Lubricated non-woven fabric and method of producing the same

Abstract

Abstract A NEEDLED NON-WOVEN FABRIC WHICH COMPRISES A NEEDLED WEB OF CRIMPED FIBERS OF A SYNTHETIC THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL SUCH AS A POLYOLEFIN OR A POLYPROPYLENE. SAID WEB AND THE FIBERS THEREOF BEING LUBRICATED AND INCLUDING A SERIES OF LENGTHWISE EXTENDING, SPACED WARP THREADS OF A MATERIAL SUCH AS COTTON WHICH ARE RELATIVELY INEXTENSIBLE IN COMPARISON WITH THE NEEDLED WEB OF FIBERS. THE THERMOPLASTIC FIBERS COMPRISING THE NEEDLED WEB BEING BONDED OR FUSED INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OTHER ON ONE OR BOTH EXTERIOR SURFACES OF THE FABRIC. THE FIBERS ON ONE SUCH SURFACE ALSO BEING BONDED OR FUSED INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE WARP THREADS. THE REMAINING OR INTERIOR FIBERS OF THE FABRIC BEING UNFUSED AND MOBILE OR MOVABLE RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER. THE FIBERS OF THE NEEDLED FABRIC BEING LUBRICATED WITH A LUBRICANT SUCH AS COCONUT OIL TO INCREASE THE MOBILTIY OF THE UNFUSED FIBERS AND TO REDUCE THE NOISE RESULTING FROM TUFTING OF THE FABRIC. THE LUBRICANT ALSO PREVENTS OVERHEATING OF THE TUFTING NEEDLES. SAID NEEDLED AND LUBRICATED FABRIC IS PRODUCED IN A CONTINUOUS MANNER BY DEPOSITING FIBERS ON A CONTINOUSLY MOVING BAND OF SPACED WARP THREADS AND THEN NEEDLING THE LAYER OF DEPOSITED FIBERS AND THE WARP THREADS IN A VERTICAL DIRECTION RELATIVE TO THE THICKNESS OF THE FABRIC. THEN FUSING THE THERMOPLASTIC FIBERS ON AT LEAST ON EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE WEB OF FIBERS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH THE WARP THREADS WITHOUT FUSING THE REMAINING OR INTERIOR FIBERS OF THE WEB AND THEN APPLYING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION CONTAINING A LUBRICANT TO AT LEAST ONE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE WEB.

Inventors

• 👤 David B Parlin

Bibliographic Details