Low-density abrasive product and method of making the same

Claim 1

A method for making low-density abrasive product, comprising: (1) extruding high yield strength thermoplastic organic filament-forming material to provide at least one row of equally spaced molten filaments which are permitted to fall through an air space and into a quench bath where they coil and undulate to form a uniform cross-section, open, porous, lofty continuous filament web having at least one layer comprised of a multitude of three-dimensionally undulated filaments having a filament diameter of about 5 to 125 mils with adjacent filaments being inter-engaged and from the most part autogenously bonded where they touch one another; (2) coating said web to provide a wet coating sufficient to initially adhere abrasive granules throughout the web by a first resin binder having an initial liquid state and being capable of being cured to a strong, tough adherent material having a tensile strength of at least about 3000 psi, an ultimate elongation of at least about 180% and a Shore D hardness value of at least about 40; (3) depositing a multitude of abrasive granules throughout the resin-coated web; (4) curing said first binder resin coating; (5) coating the abrasive granule coated web with a coating of a second binder resin having an initial liquid state and being capable of being cured to a strong, tough, adherent material having a tensile strength of at least about 3000 psi, an ultimate elongation of at least 180% and a Shore D hardness value of at least about 40 to provide the coating, which when cured, will expose the abrasive granules on the surface of the filaments, yet, together with said first binder resin, will firmly adherently bond the abrasive granules to the filaments and the filaments to each other to provide a long-life abrasive product; and (6) curing said second binder resin.

Claim 2

A method for making low-density abrasive product, comprising: (1) extruding high yield strength thermoplastic organic filament-forming material to provide at least one row of equally spaced molten filaments which are permitted to fall through an air space and into a quench bath where they coil and undulate to form a uniform cross-section, open, porous, lofty continuous filament web having at least one layer comprised of a multitude of three-dimensionally undulated filaments having a filament diameter of about 5 to 125 mils with adjacent filaments being inter-engaged and from the most part autogenously bonded where they touch one another; (2) coating said web to provide a wet coating sufficient to initially adhere abrasive granules throughout the web by a first resin binder having an initial liquid state and being capable of being cured to a strong, tough adherent material having a tensile strength of at least about 3000 psi, an ultimate elongation of at least about 180% and a Shore D hardness value of at least about 40; (3) depositing a multitude of abrasive granules throughout the resin-coated web; (4) curing said first binder resin coating; (5) coating the abrasive granule coated web with a coating of a second binder resin having an initial liquid state and being capable of being cured to a strong, tough, adherent material having a tensile strength of at least about 3000 psi, an ultimate elongation of at least 180% and a Shore D hardness value of at least about 40 to provide the coating, which when cured, will expose the abrasive granules on the surface of the filaments, yet, together with said first binder resin, will firmly adherently bond the abrasive granules to the filaments and the filaments to each other to provide a long-life abrasive product; and (6) curing said second binder resin.