EP0317192B1 - New polyester fiberfill - Google Patents

New polyester fiberfill Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0317192B1
EP0317192B1 EP88310642A EP88310642A EP0317192B1 EP 0317192 B1 EP0317192 B1 EP 0317192B1 EP 88310642 A EP88310642 A EP 88310642A EP 88310642 A EP88310642 A EP 88310642A EP 0317192 B1 EP0317192 B1 EP 0317192B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
filaments
voids
void
polyester
equally spaced
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP88310642A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0317192A1 (en
Inventor
Clarke Rust Broaddus
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
EIDP Inc
Original Assignee
EI Du Pont de Nemours and Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by EI Du Pont de Nemours and Co filed Critical EI Du Pont de Nemours and Co
Priority to AT88310642T priority Critical patent/ATE86678T1/de
Publication of EP0317192A1 publication Critical patent/EP0317192A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0317192B1 publication Critical patent/EP0317192B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D01—NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
    • D01F—CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBON FILAMENTS
    • D01F8/00—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof
    • D01F8/04—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof from synthetic polymers
    • D01F8/14—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof from synthetic polymers with at least one polyester as constituent
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D01—NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
    • D01F—CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBON FILAMENTS
    • D01F6/00—Monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of synthetic polymers; Manufacture thereof
    • D01F6/58—Monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of synthetic polymers; Manufacture thereof from homopolycondensation products
    • D01F6/62—Monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of synthetic polymers; Manufacture thereof from homopolycondensation products from polyesters
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D01—NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
    • D01D—MECHANICAL METHODS OR APPARATUS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS
    • D01D5/00—Formation of filaments, threads, or the like
    • D01D5/24—Formation of filaments, threads, or the like with a hollow structure; Spinnerette packs therefor

Definitions

  • This invention concerns new polyester fiberfill containing multiple continuous voids along the length of the filaments, and processes for its preparation and its use, and articles filled with such new fiberfill.
  • Polyester fiberfill (sometimes referred to as polyester fiberfilling material) has become well accepted as a reasonably inexpensive filling and/or insulating materials for pillows, cushions and other furnishing materials, including bedding materials, and in apparel, and is manufactured and used in large quantities commercially.
  • solid fibers of round cross-section were used, being the least expensive fibers to make, and such solid round polyester fiberfill is still used commercially.
  • hollow polyester fiberfill was suggested and used, as disclosed, e.g. by Tolliver in U.S. Patent No. 3,772,137 and by Glanzstoff in GB Patent No. 1,168,759. Tolliver shows a single hollow core or central continuous longitudinal void.
  • the preferred shape of the void was non-round in cross-section, but voids approximately circular in cross-section were also disclosed, and large quantities of hollow polyester fiberfill having single central voids of circular and of non-round cross-section have been manufactured and used because of their greater lightness (lower density), in contrast to solid fiberfill, and because of the improvement in insulating power, and for other aesthetic reasons.
  • an improved hollow polyester fiberfill characterized by four equisized, equispaced, non-round voids around a solid axial core, the filament cross-section having a quadrilateral peripheral contour defined by four flattened sides and four rounded corners, in conjunction with a saw-toothed type of crimp configuration and a slickening agent, to provide high bulk and high bulk durability with improved softness more like that of natural down filling, as disclosed in EP-A-0 067 684.
  • DE-A-30 11 118 discloses molecularly oriented filaments of polyester with a double refraction of 0.004 to 0.012 and a single fibre of less than 2.5 d.tex, said filaments always possesing at least one cavity running uninterrupted in the longitudinal direction whereby the cross-sections of the filament and each cavity remain essentially the same with respect to shape and size.
  • polyester filaments which are fibrefill, that is filaments of denier per filament about 5 to about 20, and which are crimped, the filaments having more than one continuous void in which the peripheries of the filaments are circular, the continuous voids are of circular cross-section along the length of the filaments.
  • all voids are preferably of the same size and equally spaced from adjacent voids, and so constitute exactly 7 in number, in a hexagonal packing arrangement with a central void and 6 outer voids at the points of a hexagon, as will be particularly illustrated and discussed hereinafter.
  • the central void may be somewhat larger in cross-section than the outer voids, which latter are substantially equisized and equispaced from each other, and are also equally spaced from the periphery of the central void, so as to provide the advantages of a larger central void; according to this embodiment, the outer voids are preferably symmetrically arranged and constitute an even number, especially 8, making a total of 9 voids with the central void.
  • the preferred total void content will generally be about 8 to about 25% (by area, measured on the cross-section of the polyester filaments, on average).
  • the provision of crimp in polyester fiberfill is extremely important in providing bulk, or loft, and with regard to its durability, and the crimp frequency is preferably about 4 to about 12 crimps per inch, corresponding approximately to about 15 to about 50 crimps per 10 cm.
  • the fiberfill is preferably slickened with a durable slickener.
  • a process for preparing polyester filaments with more than one continuous void along the length of the filaments is one which comprises melt-spinning polyester into filaments, preferably (polyethylene terephthalate), into fibrefill filaments with at least seven continuous voids of circular cross-section along the length of the filaments, one such void being located centrally, while the remaining voids are of the same size as each other and are equally spaced around the central void and are equally spaced from the central void, processing such filaments in the form of a tow by drawing, crimping and relaxing, and converting the filaments into staple fibre, having a denier per filament of about 5 to about 20 (about 5.5 to about 22 d. tex).
  • a slickener is applied to the tow before crimping.
  • a spinneret suitable for the production of filaments of essentially circular cross-section with at least seven continuous voids along the filaments, one void being centrally located is one in which said spinneret comprises six orifices equispaced a distance from and equispaced angularly about the centre of the capillary, each of said orifices being defined by an inner arcuate slot, connected to an outer arcuate slot by another slot.
  • Figure 1 is a photomicrograph of cross-sections of typical polyester fibrefill filaments according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a spinneret orifice suitable for melt-spinning polyester fibrefill filaments as shown in Figure 1.
  • Figure 3 is a representation of a cross-section of another embodiment of the invention.
  • the essential elements of the invention are the number and arrangement of the multiple continuous voids along the length of the round filaments, and contribute to improvements over those that have been suggested or used for polyester fiberfill hitherto.
  • the round periphery is of importance.
  • the location of a void centrally i.e.
  • polyester fiberfill according to the invention has this feature in common with the earlier suggestion by Tolliver; polyester fiberfill of our invention is, however, distinguished from Tolliver's configuration by the provision of multiple essentially parallel voids, whereas Tolliver provided only a single void.
  • EP-A-0 067 684 provided multiple essentially parallel voids (4 in number), and thereby derived certain improvements in comparison with the polyester fiberfill of Tolliver, containing only a single axially-located void;
  • the polyester fiberfill of EP-A-0 067 684 is distinguished in several respects, namely being of essentially quadrilateral peripheral cross-section, having a solid axial core and only 4 continuous parallel voids that are themselves non-round and only in the corners, or lobes, of the quadrilateral; as will be noted hereinafter, the polyester fiberfill of our invention makes possible an improvement in crimp configuration that is believed more difficult, and possibly even impractical to achieve with this prior art polyester fiberfill.
  • the multiple voids with one central void of the configuration of the present invention provide better crush resistance, in the sense of permitting a higher stiffness for the same void content, and one can further speculate that, after crimping, the crimp configuration provides more rounded corners, as opposed to a more saw-toothed or sharp cornered crimp configuration such as may result from crimping prior configurations for polyester fiberfill having similar void content, and this (in association with the round peripheral cross-section) may account for better frictional properties and for greater durability during use.
  • the various steps in the manufacture of the filaments including preparation of the polymer, and the processing of the filaments, their conversion into staple fiber, and the handling of the fiberfill and its use as filling material in the preparation of articles such as pillows and other filled articles, such as cushions, or formation into quilts, including quilted articles, including garments, may be carried out according to known procedures, as described in the prior art referred to herein and elsewhere.
  • poly(ethylene terephthalate) is generally preferred as the polyester polymer, on account of its commercial availability and cost, and a relative viscosity will be selected appropriately in conjunction with processing conditions, to provide the desired configuration that is the essence of the present invention.
  • a chain-brancher may be used, as described, e.g. in copending EP-A-0 294 912 (Application No. 88301106.6)
  • Non-silicone slickeners as disclosed in copending EP-A-0 265 221, may prove advantageous for some purposes.
  • Slickeners are preferably "cured”, e.g. by heating, onto the filaments, so as to improve their durability, for most purposes.
  • Filaments are spun from poly(ethylene terephthalate) of relative viscosity of 20.4 (as measured at 25°C for 80 mg of polymer in 10 ml of hexafluoroisopropanol containing 100 ppm of sulfuric acid) at a polymer temperature of 291-297°C at 900 ypm (823 mpm) through a spinneret with 288 capillaries with a throughput per capillary of 0.306 lbs./hr. (0.139 kg./hr.), using orifices as shown in Figure 2.
  • the filaments are grouped together to form a rope (of 914,000 relaxed drawn denier -1005,400 d.tex)
  • the rope is drawn in a conventional manner, using a draw ratio of 3.46X in a hot, wet spray draw zone maintained at 90°C.
  • the drawn filaments are crimped in a conventional stuffer box crimper of a cantilever type (3.5 in., 8.9 cm. size) and the crimped rope is relaxed in an oven at 180°C.
  • a slickening finish containing a polyaminosiloxane is applied to the filaments to give about 0.32% (silicone solids) by weight on the fiber, and then a conventional antistatic overlay finish of about 0.07% by weight.
  • the fibers are cut in a conventional manner to a length of 3.0 in. (75 mm.).
  • the fibers are found to have an average total void content of about 12.3% and a denier per filament of about 9 (about 10 d.tex).
  • the fibers have a cross section as shown in Figure 1, containing seven continuous voids which are parallel, and substantially equal in size, six being substantially equi-spaced around the seventh which forms the center of the fiber.
  • the periphery of the fiber is round and smooth.
  • a sample (C) of similar denier is made similarly, except that it contains four parallel continuous voids with a solid axial core, and with an average total void content of 17.7%, and is crimped to about the same crimp frequency and bulk (at 0.2 psi -1.4 kPa) as the 7-hole fiber, for comparative purposes.
  • Both the 7-hole fiberfill according to the invention and the 4-hole comparison are processed into 20 oz. (567g) rolled batting pillows. They have similar heights, as shown in the Table, but the 7-hole fiber pillow subjectively feels softer and more desirable, both when freshly made and after laboratory-stomping. The 7-hole fiber seems to give a slower recovery from compression, that is very desirable.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Artificial Filaments (AREA)
  • Spinning Methods And Devices For Manufacturing Artificial Fibers (AREA)
  • Multicomponent Fibers (AREA)
  • Polyesters Or Polycarbonates (AREA)
  • Yarns And Mechanical Finishing Of Yarns Or Ropes (AREA)
  • Prostheses (AREA)
  • Stringed Musical Instruments (AREA)
  • Biological Depolymerization Polymers (AREA)
  • Compositions Of Macromolecular Compounds (AREA)
  • Separation, Recovery Or Treatment Of Waste Materials Containing Plastics (AREA)
  • Fertilizers (AREA)
EP88310642A 1987-11-13 1988-11-11 New polyester fiberfill Expired - Lifetime EP0317192B1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AT88310642T ATE86678T1 (de) 1987-11-13 1988-11-11 Polyester-fuellfasern.

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US12043887A 1987-11-13 1987-11-13
US120438 1987-11-13

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0317192A1 EP0317192A1 (en) 1989-05-24
EP0317192B1 true EP0317192B1 (en) 1993-03-10

Family

ID=22390284

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP88310642A Expired - Lifetime EP0317192B1 (en) 1987-11-13 1988-11-11 New polyester fiberfill

Country Status (21)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0317192B1 (fi)
JP (2) JPH01148809A (fi)
KR (1) KR910008667B1 (fi)
CN (1) CN1033657C (fi)
AT (1) ATE86678T1 (fi)
AU (1) AU607278B2 (fi)
BR (1) BR8805884A (fi)
CA (1) CA1314368C (fi)
DE (1) DE3879110T2 (fi)
DK (1) DK630588A (fi)
ES (1) ES2040869T3 (fi)
FI (1) FI885221A (fi)
HK (1) HK78893A (fi)
IE (1) IE63237B1 (fi)
IN (1) IN171801B (fi)
MA (1) MA21437A1 (fi)
MX (1) MX169276B (fi)
NO (1) NO167309C (fi)
NZ (1) NZ226935A (fi)
PT (1) PT88997A (fi)
ZA (1) ZA888453B (fi)

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4836763A (en) * 1988-07-29 1989-06-06 E. I. Dupont De Nemours And Company Seven hole spinneret
DE4412969C1 (de) * 1994-04-14 1995-06-22 Inventa Ag PET-Fasern mit verbessertem Bausch und Verfahren zu ihrer Herstellung
GB2408961A (en) 2003-12-12 2005-06-15 Univ Cambridge Tech Apparatus and method
DE102004032375A1 (de) * 2004-06-30 2006-01-26 Klaus Dr. Rennebeck Faser, insbesondere Hohlfaser und deren Verwendung
FR3020935B1 (fr) * 2014-05-16 2017-04-21 Innov'sa Rembourrage de couverture de fauteuil
KR101942885B1 (ko) * 2015-01-09 2019-01-28 미즈노 가부시키가이샤 의료

Family Cites Families (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3405424A (en) * 1966-10-27 1968-10-15 Inventa Ag Device and process for the manufacture of hollow synthetic fibers
US3834251A (en) * 1973-02-27 1974-09-10 Du Pont Method
US4020229A (en) * 1975-08-07 1977-04-26 Hercules Incorporated Multi-cavity filaments
DE3011118A1 (de) * 1978-06-03 1981-10-01 Akzo Gmbh, 5600 Wuppertal Feinstfilamente mit hohlraeumen
JPS56148913A (en) * 1980-03-22 1981-11-18 Akzo Nv Polyester filament extensible in molecular oriented manner , production of hollow yarn extended in said manner , molecular oriented extended hollow yarn , microfiltering method and production of highly absorbing nonwoven fabric
JPS57210013A (en) * 1981-06-12 1982-12-23 Du Pont Modified hollow polyester fiber for saft fiber padding
JPS6147807A (ja) * 1984-08-09 1986-03-08 Teijin Ltd 捲縮多孔中空繊維及びその製造方法

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CN1042742A (zh) 1990-06-06
FI885221A0 (fi) 1988-11-11
DK630588A (da) 1989-05-14
ATE86678T1 (de) 1993-03-15
PT88997A (pt) 1989-09-14
KR890008363A (ko) 1989-07-10
JPH03269114A (ja) 1991-11-29
DK630588D0 (da) 1988-11-11
CA1314368C (en) 1993-03-16
MX169276B (es) 1993-06-28
ES2040869T3 (es) 1993-11-01
MA21437A1 (fr) 1989-07-01
AU607278B2 (en) 1991-02-28
HK78893A (en) 1993-08-13
IE63237B1 (en) 1995-04-05
BR8805884A (pt) 1989-08-01
DE3879110D1 (de) 1993-04-15
DE3879110T2 (de) 1993-09-02
FI885221A (fi) 1989-05-14
NO885050D0 (no) 1988-11-11
NO167309C (no) 1991-10-23
AU2502788A (en) 1989-05-18
CN1033657C (zh) 1996-12-25
IN171801B (fi) 1993-01-09
NO885050L (no) 1989-05-16
ZA888453B (en) 1990-07-25
IE883384L (en) 1989-05-13
KR910008667B1 (ko) 1991-10-19
EP0317192A1 (en) 1989-05-24
JPH01148809A (ja) 1989-06-12
NZ226935A (en) 1990-11-27
NO167309B (no) 1991-07-15

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