CA2117019A1

CA2117019A1 - Process for manufacturing shaped articles from fibrous materials and adhesive and shaped article manufactured by said process

Info

Publication number: CA2117019A1
Application number: CA002117019A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Peter Knobloch
Original assignee: Hoechst AG
Current assignee: Hoechst AG
Priority date: 1993-03-06
Filing date: 1994-03-04
Publication date: 1994-09-07
Also published as: EP0615014A1; NO940760L; FI941023A0; DE4307056A1; JPH071597A; FI941023A; NO940760D0; BR9400819A

Abstract

PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING SHAPED ARTICLES FROM FIBROUS
MATERIAL AND ADHESIVE AND SHAPED ARTICLE MANUFACTURED
BY SAID PROCESS
Abstract:
There is described a process for manufacturing a shaped article by mixing a fibrous material based on synthetic fibers with an adhesive and maintaining the mixture in a mold under pressure until the adhesive has set, which comprises using as the fibrous material exclusively a finely fibrous material comprising fibers having a linear density form 1 to 10 dtex and as the adhesive a single-component adhesive, the amount of adhesive used being such that the adhesive content of the ready-produced shaped article will be less than 10%, preferably from 3 to 55. Owing to its simplicity of construction from only one fiber component and its low adhesive content, the shaped article is suitable for renewed recycling. Pre-ferred use is as acoustic and thermal insulant in the fitting out of buildings.

Description

~OI~ ST A~TIENGISSICLLSC~AFT E101!1 93/lr 071 Description Process for manufacturlng shaped articlo~ fro~ 1brou~
matorlal and a&eolve and ~haped article manuaatur~d by said process~

The preoent lnventlon relatoo to a proceoo for manufac-turlng a ~haped artlcle by mixing a fibrous mat-rlal based on synthetic fibers with an adhesive and maintaln-ing the mixture in a mold under pressure until the adheo-ivo has set and aloo to a shaped article manufactured by said process and to its use Such a process io known from EP-B-0 160 270, where various wayo of forming euch ehapod articles are also deocribed Fibrouo materialo mentioned thero are ohoddy, wood ohavings and shreddod paper waste as well as wasto from the proceooing of oynthotic fibers, in particular fibero made of polyethylen- terephthalate In said patont specification shoddy 18 also exemplified as polyester spunbond waote, i e pulled spunbond The adhesive u~ed io a pulverulont mixture of a hotmelt adhesive basod on a copolymer of a vinyl eeter and at l-aot one further vinyl monomer, a solld epoxy reoln and a hard-n-r for the epoxy rosln Th- composltlon of the shaped artlcle i~
opecified ln said patont specificatlon as from 80 to 95 parts by welght of fibrouo material and from 5 to 20 parto by weight of adheslve, partlcularly the ratlo Tho shap-d artlcl-~ of ~ald pat-nt op-clflcatlon ar-, ~ ;`
becaus- of the composltlon and the relatively hlgh proportlon of th- two-compon-nt adheslve, not vory onvl-ronm ntally frlendly and are recyclable only to a very limited xtent -Tho ao yot unpubli-h-d German Patent Applicat$on P 42 16 29 0 doscrlb-~ a proceoo for manufacturlng a ohaped artlclo of th- abov-mentioned ~ind whereln the flbrous matorlal uoed is a mixture of an eooontially ' ~ .", finely fibrou~ material ba~ed on synthetic flbor~ and of chopped mcnofilaments The adhe~lve content of th- r-ady-produced shaped article 18 le~s than 10% by weight, ln particular from 2 to 10% by weight, pr-ferably from 3 to 5% by weight Th- adhoslve ueod is a hotmelt adh-~lv-based on a copolymer of a vlnyl oster and at lea~t one further vinyl monomer The finely fibrous materlal comprises fibers having a llnear density betwecn 1 and 10 dtex, in particular betweon 2 and 5 dtex The chopped monofilaments, the proportion of which in the ready-produced shapod articlo can be from 10 to 90% by weight, conf-r the n-cecsary hardnecs and ~tiffnese on the ~haped article, while tho finoly fibrou~ material and the adhesivo dotermine o~sentially th- elastic propertlo~
lS of the shaped article The~e shaped articles, it ie ~tated in said patent application, can be used as stabil-izing sheets in the a~sembly of package~ in th- packaging sector, ac acoustic and thermal insulating mat-rial, for example in int-rior decoration, and as an inculating and soundproofing matorial in motor vehicle con~truction The pr-~-nt invention has for it~ ob~-ct to develop a process of the abov m ntioned kind further in ~uch a way that the shap-d artlcl- ~hall on the one hand havo excellent acou~tic and thermal insulating prop-rtios and on th- oth-r b- highly compatible with th- nvironment Thio ob~-ct 1~ achiev-d according to th- invention by a proc-~ of th- abov m ntloned ~lnd whlch comprl~-~ u~lng ao th- fibrou~ mat-rial exclu~iv-ly a finely fibrouc mat-rial compri~ing fib-rs having a linear density from 1 to 10 dtex and a~ th- adh-~ive a ~ingl--co~ponent adh-~iv-, th amount of adh-~iv- u-ed being ~uch that the adh-~lve content of th- roady-produced ~haped artlcle will b- le~8 than 10% by w-ight Th- finely flbrous mat-rlal comprlslng fibor~ havlng a lin-ar d-n~ity b-tw -n 1 and 10 dtex, in particular , ... . . . . .
.: . . . ...

~ ' . .

betwsen 2 and 5 dtex, confer~ high ela~ticity and in particular excellent acouetlc and thermal ln~ulatln~
propertiee on the ehapod artlcle The ~haped artiel~
nonetheleso hae adsguate mechanical ~trongth for many application~ The uee of the ~ingls-compon-nt adhe~lve and in particular ite relatlvely low proportion o~ e than 10% by weight, preferably from 3 to 5% by w ight, sneure that ths ehaped article hae good nvironmental compatibility Not only ie the shap-d article recyclablo, but it le al~o eneursd that ths adhssive contsnt will increase only slowly ln the case of rsnswed recycllng Another advantage for r-cyclabillty is the ~eingle-component eystom~ of the fibrous material, elnce, ln contradietinction to the abovementioned German pat-nt appllcation, the shaped artlcle has no monofllament content The fibrous ~aterial used i8 preferably shoddy baeed on synthetic fib~re and/or a comminut-d bonded fiber web, ln particular a commlnuted sp~hond, based on polyset-rs Ths flbrous materlal can eome from ths manufaeturing proe-es, from downetr-am proe-eelng or ven from l-ft-ov-re or produeto aft-r ue- Th- co inut-d epunbond ean b- eonsolidat-d not only by n--dling but al~o by a bind-r, optlonally ev-n thermally ~ .
The a &-~iv- u-ed le pref-rably a hotm lt adh-~lv-, for xampl~ ba~ed on a eopolym r of a vinyl ~ster wlth or wlthout a furth-r vlnyl monom r The natur- of th-a &--lv- ean b- varl-d withln wld- limlte Not only llquld a&-slv-s but ln partlcular pulvorul-nt adh elv-~
ar- ~ultabl- It ven le poe~lbl- to ue- r-aetlv-a &-~lve~ A~ w ll a~ adhe~ive~ bae-d on poxy and/or polyur-than- lt 1~ al~o po~elbl- to u~- th-rmoplastlee, whleh ll~uefy on heatlng and blnd the finely flbrous materlal tog~th-r on eoollng , ,~ "
To manufaeture the ~haped artlcle, the fibroue mat~rial and the a &-elv- ar- lntimat-ly mixed, uniformly dlstrl-buted in a heatable pre~ in accordanco with the lat-r basis weight, and heatod under pressure to a pr-d-t-r-minod temporature The temperaturo depcnd~ on tho worklng temperaturo of the adhesive The compre~ion moldlng time has to be choson in such a way that the adheeive on th-inside of tho article can roact in full The molding pres~ure and the platen spacing of the press depend on the density and thlckness desired for tho shaped artielo to be produc-d The molding pressuro exorted on the article is removed once the adhesive has developed its offect to the full This is the case for example onco tho temperature has dropped bolow a certain lovol In a furthor ombodiment of tho invontion it ie propos-d that tho fibrous material has, in addition to tho adhosivo, mixod into it a water-repellont eomponont to countoract the ingros~ of wator into the shaped artielo duo to capillary action Commorcially available additives can bo ehoson aeeording to th- eritorion that thoy withstand tho maximum temporaturo involvod in tho manu-factur- of the shapod articlo and aro miscible with tho matorial~ usod . . ;, .
Tho ehap-d articl- can additionally bo givon a particular ~tability by applying, to ono or both of it- outor ~ur-faee~, eovor lay-r~, for examplo in the form of toxtile ~ho-t mat-rial~ ba~-d on nonwovon, wovon, knitt-d or laid fabrie~

A pr-f-rred ar-a of u~e for tho shaped articlo manufae-! , tured aeeording to the invontlon is in the fittlng out of building~ Becauee of its good aeou~tie and thermal in~ulating proportie~ it ean b- u~ed with particular advantage a~ footfall ~ound attonuator und-rneath eu~to~-ary floor eov ringc eueh a~ carpeting, wood n floors, til-~ Th- mo¢hanieal ~trength of the shapod artielo constructod aeeording to tho prosont inv ntion ie adoquato for the~e purposos, providod tho artielo rests with its ontir- area on a hard surfaco In addition tho chapod artlcle of the lnv-ntlon can alco be u--d a~
acoustlc and thermal lnculant ln bulldlng c-lllngc and wallc It lo al~o u~ablo a~ an ln~ulating and ~oundproof-lng material ln motor vehlclo conctructlon ac w ll ac a ~tabllizlng ~h-et ln tho ac~ombly of packago~ ln th-packag~ng lnductry . . .

-.:
. , j~. '' ' : :': :~ . '' - - :

Claims

1. A process for manufacturing a shaped article by mixing a fibrous material based on synthetic fibers with an adhesive and maintaining the mixture in a mold under pressure until the adhes-ive has set, which comprises using as the fibrous material exclusively a finely fibrous material comprising fibers having a linear density from 1 to 10 dtex and as the adhesive a single-component adhesive, the amount of adhesive used being such that the adhesive content of the ready-produced shaped article will be less than 10% by weight.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the fibers of the fibrous material have a linear density between 2 and 5 dtex.

3. The process of claim 1 or 2, wherein the fibrous material comprises comprises polyesters, in particular polyethylene terephthalate.

4. The process of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fibrous material is a shoddy based on synthetic fibers and/or a comminuted bonded fiber web, in particular a comminuted spunbond.

5. The process of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the adhesive content of the ready-pro-duced shaped article is from 2 to 10% by weight.

6. The process of claim 5, wherein the adhesive content of the ready-produced shaped article is from 3 to 5% by weight.

7. The process of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the adhesive used is a pulverulent hot-melt adhesive and the mixture of fibrous material and adhesive is heated in the mold under pressure to such a temperature that the hotmelt adhesive liquefies and sets to form a solid article.

8. The process of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the adhesive used is a hotmelt adhesive based on a copolymer of a vinyl ester and at least one further vinyl monomer.

9. The process of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fibrous material is mixed with the adhesive and additionally with a water-repellent component and/or a further component which con-fers additional properties such as a favorable effect on the flammability.

10. A shaped article comprising a compression molded mixture of a fibrous material based on synthetic fibers and a set adhesive, wherein the fibrous material consists exclusively of fibers having a linear density form 1 to 10 dtex, the adhesive is a single-component adhesive, and the proportion of adhesive is less then 10% by weight.

11. The use of the shaped article of claim 10 as acoustic and thermal insulant in the fitting out of buildings.