Patent Application
20240341416
The present invention relates to a fastener chain in a state in which an intermediate portion in a width direction thereof is closed, and a slide fastener including the fastener chain and a slider that opens and closes the intermediate portion in the width direction of the fastener chain in a longitudinal direction of the fastener chain.
In addition, in the present specification, expressions referred to as “front” and “back” are presented in relation to the slide fastener, but generally, when the slide fastener is attached to a product such as clothes or a bag, a side exposed to the outside in a normal use state of the product is the front, in other words, a side where a pull of the slider is attached is the front. In the present specification, expressions of “front” and “back” are used in a similar meaning.
As an example of a water repellent treatment method for a fastener chain in the related art, it is known that the fastener chain is caused to pass through a water repellent filling a container, and then the fastener chain is dried to cause the water repellent to adhere to the fastener chain (Patent Literature 1). Generally, the slide fastener is in a state in which a small gap can be formed in an engagement portion of elements, a gap of a certain degree can be formed between a pair of left and right tapes, and water easily permeates from the gap. Therefore, in relation to a slide fastener described in Patent Literature 1, in addition to a specification, generally referred to as “back use”, in which a side on which elements are present is used as a back side, even though a liquid-tight surface made of a resin film or the like is provided on entire front surfaces of fastener tapes, the fastener chain is caused to pass through the water repellent so as to suppress the permeation of water from the gap between the pair of left and right tapes, and the water repellent treatment is also performed on element portions and back surfaces of the fastener tapes.
Further, as another example of the water repellent treatment method for a fastener chain in the related art, it is known that a lower portion of a roller is immersed in a water repellent filling a container, and the roller is rotated to carry the water repellent to an upper surface of the roller, elements of the fastener chain are pressed against the upper surface of the roller to apply the water repellent, and thereafter the fastener chain is caused to pass through a vacuum portion so as to adhere the water repellent to threads for fixing the elements to tapes or holes in the tapes through which the threads pass (Patent Literature 2). Although it is unclear whether a slide fastener described in Patent Literature 2 is for back use or for front use, not only are the tapes subjected to a water repellent treatment in advance, but also the water repellent is applied to the elements. In the related art, “front use” is a specification in which a side on which the elements are present is used as a front side.
Further, in order to suppress a permeation problem of water through a gap of engagement portion of elements and a gap between a pair of left and right tapes, it is also described in Patent Literature 3 that waterproofing of elements should be considered.
As described above, in order to impart a sufficient water repellent effect to the slide fastener, it has been considered in the related art to positively apply a water repellent to the elements.
In recent years, it is required to suppress environmental pollution as much as possible from an enhancement in environmental protection awareness of the entire society. Regarding the water repellent and a substance whose use has not been particularly regarded as a problem before, there is a tendency to regulate the usage amount thereof in accordance with the enhancement in environmental protection awareness in recent years. Nowadays, it is required to reduce the usage amount of a fluorine-based water repellent that is highly effective as a water repellent material.
Among such an environmental awareness change, a technology disclosed in Patent Literature 4 is proposed as a technology capable of performing a water repellent treatment on an object without performing drying after using water and applying a large amount of a water repellent.
Patent Literature 4 discloses that, as an example of a water repellent treatment method for a base material, a curable coating composition containing a polymerizable monomer is applied to the base material, a polymerizable monomer is polymerized under a specific condition, the curable coating composition is used to an organic polymer coating, and as a result, the organic polymer coating adheres to the base material. Further, the water repellent treatment method for a base material disclosed in Patent Literature 4 is described as a typical usage example for fibers, but it is described that the method is widely applicable to leather goods, electronic components, and the like other than the fibers, and the method is also applicable to buttons and zippers.
As the water repellent treatment method for a base material disclosed in Patent Literature 4, an example actually applied to the fastener chain is not described, and a problem of treating an element portion of the fastener chain as described above is not studied. As described above, in order to impart the sufficient water repellent effect to the slide fastener, it has been considered in the related art to positively apply the water repellent to the elements. However, the fastener chain and the slide fastener are also desired to have not only water repellency but also flexibility:
The inventors of the present invention have found that, when the water repellent treatment method for a base material disclosed in Patent Literature 4 is applied to the fastener chain as in the Patent Literatures 1, 2, and 3 in the related art, and the curable coating composition containing the polymerizable monomer is directly applied not only to the tapes of the fastener chain but also to the elements, the fastener chain becomes hard after the polymerizable monomer is polymerized, and necessary flexibility of the fastener chain is deteriorated.
The present invention is made in consideration of the above-described actual conditions peculiar to the fastener chain and the slide fastener, and an object thereof is to provide a fastener chain and a slide fastener that have both water repellency and flexibility. The present invention is peculiar to the fastener chain and the slide fastener.
It is assumed that a fastener chain of the present invention includes: a pair of tapes that are opposite to each other in a width direction and are made of fibers: a pair of element rows that are separately fixed to opposite side edge portions on back surfaces of front and back surfaces of the pair of tapes and are in an engaged state; and an organic polymer and a non-fluorine-based water repellent component. The organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to the pair of tapes in a state of entering an inside thereof from the front surfaces to the back surfaces of the tapes. The organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component do not substantially adhere to the element rows through a gap between the pair of tapes. “Not substantially adhere” is intended to exclude a case where, when strict component analysis is performed, a very small amount of the component that incidentally adheres to the element rows in a manufacturing step different from a step of directly applying the component to the element rows is detected. Whether the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component pass through the gap between the pair of tapes and adhere to the element rows is a matter that can be easily identified by a person skilled in the art by viewing states of the front surfaces of the tapes and the element rows.
Further, it is assumed that another fastener chain of the present invention includes: a pair of tapes that are opposite to each other in a width direction and are made of fibers: a pair of element rows that are separately fixed to opposite side edge portions on back surfaces of front and back surfaces of the pair of tapes and are in an engaged state; and an organic polymer and a non-fluorine-based water repellent component. The organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to the pair of tapes in a state of entering an inside thereof. An adhesion amount of the non-fluorine-based water repellent component on the element rows is less than 0.14% of an adhesion amount of the non-fluorine-based water repellent component on the tapes on a weight ratio basis. The amount of less than 0.14% is a concept including 0%, that is, a case where the non-fluorine-based water repellent component does not adhere to the element rows at all.
Further, it is assumed that still another fastener chain of the present invention includes: a pair of tapes that are opposite to each other in a width direction and are made of fibers: a pair of element rows that are separately fixed to opposite side edge portions on back surfaces of front and back surfaces of the pair of tapes and are in an engaged state; and an organic polymer and a non-fluorine-based water repellent component. The organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to the pair of tapes in a state of entering an inside thereof. An adhesion amount of the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component on the tapes is an amount in which a maximum load measured such that a width of one of the tapes is 16 mm and a length in a longitudinal direction of a portion to be a loop portion in a loop compression method is 80 mm is 0.1 N or less in a flexibility test according to a C method (the loop compression method) of 8.22.3 of JIS-L-1096:2010.
There is no limitation on whether the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to a core string, but the following is an example.
That is, the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to core strings that extend along the side edge portions of the tapes by following sewing threads that fix the pair of element rows to the tapes.
There is no limitation on how the adhesion amount of the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adheres to front surface sides and back surface sides of the tapes, but the following is desirable for improvement of flexibility.
That is, an adhesion amount of the non-fluorine-based water repellent component on a back surface side of the tape is smaller than that on a front surface side.
Further, there is no limitation on an adhesion amount of a product containing the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component on the pair of tapes per surface area, but the following is an example.
That is, an adhesion amount of a product containing the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component on the pair of tapes per surface area is 9 to 22.5 g/m2.
Further, there is no limitation on whether the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to the pair of element rows as described above, but the following is an example.
That is, in addition to the pair of tapes, the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to an installation region installed onto the tape among surfaces facing a side of the tape, which are front surfaces of the pair of element rows, in a state of permeating from the inside of the pair of tapes.
Further, there is no limitation on to which surface the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere, but the following is an example.
That is, the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to the pair of tapes other than the back surfaces.
Further, there is no limitation on whether the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to the pair of element rows as described above, but the following is an example.
That is, the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component do not adhere to the pair of element rows.
Further, there is no limitation on whether the fastener chain includes an element other than the tapes, the element rows, the organic polymer, and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component and on details of the element rows, but the following is an example.
That is, the fastener chain further includes a core string extending along the side edge portion of the tape, and the element row is a monofilament extending in a longitudinal direction of the core string in a state of being entangled with the core string. The organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to the core string in a state of permeating from front surfaces of a pair of the monofilaments in addition to the pair of tapes and the pair of monofilaments.
Further, there is no limitation on the adhesion amount of the non-fluorine-based water repellent component on the core string and the tapes, but the following is an example.
That is, an adhesion amount of the non-fluorine-based water repellent component on the core string is smaller than that on a back surface side of the tape on a weight ratio basis.
There is no limitation on the type of the non-fluorine-based water repellent component, but the following is an example.
That is, the non-fluorine-based water repellent component is a silicone oil-based component.
The present invention relates not only to the fastener chain, but also to a slide fastener. That is, a slide fastener of the present invention includes the above-described fastener chain; and a slider attached to the pair of element rows of the fastener chain.
According to the present invention, water repellent treatment for a fastener chain and a slide fastener is optimized, and the fastener chain and the slide fastener according to the present invention have both water repellency and flexibility.
As shown in
The fastener chain 2 includes a pair of tapes 5 that face each other in the width direction, the pair of element rows 6 that are fixed to the pair of tapes 5 and are in an engaged state, core strings 7 that extend along side edge portions facing each other of the tapes 5 and in which the element rows 6 are entangled with each other, and sewing threads 8 that fix the pair of element rows 6 to the tapes 5.
The tape 5 is a woven object or a knitted object. A thread used as a raw material of the woven object or the knitted object is a combination of a plurality of fibers. The core string 7 is also a combination of a plurality of fibers. The sewing thread 8 is thinner than the core string 7 and is a combination of a plurality of fibers. The tape 5 is not particularly limited as long as an organic polymer and a non-fluorine-based water repellent component, which will be described later, can adhere to the tape 5 in a state of entering the inside thereof. For example, the tape may be a non-woven fabric having a gap that allows the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component to enter the inside thereof.
The pair of element rows 6 are fixed in a state of being engaged with the side edge portions that are on one side in a thickness direction of the pair of tapes 5 and face each other. The first stoppers 4A and the second stopper 4B are fixed to the tapes 5 in a state of being adjacent to the element rows 6 on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the fastener chain 2.
In the present embodiment, the first stopper 4A is fixed to each tape 5. In the present embodiment, the second stopper 4B is fixed to the pair of tapes 5 in a state in which the pair of tapes 5 are connected. The first stoppers 4A and the second stopper 4B define the moving range of the slider 3 when the slider 3 collides with the first stoppers 4A and the second stopper 4B.
The pair of element rows 6 are separately fixed to the side edge portions that are on back surfaces of the plurality of tapes 5 and face each other. The pair of element rows 6 are engaged with or separated from each other according to the direction in which the slider 3 moves. When the slider 3 is moved upward in
Hereinafter, directions are determined as follows based on a state in which the slide fastener 1 is placed on a flat surface.
A front-rear direction is a direction in which the slider 3 is moved. The front-rear direction coincides with the longitudinal direction of the fastener chain 2. The front-rear direction coincides with an upper-lower direction in
A left-right direction coincides with the width direction of the fastener chain 2. The left-right direction coincides with the left-right direction in
The upper-lower direction coincides with a thickness direction of the fastener chain 2. The upper-lower direction coincides with the upper-lower direction in
The element row 6 is a monofilament. The monofilament is made of a synthetic resin and is linear. Further, the monofilament has a shape that is three-dimensionally bent into a coil shape or a zigzag shape in a form of being entangled with the core string 7 extending linearly. The monofilament may be referred to as a coil element or a zigzag element corresponding to a bent shape. A portion of the monofilament having a unit length to be engaged and separated is referred to as an element 6a. In the monofilament, a large number of elements 6a are continuous in a longitudinal direction of the core string 7. As the slider 3 moves, the elements 6a of the pair of element rows 6 are engaged with and separated from each other.
The element 6a includes a lower leg portion 11 disposed on the back surface of the tape 5, an upper leg portion 12 facing the lower leg portion 11 from above, an engaging head portion 13 joining the upper leg portion 12 and the lower leg portion 11 on the other tape 5 side, and a joining leg portion 14 joining one of the upper leg portion 12 and the lower leg portion 11 to the adjacent element 6a. As can be seen from
In the case of the coil element, as shown in the drawing, the joining leg portion 14 joins the upper leg portion 12 of the element 6a to the lower leg portion 11 of the adjacent element 6a.
In the case of the zigzag element, although not shown, the middle element 6a of the three elements 6a adjacent to each other in the front and rear direction joins the joining leg portion 14 extending from the upper leg portion 12 of the element 6a to the upper leg portion 12 of the adjacent element 6a on the front side, and the joining leg portion 14 extending from the lower leg portion 11 of the adjacent element 6a on the rear side is joined to the lower leg portion 11 of the middle element 6a. Such a configuration in which the three elements 6a adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction are continuous in the front-rear direction is the zigzag element.
Those adhering to the front surfaces of the pair of fastener tapes 5 of the above-described fastener chain 2 are the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component. Specific examples of the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component are disclosed in the above-described Patent Literature 4. The organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component are obtained by polymerizing a liquid curable coating composition containing a polymerizable monomer and contain an organic compound. More specifically, the liquid curable coating composition containing the polymerizable monomer, the non-fluorine-based water repellent component, and a thermally activated polymerization initiator is chemically changed under predetermined conditions, the polymerizable monomer is polymerized, and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component is incorporated into the organic polymer. Depending on the degree of polymerization, the non-fluorine-based water repellent component may not be incorporated into the organic polymer. Examples of the non-fluorine-based water repellent component include silicone oil-based and hydrocarbon-based components, preferably a silicone oil-based 30) component. An example of the silicone oil-based component is a straight, branched or cyclic polysiloxane, and specific examples thereof include a dimethylsiloxane. An example of the hydrocarbon-based component is one of which a main chain is a polyurethane group and a side chain is a hydrocarbon group. Specific examples thereof include paraffin. Specific examples of the curable coating composition (hereinafter, abbreviated as “coating composition”) are products named EMPEL sold by Green Theme Technologies, Inc.
The coating composition is polymerized through the following steps 1) to 4) to impart water repellency to the fastener chain.
Step 1) is an application step of applying to an entire front surface of the fastener chain 2, that is, the entire front surfaces of the pair of tapes 5 under a non-polymerizable condition. Depending on application conditions at this time, the coating composition does not pass through the gap 5S between the pair of tapes 5 and does not substantially adhere to the element rows 6. Depending on the application conditions, the coating composition passes through the gap 5S between the pair of tapes 5 and adheres to a part of the element rows 6. However, an adhesion amount is very small. In any case, unlike the water repellent fastener of the related art, the water repellent component (coating composition) in the present invention is not directly applied to the element rows. In other words, the water repellent component (coating composition) is not directly applied from the back surface of the element row 6 (the surface facing a side opposite to the tape 5).
Step 2) is an oxygen removal step of putting the fastener chain 2 to which has been performed application into a container under the non-polymerizable condition to remove oxygen in the container. It is assumed that the fastener chain 2 is put into a container in a roll shape (in a spirally wound state).
Step 3) is a pressurizing step in which, during step 2) or after step 2), the inside of the container is filled with a gas not containing oxygen, for example, nitrogen gas, and the inside of the container is pressurized until a predetermined gas pressure. Through the pressurizing step, the coating composition applied to the front surface of the fastener chain 2 enters at least an inside of the tapes 5. That is, the coating composition enters the inside of the tapes 5 (a gap between fibers), and enters an inside of the core strings 7 (a gap between fibers) depending on the application conditions and pressurizing conditions. The coating composition may enter the inside of the core strings 7 by following the sewing threads 8 for fixing the pair of element rows 6 to the tapes 5. Further, depending on the application conditions and the pressurizing conditions, the coating composition permeates to the front surfaces of the element rows 6. That is, the coating composition can not only travel from the front surface side 5A to the back surface side 5B of the pair of tapes 5, but also enter the front surfaces of the element rows 6 depending on the application conditions and the pressurizing conditions, and further enter the inside (the gap between the fibers) of the core strings 7 via the lower leg portions 11 of the element rows 6. Depending on the application conditions, since the coating composition may pass through the gap 5S between the pair of element rows 6 and adhere to a part of the element rows 6 (normally, the region 6d on the gap 5S side of the front surfaces thereof), in this case, the coating composition can also enter the core strings 7 and other portions of the element rows 6 by the pressurizing step. The adhesion amount of the coating composition per unit volume gradually decreases according to an order in which the coating composition enters.
Step 4) is a heating step of heating the inside of the container while maintaining a pressurized state in the container. The thermoplastic polymerization initiator is activated and the polymerizable monomer is polymerized by heating, and the coating composition finally becomes a product containing the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component, and adheres to the fibers of the tapes 5, the element rows 6, and the fibers of the core strings 7 in a form of binding. As described above, since the product contains the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component, whether the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to each member can be evaluated by extracting the non-fluorine-based water repellent component. Alternatively, it may be determined by observing the state of the front surface of each member. Further, a difference in the amount of the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhering to each member can be evaluated by extracting the non-fluorine-based water repellent component and measuring the amount thereof. Specifically, the difference can be evaluated by measuring the amount of silicone oil by a method to be described later. Assuming that the tape 5 is bisected in the thickness direction, the adhesion amount of the silicone oil on the tape 5 per sample weight satisfies an inequality of the front surface side 5A of the tape 5> the back surface side 5B of the tape 5. The adhesion amount of the silicone oil on the tape 5 and the core string 7 per sample weight satisfies an inequality of the front surface side 5A of the tape 5> the back surface side 5B of the tape 5> the core string 7. Since the element row 6 is not a fiber, the silicone oil adheres to an outer surface of the element row 6 and does not enter the gap of the fibers like a tape. The adhesion amount of the silicone oil adhering to the element row 6 is not appropriate to be expressed by the above inequality. The outer surface of the element row 6 includes the front surface and the back surface of the element row 6.
As described in the above step 1), unlike the water repellent fastener of the related art, since the water repellent component in the present invention is not directly applied to the element row 6, the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component generated by directly applying the coating composition (the water repellent) do not adhere to the element row 6 of the fastener obtained after step 4). In other words, the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component generated by directly applying the coating composition (the water repellent) from the back surface of the element row 6 (the surface of the element row 6 facing the side opposite to the tape 5) do not adhere. The organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhering to the element row 6 are generated by either adhering to the installation region 6c installed onto the tape 5 in a state of permeating from the inside of the pair of tapes 5, or adhering to the region 6d on the gap 5S side of the pair of tapes 5, or by bringing the back surface of the element row 6 into contact with the front surface of the tape 5 so that a very small amount of the coating composition adhering to the front surface of the tape 5 adheres to the back surface of the element row 6 when the fastener chain 2 is wound into a roll in the above steps 2) to 4), or do not adhere to anything.
In a case where the coating composition does not pass through the gap 5S between the pair of tapes 5, the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component do not substantially adhere to the element rows 6. “Not substantially adhere” is intended to exclude a case where, when strict component analysis is performed, a small amount of the component that incidentally adheres to the element rows 6 in a manufacturing process different from the process in which the component is directly applied to the element rows 6 is detected. For example, in some cases, the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to the pair of tapes 5 in a state of entering the inside thereof from the front surfaces toward the back surfaces thereof, and adhere to front surface sides of the element rows 6 in a state of permeating from the inside of the tapes 5. In addition, there is a case where the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to the element row 6 by following the sewing thread 8, or a case where the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component permeating to the core string 7 by following the sewing thread 8 also adheres to the element row 6. Whether the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component pass through the gap 5S between the pair of tapes 5 is a matter that can be easily identified by a person skilled in the art by viewing states of the front surfaces of the tapes 5 and the element rows 6. Specifically, when the adhesion amount of the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component on the front surfaces of the tapes 5 is clearly different from the adhesion amount of the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component on the region 6d on the gap 5S side of the front surfaces of the element rows 6, that is, when the adhesion amount of the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component per unit area on the front surfaces of the tapes 5 is clearly larger than that on the region 6d on the gap 5S side of the front surfaces of the element rows 6, it can be said that the coating composition is not applied to the pair of element rows 6 through the gap 5S between the pair of tapes 5, and that the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component do not substantially adhere to the region 6d on the gap 5S side between the pair of tapes 5 of the element rows 6. Further, when the coating composition is positively applied to the element rows 6 such that the coating composition passes through the gap 5S between the pair of tapes 5, a fastener chain strength such as a puncture strength may be reduced, and it is possible to determine whether the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component pass through the gap 5S between the pair of tapes 5 by measuring the strength of the fastener chain 2. Further, it is also possible to determine the presence or absence of passage through the gap 5S by electron microscopic observation, XRF-WDX analysis, and mapping of the non-fluorine-based water repellent component.
Further, satisfying the above inequality means that the coating composition is applied to the front surface of the fastener chain 2 and an application amount is optimized. When the application amount is large, the water repellency of the fastener chain 2 becomes high, but the fastener chain 2 becomes hard, and the reference of the flexibility of the slide fastener 1 is not satisfied. The present inventors have found that the application amount of the coating composition (the adhesion amount of the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component) is optimized by the following flexibility test and water repellency test.
For the test, four types of sample fastener chains 2 having different application amounts of the coating compositions were prepared as shown in Table 1 below.
The application amount is an application amount of the coating composition per surface area (unit: 1 m2) of the tape 5 in the application step described above. More specifically, this is the amount of the coating composition applied to a range of per surface area (unit: 1 m2) of the tape 5 in a state of the fastener chain 2. Since the element row 6 and the core string 7 in addition to the tape 5 are present in the fastener chain 2 in the range of per surface area of the tape 5, the applied coating composition adheres not only to the tape 5 but also to the element row 6 and the core string 7 present in this range. The surface in the term “surface area” refers to the surface to which the coating composition is applied. In the water repellency test, these four types of fastener chains are used as samples, but in the flexibility test, these four types of fastener chains are disassembled, the element row 6 is removed from one tape 5 of the fastener chain 2, and this tape 5 is used as a sample.
The flexibility test is a method according to the C method (loop compression method) of 8.22.3 of JIS-L-1096:2010.
An outline of the flexibility test according to this method is a test in which, as shown in
A test apparatus used for the flexibility test includes the clamp 31 that sandwiches an object to be measured, a moving member 33 that moves up and down at a position directly above the clamp 31, a load cell 34 that is fixed directly below the moving member 33, and the pressurization head 32 that is fixed directly below the load cell 34 and applies a pressure to the object to be measured of the fastener chain 2. The load applied to the pressurization head 32 is converted into an electric signal proportional to the load by the load cell 34, and the load is measured from the electric signal.
Details of the sample tape 5 used for the flexibility test are as follows. The sample tape 5 is obtained by removing the element row 6 from the one tape 5 of the fastener chain 2, and the width of the one tape 5 is 16 mm. The dimension of the tape 5 in the longitudinal direction is 120 mm or more. The intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the tape 5 is a portion to be the loop portion 22 for pressing the pressurization head 32, and a dimension thereof in the longitudinal direction is set to 80 mm. Both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the tape 5 are portions located adjacent to each other in the loop portion 22 and serving as the clamping margin portions 21 to be sandwiched by the clamp 31 of flexibility test apparatus, and the dimension of each end portion in the longitudinal direction is 20 mm or more. Then, marks are given at both ends of the loop portion 22, that is, boundary positions between the clamping margin portions 21 and the loop portion 22.
The tape 5 is bent and overlapped with each other at both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the tape 5 to form the clamping margin portions 21, and the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction is formed as the loop portion 22 in a loop shape against which the pressurization head 32 is pressed. In order to maintain the overlapped state of the clamping margin portions 21, for example, the tape 5 is attached to the pair of clamping margin portions 21, and the overlapped state is fixed.
The posture of the tape 5 is set such that the loop portion 22 is located directly above the clamping margin portions 21, and the clamping margin portions 21 are clamped by the clamp 31. At this time, the marks match an upper end of the clamp 31. A distance between the pressurization head 32 and an upper end of the clamp 31 is set to 40 mm. By this way, the pressurization head 32 is disposed directly above the loop portion 22 with a gap therebetween. Then, the pressurization head 32 is reciprocated up and down under conditions of a moving speed of 50 mm/min and a moving amount of 25 mm. The number of reciprocations is five. A maximum load (unit: N) applied to the pressurization head at each time is measured, and a value obtained by averaging maximum loads of all the times is shown in Table 1. The maximum load is a value rounded at the fourth decimal place.
According to the test results of Table 1, in both Example 1 in which the application amount is 9.0 g/m2 and Example 2 in which the application amount is 22.5 g/m2, the value of the flexibility test is 0.1 N or less, and it is determined that the flexibility is appropriate. On the contrary, in both Comparative Example 1 in which the application amount is 45.0 g/m2 and Comparative Example 2 in which the application amount is 75.0 g/m2, it is determined that the flexibility is inappropriate since the value of the flexibility test is larger than 0.1 N.
The water repellency test is a spray test based on JIS-L-1092. An outline of this spray test is a test in which, as shown in
1) A circular jig 44 having a diameter of 150 mm is prepared.
The jig 44 includes a circular inner frame 45, a C-shaped outer frame 46 surrounding an outer periphery of the inner frame 45 in a range slightly shorter than an entire periphery thereof, a fastening tool 47 fixed to both ends of the outer frame 46, and a pair of handles 48 protruding from the outer frame 46 at two points separated clockwise and counterclockwise from the position of the fastening tool 47 by about ¼ circumference along an outer circumference of the outer frame 46.
Then, the front surface of the sample fastener chain 2 is directed upward, the fastener chain 2 is disposed on one surface side of the jig 44 while maintaining a form of passing through the center of the circle of the jig 44 in a state of extending linearly so as not to have wrinkles, both end portions of the fastener chain 2 are inserted between the outer frame 46 and the inner frame 45, the fastening tool 47 is closed, and both end portions are fixed to the jig 44. Portions of the fastener chain 2 protruding from the jig 44 are cut off.
2) Water (250 mL) is placed in the funnel 41, and it is confirmed that spraying is completed in 25 to 30 seconds after the disclosure of the spray. A spray nozzle 42 is attached to a tip of the funnel 41, and water is discharged in a radiation shape from a large number of holes in the spray nozzle 42.
3) The jig 44 with the fastener chain 2 is placed on a table 51 having an inclined surface inclined at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to a horizontal surface. The front surface of the fastener chain 2 faces upward. Further, the direction of the jig 44 is set such that the fastener chain 2 extended linearly is parallel to a traveling direction of the water flowing on the inclined surface of the table 51 when the table 51 is viewed from directly above. A distance L in the upper-lower direction between a center of a tip end of the spray nozzle 42 and a center of the jig 44 is set to 150 mm.
4) Water (250 mL) is placed in the funnel 41, and the water is sprayed onto the fastener chain 2 in 25 to 30 seconds.
5) One of the handles 48 is gripped and the jig 44 is removed from above the table 51, and the handle 48 on the side opposite to the gripped handle 48 is lightly put on a hard material once so that the front surface of the fastener chain 2 faces downward, thereby dropping water droplets. Next, the handle 48 put on the hard material is grasped, and the opposite handle is lightly put on the hard material to drop water droplets. After performing the above processes, in JIS-L-1092, grades are evaluated according to the following standards. From the viewpoint of the quality required at the time of normal use of the slide fastener 1, Grade 3 or higher is considered to be acceptable.
Grade 1: The entire front surface is wet.
Grade 2: Half of the front surface is wet with small discrete wet spots permeating a cloth.
Grade 3: Small discrete droplet-like wet spots are observed on the front surface.
Grade 4: No wet spot is observed on the front surface but small water droplets are observed thereon.
Grade 5: No wetting and adhesion of water droplets on the front surface.
The sample fastener chains 2 were obtained by washing 50 times and by washing 100 times in accordance with JIS-L-1930 C4M. According to the results results of Table 1, washing durability after washing 50 times and after washing 100 times was Grade 3 in Examples 1 and 2, and was Grade 4 in Comparative Examples 1 and 2. The quality of the water repellency in Grade 3 or higher is satisfied.
From the results of the flexibility test and the water repellency test described above, Examples 1 and 2 have both the washing durability and the flexibility. In the samples of examples, a ratio of an average adhesion amount of silicone oil on each member is as follows.
The adhesion amount of the silicone oil on each of the element row 6 and the core string 7 is smaller than the adhesion amount of the silicone oil on the tape 5 on a weight ratio basis. This result is presumed from the matter that, as described above, the coating composition that is the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component (silicone oil) is directly applied to the tape 5, not the element row 6 or the core string 7. The adhesion amount of the silicone oil on the element row 6 is less than 0.14% of the adhesion amount of the silicone oil on the tape 5 on the weight ratio basis. That is, when the adhesion amount of the silicone oil on the tape 5 (the ratio of the weight of the silicone oil to the total weight of the weight of the tape 5 and the weight of the silicone oil: wt %) is 100%, the ratio of the adhesion amount of the silicone oil on the element row 6 (the ratio of the weight of the silicone oil to the total weight of the weight of the element row 6 and the weight of the silicone oil: wt %) is less than 0.14%. The adhesion amount of the organic polymer on the core string 7 is less than 17% of the adhesion amount of the organic polymer on the tape 5 on the weight ratio basis. That is, when the adhesion amount of the silicone oil on the tape 5 (the ratio of the weight of the silicone oil to the total weight of the weight of the tape 5 and the weight of the silicone oil: wt %) is 100%, the ratio of the adhesion amount of the silicone oil on the core string 7 (the ratio of the weight of the silicone oil to the total weight of the weight of the core string 7 and the weight of the silicone oil: wt %) is less than 17%.
The difference in the adhesion amount of the water repellent component on each member can be evaluated from the adhesion amount of the silicone oil, and the adhesion amount of the silicone oil can be measured as follows. Approximately 10 g of each sample of the tape 5, the element row 6, and the core string 7 to which both the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component (silicone oil) adhere was weighed and taken out, and Soxhlet extraction was performed with hexane for 2 hours. As a result of an IR measurement performed after the extract was dried and solidified, it was confirmed that the extract was mainly composed of silicone oil. The IR measurement is a measurement according to an infrared spectroscopy, and an ATR method was used this time. Accordingly, the adhesion amount of the extract containing silicone oil as the main component on each sample was calculated.
The application amount of the coating composition on the tape 5 per surface area can be calculated from the weight difference between the fastener chain before the coating composition is applied and the fastener chain after the coating composition is applied. The weight of the fastener chain after the application of the coating composition is substantially the same as the weight of the fastener chain after chemical change of the coating composition into a polymerized product, that is, the fastener chain to which the polymerized product adheres.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2021/027733 | 7/27/2021 | WO |
