MX2008008181A - Blowable insulation clusters made of natural material - Google Patents

Abstract

A blowable insulation material comprising random shaped blowable clusters which are comprised of natural fibers or material. In preferred embodiments, the clusters also comprise man-made fibers or materials. A process to produce the blowable clusters is also disclosed.

Description

CONGLOMERADOS DE AISLAM IENTO EXPAN DIBLES ELABORATED OF NATURAL MATERIAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to conglomerates similar to feathers and a method for manufacturing them. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There have been many attempts to achieve an insulating material having similar qualities to those of the plume for use in insulation articles such as garments, sleeping bags, bedspreads and the like. Previous efforts to develop a workable material have generally resulted in materials that are too heavy and dense to be considered similar to the pen. An exception to the present example, the US patent No. 4,588,635 issued to Donovan, which describes a superior synthetic feather and which has a specific reference to lightweight insulation systems, which can be achieved by the use of fine fibers in low density assemblies, and describes a range of blends of fibers that, when used to make an insulating wadding, provide advantageous qualities similar to those of the feather, such as a high rate of heating with respect to weight, a feeling of softness and a good recovery in compression. The material comes close, and in some cases could overcome the thermal insulation properties of the natural feather.

From a mechanical point of view, however, extremely fine fibers suffer from deficiencies of stiffness and strength that make them difficult to produce, manipulate and use. The recovery properties of said insulating synthetic material are improved by larger diameters in the fibers, but an increase in the component of the large fibers will severely reduce the overall properties of thermal insulation. The problems associated with the mechanical stability of thin fiber assemblies are exacerbated in wet conditions, since the surface tension forces associated with the presence of capillary water are considerably greater than those due to gravitational force or other load of normal use , and have a much more damaging effect on the structure. However, unlike what happens with waterfowl feather, the fiber combination described provides excellent resistance to moisture. Another exception is US patent no. 4,992,327 granted to Donovan on al. , which describes the use of fiber-bonding components to provide insulation integrity without compromising the desired attributes. More specifically, the invention described therein refers to synthetic fiber thermal insulation material in the form of a cohesive fiber structure, which includes a formation of: (a) from 70 to 95 weight percent synthetic polymer microfibers having a diameter of 3 to 1 2 microns; and (b) from 5 to 30 percent by weight of synthetic polymeric microfibers having a diameter of 1 2 to 50 microns, characterized because at least some of the fibers are joined at their points of contact, the joint being such that the density of the resulting structure is within the range of 3 to 16 kg / m 3, and the thermal insulation properties of the assembly The linkages are equal or not substantially less than the thermal insulation properties of a comparable unlinked assembly. The reference further discloses a plum type conglomerate from the preferred fiber blends. The clear performance advantages of the conglomerate on the wadding are also described in the patent.

However, these conglomerates of previous techniques are often manufactured by hand in slow and tedious batch processes. In addition, prior art materials were not readily expandable materials that could be used with conventional manufacturing equipment. Therefore, there was a need for an expandable material that could be used as a partial or total replacement for the pen, that could be manufactured and expanded using conventional equipment. Partly as a result of this need, expandable isolation conglomerates such as those described in U.S. Patent No. 6,329,051 were developed. The '651 patent discloses expandable conglomerates made from agglomerated crushed wadding or agglomerated mesh. The mesh or wadding was described as the same fiber mixture described in the '327 patent granted to Donovan. By shredding the batt or mesh formed by the materials described in the '327 patent, it was discovered that the conglomerates They had qualities similar to those of the feather, including thickness and insulation properties. Said conglomerates, in a mixture with natural material, are described in U.S. Patent No. 6,329,052. Note that the description of the aforementioned patents is incorporated herein by reference.

However, the expandable isolation conglomerates of the? 51 and '052 patents incorporate only synthetic fibers. In contrast, the present invention is directed to provide expandable insulation conglomerates made of natural man-made or natural materials in combination with man-made materials. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an expandable insulation material for use as a total or partial replacement of the pen. One embodiment of the present invention is an expandable insulation material that includes one or more of the materials such as wadding, mesh, bonded wadding, agglomerated mesh, a portion of agglomerated wadding, a portion of agglomerated mesh crushed one or more times into conglomerates expandable in random forms, formed from a mixture of fibers or natural materials, or in combination with fibers or man-made materials. In another preferred embodiment, the conglomerates include water-repellent or lubricating-finish fibers, and / or dry fiber and / or bond fiber mixed therewith. It also describes a process to produce the expandable conglomerates. The various novel features which characterize the invention are pointed out in specific in the appended claims, and which form a part of the present disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operational advantages and the specific objectives obtained by its use, reference is made to the attached descriptive matter in which the preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated. Therefore, the present invention, its objectives and advantages will be understood, taking its description in conjunction with the following detailed description. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In one embodiment of the present invention, the invention includes conglomerates made of fibers or natural materials, by themselves or in combination with fibers or man-made materials. The initial material may be a material that is in the form of a wadding or mesh, etc., as already mentioned, or another suitable form for the purposes, and may or may not be set with heat. For certain applications, the wadding or mesh may contain fiber with water repellent finish, with lubricant finish and / or dry fiber and / or bonding fiber. The wadding or mesh is then mechanically crushed once again into small conglomerates that are expandable and have desired properties similar to those of the feather. It is generally contemplated that a mesh (usually a single layer material) and a wadding (generally a multi-layer material), or parts thereof may be used to make the conglomerates of the invention. Natural fibers or materials considered within the scope of the present invention include but are not limited to wool, cotton, linen, animal hair, silk, feathers and other natural fibers or materials. The fiber conglomerates can be manufactured with a lightweight carding tape made of a suitable fibrous material or blend. By incorporating man-made fibers with natural fibers or material in a single batt, the mixture of the man-made fiber is preferably the fiber mixture described in U.S. Patent No. 4,992, 327, issued to Donovan et al. As already mentioned, this patent describes an insulation material in which the macrofibers can be joined together to form a support structure for the microfibers. The joint can also be between macrofibers and some of the microfibers at their various points of contact. Preferably, howeverWhen used, the joint is made between microfibers of the fibers made by man at their points of contact. This provides a support structure that contributes significantly to the mechanical properties of the insulation material. In addition, the fiber structure of the manmade component of the wadding generally includes 70 to 95 weight percent synthetic polymer microfibers having a diameter of 3 to 1 2 microns and 5 to 30 weight percent of macrofibres. synthetic polymer that have a diameter of 1 2 to 50 microns. Other preferred embodiments use fiber blends that include fibers with water repellent finish or fibers with lubricant finish and / or dry fiber and / or bond fiber. Commonly, a tape is first collected on the output side of a card, and when necessary or when desired, it passes directly through heated tubes which would thermally bond a blend of fiber in case of use. It is important that any bonding step employed be completely without shrinkage and densification of the foamed carding tape. Each end of the tape falls through a vertical tube, centered by guide rings, while the hot air is blown up through the tube, joining the set of fluted, linear fiber. Upon exiting the heated tube, the belt is attracted to the inlet side of a guillotine cut fiber cutter. A clean cut is achieved without the densification effects of fiber fusion in the cut. This method results in a collection of very spongy fiber conglomerates. A preferred method utilizes a wadding formed by folded card webs, although other fibrous shapes may be equally suitable. Note, however, that care should be taken if conventional cards are used in situations involving both natural and man-made materials, so that said carding does not separate, for example, the natural material, in this example, feathers, from the mesh . In addition, laps or card networks they are preferably formed in the interior of the batt with densities comparable to the characteristic densities of the feather. Card wraps or webs may also be prepared from bond fiber and / or dry fiber (ie, non-lubricating / antistatic) and / or water-repellent fibers from 0.5 to 6.0 denier. In a preferred method, the wraps or card meshes include bond fiber, dry fiber and water repellent fiber. These fibers can be a combination of natural and man-made fibers, and of the materials described above. Preferably, these selected fibers may be preferably carded as long as no unwanted separation occurs. Assembly by means of a single metallic cylinder card with static planes is possible. The result of the card can be sent through electric or gas heat sources to heat-set the bond fiber, for example, when a wadding of natural or man-made fibers is prepared. The batt is heated for a time and at a temperature sufficient to cause the fibers to bind, for example, between 148.88 and 204.44 ° C (300 and 400 ° F). After setting with heat, or if a wadding or heat setting screen is used, after the formation, the wadding is crushed, preferably twice in a mixer to form the expandable conglomerates. It is possible to modify other diverse variable factors to obtain the desired effects on the expandable conglomerates, these include: 1 . Increase the length of the cut to the cardable limit to improve the integrity and durability of the conglomerates; 2. Change the content of the binding fiber to "fine-tune" the crushing, the capacity to be cut, the cohesion and the performance characteristics of the conglomerates; 3. Vary the proportions of size, shape and appearance of the conglomerates; 4. Use ultrasonic mixing media if suitable for the purpose; 5. Crush the conglomerates more than once; 6. Grind only parts of the wadding or mesh. Those skilled in the art will realize that other factors may also have effects on the expandable conglomerates, and may be optimized for their intended purpose without exceeding the scope of the present invention. It has been observed that conglomerates crushed twice are commonly smoother and easier to mix than conglomerates that are crushed only once. In addition, it is possible to take strips of heat-set wadding tape that may have been cut, and then pass these portions through a standard crushing process to form the conglomerates. The invention further contemplates using mixtures of man-made fibers or a mixture of natural and man-made fiber blends not discussed above. These Mixing ranges limit the average diameter of the fiber to ensure a high level of insulation performance. In some cases, an average fiber diameter greater than that defined by the patents cited may be desirable. For example, fibers of relatively large diameters can be used if the final product is a pillow or mat, and compression stiffness is an important requirement. Also depending on the application, it may be desirable to mix the conglomerates thus formed in a mixture of one with other conglomerates made of different natural and / or man-made materials, or with natural or man-made fibers or materials, depending of the desired result sought. For the present invention, its advantages will be apparent, and although the preferred embodiments have been disclosed and described in detail here, its approach should not be limited, but determined by the appended claims.

Claims (10)

REVIVAL NAME IS

1 . An expandable insulation material that includes one or more of the materials taken from the group including wadding, mesh, agglomerated wadding, agglomerated mesh, a part of agglomerated wadding, a part of agglomerated mesh crushed one or more times in randomly expanded expandable conglomerates , formed of fibers or natural materials.

2. The expandable insulation material of claim 1, characterized in that the expandable conglomerates also include fibers or man-made materials.

3. The expandable insulation material of claim 1, characterized in that the wadding, mesh, agglomerated wadding, agglomerated mesh, a portion of agglomerated wadding and an agglomerated mesh portion include only fibers or natural materials.

4. The expandable insulation material of the claim 1, characterized in that the wadding, mesh, agglomerated wadding, agglomerated mesh, a part of agglomerated wadding and a part of agglomerated mesh include a combination of fibers or man-made and natural material.

5. The expandable insulation material of the claim 2, characterized in that the agglomerated wadding, agglomerated mesh, a part of agglomerated wadding and a part of agglomerated mesh are heat-set.

6. The expandable insulation material of the claim 5, characterized in that the expandable conglomerates include random fibers that are agglomerated together at a plurality of contact points. The expandable insulation material of claim 6, characterized in that man-made fibers include from 70 to 95 percent by weight of polymeric microfibers having a diameter of 3 to 1 2 microns and from 5 to 30 percent by weight. weight of synthetic polymeric macrofibers having a diameter of 1 2 to 50 microns. 8. The expandable insulation material of the claim 1, characterized in that the wadding, mesh, agglomerated wadding, agglomerated mesh, a part of agglomerated wadding and a part of agglomerated mesh include one or more of the group's materials that includes water-repellent or lubricant-finish fibers of 0.5 to 6.0 denier, dry fiber and bond fiber. 9. The expandable insulation material of claim 1, mixed with one or more of the following: natural material and man-made material. 10. The expandable insulation material of claim 2, mixed with one or more of the following: natural material and man-made material.