SOFT-SUBSTRATE CARPET MADE FROM RECYCLED YARNS AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME

Abstract

A soft-substrate carpet made from recycled yarns includes a carpet fiber layer and a recycled fiber layer in a top-to-bottom order, wherein the carpet fiber layer comprises carpet fibers and a first non-woven scrim, the carpet fibers being tufted on the first non-woven scrim, and the recycled fiber layer comprises recycled fibers and a second non-woven scrim, the recycled fibers being tufted on the second non-woven scrim; the carpet fiber layer and the recycled fiber layer are permanently bonded.

Claims

1. A soft-substrate carpet made from recycled yarns, comprising a carpet fiber layer and a recycled fiber layer, wherein the carpet fiber layer comprises carpet fibers (1) and a first non-woven scrim (2), the carpet fibers (1) being tufted on the first non-woven scrim (2), and the recycled fiber layer comprises recycled fibers (5) and a second non-woven scrim (4), the recycled fibers (5) being tufted on the second non-woven scrim (4); the carpet fiber layer and the recycled fiber layer are permanently bonded.

2. The soft-substrate carpet made from recycled yarns according to claim 1, wherein the carpet fibers (1) are made from PP, PET, PTT, nylon, PO or wool; both the first non-woven scrim (2) and the second non-woven scrim (4) have a fabric weight of 70-150 g/m.sup.2.

3. The soft-substrate carpet made from recycled yarns according to claim 1, wherein the carpet fiber layer and the recycled fiber layer are bonded together by a bonding agent.

4. The soft-substrate carpet made from recycled yarns according to claim 3, wherein the bonding agent is made from PVC, bitumen, PO, PU, PE, or EVA.

5. The soft-substrate carpet made from recycled yarns according to claim 1, wherein a latex layer is disposed between the carpet fiber layer and the recycled fiber layer.

6. The soft-substrate carpet made from recycled yarns according to claim 5, wherein the latex layer is made from EVA, aqueous PU, acryl or SBR.

7. The soft-substrate carpet made from recycled yarns according to claim 1, wherein a non-woven layer is disposed under the recycled fiber layer; the recycled fiber layer and the non-woven layer are connected by a bonding agent.

8. The soft-substrate carpet made from recycled yarns according to claim 7, wherein the non-woven layer has a fabric weight of 50-1200 g/m.sup.2 and a heat shrinkage rate less than 2%.

9. The soft-substrate carpet made from recycled yarns according to claim 1, wherein a tufted surface of the recycled fiber layer has a pile number not less than 100000 piles/m.sup.2 and the pile height from 2.5 mm to 12 mm.

10. A method for manufacturing the soft-substrate carpet made from recycled yarns according to claim 1, comprising: (1) tufting the carpet fibers: tufting the carpet fibers on the first non-woven scrim to give the carpet fiber layer; (2) pre-coating and drying latex: uniformly mixing aqueous latex SBR, an anti-bacterial agent, calcium carbonate and a foaming agent according to a mass ratio of (62-100):(0-1):(0-35):(0-2), performing air foaming using a foaming machine with a foaming ratio of 1.2-10 folds, uniformly coating the mixture on the back surface of the carpet fiber layer with a dry coating weight of 50-800 g/m.sup.2, and drying to give the latex layer; (3) tufting the recycled fibers: classifying the recycled fibers, plying the recycled fibers into 850-4000 D thick recycled fibers, and tufting the thick recycled fibers on the second non-woven scrim to give the recycled fiber layer; (4) preparing a soft substrate of the tufted recycled fibers: mixing PO and calcium carbonate according to a mass ratio of (20-45):(55-80), heating and melting the mixture, uniformly stirring, cooling and granulating to give PO-calcium carbonate bonding agent particles; feeding the PO-calcium carbonate bonding agent particles into a carpet bonding machine, heating and melting at 130-220° C., flatly coating the resulting bonding agent on the tufted surface of the recycled fiber layer using an extruder, scraping to a height of 0.5-1.0 mm using a scraper with an amount of the PO-calcium carbonate bonding agent being 150-2000 g/m.sup.2, bonding the tufted recycled fiber layer and the non-woven layer together, compacting with a roller, and cooling to 5-30° C. to form the soft substrate layer of tufted recycled fibers; and (5) bonding the carpet fiber layer and the recycled fiber layer together: mixing PO and calcium carbonate according to a mass ratio of (25-50):(50-75), heating and melting the mixture, cooling and granulating to give PO-calcium carbonate bonding agent particles; feeding the PO-calcium carbonate bonding agent particles into the carpet bonding machine, heating and melting the PO-calcium carbonate bonding agent particles at 130-220° C., flatly coating the resulting bonding agent on the back surface of the soft substrate layer of tufted recycled fibers using the extruder, scraping redundant parts using the scraper, and bonding with the latex surface of the carpet fiber layer with an amount of the PO-calcium carbonate bonding agent controlled at 500-2500 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness of 0.8-1.5 mm; and after bonding, compacting with a roller, and putting the carpet into a cooling chamber at 5-30° C. for cooling; wherein in step (2), the drying conditions are as follows: a drying temperature at 140-200° C., and a drying time of 2-8 min.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure according to present invention.

[0036] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the manufacturing process according to the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 3 is another schematic diagram of the manufacturing process according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The technical scheme of the present invention is further described below with reference to the drawings.

[0039] In FIG. 1, 1 is a carpet fiber, 2 is a first non-woven scrim, 3 is a first resin bonding layer, 4 is a second non-woven scrim, 5 is a recycled fiber, 6 is a second resin bonding layer, 7 is a latex layer, and 8 is a non-woven.

[0040] A soft-substrate carpet made from recycled yarns, comprising a carpet fiber layer and a recycled fiber layer disposed in a top-to-bottom order, wherein the carpet fiber layer comprises carpet fibers and a first non-woven scrim, the carpet fibers being tufted on the first non-woven scrim, and the recycled fiber layer comprises recycled fibers and a second non-woven scrim, the recycled fibers being tufted on the second non-woven scrim; the tufted surfaces of the carpet fiber layer and the recycled fiber layer comprise loop pile, cut pile or a mixed style of loop pile and cut pile.

[0041] The carpet fiber layer and the recycled fiber layer are permanently bonded.

[0042] The carpet fibers are made from PP, PET, PTT, nylon, PO or wool.

[0043] Both the first non-woven scrim and the second non-woven scrim have a fabric weight of 70-150 g/m.sup.2, a thickness not more than 1.2 mm, a strength not less than 10 kgf and a heat shrinkage rate lower than 0.9%. The non-woven scrim is a high-quality non-woven material and features high strength and dimensional stability in the transverse direction; the first non-woven scrim and the second non-woven scrim are made from polyester.

[0044] The carpet fiber layer and the recycled fiber layer are bonded together by a bonding agent.

[0045] The bonding agent is made from PVC, bitumen, PO, PU, PE or EVA. The bonding agent is used for bonding the carpet fiber layer and the recycled fiber layer, and can also be used for bonding the recycled fiber layer and the non-woven layer. The preferred material of the bonding agent is PO, and PO and calcium carbonate are mixed according to a mass ratio of (25-50):(50-75).

[0046] The proportion can be modified or other additives can be added according to the requirements. Firstly, PO and calcium carbonate are mixed according to a mass ratio of (25-50):(50-75), the mixture is heated and melted, the melted PO and calcium carbonate are uniformly stirred to ensure calcium carbonate is well dispersed. The resulting mixture is cooled, granulated, and fed to a carpet bonding machine. The raw materials are heated and melted at 130-220° C., and then fed into a feeding port of the carpet bonding machine for later extrusion and coating. The resulting bonding agent is flatly coated on the back surface of the soft substrate layer of tufted recycled fibers using a scraper. Redundant parts are removed, and the back surface and the latex surface of the carpet fiber layer are bonded together, with an amount controlled at 500-2500 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness controlled at 0.8-1.5 mm according to the actual requirement of production. After coating, the carpet is put into a cooling chamber at 5-30° C. for stable cooling under a condition ensuring the flatness of the product in the cooling process. The cooled product is cut to give the finished product.

[0047] Preferably, a latex layer is disposed between the carpet fiber layer and the recycled fiber layer, and is made from EVA, aqueous PU, acryl or SBR, preferably SBR. The addition of the latex layer enables higher resilience and better softness of the carpet. The dry coating weight of EVA, aqueous PU, acryl or SBR is 50-800 g/m.sup.2, and the coating mode is foaming and gluing.

[0048] The preferred formulation of the latex layer is as follow: the mass ratio of SBR to antibacterial agent to calcium carbonate to foaming agent is (62-100):(0-1):(0-35):(0-2), wherein the antibacterial agent, the calcium carbonate and the foaming agent are optional components.

[0049] The preparation method of the latex layer comprises: SBR, an antibacterial agent, calcium carbonate and a foaming agent are fed into a stirring tank according to a mass ratio and uniformly stirred. A foaming process is performed mixture using a foaming machine. The mixture is uniformly coated on the back surface of the carpet fiber layer, and the redundant parts are removed by scraping. The dry coating weight is 50-800 g/m.sup.2, such that a fiber reinforcement effect is provided to avoid appearance defects caused by falling off. After coating, the carpet is dried in a drying oven at 140-200° C. at a speed of 5 m/min for 2-8 min. After the latex is dried completely, the carpet is rolled for later use.

[0050] In the method, a non-woven layer is disposed under the recycled fiber layer, and the heat shrinkage rate of the non-woven layer is lower than 2%; the fabric weight range is 50-1200 g/m.sup.2. The non-woven layer is an unnecessary structure, which is used for further improving the appearance or the stability of the carpet. The non-woven layer can be made from polyester or nylon, which provides a heat shrinkage rate lower than 2%, unlikeliness to fluff or layer, and a fabric weight of 50-1200 g/m.sup.2.

Example 1: A Method for Manufacturing the Soft-Substrate Carpet Made from Recycled Yarns, Comprising

[0051] (1) Tufting Carpet Fibers

[0052] Nylon fibers were tufted on a first non-woven scrim using a tufting machine to form a carpet fiber layer, and the carpet was rolled for later use. One surface of the carpet fiber layer with pile is the tufted surface, the other surface is the back surface for latex pre-coating.

[0053] (2) Pre-Coating and Drying Latex

[0054] An aqueous environment-friendly latex SBR was used in a mass ratio of SBR to an antibacterial agent to calcium carbonate to a foaming agent being (62-100):(0-1):(0-35):(0-2), preferably a mass ratio of (65-70):(0-1):(28-35):(0-1), wherein the content of the antibacterial agent and the foaming agent might be 0. The raw materials were fed into a stirring tank according to the mass ratio, and uniformly stirred. A foaming process was performed using a foaming machine in a foaming ratio of 1.2-10 folds, preferably 1.5-3.0 folds. The mixture was uniformly coated on the back surface of the tufted carpet fiber layer, and redundant latex was removed using a scraper. The dry coating weight was controlled at 50-800 g/m.sup.2, preferably 80-350 g/m.sup.2. After coating, the carpet was dried in a drying oven at 140-200° C. at a speed of 5 m/min for 2-8 min. After the latex was dried completely, the carpet is rolled for later use.

[0055] (3) Tufting Recycled Fibers

[0056] Plied thick recycled nylon fibers of about 850-4000 D were used as the recycled fibers. Fibers with the closer thickness were directly tufted on a second non-woven scrim through the tufting machine to give a recycled fiber layer, and the carpet was rolled for later use. The pile density of the tufted surface was 100000-450000 piles/m.sup.2 and the pile height was 2.5-12 mm.

[0057] Specifically, the direction of bonding surfaces can be switched according to the requirement of the recycled fiber layer. This means that the back surface of the recycled fiber layer and the non-woven layer can be bonded together, and the tufted surface of the recycled fiber layer and the latex surface of the carpet fiber layer are bonded together.

[0058] (4) Preparing a PO Bonding Layer (the Second Resin Bonding Layer is an Unnecessary Structure)

[0059] PO and calcium carbonate were mixed in a mass ratio of (20-45):(55-80) (preferably (20-30):(70-80)), heated and melted (at the temperature of 130-220° C.), uniformly stirred, cooled (at 5-30° C.) and granulated (with a granule size less than 4-40 meshes). The melting process was carefully controlled to ensure that the uniformity of the granules. The raw materials were heated and melted at 130-220° C., fed into a feeding port 11 of a carpet bonding machine for later extrusion and coating. The resulting bonding agent was flatly coating on the tufted surface of the recycled fiber layer using a scraper 10 with a proper height of 0.5-1.0 mm (preferably 0.5-0.8 mm) and an amount controlled at 150-2000 g/m.sup.2 (preferably 500-800 g/m.sup.2). The recycled fiber layer and the non-woven layer were bonded together. The carpet was compacted using a roller, and stably cooled at 5-30° C. while ensuring the flatness of the product in the cooling process to form the soft substrate layer of tufted recycled fibers. The carpet was rolled for later use.

[0060] (5) Preparing Another PO Bonding Layer

[0061] PO and calcium carbonate were mixed in a mass ratio of (25-50):(50-75), heated and melted (at 130-220° C.). The melted PO and the calcium carbonate were uniformly stirred to ensure that calcium was well dispersed, and the mixture was cooled (at 5-30° C.) and granulated (with a granule size less than 4-40 meshes). The raw materials were heated and melted at 130-220° C., and then fed into a feeding port 11 of the carpet bonding machine for later extrusion and coating. The resulting bonding agent was flatly coated on the back surface of the soft substrate layer of tufted recycled fibers using a scraper 10. Redundant parts were removed, and the back surface and the latex surface of the carpet fiber layer were bonded together, with an amount controlled at 500-2500 g/m.sup.2 (preferably 600-1200 g/m.sup.2) and a thickness controlled at 0.8-1.5 mm. After bonding, the carpet was compacted using a roller, and the carpet was put into a cooling box chamber at 5-30° C. for stable cooling under a condition ensuring the flatness of the product in the cooling process. The finished soft-substrate carpet was cut into a certain dimension according to the actual requirement.

[0062] According to the method for manufacturing the soft-substrate carpet made from recycled yarns, the measurements are as follows:

Example 2: Elastic Resilience Ratio by Castorchair Test

[0063] Finished square carpets with dimensions of 500×500 mm were measured for the overall thickness using a thickness gauge, and effective data were recorded. The measured carpets were placed and fixed on a bottom plate of a castorchair tester. A simulation castorchair with a load of 90 kg was put on the carpet surface. The number of revolution was set to 2000 before the tester was started. After the rotation test, the sample carpets were removed from the tester and horizontally placed for 24 h. After the above procedures were completed, the overall thickness of the samples was measured again using the thickness gauge to acquire effective data. The elastic resilience ratio was calculated by comparing the effective data.

[0064] Soft-substrate carpets of recycled yarns and soft-substrate carpets of recycled yarns without unnecessary structures were manufactured by the method of Example 1.

[0065] Conclusion: Since a higher elastic resilience ratio indicates a better resilience, the present invention demonstrates a superior resilience.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Elastic resilience ratio of carpet disclosed herein and competitors in castorchair test Soft- Soft- Soft- substrate substrate substrate PVC- carpet square square substrate made carpet carpet square from from from carpet recycled competitor competitor from Name yarns A B competitor Elastic resilience 97% 94% 95% 88% ratio in castorchair test

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Elastic resilience ratio of carpet disclosed herein and carpets without unnecessary structures in castorchair test Soft-substrate without without carpet unnecessary unnecessary made structures— structures—Non-woven from recycled Non-woven layer (8) and bonding Name yarns layer (8) layer (6) Elastic resilience 97% 98% 98% ratio in castorchair test

[0066] 2. Elastic Resilience Ratio in Hexapod Tumbler Test—Supplementary Data for Resilience

[0067] Finished square carpets were measured for the overall thickness using a thickness gauge, and effective data were recorded. The finished carpets were cut into a certain dimension, and bonded to the inner wall of the tumbler. The number of revolution was set to 12,000 before the tester was started. After the rotation test, the sample carpets were removed from the tester and horizontally placed for 24 h. After the above procedures were completed, the overall thickness of the samples was measured again using the thickness gauge to acquire effective data. The elastic resilience ratio was calculated by comparing the effective data.

[0068] Conclusion: Since a higher elastic resilience ratio indicates a better resilience, the present invention demonstrates a superior resilience.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Elastic resilience ratio of carpet disclosed herein and competitors in hexapod tumbler test Soft- Soft-substrate Soft-substrate PVC- substrate square carpet square carpet substrate carpet made from from square from recycled competitor competitor carpet from Name yarns A B competitor Elastic resilience 93% 91% 83% 71% ratio in hexapod tumbler test

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Elastic resilience ratio of carpet disclosed herein and carpets without unnecessary structures in hexapod tumbler test without without unnecessary Soft-substrate unnecessary structures— carpet made structures— Non-woven from recycled Non-woven layer (8) and Name yarns layer (8) bonding layer (6) Elastic resilience 93% 95% 96% ratio in hexapod tumbler test

[0069] 3. Softness Test—Supplementary Data for Soft Feeling and High Comfort

[0070] Finished square carpets with dimensions of 500×500 mm were taken, and 25 evenly distributed sampling points were selected and measured using a hardness tester in a certain sequence. Data of the sampling points were recorded, and effective measurements were obtained by calculating the average value of the 25 sampling points.

[0071] Conclusion: Since a lower value indicates a higher softness, the present invention demonstrates good softness.

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Softness test of carpet disclosed herein and competitors Soft- Soft- Soft- substrate substrate substrate Soft- PVC- carpet square square substrate substrate made carpet carpet square square from from from carpet from carpet recycled competitor competitor competitor from Name yarns A B C competitor Softness 9.9 13.8 12.7 11.2 12.9 test

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Softness test of carpet disclosed herein and carpets without unnecessary structures Soft-substrate without unnecessary without unnecessary carpet structures— structures—Non-woven made from Non-woven layer (8) and Name recycled yarns layer (8) bonding layer (6) Softness 9.9 10.5 10.8 test

[0072] 4. Thermal Insulation Effect—Supplementary Data for Good Thermal Insulation Effect

[0073] Finished square carpets were cut into a certain dimension completely consistent with that of the iron plate. The sample pieces were placed to cover the iron plate of the tester. The temperature of the tester was set to 80° C. and the temperature was maintained until the end of the test. After the finished square carpet pieces were placed on the iron plate of the device at 80° C., the initial temperature of the center of the carpet surface was immediately measured and effective data were recorded. A thermal conductivity temperature testing was performed on the carpet surface every 6 min, and effective data were recorded.

TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Thermal insulation test of carpet disclosed herein and competitors Soft-substrate Soft-substrate Soft-substrate Recycled PVC-substrate carpet made square carpet square carpet PVC-substrate square carpet Time from recycled from from from from Name (min) yarns competitor A competitor B competitor competitor Thermal  0 27.5° C. 26.8° C. 27.3° C. 27.5° C. 30.8° C. insulation  6 40.8° C.   49° C. 44.2° C. 58.1° C. 56.2° C. test 12 48.3° C. 54.6° C. 50.9° C. 58.2° C.   57° C. 18 49.4° C.   55° C. 52.7° C. 59.2° C. 60.2° C.

TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Thermal insulation test of carpet disclosed herein and carpets without unnecessary structures Soft-substrate without without unnecessary carpet unnecessary structures— made structures— Non-woven Time from recycled Non-woven layer (8) and Name (min) yarns layer (8) bonding layer (6) Thermal 0 27.5° C. 27.1° C. 26.9° C. insulation 6 40.8° C. 41.1° C. 41.2° C. test 12 48.3° C. 47.4° C. 47.1° C. 18 49.4° C. 51.1° C. 51.6° C.

[0074] Conclusion: Since a lower surface temperature indicates a poor thermal conductivity, the present invention demonstrates a good thermal insulation effect.