GB2491879A

GB2491879A - Non-woven silk material

Info

Publication number: GB2491879A
Application number: GB1110176.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Leslie Ann Scott; Fritz Vollrath; Christopher Anthony Holland; Robin Carter
Original assignee: NEFILA Ltd
Current assignee: NEFILA Ltd
Priority date: 2011-06-16
Filing date: 2011-06-16
Publication date: 2012-12-19
Also published as: WO2012172085A3; WO2012172085A2; GB201110176D0

Abstract

A method for the manufacture of a non-woven silk material comprises compressing one or more whole silk cocoons 230 or pieces of silk cocoons cut chopped or torn from cocoons on a heated plate. The plate may be heated to 100oC to 130oC and water or solvent applied by spraying onto the cocoons prior to compression. The cocoons may be slit open. Two or more layers of cocoons may be placed on top of each other prior to compressing and a layer of material such as steel thread, metals or textiles may be located between the layers. The plate may be in the form of a shaped mould. The material may be treated with chemicals such as the anti-microbial neem-tree extract. The cocoons may be treated with steam prior to pressing and a press comprising plates 210, 220 may include a device for introducing steam between the plates. Following formation the material may be cooled by spraying with water of by conveying to a cold plate. The non-woven silk material may be used for a shoe insole, the inner liner of a bicycle or other tyre, moulded knee pads, brassiere liners exercise mats, mattresses, felted sippers or shoes.

Description

PcciptiQn Tide Non-Woven Silk Materials and Methods for Mlanufacture Thereof Cross-RetèrencetoRcJedppjicatio [000i] None

Field of the Invention

is [0002] The field of the invention relates to a non-w yen silk material, a method for manufacture thereof and a use of the non-woven silk materials. Examples of such uses include, but are not limited to, insoles for shoes and vehicular tyres.

i3çkrpgndofjheinvention [0003] Silk is a natural protein fibre that has been used for many thousands of years for weaving into textiles. The hestknown silk fibre is obtained from cocoons of the larvae of a mulberry silkworm Bombyx marl that has have been reared in captivity for many thousands of years. There are other types of silkworms that show potential for conunercial use of the silk fibrc These silkworms include silk-producing larvae of the bomhycid saturnid.

lasiocampid and thaumatopoid species. The saturnid species of wild silkworms by way of example only include Antheraea penyi, Antheraea yamamai, Antheraea mylitta. Anthcraea assaina, Philosamia cynthia ricime and Philosamia cynthia pryeri and are currently used for commercial silk production. Other satumidae as well as lasiocampid silkworms, for example of the genus Gonometa or Anaphe also have great potential for the commercial production of the silk fibres.

[0004] To date the silk fibres are generally obtained commercially by direct reeling from.

a cocoon or, less commonly, by carding cocoons. For example. a Chinese utility model No. CN 2811337 Y (assigned to Yu Qingcun) entitled "Silk worm cocoon dressing machine" describes a machine that can be used to unravel the silk fibre from the cocoon of the silk moths. The machine of the CN G337 utihty mode is used to unravel socalled "superlon.g" silk fibres and to provide uniform distribution of the unravelled silk fibres.

s [0005] One of the uses described in the past for the silk fibres is the incorporation of the silk fibres into rubber articles, such as vehicular tyres, in order to reenforce the rubber articles. For example, UK patent application No. GB 178 898 (John Bro;n) describes a formation of combined rubber and fabric materials that is adapted for strong wear resistance. The GB 898 patent describes a method in which individual ones of the silk fibres are incorporated into a laminate of rubber and the silk thread. The GB 898 patent faiis, however, to describe the use of a nonwoven silk material ppofthjiwenion [0006] This disclosure describes a method for the manufacturing of a nonwoven silk material from one or more silk cocoons that comprises the following steps. One or more of whole silk cocoons or pieces of silk cocoons, including individual fibres, cut or chopped or torn from silk cocoons are either taken as a whole and flattened or they split open, thr example, by cutting along one side. The compressed or cut silk cocoons are placed on a heated surface and compressed on the heated surface to bond the cocoons together into a .ayer of nonwoven silk material (in the form of a mat or a moulded article). Spray or steam of water or another solvent can be added before or during the compression heating to better bond by partially melting the sericin gum layers of the cocoon. In one aspect of the disclosure, the heated plate is heated. to a temperature of between 100 °C to.130 °C and water is sprayed on to the nonwoven silk material before or during the compression pressing, but this is not limiting of the invention.

[0007] In another aspect of the invention It is possible to make a laminate of two or more layers of the nowwoven silk materials by compressing two or more layers of the non woven silk materials in order to obtain the silk laminate. it will be understood that additional materials, by way of example only, steel thread, can be laid between one or more of the two or more layers of nonwoven silk material before the compressing.

[0008] The nomwoven silk material manufactured by the method of this disclosure can he used for example, for the manufacture of a vehicalar tyre or insoIes of a shoe, but are not limited to such applications.

rifionoftheFies [00091 Fig. 1 shows a flow diagram of a method for the manufacture of a nonwoven silk material according to one aspect of the invention.

io [0010] Fig. 2 shows an overview diagram of an apparatus for the manufacture of the invent on.

[00111 Fig. 3 shows a photograph of an example of a nomwoven silk material [0012] Fig. 4 shows a. photograph of one product produced from the nonwoven sIlk material of the invention.

[giled descri tion of the invention [0013] The invention will now be described on the basis of the drawings. It will be understood that the embodiments and aspects of the invention described herein are only examples and do not limit the protective scope of the claims in any way. The invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents. it will be understood that features of one aspect or embodiment of the invention can be combined with a feature of a different aspect or aspects and/or embodiments of the invention. The invention allows for the manufacture of silk materials without previously boiling the silk cocoons to allow unravelling of silk fibres. It will be understood that the teachings of the disclosure enable an ecologically sustainable method, as the method for the manufacture of a nonwoven silk material especially reduces the use of water.

[0014] When distinguishing between cocoons then the term "mulberry silkworm'9 is used in this disclosure for the larvae of the Lepidopteran Bombyx mon and the term "wild silkworm" is used for the larvae of moths of the families Bombycoidea (other than B. mori), Satumiidae, Lasiocanpidae. Mimallonidae, Geometridac, Rhopalocera and Noctuoidea which produce large larvae cocoons.

[0015] Fig. I shows an overview of a method for the manufacture of a nonwoven silk material according to one aspect of the invention. Cocoons in this aspect of the invention are cocoons of the mu!herry silkworm it will be appreciated that the cocoons may also he from wild silkworms and. in either ease the larva will either have emerged or been killed by the methods known to a person skilled in the art. In a first step 110. the cocoon is either compressed as a unit if there is no larva or cut open by slitting along one or both. sides. The larvae is then removed from the cocoon through the slit. The slit cocoon can be placed in steam from a steam generator in step 120 that heats up the cocoon to soften sericin gum in the eocoon it would also be possible to use an iron to heat up the cocoon to soften the sericin gum. In step 130 the cocoon is placed in a heated press together with other ones of the silk cocoons and compressed to produce a layer of the nonwoven silk material. The is heated press may also include a. mould to form the nonwoven silk materIal. The heated press may also include a device to enable steam to be introduced between plates of the heated press The layer of the nonwoven silk material can he used to produce textiles and laminates in step 140.

[0016] Fig. 2 shows an example of the heated press 200 in one aspect of the invention.

The heated press consists of a top plate 210 and a bottom plate 220. The top plate 210 and the bottom plate 220 are initially placed apart from each other and the one or more cocoons 230 are placed between the top plate 210 and. the bottom plate 220. The top plate 210 and the bottom plate 220 are generally made of aluminium, but this is not limiting of the invention and other metals, such as various types of steel, or indeed temperature tolerant polymers may be considered The heated press.may also include a device to enable steam to be introduced between the top plate 210 and the bottom plate 220 of the heated press 200.

[0017] Once the cocoons 230 are p!aced on the top side of the bottom plate 220 the top plate 210 and/or the bottom plate 220 are heated to a temperature of approximately 100 to °C. A light spray or mist of water or another solvent can he applied via a spritzer -.5..

before heating. The bottom side of the top plate 210 and the top side of the bottom plate 220 are than moved towards each other as in step 130. thus flattening or compressing the cocoons 230 into a layer of non-.woven silk material 240. An example of the nonwoven silk material 240 is shown in Fig. 3.

-S

[0018] The heating of the top plate 210 and/or the bottom plate 220 allows sericin within the cocoons 230 to flow. it will be noted, however, that the sericin is not heated to more C, as this will start to degrade the nonwoven silk material.

[0019] The top plate 210 and the bottom plate 220 are pulled apart from each other and! the layer of the non-.woven silk material 240 of the cocoons 230 can than be removed. The nonwoven silk materjal 240 is sprayed with water in step 40 to cool it down. In an alternative method of cooling, the non-.woven silk material 240 is conveyed onto a cold plate or merely placed in air.

[0020] it will he appreciated that several layers of the non-.woven silk material 240 can be laminated together by using the press 200 and laying several layers of the non-.woven silk material 240 on top of each other and then compressing. it is also possible to insert other materials, for example agents to enhance bonding, metals or other textiles, between the several layers of the nonwoven silk material 240. It will also be possible to inftise the material with chemicals, such as additives. One non-limiting example is a neem-tree extract having anti-niicrobial properties.

The non-woven silk material 240 of the disclosure can be used in numerous applications.

For example, it is possible to use the non-woven silk material to produce an insole for a shoe or an inner liner of a bicycle or other vehicular tyrc or molded kneepads or lining for brassieres. For example it is also possible to create large sheets into mats for exercise or mattresses.

[0021] These uses are merely exemplary and other uses can he contemplated which take advantage of the properties.

Reference Numerals Heated Press 210 Top Plate 220 Bottom Hate 230 Cocoons 240 Nonwoven silk material