Air filtering material for air cleaning

• US 6,702,879 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2002
• Issued: 03/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Kazutaka, Susa, Daisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Copenheaver, Blaine
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, MINH CHAU THI
• Application Number:
  US10/176,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20030010003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 962/96, 962/90, 962/94, 55D/IG.5, 952/10, 952/11, 952/12, 261/104, 264/257, 264/271.1, 264/DIG.48
• US Class Current: 96/296
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 39/1623 of synthetic origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 264/48 Processes of making filters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/05 Methods of making filter

Abstract

An air filtering material for air cleaning is formed of a nonwoven fabric of hollow chemical fibers having longitudinal interior holes containing an oil. The hollow chemical fibers have randomly formed minute cracks and/or fissures formed through the walls of the fibers. The cracks and/or fissures have a width of the order of 1 ìm . The oil gradually exudes from within the longitudinal holes through the cracks and/or fissures to wet the outer surfaces of the hollow chemical fibers to enhance the filtering ability of the air filtering material by binding dust particles by the sticky oil.

Claims

1. An air filtering material for arresting dust from air that is caused to flow through the material, to thereby clean the air, comprising:

a nonwoven fabric made of hollow chemical fibers each having therein a hole extending longitudinally thereof;

each of said hollow chemical fibers having cracks and/or fissures defining minute clearances formed in an outer wall thereof so as to reach the longitudinal hole to thereby communicate the longitudinal hole with an exterior of the fiber; and

an oil impregnated within said longitudinal hole, said cracks and fissures having a width on the order of a micrometer or micrometers so that the oil within the longitudinal hole is caused to gradually exude through the cracks and fissures to the exterior of the fiber, whereby the dust is arrested by the exuding oil.

2. The air filtering material according to claim 1, wherein the width of said cracks and fissures is approximately 1 micrometer.

3. The air filtering material according to claim 1, wherein said hollow fibers have irregular tubular shape.

4. The air filtering material according to claim 1, wherein said hollow fibers have cleanly longitudinal ends.

5. The air filtering material according to claim 1, wherein said hollow chemical fibers have rugged longitudinal tubular shape.

6. The air filtering material according to claim 1, wherein said fibers having a diameter of approximately 20 micrometers.

7. The air filtering material according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of total area of openings provided by the fissures and/or cracks, to total area of outer surfaces of the hollow fibers, that is, an opening degree, is from {fraction (1/20)} to {fraction (1/60)}.

8. The air filtering material according to claim 1, wherein said oil is a mineral oil.