Expandable material

• US 20040266898A1
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zephyros, Inc.
• Original Assignee: L&L Products Inc.
• Inventors: Kassa, Abraham, Harthcock, Matthew, Apfel, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,199,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 521/134
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2201/026 Crosslinking before of after foaming
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2207/02 Adhesive
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2331/00 Characterised by the use of copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by an acyloxy radical of a saturated carboxylic acid, or carbonic acid, or of a haloformic acid
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2333/06 of esters containing only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, the oxygen atom being present only as part of the carboxyl radical
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2423/08 Copolymers of ethene C08J2423/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2431/00 Characterised by the use of copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by an acyloxy radical of a saturated carboxylic acid, or carbonic acid, or of a haloformic acid
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 9/0061 characterized by the use of several polymeric components
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 9/103 Azodicarbonamide

Abstract

An expandable material and articles incorporating the same are disclosed. The material includes a polymeric admixture; a blowing agent; a curing agent; a tackifier; and optionally, a filler or fiber.

Claims

1. An expandable material, comprising:

about 10% to about 70% by weight of a polymeric admixture, the polymeric admixture including one or more acrylates, one or more acetates or both;

about 6.0% to about 20% tackifier;

blowing agent, blowing agent accelerator or both;

a curing agent; and

one or more fillers.

2. An expandable material as in claim 1 further comprising a dispersant.

3. An expandable material as in claim 2 wherein the molecular weight of the dispersant is less than about 50,000 amu.

4. An expandable material as in claim 3 wherein the dispersant is selected from a paraffin wax or an EPDM.

5. An expandable material as in claim 1 wherein the one or more fillers includes an aramid pulp.

6. An expandable material as in claim 1 wherein the tackifier is selected from a resin, a rubber or an alcohol.

7. An expandable material as in claim 6 wherein the tackifier is a hydrocarbon resin.

8. An expandable material as in claim 1 wherein, upon exposure to elevated temperature, the expandable material expands to at least 2000% of its original size.

9. An expandable material as in claim 1 wherein, upon exposure to elevated temperature, the expandable material expands to at least 3000% of its original size.

10. An expandable material as in claim 1 wherein the expandable material includes one or more acrylates and one or more acetates.

11. An expandable material as in claim 10 wherein the one or more acrylates comprise about 20% to about 95% of the polymeric admixture and the one or more acetates comprise about 5% to about 50% of the polymeric admixture.

12. An expandable material as in claim 1 further comprising an anti-oxidant.

13. An expandable material, comprising:

about 10% to about 70% by weight of a polymeric admixture, the polymeric admixture including one or more acrylates and one or more acetates;

about 6.0% to about 20% tackifier, the tackifier being a hydrocarbon resin;

about 0.1% to about 10% by weight epoxy resin;

5.5% or greater blowing agent, blowing agent accelerator or both;

a curing agent; and

one or more fillers.

14. An expandable material as in claim 13 further comprising a dispersant.

15. An expandable material as in claim 14 wherein the molecular weight of the dispersant is less than about 50,000 amu.

16. An expandable material as in claim 15 wherein the dispersant is selected from a paraffin wax or an EPDM.

17. An expandable material as in claim 13 wherein the one or more fillers includes a reinforcement material selected from glass fiber, paper, paper fiber, wood, wood fiber, ceramic fiber, aramid fiber, aramid pulp, carbon fiber, acrylate fiber, polyamide fiber or polypropylene fiber.

18. An expandable material as in claim 13 wherein, upon exposure to elevated temperature, the expandable material expands to at least 3000% of its original size.

19. An expandable material as in claim 13 wherein the expandable material includes one or more acrylates and one or more acetates.

20. An expandable material as in claim 19 wherein the one or more acrylates comprise about 20% to about 95% of the polymeric admixture and the one or more acetates comprise about 5% to about 50% of the polymeric admixture.

21. An expandable material as in claim 13 further comprising an anti-oxidant.

22. An expandable material, comprising:

about 10% to about 70% by weight of a polymeric admixture, the polymeric admixture including;

i) about 20% to about 95% of one or more acrylates, the one or more acrylates including epoxidized acrylate copolymer and a copolymer of an ethylene butyl acrylate and ethylene methyl acrylate and an acrylate coagent; and

ii) about 5% to about 50% of one or more acetates, the one or more acetates including a relatively high content ethylene vinyl acetate and relatively low melt index ethylene vinyl acetate;

about 6.0% to about 20% tackifier, the tackifier being a hydrocarbon having two or more degress of unsaturation;

about 0.1% to about 10% by weight epoxy resin, the epoxy resin including at least one of a novalac type resin or a bisphenol resin;

8% or greater blowing agent and blowing agent accelerator, the blowing agent being selected from an amine or amide and the blowing agent accelerator being selected from a metal salt or an oxide;

a peroxide based curing agent;

about 3% to about 30% one or more fillers, the one or more fillers including calcium carbonate and aramid pulp; and

a dispersant, the dispersant being EPDM

wherein, upon exposure to elevated temperature, the expandable material expands to at least 3000% of its original size.

23. An expandable material as in claim 22 wherein the molecular weight of the dispersant is less than about 50,000 amu.

24. An expandable material as in claim 22 wherein, upon exposure to elevated temperature, the expandable material expands to at least 3500% of its original size.