US2890137A - Sisal buff oil impregnation method - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent ()r SISAL BUFF OIL IMPREGNATION METHOD James L. B. Vaughan, Theodore W. Hislop, and Douglas H. Hanna, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, assignors to Canadian Hanson and Van Winkle Company Limited, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, a corporation of Canada No Drawing. Application January 16, 1956 Serial No. 559,132

Claims priority, application Canada October 28, 1955 3 'Claims. (Cl. 117-143) This invention relates to a new method for the treatment of fibre buffs for the purpose of improving their wear resistance.

It is well known that a fibre bufli' consists of a series of cut and sewn sections of fibrous material put together to form a wheel. As the Wheel revolves on a spindle, a bufling compound is applied thereto with the result that when the metal surface is brought into contact with the wheel, imperfections in the metal are removed and a smooth and brightsurface is produced which is suitable for further finishing. The fibrous material used in the buff may be cotton, nylon, sisal or any other suitable natural or synthetic fibrous material. Sisal, which is a naturally occurring grass, is exceptionally well suited for buffs designed for the treatment of steel surfaces.

Because of their continuous frictional contact with metal surfaces and their flexing action, fibre buffs normally wear out very quickly and easily. Accordingly, numerous attempts have heretofore been made to increase their wear resistance by applying thereto various Water-insoluble adhesive materials, such as drying and semi-drying oils, in order to hold the fibres together during use and reduce the internal friction from flexing of the buffs, thus improving their affinity for the greases contained in the bufiing compounds. A better head of bufling compound should thus be built up which would adhere to the buds and prevent wearing out during contact with metal surfaces. Those attempts have, however, proved unsatisfactory mainly because of the methods by which the adhesive materials had to be applied to the buffs. These methods generally consisted in impregnating the bufis with solutions of the oils in organic solvents and thereafter evaporating the solvents, thus presenting a great fire hazard for the environment as well as a great danger of intoxication for the operators. Furthermore, those methods proved uneconomical because of the cost of the solvents as well as the cost of the solvent recovery equipment required.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new method for improving the wear resistance of fibre buffs which does not present any fire hazard or danger of intoxication and does not entail the aforesaid undesirable cost because it does not involve the use of organic solvents.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a method which results in an exceptionally good adhesion to the buifs of the materials involved as well as in an excellent penetration of the said materials.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Broadly speaking, the invention comprises impregnating the fibre bufis with an aqueous emulsion of a drying or semi-drying oil, and thereafter heating the impregnated buffs to a temperature of from 70 F. to about 300 F. The use of a drying or semi-drying oil in aqueous emulsion renders inflammable, toxic and costly organic solvents unnecessary for the buff treatment.

More particularly, the invention comprises immersing the fibre bufis in the aforesaid emulsion until penetration ice of the fibrous material is complete, then removing excess emulsion from the buffs by spinning them or by compressing them in a hydraulic press, and thereafter heating them to a temperature of from 70 F. to about 300 F. to evaporate the Water and cure the oil to a point where the fibres have been properly bonded or lubricated, and the surface has acquired the correct tackiness to be receptive to the bufiing compound later to be applied thereto.

Amongst the drying or semi-drying oils which can be used in the method of the invention, there may be mentioned linseed oil, tung oil, soya bean oil, blown hemp seed oil, castor oil, perilla oil, menhaden oil, mutton tallow and sulphonated oils.

It is desirable that an emulsifying agent be incorporated in the emulsion for the purpose of stabilizing the same and also of ensuring proper penetration and adhesion 'of the oil into and to the fibrous material of the buffs.

Any emulsifying agent which is compatible with the oil can thus be incorporated, singly or in combination, and may advantageously be volatile so that it can be evaporated together with the Water during the buff heating stage and thus yield a buff which is more water resistant. Monoethanolamine has been found to be a very desirable emulsifier from the standpoints of economy and convenience.

Preferably, the emulsion should also contain an oildrying agent such as a metal naphthenate to promote the oxidation of the oil and hence speed up the curing thereof, thus producing a treated bufi which is less liable to change during storage due to further oxidation of the oil.

Improved results are also obtained by the incorporation in the emulsion of natural or synthetic resins which are compatible with the said emulsion, such as polyamides, polyesters, phenol/formaldehyde condensates, urea/formaldehyde condensates, vinyl polymers, terpene resins, alkyds, dammar gums, manilla gums, pontianak gums, copal gums, accroides gums, sandarac, mastic and kauri gums, etc. These resin can be employed singly or in combination to partially replace or to supplement the oil in the emulsion.

Other additives, such as tall oil, lard oil, etc., can be incorporated in the emulsion for the purpose of modifying the properties of the treated buff from the standpoints of tackiness, lubrication, etc.

The proportions of the emulsion ingredients can vary Within wide limits depending upon the properties desired in the final buff, having regard to the metal surfaces to be treated thereby. Thus the bonding material which com-prises the oil, with or without resin, can be present in amounts ranging from 5% to 60% by Weight of the total emulsion and the concentration of the emulsifier, if present, can vary from 0.5% to 10% by weight of the emulsion. Oil-drying agents, if present, may be used in a concentration ranging from 0.25% to 5% by weight of the emulsion.

The time for impregnating the buff with the emulsion is not critical and is governed by the rate of penetration of the emulsion. Similarly, the heating time of the impregnated buff is governed by the rate of curing of the bonding material.

The following are examples of emulsions which have been found eminently suitable for the treatment of sisal buffs according to the method of the invention.

Emulsion 2 Heavy bodied raw linseed oil 20.0 Refined tall oil 1.0 Monoethano'larnine 0.5 -Lead naphthenate drier 1.12 .Cobalt naphthenate drier 0.09 Water 77.29

Emulsion 3 Heavy bodied raw linseed oil 12.5 Pure drying alkyd resin 12.5 Refined tall oil 1.0

Monoethanolamine 1.0 Lead naphthenate drier 0.5 Cobalt naphthenate drier 0.1 Water 72.4

It is to be understood that the above examples are merely illustrative embodiments of the invention and that the scope of the invention is not limited thereto.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A method for improving the wear resistance of a sisal buff which comprises impregnating said hull with .an aqueous emulsion containing, in percentage by weight of the emulsion, about 27.0% of heavy bodied soya bean oil and about 0.8% of an emulsifying agent, and thereafter heating the impregnated buff to a temperature of from 70 F. to about 300 F.

2. A method for improving the wear resistance of a sisal buff which comprises impregnating said bufi with an aqueous emulsion containing, in percentage by weight of the emulsion, about 20.0% of linseed oil, about 1.0% of refined tall oil, about 0.5% of an emulsifying agent and about 1.21% of drier, and thereafter heating the impregnated buff to a temperature of from F. to about 300 F.

3. A method for improving the wear resistance of a sisal bufli which comprises impregnating said buff with an emulsion containing, in percentage by weight of the emulsion, about 12.5% of linseed oil, about 12.5% of an alkyd resin, about 1.0% of refined tall oil, about 1.0% of an emulsifying agent and about 0.6% of drier, and thereafter heating the impregnated bufi to a temperature of from 70 F. to about 300 F.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,749,410 Brown Mar. 4, 1930 1,794,342 Reilly Feb. 24, 1931 2,097,012 Bartell Oct. 26, 1937 2,272,057 Cheetham Feb. 3, 1942 2,295,699 Thackston Sept. 15, 1942 2,388,867 Peterson Nov. 13, 194.5 2,610,927 Foulds Sept. 16, 1952 2,657,151 Gensel Oct. 27, 1953 2,747,981 Brown May 29, 1956 OTHER REFERENCES Ellis: The Chemistry of Synthetic Resins, vol. II, copyright 1935 (pp. 946-7 relied on).

Claims (1)

1. A METHOD FOR IMPROVING THE WEAR RESISTANCE OF A SISAL BUFF WHICH COMPRISES IMPREGNATING SAID BUFF WITH AN AQUEOUS EMULSION CONTAINING, IN PERCENTAGE BY WEIGHT OF THE EMULSION, ABOUT 27.0% OF HEAVY BODIED SOYA BEAN OIL AND ABOUT 0.8% OF AN EMULSIFYING AGENT, AND THEREAFTER HEATING THE IMPREGNATED BUFF TO A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 70*F. TO ABOUT 300*F.