Fabric containing graft polymer thereon

• US 5,407,728 A
• Filed: 01/30/1992
• Issued: 04/18/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Trelleborg Coated Systems US, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trelleborg Coated Systems US, Inc.
• Inventors: Sanduja, Mohan L., Thottathil, Paul, Menzel, Jill, Kerr, Richard C., Damewood, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bell, James J.
• Application Number:
  US07/828,082
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 428/195, 428/196, 428/225, 428/245, 428/260, 428/267, 428/289, 428/290, 428/913, 8/115.54, 8/DIG. 18, 8/115.65, 8/115.66, 8/115.67, 139/420 A
• US Class Current: 428/195.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/235 characterised by their material
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 14/14 Polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 14/16 Polyamides
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 15/564 Polyureas, polyurethanes or other polymers having ureide or urethane links; Precondensation products forming them
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/913 Material designed to be responsive to temperature, light, moisture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2481 including layer of mechanically interengaged strands, strand-portions or strand-like strips
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3976 Including strand which is stated to have specific attributes [e.g., heat or fire resistance, chemical or solvent resistance, high absorption for aqueous composition, water solubility, heat shrinkability, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3984 Strand is other than glass and is heat or fire resistant

Abstract

A solution for forming a graft substrate containing a graft initiator, a catalyst for activating or regenerating the graft initiator, a first component of water dispersable polymer and a second component of a monomer, each of which includes a functional group for reaction with an activated site on the substrate for grafting thereto and water. A method for grafting at least one of the components to a fiber, yarn or fabric substrate is also disclosed wherein increased flame retarding and yarn integrity is achieved while simultaneously allowing control of fabric porosity. This method does not significantly reduce fabric pliability as compared to uncoated fabric. Furthermore, the graft component may be selectively applied polymer to produce a preferred porosity range or a cutting pattern for the fabric substrate. A fabric, a portion of which includes a graft component or components thereon, forms another embodiment of the invention.

Claims

1. A method for making a fabric substrate which comprises grafting a first component onto filaments or yarns and thereafter forming a fabric of the grafted filaments or yarns to obtain a fabric having increased resistance to fraying and filament or yarn pull-out or distortion during manufacture or use compared to fabrics containing non-grafted filaments or yarns.

2. The method of claim 1 which further comprises grafting the first component onto filaments during a spin finishing operation and thereafter forming the fabric.

3. The method of claim 2 which further comprises grafting the first component onto filaments during a spin finishing operation, forming yarns from the grafted filaments, and thereafter forming the yarns into the fabric.

4. The method of claim 1 which further comprises forming yarns from filaments, grafting the first component onto the yarns and thereafter forming the yarns into the fabric.

5. The method of claim 4 which further comprises beaming the yarns and grafting the first component onto the beamed yarn during a slashing operation.

6. The method of claim 4 which further comprises beaming the grafted yarns prior to forming the fabric.

7. The method of claim 4 which further comprises repackaging the grafted yarns and utilizing the repackaged yarns as fill yarns during formation of the fabric.

8. The method of claim 1 which further comprises grafting the first component onto staple and spinning the grafted staple into yarns.

9. The method of claim 2 which further comprises cutting the grafted filaments into staple and spinning the staple into yarns before forming the fabric,

10. The method of claim 1 which further comprises contacting the filaments or yarns with a solution of the first component by a dipping, spraying, or coating operation.

11. The method of claim 1 which further comprises calendaring the fabric to decrease the gas permeability properties thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 which further comprises selecting the filaments or yarns to be polyamide, polyester, polyaramid, or mixtures thereof.

13. The method of claim 1 which further comprises grafting a second component onto the filaments or yarns or onto the first component,

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the first component comprises a water dispersible polymer and the second component comprises a monomer having a molecular weight of about 1200 or less.

15. The method of claim 1 which further comprises adding a flame retardant agent to the fabric to increase its flame retardancy.

16. The method of claim 1 which further comprises adding an antioxidant, antiozonant or stabilizer to the fabric to increase its heat or aging resistance.

17. The method of claim 1 which further comprises mechanically cutting the fabric into a predetermined pattern.

18. A method for making a fabric which comprises:

forming a fabric of filaments or yarns in a predetermined configuration;

formulating a solution of a graft initiator for activating sites on the filaments or yarns, a catalyst for activating or regenerating the graft initiator, and a first component that has a functional group for reaction with an activated site on the filaments or yarns, and water; and

contacting the solution with selected portions of the fabric thereby grafting the first component to the filaments or yarns to provide a fabric having increased resistance to distortion, fraying and filament or yarn pull-out during manufacture or use thereof.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the solution includes a second component and which further comprises grafting the second component onto the filaments or yarns of the fabric or onto the first component.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the first component comprises a water dispersible polymer and the second component comprises a monomer having a molecular weight of about 1200 or less.

21. The method of claim 18 which further comprises adding a flame retardant agent to the fabric to increase its flame retardancy.

22. The method of claim 18 which further comprises adding an antioxidant, antiozonant or stabilizer to the fabric to increase its heat or aging resistance.

23. The method of claim 18 which further comprises selectively applying the solution to the fabric to obtain a desired gas permeability range for the graft fabric.

24. The method of claim 18 which further comprises selectively applying the solution only to those portions or areas of the fabric which will be subject to sewing or mechanical cutting to prevent or reduce fraying or tearing of the fibers or yarns during the sewing or cutting operations.

25. The method of claim 24 which further comprises mechanically cutting the fabric into a predetermined pattern.

26. The method of claim 18 which further comprises contacting the fabric with the solution of the first component by a spraying, printing, or coating operation.

27. The fabric substrate produced by the method of claim 1.

28. The fabric substrate produced by the method of claim 18.

29. A fabric comprising a plurality of filaments or yarns at least some of which include at least a first component grafted thereto to provide a degree of filament or yarn integrity which allows the fabric to be sewn or mechanically cut with improved resistance to the fraying, filament or yarn pull-out or distortion compared to fabric containing non-grafted filaments or yarns.

30. The fabric of claim 29 wherein the first component is grafted to substantially all of the filaments or yarns of the fabric substrate.

31. The fabric of claim 29 wherein the filaments or yarns comprise a natural, polyamide, polyaramid, or polyester material or mixtures thereof.

32. The fabric of claim 29 wherein the filaments or yarns further comprise a second component gratted either the filaments or yarns or to the first component.

33. The fabric of claim 29 wherein the first component is a water dispersible polymer.

34. The fabric of claim 32 wherein the second component is a water dispersible monomer having a molecular weight of about 1200 or less.

35. The fabric of claim 29 which further comprises at least one flame retardant agent to increase the flame retardancy of the fabric.

36. The fabric of claim 35 wherein the flame retardant agent is a cyclic phosphonate ester, a halogenated compound, a thiourea-formaldehyde compound or mixtures thereof.

37. The fabric of claim 29 which further comprises an antioxidant, antiozonant or stabilizer to increase the heat or aging resistance of the fabric substrate.

38. The fabric of claim 29 wherein some, but not all, of the yarns or filaments of the fabric include the first component.