JPH0120626B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention relates to a feather-like filling material that has excellent sweat and water absorption properties in both processability and physical properties. Natural feathers, such as waterfowl down and feathers, are used as excellent filling materials in futons, pillows, quilting, and cushions, but they are scarce and expensive, and they are susceptible to bad odors and insects during the process from raw down to finished products. Many processing steps are required, including countermeasures against microbial damage, and there are also problems such as extremely fine crushed powder particles blowing out from the sides during use and causing allergies. Therefore, research has been progressing on artificial feathers that can be used as a substitute for or mixed with natural feathers. For example, for down-like use, filament bundles are glued together and then cut (Special Publication No. 7955, 1973), fibers are formed into spherical bodies (Special Publication No. 39134, 1977), and electrodeposited flocking is used. There is also a feather-like product (Special Publication No. 47-17344), which is made by connecting parallel fiber bundles with adhesive fibers (Special Publication No. 305-1977). In reality, there are currently no feathers on the market that have the superior bulk and heat retention properties of natural feathers, excellent compression recovery properties, and skin toughness (draping properties). There is no known material that has particularly sweat-absorbing properties. In response, the present inventors have been conducting research on feather-like synthetic fibers (hereinafter referred to as fibers) from the perspective of how to impart properties similar to natural feathers or to enhance their characteristics. but,
Based on the knowledge that the length of down and feather is one of the basics, that their basic roles as filler materials are different, and that sweat and water absorption properties are required, fibers with specific conditions can be used as feathers. The present invention was achieved based on the discovery that the mixture of feathers and feathers provides excellent physical properties. That is, the present invention has a water diffusion area of 14 mm ² or more, a water holding capacity of 9% or more, a fiber length of 30 mm or less, a denier of 0.05 to 30, and a crimp count of 3 to 20 strands/in.
It is a stuffing material mainly composed of synthetic fibers (hereinafter referred to as fibers), preferably a stuffing material in which 0.05 to 7% by weight of a sweat-absorbing and water-absorbing agent is attached to the synthetic fibers, and more preferably , for fillings made mainly of fibers, which have at least one recess on the fiber surface that satisfies d/l≦3, where d is the shortest distance connecting both ends of the inlet, and l is the distance to the deepest part of the recess. The present invention relates to a stuffing material in which 10 to 90% of the above stuffing material and 90 to 10% of natural feathers are mixed. The object of the present invention is to provide an excellent stuffing material made of feathers, which has the characteristics of high bulkiness, large compression deformation, excellent compression recovery rate, skin rinsing properties, and excellent sweat and water absorption properties. It presents materials and their processing methods. Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail in comparison with the prior art. Natural feathers have excellent moisture absorption and permeability, and although the properties change depending on processing, the degree is almost the same as cotton (Takahashi, Takenaka: Home Economics Journal 25(8)41 (1974)) Although it is difficult to obtain the same moisture permeability as feathers, the present inventors have investigated how to approach performance closer to that of feathers by imparting sweat and water absorption properties to synthetic fibers as a related performance. As mentioned above, we have found that fibers with a water diffusion area of 14 mm ² or more and a water retention capacity of 9% or more meet the purpose.These features of the filling material of the present invention The point is that when the fiber is made into cotton or non-woven fabric, the wetted area spreads out greatly when a drop of water is dropped on the opened surface of the fiber, and after soaking the cotton material in water, it is placed in a centrifuge to remove the excess. The amount of water remaining after removing water is large.If necessary, you can also fill a thin glass tube with cotton and place it vertically over a dish filled with water to see how quickly the water is absorbed. In addition, although it has such a high water absorbency, synthetic fibers are basically not hydrophilic fibers like cotton, so they dry quickly, resulting in poor moisture absorption and moisture permeability. In other words, the water diffusion area in the present invention is obtained by opening raw cotton to a density of approximately 0.02 g/cm ² and applying red ink, etc. to it. colored water on top
It is defined as the spread area of the aqueous solution after 10 minutes of dropping 0.37±0.02ml. In addition, the water retention rate is the spread cotton 5
After soaking in water for 5 minutes, centrifuge at 1500G
After centrifugation for 10 minutes, the water content after treatment was measured and expressed as a percentage of the fiber weight. The water diffusion area measured by the above method is about 10 to 12 mm ² in the case of ordinary hydrophobic synthetic fibers. For example, in the case of polyethylene terephthalate for comforters (single yarn denier 6, hollow cross section) that has been coated with a normal oil agent (one that has electrical resistance and is sufficiently passable through processes such as carding), it has ^{a diameter} of 12 mm2. The value was shown. Also, natural cotton (for raw cotton futon cotton with cotton wax attached)
was ^10mm2 . On the other hand, the fibers of the present invention have a moisture diffusion area of at least 14 mm ² or more, and if synthetic fibers are appropriately selected, fibers with a moisture diffusion area of 35 mm ² or more or 40 mm ^{2 or} more can be obtained. Furthermore, when comparing the water holding capacity mentioned above, in the case of ordinary hydrophobic synthetic fibers, the water holding rate is 8% or less, but in the fiber of the present invention, the water holding rate is at least 9% or more and substantially 12% or more. It shows the value. The most preferred form of fiber showed values of 14-17%. Using this method, cotton (for futons with waxed cotton) showed a value of 17%. Fibers exhibiting such water-absorbing properties preferably contain 0.05 to 7% by weight, preferably 0.1 to 5% by weight of a sweat-absorbing and water-absorbing finishing agent, and also have concave portions on the fiber surface that satisfy specific conditions. is preferred. More preferably, when the material has a specific shape and is processed to be hydrophilic, particularly surprising water absorption characteristics can be obtained. That is, although fibers with recesses and hydrophilic finishing agents have been known, a combination of these exhibits unexpected water absorption characteristics compared to when each is used alone. For example, in the case of U-shaped cross-sectional fibers as exemplified in the examples, if they were not treated with a hydrophilic finishing agent, the water diffusion area would be 25 to 30 mm ² and the water holding rate would be 10 to 11%, compared to the conventional However, if a sweat-absorbing and water-absorbing finishing agent is used in conjunction with the synthetic fibers, they will
It is further improved to be larger than 35mm ² and larger than 12%. The fibers referred to in the present invention may have any cross-sectional shape, but preferably have at least one fiber on the fiber surface.
It is a fiber with several concave parts. Such fibers will be explained in more detail. That is, it is effective to have a shape of the recess that satisfies d/l≦3, where d is the shortest distance connecting both end portions of the inlet and l is the distance to the deepest part of the recess. Fibers that are merely slightly concave, or fibers with a shallow concave section that are regular T-shaped or star-shaped cross-sectional fibers, are not effective. The initial purpose can be sufficiently achieved with a number of recesses of about 1 to 5. One of these is the simplest. It is presumed that the purpose of the concave portions is to quickly draw moisture into the concave portions and use a kind of capillary phenomenon to hold the water on the fiber surface. Therefore, it is preferable to form the recess so that d/l is a small number. A good range for d/l is 0.4-2, more preferably 0.6-1.5. If d/l exceeds 3, a water diffusion area of 35 mm ² or more and a water retention rate of 12% or more cannot be obtained. The fibers of the present invention are disclosed in, for example, JP-A-51-109320;
It can also be obtained by the methods exemplified in Nos. 52-148221 and 52-148218. The cross section obtained by these methods has a U-shape, and if necessary, any type of crimp, such as coil crimp or mechanical crimp, can be added. Of course, any material obtained by methods other than those described above may be used as long as it has substantially one or more recesses.
Although U-shaped cross-section cotton tends to be slightly deformed by lateral forces, when it is crimped in a coiled manner, the fibers are twisted, so the U-shaped cross-section
The opening of the shape becomes slightly closed, and the shape becomes more suitable for the initial purpose. It is desirable that the surface and concave portions of the fibers of the present invention are further coated with various processing agents, treatment agents, finishing agents, and the like. These are generally effective in lowering the surface tension of hydrophobic synthetic fibers and forming a so-called wettable surface. These processing agents include polyvinyl alcohol-based processing agents, hydrophilic antifouling agents such as Permalose TM (manufactured by ICI), SR-1000 (manufactured by Takamatsu Yushi Co., Ltd.), various hydrophilic oils such as nonionic, anionic, and cationic oils, or these. Combination processing agents and the like can be used, but polyvinyl alcohol-based processing agents are particularly preferred because they exhibit excellent water absorption properties. These treatment agents have the effect of increasing the contact angle with water by at least 5° or more.
Just choose one that can be changed by 10° or more.
Alternatively, wettability can be imparted by surface treatment with an alkali or the like, and it is also extremely effective to treat with various finishing agents after such treatment. The amount of the finishing agent deposited is 0.05 to 7% by weight; if it is too little, the effect is poor, and if it is too much, it becomes sticky and deteriorates the texture. In addition, a method of improving the water absorption properties by incorporating a hygroscopic finishing agent, a surface modifier, etc. into the fibers of the present invention in advance, or removing them through post-treatment may also be used. can do. Such a treatment agent can be applied at any stage up to the manufacturing stage of textile products. As explained above, the fiber in the present invention,
In particular, fibers having at least one concave portion on their surface have excellent water absorbency even if they are originally hydrophobic polymers, and this fact was previously unknown. It is presumed that the reason for such excellent water absorbency is that the recesses present in the cross section act just like capillaries and suck in moisture and the like. Therefore, in order to promote this, it is desirable that the opening be as narrow and deep as possible in its cross section, and that the surface be treated to be easily wetted. On the other hand, fibers with a hollow cross-section also have a capillary phenomenon and are supposed to absorb moisture into the hollow part, but in reality they do not exhibit such behavior, and the large water absorption property is due to the sweat and water absorption finishing agent. This is a characteristic of fibers that are adhered to each other, especially those that have recesses. In the case of cotton having such recesses, the sweat-absorbing and water-absorbing finishing agent sinks into the recesses and is sufficiently retained. It has the characteristics of increasing the amount of adhesion and less falling off. Since the water absorbed by the fibers of the present invention is easily removed by drying, it is extremely easy to return to a dry state. Therefore, when used as a stuffing material, for example, in futon cotton, it is very healthy and has high practical value. Next, a filling material using the sweat-absorbing fibers described above will be explained. BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, when manufacturing down comforters and the like, refined down is introduced into the sides of the comforter using airflow. However, regarding the method of applying the same method to fibers, there is a method in which the opened web is suctioned and cotton is added (Japanese Patent Publication No. 112150/1983).
JP-A No. 55-60493) has only been slightly studied, and there is no description or suggestion of fibers or mixtures of fibers and feathers as in the present invention. In addition, in Special Publication No. 55-60493, “Fiber length
"The fibers cut into pieces of 64 mm or less are continuously supplied to the opening process, and after the fibers are separated from each other, the fibers are immediately sent into the stuffing side by an air flow." However, the fibers of the present invention There is no mention of fibers having sweat and water absorbing properties such as, or mixtures of such fibers with feathers. In other words, these techniques are considered to be different in terms of the purpose and specific effects of the present invention. In addition, attempts have been made to mix fibers with feathers, but if you just blend the cotton used in regular futons, the mixed cotton will get tangled with the surrounding feathers and become lump-like. In many cases, the characteristics of both were lost. This is because natural down has a length of 3 to 30 mm, with an average length of
20 to 100 14 mm barbs grow from the original rachis with a slight bend, and the barbs have 1 to 100 barbs in 100μ.
It has a shape that looks like two small barbs are growing closely together, and the total length of the small feather is 10.
It has a ~30mm rachis with 3~25mm barbs, and the barbs have 1~2 barbules per 100μ. Therefore, if one were to forcibly mix cotton with a much longer fiber length than that, it would be unavoidable that the above-mentioned problems would occur. Based on detailed observations of natural feathers and various tests, the present inventors found that in order to impart characteristics similar to feathers to fiber aggregates, the fiber length should basically be the same as that of natural down or small feathers. First, we discovered that the short fiber length should be 30 mm or less, which is consistent with the above. In other words, it is difficult to obtain the characteristics and process passability of feathers with long fiber lengths exceeding 30 mm. It has been reported that even if the fiber length is long, it can be passed through the process as long as it is made spherical and the actual length is short (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
50-118866, etc.), but such fiber balls are expensive to manufacture and are not common. On the other hand, if the fiber length is too short, sufficient physical properties cannot be obtained. For example, Utility Model Publication No. 55-2876 proposes mixing 2 to 10 mm nonuniform fibers with feathers, but there is no mention or suggestion of mixing sweat-absorbent fibers as in the present invention. Since this fiber length is shorter than the average length of actual feathers, it is difficult to open the fibers, and they tend to form into small cotton clumps. Therefore, it does not mix well with the feathers to form a three-dimensional space, and on the contrary, it becomes insufficient in terms of contributing to bulkiness. Alternatively, even if the fibers can be opened, the entanglement of the fibers themselves is too small and the contribution to bulkiness is still small.
Almost the same tendency is observed when feathers are not mixed. The fiber length of the fiber of the present invention is suitably 10 to 25 mm. Of course, a small amount (up to 50%) of fibers with a fiber length of 10 mm or less may be mixed. In the case of a top-feather blend that has good fiber opening and mixing at such fiber lengths, the fibers do not become tangled and become lumpy or uneven, and the fibers themselves are moderately tangled, so the excellent compressive properties of the fibers are added. , it is an excellent filling material. That is, in the case of a feather mixture, the initial and compressed bulk is improved, and the moisture retention property is also improved, compared to the case of a feather alone. Also, the amount of feathers blowing out to the sides is reduced. As described above, the fiber length of the fibers of the present invention is preferably as short as 30 mm or less, especially 10 to 25 mm, as compared to the 50 to 70 mm that has been generally used as batting. As mentioned above, this fiber length closely matches the length of natural down and small feathers, thus providing better blendability. The fibers are usually cut uniformly, but may be cut biased or unevenly. The filling material of the present invention can use both fibers with coiled crimp and fibers with wave-shaped crimp obtained by mechanical crimp, but the former is superior in terms of bulkiness, texture, etc. The former is obtained by developing latent crimpable fibers obtained by composite spinning method or quench spinning method, or by false twisting or rubbing method, and the latter is obtained by using push type or gear type crimping machine. It is something that can be done. Generally, coiled crimped fibers are three-dimensional and easy to tangle, but the fibers of the present invention, especially those having one recess in the fiber cross section, have a special cross-sectional shape and crimped shape. Due to its characteristics, it is bulky and has good handling properties. It has also been found that when both types of crimped fibers are mixed in appropriate proportions, excellent physical properties can be obtained. This is thought to be because fibers with coiled crimps act like small feathers in feathers, and fibers with wave-shaped crimps act like down in feathers. Here, the "small feather-like action" refers to the fact that the curved rachis, which is a structural feature of small feathers, acts like a spring to improve bulkiness. A large number of barbs are closely intertwined to provide good heat retention. specific coiled crimp fibers;
By mixing it with wave-shaped crimped fibers, an effect similar to that of natural feathers is produced, in which down and small feathers complement each other in bulk and heat retention in a mixed state and exhibit excellent characteristics. The number of crimps is extremely important because it has a great effect on bulk properties, compression and recovery properties, and opening properties as a filling material. The number of crimps is required to be 3 to 20 crimps/in, preferably 5 to 15 crimps/in, more preferably 6 to 10 crimps/in.
Good. Further, the crimp rate must be 5% or more. If the number of crimps is too small, bulky properties will be insufficient, and if the number is too large, sufficient opening will not be possible. It is preferable for the fibers to have a higher fiber opening ratio, since this improves bulkiness or mixability with feathers. The opening rate is preferably 50% or more, preferably 80% or more. The opening rate is determined by the ratio of chip-like parts in the cut fiber bundle. The fiber denier is preferably 0.05 to 30, preferably 1
~15 deniers, particularly preferably 2 to 8 deniers. If it is too thin, the heat retention property will be improved, but the opening property will tend to be poor, and if it is too thick, the texture will be rough and hard. Better properties can also be obtained by using a mixture of fine denier and thick denier fibers. For example, 0.05~10 denier and 3~30
Denier (however, the latter is thicker than the former) can be combined, and the ratio is slightly larger than the former (50
~90%), better physical properties such as heat retention and texture can be obtained. The fiber length can also be changed by changing the denier. In the case of thick denier, the longer the fiber length, the better. Such a combination is easy to perform in the case of a mixing process using a high-speed gas flow;
Moreover, it is an excellent stuffing material with less entanglement. Synthetic fibers that can be used in the present invention are 20℃, 65%
Materials with a moisture content of 5% or less at RH, such as polyolefins such as polyester, polyethylene and polypropylene, nylon, acrylic, polyvinyl chloride, vinylidene, etc., or fibers made from blends or composites thereof, etc. In particular, polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, etc., which have a moisture content of 2% or less and are obtained by melt spinning, are most preferred. The polyester here refers to an aromatic polyester consisting of terephthalic acid, an aliphatic diol having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, 1.4 hexamethylene dimethanol, naphthalene dicarboxylic acid, etc. A copolymer of three components may also be used. The fibers of the present invention can contain conventionally known matting agents, additives, catalysts, colorants, modifiers, and the like. The fibers used in the present invention are preferably fibers whose static friction coefficient (μs) is as low as possible without impairing sweat and water absorption properties. μs is preferably 0.3 or less. In the method of the present invention, as explained above, sweat-absorbing and water-absorbing fibers or a mixture thereof with feathers are mixed or mixed.
The process is performed using a high-speed gas flow, and air is the cheapest and simplest high-speed gas flow used here. As a processing method using a high-speed gas flow, a conventional processing method for feather futons, ie, an air gun for forming feather futons, etc. can be used. In the present invention, natural feathers include feathers of land birds such as chickens and pheasants, as well as feathers of waterfowl, ducks, and ducks. The number of crimp and crimp rate in this invention is JISL-1074
The friction coefficient is measured by the radar method at 20℃ and 65%RH. The filling material of the present invention is effective for use in futons, pillows, cushions, etc., as well as cold weather clothing, sleeping bags, etc. The filling material of the present invention can be further mixed with different types of fibers, filling materials, etc. within a range that does not impair the effects of the present invention. Examples 1 to 5 Polyethylene terephthalate with an intrinsic viscosity [η] of 0.64 dl/g measured at 30°C was melted in a mixture of equal amounts of phenol and tetrachloroethane, and various fiber cross-sectional shapes were heated at 285°C. Extrude from the nozzle to cool the area 5 to 20 cm directly below the nozzle at a speed of
It was cooled and rolled at 1.8 m/sec. The obtained yarn
Stretched 180% in water at 75°C, then mechanically crimped at 6 to 8 crimps per inch, and then applied with an oil agent containing ethylene oxide adduct of stearyl phosphate to a concentration of 0.10 wt%. 150℃
A relaxation heat treatment was performed for 10 minutes to develop a coil-like crimp, and then cut into a length of 12 mm to make a single yarn with a denier of 6.
I made it into cotton. The number of crimps of this cotton was 7 to 9 crimps/in, and the crimp rate was 20 to 25%. After attaching 2% by weight of various sweat-absorbing and water-absorbing finishing agents to this cotton, it is dried, opened,
Spray on the wire mesh using a feather blowing machine,
The density should be 0.02g/ ^cm2 , and the temperature should be 20℃ x 65cm.
%RH, 0.35 ml of the red ink aqueous solution was dropped and the spreading area of the solution was measured 10 minutes later. In addition, 5 g of cotton was taken and the amount of water held was measured. The results are shown in Table 1. The fiber thus obtained could be molded into a futon using a feather blowing machine in the same manner as feathers. The physical properties of a futon were investigated using a 40 cm square test futon. The results are shown in Table 1, and the filling material of the present invention had both excellent bulkiness and sweat and water absorption properties. Comparative Examples 1 to 3 Cotton was obtained under conditions similar to Example 1 using nozzles for obtaining various fiber cross-sectional shapes, and various physical properties were similarly measured. However, no sweat-absorbing and water-absorbing finishing agent was applied. The results are shown in Table 1. Example 6 The fibers obtained in Examples 1, 2, and 5 were cut into lengths of 12 mm, as well as lengths of 5, 20, 35, and 44 mm. A test was conducted in which each of these was mixed with duck down (containing about 10% small feathers) in equal amounts and stuffed into the sides of a futon using a feather blowing machine. When packing long cut lengths of 35 and 44 mm, the air gun became clogged and fiber opening problems occurred. Also, mixing with feathers was poor and many tangles occurred.
The shorter one (5 mm) had good workability, but it did not show sufficient mixing ability with the feathers, and the resulting futon had a shape that looked like small cotton balls mixed in with the feathers, and the bulkiness of the resulting futon was poor. There was a shortage of about 4% compared to the 12mm cut product. Examples 7 to 9 The fibers with a fiber length of 12 mm obtained in Examples 1, 2, and 5 were mixed in equal amounts with duck down (containing about 15% small feathers), and using a down-blowing machine, A test was carried out by stuffing it into a 40cm square test piece. There were no problems at all during the processing process. The properties of the futon are shown in Table 2, and the mixed product showed excellent bulk and heat retention.

【table】

【table】

[Table] Values at constant weight.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1, 2, and 3 are examples of nozzle holes for obtaining the fibers of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a model diagram for explaining the distance d between the entrances of the recess and the depth l.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Water expansion area is 14 mm ² or more, water holding rate is 9% or more, fiber length is 30 mm or less, and denier is
A filling material whose main material is synthetic fiber with a crimp count of 3 to 20 crimps/in. 2. The filling material according to claim 1, to which 0.05 to 7% by weight of a sweat-absorbing and water-absorbing finishing agent is attached. 3 In the cross section of the fiber, when the shortest distance connecting both ends of the inlet is d, and the distance to the deepest part of the recess is l,
The filling material according to claim 1 or 2, which is mainly made of synthetic fibers having at least one concave portion satisfying d/l≦3.