JP4492807B2 - Flowable granular material - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to the use of a foamed polystyrene bead coated with a functional material and coated with a lubricant as a stuffing for a bag.

Technical background

  Bags are used for the production of stuffed animals, dolls, pillows, toys, etc., and stuffing is low resilience urethane, buckwheat husks, lint, cocoons, natural fiber cotton, polyester fiber cotton, wool, feathers and various cylinders. Plastic processed products, expanded polystyrene beads, etc. are used.

  As a stuffing, it has moderate softness and elasticity, fluidity that moves smoothly, and the ability to restore the deformed part slowly after applying force, providing a good feeling of comfort and a bad smell caused by bacteria and bacteria There must be no anti-bacterial activity. Also, in the case of a pillow, it is necessary to have a proper cooling and heat dissipation effect and be easy to sleep.

  Bags are also required to have physiological activation functions such as improvement of blood flow in the body by far infrared rays and negative ions, promotion of metabolism and adjustment of autonomic nerves.

  Among the conventional stuffing, beads of polystyrene foam with a particle size of about 1mm to 2mm are suitable as stuffing for pillows because of their moderate softness, elasticity, fluidity and no frictional sound, so they are excellent as stuffing for bags. Has been.

  In addition, a method has been devised in which polystyrene beads and cotton are mixed for the purpose of combining moderate resilience, elasticity, and fluidity, and calcium carbonate is added to prevent the generation of bacteria and bacteria, etc. Yes. (See Patent Document 1)

Buckwheat pillows are made of buckwheat husks, lint, cocoons, natural fiber or polyester fiber cotton, wool, feathers, etc., but these will cause mites and molds to proliferate and cause bad odors when moisture increases. It is not preferable in terms of hygiene.
For this reason, there are examples that eliminate odors or improve air permeability by adding firewood chips, Bincho charcoal, bamboo charcoal, activated carbon, etc. (See Patent Document 2), bamboo charcoal crushed and adjusted to about 5 to 15 mm in a breathable inner bag (see Patent Document 3), beads with granular activated carbon and hollow parts in a bag There are stuffed ones (see Patent Document 4) and ones with a bag containing activated carbon (see Patent Document 5), but there is a gritty feel and lack of fluidity and resilience.

While maintaining the functionality of charcoal, in order to improve fluidity and resilience, etc., the piece of wood is processed into a curl shape, mixed with charcoal particles crushed to the required size, and this is used as a pillow stuffing A method for solving the problem has been invented. (See Patent Document 6)
While pursuing moderate elasticity while using solids and pursuing the functional efficacy of charcoal and wood chips, the flow characteristics and elasticity obtained by expanded polystyrene beads are different from the touch characteristics.

  In order to give cooling and heat dissipation effects to the pillow, a cold insulation medium is placed inside the pillow (see Patent Document 7 and Patent Document 8), and an aluminum adhesive film foil is formed on the pillow bag (see Patent Document 9) ) Or a ceramic pulverized product and elastomer kneaded heat-dissipating sheet affixed to a pillow (see Patent Document 10) A type that radiates heat by using hub grass seeds having a temperature lower than the body temperature as stuffing Has been proposed. (See Patent Document 11)

  Natural minerals such as Bincho charcoal, bamboo charcoal, serpentine, fluorite, garnet, zirconium, lanthanum, tourmaline ore, etc. It is used as a physiologically active material because it improves metabolism and restores fatigue and adjusts autonomic nerves.

  Since these substances also generate negative ions, they have effects such as fatigue recovery and relaxation, and can be expected to amplify the physiological activation effect, but these substances are solid as well as charcoal and ceramics, so they can be used as they are. Is difficult.

  In addition to the above-mentioned method of putting the pulverized material into the inner bag, functional materials such as finely divided ceramics and compounds with deodorizing and antibacterial effects such as titanium phosphate compounds are kneaded into the fiber structure (patented) In many cases, it is used as a cloth or a cover of a bag by applying and impregnating a nonwoven fabric or fiber. (See Patent Documents 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17)

  Methods have also been developed in which these functional materials are incorporated into or applied to the stuffed bag. There are a method of mixing and adding natural stone powder to polyurethane or rubber foam as a stuffing (see Patent Document 17) and a method of making a synthetic resin molded body mixed with bamboo charcoal powder to make a pillow stuffing (see Patent Document 18). .

  A method of applying these raw material powders to the foam of the stuffing has also been proposed, a method of attaching tourmaline powder to a synthetic resin sphere (see Patent Document 19), and a fiber plant-based porous granule used as an adsorbent There is a method of applying ceramic powder to the surface (see Patent Document 20), etc., all of which place emphasis on means for improving the functionality to generate far infrared rays and negative ions, It is not intended to improve the feel of restorability, fluidity, etc. or to exhibit comfort.

  Japanese Patent No. 3612667   Patent Publication 2003-135237   Patent Publication 2001-327383   JP-A-10-145   Utility model No. 3092041   Japanese Patent No. 3078249   Patent Publication 2001-212168   Utility model No. 3050776   Utility model No. 3091979   Utility model 3097184   Utility model No. 3111106   Patent Publication 2002-194667   Patent Publication 2002-88647   Patent Publication 2003-112381   Patent Publication 2003-410   Japanese Patent No. 2990689   Patent Publication 2002-308712   Patent Publication No. 8-73639   Patent Publication 9-52957   Patent Publication 2002-58732   Patent Publication 2004-89419

  In addition to moderate elasticity and resilience, the bags have good touch characteristics such as softness and touch comfort, and also have high hygiene such as anti-odor and antibacterial effects, and functional effects such as enhancing physiological activity. It is also required to have Of the bags, the pillow must have good heat dissipation, cooling effect, etc. and be easy to sleep well.

  In the present invention, functionalities such as antibacterial activity and physiological activity are simultaneously added to fine polystyrene beads that are optimal for filling of bags. No padding to which functionality has been added so far has excellent touch properties such as fluidity and restorability, and each has the following problems.

  Good feel characteristics such as resilience and resilience of the bag can be achieved by using cotton, polystyrene beads, straw, wheat husk etc. for stuffing, but it does not have anti-corruption, antibacterial power or physiological activation function .

  In order to prevent spoilage, charcoal and bamboo charcoal, etc., which absorb moisture and absorb harmful organic compounds, are finely crushed, and cut charcoal is mixed in the inner bag as a stuffing. Tactile characteristics will be impaired.

  In addition, in a method in which crushed fine particles are also mixed in ceramics having a physiological activation function, fluidity, restorability and touch characteristics are similarly impaired. For this reason, the object is achieved by making these substances into fine powders and weaving them into fibers or sheets, sewing bags with kneaded fabrics, or using them as covers.

  When producing such special fabrics, the production lot is required to be larger than a certain scale, which is suitable for mass production, but the cost is high rather than the small lot, multi-product production method.

  The method of applying finely divided ceramics to a porous granular material as a filling with a bioactive function is mainly to apply a functional material to the porous granular material, so elasticity, fluidity, restoration It lacks characteristics and does not satisfy the touch characteristics and comfort, which are basic requirements for bags.

  Cooling and heat dissipation effects can be imparted to pillows by placing a cold insulation medium in the pillow, or by attaching heat-dissipating metal foil or sheets to the pillow bag. It is not satisfactory and does not have a physiological activation function.

  On the other hand, expanded polystyrene beads are generally lubricous because zinc stearate is used as a coating lubricant. Fine expanded polystyrene beads have fluidity and are used as bagging. Is suitable.

  When foamed polystyrene beads are coated with fine powder of bamboo charcoal, fine powder of functional ceramics, titania phosphate compound, etc., it has the resilience, elasticity, hygiene, and physiological activation function as the aforementioned stuffing, but the flow of beads The characteristics become worse, and an irritating frictional sound is generated due to friction. For this reason, the comfort as a stuffing is impaired.

  Also, when foamed polystyrene beads are coated with fine metal powder such as copper and silver, they have resilience, resilience, hygiene, cooling, heat dissipation, etc. as stuffing, but the fluidity as stuffing is poor as described above. Become.

  The present invention intends to simultaneously solve the conflicting problems of adding characteristics and functionality as a stuffed bag. After coating the expanded polystyrene beads with inorganic fine powder such as natural ore, ceramics, bamboo charcoal, activated carbon, or metal fine powder such as copper or silver using a synthetic resin binder such as acrylic acid copolymer emulsion, heavy metal such as zinc stearate By using a granular material with fluidity that is coated again with a lubricant such as salt or bisamide coating composition as a stuffing bag, antibacterial and deodorant without compromising the feel and comfort of the pillow. Functions such as hygiene improvement, heat dissipation, cooling effect and physiological activation can be added.

  Also, after coating ceramic foam composition with binder effect such as titania phosphate compound and antibacterial and deodorant functional effects on expanded polystyrene beads, lubricant such as heavy metal salt such as zinc stearate and bisamide coating composition is applied. You may use the granular material formed by coating again.

  By using a foamed polystyrene bead having an average particle size of 2 mm or less as a stuffing, excellent feel characteristics such as resilience, fluidity and elasticity are obtained.

  In addition to the above, the lubricant may be a natural mineral oil, a synthetic lubricant, or a solid lubricant such as paraffin wax or molybdenum disulfide.

  According to this invention, a flowable granular material (60%) coated with a functional material and a lubricant on foamed polystyrene beads having a particle diameter of about 1 mm to 2 mm and polyester cotton (40%) are used as a filling for a bag. As a result of the production, it had elasticity, smooth fluidity and restoration, and was able to impart a deodorizing effect.

  This coated bead can be produced in a variety of small quantities. Therefore, a pillow having various functions can be manufactured by manufacturing a fluid granular material having functions to be added such as deodorization, heat dissipation, sterilization, and physiological activation, and using them alone or as a stuffing.

  Hereinafter, as an embodiment according to the present invention, an example will be described in which expanded polystyrene beads as a stuffing for a bag are coated with bamboo charcoal fine powder and a lubricant.

  FIG. 1 shows a granular material having fluidity, 1 is expanded polystyrene beads, 2 is a coating layer of functional fine powder, and 3 is a lubricant coating layer.

  As the expanded polystyrene beads, those having an expansion ratio of 30 to 100 times were used. However, considering the fluidity and elasticity, those up to about 300 times can be selected.

  Bamboo charcoal fine powder with high deodorizing efficiency was used as a functional material for coating. When obtaining the far-infrared radiation effect or the negative ion generation effect according to needs, ceramics, natural ore powder, etc. having their respective characteristics are used. When expecting a heat dissipation effect, copper fine powder may be used as a coating material.

  Bamboo charcoal powder having an average particle size of 10 microns was used. Fine grinding reduces the frictional resistance, increases the surface area and increases the deodorizing effect, but increases the grinding cost and makes it difficult to coat fine powders. Set. The mixing ratio with polystyrene beads was 0.2 parts bamboo charcoal per 1 part beads by weight. This ratio is because the deodorizing effect can be exhibited and the weight feeling as the stuffing was also optimal. When emphasizing functions such as pillow deodorization and far-infrared functional effects, coating can be performed up to the same weight as the filling weight.

  Next, as a binder to be coated, a commonly used acrylic acid copolymer emulsion was used as a coating agent. Bamboo charcoal differential powder 0.2Kg, Sekisui Chemical's "Eslen beads" foaming ratio 45-60 times, center grain system 0.6-1.2mm 1Kg mixed with 0.1Kg of coating agent and dried at a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. Glued.

  Since the beads have high frictional resistance as they are, 0.5 parts of zinc stearate used for preventing the surface failure of the beads was coated as a lubricant. The coating method was the same as described above.

Zinc stearate is a heavy metal salt, and a coating lubricant containing bisamide and an antistatic agent in a certain ratio as a coating lubricant has been proposed as an environmental measure. The friction coefficient can be reduced by any method including liquid lubricant, but the friction characteristics differ depending on the material and particle size to be coated. Therefore, it is necessary to select a coating lubricant suitable for the material.

  When the lubricant was coated, the rustling noise disappeared and the fluidity, resilience, and elasticity of the original polystyrene beads were obtained.

Evaluation of fluidity was performed by putting 50 mL of polystyrene beads in the fluidity measuring device made of funnel glass in FIG.

As a result of observing the above-mentioned zinc stearate coated as a lubricant and untreated one in a 50 × magnification photomicrograph, it is clear that the surface of the lubricant-treated coated beads is smooth and the fluidity is improved. It can be seen.
Fig. 3 Photomicrograph of coated beads without lubricant Fig. 4 Photomicrograph of beads coated with zinc stearate as lubricant

Next, when the rate of reduction of malodorous substances was measured, the following results were obtained.
Deodorant performance test method (Corporation) Fiber Evaluation Technology Council Deodorant processed fiber product certification standard detector tube method 5 liters of polyethylene pack is filled with 100 ppm of gas to be inspected, and bamboo charcoal coated polystyrene beads are spread over an area of 10 cm ² The gas reduction rate after 2 hours after stabilization at a temperature of 20 ° C. was measured with a detector tube.
(Decrease rate%)
Ammonia 80%
Acetic acid 95.6%
Hydrogen sulfide 98.8% or more Isovaleric acid 97.3%
Nonenal 94.3%
Acetaldehyde 87.5%
90% pyridine

  Fluid granular material   Fluidity measuring device   Micrograph of untreated lubricant coated beads   Micrograph of beads coated with zinc stearate as lubricant

Explanation of symbols

1 Expanded polystyrene beads 2 Coating layer of functional fine powder 3 Lubricant coating layer 4 Glass container

Claims (2)

The flow is formed by coating a foamed polystyrene bead with a ceramic composition containing a titania phosphate compound that has both a binder effect and antibacterial and deodorant functional effects, and then again coating with a lubricant of zinc stearate or a bisamide coating composition. Granular material 2. The lubricant according to claim 1, wherein the lubricant is coated by selecting one of zinc stearate and bisamide coating composition, natural mineral oil, synthetic lubricant, paraffin wax, and molybdenum disulfide. Granular material