阅读说明：本技术 自由纤维衬垫结构及其生产方法 (Free fiber mat structure and method of producing the same ) 是由 卢乔·西尼斯卡尔奇 帕特里齐奥·西尼斯卡尔奇 于 2018-09-03 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种用于衬垫的自由纤维或松散纤维结构,包括容纳多根自由纤维或松散纤维的壳状物,所述结构的特征在于所述自由纤维或松散纤维具有再现真正的鹅绒的长度和部分地细度的切割部。(A free or loose fibre structure for padding comprising a shell containing a plurality of free or loose fibres, said structure being characterized in that said free or loose fibres have cut-outs reproducing the length and partial fineness of a real goose-down.)

1. A free or loose fibre structure for a liner comprising a shell containing a plurality of free or loose fibres, said structure being characterised in that said free or loose fibres have a length in the range between 2mm and 28mm, have a titre or count in the range between 0.8 and 4 denier.

2. A method for manufacturing a free-fiber or loose-fiber structure for a mat, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of:

feeding the fibers through a bale breaker;

pneumatically feeding the fibers into a high draft plenum that performs suction of the fibers by two rotating cylinders that begin to open the fibers;

feeding the fibers through subsequent sections with a rotating disc;

the separation of the fibers from each other is accomplished in an opener.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the opener has washers from V6 to V20 and others on different cylinders.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein during processing, the fibers reach a temperature in a range between about 50 ℃ and 80 ℃ and are moved through a venting system that causes the fibers to curl.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the fibers are blended with different types of fibers or other materials during the step of feeding the fibers into the plenum.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the fibers are fed through a blending chamber where the fibers are also treated with an antistatic agent for 48 hours prior to being fed through the bale breaker.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the fibers have a thickness of 600+ cubic inches (in)³/oz) of the fiber.

Background

The present invention relates to a free-fibre or loose-fibre structure for producing padding (padding), in particular padding for garments and the like, and a method for manufacturing the fibre structure.

As is known, in padded garments, sleeping bags and the like, padding is produced mainly using down and/or synthetic fibres.

Typically, synthetic fibers are processed into loops of varying weights and thicknesses.

Both of these materials, fiber and down, provide good thermal insulation and comfort to the user.

In recent years, the use of raw synthetic fibers or natural fibers to which no mechanical or chemical treatment is applied has become widespread.

For this purpose, a plurality of individual fibers are used, each fiber having a length that can vary from 36mm up to 65mm and more. This length is an international standard.

A single unprocessed fiber allows two advantages to be obtained.

Firstly, they allow to mimic the softness and appearance of down and secondly, they allow to manufacture products at relatively low costs compared to products made of down and processed waddings.

The reduction in production cost is due to the simplicity of the product and the low production cost, rather than the lower cost of the material.

In fact, garment manufacturers have shells (shells) manufactured worldwide and, after receiving them, fill them directly in their factories with simple and automated systems.

Products produced with loose fibres initially have the best properties both from a functional and aesthetic point of view.

However, these products have presented serious problems after the first wash.

In fact, after washing the product in water, even at low temperatures, the aforementioned loose fibres clump together and become tangled, forming clusters and thus leaving empty areas in the product.

In other words, an uneven distribution of the fibres is produced and therefore the product is not evenly insulated and therefore the main purpose of the mat is no longer fulfilled.

In fact, the product has warm and cold zones, as experimentally observed by temperature recordings made before and after washing.

CN102605447 describes a velveteen recycled polyester ultrashort fiber prepared from recycled PET material by raw material pretreatment, rotary drum drying, spinning, cold forming and other steps. The cut length (cutlength) of the obtained product was between 3mm and 12mm, and the product had a look and feel similar to that of down.

US2007/105469 describes the use of Lyocell (Lyocell) type cellulose staple fibers having a ratio between the titer (in dtex) and the cut section length (in mm) of 0.10 or more as filling fibers for bedding (padding), pillows, mattresses or furniture cushions.

EP1717192 describes a filling material for filled bedding articles and the like comprising polyester fibers having an average size of 0.5dtex to 2.5dtex and being coated with a smoothing agent (slickener) and crimped. The fibres are cut to an average length of 4mm-15mm and subsequently opened.

Summary of The Invention

The aim of the present invention is to produce a free-fibre or loose-fibre structure for producing a padding and a method for its manufacture which allow much higher loft (fillingpower) to be obtained compared to products obtained using conventional processing methods.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to produce a fibrous structure with increased thermal insulation capacity, which is of the same weight as conventional fibers and comparable to that of high-quality down.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a free-fiber or loose-fiber structure and a method of making the same that allows the production of a mat that can be laundered without losing its original insulating properties.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a structure that can be manufactured inexpensively.

This and other objects, which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a free-fiber or loose-fiber structure for a padding and a method for its manufacture as claimed in the appended claims.

Further features and advantages of the subject of the invention will become more apparent from an examination of the description of preferred but not exclusive embodiments of the invention.

Description of the preferred embodiments

The loose fibre structure for producing a mat according to the invention is characterized by comprising fibre cuts which reproduce the length and partly the fineness of the actual goose-down.

According to the invention, the fibers of the structure have a variable length from 2mm to 28mm, with a titer or count in the range from 0.8 denier to 4 denier.

The length of the fibres of the invention is very different from the cut portions which are most commonly used today for loose fibre products having cut portions of 36mm or 65 mm.

According to the invention, the structure may comprise synthetic fibres or other microfibres.

The fibers may have a surface treatment, such as a silicone coating, and/or be directly in the fiber, such as hollow, bicomponent, etc., as well as different shapes, smooth, crimped, helical, and various types, synthetic, natural, or blends of both.

Blends of these fibers were then prepared at various concentrations.

The fibers can be used without any additional treatment, by blowing them directly into the structure using the same systems and machines as used to produce conventional down liners.

The best results in volume yield of the product are obtained by producing the fibers with the following manufacturing method.

Prior to processing, the fibers were fed into a blending chamber where they were also treated with an antistatic agent for 48 hours.

To allow continuous processing, it is advantageous to use several blending chambers.

These treated fibers are then collected for blowing into an opener (opening machine).

The fibers are pneumatically fed into a plenum chamber where they may also be blended with different types of fibers or with other materials. Strong aeration helps to open up the short fibers.

The suction of the fibres takes place in a machine with two rotating cylinders that start to open the fibres and then feed the other part with a rotating disc.

The fibers were transferred directly to a roving frame (carding window) equipped with well defined washers.

Complete separation of the fibers from each other occurs in the last pass through a modified opener (opener) with special gaskets on the different cylinders (from V6 to V20 and others).

These channels allow for the complete opening of the fibers without stressing them and thus losing their original crimping properties.

The aim of the process is to achieve maximum opening and volume of the fibres without stressing the fibres and thus without damaging them.

During processing, the fibers in the machine reach a temperature in the range between about 50 ℃ and 80 ℃ and are moved by the venting system, which causes the fibers to curl, a factor that makes the fibers more elastic and thus makes it possible to use less material to obtain the same level of loft.

This opening of the fibers by ventilation prevents stretching of the fibers that would otherwise occur in conventional carding processes and thus maintains the crimp (crimp) and curl (curl) properties of the fibers without stressing them.

Thanks to this process, with the fibers obtained, it is possible to reach a significantly higher 600+ cubic inches (in) than the 300-400 cubic inches of conventional products obtained with known processes³/oz) of the fiber.

This greater volume obtained from the processed fibers ensures that the fibers have a higher thermal insulation capacity than conventional fibers for the same weight and are comparable to the thermal insulation capacity of high quality down.

For example, a double amount by weight of conventional 300 cubic inches of fiber is required as compared to the 600 cubic inches of fiber produced by the present invention process.

The method of the invention allows great savings due to the use of smaller amounts of material and also due to energy savings during production.

The present fibrous structures produced by the process of the present invention also allow for a reduction in the weight of the resulting final garment.

The following table lists the bulk results for different products:

fluffy (cubic inch)

The values quoted above are measured in a standard manner according to the standard for down (IDFB section 10-B-2015).

As a further confirmation of the level of opening of the garment and therefore of the fluffiness of the garment, the thermal insulation capacity (in CLO value) of the garment produced with the fiber opened with the method according to the invention was compared with a similar product opened with conventional techniques.

As is evident from the results set forth in the table below, the insulation provided by the fibers produced according to the present invention is much greater than conventional insulation.

CLO product 135g/m^2.3.5cm tube

Product 2.57 of the invention

Conventional product 1.57

To compare the fibers with down, another test was conducted and insulation values were observed to be similar, as indicated in the table below.

Compared with down feather, 200g/m^2.5cm tube

Product 2.78 of the invention

Down 90/102.94

The final product, i.e. the free fibre or loose fibre structure, is used by the manufacturer of the product for products made from down.

With this production method, products manufactured with micro-cut free or loose fibers separated from each other according to the invention will no longer have the problems described above, since the fibers will no longer be able to gather and mechanically couple to each other.

The free or loose fibres of the structure according to the invention have the same behaviour as down after washing and any lumps can be eliminated simply by shaking the dried product by hand.

Warmth retention (warmth) is uniform throughout the product, so the product has optimal thermal insulation.

This is due to the fact that the structure inside the structure consists of millions of randomly deposited components, creating as many air pockets as possible, forming a thermal barrier consisting of over 90% air, which is considered the best insulating material.

Another feature of the invention is the possibility of adjusting the breathability of the product and its thermal insulation in different areas of the product, simply by moving a large number of fibres, as required.

In fact, with a very simple operation, it is possible to separate large areas of the fibrous mass, increasing or decreasing the density of the insulating material.

Furthermore, the possibility of adjusting the amount of fibres allows the air permeability of the product to be increased or decreased as desired.

An important feature of the method of the invention is that the fibres are not damaged during opening.

In practice, it has been found that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects.

In fact, a fibrous product has been produced which is particularly designed for producing pads for garments, sleeping bags, comforters and the like, which ensures that its optimum thermal insulation properties are maintained even after repeated washing.

Of course, the materials used, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements.