ES2577980T3 - Elastomer fibers and methods for their manufacture and use - Google Patents

Abstract

A fiber prepared from a composition comprising the reaction product of: (i) a hydroxyl terminated intermediate, comprising a polyester, a polyether, a polycarbonate or a combination thereof, wherein the intermediate has a Tg of no more than 22 degrees C; (ii) a diisocyanate; and (iii) a chain extender comprising a linear alkylene glycol, where the Tg of the composition from which the fiber is prepared is not more than 22 degrees C.

Description

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In some embodiments, the cooling effect of the fiber can be expressed in terms of the effective cooling power. Although there are several means of measuring the cooling effect provided by the invention, this application includes details on two procedures for measuring this effect. The first focuses on the cooling effect provided by the fabrics made of the fibers described herein, where the fabric and the "skin" area 5 in contact with the fabric, in this case a test surface that simulates the Instead of a person's skin, they are both subjected to a constant wind that blows through the fabric. Although the specific conditions involved are considered to be basically important for the purposes of comparing results, this type of evaluation can of course be done at various environmental temperatures, humidity levels, wind speed, starting temperature of the "skin", if The heat source of the "skin" is left over or removed and several of 10 other variables. In addition, this parameter of course is measured with respect to a specific area. Another procedure follows the basic test methodology described above but adds the additional sweat variable, various moisture release rates of the "skin" during the course of the test. Using these types of tests, you can measure the amount of energy needed to maintain the temperature of the "skin" under various conditions, or alternatively, measure the rate at which the temperature of the "skin" drops if it is not apply a heat source, in order to give an indication of the cooling power of the fabric involved. Test conditions and specific results are provided in the examples section of this report. It is important to note that regardless of the test procedure used and the specific conditions selected, all the tests carried out to date have shown that the fabrics made of the fibers described herein exhibit a significantly higher cooling power and allow temperature drops

20 faster and larger than the comparative materials also tested.

In some embodiments, the fibers of the present invention, when evaluated by the methods described above, specifically when the fabric is placed on the surface of the test skin, with an active working heat source to maintain the surface temperature of the skin, 30% relative humidity, a

25 wind speed of 3 m / s and an ambient temperature of 15 degrees C, provides a cooling power of at least 31 watts for a test area of 629 cm2, or in other words a cooling power of at least 49 Watts per square meter. That is, at least 49 watts of power per square meter of area is required to maintain the skin temperature, which gives an indication of the cooling effect that the fabric would provide to a person, if the fabric were against their skin, compared with other materials (nylon and polyester,

30 for example, it would not break the limit of 31 watts in exactly the same test conditions). This cooling power can also be at least 34 watts for a test area of 629 cm2, at least 55 watts per square meter, where the fiber is a monofilament and is not semi-opaque. The same limits apply to the test performed with 50% relative humidity and a wind speed of 3 m / s, as well as at a wind speed of 5 m / s at 50% relative humidity.

In similar embodiments, the fiber of the present invention, when evaluated by the methods described above, specifically when the fabric is placed on the surface of the test skin, with an active heat source that works to maintain the temperature of the skin surface, 50% relative humidity, a wind speed of 0.3 m / s and an ambient temperature of 15 degrees C, provides a cooling power of

40 at least 13 or 14 watts for a test area of 629 cm2, at least 21 or 22 watts per square meter.

A method for producing excellent fiber in the cold contact sensation of the invention is not particularly limited and conventionally known methods such as a method for producing it can be employed by producing resin granules containing the thermoplastic elastomer and inorganic filler and the

Fusion and spinning, using the obtained resin granules.

The core-shell composite yarn can also be produced by, for example, loading of resin granules containing the dyeable resin, thermoplastic elastomer and inorganic filler in a composite spinning apparatus and by melting and spinning these .

The invention provides a method of manufacturing a fiber that includes the steps of: (I) preparing an elastomer resin in an internal mixing device. The elastomer resin is prepared by reacting: (i) a hydroxyl terminated intermediate, (ii) a diisocyanate and (iii) a linear alkylene glycol chain extender. The intermediate compound may be a polyester, a polyether, a polycarbonate or a combination of the

The same, where the intermediate compound has a Tg of no more than 22 degrees C. The second stage, (II) is melt spinning the elastomer resin into a fiber, for example, a monofilament or multifilament fiber. In some embodiments, the fiber is a monofilament fiber. All the different characteristics and embodiments discussed above with respect to the fiber and the composition used to prepare it also apply here.

60 The cloth

The fiber of the invention can be used in the form of a fabric such as knitting, a textile, and a bonded textile. The resulting fabric is excellent in the sensation of cold contact while also possessing the excellent elasticity of the fiber.

65

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In recent years, several kinds of clothing have been developed and proposed that have improved functions such as underwear to be used in summer sweating situations, in the case of exercises, sports and the like and such functional clothing is suggested, for example, clothing produced from hydrophobic fibers such as polyester. A method to increase air permeability using a hydrophilic fiber in combination with

5 cotton and a method to increase air permeability by forming a mesh structure for a clothing or by forming a moss point of a fabric derived from a simple knit fabric and a warp knit fabric and the Japanese Kokai Publication 2003-155669 discloses a reformed clothing by deposition of a hydrophilic chemical substance on the surface of the hydrophobic fiber that makes up the clothing. However, in the case of clothing comprising such hydrophobic fibers, although the heat generated can be efficiently released, this causes unpleasant sensation due to the sensation of moisture in the event that the skin or clothing becomes moist due to sweating. and at the same time the fabric tends to stick to the skin causing the problem that clothing restricts movement.

On the other hand, with respect to the refreshing clothing comprising the fabric that has a reversible structure, this

15 can cause a sensation of cold perception at the time of use and give a refreshing sensation and simultaneously can prevent the unpleasant sensation due to the wet sensation at the time of sweating and prevent the stickiness of the fabric to the skin due to the deterioration of the separation of the skin by controlling that the proportion of the number of loops comprising the excellent fiber in the sensation of cold contact is within a prescribed range. Also, the loops comprising the excellent fiber in the sensation of cold contact are disposed only on the side of the skin, so that the excellent fiber in the sensation of cold contact can be brought into direct contact with the skin and can be produced. clothes with additional cooling sensation and cold contact feeling even better.

In the refreshing articles and clothing of the invention, the lower limit of the proportion of the fiber loops

Excellent in the cold contact sensation may be 30% of the total number of loops and the upper limit may be 70% or even higher, such as 75%, 80%, 90% or 100% of the total number of loops. If it is less than 30%, the effect to cause a cooling sensation and cold contact sensation may become insufficient in some cases. The high level can be obtained with the present invention without causing any unpleasant sensation due to the sensation of moisture in the event that the skin or the clothes become wet due to sweating.

As mentioned above, for the fiber and the fabric, the cooling article, for example, the clothing, may contain the thermoplastic elastomer and an inorganic filler, but in other embodiments it is substantially free of, or even free of, any inorganic filler. .

In the articles of the invention, for example, clothing, the thickness of the fabric will be made as thin as possible, the excellent fiber in the cold contact sensation can be used in combination with another fiber. The lower limit of the thermoplastic elastomer content in the fiber excellent in the cold contact sensation may be 50% by weight. If it is less than 50% by weight, in some cases a sufficient sensation of cold contact may not be achieved. In other embodiments, the fiber content of the invention present in the fabric and articles is at least 15%, 25%, 35%, 45%, 55%, 65%, 75%, 85%, or even 95 % in weigh. Although not intended to be limited by theory, it is believed that in the fabric and / or article in question there must be some minimum fiber content of the invention for the cooling effect to be noticeable. This minimum required content may vary in the various formulations included in the present invention, but in some embodiments it may be very constant in the various formulations. This minimum content can be any of the percentages described

45 above.

In some embodiments, in the articles and / or clothing of the invention, the loops comprising the excellent fiber in the cold contact sensation are preferred to be arranged only on the skin side. Such an arrangement causes the loops that comprise the excellent fiber in the cold contact sensation to have mainly skin contact and cause the cold contact sensation and the cooling sensation, and as described later, the arrangement of the loops comprising a Hydrophobic fiber on the outside improves the diffusion and evaporation property of heat and water emitted from the skin.

In the articles and / or clothing of the invention, loops other than loops comprising the excellent fiber in the

Cold sensation of contact are preferably loops comprising a hydrophobic fiber. Since the loops comprising the excellent fiber in the cold contact sensation are disposed only on the skin side, the loops comprising a hydrophobic fiber are disposed primarily outside.

Here, hydrophobic fiber means a chemical fiber that has an official water percentage of 5.0% or less. Practically, fibers comprising polypropylenes (percentage of official water: 0%), polyesters (0.4%), acrylic resins (2.0%), nylon (4.5%), and vinyl (5,) can be illustrative. 0%) These can be used alone or

Two or more kinds of these can be used in combination. In this regard, the official water percentage means the percentage of water at 20 degrees C and 65% RH.

The articles and / or clothing of the invention may contain natural fibers such as cotton and linen and semi-synthetic fibers such as rayon and acetate based on need, in addition to the excellent fiber in the feeling of contact.

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It is known that some of the materials described above may interact in the final formulation, so that the components of the final formulation may be different from those that are initially added. For example, metal ions (of, for example, a detergent) can migrate to other acidic or anionic sites of other molecules. Products formed in this way, including products formed using the

The composition of the present invention in its intended use cannot be easily described. However, all such modifications and reaction products are included within the scope of the present invention, the present invention encompasses the composition prepared by mixing the components described above.

10 Examples

The invention is further illustrated by the following examples, which establish particularly advantageous embodiments. While the examples are provided to illustrate the present invention, it is not intended to limit it.

fifteen

Example set

Seven materials were evaluated to demonstrate the benefits of the invention. These materials are summarized in the following table.

20 Table 1 - Descriptions and properties of the sample

Ex.

Sample Description1 Fabric diameter [cm] Fabric Length [cm] Fabric weight [g / m2]

one

Baseline: No material (bare test surface) NA NA NA

2

Multifilament red core polyester fiber 13.9 42.0 27

3

Multifilament blue core Nylon fiber2 14.7 43.0 25

4

A3 Monofilament Fiber 5.3 37.5 90

5

Monofilament fiber B4 8.4 35.5 65

6

C5 monofilament fiber 9.2 29.0 66

7

Monofilament fiber D-Semiopaca6. 10.8 43.0 43

1 -Each sample of fabric is in the form of an open half / cuff. The diameter refers to the diameter of the sleeve that the fabric creates while the length is the actual length of the sample. For the weight of the fabric, each sample was weighed and then, using the other measures given, a weight was calculated in terms of grams per square meter for each fabric. 2 -This fiber is commercially available as Invista ™. 3 -Fiber A is prepared from a polyalkylene glycol, an alkylene diol, and MDI. 4 - Fiber B is prepared from alkylene diol adipate, an alkylene diol, and MDI. 5 - Fiber C is a multifilament version of fiber B, and is chemically identical to fiber B. 6 - Fiber D is fiber B but with a commercially available matting agent added.

Comparative Example 1 is the baseline and represents no fiber and / or no fabric. Comparative Examples 2 and 3 are comparative materials that do not represent the invention. Examples 4, 5, 6 and 7 represent several

25 embodiments of the invention.

It is observed that the fabrics tested have different diameters and the fabrics obtained for the test are of different weights. To take these differences into account, the test described below has been carried out with the use of clamps to fix the fabric samples in such a way that they provide a tension and density of the fabric.

30 comparable on the test surface, thus allowing a valid comparison of the materials. Any of the differences not taken into account by these controls are not expected to have a significant impact on the parameters tested.

Test methods and results

35 The examples described above were tested to determine their cooling power. This test was carried out in a climate chamber at controlled temperature and humidity using a thermal sweat dummy as a test surface. The test surface of the dummy, with a known surface area, is equipped with thermocouples to control the temperature and heating elements to allow the test surface

40 be heated to a real human skin temperature for testing. In addition, the power demands of the heating elements could also be controlled to observe the amount of energy required to maintain a specific skin temperature on the test surface. The test surface is also capable of releasing moisture, simulating the release of sweat from human skin. A high power fan was used as a wind source. The area of the test surface used for this entire test is 629 cm2.

Four. Five

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Example

Condition Set I Condition Set II Condition Set III Condition Set IV Condition Set V Condition Set VI

1 -All the results described in this table are the cooling power, measured in watts [W]. This is the amount of power that the heating element in the thermal sweat dummy required in order to maintain the temperature of the test surface, the surface of the forearm covered with the test fabric, at the set point under the conditions specified. The greater the cooling power described, the greater the power required to maintain the temperature, and in this way a greater cooling effect of the fabric is created. In other words, the greater the cooling power described, the greater the cooling effect that would be expected to be experienced when using a garment made of the tested fabric. All these results refer to a standard test surface area of 629 cm2. A cooling power per square meter can be calculated by dividing the described result by 0.629.

The results show that the fibers of the invention, and more specifically the fabric made of such fibers, provide a cooling effect, as measured by the cooling power, greater than that of conventional synthetic fibers, and more specifically the fabric made of the conventional synthetic fibers. Furthermore, the 5 results show that the fibers of the invention, and more specifically the fabric made of such fibers, provide a cooling effect, as measured by the cooling power, comparable to that observed in the example of bare skin, of the baseline . In other words, the present invention provides fibers, fabrics and various articles of clothing, including the means for manufacturing such articles, which provide it to a user whose skin comes into contact with said articles, a cooling sensation similar to that perceived when no cloth is in contact with

10 the skin that is when the skin is bare.

An additional test set is also included which adds the additional moisture release variable from the test surface during the test. In these tests, a thermal foot sweat model was used, where the model was equipped with controls similar to the dummy described above. Moisture release

15 used in this test is designed to simulate different sweating rates that a person would experience when wearing a garment made of the test cloth, for example, during exercise, and to see what impact, if any, has on the refreshing power of the fabric.

Here the same seven examples listed in Table 1 were tested. The conditions used in this test are

20 summary in the following table. For each test condition, the system was allowed to stabilize for 30 minutes without any wind or moisture release, during which time the fabric's cooling power was measured. The moisture release was then started and the system was allowed to stabilize again for 30 minutes, during which time the cooling power was measured. Finally, the wind condition was added and the system was allowed to stabilize again for 30 minutes, during which time the cooling power was measured.

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Table 4 - Summary of the cooling power test conditions using the foot model

Condition Set1

Chamber temperature [C] Chamber humidity [%] Wind speed [m / s] Target skin temperature [C] Sweating Rate [grams / h] Examples tested in these conditions

VII

fifteen fifty 3.0 3. 4 4 2,3,4,5,6,7

VIII

fifteen fifty 3.0 3. 4 8 2,3,4,5,6,7

IX

fifteen fifty 3.0 3. 4 16 2,3,4,5,6,7

X

fifteen fifty 5.0 3. 4 4 2,3,4,5,6,7

XI

fifteen fifty 5.0 3. 4 8 2,3,4,5,6,7

1-These sets of conditions were carried out in the test in the following order: VII, VIII, IX, X, XI.

The results of this test are summarized in the following table. As mentioned earlier, each test condition included three different measurements of the cooling power, one without wind and without moisture release (A), one with moisture release and no wind (B) and one with moisture and wind release objectives (C). Below is presented for each condition set, the measured cooling power:

Table 5A -Summary of the results of the referescent power test1

Example

Condition Set VII Condition Set VIII Condition Set IX

(TO)

(B) (C)  (TO) (B) (C)  (TO) (B) (C)

2 - Comparative

3.9 4.9 11.0 4.2 6.5 13.0 4.1 7.8 15.3

3 - Comparative

4.3 5.3 11.6 4.3 6.9 13.4 4.7 8.6 16.2

4 - Invention

5.2 6.4 15.2 5.2 8.1 16.8 4.9 8.6 19.7

5 - Invention

4.9 6.1 14.6 4.9 6.5 16.2 5.0 6.6 17.5

6 - Invention

4.6 5.5 12.6 4.8 7.6 15.5 4.7 10.9 19.5

7 - Invention

4,5 5.8 13.8 4.7 7.2 15.6 4.6 7.4 18.8

1 -All the results described in this table are the cooling power, Watts [W]. See also footnote 1 of table 3.

Table 5B - Summary of the refreshing power test results1

Example

Condition Set X Condition Set IX

(TO)

(B) (C)  (TO) (B) (C)

2 - Comparative

4.2 5.2 15.5 4.4 6.7 16.7

3 - Comparative

4.3 5.7 16.9 4.8 7.0 17.9

4 - Invention

5.4 6.7 21.2 5.0 8.0 22.0

5 - Invention

5.0 6.2 19.9 5.0 6.8 22.0

6 - Invention

5.2 6.3 17.9 4.8 7.8 19.7

7 - Invention

4.8 6.1 18.5 4.2 6.2 21.0

1 -All the results described in this table are the cooling power, Watts [W]. See also footnote 1 of table 3.

The results show that the fibers of the "invention", and more specifically the fabric made of such fibers, provide a cooling effect, as measured by the cooling power, greater than that of conventional synthetic fibers, and more specifically the fabric. made of conventional synthetic fibers, particularly when both moisture and wind release conditions are present. Since these conditions are common, and actually expected, when a person is wearing a garment, especially sportswear and similar clothing, the results reinforce the conclusion that items made of the fibers of the invention would provide a person who use said items, or otherwise that said items are in

10 contact with your skin, a cooling effect.

Example Set 2

Various materials are prepared so that the present invention can be further demonstrated. These 15 materials are summarized in the following tables.

Table 6 - Descriptions and properties of the sample

Ex

Sample Description1 Intermediate compound terminated in hydroxyl Dissociation Linear alkylene glycol

8

Monofilament fiber BDO2 adipate MDI BDO

9

Monofilament fiber HDO3 adipate MDI BDO

10

Monofilament fiber BDO / HDO4 adipate MDI BDO

eleven

Monofilament fiber PTMEG MDI BDO

12

Monofilament fiber PEG MDI BDO

13

Monofilament fiber BDO2 adipate HDI BDO

14

Monofilament fiber HDO3 adipate HDI BDO

fifteen

Monofilament fiber BDO / HDO4 adipate HDI BDO

16

Monofilament fiber PTMEG HDI BDO

17

Monofilament fiber PEG HDI BDO

18

Monofilament fiber BDO2 adipate HMDI BDO

19

Monofilament fiber HDO3 adipate HMDI BDO

twenty

Monofilament fiber BDO / HDO4 adipate HMDI BDO

twenty-one

Monofilament fiber PTMEG HMDI BDO

22

Monofilament fiber PEG HMDI BDO

2. 3

Monofilament fiber BDO2 adipate MDI HDO

24

Monofilament fiber HDO3 adipate MDI HDO

25

Monofilament fiber BDO / HDO4 adipate MDI HDO

26

Monofilament fiber PTMEG MDI HDO

27

Monofilament fiber PEG MDI HDO

28

Monofilament fiber BDO2 adipate HDI HDO

29

Monofilament fiber HDO3 adipate HDI HDO

30

Monofilament fiber BDO / HDO4 adipate HDI HDO

31

Monofilament fiber PTMEG HDI HDO

32

Monofilament fiber PEG HDI HDO

33

Monofilament fiber BDO2 adipate HMDI HDO

3. 4

Monofilament fiber HDO3 adipate HMDI HDO

35

Monofilament fiber BDO / HDO4 adipate HMDI HDO

36

Monofilament fiber PTMEG HMDI HDO

37

Monofilament fiber PEG HMDI HDO

1-Each fabric sample is in the form of a half / open cuff woven of the described fiber. 2-BDO adipate is an adipate prepared from 1,4-butanediol and adipic acid. 3-HDO adipate is an adipate prepared from 1,6-hexanediol and adipic acid. 4-BDO / HDO adipate is an adipate prepared from adipic acid and a mixture of 1,4-butanediol and 1,6-hexanediol.

Table 7 - Sample descriptions and properties

Ex

Sample Description1 Intermediate compound terminated in hydroxyl Dissociation Linear alkylene glycol

38

Multifilament fiber BDO2 adipate MDI BDO

39

Multifilament fiber HDO3 adipate MDI BDO

40

Multifilament fiber BDO / HDO4 adipate MDI BDO

41

Multifilament fiber PTMEG MDI BDO

42

Multifilament fiber PEG MDI BDO

43

Multifilament fiber BDO2 adipate HDI BDO

44

Multifilament fiber HDO3 adipate HDI BDO

Four. Five

Multifilament fiber BDO / HDO4 adipate HDI BDO

46

Multifilament fiber PTMEG HDI BDO

47

Multifilament fiber PEG HDI BDO

48

Multifilament fiber BDO2 adipate HMDI BDO

49

Multifilament fiber HDO3 adipate HMDI BDO

fifty

Multifilament fiber BDO / HDO4 adipate HMDI BDO

51

Multifilament fiber PTMEG HMDI BDO

52

Multifilament fiber PEG HMDI BDO

53

Multifilament fiber BDO2 adipate MDI HDO

54

Multifilament fiber HDO3 adipate MDI HDO

55

Multifilament fiber BDO / HDO4 adipate MDI HDO

56

Multifilament fiber PTMEG MDI HDO

57

Multifilament fiber PEG MDI HDO

58

Multifilament fiber BDO2 adipate HDI HDO

59

Multifilament fiber HDO3 adipate HDI HDO

60

Multifilament fiber BDO / HDO4 adipate HDI HDO

61

Multifilament fiber PTMEG HDI HDO

62

Multifilament fiber PEG HDI HDO

63

Multifilament fiber BDO2 adipate HMDI HDO

64

Multifilament fiber HDO3 adipate HMDI HDO

65

Multifilament fiber BDO / HDO4 adipate HMDI HDO

66

Multifilament fiber PTMEG HMDI HDO

67

Multifilament fiber PEG HMDI HDO

1-Each fabric sample is in the form of a half / open cuff woven of the described fiber. 2-BDO adipate is an adipate prepared from 1,4-butanediol and adipic acid. 3-HDO adipate is an adipate prepared from 1,6-hexanediol and adipic acid. 4-BDO / HDO adipate is an adipate prepared from adipic acid and a mixture of 1,4-butanediol and 1,6-hexanediol.

Except in the examples, or where explicitly stated otherwise, all numerical quantities herein that specify amounts of materials, reaction conditions, molecular weights, number of carbon atoms and the like, will be understood as modified by The word "approximately." Unless stated otherwise, all values in percentage, values in ppm and values in parts are based on weight. Unless otherwise indicated, each chemical or composition mentioned herein should be construed as being a commercial grade material that may contain isomers, byproducts, derivatives and other materials that are normally understood to be present. in commercial quality 10. However, the amount of each chemical component is exempt from any solvent or diluent oil, which may be usually present in the commercial material, unless otherwise indicated. It is understood that the upper and lower amount, range and relationship limits set forth herein may be combined independently. Similarly, the intervals and quantities for each element of the invention can be used in conjunction with intervals or quantities for any of the other elements.

15 As used herein, the term "consisting essentially of" allows the inclusion of substances that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the composition under consideration.

Claims (1)

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