GB1113271A - Improvements in or relating to the production of tufted carpets - Google Patents

Abstract

In a tufted carpet the tufts are pushed through a backing comprising a laminate which comprises a plurality of substantially uniaxially oriented films formed from crystallisable polymer and bonded together to provide strength in the laminate in two perpendicular directions. Examples of crystallisable polymer are polymers of propylene, high density polymers of ethylene, polymers of 4 methyl pentene-1, block copolymers of one or more of these polymers; polyesters, e.g. polyethylene terephthalate, polyamides, e.g. polyhexamethylene adipamide, polyhexamethylene sebacamide or polycaprolactam, and oxymethylene polymers and copolymers. The polymers or copolymers may be mixed with stabilisers or antistatic agents. The oriented films are preferably heat set before the backing is used, and are of the same or different polymers. The angle between the direction of orientation of any two adjoining films is preferably 90 DEG but where several films are used it may be a different factor of 180 DEG . The films may be bonded together by adhesive, e.g. an adhesive activated by radio frequency heating, or by solvent welding, ultrasonic bonding, or "flame-laminating" as descrbed in Specification 1,081,547. In one preferred embodiment a polypropylene/polyethylene laminate is produced by double extrusion and drawn in one direction. After heat setting the laminate is bonded to a similar laminate, but oriented in a second direction, by passing the pair of laminates, polyethylene faces in contact, between heated rollers. To retain the tufts in the backing a thermoplastic latex is applied to the reverse side of the carpet after tufting and is dried and cured. Alternatively a thermoplastic coating of lower melting point than any of the films of the laminate is applied to one side of the laminate during its manufacture, and after tufting is heated to melt it and seal the tufts in position. The thermoplastic latices which may be used include rubber latices; copolymers of vinylidene chloride with one or more of acrylonitrile itaconic acid, or methacrylic acid; polyvinyl acetate; partially hydrolised polyvinyl acetate; copolymers of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate; copolymers of butadiene with styrene and/or methyl methacrylate or with acrylonitrile; methyl methacrylate/methacrylic acid copolymers; copolyesters of terephthalic acid and another carboxylic acid with a glycol; copolymers of vinylidene chloride and vinyl chloride or alkyl acrylates, and copolymers of two of vinyl chloride, vinyl-acetate and ethylene.