Splittable multicomponent polyester fibers

• US 20020013111A1
• Filed: 09/19/2001
• Published: 01/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fiber Innovation Technology, Inc. (CHA Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fiber Innovation Technology, Inc. (CHA Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dugan, Jeffrey S., Harris, Frank O.
• Application Number:
  US09/956,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20020013111A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 442/335
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 8/14 with at least one polyester as constituent
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/435 Polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/43832 side-by-side
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/43838 Ultrafine fibres, e.g. microfibres
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/43912 fibres with noncircular cross-sections
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/43914 hollow fibres
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/43918 nonlinear fibres, e.g. crimped or coiled fibres
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/46 by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres D04H1/45 takes precedence; needling machines D04H18/00
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/495 for formation of patterns, e.g. drilling or rearrangement
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 3/0015 using fibres of specified chemical or physical nature, e.g. natural silk
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1062 Prior to assembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2913 Rod, strand, filament or fiber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2929 Bicomponent, conjugate, composite or collateral fibers or filaments [i.e., coextruded sheath-core or side-by-side type]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2931 Fibers or filaments nonconcentric [e.g., side-by-side or eccentric, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2973 Particular cross section
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/609 Cross-sectional configuration of strand or fiber material is specified
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/614 Strand or fiber material specified as having microdimensions [i.e., microfiber]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/615 Strand or fiber material is blended with another chemically different microfiber in the same layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/622 Microfiber is a composite fiber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/637 Including strand or fiber material which is a monofilament composed of two or more polymeric materials in physically distinct relationship [e.g., sheath-core, side-by-side, islands-in-sea, fibrils-in-matrix, etc.] or composed of physical blend of chemically different polymeric materials or a physical blend of a polymeric material and a filler material

Abstract

Mechanically divisible multicomponent fibers are disclosed having at least a first component comprised of poly(lactic acid) polymer and at least a second component comprised of an aromatic polyester. The multicomponent fibers are particularly useful in the manufacture of nonwoven structures, and in particular nonwoven structures used as synthetic suede.

Claims

1. A splittable multicomponent fiber comprising:

at least one polymer component comprising a poly(lactic acid) polymer; and

at least one polymer component comprising an aromatic polyester polymer, wherein said multicomponent fiber is dissociable by mechanical means.

2. The fiber of claim 1, wherein said multicomponent fiber is dissociable into a plurality of poly(lactic acid) microfilaments and aromatic polyester microfilaments.

3. The fiber of claim 1, wherein said aromatic polyester polymer comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polycyclohexane terephthalate, polyethylene napthalate, and copolymers and mixtures thereof.

4. The fiber of claim 1, wherein said aromatic polyester is poly(ethylene terephthalate).

5. The fiber of claim 1, wherein said fiber is selected from the group consisting of pie/wedge fibers, segmented round fibers, segmented oval fibers, segmented rectangular fibers, segmented ribbon fibers, and segmented multilobal fibers.

6. The fiber of claim 5, wherein said fiber is a pie/wedge fiber.

7. The fiber of claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of said poly(lactic acid) polymer component to said aromatic polyester polymer component ranges from about 80/20 to about 20/80.

8. The fiber of claim 7, wherein the weight ratio of said poly(lactic acid) polymer component to said aromatic polyester polymer component is about 65:

35 to about 35;

65.

9. The fiber of claim 1, wherein said fiber is selected from the group consisting of continuous filaments, staple fibers, and meltblown fibers.

10. The fiber of claim 9, wherein said fiber is a staple fiber.

11. The fiber of claim 1, wherein said multicomponent fiber is dissociable by mechanical operations selected from the group consisting of impinging the multicomponent fiber with high pressure water, carding the multicomponent fiber, crimping the fiber, and drawing the multicomponent fiber.

12. The fiber of claim 1, wherein said aromatic polyester polymer is poly(ethylene terephthalate), the weight ratio of said poly(lactic acid) polymer component to said poly(ethylene terephthalate) polymer component is from about 65:

35 to about 35;

65, and the fiber has a pie/wedge configuration.

13. A fiber bundle comprising a plurality of aliphatic polyester microfilaments and aromatic polyester microfilaments, said microfilaments originating from a common multicomponent fiber.

14. The fiber bundle of claim 13, wherein said microfilaments are prepared by mechanically dissociating aliphatic polyester and aromatic polyester components of said multicomponent fiber.

15. The fiber bundle of claim 13, wherein said aliphatic polyester microfilaments comprise poly(lactic acid).

16. The fiber bundle of claim 13, wherein said aliphatic polyester microfilaments and said aromatic polyester microfilaments are receptive to dyeing with disperse dye to provide a uniformly dyed fiber bundle.

17. The fiber bundle of claim 13, wherein said aromatic polyester microfilaments are formed of a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polycyclohexane terephthalate, polyethylene napthalate, and copolymers and mixtures thereof.

18. The fiber bundle of claim 17, wherein said aromatic polyester is poly(ethylene terephthalate).

19. The fiber bundle of claim 18, wherein said microfilaments have an average size ranging from about 0.05 to about 1.5 denier.

20. The fiber bundle of claim 13, wherein said fiber bundle comprises about 8 to about 48 aliphatic polyester and aromatic polyester microfilaments.

21. The fiber bundle of claim 13, wherein said fiber bundle is in the form of staple fiber.

22. A yarn comprising the fiber bundle of claim 13.

23. A microfilament comprising poly(lactic acid), said microfilament having an average size ranging from about 0.05 to about 1.5 denier and a tenacity ranging from about 1.0 to about 5.5 gpd tenacity.

24. The microfilament of claim 23, wherein said poly(lactic acid) microfilament is a continuous filament.

25. A yarn comprising the poly(lactic acid) microfilament of claim 23.

26. A fabric comprising a plurality of splittable multicomponent fibers comprising at least one polymer component comprising a poly(lactic acid) polymer and at least one polymer component comprising an aromatic polyester polymer, wherein said multicomponent fibers are dissociable by mechanical means.

30. The fabric of claim 26 or 27, wherein said fabric is selected from the group consisting of nonwoven fabrics, woven fabrics, and knit fabrics.

31. The fabric of claim 26 or 27, wherein said fabric is a nonwoven fabric selected from the group consisting of wet-laid nonwoven fabrics, dry-laid nonwoven fabrics, and direct-laid nonwoven fabrics.

32. The fabric of claim 26 or 27, wherein said fabric is a dry-laid nonwoven fabric.

33. The fabric of claim 26 or 27, wherein said fabric is a hydroentangled dry-laid nonwoven fabric.

34. The fabric of claim 26 or 27, wherein said fabric further comprises a disperse dye.

27. A fabric comprising a plurality of poly(lactic acid) microfilaments and aromatic polyester microfilaments.

28. The fabric of claim 27, wherein at least some of said poly(lactic acid) microfilaments and said aromatic polyester microfilaments originate from a common multicomponent fiber.

29. The fabric of claim 28, wherein at least some of said poly(lactic acid) microfilaments and said aromatic polyester microfilaments are prepared by mechanically dissociating poly(lactic acid) components and aromatic polyester components of said multicomponent fiber.

35. A product comprising the fabric of claim 27, selected from the group consisting of synthetic suede and filtration media.

36. The product of claim 35, wherein said product is synthetic suede.

37. A method for producing uniformly dyeable microfilament fibers, said method comprising:

extruding a plurality of multicomponent fibers comprising at least one polymer component comprising a poly(lactic acid) polymer and at least one polymer component comprising an aromatic polyester polymer; and

mechanically separating said multicomponent fibers to form a fiber bundle comprising a plurality of poly(lactic acid) microfilaments and aromatic polyester microfilaments.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising the step of disperse dyeing said poly(lactic acid) microfilaments and said aromatic polyester microfilaments simultaneously.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising the step of forming a yarn of said microfilaments prior to said dyeing step.

40. A method for producing fabric, said method comprising:

extruding a plurality of multicomponent fibers comprising at least one polymer component comprising a poly(lactic acid) polymer and at least one polymer component comprising an aromatic polyester polymer;

forming a fabric from said multicomponent fibers; and

mechanically separating said multicomponent fibers to form a plurality of poly(lactic acid) microfilaments and aromatic polyester microfilaments, said separating step occurring prior to, during, or after said fabric forming step.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising the step of forming a yarn of said multicomponent fibers following said extrusion step and prior to said fabric forming step.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein said step of forming a fabric comprises forming a woven fabric, forming a knit fabric, or forming a nonwoven fabric.

43. The method of claim 40, further comprising after said extruding step the steps of:

forming a tow from a plurality of said multicomponent fibers;

drawing said tow;

crimping said fibers;

chopping said drawn tow into staple fibers; and

carding said crimped staple fibers to form a carded fiber web.

44. The method of claim 43, further comprising the step of bonding said carded fiber web to form a unitary nonwoven fabric.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein said bonding step is selected from the group consisting of needle punching and hydroentangling.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein said separating step occurs simultaneously with at least one of said drawing step, crimping step, chopping step, carding step and bonding step.

47. The method of claim 40, wherein said separating step occurs prior to said fabric forming step.

48. The method of claim 40, wherein said separating step occurs after said fabric forming step.