The present invention relates to the field of flame-resistant fabrics, more specifically, to enhancements for improving the flame resistance of such fabrics and the flame resistance of items incorporating such fabrics.
Each year, thousands of residential fires are caused in the United States by the ignition of mattresses and bedding, resulting in hundreds of deaths and hundreds of millions of dollars in property losses. Heightened awareness of fire prevention has led to the development of standards and regulations directed to the reducing the likelihood that such fires will occur. One approach to reducing the likelihood of residential fires is to use flame-resistant fabrics as flame barriers in mattresses and bedding.
Conventional techniques for preparing flame-resistant fabrics include the use of inherently flame-resistant fibers, the chemical treatment of fibers or fabrics with flame retardant chemicals, and the incorporation of additives into the fiber matrix as the fiber is formed. Examples of inherently flame-resistant fibers include polyester fibers, polyaramid fibers, melamine fibers, and polybenzimidazole fibers. Chemical treatments include the impregnation or topical application of heat dissipaters (e.g., aluminum hydroxide or magnesium hydroxide) or free-radical quenchers (e.g., chemical compounds containing boron, phosphorous, nitrogen, antimony, or halogens). Additives that may be incorporated into the matrix of the fibers include some of the aforementioned chemical compounds, and silica as sodium silicate.
A first embodiment of the present invention includes textile fibers modified by incorporation of a nanoclay into the matrix of the fibers. In such an embodiment, the fibers may incorporate inherently flame-resistant polymers and/or cellulosic materials.
A second embodiment of the present invention includes methods of incorporating a nanoclay into textile fibers. In such an embodiment, the nanoclay may be mixed into a flowable polymer or solution of polymeric precursors, which is then extruded to form the clay-modified fibers.
A third embodiment of the present invention includes a woven or non-woven textile fabric modified by application to the fabric of a flowable coating material that includes a nanoclay. In such an embodiment, the flowable coating material may include a latex binder and the nanoclay as a suspension.
A fourth embodiment of the present invention is a coating material for textiles that includes a nanoclay. In such an embodiment, the coating material includes the nanoclay and a latex binder in a suspension.
A fifth embodiment of the present invention includes a woven or non-woven textile fabric that includes textile threads incorporating a nanoclay, the fabric also having a coating that includes a nanoclay. In such an embodiment, the fabric may be a filler cloth for a mattress.
A sixth embodiment of the present invention includes an article of manufacture incorporating a textile fabric of the present invention. In such an embodiment, the article may be a mattress.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
An embodiment of the present invention includes textiles and textile fibers modified by incorporation of nanoclays (also referred to herein as “clay nanoparticles”) into the matrix of the fibers. As understood in a number of arts, the term “nanoclays” may refer to clays that are primarily formed from the layered aluminosilicate minerals known as phyllosilicates. Phyllosilicates delaminate in aqueous media to form platelets having thicknesses as small as 1 nm, and lateral dimensions (i.e., length and width) in ranges from tens of nanometers to hundreds of nanometers, or into the micron range. For the purpose of the present disclosure, the term “nanoclays” includes such phyllosilicates, as well as other mineral particles having at least one dimension that is in the range of about 1 nm to hundreds of nanometers. Exemplary nanoclays that may be used in embodiments of the present invention include, without limitation, bentonites, montmorillonites, hectorites, illites, and kaolinites. Organically-modified nanoclays may also be used in embodiments of the present invention.
One embodiment of the present invention includes a nanoclay-modified textile fiber. In such an embodiment, the textile fiber is an extruded fiber, such as viscose rayon. Referring to
In a method of making such fibers, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the nanoclay may be mixed or dispersed into a flowable polymer or solution of polymeric precursors, which is then extruded to form the clay-modified fibers. Conventional extrusion methods or modifications of conventional extrusion methods may be used to form the fibers. In an embodiment of the present invention, the flowable polymer is cellulose of a type used to make viscose rayon. In an exemplary embodiment, the nanoclay content of the fiber is no more than 80% w/w. In an exemplary embodiment, the nanoclay content of the fiber is in the range of about 60% w/w to about 70% w/w. In an exemplary embodiment, the fiber is a viscose rayon fiber and the nanoclay is kaolin or kaolinite.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a woven or non-woven textile fabric modified by application of a nanoclay-filled coating material to the fabric.
In embodiments of the present invention, the textile substrate 40 includes a woven or non-woven textile containing at least cellulosic fibers (not shown). The cellulosic fibers may be fire-resistant cellulosic fibers, such as fire-resistant rayon (e.g., viscose) fibers, or non-fire-resistant cellulosic fibers. Fire-resistant nanoclay-modified fibers according to embodiments of the present invention are one of the types of fire-resistant fibers that may be used in the fire-resistant fabric of the present invention. Other types of fire-resistant fibers known in the art or yet to be developed may also be used in the fire-resistant fabric of the present invention, including, without limitation, silica-modified fibers, chemically-treated fibers, polyester fibers, and thermoplastic polymeric fibers. In an embodiment, the textile substrate 40 is a blend of cellulosic fibers and thermoplastic polymeric fibers. In an embodiment, the cellulosic fibers constitute from about 60% to about 90% of the textile substrate 40, with the balance of the textile substrate being thermoplastic polymer fibers. In an embodiment, the textile substrate 40 is one of a 60/40 blend, a 65/35 blend, a 70/30 blend, a 75/25 blend, an 80/20 blend, an 85/25 blend, and a 90/10 blend of cellulosic fibers/thermoplastic fibers. The selection and manufacture of appropriate textile substrates for use in the present invention will be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art and possession of the present disclosure.
In embodiments of the present invention, coatings 42, 44 are latex coatings filled with nanoclay particles 46. In other embodiments of the present invention (not shown), one of the upper and lower coatings 42, 44 contains nanoclay particles 46 and the other does not. In yet other embodiments of the present invention, the filler cloth 36 has only an upper coating 42 or a lower coating 44.
In embodiments of the present invention, the coatings 42, 44 are applied to the textile substrate 40 as flowable coating materials. In embodiments of the present invention, such flowable coating materials include a solvent (e.g., water), a binder (e.g., a latex binder), and nanoclay particles. In some embodiments, the flowable coating materials further include a pigment. In some embodiments, the flowable coating materials further include auxiliary chemistries, such as wetting agents, surfactants, or pigment stabilizers. The selection and use of appropriate solvents, binders, pigments, and auxiliary chemistries will be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art and possession of the present disclosure.
In embodiments of the present invention, the flowable coating material has a composition in which the nanoclay is present in the coating material in the range of about 1% to about 30% by weight. In some embodiments, the nanoclay is present in the flowable coating material in range of about 10% to about 20% by weight. Workable flowable coating materials have been discovered that include from about 10% to about 20% bentonite by weight in an aqueous suspension with about 5% acrylic latex as a binder. The total solids content of such workable coating materials is roughly 50% w/w. The foregoing amounts of nanoclay, binder, and other solids may be varied without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, as will be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art and possession of the present disclosure.
Continuing to refer to
In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the nanoclay is present in the filler cloth 36 in an amount of about 20% by weight of the filler cloth 36. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the nanoclay is present in the filler cloth 36 in an amount in the range of about 0.005% about 20% by weight of the filler cloth 36. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the nanoclay is present in the filler cloth 36 in an amount in the range of about 0.005% to about 10% by weight of the filler cloth 36. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the nanoclay is present in the filler cloth 36 in an amount in the range of about 1% to about 3% by weight of the filler cloth 36, although, in some embodiments, the nanoclay is present in the filler cloth 36 in an amount of up to about 5% of the filler cloth 36. The amounts of coating material and/or nanoclay added to the textile may be varied without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, as will be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art and possession of the present disclosure. In an embodiment of the present invention, the coated fabric has a weight in the range of 2 ounces per square yard to 8 ounces per square yard.
Referring now to
Apparatus 142 includes a supply 160 of a dispersion 162 of finely divided nanoclay material dispersed within a liquid carrier, the preferred liquid being water. The sheet 146 is passed to a station 170 where dispersion 162 is applied to each surface 148 of sheet 146, preferably through respective banks 172 of spray heads 174 which direct a fine mist spray 176 to each corresponding surface 148, as seen in
Upon leaving station 170, sheet 146 is directed back into oven 144 where the liquid carrier of the dispersion 162 within the interstices 152 is driven off, leaving nanoclay material deposited within the interstices 152 to be integrated with the sheet 146, in a layer 180 of nanoclay material extending along each surface 148 of the sheet 146, as seen in
It will be seen that the present invention attains all of the objects and advantages summarized above, namely: establishes enhanced flame retardant characteristics in high-ion fabric fire barriers constructed of non-woven inherently flame retardant fibers; provides high-loft fabric fire barriers of exceptional strength, durability and superior flame retardant characteristics; enables the economical manufacture of high-loft fabric fire barriers that exhibit exemplary performance, especially in the construction of mattresses, as well as in domestic bedding and upholstered items; utilizes inherently flame retardant fibers together with nanoclay material for attaining enhanced flame retardant characteristics for exemplary flame retardant performance in the nature of lower thermal transfer and reduced flame propagation, coupled with durability and strength, together with desirable physical characteristics, without the necessity for additional coating operations, or otherwise adding flame retardant chemistry, in order to attain requisite flame retardant properties; simplifies the manufacture of fabric fire barriers exhibiting a high degree of flame retardant performance, utilizing relatively simple, conventional manufacturing techniques; provides highly reliable flame retardant performance in high-loft fabric fire barriers and the like, intended for rugged, long-term service; provides a mattress construction that exhibits enhanced flame retardant characteristics; makes available a wide variety of economical fabric fire barriers for exemplary performance over an extended service life.
Further embodiments of coated filler cloths and other coated textile fabrics according to the present invention, as well as articles of manufacture incorporating such coated textile fabrics, are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/273,123, filed on May 8, 2014, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The following example is presented to demonstrate that nanoclay-modified fabrics of the present invention present superior reduction of thermal transfer and less shrinkage than coated fabrics without nanoclay.
Samples of a non-woven textile were coated with one of two coatings (i.e., Coating 1 and Coating 2) by a foam coating process. Coating 1 was an aqueous suspension having roughly 50% solids by weight, including a pigment, about 5% acrylic latex by weight as a binder, and auxiliary chemistry. Coating 2 had the same composition as Coating 1, except that it included about 10% bentonite (CLOISITE NA+, BYK Additives, Inc., Gonzales, Tex.) by weight. The coatings were applied to a stitch-bonded, non-woven blend of silica-filled FR rayon fibers (65%) and polyester fibers (35%).
The thermal transfer and shrinkage of the coated fabrics were tested using a vertical-burn test.
The test burn procedure used is discussed herein. After preparing and calibrating the test apparatus 48, a fabric sample 50 measuring 12 inches by 12 inches is cut from a roll of coated fabric, and secured in the sample frame 52. Liquid propane gas is delivered to a flame 54 at the outlet 62 of the gas jet 60 at a rate of about 5.1 liters per minute. The front side 56 of the test sample 50 is exposed to the flame 54 for 50 seconds, while the temperature at the back side 58 of the test sample 50 is measured and recorded. At the end of the burn, the test sample is allowed to cool and is examined. The maximum recorded temperature is reported, as well as any excessive charring, glowing, flaming, or shrinkage that was observed.
The results of the tests performed on fabrics prepared with Coating 1 or Coating 2 are presented in Table 1, wherein:
“N” is the number of samples tested;
“weight” is the average weight of the samples, reported in ounces per square yard (osy);
“thickness” is the average thickness of the samples, reported in inches;
“thermal transfer” is the maximum temperature measured at the back side of the test sample during the burn, reported in degrees Fahrenheit; and
“thermal shrinkage” is the percent reduction of the length of the sample.
It can be seen from Table 1 that Coating 2 performed better than Coating 1 in the burn tests, reducing thermal transfer by 30% and the extent of shrinkage by 10-15%. In addition, the average weight of the fabric coated with Coating 2 was only 6% greater than the average weight of the fabric coated with Coating 1. The use of coatings having nanoclay coatings would thus reduce the rate of flame propagation and provide a flame barrier, while protecting the structural integrity of the coated fabric.
It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely exemplary in nature and that a person skilled in the art may make many variations and modifications thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. All such variations and modifications, including those discussed above, are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as described in the appended claims.
The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/273,123, filed on May 8, 2014, and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/090,036, filed on Dec. 10, 2014, both of which applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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62090036 | Dec 2014 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14273123 | May 2014 | US |
Child | 14877611 | US |