Claims
- 1. A method of making a heteroconstituent nonwoven material including a mixture of polymer filaments of a first type A and filaments of a second type B, comprising the steps of:
- extruding filaments of the first type A from a first spinpack;
- extruding filaments of the second type B from a second spinpack;
- quenching the filaments of the first type A and second type B by supplying a first air stream laterally of the type A filaments and a second opposing air stream laterally of the type B filaments;
- the first and second opposing air streams having sufficient velocities and flow rates to bring the type A and type B filaments together and cause at least some mixing of the type A and type B filaments resulting in a heteroconstituent nonwoven material;
- wherein the first air stream and second air stream are supplied at about 5.degree.-25.degree. C.
- 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of supplying a third air stream from in between the type A and type B filaments before they are brought together.
- 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the third air stream is supplied at about 5.degree.-25.degree. C.
- 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the type A and type B filaments are extruded toward each other at angles of about 1-15 degrees from the vertical.
- 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the type A and type B filaments are extruded toward each other at angles of about 1-5 degrees from the vertical.
- 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second air streams are directed toward each other at angles of about 1-10 degrees from the horizontal.
- 7. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of supplying a fourth air stream from in between the type A and type B filaments before they are brought together.
- 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments have different compositions.
- 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments comprise different polymer compositions.
- 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments comprise polymers selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polyesters, copolymers of ethylene and propylene, copolymers of ethylene or propylene with a C.sub.4 -C.sub.20 alpha-olefin, terpolymers of ethylene with propylene and a C.sub.4 -C.sub.20 alpha olefin, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers, propylene vinyl acetate copolymers, styrene-poly(ethylene-alpha-olefin)elastomers, polyurethanes, A-B block copolymers where A is formed of poly(vinyl arene) moieties such as polystyrene and B is an elastomeric midblock such as a conjugated diene or lower alkene, polyethers, polyether esters, polyacrylates, ethylene alkyl acrylates, polyisobutylene, polybutadiene, isobutylene-isoprene copolymers and combinations of any of the foregoing.
- 11. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the type A filaments and type B filaments comprises bicomponent filaments.
- 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments comprise bicomponent filaments having different compositions.
- 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments comprise bicomponent filaments having different configurations.
- 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the type A and type B filaments comprise different additive loadings.
- 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments comprise spunbond filaments.
- 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments have different levels of crimping.
- 17. The method of claim 16, wherein one of the filament types is uncrimped and the other of the filament types is crimped.
- 18. The method of claim 16, wherein both filament types are crimped.
- 19. The method of claim 16, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments comprise spunbond filaments.
- 20. The method of claim 1, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments have different average filament sizes.
- 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments have different average fiber diameters.
- 22. The method of claim 20, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments have different average fiber lengths.
- 23. The method of claim 20, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments comprise spunbond filaments.
- 24. A method of making a multilayered nonwoven material including a layer of polymer filaments of a first type A and a layer of filaments of a second type B, comprising the steps of:
- extruding filaments of the first type A from a first spinpack;
- extruding filaments of the second type B from a second spinpack;
- quenching the filaments of the first type A and second type B by supplying a first air stream laterally of the type A filaments and a second opposing air stream laterally of the type B filaments;
- the first and second opposing air streams having sufficient velocities and flow rates to bring the type A and type B filaments together in the form of layers resulting in a multilayered nonwoven material.
- 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of supplying a third air stream from in between the type A and type B filaments before they are brought together.
- 26. The method of claim 24, wherein the first air stream and second air stream are supplied at about 5.degree.-25.degree. C.
- 27. The method of claim 24, wherein the third air stream is supplied at about 5.degree.-25.degree. C.
- 28. The method of claim 24, wherein the type A and type B filaments are extruded toward each other at angles of about 1-15 degrees from the vertical.
- 29. The method of claim 24, wherein the type A and type B filaments are extruded toward each other at angles of about 1-5 degrees from the vertical.
- 30. The method of claim 24, wherein the first and second air streams are directed toward each other at angles of about 1-10 degrees from the horizontal.
- 31. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of supplying a fourth air stream in between the type A and type B filaments before they are brought together.
- 32. A method of making a multilayered nonwoven material including at least three nonwoven layers, comprising the steps of:
- extruding a first bundle of filaments from a first spinpack;
- extruding a second bundle of filaments from a second spinpack;
- extruding a third bundle of filaments from a third spinpack located between the first and second spinpacks;
- supplying a first quench air stream laterally of the first bundle of filaments and a second opposing quench air stream laterally of the second bundle of filaments;
- supplying a third quench air stream between the first and third bundles of filaments;
- supplying a fourth quench air stream between the second and third bundles of filaments; and
- merging the first, second and third bundles of filaments together in the form of layers resulting in a multilayered nonwoven material.
- 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the first bundle comprises filaments of a first type A and at least one of the second and third bundles comprises filaments of a second type B.
- 34. The method of claim 33, wherein the second bundle comprises filaments of the first type A, and the third bundle comprises filaments of the second type B.
- 35. The method of claim 33, wherein the second bundle comprises filaments of the second type B, and the third bundle comprises filaments of the first type A.
- 36. The method of claim 33, wherein the other of the second and third bundles comprises filaments of a third type C.
- 37. A method of making a heteroconstituent nonwoven material including a mixture of polymer filaments of a first type A and filaments of a second type B, comprising the steps of:
- extruding filaments of the first type A from a first spinpack;
- extruding filaments of the second type B from a second spinpack;
- quenching the filaments of the first type A and second type B by supplying a first air stream laterally of the type A filaments and a second opposing air stream laterally of the type B filaments;
- the first and second opposing air streams having sufficient velocities and flow rates to bring the type A and type B filaments together and cause at least some mixing of the type A and type B filaments resulting in a heteroconstituent nonwoven material;
- wherein the type A and type B filaments are extruded toward each other at angles of about 1-15 degrees from the vertical.
- 38. The method of claim 37, further comprising the step of supplying a third air stream from in between the type A and type B filaments before they are brought together.
- 39. The method of claim 37, wherein the type A and type B filaments are extruded toward each other at angles of about 1-5 degrees from the vertical.
- 40. The method of claim 37, wherein the first and second air streams are directed toward each other at angles of about 1-10 degrees from the horizontal.
- 41. The method of claim 38, further comprising the step of supplying a fourth air stream from in between the type A and type B filaments before they are brought together.
- 42. The method of claim 37, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments have different compositions.
- 43. The method of claim 37, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments comprise different polymer compositions.
- 44. The method of claim 38, wherein the type A and type B filaments comprise different additive loadings.
- 45. The method of claim 37, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments comprise spunbond filaments.
- 46. A method of making a heteroconstituent nonwoven material including a mixture of polymer filaments of a first type A and filaments of a second type B, comprising the steps of:
- extruding filaments of the first type A from a first spinpack;
- extruding filaments of the second type B from a second spinpack;
- quenching the filaments of the first type A and second type B by supplying a first air stream laterally of the type A filaments and a second opposing air stream laterally of the type B filaments;
- the first and second opposing air streams having sufficient velocities and flow rates to bring the type A and type B filaments together and cause at least some mixing of the type A and type B filaments resulting in a heteroconstituent nonwoven material;
- wherein at least one of the type A filaments and type B filaments comprises bicomponent filaments.
- 47. The method of claim 46, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments comprise bicomponent filaments having different compositions.
- 48. The method of claim 46, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments comprise bicomponent filaments having different configurations.
- 49. The method of claim 46, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments comprise spunbond filaments.
- 50. A method of making a heteroconstituent nonwoven material including a mixture of polymer filaments of a first type A and filaments of a second type B, comprising the steps of:
- extruding filaments of the first type A from a first spinpack;
- extruding filaments of the second type B from a second spinpack;
- quenching the filaments of the first type A and second type B by supplying a first air stream laterally of the type A filaments and a second opposing air stream laterally of the type B filaments;
- the first and second opposing air streams having sufficient velocities and flow rates to bring the type A and type B filaments together and cause at least some mixing of the type A and type B filaments resulting in a heteroconstituent nonwoven material;
- wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments have different levels of crimping.
- 51. The method of claim 50, wherein one of the filament types is uncrimped and the other of the filament types is crimped.
- 52. The method of claim 50, wherein both filament types are crimped.
- 53. The method of claim 50, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments comprise spunbond filaments.
- 54. A method of making a heteroconstituent nonwoven material including a mixture of polymer filaments of a first type A and filaments of a second type B, comprising the steps of:
- extruding filaments of the first type A from a first spinpack;
- extruding filaments of the second type B from a second spinpack;
- quenching the filaments of the first type A and second type B by supplying a first air stream laterally of the type A filaments and a second opposing air stream laterally of the type B filaments;
- the first and second opposing air streams having sufficient velocities and flow rates to bring the type A and type B filaments together and cause at least some mixing of the type A and type B filaments resulting in a heteroconstituent nonwoven material;
- wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments have different average filament sizes.
- 55. The method of claim 54, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments have different average fiber diameters.
- 56. The method of claim 54, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments have different average fiber lengths.
- 57. The method of claim 54, wherein the type A filaments and type B filaments comprise spunbond filaments.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/034,392, filed on 30 Dec. 1996, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.
US Referenced Citations (37)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Polymer Blends and Composites, Manson, John A. and Sperling, Leslie H.; Plenum Press, New York, Copyright 1976; ISBN 0-306-30831-2, pp. 273-277. |