FR3091496A1 - Tablecloth for forming a fabric which can replace leather and method of manufacturing such a fabric - Google Patents

Abstract

A tablecloth for forming a fabric which can be used as a substitute for leather and a method of making such a fabric. Web comprising at least one layer of elastomeric material, in particular a rubber layer, in particular based on latex, characterized in that the web further comprises at least one wood fiber, preferably a plurality of wood fibers, the one or more wood fibers being attached directly to one side of the at least one layer of elastomeric material. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 1

Description

Description

Title of the invention: Tablecloth for forming a fabric which can replace leather and process for manufacturing such a fabric

The present invention relates to a sheet for forming a fabric, a cushion or the like and with which or which one can make elements conventionally made of leather, for example clothing such as coats, pants or the like, upholstery of furniture such as sofas or bed frames, upholstery, leather goods, and the like. The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing such a sheet.

In particular, it is desired to obtain a fabric, a cushion or the like making it possible to produce the elements and / or products mentioned above in an alternative material to leather, without however having the drawbacks thereof, in particular the need to remove them from animals.

To this end, the invention relates to a sheet comprising at least one layer of elastomeric material, in particular a layer of rubber, in particular based on latex, characterized in that the sheet also comprises at least one fiber, preferably a plurality of fibers, in particular textile (s) or wood, in particular one or more cellulose fibers, the fiber or fibers being fixed directly on one face of the at least one layer of material elastomer.

There is thus obtained a fabric having the advantages usually obtained by leather, in particular a waterproof, flexible, shockproof fabric which also gives the impression of being a single piece, each fabric being different from one of the other. In addition, compared to leather, the fabric obtained has a certain elasticity and is non-slip.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the layer of elastomeric material is colored by adding a dye, in particular an ink based on carbon black.

Preferably, the fiber or fibers cover (s) from 1% to 70%, preferably from 1% to 40%, of said one face of the layer of material.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the elastomeric material is a rubber derived from a latex composition, in particular a natural latex pre-vulcanized in aqueous dispersion, stabilized in ammonia.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the fibers are all aligned in the same direction.

In particular, the fibers are arranged in random rows and columns, the distance between two columns being variable along the rows, and the distance between two fibers in a row being variable in a row and from one row to the other. 'other.

According to a preferred embodiment, the fibers are wood fibers and are arranged so as to form a random pattern reminiscent of the surface of the wood, in particular by having veining and knots.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the wood fibers are wood fibers from a plywood panel, the fixing of the fibers having been carried out by the deposition of one or more layers of a composition of an elastomer, in particular of latex, followed by drying to obtain the hardening of the rubber layer and removal of the rubber layer from the plywood plate by peeling, the wood fibers of the plywood plate thus being torn off from the plywood plate to remain on the face of the rubber layer which is on the side of the plywood.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the plywoods used consist of a stack of folds, in particular unidirectional crossed, and the layer of wood of the laminate according to the invention consists of the fibers of the outer ply (s) from the plywood plate, from which the laminate was peeled off.

According to a preferred embodiment, the ply comprises on the side of the layer of elastomeric material opposite the skin layer a layer forming a lining, for example a layer of nonwoven, a textile or the like, this lining having been affixed directly on the elastomer layer still in the uncured state for fixing by grip, or fixed after formation of the sheet, in particular by gluing, to the layer of elastomer material.

According to another favorable embodiment, the sheet comprises at least a second wood fiber, preferably a plurality of second wood fibers, on the side of the layer of elastomeric material opposite to the at least one wood fiber, the layer of elastomeric material thus having on its two main opposite faces wood fibers, the second wood fiber or fibers may be fibers of the same wood as the first fiber or fibers or of a different wood.

According to the invention, the term plywood panel means a panel of wood laminated into thin strips glued together. In particular, it is a wood-based panel obtained by bonding adjacent layers with crossed wires usually at a right angle, the plywood being composed of several layers of veneer, called plies, in odd numbers, the thickness of a panel varying between 1 and 50mm. Plywood is also called a multiplex.

The present invention also relates to an object having a volume, for example a piece of furniture, a bag or the like, covered at least in part by a sheet according to the invention.

The present invention also relates to a garment, or a part of clothing such as a collar or an elbow pad, made with a laminate according to the invention. The present invention also relates to a process for manufacturing a sheet, in particular according to the invention, comprising a layer of elastomeric material, in particular a layer of rubber, in particular based on latex, the process comprising the steps in which:

- we take a wooden panel, in particular a plywood;

- We take a composition, especially liquid, of elastomeric material, especially latex;

- the composition is deposited on the wooden panel;

- it is allowed to dry until a solid layer of the elastomeric material, in particular rubber, is obtained; and

the rubber layer of the wooden panel is peeled off, the rubber layer carrying with it at least one external fiber of the wooden panel, in particular a plurality of external fibers of the wooden panel, so as to form a sheet made up of the elastomeric layer and of the wood fiber or fibers attached to the same face of the elastomeric layer brought into contact with the wooden panel before the tablecloth is removed.

Conventionally, the wood for the manufacture of panels, in particular plywood, can be poplar, maritime pine, birch and also okoumé. You can also use walnut, oak, maple, cherry or mahogany.

In addition, the invention can be implemented on a non-planar wooden surface, the only condition being that the wood is of brittle soft fiber of the spruce pine type, so as to be able to peel the wood fibers from the wooden surface to fix them on the upper or outer face of the sheet, some wood being too hard to allow this tearing of the fibers by the elastomeric material.

Preferably, the elastomer composition deposited on the wooden panel comprises a pre-vulcanized elastomer.

By way of example, a preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a sectional view of a sheet according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the web of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a sheet according to the invention; and

Figure 4 shows schematically the different stages of the process for obtaining the sheets of the previous figures.

The figures are not to scale, in particular the relationship between the dimensions of the elastomer layer and those of the fibers has not been preserved, the fibers being, in reality much smaller dimensions.

In Figure 1, there is shown a fabric formed of a sheet according to the invention. This sheet comprises a layer 1 of rubber and wood fibers 2 incorporated on the upper face 3 of the layer 1. The wood fibers are all aligned in the lengthwise direction of the laminate. The wood fibers are in direct contact with layer 1, on the upper face 3 (intended to be on the outside or visible side of the fabric).

To manufacture this laminate, we first took a latex composition consisting of a natural latex prevulcanized in aqueous dispersion, stabilized with ammonia (available from the company espritcomposite.com under the brand LD Latex) as it was mixed with a dye, in particular carbon black ink, in particular at 5 to 10%, to obtain a colored latex composition which is deposited on a plywood panel, for example in maritime pine. The deposit is made in particular by casting, but can also be done by dipping or using a brush. The colored latex solution is left to dry for about an hour, thereby obtaining a thickness of 1 mm of the rubber layer. If it is desired to obtain a greater thickness, it is advisable to allow to dry one hour per additional millimeter at the usual ambient temperature.

These drying times correspond to the composition indicated above. It goes without saying that other drying times may be necessary depending on the composition used, the important thing being to allow the composition to dry long enough to allow the evaporation of the liquid solvents and the setting of the wood fibers with the material. elastomer.

One can also provide a thickener for latex or liquid elastomer, which will have the effect of reducing the setting time.

As a dye, in addition to carbon black, organic or inorganic pigments can be used, for example diazo dyes, anthraquinone dyes, xanthene, azine and the like, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, chromium oxide and the like. .

Once the liquid (water, ammonia) has been removed, the solidified rubber layer formed on the plywood is removed. The latter carries with it part of the outer ply of fibers of the plywood panel and thus transfers fibers from the ply of wood onto the face of the rubber, in the manner of a decal. A sheet is thus obtained which makes it possible to form a fabric having advantages usually obtained by leather, and which moreover, taking into account the random nature of the number of fibers, their thickness and their respective length, gives the impression of being a unique piece, each fabric being different from each other, and this without having been taken from an animal.

Preferably, the layer of rubber to form a fabric is between 1 mm and 10 mm. The wood fibers taken in or on the rubber layer can have a thickness of between 0.01 mm and 2 mm. Fiber agglomerates can be taken together in or on the rubber.

However, it is possible, without particular difficulty, to provide thicknesses of the rubber layer beyond these values, in particular when it is desired to form a cushion, and in particular without having, as in the prior art, the need to use a fairly thin fabric that is stuffed, the entire interior volume of the cushion can be, according to the invention, consisting of the rubber layer.

As elastomeric material, one can also use a material with or without heat-shrinkable characteristics and which can be formed in particular of polymers, such as copolymers of different types of units. It can be formed, in particular, from polymers, such as copolymers of different types of monomer units, for example alternating such as AB, or block, for example AA-ABBB, or statistical, for example AABABBAAABA, the l the entire network obtained can have different structures, either linear of type ABA, or radial of type (AB) n, index n (n> 2), or diblock of type AB which are elastomers, for example styrene / isoprene copolymers ( SI), styrene / isoprene / styrene (SIS), styrene / butadiene / styrene (SBS), styrene-ethylene / butylene-styrene (SEBS), styreneethylene / propylene-styrene (SEPS) or SIBS. Mixtures of these elastomers with each other or with non-elastomers modifying certain characteristics other than elasticity can also be taken into account. For example up to 50% by weight, but preferably less than 30% by weight of polymer can be added in order to modify certain characteristics of the base materials (elasticity, heat resistance, processability, UV resistance, dyes, ...), such as polyvinyl styrene, polystyrenes or poly a-methyl-styrene, epoxy polyesters, polyolefins, for example polyethylenes or certain ethylene / vinyl acetates, preferably those of high molecular weight.

The material may be, in particular, a styrene-isoprene-styrene, available for example from the company Kraton Polymers, under the name KRATON D (registered trademark), or from the company DEXCO POLYMERS LP under the name VECTOR SBC 4211 (trademark). It is also possible to use a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, in particular PELLATHANE (registered trademark) 2102-75A from the company The Dow Chemical Company. It is also possible to use a styrene-butadiene-styrene, in particular KRATON D-2122 (registered trademark) from the company Kraton Polymers, or VECTOR SBC 4461 (registered trademark) from the company Dexco Polymers LP. It is also possible to use a styrene-ethylene / butylene, in particular KRATON G-2832 (registered trademark) from the company Kraton Polymers, or a styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene block copolymer (SEBS), in particular KRATON (registered trademark) . It is also possible to use a copolymer of isooctyl acrylate and acrylic acid in monomer ratios of 90/10. One can also use a polyamide polyether block copolymer PEBAX (registered trademark) 2533 from the company Arkema.

Other possible materials are polyolefin polymers, mainly ethylene and / or propylene copolymers, having characteristics of elastomers, in particular resulting from metallocene catalysis, such as VISTAMAXX VM-1120 (registered trademark), available from from the company Exxon Mobil Chemical or else EPDM charged polymers of the Santoprene type.

For manufacturing, the method may provide for the preparation of a mold which is generally called a frame 4. The frame makes it possible to contain the material poured onto the upper surface of the wooden board 6, for example a plywood, during its change of state, that is to say from its liquid state to its solid state. The frame and the surface of wood on which the mixture was poured are both held on a perfectly flat surface of a frame 5 in order to ensure a constant thickness over the entire surface of the sheet to be manufactured.

Thanks to a weir tool which makes it possible to control a slow and regular flow of the mixture, it is poured homogeneously over the whole of the wood surface, then, thanks to a squeegee type tool, the mixture of latex and stain is distributed evenly over the total surface of the wood, respecting a constant equal thickness over the entire surface.

The drying time depends on the desired final thickness which can be measured between the tenth of a millimeter and several millimeters. We can also plan to speed up this step using a dryer.

The drying time under normal conditions of temperature and pressure being for example 1 mm / h, it is possible to proceed in several layers while respecting the drying time corresponding between each new layer or else to flow in a single times the desired amount. It is preferable, to ensure good adhesion of the surface fibers of the wood, to start with a first thin layer, then, thereafter, to proceed with one or more layers.

By drying, the natural rubber becomes glassy. It goes from liquid to viscoelastic state, then, once dry, becomes solid and elastic when stretched. By drying in the open air in a ventilated space, it crosslinks and shrinks in a percentage of the order of 5%.

To avoid the formation of air bubbles during the flow of the mixture, a vibration under the frame will be activated during the flow of the mixture and a few minutes after.

However, one may also wish, in the case where one pours several layers of elastomer one after the other, trapping air bubbles between two adjacent layers, thereby giving an even more appearance natural and random to the final fabric.

Then or simultaneously with the vibration of the frame and the poured surface, a breath of air is projected onto the surface of the mixture allowing the bubbles rising to the surface to burst.

The setting or drying of the mixture operates at room temperature. The space can be ventilated during the first 15 minutes of drying corresponding to the escape of the ammonia contained in the mixture in the form of gas. You can speed up setting by heating without exceeding 70 °.

The process of pouring the mixture is repeated, followed by vibration and ventilation of the surface and waiting for the layer to dry, until the number of layers is sufficient to reach the desired final thickness of the sheet.

When the desired final thickness of the sheet is reached, the dry part of the mixture is separated from the wooden support on which it was poured into the frame. The structure of the frame is dismantled and, by peeling off one of the ends of the sheet, the dried mixture is torn off from the wooden support. A resistance linked to the intrinsic quality of the rubber will be more or less strong depending on the thickness of the sheet. The thicker the sheet, the greater the pulling force and the difficult pulling out.

The wooden fibers torn from the plate are taken partly in or on the mass of the rubber layer.

We have described the example above with wood fibers. However, it is envisaged according to the present invention to use in the same way any other type of fibers, vegetable, animal, mineral, artificial or synthetic, preferably natural fibers, in particular cellulose or cellulosic fibers.

The invention is not limited to the dye indicated above, and provision may be made for another shade of the elastomeric material.

According to an advantageous embodiment, in addition to a dye, one can add to the latex / elastomer composition, one or more fragrance (s).

According to another embodiment shown in Figure 3, the web comprises second 2 'wood fibers on the side of the layer 1 of elastomeric material opposite the first wood fibers 2, the layer of elastomeric material thus having on its two main opposite faces of the wood fibers, the second wood fibers 2 ′ may be fibers of the same wood as the first fibers 2 or of a different wood.

Claims (1)

Claims [Claim 1] Sheet comprising at least one layer (1) of elastomeric material, in particular a layer (1) of rubber, in particular based on latex, characterized in that the sheet additionally comprises at least one fiber, preferably a plurality of fibers (2) , in particular textile (s) or wood, in particular one or more cellulose fibers, the fiber or fibers being fixed directly to one face (3) of the at least one layer of elastomeric material . [Claim 2] Tablecloth according to claim 1, characterized in that the layer (1) of elastomeric material is colored by adding a dye, in particular an ink based on carbon black. [Claim 3] Tablecloth according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the elastomeric material is a rubber derived from a latex composition, in particular a natural latex prevulcanized in aqueous dispersion, stabilized in ammonia. [Claim 4] Tablecloth according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the wood fibers (2) are all aligned in the same direction. [Claim 5] Tablecloth according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the fiber or fibers (2) cover (s) from 1% to 70%, in particular from 1% to 40%, of said one face (3) of the layer of material. [Claim 6] Tablecloth according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the fibers (2) are wood fibers and are arranged so as to form a random pattern reminiscent of the surface of the wood, in particular by having veins and knots. [Claim 7] Tablecloth according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the lap comprises at least a second wood fiber (2 '), preferably a plurality of second wood fibers, on the side of the layer of elastomeric material opposite to the at least one wood fiber (2), the layer (1) of elastomeric material thus having on its two main opposite faces wood fibers, the second wood fiber or fibers may be fibers of the same wood as the or the first fibers or from a different wood. [Claim 8] Object having a volume, for example a piece of furniture, a bag or the like, covered at least in part by a tablecloth according to one of the preceding claims. [Claim 9] Garment, or part of a garment such as a collar or an elbow patch, produced with a ply according to one of Claims 1 to 7. [Claim 10] Method for manufacturing a sheet according to one of Claims 1 to 7, the method comprising the steps in which: - We take a panel (6) of wood, including plywood; - We take a composition, especially liquid, of elastomeric material, especially latex; - the composition is deposited on the wooden panel; - it is allowed to dry until a solid layer (1) of the elastomeric material, in particular rubber, is obtained; and - The layer (1) of rubber is removed by peeling from the wooden panel, the rubber layer carrying with it at least one fiber (2) outside the wooden panel, in particular a plurality of fibers outside the wooden panel, thus forming a sheet consisting of the elastomer layer and of the wooden fiber or fibers attached to the same face of the elastomer layer brought into contact with the wooden panel before the withdrawal of the sheet.