HK1115367A - Filling material - Google Patents

Description

Filling material

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a filling material for filling articles such as bedding.

The invention further relates to a method for preparing a filling material for filling articles such as bedding.

The invention also relates to a device for producing a filling material for filling articles such as bedding.

Background

Fibrous packing materials are used to fill bedding articles such as pillows, sleeping bags, and quilts to provide comfort and thermal insulation.

EP 0203469B 1 discloses an example of a fibrous filler material in the form of repeating fluffy fiber balls made of entangled siliconized staple fibers. The fibre balls according to this document are supplied by ADVANSA polyester Gmbh of Hamm, Germany and sold under the trade names Comforel ® T-287, Comforel ® supreme and others.

Although the fiber balls disclosed in EP 0203469B 1 have excellent properties as filling materials, providing excellent bulk, i.e. the ability to fill larger volumes with lower quality fiber balls, good softness and good compression recovery, in certain applications, inside a pillow filling the fiber balls, it has a tactile impression with a specific feel to the unique structure. The pillow filled with the fiber balls may have a certain "grainy" feel to the touch. This "grainy" feel is detrimental to the soft touch of objects such as pillows filled with the filling material.

In applications where a "grainy" feel is not desired, it is common practice to fill pillows with down or a combination of down and feather. The filling material, which comprises a combination of down and a large amount of feathers, e.g., 25-75% feathers, has a relatively low capacity to expand the pillow, i.e., poor loft, and thus a "flat" feel, and discomfort due to the large amount of feathered hard center feathered roots being felt through the pillow fabric. On the other hand, filling materials containing most down, for example 90% down and only 10% down, are very expensive andafter compression, recovery is too rapid. This means that objects such as pillows, for example, filled with such down material only, after compression, recover their original dimensions very quickly. Thus, pillows filled with specialized down material may create a feeling of recovery too quickly after compression. This "pronounced elastic" feeling is felt in Comforel^®This is also felt to be detrimental to the comfort of the filling material to the human body. Comfort refers to the pressure on parts of the human body such as the head that is generated by an object such as a pillow. The desired good comfort means that the pillow exerts less pressure on the head of the person lying on it. However, it is difficult to obtain a combination of down and feathers that provides both good loft and high comfort.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fibrous wadding material which has a higher bulk, i.e. a higher capacity to fill larger volumes with a low weight material, and which after compression recovers slowly and thus has a good comfort and a high relative softness to together form a very attractive subjective softness.

This object is achieved by a filling material for filling into articles of bedding or the like, characterized in that the filling material comprises polyester fibers having an average size of 0.5 to 2.5 dtex, coated with a smoothing agent and crimped, the fibers being cut to an average length of 4 to 15mm and opened.

The advantage of such a filling material is that it fills objects with a very soft touch and good comfort. Therefore, in applications such as high-grade pillows where soft feeling and comfort are very important, the filling material is suitable to replace the special-type down. And for example Comforel^®The filling material of the present invention has a lighter "granular" feel than a high quality polyester filling material such as T-287. The filling material of the present invention provides a common improvement over down, in terms of high loft, good comfort and soft feel.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an efficient method of forming a padding material suitable for padding into articles such as bedding where a soft feel and good comfort are important.

This object is achieved by a method according to the preamble, characterized by the steps of:

providing a polyester fiber tow having an average size of 0.5 to 2.5 dtex and subjected to smoothing treatment,

the fibers are crimped in a manner such that,

cutting the fibers to an average length of 4 to 15mm, an

Opening the fibers.

The advantage of this method is that it provides an efficient method for producing synthetic filling materials with very good comfort properties. Another advantage of the resulting product, relative to a net-like product, is that the product of the invention is easy to transport and transported by means of an air stream to fill an object such as a pillow.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for forming the material of the present invention.

This object is achieved by a device according to the preamble, characterized in that the device comprises:

a first opening section including a first gap formed between a first rotating opening roller and an adjacent surface, the surface of the first opening roller having a protruding structure,

a first feeding device for feeding the polyester fiber having an average size of 0.5 to 2.5 dtex and an average cut length of 4 to 15mm, which has been subjected to smoothing and crimping treatment, into a first slit,

a second opening section including a second gap formed between a second rotary opening roller and an adjacent surface, the surface of the second opening roller having a raised structure,

a second feeding device for feeding the partially opened polyester fibers from the first opening part into a second gap, wherein the fibers are opened by a second opening roller, and

a transfer device for transferring the filling material from the second opening part to the storage chamber.

One advantage of such an arrangement is that it provides a very efficient opening of the cut fibre material. Since the openness of the fibers is linked to the bulkiness and thus to the comfort and softness of the filling material, an efficient opening device can produce the filling material at low cost.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the bedding article or the like is characterized in that said article is at least partially filled with the aforementioned filling material.

These and other objects of the present invention will be further described and illustrated in the following specification and appended claims.

Drawings

The invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view showing an opening device which can be used for preparing the material according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a photograph showing the fibrous filler material according to example 1 in an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a photograph showing an enlarged fibrous tuft material according to the prior art.

Fig. 4 is a graph illustrating the measurement of a work recovery value.

Detailed Description

The present invention relates to a fibrous packing material, particularly to a packing material for packing articles such as bedding. Bedding articles are intended to mean, in particular, sleeping pillows, quilts, sleeping bags, mattresses and mattresses. In addition, the material can be used as a filling material for articles related to furniture, such as sofa cushions, arm-rest cushions and decorative pillows used in homes and requiring soft feeling.

The fiber filling material is characterized in that the fiber filling material comprises polyester fibers with an average size of 0.5-2.5 dtex, coated with a smoothing agent and curled, the fibers are cut into an average length of 4-15 mm and are opened.

The polyester fibers may be obtained by extrusion of polyester fibers, for example, as known in the art. An important aspect of the present invention is that the polyester fibers need to have a specific average size, i.e., a specific cross-sectional size. The standard measure of average fiber size is tex (tex), or more commonly, dtex. In the present invention, the average fiber size is in the range of 0.5 to 2.5 dtex. Fibers of fiber sizes below 0.5 dtex are difficult to produce and open and are limited, if not improved, in softness and comfort. According to a more preferred embodiment, the average fiber size is greater than 0.8 dtex. Fibers having fiber sizes within this range can be efficiently produced, provide a soft filler material, and are easily opened. Fiber sizes greater than 2.5 dtex significantly reduce the softness of the fibrous filler material. A fiber size of less than 2.0 dtex provides a very soft material and has excellent properties in opening and filling into the final product. According to a most preferred embodiment, the fiber size is about 1.5 dtex or less, which provides a particularly soft filling material. The most preferred embodiment is therefore an average fiber size in the range of about 0.8 to 1.5 dtex.

The extruded polyester fibers need to be smoothed. This is obtained by coating the fibres with a smoothing agent, preferably a silicone smoothing agent as described in US 3,454,422. The smoothing agent makes it easy to open the fibers and thus to separate the fibers from each other. The fibers of the present invention may be treated with other smoothing agents that may be advantageous in certain applications, such as the polyalkylene oxides mentioned in U.S. patent No. 6,492,020B1 and other polymers such as polyesters, or block copolymers of polyethylene or polyalkylene hydrocarbon polymers, the weight percent of the smoothing agent being from about 0.1 to about 1.2% of the weight of the fiber.

In order to obtain the desired properties of the fibrous infill material of the present invention, the polyester fibers must be crimped. One example of a suitable crimp is the so-called zig-zag crimp, also known as mechanical crimp. This type of crimping, which is known per se, is obtained by passing the extruded fiber tow through a narrow gap between two crimping rollers. Further examples of mechanical crimping processes are referred to EP 929700 a1 and US 6,492,020B 1. Another type of crimp is spiral crimp. In contrast to the two-dimensional zig-zag crimp, the helical crimp is three-dimensional. Spiral crimping may be obtained by methods described for example in US 3,050,821, US 3,118,012, EP 929700 a1 and US 6,492,020B 1. The crimp frequency is preferably adjusted so that each staple fiber has at least one or two crimps at a given staple length. Additionally, it should be recognized that solid, hollow fibers, as well as fibers of different cross-sections may be used.

The crimped fibers are cut to have an average length in the range of 4-15 mm. An average fiber length of less than 4mm makes the fibrous filler material unable to be bonded together in the desired manner and therefore unable to produce the desired loft and compressibility. Average fiber lengths greater than 15mm do not provide the desired slow recovery to the original shape after compression, which is commonly referred to as low work recovery (work recovery) and soft touch. Most preferably, the average fiber length is less than about 12mm and greater than about 6mm to provide particularly good bulk and softness values to the material. The most preferred filler material is therefore based on fibers having an average fiber size of from about 0.8 to about 1.5 dtex and an average fiber length of from about 6mm to about 12 mm.

Opening of the fibers means that the individual fibers are separated from each other after processing of the fiber bundles obtained by cutting the fiber bundles. Proper opening produces the desired soft feel and loft for filling an article such as a pillow. Opening can be performed in several different ways, for example by processing the fibres at high speed by feeding the cut fibres to a device with mechanical elements, such as needles. An air opener may also be used in which the staple fibers are placed in a turbulent air flow. Other opening methods including manual opening may also be used. Opening of the fibers of the present invention is generally more difficult than opening of the longer cut length crude fibers of the prior art. It is therefore sometimes necessary to subject the staple fibers to several opening steps, more efficient mechanical treatment or opening in the case of air openers at higher air flow rates. Therefore, it is preferred that the high quality fibers and the average size and length not be too low, as this may increase the loss of material and the generation of airborne fibers (airborne fibers) during opening. Polyester fibers have proven to withstand this type of opening very well.

Preferably, the staple fibers are opened to the extent that they have a bulk value of at least 160mm, which is defined in more detail below. The bulk value may indirectly determine the extent to which opening has taken place. Since the bulk value is easy to measure, it can be used to adjust the opening process, for example to adjust the number of cycles the fibre material passes through the opener, the revolutions per minute (rpm) of one or several rolls machining the fibre or other relevant parameters, according to the following description. More preferably the fibers open to the extent that the filler material reaches a bulk value as defined below of at least 180mm, most preferably at least 200 mm. Filling materials containing fibres opened to such an extent have a particularly soft feel and, in addition, are very suitable for filling objects where high loft is an important quality factor, such as pillows.

Preferably the fibrous filler material has a work recovery of less than 52%. The work recovery, defined below, describes the rate at which the filler material returns to its original shape and size after being compressed. A high work recovery value means that the material recovers to its original dimensions rather quickly, which gives a certain "springiness noticeable" sensation. It is therefore desirable to have a low work recovery value, i.e. to recover slowly to its original shape and size. A low work recovery value means a good comfort for the head of a person lying on the pillow, or any other article filled with the filling material. The low work recovery value also contributes to the subjective soft feel of the object filled with the filling material. The nature of the work recovery value is that a slight reduction in work recovery, for example from 55% to 52%, corresponds to a significant improvement in comfort and subjective soft feel.

Preferably the fibrous filler material is made substantially of smoothed polyester fibres. It has been found that fibrous filler materials comprising substantially only polyester fibers have the advantages of good processability, significant softness, accurate product quality control and easy recycling of waste fibers.

Fig. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing one type of opener 1 which has proven to be effective for opening the fibers of the present invention. The opener 1 comprises a first feeding device in the form of a conveyor belt 2. The conveyor belt 2 feeds the cut staple fibres into an entry gap 4, which entry gap 4 is formed between a feed roll 6 and a metal plate in the form of a skirt 8 having a smooth surface. The inlet gap 4, the feed roller 6 and the portion of the apron 8 adjacent to the feed roller 6 together form a feed portion 7, where the fibres are pinched, i.e. compacted at the outlet of the feed portion 7, before being fed to the actual opening portion. The inlet gap 4 typically has a width of 3-6 mm, depending on the amount of material fed in. The feed roll 6 is a saw-tooth wire wound, which means that a toothed wire is wound on the surface of the roll 6. The fibre filling material is pressed into the inlet gap 4 by the feed roll 6 and proceeds to a first gap 10, which first gap 10 is formed between a first opening roll 12, which is also wound with a saw-tooth wire, and the smooth skirt 8. As shown in fig. 1, the first gap 10 is wedge-shaped, the narrowest distance of which is adjacent to its outlet, where the actual opening takes place mainly. The first gap 10, the first opening roller 12 and the part of the apron 8 adjacent to the roller 12 together form a first opening part 9. A first opening roller 12 with saw teeth processes the fibers in the first gap 10 against the smooth-surfaced apron 8 and partially opens the fibers. The first slit 10 typically has a width of 1.5-3 mm at its narrowest spacing. The partially opened fibers then reach a perforated roll 13. A perforated roll 13, rotating clockwise and having a smooth surface, is connected to a suction machine and sucks the fibres onto its surface. The perforated roll 13 forms the partially opened fibres present in the first opening section 9 into a fibre mat and forwards the fibres to the subsequent section. In addition, the air extractor may remove all dust formed in the first opening section 9. Similar to the feed roll 6, the second feed device in the form of a feed roll 14 feeds the partially opened fibres into a second gap 16, which second gap 16 is formed between a second opening roll 18, around which also a saw-tooth wire is wound, and the smooth skirt 8. As shown in fig. 1, the second slot 16 is wedge-shaped, the narrowest distance of which is adjacent to its outlet, where the actual opening mainly takes place. The second gap 16, the second opening roller 18 and the part of the apron 8 adjacent to the roller 18 together form a second opening part 17. The second opening roller 18 is provided with saw teeth and in the second gap 16 the cut fibres are processed against the apron 8 with a smooth surface and the fibres are finally opened. The second slot 16 typically has a width of 1-1.5 mm at its narrowest spacing. The opened fibers are then removed by vacuum 20 and fed into storage chamber 22 or filled directly into pillows, quilts, or other items.

Thus, an entanglement step is not necessary for the present invention. As previously mentioned, the filling material of the present invention may be filled into pillows, comforters or other items directly after the fibers are opened, or the filling material may be delivered into the storage chamber directly after the fibers are opened before being filled into pillows, comforters or other items. In each case, therefore, it is preferred to use a filler material that is not entangled. In some cases, the entanglement of the opened fibers may even degrade the performance of the inventive filling material.

The saw tooth wire on the first picker roll 12 may typically be designed to have a density of 20 to 60 teeth per square inch on the surface of the roll 12. The serrations typically extend from the surface of the roll 12 by a length of 4 to 9 mm. The saw tooth wire on the second picker roller 18 may typically be designed to have a density of 70 to 120 teeth per square inch on the surface of the roller 18. The serrations typically extend from the surface of second roller 18 a length of 4 to 9 mm.

Example 1:

a drawn strand of the smoothed polyester fiber of 1.3 dtex was prepared according to the conventional method, and then mechanically crimped to obtain zigzag crimp. A draw ratio of about 2.8 x, smoothing with a commercially available smoothing agent comprising an amino-functional polydimethylsiloxane, a relaxation temperature of about 170 ℃, thus curing the smoothing agent on the tow. The tow was then cut into fibers having a length of 10mm and baled. In order to open the fibers, the fiber bales are fed into a bale opener, which produces a certain initial opening of the fibers. The staple fiber was then fed at a rate of 100kg/h to an Opener Cadette 1000, model 2232-00203-001 Laroche Opener sold by Laroche S.A. of Cour de la Ville, France. This opener is normally used for treating recycled fibres and therefore has a feed roll wound with a saw-tooth wire with a diameter of 96mm, followed by a first and a second opener roll in succession, designed to process the cut fibres with respect to the smooth skirt 8, similar to that shown in fig. 1. The first opening roller is suitably rotated at 3000rpm, has a diameter of 350mm and has on its surface a saw-toothed wire of the type PLATT V10L/6STL, sold by ECCPlatt SA of Roubaix, France. The density of teeth on the surface of the first picker roll is about 48 teeth per square inch (also referred to as dots per square inch; ppsi). The width of the first gap between the first picker roller and the apron is about 2 mm. The second opening roller is located downstream of the first opening roller, is suitably rotated at 3000rpm, has a diameter of 350mm and has on its surface serrated wires of the type PLATT V12/4709. The density of the serrations on the surface of the second picker roll is about 90 teeth per square inch. The width of the second gap between the second picker roll and the apron is about 1.2 mm. A vacuum is installed on the opener to gently and without clumping transfer the opened fibers from the gap outlet between the second loosening roller and the apron to the bulk material filling location.

The resulting fibrous filler material is shown in fig. 2. The fibrous filler material can be seen to have a fluffy and soft-looking appearance. Compared to natural down as shown in fig. 1A of US 6,053,99, the fibrous infill material of the present invention has less "fluffy" and has a similar "plush" impression. When the fibrous infill material of the present invention is touched by hand, the subjective feeling is that the fibrous material has a very soft feel to the hand. As shown in fig. 2, there is still a small amount of unopened fibre filaments, i.e. fibre aggregates where the individual fibres are not properly separated from each other. However, the side effects of those unopened fiber fragments on the bulk density and soft touch relative to the amount and volume of fully opened fibers are negligible.

A total of 600g of the fibrous wadding material of the invention was placed in a test pillow case of 60X 60cm as defined below, after which the test was carried out according to the method described below.

Comparative example A

For this comparative example, a test pillow having the same dimensions as example 1 and a fabric as a pillow case, sold with 600g by ADVANSA Polyester Gmbh of Hamm, Germany under the name "Comforel^®T-287' of fibrous filler material. This material is a high quality fiber ball filling material used to fill certain pillows.

Comparative example B

For this comparative example, similar to that described above, the test pillow was filled with 600g of a filling material sold by Betten Reinhard GmbH & Co.KG, D-59065 Hamm, Germany, and referred to as "polished goose down" (Polish goose down). This material is a low cost material of the type known as "3/4 down" and is commonly used to fill pillows and contains 30% down and 70% feathers.

Comparative example C

For this comparative example, similar to that described above, the test pillow was filled with 600g of a filling material sold by Betten Reinhard Gmbh & Co.KG, D-59065 Hamm, Germany under the name "Country goose down from yarns" from Pyrene. This material is a material specifically used to fill pillows and contains 90% down and 10% feathers.

Compression testing:

the compression test is to place the filling material into a pillow of well defined dimensions and fabric. The filling of the pillow was performed by means of a filling device sold by l.h. lorch AG of Esslingen, germany, model J113 b. The pillow is then subjected to a first compression cycle followed by pressure relief, then to a second compression cycle followed by final pressure relief. The description of the test method is described below under the corresponding heading. The test results are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: compression of test results

Item	Unit of	Example 1	Comparative example A	Comparative example B	Comparative example C
						Initial height at 12Pa for cycle 1	mm	236.6	215.5	210.4	235.2
Initial height at 12Pa for cycle 2*	mm	205.6	195.8	174.4	207.9
						Height at 62Pa**	mm	202.4	192.3	168.6	203.1
Height at 156Pa**	mm	196.6	185.9	158.8	195.3
						Height at 313Pa**	mm	185.8	175.6	143.1	181.7
Height at 938Pa**	mm	144.6	144.5	94.9	137.3
						Height at 1875Pa**	mm	102.6	114.6	60.3	94.1
Height at 3125Pa**	mm	69.3	88	40.6	64.0
						Absolute value of softness**	mm	61.0	51.4	79.5	70.7
Relative value of softness**	％	29.7	26.2	45.6	34.0
						Work recovery**	％	49.8	53.3	53.2	62.4

^*The initial height at 12Pa of the second cycle is equal to the bulk value

^**Value of the second cycle

The bulk value of the inventive material, in example 1, was 205.6mm (equal to the initial height at 12Pa of the second cycle). From the above, it can be seen that the inventive fibrous filler material of example 1 has a minimum work recovery as low as 49.8%, which means good comfort and is an indicator of the subjectively softer feel of the inventive material. The inventive material was better in terms of work recovery, softness and bulk value than comparative example a. In addition, the inventive material of example 1 does not have a certain degree of "grainy" feel of comparative example a, which contains fiber balls, and has better comfort and a subjectively softer feel.

The material of the invention has a much better filling power compared to comparative example B, which contains 30% down and 70% feathers.

Compared to comparative example C, which contains 90% down and 10% feathers, the material of the invention has a much better work recovery value, i.e. a slower increase in volume after the compressive force is removed. This generally results in better comfort and a subjectively softer feel.

And (3) testing the heat resistance:

the heat resistance test was conducted to examine the properties of the filling material of the present invention for use in a comforter. The tests were performed according to the standard test procedures described below.

For the heat resistance test, two beds of quilts were prepared, each corresponding to a standard test procedure. The first comforter, comforter 1, uses the same fibrous filler material of the present invention as described above with respect to example 1. The second comforter, a control comforter, was prepared using a fibrous packing material known as Trevira Fill Filelle sold by Trevira Gmbh of Frankfurt/Main, Germany. Fill material is filled into the same type of fabric sleeve, according to standard test procedures, with a box type fabric (quilt) having a total area of 24 square boxes, a length of 6 and a width of 4. The following results were obtained with respect to the heat resistance R, and the warm weight ratio R/G:

TABLE 2 Heat resistance test results

	Unit of	Quilt 1	Contrast quilt
				Width of quilt	cm	136.5	137
Quilt length	cm	201	202
				Quilt weight	g	1903	1922
R	tog	8.9	7.5
				R/G	tog×cm2/g	128	108

It is clear from table 2 that the fibrous wadding material according to the invention, comforter 1, has a much better thermal to weight ratio R/G than the control comforter filled with Trevira Fill filler material. The fiber filling material according to the present invention has good bulkiness and softness as described above, and also has good heat insulating properties, and therefore, is suitable for filling a quilt.

It will be appreciated that many variations of the above described embodiments are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

For example, the opening device, may have other designs than that shown in fig. 1. The opening device shown in fig. 1 has a first opening part and a second opening part. It should be realized that the opening device may have even more opening sections, for example three or four opening sections in series. It is also possible to pass the fibers through the opener in more than one cycle. For example, a single opening section may be used and the fibers passed through that opening section twice. However, it is generally preferred to use two open sections in series as shown in fig. 1, as the design can be optimized for each section's saw wire, gap width, etc.

Other opening types already mentioned may also be used, for example opening in such a way that the fibers are placed in a turbulent air flow. The fibers of the present invention are generally relatively difficult to open, and therefore the air openers may be designed to have a higher pressure differential than conventional air openers. In addition, the air opening is preferably carried out in a multi-step process, in which several air openers are arranged in series for the gradual opening of the fibers.

The test method comprises the following steps:

a compression test step:

the above compressed test data was obtained using the following method:

first 600g of filling material was filled into a 60 x 60cm pillow. In the above tests, the fabric of the pillow was made of a material having the following specifications and being specifically designed to resist down-pricks: 100% cotton, plain weave fabric, warp and weft count of 70, warp count of 52/cm, weft count of 39/cm. Pillow fabrics of this type are sold by Melchers Inlett & Outdoor Gmbh of Bremen, Germany. The pillow is made by China, and has the specifications as follows: preventing down from sticking out, with size of 60 × 60 and zipper length of 58 cm.

After the fabric is filled with the filling material, the pillow is pressed for several times in the diagonal direction of the pillowcase (so that the pillow is fluffy again). Before testing, the pillows were equilibrated for 24 hours at a relative humidity of 65% (+/-2%) and a temperature of 20 ℃. The pillow was then placed on a 80 x 80cm table of an Instron model 5564 universal test control unit sold by Instron corporation of Norwood, massachusetts, usa.

The test included placing the pillow in a first compression cycle (initial cycle) and a second cycle (test cycle). In both cycles, compression was performed by pressing a circular flat plate with a diameter of 201.85mm into the pillow. The plate was moved into the pillow at a speed of 100mm/min while the pressure was measured by a load cell located under the table and the corresponding distance between the circular plate and the table was recorded. The round plate was pressed into the pillow (compression phase) until a pressure of 3125Pa was recorded. The disc was then retracted from the pillow at a speed of 100mm/min while still recording the pressure and distance (phase released). After the first cycle, the pillow was held at a residual pressure of 4Pa for 60 seconds. A second cycle is then started, operating in the same manner as the first cycle. Only the initial height measured at 12Pa was recorded in the first cycle. In the second cycle, both the initial height measured at 12Pa and the height at a specific pressure were recorded.

Absolute softness:

absolute softness (in mm) was calculated as the difference in height at 12Pa and height at 938Pa in the second cycle.

Relative softness:

absolute softness (in%) is calculated as absolute softness in the second cycle divided by the height at 12 Pa.

And (4) recovering work:

work Recovery (WR) is calculated in% as the released work divided by the compressed work, as shown in fig. 4. The compression work is the work required in joules to compress the pillow to 3125Pa in the second cycle. The compression work is calculated as the area under the compression curve from the starting height at 12Pa to the compression height (i.e. the height at 3125 Pa). The work released is calculated as the area under the release curve of the compressed height (height at 3125 Pa) back to the height at 12Pa in the second cycle. After calculating the work of release and work of compression, the work recovery in% can be calculated in%.

Bulk value: in the present application, the bulk value of the filling material is defined as the starting height in mm (at 12 Pa) in the second cycle of the compression test described above.

And (3) a heat resistance test step:

the thermal resistance test was performed according to British Standard Specification (British Standard) BS 5335: 1984. In brief, a quilt to be tested containing a filler material is placed on an electric heating plate. The plate was heated to 33 ℃.

The heat resistance R of the quilt can be calculated based on the temperature measurement. The thermal resistance R is characterized by the unit tog. 1tog is when the heat flow rate through the unit area is equal to 1W/m²In time, two sides of quilt10 times the temperature difference. Based on the thermal resistance property R in tog, a thermal weight ratio R/G can be calculated. This is a measure of relative per cm²The filling weight of (a), the efficiency of the quilt as an insulator. R/G is equal to the heat resistance R (tog units) of the quilt and the mass (G/cm) of the quilt per unit area²In units).

Claims (12)

1. A filling material for filling articles of bedding and the like, characterized in that the filling material comprises polyester fibers having an average size of 0.5 to 2.5 dtex, coated with a smoothing agent and crimped, the fibers being cut to an average length of 4 to 15mm and opened.

2. The filling material of claim 1 wherein the polyester fibers are opened to the extent that the filling material has a bulk value of at least 160mm, as defined under the corresponding heading of the specification.

3. The filling material according to any one of claims 1to 2 wherein the polyester fibers are opened to an extent that the filling material has a bulk value of at least 180mm, most preferably at least 200mm, as defined under the corresponding heading of the specification.

4. A filling material according to any one of claims 1to 3 wherein the fibrous filling material has a work recovery value of less than 52% as defined under the corresponding heading of the specification.

5. The filling material according to any one of claims 1to 4, wherein the polyester fibers have an average size of 0.8 to 2.0 dtex.

6. The filling material according to any one of claims 1to 5, wherein the filling material is substantially made of polyester fibers which have been subjected to a smoothing treatment.

7. A method for preparing a filling material for filling articles such as bedding, characterized by the steps of:

providing a polyester fiber tow having an average size of 0.5 to 2.5 dtex and subjected to smoothing treatment,

the fibers are crimped in a manner such that,

cutting the fibers to an average length of 4 to 15mm, an

Opening the fibers.

8. The process of claim 7 wherein the fibers are opened until the fill material has a bulk value of at least 160mm, as defined under the corresponding heading of the specification.

9. A process according to any one of claims 7 to 8 wherein the fibres are opened by passing them over a surface having an open cell structure.

10. A process as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 8, wherein the fibres are opened by passing them through air turbulence.

11. An apparatus for producing filling material for filling articles of bedding and the like, characterized in that it comprises:

a first opening section (9) comprising a first gap (10) formed between a first rotating opening roller (12) and an adjacent surface (8), the surface of the first opening roller having a protruding structure,

a first feeding device (1) for feeding polyester fibers having an average size of 0.5 to 2.5 dtex, an average cut length of 4 to 15mm, which have been subjected to smoothing treatment and crimping, into the first slit (10),

a second opening section (17) comprising a second gap (16) formed between a second rotating opening roller (18) and an adjacent surface (8), the surface of the second opening roller having a protruding structure,

a second feeding device (14) for feeding the partially opened polyester fibers from the first opening part (9) into a second gap (16), wherein the fibers are opened by a second opening roller (18), and a transfer device (20) for transferring the filling material from the second opening part (17) to a storage chamber (22).

12. An article of bedding or the like, characterized in that said article is at least partially filled with a filling material according to any of claims 1-6.