HK1096349A - High-strength, low-cost recyclable backing for fabrics and method for making same - Google Patents

Description

High strength, low cost, recyclable backings for fabrics and method of making same

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to a backing material for fabrics and a method of making the backing. More particularly, the present invention relates to a backing for fabrics such as carpets, rugs, mats and any other textile or product where it is necessary or desirable to bond any fiber or material to itself, to each other, to the backing and/or to a substrate. This includes tufted, non-tufted, woven, non-woven, knitted, velour-knitted or embroidered fabrics.

Background

Woven textiles are generally obtained by weaving two filaments, commonly referred to as the weft and warp yarns. A third ply (fluff) was included to make a woven carpet. The pile may be formed by free ends or loops. The loops are sometimes cut to form tufts. The tufts are sometimes also inserted individually rather than as part of a continuous weave, such as stitching the tufts to a previously woven or nonwoven fabric, or needling the fibers into a woven or nonwoven matrix.

For many woven and non-woven fabrics, it is desirable to apply a backing to the fabric. The backing may be applied to carpets, carpet tiles, moldable carpets, padding, coverings, pads, moldable pads, carpet tiles, moldable carpet tiles, and other applications. The backing may be used to achieve fiber lock and tuft lock performance, to provide stability and structural integrity to the fabric, to provide non-slip characteristics, and to provide various levels of flame retardant properties. A structural layer such as fiberglass may be included to the backing layer for additional strength and dimensional stability.

Traditionally, latex or hot melt adhesives have been used as textile backings, particularly for carpets, mats and tiles. Both adhesives provide strength, permeability and flexibility, which are important criteria for selecting a backing material. However, both adhesives have disadvantages.

The latex conventionally used requires the use of high energy drying ovens, which increases the operating costs. In addition, latex-based products lose strength when exposed to water and recover only a portion of their strength after drying. In addition to these disadvantages generally associated with latex, there are also product-specific disadvantages. For example, current products on the market for the washable mat and carpet industry use latex backings, but sacrifice fiber lock and tuft lock performance in order to achieve the desired non-slip and machine wash properties.

The hot melt construction conventionally used requires the use of special mixing devices, which increases the operating costs. In addition, hot melt requires the use of additives such as tackifiers and heat stabilizers, which increase product cost and also degrade and impair product performance over time.

Another material often used as carpet backing is polyvinyl chloride. However, it is known that such materials produce smoke and extremely toxic fumes when burned, and are therefore undesirable for indoor use.

Thus, there is a need for a backing material that is strong, durable, inexpensive, recyclable, capable of being applied to fabrics without the use of a drying oven, capable of eliminating the need for undesirable processing aids, and capable of incorporating designated additives without degrading or impairing the performance of the product required for enhancement of a particular product. The present invention satisfies this need. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the appended specification.

Summary of The Invention

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a backing material for use on fabrics that is strong, inexpensive, and can be easily and energy efficiently produced and applied.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a backing material for woven fabrics that is strong, inexpensive, flame retardant, and can be easily and energy efficiently produced and applied. Some of these fabrics include swimming pool covers and primary backings for carpet tufting.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a backing material for nonwoven fabrics which is strong, inexpensive, flame retardant, and can be easily and energy efficiently produced and applied. Some of these fabrics include mattress covers, nonwoven primary backings for carpet tufting, and fabrics for cured in place piping.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a backing material for fabrics where it is necessary or desirable to bond any fiber or material to itself, to each other, to another backing and/or to a substrate. These fabrics include tufted, non-tufted, woven, non-woven, knitted, velour-knitted, or needlework fabrics.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a backing material that is easily recyclable.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a backing material that can include performance additives and fillers.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method of making such a backing material.

Briefly, in accordance with the above, the present invention provides a backing material made using an extrusion mixing process whereby the raw materials are mixed in series rather than being subjected to a separate mixing operation. By extrusion compounding with high melt index low density polyethylene, polypropylene, high density polyethylene, tougheners, and/or other additives, a backing material is produced that has a more suitable combination of strength, permeability, and flexibility than backings made with other materials or methods.

The backing material of the present invention has superior bundle penetration/fiber lock, tuft bind/stitch lock, wet tuft bind, lamination strength, dimensional stability, fire and flame height test results, and moisture resistance test results compared to backing materials known in the art.

In addition, because an extrusion compounding process is utilized, rather than processes that require tackifiers, heat stabilizers, or the addition of other impurities, the unused materials and post-consumer waste are easily recycled by grinding and reintroducing the unused materials into the extrusion compounding process. The backing material is not water-based, which eliminates the need for a drying oven. The backing material is insoluble so that it retains its strength when exposed to water and/or steam. The backing material is non-abrasive and durable, providing lamination strength, flame retardancy, and smoke performance. The backing material is lighter and requires less energy to produce than the control backing material. The methods and combinations of ingredients set forth herein eliminate the introduction of thermally degradable ingredients and those ingredients that would otherwise degrade in the presence of moisture or water. In addition, extrusion compounding allows for the efficient incorporation of ingredients such as flame retardants, antimicrobial agents, odor minimization/elimination agents, structured fillers, fragrance additives, and sun, salt, oil, gasoline, diesel, and petroleum protection agents or inhibitors.

Brief Description of Drawings

The organization and manner of the structure and operation of the invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are designated by like reference numerals:

FIG. 1 is a detail view of a method of applying a backing material incorporating features of the present invention to a fabric;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a product produced using the method described in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the method shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a detail view of a method of applying a backing material incorporating features of the present invention to a fabric and structural substrate;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a product produced using the method described in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the method shown in FIG. 4;

fig. 7 is a flow diagram of another embodiment of the method shown in fig. 3.

Detailed Description

While the invention may be susceptible to embodiments in different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will be described in detail specific embodiments herein with the understanding that: the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to that illustrated and described herein.

Backing materials are materials that are applied to fabrics such as carpets, carpet tiles, moldable carpets, padding, covers, mats, moldable mats, carpet tiles, and other applications to achieve fiber lock performance, tuft lock performance, enhanced stability and structural integrity, slip resistance characteristics, and/or flame retardancy. The backing material of the preferred embodiment of the present invention has a high melt index low density polyethylene ("LDPE") and a base of toughener. Other LDPE or high density polyethylene ("HDPE") can be used to increase strength and as a cost-reduced polymeric replacement for high melt index LDPE and/or tougheners. Although HDPE is more expensive than LDPE, HDPE is superior to LDPE in strength, scratch resistance, abrasion resistance, dimensional stability. The choice of which of these two materials to use depends on the requirements of the application and the cost of the available articles.

A typical composition of the backing material of the present invention is some combination of the following ingredients having the following properties:

LDPE has the following properties:

i. low molecular weight, i.e. number average molecular weight M_nLess than about 10,000, or heavyAverage molecular weight M_wLess than about 35,000; and/or

High melt index (MI greater than about 1,000); and/or

A specific gravity less than or equal to 0.92;

HDPE specific gravity greater than 0.92;

3. high melt index (MI greater than about 1,000) polypropylene (requiring crosslinking to achieve higher strength);

4. tougheners for providing flexibility to backing materials, such as closed-geometry catalyzed low density polyethylene (specific gravity less than about 0.9), ethylene methacrylate, ethylene vinyl acetate, ethylene butyl modified polyethylene, KRATON^Rubber and other thermoplastic elastomers or thermoplastic rubbers;

5. fillers such as magnesium hydroxide (sometimes referred to as brucite), Portland (Portland) cement and calcium oxide, for providing strength, flame retardancy, and water setting (aquasetting), or post-consumer and/or in-production recycled thermoplastics;

6. stearic acid, used to prepare dispersing agents, such as magnesium or calcium stearate, to increase the ability of the toughening agent to mix with LDPE, HDPE and polyethylene;

7. additives such as flame retardants, antimicrobial agents, odor eliminators, odor minimization agents, fragrances, and inhibitors against sunlight, salt, oil, gasoline, diesel, or other petroleum derivatives (as desired, depending on the specific application and requirements of the consumer).

The use of these components is less expensive than the components of the backing material known in the prior art. These ingredients produce a backing material that is insoluble in water and therefore retains strength when exposed to water or steam, which provides an advantage over prior art backing materials that weaken when exposed to water or that contain thermally degradable additives. Backing materials made from these materials are non-abrasive and durable, having a lighter weight than backing materials known in the art, all of which criteria are important to consumers.

The proportions of ingredients used to make such backing materials depend on the end use of the fabric to which the backing material is to be applied.

The backing material for loop carpet is a mixture of low molecular weight, high melt index LDPE, low specific gravity, average melt index LDPE or HDPE, high melt index polypropylene, a toughening agent, and an antimicrobial agent. The following table lists preferred formulations and concentration ranges for these ingredients:

table 1A: loop pile carpet

Composition (I)	Percentage of use	Preferred formulation
			1. Low molecular weight, high melt index LDPE	22-53％	40％
2. Low specific gravity average melt index LDPE or HDPE	22-53％	8％
			3. High melt index polypropylene	0-10％	According to the needs
4. Toughening agent	0-25％	12％
			5. Antimicrobial agents or other additives	0-2％	According to the needs
6. Filler material	25-60％	40％

The backing material for cut pile carpet is a mixture of low molecular weight, high melt index LDPE, low specific gravity, average melt index LDPE or HDPE, high melt index polypropylene, toughening agent, antimicrobial agent and filler. The following table lists preferred formulations and concentration ranges for these ingredients:

table 1B: cut pile carpet

Composition (I)	Percentage of use	Preferred formulation
			1. Low molecular weight, high melt index LDPE	15-38％	20％
2. Low specific gravity average melt index LDPE or HDPE	15-60％	15％
			3. High melt index polypropylene	0-10％	According to the needs
4. Toughening agent	0-25％	15％
			5. Antimicrobial agents or other additives	0-2％	According to the needs
6. Filler material	25-60％	50％

The backing material for car or boat carpets is a mixture of low molecular weight, high melt index LDPE, low specific gravity, average melt index LDPE or HDPE, high melt index polypropylene, toughening agents, antimicrobial agents and fillers. The following table lists preferred formulations and concentration ranges for these ingredients:

table 1C: carpet for vehicle or ship

Composition (I)	Percentage of use	Preferred formulation
			1. Low molecular weight, high melt index LDPE	15-38％	20％
2. Low specific gravity average melt index LDPE or HDPE	15-60％	15％
			3. High melt index polypropylene	0-10％	According to the needs
4. Toughening agent	0-15％	15％
			5. Antimicrobial agents or other additives	0-2％	According to the needs
6. Filler material	25-60％	50％

The backing material of a washable rug or mat, such as a bath mat, is a mixture of low molecular weight, high melt index LDPE, low specific gravity, average molecular weight LDPE or HDPE, a toughening agent, an antimicrobial agent, and a filler. The following table lists preferred formulations and concentration ranges for these ingredients:

table 1D: washable block carpet or pad

Composition (I)	Percentage of use	Preferred formulation
			1. Low molecular weight, high melt index LDPE	0-38％	20％
2. Low specific gravity average melt index LDPE or HDPE	0-50％	According to the needs
			3. High melt index polypropylene	0	0
4. Toughening agent	0-100％	40％
			5. Antimicrobial agents or other additives	0-2％	According to the needs
6. Filler material	0-60％	40％

Skid resistant absorbent pads are typically made from an absorbent nonwoven material with a backing material that is a mixture of LDPE or HDPE, a toughening agent, an antimicrobial agent, and a filler. The following table lists preferred formulations and concentration ranges for these ingredients:

table 1E: anti-skid absorption pad

Composition (I)	Percentage of use	Preferred formulation
			1. Low molecular weight, high melt index LDPE	0	0
2. Low specific gravity average melt index LDPE or HDPE	0-50％	According to the needs
			3. High melt index polypropylene	0	0
4. Toughening agent	0-100％	50％
			5. Antimicrobial agents or other additives	0-2％	According to the needs
6. Filler material	0-70％	50％

The backing material of the woven polypropylene fabric is a mixture of LDPE or HDPE, high melt index, low density and/or high density polyethylene, toughening agents, biocides and fillers. The following table lists preferred formulations and concentration ranges for these ingredients:

table 1F: woven polypropylene fabric

Composition (I)	Percentage of use	Preferred formulation
			1. Low molecular weight, high melt index LDPE	0-25％	According to the needs
2. Low specific gravity average melt index LDPE or HDPE	0-75％	50％
			3. High melt index polypropylene	0	0
4. Toughening agent	0-50％	25％
			5. Antimicrobial agents or other additives	0-2％	According to the needs
6. Filler material	0-50％	25％

The backing material of the nonwoven fabric is a mixture of LDPE or HDPE, high melt index polypropylene, a toughening agent, an antimicrobial agent, and a filler. The following table lists preferred formulations and concentration ranges for these ingredients:

table 1G: nonwoven fabric

Composition (I)	Percentage of use	Preferred formulation
			1. Low molecular weight, high melt index LDPE	0	0
2. Low specific gravity average melt index LDPE or HDPE	0-100％	30％
			3. High melt index polypropylene	0-25％	According to the needs
4. Toughening agent	0-100％	70％
			5. Antimicrobial agents or other additives	0-2％	According to the needs
6. Filler material	0-50％	According to the needs

The present inventors have found that: low molecular weight, high melt index LDPE provides superior bundle permeability when used with fabrics having pile, such as carpets. Conventionally, low molecular weight, high melt index LDPE has not been applied in extruders and is difficult to extrude. However, it has been found that: the novel combination of low molecular weight, high melt index LDPE and a toughening agent is extrudable in a co-rotating twin screw extruder.

The preferred toughening agent is closed geometry catalyzed LDPE. This material can be used in a wide range and is therefore available at lower cost than other tougheners, but more expensive virgin materials can also be used. As noted above, other toughening agents are useful, but are generally more expensive.

Thus, the backing material of the present invention is preferably made by metering the ingredients into an underfeed co-rotating twin screw extruder. Co-rotating twin screw extruders can operate at higher process rotation speeds than counter-rotating twin screw extruders or single screw extruders and are therefore more efficient and versatile. Furthermore, the use of co-rotating screws produces higher shear at the mixing point, allowing processing at lower pressures and temperatures, which is easier and more efficient than methods known in the prior art.

The backing material produced using the in-line extrusion compounding process has more satisfactory strength, permeability and flexibility than backing materials known in the art. Furthermore, the inline extrusion mixing of the above ingredients produces a backing material with superior bundle permeability/fiber lock, tuft bind/stitch lock, wet tuft bind, lamination strength, dimensional stability, fire and flame height test results, moisture resistance test results compared to backing materials known in the prior art.

Mixing in the extruder is used instead of a barrier operation, which also allows for the introduction of ingredients such as fillers, toughening agents and performance enhancers such as biocides. For example, flame retardants, including but not limited to magnesium hydroxide, may be added to the extrusion mixture. A wide variety of antimicrobial agents well known in the art may be added to the extruder mixture. Any desired type of flavor can be added to the extruder mixture. Portland cement or other inorganic materials may be added to the extrusion mixture to maintain or increase the strength of the backing material. If stearic acid is added to the extrusion mixture, the stearic acid will react and produce a dispersing agent such as magnesium stearate or calcium stearate. Photoresist chemicals are well known in the art and may be added to the extrusion mixture. Odor minimization and odor elimination agents are well known in the art and may be added to the extrusion mixture. Materials for protection from sunlight, salt or petroleum derived materials such as gasoline, oil, diesel or other petroleum fuels or petrochemicals are well known in the art and may be added to the extrusion mixture.

Moreover, the above-described in-line extrusion compounding process eliminates the need for tackifiers, heat stabilizers, or other impurities required by processes known in the art. For unused backing material, whether it be an industrial surplus or post-consumer waste, it is readily recycled by grinding the unused backing material and reintroducing it into the extruder.

The preferred processing temperature during the step of mixing the ingredients in the extruder depends on the temperature range in which the polymer remains stable and the temperature range that provides the best properties for the final product. The following table lists these treatment temperature ranges and preferred treatment temperatures of the present invention:

table 4: processing temperature Range (F)

Method of producing a composite material	Polymer stability	Product performance	Preferred operation
				1. Mixing	200-600	250-500	325-425
2. Pumping	200-600	325-500	375-450
				3. Coating of	200-600	325-500	375-450
4. Fabric preheating	75-300	120-240	150-200
				5. Cooling down	32-175	70-150	75-110

By using extrusion, the recipe can be changed during the run, saving processing time by reducing or eliminating the set up time.

Fig. 1 shows the components of a method of applying a backing material 2 that incorporates features of the invention to a fabric 4 such as a carpet. Figure 2 shows the product produced using the method described in figure 1. The composite 22 shown in fig. 2 is comprised of a fabric 4 and a backing material 2. Fig. 3 is a flow chart of the method.

The roll 6 of fabric 4 is mounted to the let-off mechanism 8 (step 201). The fabric 4 is fed to the nip 10 of a pair of pressure rolls 12, 14 that are running (step 203). The roll 14 is cooled. The backing material 2 has been mixed and heated above the melting point in a twin screw extruder 16 (step 205) and the backing material 2 is pushed through a die 18 and into the nip 10 formed by rolls 12, 14 (step 207). The pressure at nip point 10 is preferably sufficient to bond backing material 2 to fabric 2. Additionally, if the fabric contains fluff, the pressure at nip 10 is preferably sufficient to cause the backing material to penetrate the fluff bundles and provide a fiber lock function in the fabric backing material composite 22. In a preferred embodiment, the pressure is in excess of 100 pounds per linear inch, adjusted for different types of fabrics.

Guide roll 20 draws fabric 4 around roll 14, bringing fabric 4 and backing material 2 into contact with chill roll 14 for as long as possible to harden backing material 2 (step 209). The now bonded fabric-backing material composite 22 is then fed through guide rolls 24, 26, 28 for final inspection prior to transport (step 211) to a take-up device 30 where it is wound into a transport roll 32 (step 213).

FIG. 4 shows the components of a method of applying a backing material to incorporate the features and structural substrates of the present invention onto a fabric such as a carpet. The structural matrix imparts greater strength and dimensional stability to the fabric. The structural substrate may be woven or non-woven, and can be made of fiberglass, basalt, polypropylene, polyolefin, polymeric non-olefin (non-olefin), polyamide, polyester, nylon, or any other thread, yarn, fiber, filament, or network, or any combination of these materials. The structural matrix may also be a pre-formed foam such as a thermoplastic or thermoset material, and may be a chemically blown foam or a mechanically blown foam, stable or unstable. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a product made by the method shown in fig. 4. The composite 124 is comprised of a fabric 104, such as cut pile carpet, backing material 118, and structural substrate 110. Fig. 6 is a flow chart of the method.

To apply the backing material 118 of the present invention to the fabric 104 and the structural substrate 110, the roll 102 of fabric 104 is mounted to the first let-off mechanism 106 (step 301). A roll 108 of structural substrate 110 is mounted to a second let-off mechanism 112 (step 303). The dancer roll 138 is used to maintain a constant tension on the structural substrate 110. The dancer roll or "dancer roll" is conventional and will not be described. Both the web 104 and the substrate 110 are fed to an operating nip 112 of a pair of rolls 114, 116 (step 305).

Backing material 118, which has been mixed in a twin screw extruder 120 and heated above its melting point (step 307), is pushed through a die 122 (step 309) into nip 112 formed by rolls 114, 116 between fabric 104 and substrate 110. The pressure of the pressure rollers 114, 116 bonds the fabric 104 to the substrate 110 while the backing material 118 penetrates the fabric 104 and the substrate 110. The roller 116 is cooled. Guide roll 123 draws the now-bonded fabric-backing material-matrix composite 124 around roll 116, bringing the fabric-backing material-matrix composite 124 into contact with chill roll 116 for as long as possible to harden backing material 118 (step 311). The composite 124 is fed for inspection (step 313) via the guide rolls 130, 132, 134 and then to the windup 126 for shaping into the transport roll 128 (step 315).

In another embodiment of the illustrated process of fig. 1 and 4, the chill roll 14 or 116 can be patterned (projecting) on its surface. The pattern is pressed into the backing material surface as the fabric and backing material are pressed between the roll 12 and the chill roll 14 or between the roll 114 and the chill roll 116. The pattern may be knurling (knurl), design, texture, or other pattern. The pattern may provide slip or skid resistance properties to the fabric, or increase adhesion, and may be useful in carpets and some other applications. The pattern may also be an aesthetic design, texture, or pattern, or may display a logo, trademark, or other identifying object.

In another embodiment of the illustrated process of fig. 1 and 2, the fabric is preheated at preheating station 136 and then fed to the running nip 10 or 112. The preheat temperature is selected based on the weight, construction and type of fabric, but is preferably between 120 and 275F. The preheating step may be accomplished by contact, such as rolling the fabric over a steam, oil or electrically heated contact roller and plate; or by non-contact methods such as infrared radiant heating or forced air.

Alternatively, the backing material of the present invention can be manufactured, solidified, stored in bulk, later remelted and applied to the fabric. This method is illustrated in fig. 7. Steps 201 to 205 and 209 to 213 are the same as described in fig. 3. In this alternative method, the backing material is again preferably made by: the ingredients are mixed in a co-rotating twin screw extruder and the ingredients are heated above the melting point of the mixture. The backing material is then forced through a die and cooled to solidify (step 401). The backing material can then be stored in bulk until needed.

For example, the backing material may be cooled and stored in a drum. When needed, the backing material is re-melted with a conventional roller furnace (step 403), pumped directly to the die or to a standard extruder for delivery to the die (step 405) for application to the fabric. This application step does not require the more expensive twin screw extruder described above, since the backing material is already made and only needs to be remelted and applied.

Alternatively, the backing material of the present invention can be manufactured, solidified into a mass, strip or pellet, stored, later remelted and applied to the fabric. In this alternative method, the backing material is again preferably made by: the ingredients are mixed in a co-rotating twin screw extruder and the ingredients are heated above the melting point of the mixture. The backing material is then forced through a die and cooled to solidify before being processed into a block, strip or pellet (step 401). The equipment associated with the processing into blocks, strips or pellets is conventional and need not be described again. The backing material is then stored until needed. In this alternative process, the pellets may be introduced into a standard single screw extruder for remelting (step 403) and extruded through a die into a fabric (step 404). The pieces, strands or pellets may be liquefied in a heated mixer or other suitable melting device (step 403), pumped directly to a mold or pumped to a standard single screw extruder for delivery to a mold (step 404) for application to the fabric.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is anticipated that various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

(modification according to article 19 of the treaty)

1. A backing material for fabrics comprising a mixture comprising: a toughening agent, and at least one of low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, and polypropylene.

2. The backing material of claim 1, wherein the low density polyethylene has at least one of the following properties: a number average molecular weight of less than about 10,000, a weight average molecular weight of less than about 35,000, a melt index of greater than about 1,000, and a specific gravity of less than 0.92.

3. The backing material of claim 1, wherein the polypropylene has a melt index greater than about 1,000.

4. The backing material of claim 1, wherein the toughening agent comprises at least one of: thermoplastic elastomers, thermoplastic rubbers, closed geometry catalyzed low density polyethylene, ethylene methacrylate, ethylene vinyl acetate, and ethylene butyl modified polyethylene.

5. The backing material of claim 1, further comprising at least one filler.

6. The backing material of claim 5, wherein the filler comprises at least one of: magnesium hydroxide, stearic acid, portland cement, calcium carbonate, and calcium oxide.

7. The backing material of claim 1, further comprising at least one additive.

8. The backing material of claim 7, wherein the additive comprises at least one of: flame retardants, antimicrobials, odor eliminators, odor minimization agents, fragrances, light inhibitors, salt inhibitors, and petroleum derivative inhibitors.

9. A method of applying a backing material to a fabric, comprising the steps of:

mixing the ingredients in an extruder to produce a backing material;

forcing the material directly through a die onto a fabric; and

cooling the material.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the extruder is a twin screw extruder.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the extruder is a co-rotating twin screw extruder.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the extruder is a starved co-rotating twin screw extruder.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the composition comprises: a toughening agent, and at least one of low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, and polypropylene.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the low density polyethylene has at least one of the following properties: a number average molecular weight of less than about 10,000, a weight average molecular weight of less than about 35,000, a melt index of greater than about 1,000, and a specific gravity of less than 0.92.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the toughening agent comprises at least one of: closed geometry catalyzed low density polyethylene, ethylene methacrylate, ethylene vinyl acetate, ethylene butyl modified polyethylene, thermoplastic elastomers, and thermoplastic rubbers.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the composition further comprises at least one filler.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the filler comprises at least one of: magnesium hydroxide, stearic acid, portland cement, calcium carbonate, and calcium oxide.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the composition further comprises at least one additive.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one additive comprises at least one of: flame retardants, antimicrobials, odor eliminators, odor minimization agents, fragrances, light inhibitors, salt inhibitors, and petroleum derivative inhibitors.

20. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of: curing the backing material after the mixing step, and liquefying the cured backing material prior to the forcing step.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of pelletizing the backing material.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the liquefying step comprises melting the solidified backing material in at least one of a twin screw extruder, a single screw extruder, a roller melter, and a heated mixer.

23. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of preheating the fabric.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the preheating step comprises at least one of: contacting the fabric with a heating surface, and heating the fabric with at least one of hot air and radiant heat.

25. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of embossing a pattern in the backing material.

26. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of bonding the fabric to a structural substrate.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the structural matrix is comprised of at least one of: fiberglass, basalt, polypropylene, polyolefin, polymeric non-olefins, polyamide, polyester, and nylon.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the structural matrix comprises a pre-formed foam.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the foam comprises at least one of: thermoplastic materials, thermoset materials, chemical blown materials, and mechanical blown materials.

30. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of applying pressure to the backing material and the fabric.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of embossing a pattern in the backing material.

32. A fabric and backing material composition consisting of:

a fabric; and

a backing material comprising a mixture comprising: a toughening agent, and at least one of low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, and polypropylene, the mixture being extruded directly onto the fabric.

33. The composition of claim 32, wherein the low density polyethylene has at least one of the following properties: a number average molecular weight of less than about 10,000, a weight average molecular weight of less than about 35,000, a melt index of greater than about 1,000, and a specific gravity of less than 0.92.

34. The composition of claim 32 wherein the polypropylene has a melt index greater than about 1,000.

35. The composition of claim 32, wherein the toughening agent comprises at least one of: thermoplastic elastomers, thermoplastic rubbers, closed geometry catalyzed low density polyethylene, ethylene methacrylate, ethylene vinyl acetate, and ethylene butyl modified polyethylene.

36. The composition of claim 32, further comprising at least one filler.

37. The composition of claim 36, wherein the filler comprises at least one of: magnesium hydroxide, stearic acid, portland cement, calcium carbonate, and calcium oxide.

38. The composition of claim 32, further comprising at least one additive.

39. The composition of claim 38, wherein the additive comprises at least one of the following: flame retardants, antimicrobials, odor eliminators, odor minimization agents, fragrances, light inhibitors, salt inhibitors, and petroleum derivative inhibitors.

40. The composition of claim 32, further comprising a structural matrix.

41. The composition of claim 40, wherein the structural matrix is comprised of filaments of at least one of: fiberglass, basalt, polypropylene, polyolefin, polymeric non-olefins, polyamide, polyester, and nylon.

42. The composition of claim 40, wherein the structural matrix comprises a preformed foam.

43. The composition of claim 42, wherein the foam comprises at least one of: thermoplastic materials, thermoset materials, chemical blown materials, and mechanical blown materials.

44. The composition of claim 32, further comprising a pattern embossed in the backing material.

Claims (44)

1. A backing material for fabrics, comprising: a toughening agent, and at least one of low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, and polypropylene.

2. The backing material of claim 1, wherein the low density polyethylene has at least one of the following properties: a number average molecular weight of less than about 10,000, a weight average molecular weight of less than about 35,000, a melt index of greater than about 1,000, and a specific gravity of less than 0.92.

3. The backing material of claim 1, wherein the polypropylene has a melt index greater than about 1,000.

4. The backing material of claim 1, wherein the toughening agent comprises at least one of: thermoplastic elastomers, thermoplastic rubbers, closed geometry catalyzed low density polyethylene, ethylene methacrylate, ethylene vinyl acetate, and ethylene butyl modified polyethylene.

5. The backing material of claim 1, further comprising at least one filler.

6. The backing material of claim 5, wherein the filler comprises at least one of: magnesium hydroxide, stearic acid, portland cement, calcium carbonate, and calcium oxide.

7. The backing material of claim 1, further comprising at least one additive.

8. The backing material of claim 7, wherein the additive comprises at least one of: flame retardants, antimicrobials, odor eliminators, odor minimization agents, fragrances, light inhibitors, salt inhibitors, and petroleum derivative inhibitors.

9. A method of applying a backing material to a fabric, comprising the steps of:

mixing the ingredients in an extruder to produce a backing material;

forcing the material through a die onto a fabric; and

cooling the material.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the extruder is a twin screw extruder.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the extruder is a co-rotating twin screw extruder.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the extruder is a starved co-rotating twin screw extruder.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the composition comprises: a toughening agent, and at least one of low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, and polypropylene.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the low density polyethylene has at least one of the following properties: a number average molecular weight of less than about 10,000, a weight average molecular weight of less than about 35,000, a melt index of greater than about 1,000, and a specific gravity of less than 0.92.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the toughening agent comprises at least one of: closed geometry catalyzed low density polyethylene, ethylene methacrylate, ethylene vinyl acetate, ethylene butyl modified polyethylene, thermoplastic elastomers, and thermoplastic rubbers.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the composition further comprises at least one filler.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the filler comprises at least one of: magnesium hydroxide, stearic acid, portland cement, calcium carbonate, and calcium oxide.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the composition further comprises at least one additive.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one additive comprises at least one of: flame retardants, antimicrobials, odor eliminators, odor minimization agents, fragrances, light inhibitors, salt inhibitors, and petroleum derivative inhibitors.

20. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of: curing the backing material after the mixing step, and liquefying the cured backing material prior to the forcing step.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of pelletizing the backing material.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the liquefying step comprises melting the solidified backing material in at least one of a twin screw extruder, a single screw extruder, a roller melter, and a heated mixer.

23. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of preheating the fabric.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the preheating step comprises at least one of: contacting the fabric with a heating surface, and heating the fabric with at least one of hot air and radiant heat.

25. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of embossing a pattern in the backing material.

26. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of bonding the fabric to a structural substrate.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the structural matrix is comprised of at least one of: fiberglass, basalt, polypropylene, polyolefin, polymeric non-olefins, polyamide, polyester, and nylon.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the structural matrix comprises a pre-formed foam.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the foam comprises at least one of: thermoplastic materials, thermoset materials, chemical blown materials, and mechanical blown materials.

30. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of applying pressure to the backing material and the fabric.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of embossing a pattern in the backing material.

32. A fabric and backing material composition consisting of:

a fabric; and

a backing material comprising a toughening agent and at least one of low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene and polypropylene.

33. The composition of claim 32, wherein the low density polyethylene has at least one of the following properties: a number average molecular weight of less than about 10,000, a weight average molecular weight of less than about 35,000, a melt index of greater than about 1,000, and a specific gravity of less than 0.92.

34. The composition of claim 32 wherein the polypropylene has a melt index greater than about 1,000.

35. The composition of claim 32, wherein the toughening agent comprises at least one of: thermoplastic elastomers, thermoplastic rubbers, closed geometry catalyzed low density polyethylene, ethylene methacrylate, ethylene vinyl acetate, and ethylene butyl modified polyethylene.

36. The composition of claim 32, further comprising at least one filler.

37. The composition of claim 36, wherein the filler comprises at least one of: magnesium hydroxide, stearic acid, portland cement, calcium carbonate, and calcium oxide.

38. The composition of claim 32, further comprising at least one additive.

39. The composition of claim 38, wherein the additive comprises at least one of the following: flame retardants, antimicrobials, odor eliminators, odor minimization agents, fragrances, light inhibitors, salt inhibitors, and petroleum derivative inhibitors.

40. The composition of claim 32, further comprising a structural matrix.

41. The composition of claim 40, wherein the structural matrix is comprised of filaments of at least one of: fiberglass, basalt, polypropylene, polyolefin, polymeric non-olefins, polyamide, polyester, and nylon.

42. The composition of claim 40, wherein the structural matrix comprises a preformed foam.

43. The composition of claim 42, wherein the foam comprises at least one of: thermoplastic materials, thermoset materials, chemical blown materials, and mechanical blown materials.

44. The composition of claim 32, further comprising a pattern embossed in the backing material.