionally bonded with a chemical binder.
[0005] Alternatively, the backbone fibers of the nonwoven primary
backings can be thermally bonded, for example by calendaring or
through-air bonding or the like, using a lower melting polymer,
i.e., which melts at a lower temperature, which is present in the
form of fibers or which has been added to the nonwoven layer of
fibers as a powder or as granulate. When the lower melting polymer
is present in the form of fibers, the lower melting polymer can be
present as separate monocomponent fibers, or the lower melting
polymer can be present together with the backbone polymer in the
same fibers in so-called bicomponent or in multicomponent fibers.
Bicomponent fibers are well known in the art, for example as
side-by-side, core/sheath or segmented pie fibers. Alternatively,
fibers composed of a single polymer, but with varying crystallinity
along the length of the fiber, can be used as bicomponent fibers as
varying crystallinity results in fiber sections consisting of
polymer with different melting points along the length of the
fiber.
[0006] The process of making a tufted carpet comprises the steps of
providing a primary carpet backing material into a tufting machine,
tufting the primary backing material with tufting yarns to obtain a
greige carpet with a face side showing tufts and a back side where
back stitches are formed. A tuft is the visible part of the tufting
yarn on the face side of a greige or carpet. A back stitch is the
visible part of the tuft yarn on the backside of a greige
carpet.
[0007] Over the years, nonwoven primary carpet backings have been
improved constantly in order to meet the ever more stringent
demands of carpet manufacturers and consumers. New tufting
techniques such as high-low tufting to produce carpets with high
tufts and low tufts in a single carpet require primary backings
with improved stitch holding capabilities to hold the tufts in
place in the tufting process. Of particular importance are
improving the appearance of the finished carpet, facilitating
tuftability, i.e. by providing lower tuft-needle penetration
resistance and reduced needle deflection during tufting, avoiding
backtags, increasing stitch holding performance and reducing noise
during tufting.
[0008] The newly formed tufts in the greige carpet are held into
place by the stitch holding capacity of the primary backing
material. Stitch holding is the force required to remove a loop
from a greige carpet from the back side. The stitch holding
determines how strong the interaction is between the primary carpet
backing and the tufting yarn in the greige carpet. The stitch
holding determines the chance on failures in the subsequent
processing steps after tufting until the tufts are locked into
place, for example in the application of a pre-coat. These
processing steps can for example comprise dyeing, pre-coating,
tentering, steaming and/or winding of the greige carpet and/or
transport of rolls of greige carpet. Each of these processing steps
of the greige carpet are executed under severe conditions regarding
temperature and/or applied tensions, which pose high demands to the
primary carpet backing material.
[0009] The tuft-bind performance of the pre-coat determines mainly
how well the tufts are held in place in the pre-coated carpet.
After pre-coating, a heavy layer may be coated onto the back side
of the pre-coated carpet and/or a secondary carpet backing can be
applied to obtain a finished tufted carpet.
[0010] The primary carpet backing should exhibit good tuft holding
capabilities. The primary carpet backing should have a high stitch
holding capacity to hold the tufts in place during the dynamic
process of tufting in order to obtain tufts of essentially the same
height for an even carpet surface in the greige carpet. The stitch
holding capacity of a primary carpet backing is the ability to put
the tufts in place during the tufting process where the tufts are
formed and to hold the tufts in place, directly after being formed,
during the formation of the following tufts during the tufting
process. It determines the face appearance and the backtags of the
greige carpet during the tufting process. A backtag is a loose or
uneven backstitch in a greige carpet, in essence, a tuft which was
formerly on the carpet face that is now (partially) on the back
side. During subsequent processing steps, like dyeing and
precoating, the stitch holding of the primary backing should be
high enough to retain the carpet surface as produced during
tufting.
[0011] To lock the tufts in the greige carpet into place, a
pre-coating can be applied to the back side of the greige carpet.
The tuft bind is the force required to remove one tuft completely
out of the (pre-coated or finished) carpet from the face side. It
determines how strong the adhesive bond is between the pile fibers
and the adhesive coating applied to the greige carpet. The pre-coat
is generally applied either as a latex solution or as a foamed
latex to the back side of the greige carpet and subsequently, the
latex is dried to form bonds between the base of the tufts and the
primary carpet backing.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0012] It is an object of the embodiments to provide primary carpet
backings having improved stitch holding capacity.
[0013] The object of the embodiments is achieved by a primary
carpet backing comprising a nonwoven layer of fibers, wherein the
nonwoven layer of fibers comprises fibers comprising a higher
melting component and a lower melting component characterized in
that the fibers consist for 12 to 20 vol. % of the lower melting
component.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] The term "fibers" as used herein refers both to staple
fibers and filaments. Preferably, the fibers have a linear density
in the range of 1 to 25 dtex, preferably in the range of 2 to 20
dtex, most preferably in the range of 5 to 15 dtex to provide
sufficient processing stability. Preferably, the fibers are
filaments to further improve the processing stability of the
primary carpet backing.
[0015] At least 50% of the fibers of the nonwoven layer of fibers
of the primary carpet backing may consist for 12 to 20 vol. % of
the lower melting component. Preferably at least 75%, more
preferably at least 85%, even more preferably at least 95%, most
preferably all of the fibers of the nonwoven layer of fibers of the
primary carpet backing consist for 12 to 20 vol. %, of the lower
melting component.
[0016] The fibers comprised in the nonwoven layer of fibers of the
primary carpet backing consist for 12 to 20 vol. % of the lower
melting component. Preferably, the fibers comprised in the nonwoven
layer of fibers of the primary carpet backing consist for 14 to 18
vol. %, more preferably 15 to 17 vol. %, most preferably 16 vol. %,
of the lower melting component. Such a primary carpet backing
exhibits improved stitch holding capacity and/or yields after
tufting a tufted carpet backing exhibiting an increased stitch
holding.
[0017] When the fibers comprised in the nonwoven layer of fibers of
the primary carpet backing consist for less than 12 vol. % of the
lower melting component, bonding of individual filaments in a
thermally bonded primary backing will not be sufficient. The
primary carpet backing comprising fibers consisting for at least 12
vol. % of the lower melting component has no, or only a low risk
of, loose fibers extending from the primary carpet backing, which
are prone to cause problems during the tufting process. For
example, loose fibers may get wound onto rotating rollers during
unwinding of the primary backing and/or during entry into the
tufting machine, or the loose fibers may become entangled in the
tufting needles during the tufting process, which can cause
interruption of the tufting process and reduction in
productivity.
[0018] Preferably, the nonwoven layer of fibers has a uniform
composition to achieve consistent stitch holding capacity and
stitch holding performance throughout the primary carpet backing
and throughout the tufted carpet. Uniform composition as used
herein has to be understood that the type and amount of fibers
throughout the nonwoven layer is constant within the limits
encountered in standard nonwoven processes.
[0019] The fibers of the nonwoven layer of fibers of the primary
carpet backing may be bicomponent fibers or multicomponent fibers.
Multicomponent fibers may for example be in the form of segmented
pie fibers, of core/intermediate sheath/outer sheath construction,
or side-by-side-by-side configuration. The fibers may be hollow
bicomponent or hollow multicomponent fibers to reduce the
performance to weight ratio.
[0020] Preferably, the fibers of the nonwoven layer of fibers of
the primary carpet backing are bicomponent fibers. The bicomponent
fibers may be any type of bicomponent fibers, such as for example
side-by-side, core-sheath, segmented pie and/or islands-in-the-sea
fibers. More preferably, the bicomponent fibers are core/sheath
bicomponent fibers. Preferably, the sheath of the core/sheath
bicomponent fibers comprises the lower melting component. For
islands-in-the-sea fibers, the sea preferably comprises the lower
melting component.
[0021] The higher melting component may be any thermoplastic
polymer. However, the higher melting component preferably comprises
a polyester such as for example poly(trimethylene terephthalate)
(PTT), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) and/or polyethylene
terephthalate (PET), a co-polyester, a polyamide such as for
example polyamide-6,6 (PA6,6) and/or polyamide-6 (PA6), a
co-polyamide, a polyolefin such as for example polypropylene and/or
a mixture thereof.
[0022] The lower melting component may be any thermoplastic polymer
having a lower melting temperature than the higher melting
component. The lower melting component has a melting temperature at
least 5.degree. C. lower than the melting temperature of the higher
melting component. Preferably, the lower melting component has a
melting temperature at least 10.degree. C. lower, more preferably
at least 20.degree. C. lower, even more preferably at least
30.degree. C. lower, most preferably at least 50.degree. C. lower
than the melting temperature of the higher melting component.
[0023] However, the lower melting component preferably comprises a
co-polyester, such as, for example, polybutylene terephthalate
(PBT), a polyamide such as for example polyamide-6 (PA6), a
co-polyamide, a polyolefin such as for example polypropylene, or a
mixture thereof.
[0024] In a preferred embodiment, the higher melting component of
the bicomponent fibers comprises a polyester, more preferably
polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and the lower melting component
comprises a polyolefin, more preferably polypropylene. The
PET/Polyolefin fibers comprised in the nonwoven layer of fibers of
the primary carpet backing consist for 12 to 20 vol. % of the lower
melting component. Preferably, the fibers consist for 16 to 20 vol.
%, more preferably 18 to 20 vol. %, most preferably 20 vol. %, of
the lower melting component to obtain low stich holding capacity
values, smooth backstitches and/or improved mendability.
[0025] In another preferred embodiment, the higher melting
component of the bicomponent fibers comprises a polyester, more
preferably polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and the lower melting
component comprises a polyamide, more preferably polyamide-6 (PA6).
The PET/PA fibers comprised in the nonwoven layer of fibers of the
primary carpet backing consist for 12 to 20 vol. % of the lower
melting component. Preferably, the fibers comprised in the nonwoven
layer of fibers of the primary carpet backing consist for 14 to 18
vol. %, more preferably 15 to 17 vol. %, most preferably 16 vol. %,
of the lower melting component to obtain low stich holding capacity
values, smooth backstitches and/or improved mendability.
[0026] The primary carpet backing is preferably thermally bonded by
means of the lower melting component of the bicomponent fibers.
Thermal bonding may be achieved by any known thermal bonding
process, such as, for example, calendaring and/or through-air
bonding.
[0027] The strength and strain at break of the greige carpet is
important, especially when the tufted carpet is to be used as
automotive carpet. On the basis of the geometry of the car body
floor the carpet has to be bent, i.e., deformed, strongly in
various areas. Especially pronounced of course is the deformation
in the area of the transmission tunnel of a car. In order to
accommodate the locally high deformations, the strength at break
and elongation at break of the tufted carpet must be
sufficient.
[0028] The primary carpet backing may comprise one or more
additional layers of fibers. Each additional layer of fibers can be
selected from a nonwoven layer of fibers, a woven layer of fibers
or a scrim. For example, a scrim may be incorporated into the
primary carpet backing to further improve the dimensional stability
of a carpet tile. A woven layer of fibers may be incorporated into
the primary carpet backing for example to supply additional
strength in the warp and weft direction of the woven layer. A
further nonwoven layer of fibers comprising a different polymer or
different polymers may be incorporated into the primary carpet
backing, for example, to adjust the dyeability of the face side of
the primary backing and/or to prevent latex bleeding.
[0029] A film may be incorporated into the primary carpet backing,
for example, to provide a barrier against latex bleeding. Latex
bleeding is to be understood to mean that a pre-coat applied to
back side of the greige carpet, i.e., the tufted primary carpet
backing, migrates through the primary backing to become visible at
the face side of the tufted carpet.
[0030] The fibers of each of the additional layers of fibers may
comprise at least two different polymers. The at least two
different polymers may be present in bicomponent fibers or may
exist in separate fibers in the nonwoven layer of fibers.
Alternatively, the fibers of each of the additional layer of fibers
may consist of a single polymer.
[0031] Preferably, the nonwoven layer of fibers in the primary
backing according to the embodiments has a uniform composition to
achieve consistent delamination strength with additional layers
incorporated into the primary backing.
[0032] In an embodiment, a tufted carpet comprises the primary
carpet backing described above.
EXAMPLES
[0033] All samples were spunbonded using commonly known technology
for depositing layers of filaments on top of each other on a
collector surface. After deposition, the deposited layers of
filaments were thermally bonded to form a single coherent nonwoven
layer of fibers.
Example 1
[0034] The primary backing of example 1 was produced by depositing
four layers of filaments on a collector surface, each layer of
filaments having a weight of 27.5 g/m.sup.2. The basic weight of
the primary backing of example 1 amounted to 110 g/m.sup.2. The
filaments were all of the core/sheath type in a core/sheath ratio
of 84/16 vol. %. The sheath of all filaments consisted of
polyamide-6 polymer as the lower melting component. The core of all
filaments consisted of polyethylene terephthalate polymer as the
higher melting component. The linear density of the filaments was
15 dtex.
[0035] The primary backing of comparative example 1 consisted of
four layers of filaments, each layer of filaments having a basic
weight of 27.5 g/m.sup.2. The basic weight of the primary backing
of example 2 amounted to 110 g/m.sup.2. The filaments were all of
the core/sheath type in a core/sheath ratio of 76/24 vol. %. The
sheath of all filaments consisted of polyamide-6 polymer as the
lower melting component. The core of all filaments consisted of
polyethylene terephthalate polymer as the higher melting
component.
[0036] The primary backings were tufted at 750 rpm on a 1/10 gauge
tufting machine with 50 stitches per 10 cm to form a greige carpet
weighing 930 g/m.sup.2.
[0037] The stitch holding capacity of a primary backing has been
determined by means of tufting a primary backing under conditions
which are critical for backtag formation and counting the number of
full backtags formed during tufting, i.e., counting the number of
tufts which are removed completely from the greige carpet, in an
area of 1 m by 12.2 cm containing 9600 tufts. Tufting took place
with Groz-Beckert 0660 needles at a gauge of 1/5'' (5.08 mm),
Texture Tex PA6.6 tufting yarns type 3252 O 2.times.1350 dtex, a
machine speed of 600 rpm, a speed difference between the supply
speed of the primary backing and the output speed of the greige
carpet of 6.5%, a stitch rate of 40 stitches per 10 cm and a yarn
feed corresponding to a pile length of 11.8 mm. The pile length has
been determined by pulling out 100 tufts from the greige carpet and
measuring the total length of the removed tufting yarn. The pile
length can be calculated dividing the total length of tufting yarn
by the number of removed tufts.
[0038] The results of example 1 are summarized in Table 1.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Comparative Properties after tufting Example
1 Example 1 Strength in MD [N/5 cm] 332 336 Strength in CMD [N/5
cm] 236 234 Elongation in MD [%] 56 40 Elongation in CMD [%] 56 49
Stitch holding capacity [--] 19 39
[0039] The strength of the greige carpet of example 1 is comparable
to the strength of comparative example 1, while the elongation at
break is increased, which is especially advantageous for automotive
carpet applications. The stitch holding capacity of example 1 has
improved as compared to comparative example 1.
Example 2
[0040] The primary backing of example 2 was produced by depositing
four layers of filaments on a collector surface, each layer of
filaments having a weight of 27.5 g/m.sup.2. The basic weight of
the primary backing of example 2 amounted to 110 g/m.sup.2. The
filaments were all of the core/sheath type in a core/sheath ratio
of 84/16 vol. %. The sheath of all filaments consisted of
polyamide-6 polymer as the lower melting component. The core of all
filaments consisted of polyethylene terephthalate polymer as the
higher melting component. The linear density of the filaments was
15 dtex.
[0041] The primary backing of comparative Example 2 consisted of
four layers of filaments, each having a basic weight of 27.5
g/m.sup.2. The basic weight of the primary backing of example 2
amounted to 110 g/m.sup.2. The filaments in layers 1 and 2 were of
the core/sheath type in a core/sheath ratio of 77/23 vol. %. The
filaments in layer 3 were of the core/sheath type in a core/sheath
ratio of 90/10 vol. %. The filaments in layer 4 were of the
core/sheath type in a core/sheath ratio of 77/23 vol. %. The sheath
of all filaments consisted of polyamide-6 polymer as the lower
melting component. The core of all filaments consisted of
polyethylene terephthalate polymer as the higher melting
component.
[0042] The primary backings were tufted in a shifted manner on a
1/13 gauge Supertufter with 36 stitches per 10 cm to form a greige
carpet weighing 476 g/m.sup.2. The tufted greige was subsequently
precoated to lock the tufts into place. The results of example 2
are summarized in Table 2.
[0043] The backstitches of example 2 were judged as being smoother
and tighter, which is supported by a lower add-on of precoat.
Precoating was performed with tenter pins on the precoater.
[0044] Mending of example 2 was better than that of comparative
example 2. Mendability was tested by pulling a mend in each roll
and tested repeated mendability. Example 2 mended as well the third
time as it did the first time and had same stitch lock after the
third mend as after the first mend.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Comparative Properties after tufting Example
2 Example 2 Width of tufted section of carpet behind the needles
[cm] 188.913 187.960 at the rollup [cm] 187.008 186.690 change in
width [cm] -1.905 -1.270 the precoater rollup [cm] 189.865 189.865
total change in width [cm] 0.953 1.905 Width of primary backing
behind the needles [cm] 197.644 197.485 at the rollup [cm] 197.326
196.850 change in width [cm] -0.318 -0.635 the precoater rollup
[cm] 199.708 200.343 total change in width [cm] 2.064 2.858 Precoat
add on [g/m.sup.2] 754 795 Tuftbind after precoat [N] 48.2 46.6
Tuftbind in finished Tile [N] 58.5 65.6 Aachen Test width [%]
-0.014 -0.010 Aachen Test width [%] -0.006 0.015 Mendability of
greige carpet + .smallcircle.
Example 3
[0045] The primary backings of example 3 were produced by
depositing four layers of filaments on a collector surface. For
example 3a, each layer of filaments having a weight of 30
g/m.sup.2. The basic weight of the primary backing of example 3a
amounted to 120 g/m.sup.2. For example 3b, each layer of filaments
have a weight of 33.75 g/m.sup.2. The basic weight of the primary
backing of example 3b amounted to 135 g/m.sup.2. The filaments were
all of the core/sheath type in a core/sheath ratio of 84/16 vol. %.
The sheath of all filaments consisted of polyamide-6 polymer as the
lower melting component. The core of all filaments consisted of
polyethylene terephthalate polymer as the higher melting component.
The linear density of the filaments was 15 dtex.
[0046] The primary backing of comparative Example 3 consisted of
four layers of filaments, each having a basic weight of 33.75
g/m.sup.2. The basic weight of the primary backing of example 2
amounted to 135 g/m.sup.2. The filaments in layers 1 and 2 were of
the core/sheath type in a core/sheath ratio of 77/23 vol. %. The
filaments in layer 3 were of the core/sheath type in a core/sheath
ratio of 90/10 vol. %. The filaments in layer 4 were of the
core/sheath type in a core/sheath ratio of 77/23 vol. %. The sheath
of all filaments consisted of polyamide-6 polymer as the lower
melting component. The core of all filaments consisted of
polyethylene terephthalate polymer as the higher melting
component.
[0047] The primary backings were tufted at 900 rpm on a 1/12
(1/8+1/4) gauge CMC Scroll tufting machine with 44 stitches per 10
cm to form a greige carpet weighing 645 g/m.sup.2. The results of
example 3 are summarized in Table 3.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Example Example Comparative Properties after
tufting 3a 3b Example 2 Width of tufted section of carpet behind
the needles [cm] 187.17 187.96 190.50 at the rollup [cm] 186.69
187.96 190.50 change in width [cm] -0.48 0.00 0.00 Mendability
.smallcircle. + .smallcircle.
[0048] The backstitches of example 3a and 3b were judged as being
smoother than comparative example 3.
[0049] The mendability of example 3a was judged better than that of
comparative example 3, while the mendability of example 3b was
judged equal to that of comparative example 3.
* * * * *