ULTRA-HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYETHYLENE FIBER WITH ULTRA-HIGH CUT RESISTANCE AND PREPARATION METHOD THEREOF

Abstract

An ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with ultra-high cut resistance includes an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene matrix and carbon fiber powder particles dispersed therein. The content of the carbon fiber powder particles is 0.25-10 wt %. A method for preparing the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultrahigh cut resistance and a cut-resistant glove woven therefrom are further provided. The test proves that the glove woven from the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultra-high cut resistance is soft and comfortable, and does not have prickling sensation. According to the test of the Standard EN388-2003, the level of the cut-resistant grade ranges from 4 to 5.

Claims

1. An ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with an ultra-high cut resistance, comprising: an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene matrix, and carbon fiber powder particles dispersed in the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene matrix, wherein a content of the carbon fiber powder particles is 0.25-10 wt %.

2. A method for preparing the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultra-high cut resistance according to claim 1, comprising: S1: mixing and emulsifying the carbon fiber powder particles with a first solvent and a surfactant to obtain a carbon fiber powder emulsified material; S2: dispersing the carbon fiber powder emulsified material with an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene powder having a molecular weight of 200,000 to 6,000,000 in a second solvent to obtain a mixture; and S3: blending and extruding the mixture through an extruder to obtain an extruded mixture, cooling and molding the extruded mixture in a coagulating bath to obtain a nascent fiber, extracting, drying and multi-stage hot stretching the nascent fiber to obtain the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultra-high cut resistance.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, each carbon fiber powder particle of the carbon fiber powder particles has a diameter of 0.1-10 μm and a length of 0.1-100 μm; and the each carbon fiber powder particles is long rodshaped with the length greater than the diameter.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, a component of the carbon fiber powder particles is microcrystalline graphite, and the carbon fiber powder particles are obtained by crushing waste carbon fibers.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein, the carbon fiber powder particles are performed with a surface treatment in advance to activate surfaces of the carbon fiber powder particles.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, a method of the surface treatment is at least one selected from the group consisting of: gas phase oxidation, liquid phase oxidation, catalytic oxidation, coupling agent coating, polymer coating, and plasma treatment.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein, a ratio of a mass of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene powder, to a mass of the carbon fiber powder particles, and to a mass of the first solvent and the second solvent is (10-40):(0.1-1):100.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein, the molecular weight of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene powder is 2,000,000-5,000,000.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein, the extruder is a twin-screw extruder, and a temperature of each zone of the twin-screw extruder is controlled at 100-300° C.

10. (canceled)

11. An ultra-high cut-resistant glove, comprising a knitted fabric woven from the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultra-high cut resistance of claim 1.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein, wherein, the carbon fiber powder particles are performed with a surface treatment in advance to activate surfaces of the carbon fiber powder particles.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein, a ratio of a mass of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene powder, to a mass of the carbon fiber powder particles, and to a mass of the first solvent and the second solvent is (10-40):(0.1-1):100.

14. An ultra-high cut-resistant clothing, comprising a knitted fabric woven from the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultra-high cut resistance of claim 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0036] In order to thoroughly illustrate the present invention to facilitate understanding, the present invention is described in detail below through specific embodiments.

[0037] The overall conception of the present invention is as follows: A certain amount of carbon fiber powder is used as one of the raw materials for preparing an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene nascent fiber. The carbon fiber powder particles are uniformly and stably fused into the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber matrix and combined with the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber to form a stable solid to obtain an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with ultra-high cut resistance. Compared with other high-hardness inorganic reinforcing materials, carbon fiber has an incomparable characteristic, i.e. “being soft outside and hard inside”. Carbon fiber can replace other high-hardness inorganic reinforcing materials to allow ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers to have high cut resistance. Moreover, carbon fiber has significant advantages in reducing wear on equipment and preventing the piercing of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber matrix during repeated use, which weakens the cut resistance.

[0038] Preferably, the specific preparation method of the present invention can be performed according to the following steps:

[0039] (1) Preparation of carbon fiber powder: The particles of the carbon fiber powder are preferably rod-shaped with a diameter of 0.1-10 μm and a length of 0.1-100 μm; and more preferably a length of 20-60 μm.

[0040] The main component of the carbon fiber powder is microcrystalline graphite, which may be obtained by crushing and sieving waste carbon fibers; or may be made by cutting carbon fiber filaments.

[0041] (2) Surface treatment of carbon fiber powder: The main function of the surface treatment is to activate the particle surface of the carbon fiber powder. The available methods include: gas phase oxidation, liquid phase oxidation, catalytic oxidation, coupling agent coating, polymer coating, and plasma treatment.

[0042] After the carbon fiber particles are activated, the surface of the carbon fiber has a weak polarity, which can improve the dispersion of the carbon fiber particles in the solvent, prevent the agglomeration of the carbon fiber powder, and thus further improve the dispersion uniformity, the interfacial fusion property, and/or the wettability of the carbon fiber particles in the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene matrix, thereby obtaining an ultra-high cut-resistant polyethylene fiber with better performance.

[0043] (3) Preparation of carbon fiber powder emulsified material The treated carbon fiber powder and the surfactant are added to a solvent to perform a high-shear emulsification to obtain the carbon fiber powder emulsified material. The solvent is one or more selected from a group consisting of white oil, mineral oil, vegetable oil, paraffin oil and decalin.

[0044] (4) Preparation of the mixture: an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene powder with the molecular weight of 200,000-6,000,000 (preferably 400,000-800,000) and the carbon fiber powder emulsified material are added to the remaining solvent to achieve the mixture. The mass ratio of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, the carbon fiber powder emulsified material, and the solvent is (10-40):(0.1-1):100.

[0045] The solvent is one or more selected from the group consisting of white oil, mineral oil, vegetable oil, paraffin oil, and decalin.

[0046] (5) Preparation of cut-resistant polyethylene fiber

[0047] The mixture is extruded through a twin-screw extruder, and a nascent fiber is obtained by cooling and molding in a coagulating bath. The temperature of each zone of the twin-screw extruder is controlled between 100° C. and 300° C. The nascent fiber is extracted, dried, and subjected to multi-stage hot stretching to form the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultra-high cut resistance.

[0048] The advantages of the solution of the present invention are further described below in combination with specific embodiments.

[0049] Embodiment 1

[0050] This embodiment provides a method for preparing an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with an ultra-high cut resistance, including the following steps.

[0051] (1) 750 g of carbon fiber powder with a length of 10-20 μm is taken and subjected to a surface treatment with plasma for 1 hour.

[0052] (2) 100 kg of white oil is weighed, where 5 kg of the 100 kg white oil is taken out to be added with the treated carbon fiber powder and 5 ml of surfactant (disodium monolauryl sulfosuccinate) for a high-shear emulsification with the shearing speed of 2800 r/min for 30 min to obtain a carbon fiber emulsified material.

[0053] (3) 15 kg of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene powder with the molecular weight of 2,000,000 and the average particle size of 100 μm and the carbon fiber emulsified material are added to the remaining 95 kg of the white oil for mixing evenly for 1 hour to obtain a mixture.

[0054] (4) The mixture is blended and extruded through a twin-screw extruder, and is cooled and molded in a coagulation bath to obtain a nascent fibre. The obtained nascent fiber is extracted, dried, and subjected to multi-stage hot stretching to obtain the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultra-cut resistance, wherein the concentration of the carbon fiber dispersed in the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is 5%.

[0055] The cut-resistant gloves made of the above fiber are soft and comfortable, and do not have prickling sensation. According to the test of the Standard EN388-2003, the cut-resistant grade is level 5.

[0056] Embodiment 2

[0057] This embodiment provides a method for preparing an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with an ultra-high cut resistance, including the following steps.

[0058] (1) 800 g of carbon fiber powder with a length of 20-30 nm is taken and subjected to a surface treatment with plasma for 1 hour.

[0059] (2) 100 kg of white oil is weighed, where 5 kg of the 100 kg white oil is taken out to be added with the treated carbon fiber powder and 15 ml of surfactant (disodium cocamido mea-sulfosuccinate (DMSS)) for a high-shear emulsification with the shearing speed of 2800 r/min for 30 min to obtain a carbon fiber emulsified material.

[0060] (3) 20 kg of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene powder with the molecular weight of 3,000,000 and the average particle size of 100 μm and the carbon fiber emulsified material are added to the remaining 95 kg of the white oil for mixing evenly for 1 hour to obtain a mixture.

[0061] (4) The mixture is blended and extruded through a twin-screw extruder, and is cooled and molded in a coagulation bath to obtain a nascent fibre. The obtained nascent fiber is extracted, dried, and subjected to multi-stage hot stretching to obtain the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultra-cut resistance, wherein the concentration of the carbon fiber dispersed in the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is 4%.

[0062] The cut-resistant gloves made of the above fiber are soft and comfortable, and do not cause prickling sensation. According to the test of the Standard EN388-2003, the cut-resistant grade is level 5.

[0063] Embodiment 3

[0064] This embodiment provides a method for preparing an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with an ultra-high cut resistance, including the following steps.

[0065] (1) 1000 g of carbon fiber powder with a length of 30-60 μm is taken and subjected to a surface treatment with plasma for 1 hour.

[0066] (2) 100 kg of white oil is weighed, where 5 kg of the 100 kg white oil is taken out to be added with the treated carbon fiber powder and 10 ml of surfactant (lauryl alcohol phosphate acid ester (MAP)) for a high-shear emulsification with the shearing speed of 2800 r/min for 30 min to obtain a carbon fiber emulsified material.

[0067] (3) 10 kg of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene powder with the molecular weight of 2,600,000 and the average particle size of 100 μm and the carbon fiber emulsified material are added to the remaining 95 kg of the white oil with for mixing evenly for 1 hour to obtain a mixture.

[0068] (4) The mixture is blended and extruded through a twin-screw extruder, and is cooled and molded in a coagulation bath to obtain a nascent fibre. The obtained nascent fiber is extracted, dried, and subjected to multi-stage hot stretching to obtain the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultra-cut resistance, wherein the concentration of the carbon fiber dispersed in the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is 10%.

[0069] The cut-resistant gloves made of the above fiber are soft and comfortable, and do not have prickling sensation. According to the test of the Standard EN388-2003, the cut-resistant grade is level 5.

[0070] Embodiment 4

[0071] This embodiment provides a method for preparing an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with an ultra-high cut resistance, including the following steps.

[0072] (1) 750 g of carbon fiber powder with a length of 20-30 μm is taken and subjected to a surface treatment with plasma for 1 hour.

[0073] (2) 100 kg of white oil is weighed, where 5 kg of the 100 kg white oil is taken out to be added with the treated carbon fiber powder and 10 ml of surfactant (potassium mono lauryl phosphate (MAPK)) for a high-shear emulsification with the shearing speed of 2800 r/min for 30 min to obtain a carbon fiber emulsified material.

[0074] (3) 20 kg of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene powder with the molecular weight of 3,600,000 and the average particle size of 100 μm and the carbon fiber emulsified material are added to the remaining 95 kg of the white oil for mixing evenly for 1 hour to obtain a mixture.

[0075] (4) The mixture is blended and extruded through a twin-screw extruder, and is cooled and molded in a coagulation bath to obtain a nascent fibre. The obtained nascent fiber is extracted, dried, and subjected to multi-stage hot stretching to obtain the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultra-cut resistance, wherein the concentration of the carbon fiber dispersed in the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is 3.75%.

[0076] The cut-resistant gloves made of the above fiber are soft and comfortable, and do not have prickling sensation. According to the test of the Standard EN388-2003, the cut-resistant grade is level 5.

[0077] Embodiment 5

[0078] This embodiment provides a method for preparing an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with an ultra-high cut resistance, including the following steps.

[0079] (1) 600 g of carbon fiber powder with a length of 40-60 μm is taken and subjected to a surface treatment with plasma for 1 hour.

[0080] (2) 100 kg of vegetable oil is weighed, where 5 kg of the 100 kg vegetable oil is taken out to be added with the treated carbon fiber powder and 10 ml of surfactant (potassiam polyoxyethylene laurylether phosphate (MAEPK)) for a high-shear emulsification with the shearing speed of 2800 r/min for 30 min to obtain a carbon fiber emulsified material.

[0081] (3) 30 kg of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene powder with the molecular weight of 400,000 and the average particle size of 100 μm and the carbon fiber emulsified material are added to the remaining 95 kg of the vegetable oil for mixing evenly for 1 hour to obtain a mixture.

[0082] (4) The mixture is blended and extruded through a twin-screw extruder, and is cooled and molded in a coagulation bath to obtain a nascent fibre. The obtained nascent fiber is extracted, dried, and subjected to multi-stage hot stretching to obtain the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultra-cut resistance, wherein the concentration of the carbon fiber dispersed in the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is 2%.

[0083] The cut-resistant gloves made of the above fiber are soft and comfortable, and do not have prickling sensation. According to the test of the Standard EN388-2003, the cut-resistant grade is level 4.

[0084] Embodiment 6

[0085] This embodiment is based on embodiment 1, where the carbon fiber is not performed with any surface treatment, and is agglomerated in the emulsified material. Other conditions and processing procedures are the same as embodiment 1. The ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultra-high cut resistance is obtained, where the carbon fiber is dispersed in the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene at a concentration of 5%. The carbon fiber without surface activation treatment is prone to agglomeration, and the obtained fiber filament is less spinnable, and the cut resistance of gloves woven from the fiber is also unstable.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1

[0086] The carbon fiber in embodiment 1 is replaced with 750 g of boron nitride having a length of 10-20 μm. Other conditions and processing procedures are the same as embodiment 1. The ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultra-high cut resistance is obtained, where the boron nitride is dispersed in the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene at a concentration of 5%. The obtained fiber filament is less spinnable. The cut resistance of the gloves woven from the fiber is rapidly weakened and the gloves become burred, hard and uncomfortable with the continuous consumption of the gloves.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2

[0087] The carbon fiber in embodiment 1 is replaced with 750 g of tungsten carbide having a length of 10-20 μm. Other conditions and processing procedures are the same as embodiment 1. The ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultra-high cut resistance is obtained, where the tungsten carbide is dispersed in the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene at a concentration of 5%. The obtained fiber filament less spinnable. The cut resistance of the gloves woven from the fiber is rapidly weakened and the gloves become burred, hard and uncomfortable with the continuous consumption of the gloves.

[0088] The ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers with the ultra-high cut resistance obtained in embodiments 1-6 and comparative examples 1-2 are woven into 13-needle protective gloves, respectively. After the gloves are worn and used by the workers of the same position and performing the same operation for 1 day (1d) and 20 days (20d), the performance of the gloves is tested respectively. The test results are shown in the following table.

TABLE-US-00001 Indicator EN388- EN388- EN388- 2003 test 2003 2003 test Appearance of data grade data gloves after Group (1 d) (1 d) (20 d) 20 d of use Embodiment 1 20.7 5 19.5 Glove surface is soft and smooth Embodiment 2 22.1 5 20.6 Glove surface is soft and smooth Embodiment 3 21.6 5 20.3 Glove surface is soft and smooth Embodiment 4 22.8 5 21.8 Glove surface is soft and smooth Embodiment 5 12.6 4 12.2 Glove surface is soft and smooth Embodiment 6 9.8-20.2 3-5 9.1-15.7 Glove surface is soft and smooth Comparative 13.0 4 4.8 Glove surface is example 1 rough and hard Comparative 20.5 5 7.6 Glove surface is example 2 rough and hard

[0089] The test results of the above embodiments show that the cut-resistant grade of the fabrics woven from the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultra-high cut resistance obtained according to the present invention can indeed reach the level 4-5 of the Standard EN388-2003. More importantly, the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber with the ultra-high cut resistance obtained according to the present invention does not need to be blended with steel wire, glass fiber and other materials for reinforcement. The obtained protective gloves are soft, light, sensitive, and comfortable, and are not easy to fatigue after using for a long time.

[0090] In addition, compared with embodiments 1-5, embodiment 6 shows an unstable test result, which is mainly due to the uneven distribution of the carbon fiber in the ultra-high molecular polyethylene matrix.

[0091] Compared with embodiments 1-6, the high cut-resistant gloves of comparative examples 1-2 have a cut-resistant value and grade equivalent to those of embodiments 1-6 of the present invention when used for about 1 day. However, after 20 days of use, the cut resistance of the gloves of comparative examples 1-2 drop sharply, and the gloves become burred, hard and uncomfortable. In embodiment 6, three different positions are taken for test, and a range value is obtained. In the gloves of comparative examples 1-2, mainly due to repeated bending and twisting during 20 days of use, the inflexible high-hardness inorganic reinforcing material directly pierces the polyethylene matrix, resulting in damage to the surface of the polyethylene matrix and generating burrs. Meanwhile, the partial release of the inorganic reinforcing material further weakens the cut resistance performance. On the contrary, the carbon fiber reinforced polyethylene glove of the present invention exhibits exceptional durability, and after repeated use, the cut resistance is almost equivalent to that of the product just made. Moreover, the carbon fiber reinforced polyethylene glove is soft and smooth, and the wearing experience is good.

[0092] This shows that, because the inorganic high-hardness reinforcing material used in comparative example 1 has high hardness but poor softness, it easily pierces the surface of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber matrix, which causes an abrasion and a loss of the high-hardness reinforcing material, resulting in a rapid decline in cut resistance. In addition, the cut-resistant glove prepared by using the carbon fiber as a cut-resistant reinforcing material additive in the present invention has a cut-resistant performance comparable to the gloves added with inorganic high-hardness materials such as boron nitride and tungsten carbide.

[0093] In addition, according to the applicant's experimental preparation research in the past six months, it is found that when the inorganic high-hardness additive materials in comparative examples 1-2 are used to enhance the cut resistance of high molecular weight polyethylene fibers, the equipment such as the screws of the extruder is seriously and obviously damaged, the equipment depreciates very quickly. However, in the present invention, the carbon fiber is used to replace these inorganic high-hardness reinforcing materials, and the abrasion degree of the equipment is almost equal to that for producing conventional ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers.