Laterally-coalesced foam slab

• US 10,449,702 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2015
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Jonza, James M., Kalish, Jeffrey P., Feisel, Bryan C., Koster, Brian L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Golden, Chinessa T.
• Application Number:
  US15/517,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20170246775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/04 consisting of at least two parts of chemically or physically different materials, e.g. having different densities
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/24 Making multilayered articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/468 in a plurality of parallel streams which unite during the foaming
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/07 Flat, e.g. panels
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/02 Layer formed of wires, e.g. mesh
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/046 of foam
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2260/02 Composition of the impregnated, bonded or embedded layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2260/046 Synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/101 Glass fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/108 Rockwool fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2266/025 Polyolefin vinyl or acrylic copolymers B32B2266/0221, B32B2266/0242
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/102 Insulating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/304 Insulating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/514 Oriented
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/065 of foam
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/36 comprising polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/02 characterised by structural features of a fibrous or filamentary layer layer formed of metallic wires B32B15/02; layer formed of natural mineral fibres B32B19/02; layer formed of wood fibres B32B21/02
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/18 characterised by features of a layer of foamed material
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/22 characterised by the presence of two or more layers which are next to each other and are fibrous, filamentary, formed of particles or foamed layer formed of natural mineral fibres or particles next to a foam layer B32B19/047, next to a layer made of particles B32B19/048, or next to a fibrous or filamentary layer B32B19/06; paper layer or cardboard layer next to a paper layer or cardboard layer B32B29/005, next to a foam layer B32B29/007, next to a fibrous or filamentary layer B32B29/02, or next to a particulate layer B32B29/04
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/245 another layer next to it being a foam layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/12 : using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/12 : Polypropene
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 67/00 : Compositions of polyesters obtained by reactions forming a carboxylic ester link in the main chain of polyester-amides C08L77/12; of polyester-imides C08L79/08; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/80 : slab-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/86 : slab-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/90 : slab-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/205 : of foamed plastics, or of plastics and foamed plastics, optionally reinforced
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/284 : at least one of the materials being insulating
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/296 : composed of insulating material and non-metallic or unspecified sheet-material E04C2/288 takes precedence

Abstract

Laterally-coalesced foam slabs and methods and apparatus, including foaming dies, for making and using such foam slabs.

Claims

1. A laterally-coalesced unitary organic polymeric foam slab:

wherein at least eight interfacial boundaries are encountered in traversing the width of the foam slab along a lateral axis of the foam slab;

wherein the interfacial boundaries are at least generally aligned with a thickness axis of the foam slab, and wherein the foam slab is compositionally uniform along a long axis of the foam slab.

2. The unitary foam slab of claim 1, wherein the unitary foam slab comprises at least one major, foam layer that comprises a polyester foam or a polypropylene foam.

3. The unitary foam slab of claim 1, wherein the unitary foam slab consists of a single layer of polyester foam or a single layer of polyolefin foam.

4. The unitary foam slab of claim 1, wherein at least twelve interfacial boundaries are encountered in traversing the width of the foam slab along a lateral axis of the foam slab;

and, wherein the interfacial boundaries are at least substantially aligned with a thickness axis of the foam slab.

5. The unitary foam slab of claim 1, wherein at least twenty interfacial boundaries are encountered in traversing the width of the foam slab along a lateral axis of the foam slab;

and, wherein the interfacial boundaries are at least essentially aligned with a thickness axis of the foam slab.

6. The unitary foam slab of claim 1,

wherein the foam slab is a unitary composite foam slab that comprises a major organic polymeric foam phase that makes up from about 50 volume % of the slab to about 99.5 volume % of the slab and that comprises a relative density of less than about 0.85,

wherein the unitary composite foam slab comprises a minor, organic polymeric densified phase that makes up from about 0.5 volume % to about 50 volume % of the unitary composite foam slab and that comprises a relative density that is at least about 50% greater than the relative density of the major organic polymeric foam phase,

and wherein the major phase and the minor phase each extend continuously along a long axis of the unitary composite foam slab.

7. The unitary composite foam slab of claim 6 wherein the minor, densified phase of the unitary composite foam slab is melt-bonded to the major, foam phase of the unitary composite foam slab.

8. The unitary composite foam slab of claim 7 wherein the minor, densified phase of the unitary composite foam slab, and the major, foam phase of the unitary composite foam slab, are both comprised of polyester or are both comprised of polyolefin.

9. The unitary composite foam slab of claim 6 wherein the minor, densified phase of the composite foam slab is in the form of a plurality of elongate members that are spaced apart, along a lateral axis of the foam slab, across at least 70% of a width of the foam slab, wherein each elongate member extends continuously along the long axis of the composite foam slab, and wherein each elongate member comprises a relative density that is at least about four times the relative density of the major, foam phase of the composite foam slab.

10. The unitary composite foam slab of claim 9 wherein each elongate member is in the form of an elongate rail that comprises a rail height that is at least substantially aligned with a thickness axis of the unitary composite foam slab and a rail width that is at least generally aligned with a lateral axis of the unitary composite foam slab, and wherein the rail height is at least four times the rail width, and wherein the rail height is at least about 80% of the thickness of the unitary composite foam slab.

11. The unitary composite foam slab of claim 9 wherein each elongate member consists essentially of a non-foam material that is melt-bonded to the major, foam phase of the unitary composite foam slab.

12. The unitary composite foam slab of claim 6 wherein the minor, densified phase of the unitary composite foam slab is in the form of a minor, surface layer that provides a major outer surface of the unitary composite foam slab, that has a thickness that is less than about 10% of a total thickness of the unitary composite foam slab, and that exhibits a relative density that is at least about four times the relative density of the major, foam phase of the unitary composite foam slab.

13. The unitary composite foam slab of claim 12 wherein the minor, surface layer of the unitary composite foam slab consists essentially of a non-foam material that is melt-bonded to the major, foam phase of the unitary composite foam slab.

14. The unitary composite foam slab of claim 13 wherein the minor, surface layer of the unitary composite foam slab, and the major, foam phase of the unitary composite foam slab, are both comprised of polyester or are both comprised of polyolefin.

15. The unitary composite foam slab of claim 6 wherein the minor, densified phase of the unitary composite foam slab is in the form of:

a first minor surface layer that provides a first major outer surface of the unitary composite foam slab, that has a thickness that is less than about 10% of the total thickness of the unitary composite foam slab, and that exhibits a relative density that is at least about four times the relative density of the major phase of the unitary composite foam slab;

and,

a second minor surface layer that provides a second major outer surface of the unitary composite foam slab, that has a thickness that is less than about 10% of the total thickness of the unitary composite foam slab, and that exhibits a relative density that is at least about four times the relative density of the major phase of the unitary composite foam slab.

16. The unitary composite foam slab of claim 15 wherein the first minor, surface layer of the unitary composite foam slab, the second minor, surface layer of the unitary composite foam slab, and the major, foam phase of the unitary composite foam slab, are all comprised of polyester or are all comprised of polyolefin.

17. An article comprising the unitary organic polymeric foam slab of claim 1 with a substrate laminated to at least one major surface of the unitary composite foam slab.

18. The article of claim 17 wherein the substrate is a biaxially oriented polymer film or a laminated stack of biaxially oriented polymer films.

19. The article of claim 17 wherein the substrate is chosen from the group consisting of a fiber-reinforced polymeric film or sheet, a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, a nonwoven, and a metal foil.