US4582750A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Process for making a nonwoven fabric of needling, heating, burnishing and cooling
Assignee: Reemay Inc
•
Filing: 1985-04-16
•
Granted: 1986-04-15
•
Expires: 2005-04-16
Abstract
Abstract A process is provided for making strong, permeable nonwoven fabrics having an abrasion-resistant burnished surface. The process involves providing a lightly consolidated or weakly bonded web of thermoplastic synthetic organic fibers, needle punching the web, heating a surface of the needled web, and burnishing the heated surface with a rotating, smooth-surfaced metal roll, which preferably simultaneously cools the web surface.
Inventors
- 👤 Gene W. Lou
- 👤 Leon H. Zimmerman, Jr.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 15:34
CPC Classifications
D; D04; D04H; D04H5/00; D04H5/06; D04H1/00; D04H1/40; D04H1/44; D04H1/46; D04H1/48; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/31; Y10T442/00; Y10T442/60; Y10T442/696
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
123 words
A process for preparing a strong, permeable nonwoven fabric having an abrasion-resistant surface, the process comprising (a) providing a lightly consolidated web of thermoplastic, synthetic organic fibers, the web having a unit weight in the range of 75 to 150 grams/square meter, the fibers having a dtex in the range of 1.5 to 15 and at least a minor portion of the fibers having melting temperatures in the range of 160° to 190° C., (b) needle-punching the web to form 30 to 150 penetrations/square centimeter, (c) heating at least one surface of the needled web to a temperature of at least 140° C., (d) burnishing the heated surface of the web with a rotating, smooth-surfacted metal roll and (e) cooling the burnished web.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
123 words
A process for preparing a strong, permeable nonwoven fabric having an abrasion-resistant surface, the process comprising (a) providing a lightly consolidated web of thermoplastic, synthetic organic fibers, the web having a unit weight in the range of 75 to 150 grams/square meter, the fibers having a dtex in the range of 1.5 to 15 and at least a minor portion of the fibers having melting temperatures in the range of 160° to 190° C., (b) needle-punching the web to form 30 to 150 penetrations/square centimeter, (c) heating at least one surface of the needled web to a temperature of at least 140° C., (d) burnishing the heated surface of the web with a rotating, smooth-surfacted metal roll and (e) cooling the burnished web.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
45 words
A process of claim 1 wherein the roll rotates with a peripheral velocity of at least 25 meters/minute relative to the web, is maintained in intimate frictional contact with the web for at least one second and simultaneously burnishes and cools the heated, needled web.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
A process of claim 1 or 2 wherein the lightly consolidated web comprises substantially continuous filaments of isotactic polypropylene, the surface of the needled web is heated to a temperature in the range of 145° to 156° C. and the roll surface is maintained at a temperature of lower than 60° C.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
66 words
A process of claim 1 or 2 wherein the lightly consolidated web comprises a major portion of substantially continuous filaments of poly(ethylene terephthalate) homopolymer and a minor portion of substantially continuous filaments of poly(ethylene terephthalate/isophthalate) copolymer, the needled web is heated to a temperature in the range of 195° to 210° C. and the roll surface is maintained at a temperature of lower than 90° C.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
74 words
A nonwoven fabric having an abrasion-resistant burnished surface, the fabric comprising substantially continuous filaments of synthetic organic polymer of 1.5 to 15 dtex and having a unit weight of 75 to 150 g/m 2 , a sheet grab tensile strength of at least 220 Newtons, a trapezoidal tear strength of at least 100 Newtons, an elongation at 4.54 kg load of 6 to 13%, and a Frazier air permeability of at least 90 m/min.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
74 words
A nonwoven fabric having an abrasion-resistant burnished surface, the fabric comprising substantially continuous filaments of synthetic organic polymer of 1.5 to 15 dtex and having a unit weight of 75 to 150 g/m 2 , a sheet grab tensile strength of at least 220 Newtons, a trapezoidal tear strength of at least 100 Newtons, an elongation at 4.54 kg load of 6 to 13%, and a Frazier air permeability of at least 90 m/min.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
14 words
A nonwoven fabric of claim 5 wherein the filaments are of isotactic polypropylene polymer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
13 words
A nonwoven fabric of claim 5 wherein the filaments are of polyester polymer.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-04-14 | 1989-10-14 | 1990-04-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-04-14 | 1993-10-14 | 1994-04-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-04-14 | 1997-10-14 | 1998-04-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |