MXPA99002181A - Manta against fire and other compositions that contain melamine resin and products with properties of protection against fire - Google Patents

Abstract

A combination of melamine resin fibers, aramid fibers and / or modacrylic fibers produces compositions and products that have superior characteristics in fire protection, as well as superior characteristics in strength, fabrication and comfort for the end user

Description

MANTA AGAINST FIRE AND OTHER COMPOSITIONS CONTAINING MELAMINE RESIN AND PRODUCTS WITH FIRE PROTECTION PROPERTIES REFERENCE TO THE RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation request in part of the co-pending United States' application No. 08 / 938,525 filed on September 26, 1997, the total content of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates, in general, to the field of compositions containing melamine resin. In particular, the present invention is incorporated into products that use critical mixtures of melamine resin fibers, aramid fibers and / or modacrylic fibers and which have superior characteristics in fire blocking, as well as superior characteristics in strength, manufacture and comfort for the end user.

BACKGROUND AND COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION In the case of a residential fire, in the workplace or vehicle, where humans are confronted with exposure to open flame and circumstances of instant fires, there is no blanket type product currently marketed that offer adequate protection against fire. Flame-proof fabrics used in professional fire equipment have so far been too expensive and bulky for use in a consumer safety product such as a fire blanket (ie, a blanket that can be used by a person in a residential, industrial or vehicle installation to block fire and its harmful effects on the person's skin). The materials used in professional equipment for firefighters such as PBl or Lenzing P-84 are extremely expensive. Some flame resistant industrial fabrics use fiberglass, which is uncomfortable to the touch. For these reasons, that is, cost and comfort, these materials do not provide user-friendly applications such as fire blankets in residences, workplaces, vehicles and other environments. To date, fiber technology for fire protection has not made this product viable from the point of view of the consumer market. This is unfortunate considering the loss in lives and injuries suffered due to first, second and third degree burns so common in residential, industrial and vehicle fires. In accordance with the present invention, economically viable fire fighting products for consumer safety, as well as professional safety, are made of melamine resin compositions. In a broad sense, the present invention is incorporated into fabrics that include a critical combination of melamine resin fibers, aramid fibers and / or modacrylic fibers that result in products that are economically viable fire products with strength, fabrication and Superior end-user comfort. The products of the present invention were developed as a primary fire block for protection against extreme heat and open flame in any applicable emergency situation. These products have the potential to save lives and prevent serious burn injuries in homes, hospitals, hotels, vehicles, industrial and work environments and any other environment where there is a danger of fire or extremely high surface temperatures. These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon careful consideration for the following detailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The term "fibers" as used herein means short fibers of varied lengths The fiber blend compositions of the present invention comprise a melamine resin fiber and effective amounts of an aramid fiber and / or modacrylic fiber., the fiber blend comprises between about 15 and about 80 parts by weight of melamine resin fiber, between about 0 and about 80 parts by weight of aramid fibers and between about 0 and about 80 parts by weight of modacrylic fibers. A preferred embent of the present invention is a blend of fibers wherein the melamine resin fibers are present in an amount between about 20 and about 50 parts by weight, the aramid fibers are present in an amount between about 20 and about 50 parts by weight, and the modacrylic fibers are present in an amount between about 20 and about 50 parts by weight. Another preferred embent of the present invention is a blend of fibers wherein the melamine resin fibers are present in an amount between about 30 and about 36 parts by weight, the aramid fibers are present in an amount between about 30 and about 36 parts by weight, and the modacrylic fibers are present in an amount between about 30 and about 36 parts by weight. Another preferred embent of the present invention is a mixture of fibers - wherein the fibers of the melamine resin are present in an amount of about 33 1/3 parts by weight, the aramid fibers are present in an amount of about 33. 1/3 parts by weight and the modacrylic fibers are present in an amount of approximately 33 1/3 parts by weight. According to the present invention, the fiber blend can be used to produce a composition having superior fire protection characteristics, as well as superior endurance, manufacturing and comfort characteristics for the end user. These compositions can be used in blankets (referred to herein as "fire blankets"), wall covering materials (eg wallpaper or wall hangings) in hospitals and other constructions, thermal coating products, welding curtains used in industrial applications and other applications where fire and / or elevated temperatures must be blocked The melamine resin fibers that can be employed in the present invention are those that are produced from highly concentrated solutions of melamine-formaldehyde precondensation products , after the addition of an acid curing agent, by broken spinning, drawing, extrusion or fibrillation The fibers obtained are generally pre-dried with or without elongation, and the melamine resin is usually cured from 120 ° C to 250 ° C. Fibers are usually from about 0.3 to about 8 denier and from about 0.5 to about 8 inches long. Particularly, thermally stable fibers are obtained when up to about 30 mol%, in particular from about 2 to about 20 mol% of the melamine in the melamine resin is replaced by hydroxyalkyl melamine. These fibers have a sustained use temperature of up to 200 ° C, preferably up to 220 ° C. In addition, minor amounts of melamine can be substituted by substituted melamines, urea or phenol. A particularly preferred melamine resin fiber for use in the present invention is commercially available from BASF Corporation under the trademark BASOFIL®. The aramid fibers that can be used in the present invention are those produced by spinning solutions of polycondensation products of isophthalic or terephthalic acid with para- or meta-phenylenediamine in solvents such as, for example, a mixture of N-vinylpyrrolidone and hexamethylphosphoriamide. The resulting continuous fibers are then cut into small fibers, the denier of which is usually from about 0.3 to about 8. Preferred aramid fibers are those based on poly (p-filtratereftalamide) isomeric [sic]. A particularly preferred aramid fiber for use in the present invention is commercially available from E.l. du Pont de Nemours &; Company with the trade name KEVLAR®, or Akzo Nobel with the trade name T ARON®. As used in this application, the term "odacrylic fiber" is generally understood to mean a fiber in which the fiber-forming substance is any synthetic long-chain polymer composed of less than about 85% but at least about 35% by weight of acrylonitrile units [-CH2-CH (CN) -] Suitable modacrylic fibers that can be employed in the present invention include, but are not limited to, modacrylic fibers produced by Kanebo, Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan), self-extinguishing modacrylic fibers from Solutia (Atlanta, Georgia) and I? IDEX® fibers produced by Courtaulds Fibers Ltd. (UK) Particularly preferred modacrylic fibers for use in the present invention are commercially aable from Kaneka Corporation under the tradename KA? ECARO® The melamine resin fibers, aramid fibers and modacrylic fibers used in the present invention are usually intermixed in a mixing apparatus of conventional fibers. The initial materials are generally short fibers of a normal length of about 1 inch to about 6 inches. Customary additives, such as, for example, fillers, dyes, pigments, metallic powders and / or delustrants, can also be added with the fibers. The initial materials are usually fed through a conveyor in a "carda of flakes and premixed in this." The intermixing is then usually completed in a defibrator card.The obtained batt is then also commonly processed in threads or veils. , for which it is possible to use the common processes in the textile industry.These yarns, hairs or fabrics can then be further processed in different textile or non-textile structures, depending on the field of application.The fiber blends of the present invention can also be to be dyed using conventional methods and apparatuses, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.For example, the tinsion process may use a continuous pad / steam boiler, where fiber mixtures, in fabric form, are dripped into an open width of the fabric.The fabric then goes through a steam boiler at approximately 120 ° F for approx. Twelve (12) minutes of stay time. Subsequently, the fabric goes through a rinse. The pH is approximately 4 and is controlled by acetic acid. The fiber blends of the present invention can be processed as yarn in fabrics such as, for example, for fire blankets having superior fire blocking characteristics and improved economic aspects when compared to other fabrics prepared with the individual fiber components. alone To produce the fabric from the fiber blends of the present invention, preferably with an aramid fiber content of from about 20 to about 50% by weight, the batt obtained in the process of the carder cylinder and defibrator can be overlapped stitched .

The veil obtained can be used, for example for the manufacture of products against fire. According to the present invention, the sewn non-woven fabric can be cut to the appropriate dimensions and packed as blankets, or the edges can be edged if desired. Another understanding of this invention is available from the following non-limiting examples thereof.

EXAMPLES _ According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, equal parts of the melamine resin fibers (BASOFIL®), para-aramid fibers (KEVLAR®), and modacrylic fibers (KANECARÓN®) were opened and combined between yes in a line of processing of short fibers for textiles. The resulting fiber mixture contained melamine resin fibers in an amount of about 33 1/3 parts by weight, aramid fibers in an amount of about 33 1/3 parts by weight and modacrylic fibers in an amount of about 33 1 / 3 parts by weight. The fibers were transferred to a textile card where the fibers were also mixed and oriented in a wadding or wadding. The wipe was then overlapped to accumulate the weight at the desired level and also to combine the mixture. The overlapped wipe was then fed to a needle loom, which entangled the fibers creating a nonwoven fabric of sufficient integrity to be used as a blanket. The final weight was approximately 6 ounces per square yard. The resulting nonwoven fabric was prepared in four blankets to test on a thermal dummy. All tests (hereinafter referred to as the thermal test of the manikin and described in the copending and related application of the United States series No. 08 / 938,525, the entire contents of which has already been expressly incorporated herein by reference) were carried out with a heat flow of 2 cal / cm -sec. The duration of each exhibition was 4 seconds. Each of the four test blankets were individually tested by wrapping each blanket around the manikin's torso one and a half times. The wrapped manikin was then exposed to controlled flames for 4 seconds. The heat detectors measured temperature data that was processed by a computer. The computer controlled the test procedure, the data acquired from the instrumented manikin, calculated the incident heat flow and predicted the burn injury, and produced a report of each test, the results of which are set forth in Table 1.

Table 1. Thermal manikin test results For comparison, Nomex IIIA industrial work suits were tested in the same way as the test results were described and processed in Table 2 below which are the average of three tests on the thermal mannequin in Nomex IIIA industrial work suits.

Table 2. Results of the tests in thermal mani uí As demonstrated by the above test results, the present invention exhibits unexpectedly superior fire blocking abilities (e.g., burn protection). When exposed to a heat flow of 2 cal / cm-sec, the fabrics of the present invention provided the manikin with protection with a second degree burn level prognosis as low as approximately 25% (25% of the area of The mannequin's covered surface would suffer 2nd degree burns) and a predicted level of third degree burn of approximately 13% (13% of the covered area of the manikin would suffer third degree burns.) The unexpected nature of fire blocking features of the present invention are demonstrated by the superior test results for the industrial work suits Nomex IILA Although the invention has been described in relation to what is currently considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the modality described, but on the contrary, it is proposed to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit u and scope of the appended claims.

Claims (26)

1. A fiber mixture comprising between about 15 and about 80 parts by weight of melamine resin fibers, between about 0 and about 80 parts by weight of aramid fibxes, and between about 0 and about 80 parts by weight of modacrylic fibers.

2. The fiber blend of claim 1, wherein the aramid fibers are para-aramid fibers.

3. The fiber blend of claim 1, wherein the melamine resin fibers are present in an amount between about 30 to about 36 parts by weight.

4. The fiber blend of claim 1, wherein the aramid fibers are present in an amount between about 30 to about 36 parts by weight. The fiber blend of claim 1, wherein the modacrylic fibers are present in an amount between about 30 to about 36 parts by weight. The fiber blend of claim 1, wherein the melamine resin fibers are present in an amount between about 30 to about 36 parts by weight, wherein the aramid fibers are present in an amount between about 30 to about 36 parts by weight, and wherein the modacrylic fibers are present in an amount between about 30 to about 36 parts by weight. The fiber blend of claim 1, wherein the melamine resin fibers are present in an amount of about 33 1/3 parts by weight, wherein the aramid fibers are present in an amount of about 33 1 / 3 parts by weight, and wherein the modacrylic fibers are present in an amount of about 33 1/3 parts by weight. 8. The fiber blend of claim 6 or 7, wherein the aramid fibers are para-aramid fibers. 9. A yarn produced from the fiber mixture of any of claims 1-8. 10. A fabric produced from the fiber mixture of any of claims 1-8. 11. A blanket produced from the fiber mixture of any of claims 1-8. 12. The blanket of claim 11, wherein the blanket is woven or non-woven. 13. A construction material produced from the fiber mixture of any of claims 1-8. The fiber blend of claim 1, wherein the melamine resin fibers comprise a melamine-formaldehyde condensation product in which from about 2 to about 20 mol% of melamine is substituted by a hydroxyalkyl melamine. 1

5. The fiber blend of claim 1, wherein the aramid fibers comprise a polycondensation product of isophthalic acid or -terephthalic acid with a meta- or para-phenylentamine [sic]. 1

6. The fiber blend of claim 1, wherein the aramid fibers comprise an isomeric poly (p-phenyleneterephthalamide). 1

7. The fiber blend of claim 1, wherein the fiber blend is dyed. 1

8. A process for producing a fiber blend as defined in claim 1, by mixing finished fibers, wherein the blend comprises between about 15 to about 100 parts by weight of melamine resin fibers, between about 0 to about 100 parts. by weight of aramid fibers and between about 0 to about 80 parts by weight of modacrylic fibers. 1

9. A fire blanket comprises between about 15 to about 100 parts by weight of melamine resin fibers, between about 0 to about 100 parts by weight of aramid fibers and between about 0 to about 80 parts by weight of modacrylic fibers. 20. The fire blanket of claim 19, wherein the aramid fibers are para-aramid fibers. 21. The fire blanket of claim 19, wherein the melamine resin fibers are present in the amount between about 30 to about 36 parts by weight. 22. The fire blanket of claim 19, wherein the aramid fibers are present in an amount between about 30 to about 36 parts by weight. 23. The fire blanket of claim 19, wherein the modacrylic fibers are present in an amount between about 30 to about 36 parts by weight. 24. The fire blanket of claim 19, wherein the melamine resin fibers are present in an amount between about 30 to about 36 parts by weight, wherein the aramid fibers are present in an amount between about 30 to about 36 parts by weight, and wherein the modacrylic fibers are present in an amount between about 30 to about 36 parts by weight. 25. The fire blanket of claim 19, wherein the melamine resin fibers are present in an amount of about 33 1/3 parts by weight, wherein the aramid fibers are present in an amount of about 33 1 / 3 parts by weight and wherein the modacrylic fibers are present in an amount of about 33 1/3 parts by weight. 26. The fire blanket of claims 24 or 25, wherein the aramid fibers are para-aramid fibers.