EP2424400A2

EP2424400A2 - Engaging female member for a hook-and-loop fastener and a method for preparing the same

Info

Publication number: EP2424400A2
Application number: EP10772495A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Kenichiro Morishita
Original assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Co
Current assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Co
Priority date: 2009-04-28
Filing date: 2010-04-27
Publication date: 2012-03-07
Also published as: EP2424400A4; TW201102465A; CN102413727B; BRPI1007734A2; KR20120023011A; WO2010129244A2; WO2010129244A3; JP2010253183A; JP5469368B2; CN102413727A

Abstract

An engaging female member for a hook-and-loop fastener, and a method of production thereof, which comprises a fabric having a warp yarn and a weft yarn arranged at intervals thereby forming openings in the fabric, and a loop yarn that protrudes from at least one surface; a flat substrate; and an adhesive layer provided on the yarn of one side of the fabric that bonds the fabric to the substrate, wherein the ratio of (opening ratio of the adhesive layer) / (opening ratio of the fabric) is not less than 0.1 and not more than 1.0.

Description

ENGAGING FEMALE MEMBER FOR A HOOK- AND-LOOP FASTENER AND A METHOD FOR PREPARING THE SAME

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an engaging female member for a hook-and-loop fastener and to a method for preparing the same.

BACKGROUND

An engaging female member is manufactured by placing an adhesive layer between a fabric and a substrate, and then laminating them together. The fabric has a warp yarn and a weft yarn arranged at intervals, as well as a loop yarn. For example, the loop yarn protrudes from the surface on the opposite side to the surface of the fabric where the adhesive is provided. The engaging female member functions as an engaging system by the loop yarn becoming entangled with hooks of an engaging male member.

European Patent Laid-open Publication No. 0848938A discloses an engaging female member that can be applied to a refastenable mechanical fastening device. US Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2006/0182927A discloses a composite element of a Velcro fastener. US Patent No. 5,876,532 discloses a process for manufacturing a layered product. US Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2005/0208260A discloses a laminate material for hook-and-loop fasteners, especially for diaper fasteners.

In recent years there has been demand for an engaging female member used for a wide variety of products such as paper diapers, flooring materials and clothing, which provides excellent reliability, which can be used even with a fabric which has a low weight per unit area, and which can be stably manufactured. Therefore, there is a need to be able to favorably maintain the engaging force with the engaging male member while not allowing separation between the substrate and the fabric of the engaging female member, while inhibiting the occurrence of blocking between the substrates when in a rolled condition.

Therefore, the present invention provides an engaging female member for a hook- and-loop fastener that is able to favorably maintain the engaging force with the engaging male member while not allowing separation between the substrate and the fabric, and further to inhibit the occurrence of blocking between the substrates when in a rolled condition, as well as a method for preparing the same.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an engaging female member for a hook-and-loop fastener which comprises a fabric having a warp yarn and a weft yarn arranged at intervals thereby forming an opening in the fabric, and a loop yarn that protrudes from at least one surface; a flat substrate; and an adhesive layer provided on the yarn of one side of the fabric that bonds the fabric to the substrate, wherein the ratio of (opening ratio of the adhesive layer) / (opening ratio of the fabric) is not less than 0.1 and not more than 1.0.

The "yarn on one surface of the fabric" includes at least one of the warp yarn, the weft yarn or the loop yarn, which are provided on one side of a fabric (preferably the warp yarn and the weft yarn). The "opening in the fabric" refers to the space formed in a portion surrounded by two opposite warp yarns and two opposite weft yarns, and the "opening ratio of the fabric" refers to the total area of each opening in the fabric with regard to the area of the main surface of the fabric (a sum of the area of the portion where the warp yarn, weft yarn, and loop yarn are present and the total area of each opening in the fabric). The "opening of the adhesive layer" refers to the space formed in a portion surrounded by the adhesive on two opposite warp yarns and the adhesive on two opposite weft yarns, and the "opening ratio of the adhesive layer" refers to the total area of each opening of the adhesive layer with regard to the area of the main surface of the adhesive layer (a sum of the area of the portion where the adhesive is present and the total area of each opening of the adhesive layer).

Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for preparing an engaging female member for a hook-and-loop fastener, comprising the steps of: providing an adhesive layer with openings that correspond to openings formed in a fabric having a warp yarn and a weft yarn arranged at intervals, and a loop yarn that protrudes from at least one surface, by applying an adhesive onto the yarn of one side of the fabric; and laminating a flat substrate on the adhesive layer to bond the fabric to the substrate, such that the ratio of (opening ratio of the adhesive layer) / (opening ratio of the fabric) is not less than 0.1 and note more than 1.0 The present invention provides an engaging female member for a hook-and-loop fastener that is able to favorably maintain the engaging force with the engaging male member, and that does not allow separation between the substrate and the fabric of the engaging female member, while inhibiting the occurrence of blocking between the substrates when in a rolled condition, as well as a method for preparing the same.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the engaging female member according to the present invention and an example of a hook-and-loop fastener that uses this engaging female member.

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the fabric prior to applying the adhesive. FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the fabric that is bonded to the substrate, after the adhesive is applied. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the method of applying an adhesive using roll coating.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the method of applying an adhesive using roll coating.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a checkered pattern. FIG. 7 is a microscope photograph of the engaging female members of (a)

Comparative Example 2 and (b) Example 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION A preferable embodiment of the present invention is described below in detail while referring to the drawings as necessary. Note that in the drawings, identical elements are assigned the same numerical references, and duplicate descriptions are omitted. Furthermore, positional relationships such as up and down or left and right are based on the positional relationships shown in the drawings unless otherwise stated in particular. In addition, the dimensional ratios of the drawings are not restricted to the ratios shown in the drawings.

The engaging female member of the present embodiment is described while referring to FIG. 1 through FIG. 3. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the engaging female member according to the present embodiment and an example of a hook-and-loop fastener that uses this engaging female member. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the fabric prior to applying the adhesive. FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the fabric that is bonded to the substrate, after applying the adhesive. In FIG. 2, the loop yarn is omitted from the drawing, and in FIG. 3, the loop yarn and the substrate are omitted.

The engaging female member 1 (engaging female member for a hook-and-loop fastener) of the present embodiment comprises a fabric 3, an adhesive layer 9, and a substrate 21. The fabric 3 has a warp yarn 3a and a weft yarn 3b arranged at intervals, as well as a plurality of loop yarns 3 c protruding from the surface (one of the surfaces) 5 a. The warp yarn 3a and the weft yarn 3b are mutually intersecting by weaving for example. A plurality of openings 7 are formed in the fabric 3 because the warp yarn 3 a and the weft yarn 3b are located at intervals. The adhesive layer 9 is provided on the yarn of the back surface 5b opposite to the side of the surface 5 a, and bonds the fabric 3 to the substrate 21. A plurality of openings 11 corresponding to the openings 7 are formed in the adhesive layer 9. The openings 11 are formed so as to overlap the openings 7 when the engaging female member 1 is viewed in the direction of thickness.

The engaging female member 1 engages with the engaging male member 31 because the loop yarn 3 c becomes entangled with the hooks 33 of the engaging male member 31. As the engaging male member 31 , any common materials having hooks that can become entangled with the loop yarn 3 c can be used. The fabric 3, the adhesive layer 9, and the substrate 21 of the engaging female member 1 are described below in further detail.

The fabric 3 is described below. The warp yarn 3a, the weft yarn 3b, and the loop yarn 3c can be made from a single filament, or can be made from a bundle of a plurality of filaments. The fabric 3 can also contain other yarns in addition to the warp yarn 3a, the weft yarn 3b, and the loop yarn 3c. For example, a yarn that intersects with the warp yarn 3 a and the weft yarn 3b can also be included. The loop yarn 3 c can protrude from at least the front surface 5 a, or can protrude from the front surface 5 a and the back surface 5b. The loop yarn 3c is woven to at least either the warp yarn 3a or the weft yarn 3b, or can be woven to both the warp yarn 3 a and the weft yarn 3b.

The fabric 3 can be, for example, a three layer reed weave having a loop yarn or a 2 layer reed weave, a warp in-lay weave, Russell weave, or other weave such as a jaggard weave. The material of the fabric 3 can be, for example, nylon, polyester, polypropylene, polyurethane, EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate), polyethylene, or polylactic acid. The material of the fabric 3 can be a single type, or a combination of two or more types. Furthermore, the warp yarn 3a, weft yarn 3b, and loop yarn 3c of the fabric 3 can be made from the same or from different materials.

The weight of the fabric 3 can be determined in terms of the maintenance of the engaging force with the hooks 33 of the engaging male member 31 and the manufacturing cost. In one embodiment, the weight of the fabric 3 can be between 10 and 29 g/m², more preferably between 15 and 24 g/m², and particularly preferably between 17 and 22 g/m². Next, the adhesive layer 9 is described. The adhesive layer 9 is provided on the warp yarn 3 a and the weft yarn 3b on the back surface 5b. Furthermore, if the loop yarn 3c protrudes from the back surface 5b, the adhesive layer 9 is also provided on the loop yarn 3c of the back layer 5b. The adhesive layer 9 may not necessarily completely cover the warp yarn 3 a and the weft yarn 3b when the engaging female member 1 is viewed from the thickness direction, and there may be warp yarn 3 a or weft yarn 3b that is not covered by the adhesive layer 9.

The ratio of (opening ratio of adhesive layer 9) / (opening ratio of fabric 3) is not less than 0.1. If this ratio is less than 0.1 , there will be a tendency for blocking to occur easily, and a ratio of not less than 0.2 is preferable, and a ratio of not less than 0.3 is particularly preferable. On the other hand, the ratio of (opening ratio of adhesive layer 9) / (opening ratio of fabric 3) is not more than 1.0. If this ratio is 1.0, the width of the adhesive applied to the yarn is the same as the width of the yarn. In view of the balance between prevention of separation between the substrate and the fabric (improvement of strength between them) and prevention of occurring of blocking between the substrates, a ratio of not more than 0.9 is preferable, and a ratio of not more than 0.8 is particularly preferable.

The "opening ratio of the adhesive layer 9" can be measured as shown below. The engaging female member 1 is placed on a flat plate such that the front surface 5 a (or the back surface 5b) is in contact with the flat plate without any bending or wrinkles or the like. Light is irradiated onto the engaging female member 1 in the direction of thickness of the engaging female member 1 in order to form a projection image on the flat plate. A view containing at least 10 openings 11 is observed using a microscope. In the aforementioned view, the opening ratio of the adhesive layer 9 in the area of the projection image is measured from the area of the projection of the adhesive layer 9 that is formed on the flat plate, and the measured opening ratio is referred to as the "opening ratio of the adhesive layer 9" in the engaging female member for a hook-and-loop fastener. The "opening ratio of the fabric 3" can be measured using the same procedure as that of the opening ratio for the adhesive layer 9.

The adhesive layer 9 is preferably formed by roll coating an adhesive as described below onto the yarn on the back surface 5b of the fabric 3. The adhesive that is used in the adhesive layer 9 may be any adhesive arbitrarily selected based on the application for which the engaging female member 1 is used and on the environment of use. Preferably, a reactive type hot melt adhesive can be used. Examples of the reactive type hot melt adhesives include urethane adhesives, EVA adhesives, acrylic adhesives, and vinyl acetate adhesives, and of these, reactive polyurethane is preferable from the perspective of favorable adhesive strength, stability at high temperatures, and flexibility. The amount of solvent discharged can be reduced by using a reactive type hot melt adhesive.

Additives may be added to the adhesive if necessary. Examples of additives include blocking inhibitors, pigments, dyes, and antiaging agents. The additives can be used individually or can be used as a combination of two or more.

Next, the substrate 21 is described. The substrate 21 is flat, and is exemplified by a film and a nonwoven material. The substrate 21 can be pretreated in order to increase the adhesion to the adhesive layer 9. Examples of suitable pretreatments include corona discharge processing on the adhesive layer 9 side and standard primer processing (such as ethyleneimide, TBT (tributylene terephthalate)).

Examples of the material of the film that is used in the substrate 21 include nylon, polyester, polypropylene, polyurethane, EVA, polyethylene, and polylactic acid, and of these, biaxially elongated polypropylene films are preferable from the perspective of dimensional stability. The material of the film can be alone or a combination of two or more types.

Air permeability can be achieved if a nonwoven material is used as the substrate 21. Examples of nonwoven materials include natural fibers and synthetic fibers formed by a commonly known method such as SB (spunbond), MB (melt blow), SMS (spunbond melt blow spunbond), and spunless, and the like. Examples of the material used in the nonwoven material include nylon, polyester, polypropylene, polyurethane, EVA, polyethylene, and polylactic acid. The material of the nonwoven material can be alone or a combination of two or more types.

Next, the method for preparing the engaging female member 1 of the present embodiment is described. The method for preparing the engaging female member 1 of the present embodiment includes a step of providing an adhesive layer 9 with an opening 11 that correspond to the opening 7 formed in a fabric 3 with a warp yarn 3 a and a weft yarn 3b arranged at intervals and a loop yarn 3 c that protrudes from the front surface 5 a, by applying the adhesive onto the yarn on the back surface 5b of the fabric 3 with an opening 7; and a step of laminating a flat substrate 21 on the adhesive layer 9 to bond the fabric 3 to the substrate 21. In the step of bonding the fabric 3 and the substrate 21, the ratio of (opening ratio of the adhesive layer 9) / (opening ratio of the fabric 3) is not less than 0.1 and note more than 1.0. As mentioned above, the ratio of (opening ratio of the adhesive layer 9) / (opening ratio of the fabric 3) is preferred to be not less than 0.2, more preferred to be not less than 0.3. Also, the ratio of (opening ratio of the adhesive layer 9) / (opening ratio of the fabric 3) is preferred to be not more than 0.9, more preferred to be not more than 0.8. With the present embodiment, the adhesive is applied onto the yarn on the back surface 5b and bonding of the fabric 3 and the substrate 21, without the adhesive completely covering the openings 7 and openings 11. The adhesive is preferably applied by roll coating. Roll coating is described using

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. With roll coating, two heated rollers 15 are arranged above the fabric 3, and the adhesive 13 is melted between the two heated rollers 15. By rotating the heated rollers 15, the melted adhesive 13 covers and is attached to the entire outer circumference of the heated rollers 15, and the fabric 3 is fed. The adhesive 13 is transferred and applied on to the warp yarn 3 a and the weft yarn 3b by bringing into contact with the warp yarn 3 a and the weft yarn 3b of the back surface 5b. The amount of adhesive 13 applied is controlled by the interval between the two heated rollers 15. The adhesive that is not transferred and applied to the warp yarn 3 a and weft yarn 3b remains attached to the outer circumference of the heated rollers 15, and is returned to between the two heated rollers 15 by the rotation of the heated rollers 15. Therefore, covering the openings 7 of the fabric 3 with the adhesive that is not transferred and applied to the warp yarn 3 a and the weft yarn 3b can be restricted. Therefore, the aforementioned ratio of (opening ratio of the adhesive layer 9)/(opening ratio of the fabric 3) can easily be controlled to be within the aforementioned numeric number.

Application of the adhesive 13 by roll coating is preferably performed using adhesive with a viscosity between 1,500 and 12,000 mPa ^• s because the adhesive can easily be applied. The amount of adhesive 13 applied, heating temperature, and the feeding speed of the fabric 3 are suitably selected based on the type of fabric 3 and adhesive 13, as well as the roll coating equipment. During application of the adhesive 13, the rotating speed of the heated rollers 15 and the feeding speed of the fabric 3 are preferably equal. In this case, a balance can be maintained between the supply and consumption (application) of the adhesive 13, so globules of adhesive can be restricted from adhering to the fabric 3.

If the substrate and the fabric are dry laminated after the adhesive was applied either in a pattern or over the entire surface of the film substrate, the adhesive will exist in the space of the substrate facing the opening in the fabric. Therefore, the adhesive will pass through the opening of the fabric during lamination, and the adhesive will adhere to the loop yarn on the front surface side. Therefore, the loop yarn will fall towards the surface of the fabric, and thus the loop yarn will not easily become entangled with the hooks of the engaging male member.

Furthermore, if the adhesive is applied using a T-die nozzle, the adhesive will be continuously applied to the yarn from the T-die lip in the region of the T-die lip that contacts the yarn along the MD direction (longitudinal direction) of the fabric. Therefore, a balance can be achieved between the amount of consumption (amount of application) and the amount of supply of the adhesive of the T-die lip. On the other hand, in the region of the T-die lip where the opening of the fabric passes through, the adhesive is not consumed in the area of the opening, so the supply of adhesive to the T-die lip will exceed the consumption. Therefore, globules of adhesive will occur on the T-die lip. Furthermore, globules of adhesive become larger in conjunction with the supply of adhesive, and will adhere to the fabric when a certain size is reached. The globules of adhesive which adhere to the fabric cause blocking when the laminated substrate is rolled, and the productivity of the engaging female member will be reduced. Furthermore, various properties such as the engaging force between the engaging female member and the engaging male member, and the inter-layer strength between the fabric and the substrate will be unstable.

On the other hand, according to the engaging female member 1 obtained by roll coating, as described above, the adhesive that is not transferred and applied to the warp yarn 3a and the weft yarn 3b is restricted from covering the opening 7. Therefore, adhesive is restricted from adhering to the loop yarn 3 c on the front surface 5 a side that becomes entangled with the hooks 33 of the engaging male member 31, and globules of adhesive are restricted from adhering to the fabric 3. Therefore, the engaging female member 1 obtained by roll coating will have increased interlayer strength between the fabric 3 and the substrate 21 and the engaging force between the engaging female member 1 and the engaging male member 31 will also be higher, even though the amount of adhesive after drying is less when compared to an engaging female member obtained by dry lamination or the like. Furthermore, because adhesive can be stably applied, the interlayer strength between the fabric 3 and the substrate 21 and the interlocking strength between the engaging female member 1 and an engaging male member 31 can be stabilized. Furthermore, a fabric with a low area weight can be utilized by using roll coating.

Furthermore, for the case of roll coating, the adhesive 13 is applied not only to the warp yarn 3a and the weft yarn 3b that are adjacent to the substrate 21, but also with the warp yarn 3 a and the weft yarn 3b located away from the substrate 21. Therefore, most of the warp yarn 3 a and the weft yarn 3b can contribute to the bonding between the fabric 3 and the substrate 21, and therefore the interlayer strength between the fabric 3 and the substrate 21 can be increased. Therefore by using roll coating, the reliability of the engaging female member 1 can be increased and the engaging female member 1 can be stably manufactured.

The engaging female member of the present invention can be suitably used on engaging systems for paper diapers, flooring materials, clothing, and the like.

EXAMPLES

The present invention will be explained below in detail based on examples, but the present invention is not restricted to these examples. Examples 1-6

An engaging female member was prepared as shown below using roll coating. The adhesive shown in Table 1 was applied onto a 22 g/m² polyamide tricoat as a fabric using a roll coater (manufactured by Matsushita Kogyo). Next, the fabric with adhesive applied was laminated with the substrate shown in Table 1. The amount of adhesive applied was approximately 2.5 g/m², and the temperature of the heated roller was approximately 120⁰C. Next, several dozen meters of engaging female member were prepared by laminating, rolled, and then stored for between 2 and 3 days at ambient temperature and humidity to harden the adhesive.

Comparative Examples 1-5

An engaging female member was prepared as shown below using a T-die. The adhesives shown in Table 1 were applied onto a 22 g/m² polyamide tricoat as a fabric using a T-die (manufactured by ITW Dynatech). Next, the fabric with adhesive applied was laminated with the substrate shown in Table 1. The amount of adhesive applied was approximately 2.5 g/m², and the temperature of the T-die was approximately 120⁰C. Next, several dozen meters of engaging female member were prepared by laminating, rolled, and then stored for between 2 and 3 days at ambient temperature and humidity to harden the adhesive.

Comparative Examples 6-9

An engaging female member was prepared by applying an adhesive as a string. The adhesive shown in Table 1 was applied onto a 22 g/m² polyamide tricoat as a fabric using a Megacoat nozzle die (manufactured by ITW Dynatech). Next, after drying in an oven, the fabric with adhesive applied was laminated with the substrate shown in Table 1.

The amount of adhesive applied was approximately 2.5 g/m², and the temperature during application was approximately 120⁰C. Next, several dozen meters of engaging female member were prepared by laminating, rolled, and then stored for between 2 and 3 days at ambient temperature and humidity to harden the adhesive. Comparative Example 10

An engaging female member was prepared using dry lamination. An adhesive was prepared by mixing 18 mass parts of a main component (product name: A969V, manufactured by Mitsui Chemical Polyurethane), 6 mass parts of hardener (product name: A5, manufactured by Mitsui Chemical Polyurethane), and 1.5 mass parts of silica

(manufactured by Tokusil USA: Tokuyama Inc.). This adhesive was applied to the entire surface of the substrate shown in Table 1. Next, after drying in an oven, a 22 g/m² polyamide tricoat was used as the fabric and was laminated with adhesive. The amount of adhesive applied was approximately 2.5 g/m². Next, the adhesive was hardened by storing for approximately 2 days at approximately 35⁰C.

Comparative Example 11

An engaging female member was prepared in a manner similar to comparative example 10 except that a checkered pattern with an application region of 2 mm x 2 mm was formed by dry lamination as shown in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, the numerical number 17 represents a region where the adhesive is applied, while the numerical number 19 represents a region where the adhesive is not applied. The pattern application was performed by etching a 2 mm x 2 mm checkered pattern onto a gravure roll for dry lamination. The resulting engaging female members were evaluated as shown below. The application method, substrate, and adhesive used for each of the embodiments and comparative examples, as well as the corresponding evaluation results, are shown in Table 1. The details for each of the materials in Table 1 are shown below.

Table 1

Substrate

BOPP: Double-sided corona treated film (product name: FOR-2, thickness: 12 μm, manufactured by Futamura Chemical)

NWl : nonwoven material (polypropylene, SMS, 13 g/m², manufactured by Mitsui Chemicals) Adhesive

MA-3380S: humidity hardening polyurethane adhesive (viscosity 1800 mPa ^• s at 120⁰C, manufactured by Mitsui Chemical Polyurethane)

MA-3002T: humidity hardening polyurethane adhesive (viscosity 3800 mPa ^• s at 120⁰C, manufactured by Mitsui Chemical Polyurethane)

YR-346-1 : humidity hardening polyurethane adhesive (viscosity 12,000 mPa ^• s at 120⁰C, manufactured by Hitachi Kasei Polymer)

MA-6311 : humidity hardening polyurethane adhesive (viscosity 12,000 mPa ^• s at 130⁰C, manufactured by Mitsui Chemical Polyurethane) DH-792: polyolefϊn thermoplastic adhesive (viscosity 7000 mPa ^• s at 130⁰C, manufactured by Nogawa Chemical)

Measurement of the Ratio of (opening ratio of the adhesive layer) / (opening ratio of the fabric) First, the engaging female member prepared in Example 3 was placed on a flat plate without folds or wrinkles or the like with the surface where the loop yarn protrudes in contact with the plate. Next, light was irradiated onto the engaging female member in the direction of thickness of the engaging female member in order to form a projection image on the flat plate. A view where 10 openings in the adhesive layer exist was observed (25X zoom) using a microscope (product name: VH-6200, manufactured by

Keyence Corp.). In the aforementioned view, the opening ratio of the adhesive layer was measured from the area of the projection of the adhesive layer that was formed on the flat plate. Furthermore, the opening ratio of the fabric 3 was calculated using the same procedures by placing the fabric on the flat plate. The ratio of (opening ratio of adhesive layer) / (opening ratio of fabric) was determined from the ratios for the opening ratio of the adhesive layer and the opening ratio of the fabric that were calculated. This measurement was repeated again with observing another view, and the ratio of (opening ratio of adhesive layer) / (opening ratio of fabric) was determined by the same procedures. The ratio of (opening ratio of adhesive layer) / (opening ratio of fabric) was also calculated by the same procedures for the engaging female member that was prepared in Comparative Example 2. The measurement results for Example 3 and Comparative Example 2 are shown in Table 2. Table 2

Method of Measuring Engaging Force Between Engaging Female Member and Engaging

Male Member

The engaging female members that were prepared according to the various examples and comparative examples were measured. The engaging female member with a size essentially the same as a steel plate was fixed to a 50 mm x 100 mm steel plate using double sided adhesive tape. A 25 mm wide and 20 mm long strip of engaging male member was prepared, and one end of a 25 μm thick PET film that was 25 mm wide and 200 mm long was bonded to the back surface of the engaging male member, using an adhesive tape. The entire surface of the engaging male member was placed on the engaging female member, and the engaging male member and the engaging female member were pressed together by applying a load by moving a 2 kg roller back and forth one time to engage them together. Next, the other end of the PET film, where the engaging male member was not bonded was pulled in a horizontal direction using a 1 kg load to stabilize the engaging condition. The hooks of the engaging male member used were CS-600 (manufactured by Sumitomo 3M, pin density: 1600 ppi, tip end shape: mushroom shaped).

Furthermore, the peel strength of the engaging female member and the engaging male member was measured using a Tensilon tensile tester (product name: AGS-100B, manufactured by Shimadzu Corp.), with a distance between chucks of 25 mm, and a tensile speed of 300 mm/minute at a 90° direction, to determine the engaging force between the engaging female member and the engaging male member. 6 samples of each of the engaging female members prepared according to each of the examples and comparative examples were made, and the average of the measurement values was used as the value for the engaging force. Method of Measuring Interlayer Strength Between the Fabric and the Substrate

The engaging female members that were prepared according to each of the examples and comparative examples were measured. The fabric and the substrate that were bonded by adhesive were cut in short strips 25 mm wide and 100 mm long, and STA-373 adhesive tape (manufactured by Sumitomo 3M) was laminated onto the back surface of the substrate as a reinforcing material to make the test sample. The adhesive force when the fabric and a substrate were peeled apart at 180° directions was measured using a Tensilon tensile tester (product name: AGS-100B, manufactured by Shimadzu Corp) at a speed of 300 mm/minute and a chuck distance of 25 mm, to determine the interlayer strength between the fabric and substrate. 6 samples of each of the engaging female members prepared according to each of the embodiments and comparative examples were made, and the average value of the measurement values obtained from each of the samples was used as the value for the interlayer strength.

Method for Evaluating Peeling Between Layers

If peeling between layers occurred between the fabric and substrate during the engaging force measurement described above, an evaluation of "yes" was given, and if peeling did not occur, an evaluation of "no" was made.

Method of Evaluating Blocking

For the engaging female members of each of the examples and comparative examples in a rolled condition, if the laminated substrates stick together when unrolled, a blocking evaluation of "yes" was made, and if the laminated substrates do not stick together, a blocking evaluation of "no" was made.

Evaluation of Stability of Adhesive Application Onto Fabric

For the engaging female members prepared according to the various embodiments and comparative examples, the stability of the adhesive application onto the fabric was evaluated by observing under an optical microscope. The evaluation was performed by observation (25X zoom) using an optical microscope. Microscope photographs of the engaging female members of (a) Comparative Example 2 and (b) Example 3 are shown in FIG. 7. Overall Evaluation

For an engaging female member, the interlayer strength between the fabric and the substrate is maintained in order to prevent peeling between the fabric and the substrate layers due to engaging with an engaging male member. Generally, the engaging force between the engaging female member and the engaging male member is between 1.5 and 4.5 N/25 mm, and if the interlayer strength between the fabric and the substrate is 3 N/25 mm or higher, peeling between the fabric and substrate layers will not readily occur.

In consideration of the aforementioned findings and the productivity, an overall evaluation of the engaging female members prepared by the various embodiments and comparative examples can be made using the following conditions (1) and condition (2). Specifically, if both condition (1) and (2) are met, an evaluation of "A" was given, if either condition (1) or condition (2) was met, an evaluation of "B" was given, and if neither condition (1) nor condition (2) was met, an evaluation of "C" was made. (1) Globules of adhesive do not adhere to the fabric, the loop yarn is not held down by attaching to the adhesive, and blocking does not occur when in a rolled condition after laminating.

(2) The interlayer strength between the fabric and substrate is 3 N/25 mm or higher, and peeling does not occur between the fabric and the substrate due to interlocking with the engaging male member.

Method of Evaluating Air Permeability

For the engaging female members prepared according to each of the examples and comparative examples, the air permeability was evaluated by the Galley method using an air permeability tester (product name: DENSOMETER, manufactured by Toyo Seiki).

An air permeability value of "yes" means the air permeability was 10 seconds/100 CC or less, and samples that exceeded this value were evaluated as having an air permeability of

"no.'

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. An engaging female member for a hook-and-loop fastener, comprising a fabric having a warp yarn and a weft yarn arranged at intervals thereby forming openings in the fabric, and a loop yarn that protrudes from at least one surface of the fabric; a flat substrate; and an adhesive layer provided on the yarn of one side of the fabric that bonds the fabric to the substrate; wherein the ratio of (opening ratio of the adhesive layer) / (opening ratio of the fabric) is not less than 0.1 and not more than 1.0.

2. The engaging female member for a hook-and-loop fastener according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a nonwoven material.

3. The engaging female member for a hook-and-loop fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the adhesive layer is provided by roll coating an adhesive onto the yarn of one surface of the fabric.

4. A method for preparing an engaging female member for a hook-and-loop fastener, comprising the steps of: providing an adhesive layer with openings that correspond to openings formed in a fabric having a warp yarn and a weft yarn arranged at intervals, and a loop yarn that protrudes from at least one surface, by applying an adhesive onto the yarn of one side of the fabric; and laminating a flat substrate on the adhesive layer to bond the fabric to the substrate, such that the ratio of (opening ratio of the adhesive layer) / (opening ratio of the fabric) is not less than 0.1 and not more than 1.0.

5. The method for preparing an engaging female member for a hook-and-loop fastener according to claim 4, wherein the adhesive is applied by roll coating.