NONWOVEN CARRIER MATERIAL COMPRISING A FIRST PART AND A SECOND PART

Abstract

A nonwoven carrier material including at least a first part and a second part whereby the first and the second part including at least two layers of thermoplastic fibers. The first part and the second part are connected with each other in a connecting area to form the nonwoven carrier material whiteout thickness and weight variations in the connecting area. Further, a method for connecting a first and a second part of a nonwoven carrier material to form a connected nonwoven carrier material

Claims

1. A method for connecting a nonwoven carrier material comprising a first part having a thickness and a second part having a thickness, wherein the first part and the second part comprise at least a first and a second thermoplastic fiber layer, wherein part of the thickness of the first part A and part of the thickness of second part B is removed to form the first thermoplastic fiber layer and the second thermoplastic fiber layer in such a way that the first part and the second part form together a form-fit connection in the connecting area.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the length of the first thermoplastic fiber layer of the first part differs by at least 0.5 cm from the length of the second thermoplastic fiber layer of the first part and the length of the first thermoplastic fiber layer of the second part differs by at least 0.5 cm from the length of the second thermoplastic fiber layer of the second part, whereby the sum of the length of the first thermoplastic fiber layer of the first part and the length of the first thermoplastic fiber layer of the second part is equal to the sum of the length of the second thermoplastic fiber layer of the first part and the length of the second thermoplastic fiber layer of the second part, whereby the first part and the second part are thereafter connected in a connecting area to form a connected nonwoven carrier material.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a permanent connection of the first part and the second part in the connecting area is formed by a consolidation technique.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the connecting area extends perpendicular or in an angle to the main extension direction of the nonwoven carrier material.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a splitting device is used for separating the first thermoplastic fiber layer from the second thermoplastic fiber layer the first and the second part.

6. A nonwoven carrier material, obtainable by the method according to claim 1, comprising at least a first part having a thickness and a second part having a thickness, wherein the first part and the second part comprises at least a first and a second thermoplastic fiber layer, wherein the first part and the second part are connected with each other via a connecting area to form the nonwoven carrier material, wherein the first part and the second part form together a form-fit connection in the connecting area.

7. The nonwoven carrier material according to claim 6 wherein the length of the first thermoplastic fiber layer of the first part differs by at least 0.5 cm from the length of the second thermoplastic fiber layer of the first part and the length of the first thermoplastic fiber layer of the second part differs by at least 0.5 cm from the length of the second thermoplastic fiber layer of the second part, whereby the sum of the length of the first thermoplastic fiber layer of the first part and the length of the first thermoplastic fiber layer of the second part is equal to the sum of the length of the second thermoplastic fiber layer of the first part and the length of the second thermoplastic fiber layer of the second part.

8. The nonwoven carrier material according to claim 6, wherein the thickness variation of the nonwoven carrier material measured perpendicular (arrow Y) to the main extension area (arrow X) of the nonwoven carrier material is less than approximately 0.15 mm.

9. The nonwoven carrier material according to claim 6, wherein the average weight of the connecting area differs by at most 20 wt. % from the average weight of the nonwoven carrier material excluding the connecting area.

10. The nonwoven carrier material according to claim 6, wherein a scrim is arranged between the at least first and second thermoplastic fiber layer of the first part and second part.

11. The nonwoven carrier material according to claim 9, wherein the scrim is made of glass fibers or high modulus fibers of at least 5 GPa.

12. The nonwoven carrier material according to claim 6, wherein the at least first and second thermoplastic fiber layers the first part and the second part comprises two types mono-component fibers or comprises bi-component fibers.

13. The nonwoven carrier material according to claim 12, wherein the two types of mono-component fibers being composed of polymers of different chemical construction having different melting points.

14. The nonwoven carrier material according to claim 12, wherein the bi-component fibers being composed of two polymers of different chemical construction having different melting points.

15. The nonwoven carrier material, according to claim 6, wherein the connecting area extends perpendicular or in angle to the main extension direction (arrow X) of the nonwoven carrier material.

16. The method according to claim 3, wherein the permanent connection of the first part and the second part in the connecting area is formed by a consolidation technique selected from the group consisting of calendaring, mechanical needling, hydroentanglement, ultrasonic bonding, thermal bonding, and any combination thereof.

17. The method according to claim 3, wherein the permanent connection of the first part and the second part in the connecting area is formed by a consolidation technique including thermal bonding by hot air.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0080] FIGS. 1 and 2 (A+B) show schematically a combination of two parts of a nonwoven carrier material of the prior art.

[0081] FIG. 3 shows schematically a nonwoven carrier material on a top view with a connecting area.

[0082] FIG. 4 shows schematically a first part and a second part of a nonwoven carrier material.

[0083] FIG. 5 shows schematically a connection of a first and second part of the nonwoven carrier material according to FIG. 4.

[0084] FIGS. 6 and 7 show schematically different embodiments of a first and a second part of the nonwoven carrier material.

[0085] FIG. 8 shows schematically a splitting step of a first thermoplastic fiber layer and a second thermoplastic fiber layer.

[0086] FIG. 9 shows schematically a first part and a second part of the nonwoven carrier material having inclined layer boundaries.

[0087] FIGS. 10 and 11 show schematically a connection of a first part and a second part of the nonwoven carrier material having inclined layer boundaries.

[0088] FIGS. 12 and 13 show schematically a first part and a second part of a nonwoven carrier material having four respectively three layers of fibers with alternating different extensions.

[0089] FIG. 14 (A+B) schematically shows a first part and a second part of the nonwoven carrier material wherein a scrim is arranged in the first thermoplastic fiber layer of the first part, and a scrim is arranged in the second thermoplastic fiber layer of the second part of the nonwoven carrier material.

[0090] In FIG. 1 is schematically a connection of a first part A of a nonwoven carrier material 1 and a second part B of a nonwoven carrier material 1 shown (prior art). The first part A has a first thermoplastic fiber layer A1 and a second thermoplastic fiber layer A2. The second part B has also a first thermoplastic fiber layer B1 and a second thermoplastic fiber layer B2. For connecting the first part A and the second part B in a connecting area 3 the first part A is laid on top of the second part B. In the connection area 3 four fiber layers are arranged. Due to this the thickness and weight of the nonwoven carrier material 1 increases in the connecting area 3.

[0091] In FIGS. 2A and 2B an alternative embodiment of the prior art is shown. The nonwoven carrier material 1 comprises a first part A with a single fiber layer and a second part B with also a single fiber layer. Part A is laid on top of part B and then both parts A, B are permanent consolidated, for example by using a hot wire or an ultrasonic bonding/cutting step to simultaneously cut and consolidate part A and part B together. Thereafter part A and part B are folded open, whereby they are connected in the connecting area 3. Also in this embodiment is the thickness (and weight) of the nonwoven carrier material 1 increased in the connecting area 3. Furthermore, the strength of the nonwoven carrier material at the connecting area is lower than in the remainder of the nonwoven carrier material.

[0092] In FIG. 3 is a top view of a nonwoven carrier material 1 according to this disclosure shown. The nonwoven carrier material 1 comprises a first part A and a second part B. The first part A and the second part B are connected to each other in a connecting area 3. The connecting area 3 extends perpendicular to the main extension direction (see arrow X in FIG. 5) of the nonwoven carrier material 1 or in an angle a to the main extension direction (arrow X) of the nonwoven carrier material 1.

[0093] FIG. 4 shows a side view of a nonwoven carrier material 1 comprising a first part A with a first fiber layer A1 and a second fiber layer A2 and a second part B with a first fiber layer B1 and a second fiber layer B2. The first fiber layer A1 of the first part A has a different length than the second fiber layer A2 of the first part A. The first fiber layer B1 of the second part B has also a different length than the second fiber layer B2 of the second part B. However, the sum of the length of the first fiber layer A1 of the first part A and the length of the first fiber layer B1 of the second part B is equal to the sum of the length of the second fiber layer A2 of the first part A and the length of the second fiber layer B2 of the second part B. Due to this the first part A and the second part B fit together like puzzle parts.

[0094] FIG. 5 shows a connection of the first part A and the second part B of FIG. 4 to create a nonwoven carrier material 1. The first part A and the second part B have a form-fit connection, whereby no thickness variation occurs (measured perpendicular (arrow Y) to the main extension direction (arrow X)) of the nonwoven carrier material 1. Due to this form-fit connection also a kind of force-fit connection is created and the first part A and the second part B can easily be (permanently) consolidated without slipping of one or more fiber layers during the process. The obtained material is a connected nonwoven carrier material 1.

[0095] FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5 whereby a scrim 4 is arranged between the thermoplastic fiber layers A1, A2 and B1, B2. The scrim is arranged between the first and second fiber layers A1, A2, B1, B2 of the first part and second part A, B or only the first part A or the second part B comprises a scrim 4 (between the fiber layers). In the second embodiment a removing step removes also the scrim from the first part or the second part A, B.

[0096] FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the present disclosure with more than two thermoplastic fiber layers for every part. The first part A comprises a first thermoplastic fiber layer A1, a second thermoplastic fiber layer A2 and a third thermoplastic fiber layer A3. The length of the first thermoplastic fiber layer A1 differs from the length of the second and third thermoplastic fiber layer A2, A3. Whereby also in this example is the sum of the length of the first fiber layer A1 of the first part A and the length of the first fiber layer B1 of the second part B is equal to the sum of the length of the second fiber layer A2 (A3) of the first part A and the length of the second fiber layer B2 (B3) of the second part B. Thus, the present invention also works for nonwoven carrier materials comprising more than two fiber layers in one part. It should be understood, that one or more of the layers A1, A2, A3, B1, B2 and B3 could be made of other materials than fibers (for example foils).

[0097] FIG. 8 shows schematically a splitting process. The first part A comprises a first thermoplastic fiber layer A1 and a second thermoplastic fiber layer A2. A splitting device 5 separates the first thermoplastic fiber layer A1 and the second thermoplastic fiber layer A2 partially from each other, and a part of the first thermoplastic fiber layer A1 and/or the second thermoplastic fiber layer A2 is/are removed, preferably by cutting. The same procedure is done for the second part B (not shown in FIG. 8) of the nonwoven carrier material 1. Whereby the first fiber layer A1 (B1 not shown in FIG. 8) and the second fiber layer A2 (B2 not shown in FIG. 8) of the first part A and the second part B are formed in the disclosed way to create a form-fit connection (like FIGS. 4, 6, 7). Thereafter, the first part A and the second part B are connected with each other (see FIGS. 3, 5). The area, in which the first part A and the second part B are connected with each other, is called the connecting area 3 (not shown in FIG. 8). The splitting device 5 is part of a splitting machine. For example the firm Fortuna GmbH sold such splitting machines.

[0098] Other methods then splitting and cutting are included to realize the described form-fit connection (like puzzle parts).

[0099] FIG. 9 shows a sideview of a first part A and a second part B of a nonwoven carrier material having inclined layer boundaries with an angle .

[0100] FIG. 10 shows a side view of an embodiment of a connection of a first part A and a second part B of a nonwoven carrier material, wherein the connecting area 3 is an inclined connecting area with an angle in view of the main surfaces of the first part A and second part B of the nonwoven carrier material.

[0101] FIG. 11 shows a side view of a connection of a first part A and a second part B of a nonwoven carrier material, wherein the first part A and the second part B having inclined layer boundaries with an angle and are connected at the connecting area 3 on the main surfaces of the first part A and second part B. The first part A and second part B are connected in such a way, that the thickness of the connected layers in the connecting area is equal to the thickness of the entire nonwoven carrier material.

[0102] FIG. 12 shows a sideview of a first part A and a first part B, wherein the first part A and the second part B comprise four fiber layers each (A1-A4 and B1-B4). The first fiber layer A1 (B1) has a different length to the second fiber layer A2 (B2). Subsequently, the second fiber layer A2 (B2) has a different length to the third layer A3 (B3) and also the third fiber layer A3 (B3) to the fourth fiber layer A4 (B4).

[0103] The differences in length between the layers are alternating, so that a zipper like form is obtained. Thereby, the even numbered layers A2 (B2) and A4 (B4) and/or the uneven numbered layers A1 (B1) and A3 (B3) do not need necessarily need the same lengths. The sum of the lengths of the fiber layers of all fiber layers are equal.

[0104] FIG. 13 shows a sideview of a first part A and a first part B, wherein the first part A and the second part B comprise three fiber layers each (A1-A3 and B1-B3). The first fiber layer A1 (B1) has a different length to the second fiber layer A2 (B2). Subsequently, the second fiber layer A2 (B2) has a different length to the third layer A3 (B3). The differences in length between the layers are alternating, so that a zipper like form is obtained. Thereby, the even numbered layers A2 (B2) do not need necessarily need the same lengths. The sum of the lengths of the fiber layers of all fiber layers are equal.

[0105] FIG. 14 schematically shows a first part and a second part of the nonwoven carrier material wherein a scrim is arranged in the first thermoplastic fiber layer of the first part, and a scrim is arranged in the second thermoplastic fiber layer of the second part of the nonwoven carrier material. In FIG. 14A a scrim (dashed line) is arranged in the first thermoplastic fiber layer A1 of the first part close to the interface between the first thermoplastic fiber layer A1 and the second thermoplastic fiber layer A2 of the first part. A scrim (dashed line) is also arranged in the second thermoplastic fiber layer B2 of the second part close to the interface between the second thermoplastic fiber layer B2 and the first thermoplastic fiber layer B1 of the second part. When a form-fit connecting is formed in the connecting interface in FIG. 14B, the scrims are arranged closely together which improved the load transfer between both scrims in the nonwoven carrier material.