JPH0399604A - Brush fiber and brush - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To increase cleaning effect and to decrease damages of an object to be cleaned, by having a fiber structure of a root part made of composite fiber which includes sea and island elements integrally and a tip part made of numerous branched island fibers. CONSTITUTION:Brush fiber consists of a compound fiber part 2 and island fibre part 3. The compound fiber part 2 is a monofilament part in which a number of island elements 4 are scattered in sea elements 5 integrally, and the island fiber part 3 is a part in which island fibers are branched in multiple. In the use of this brush fiber for a tooth brush, a car-washing brush or the like, as the compound part 2 stands from the root of a brush base intensively, the brush can stand strong, and the cleaning effect of a flat part of the tooth or car is much improved, massage effect can be obtained, brush hair would not fall flat, and endurance is highly improved. Further, as a tip part consists of fine and soft island fibers which are obtained by removing sea elements from the compound fiber, an object to be cleaned can be cleaned completely in the irregular surfaces and narrow grooves, and besides without damaging anywhere.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to brush fibers that have excellent cleaning effects and are less likely to damage objects to be cleaned, and various brushes using the same fibers.

[Prior Art] For example, in a toothbrush, the bristles must have a well-balanced effect of cleaning the teeth and lining the gums. Various studies have been conducted on the thickness, length, and bristle-planting method of the brush bristles, as well as on the material and shape of the handle. However, if the thickness of the brush bristles is increased, the brush becomes stronger and the cleaning effect on the flat surfaces of the teeth and the pine surge effect can be increased, but on the other hand, the cleaning effect between the teeth may be reduced, and the brush may become stiffer. becomes easily damaged.

Furthermore, if the thickness of the bristles is made thinner in order to improve the cleaning effect between the teeth, the pine surge effect will be reduced and the durability of the toothbrush will be reduced.

Therefore, various improvements have been made to improve this, such as mixing monofilaments of different thicknesses, making the tips of the bristles round, and making the heights of the tips of the bristles different.
The reality is that it has not produced a large effect.

In addition, for cleaning brushes for automobiles, etc., there have been proposals to use fibers with thin, acute-angled cross-section fins protruding from multiple ridges, tapered fibers with ridgelines, etc., in order to improve the cleaning effect. It was considered unsuitable due to the problem of easily damaging the cleaning items.

In this way, the cleaning (wiping) effect of the monofilament used for the bristles of a brush and the ability to not damage the object to be cleaned are contradictory, and at present there is no cleaning brush that has both of these properties. be. The same can be said of makeup brushes, body brushes, and the like.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The present invention aims to solve these problems and provide brush fibers that have excellent cleaning effects and are less likely to damage objects to be cleaned, and brushes using the fibers. purpose.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.

That is, the brush fiber is characterized by having a fiber structure in which the base part is a composite fiber in which sea-island components are integrated, and the tip part has a fiber structure in which a large number of elementary fibers are separated.

Furthermore, in the fiber for brushes of the present invention, preferably fibers for brushes have three or more island fibers per composite fiber, fibers for brushes in which the elementary fibers are composed of two or more different components, or , the elementary fibers are brush river fibers consisting of two or more different thicknesses, and furthermore, the brush fiber of the present invention can be used for toothbrushes, car wash brushes, cosmetic brushes, body brushes, clothing brushes, and electrical cleaning brushes. It is used in various fields such as brushes for machine cylinder tips.

[Action Co. The present invention will be explained in detail below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a model showing an embodiment of the brush fiber of the present invention.

FIGS. 2 to 4 are schematic cross-sectional model views showing an embodiment of the brush fiber of the present invention.

The brush fiber of the present invention is roughly divided into two parts. That is, in FIG. 1, 2 is a composite fiber part, and 3 is an island fiber part. 2 is a monofilament portion in which a large number of island components are scattered in a sea component and both seabird components are integrated, and 3 is a portion formed by dividing a large number of elementary fibers.

By using the brush fiber of the present invention for toothbrushes, car wash brushes, etc., the following effects (1) and (2) can be obtained.

■ The composite fibers grow from the base of the brush base, so
The brush is strong, has a high cleaning effect on flat areas, has a pine surge effect, does not have to worry about the bristles becoming flat, and is highly durable.

■ The tip is composed of thin island fibers from which the sea component has been removed from the composite fibers, so it has a cleaning effect even on uneven parts and small grooves, and has a soft feel to the object to be cleaned. It is less likely to damage the object to be cleaned, and since the tip is composed of thin fibers, another notable effect is that compared to thick conventional brushes, the number of brushings is the same, but the number of fibers is greater. This increases the number of times it is removed and allows it to penetrate deeper into the dirt, improving the cleaning effect.

To specifically explain the performance of the brush fiber of the present invention, in the case of a toothbrush, even when brushing with strong pressure, it does not damage the gums, and it does not cause dirt in the spaces between the teeth or in the fine grooves between the teeth and the gums. It can be removed cleanly, and at the same time, it can exert an excellent pine surge effect on the gums.

In addition, when used in an automobile wash machine, compared to conventional car wash brushes, it can remove dirt and water scale from the small areas between the painted surface and the rubber seal without damaging the car's paint or rubber seal. Even difficult stains can be effectively cleaned.

The sea-island composite fiber used in the brush fiber of the present invention is
It is a structural fiber with many island components in the sea component. Examples include polymer array fibers, mixed spun fibers, and the like.

In the present invention, there is no particular limitation on the method of manufacturing such fibers, and any method may be used to manufacture the fibers. To give an example of a preferred method, first, a sea-island type composite fiber is made by a conventionally known composite spinning method, and a chemical that is soluble or degradable only in sea components is used.
This is done by dipping the tip to remove sea components and expose the island fibers. Of course, any other steps in the usual manufacturing method for manufacturing monofilaments, such as drawing and heat setting, may be performed.

The polymer species used in the brush fiber of the present invention include:
Polyarylate, polymethacrylate, polymethyl methacrylate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyether, polyester, polyamide, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyacrylamide, polysulfone, polyphenylene sulfide, holly Examples include urethane, polyacrylic acid, polycarbonate, etc., and are not limited as long as they are polymers commonly used for fiberization. One or more of these polymers can be used as the sea-island component. Selection or combination of such polymers is made as appropriate depending on the use and purpose of the brush fiber.

Among these, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, various nylons, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyarylates are preferably used because they have good properties such as high elasticity, abrasion resistance, and bending recovery properties required for brushes.

In FIGS. 2 and 4, 4 and 4' are island components, and 5 is a sea component.As shown in FIG. Figures 3 and 4
As shown in the figure, one in which the island component consists of two or more types of 4.4' is also preferably used.

For example, if island 1 component/island 2 component/sea component is nylon/popropylene/polybutylene terephthalate, or nylon/polyethylene/polyethylene terephthalate 1-
They may be used alone or in various appropriate combinations such as nylon/polyarylate/polyethylene. Of course, the number and component ratio of the island 1 component and the island 2 component are not limited. Further, the thickness may be the same or different between island components, or may be different within the same island component.

The number of island fibers in the composite fiber is preferably in the range of 3 to 10,000, and 10 to 1,000 is particularly preferably used.

The thickness of the composite fiber portion is not particularly limited, as long as it is suitable for its use as a brush material.
When used in toothbrushes, a range of 0.001 to 2.0 mm2 is suitable. 0.00 when used for car wash brushes
5-10. Preferably, the thickness is in the range of 0 mm2.

The thickness of island fibers is usually 1/3 to 1/1000 of that of composite fibers.
degree is preferred. If the thickness is too thin, the fibers become tangled or break easily, resulting in poor durability, which is not preferable. Furthermore, if the thickness is close to that of the composite fiber, the effects of the present invention cannot be obtained, which is not preferable.

In addition, the cross-sectional shape of composite fibers and island fibers is generally circular, but so-called multilobal shapes such as triangular, quadrilateral, pentagonal, and hexagonal shapes are also acceptable. There may be, or TI type,
It may have a cross section of ■ shape, sawtooth shape, petal shape, ■ shape, etc.

Furthermore, when the brush fibers of the present invention are used in toothbrushes, car wash brushes, etc., they do not necessarily need to be composed only of the brush fibers of the present invention, and other materials may be used as long as the effects of the present invention are not significantly reduced. It is okay to mix other materials.

The fibers for brushes of the present invention are preferably used for toothbrushes, car wash brushes, makeup brushes, body brushes, clothing brushes, brushes for the tip of electric vacuum cleaners, and the like.

[Examples] Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples, but the validity and scope of the rights of the present invention are not limited or restricted by these Examples. Rather, it brings about the next application and development.

In addition, the cleaning performance of the brush in Examples and the resistance to damage to the object to be cleaned were tested by the following method.

■ Cleanability of the brush Apply a black felt-tip pen to a Ni-aluminum plate, place it on a toothbrush so that the tip of the bristles touch it, and apply a 500g load.
They were rubbed together under the conditions of an amplitude of 50 rnn+ and 180 times/min while supplementing with commercially available toothpaste paste, and the number of times it took to remove an old single letter with a felt-tip pen was read.

■ Difficulty in damaging the object to be cleaned: Apply a load of 500 g to a toothbrush on a transparent polymethyl methacrylate board, with an amplitude of 50 mm.

After rubbing 50 times, the degree of damage to the polymethyl methacrylate surface was examined, and the degree of damage was determined according to the following criteria.

Grade 5: No scratches at all Grade 4: Traces of scratches are visible Grade 3: Clear scratches Grade 2: Significant scratches Grade 1: Significant scratches All "percentages" are by weight.

Example 1 A sea island with 16 islands scattered in the sea, island/sea = 70/30, using polybutylene terephthalate with an intrinsic viscosity of 2.0 as the sea component and nylon 610 with a relative viscosity of 2.7 as the island component. The type composite fiber is melt-spun, extruded into water, cooled and solidified, and then drawn to a total of 4.6 times in warm water at 60°C in the first stage and 80°C in the second stage, and then sent into a hot air oven at 1-80°C. After cooling, it was rolled up in a straight line with a cross-sectional area of 0.035 mm.
A monofilament for toothbrush No. 2 was obtained.

Bundle 100 of these monofilaments and cut the ends of 95
℃ in a 10% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution to remove the sea component at the tip and expose the island fiber portion.

Through this treatment, a length of 3 m is formed at the tip of the monofilament.
The structure was such that the island fibers of m were exposed.

Next, this monofilament was grafted onto a toothbrush base material so that the base was a sea-island composite fiber and the tip was an island fiber, and the cleaning performance and the degree of damage to the object to be cleaned were examined.

On the other hand, as a comparative product, a monofilament having a cross-sectional area of 0.035 mm2 made of only polybutylene terephthalate (Comparative Example 1) or nylon 610 (Comparative Example 2) was made, and the bristles were implanted on a toothbrush and the same measurements were performed.

The results are shown in Table 1, and as is clear from Table 3, the brush fiber of the present invention has a superior cleaning effect compared to the comparative example, and also does not cause scratches on the object to be cleaned. I found it difficult to attach.

In addition, when we actually brushed our teeth, we found that the dirt between the teeth was removed well, and even when we pressed it hard, it felt soft against the gums, making it less likely to damage the gums.

Example 2 Using polybutylene terephthalate with an intrinsic viscosity of 2.0 as the sea component and nylon 610 and polypropylene with a relative viscosity of 2.7 as the island component, nylon 610/polypropylene/polybutylene terephthalate = 40/40/20, an island in the sea A total of 16 sea-island composite fibers, 8 of which are nylon 610 and 8 of which are polypropylene, are melt-spun.
After extruding into water and cooling and solidifying, 1st stage: 60°C, 12th stage: 8
It was stretched a total of 4.6 times in warm water at 0°C. Thereafter, it was linearly wound to obtain a monofilament for a toothbrush having a cross-sectional area of 0.035 mm2.

100 of these monofilaments were bundled, and the end-4 portion was immersed in a 95°0110% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution to remove the sea component at the tip and expose the island component.

Through this treatment, the tip of the monofilament becomes 5 mm.
It had a structure in which island fibers of length were exposed.

Next, this monofilament was grafted onto a toothbrush base material so that the base was a sea-island composite fiber and the tip was an island fiber, and the cleaning performance and the degree of damage to the object to be cleaned were examined. The results are shown in Table 1. Compared to conventional products, the brush fiber of the present invention has a superior cleaning effect, is less likely to damage the object to be cleaned, and has an island fiber at the tip. It was well handled.

5 [Effects of the Invention] As described in ``2'' below, the brush fiber of the present invention has the base of the brush composed of a composite fiber in which sea-island components are integrated, so the brush has a strong stiffness and is suitable for cleaning flat areas. The effect and pine surge effect are good, and you don't have to worry about the entire brush fading (and it's also very durable).

Furthermore, since its tip is composed of many thin island fibers from which sea components have been removed from the composite fiber, it has a cleaning effect even on uneven parts and small grooves, and has a good feel to the object to be cleaned. It has the effect of being soft and scratch-resistant.

In addition, a noteworthy effect is that compared to thick conventional brushes, even if the number of brushing is the same, the number of scraping increases as the number of fibers increases, which can penetrate deeper into the dirt, further increasing the cleaning effect. become.

Because of this effect, the brush using the brush fiber of the present invention can be preferably used as a toothbrush, a car wash brush, a makeup brush, a body brush, a clothing brush, a brush for the tip of an electric vacuum cleaner, etc. It is something that can be done.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic model perspective view showing an embodiment of the brush fiber of the present invention. FIGS. 2 to 4 are schematic cross-sectional model views showing an embodiment of the brush fiber of the present invention. 1: Fiber for brush 2: Composite fiber portion in which sea-island components are integrated 3: Island-woven fiber 4: Island component 5: Sea component

Claims (10)

[Claims] (1) A brush fiber characterized in that the root portion is a composite fiber in which sea-island components are integrated, and the tip portion has a fiber structure in which a large number of island fibers are separated. (2) The brush fiber according to claim (1), wherein the number of island fibers is 3 or more per composite fiber. (3) The brush fiber according to claim (1) or (2), wherein the island fiber is composed of two or more different components. (4) The brush fiber according to claim (1), (2) or (3), wherein the island fibers have two or more different thicknesses. (5) A toothbrush using the brush fiber according to claim (1), (2), (3) or (4). (6) A car wash brush using the brush fiber according to claim (1), (2), (3) or (4). (7) A cosmetic brush using the brush fiber according to claim (1), (2), (3) or (4). (8) A body brush using the brush fiber according to claim (1), (2), (3) or (4). (9) A clothing brush using the brush fiber according to claim (1), (2), (3) or (4). (10) A brush for a tip of an electric vacuum cleaner using the brush fiber according to claim (1), (2), (3) or (4).