Cellulose acetate-containing fibrous material for a nonwoven product, nonwoven product comprising such a fibrous material, and method for producing such a fibrous material

Abstract

The invention relates to a cellulose-containing fibrous material for a nonwoven product, in particular in the form of a wiping cloth, cleaning cloth, sanitary product, medicinal product, or domestic cloth, wherein the fibrous material is designed as a tubular composite structure at least in part or in some regions, said structure having tubular cellulose acetate filaments. The invention additionally relates to a nonwoven product which has the fibrous material according to the invention and to a method for producing such a cellulose acetate-containing fibrous material.

Claims

1. A cellulose acetate-containing fibrous material comprising: a tubular composite structure comprising a plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments; wherein each of the plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments comprises a first end and a second end opposite the first end; wherein each of the plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments has a length of 10 mm to 80 mm, wherein the tubular composite structure comprises a hollow portion, wherein the hollow portion of the tubular composite structure has an area that is 25% to 90% of a total area of a cross-section of the tubular composite structure, and wherein the plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments comprises a fineness of 5 denier to 30 denier.

2. The fibrous material according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments comprises at least one of crimped continuous cellulose acetate filaments or cut continuous cellulose acetate filaments.

3. The fibrous material according to claim 2, wherein a crimp index of the crimped continuous cellulose acetate filaments is between 0% and 40%.

4. The fibrous material according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments are mutually distanced from one another in an irregular arrangement, wherein the plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments are connected with one another, and wherein the connected plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments are intertwined, entangled or bonded with one another.

5. The fibrous material according to claim 1, wherein a filament diameter of the plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments is 50 m and 150 m.

6. The fibrous material according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments comprise a wall thickness of 5 m to 15 m.

7. The fibrous material according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments comprise a tensile strength of 5 cN/tex to 15 cN/tex.

8. The fibrous material according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments comprise an elongation of 5% and 20%.

9. A cellulose acetate-containing fibrous material comprising: a tubular composite structure comprising a plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments; wherein each of the plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments comprises a first end and a second end opposite the first end; wherein each of the plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments has a length of 10 mm to 80 mm, wherein the tubular composite structure comprises a hollow portion, wherein the hollow portion of the tubular composite structure has an area that is 25% to 90% of a total area of a cross-section of the tubular composite structure, and wherein the plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments comprises a tensile strength of 5 cN/tex to 15 cN/tex.

10. A cellulose acetate-containing fibrous material comprising: a tubular composite structure comprising a plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments; wherein each of the plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments comprises a first end and a second end opposite the first end; wherein each of the plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments has a length of 10 mm to 80 mm, wherein the tubular composite structure comprises a hollow portion, wherein the hollow portion of the tubular composite structure has an area that is 25% to 90% of a total area of a cross-section of the tubular composite structure, and wherein the plurality of tubular cellulose acetate filaments comprises an elongation of 5% and 20%.

Description

(1) According to embodiments of the present invention, the total titer-based tear strength, and thus the tensile strength of the tow material, the starting point for the inventive fibrous material, is between 6 to 20 cN/tex and preferably between 8 and 12 cN/tex for crimped tow. The tear strength/tensile strength for uncrimped or only slightly crimped tow material can go up to 20 cN/tex.

(2) Within the meaning of the present invention, a tow material is generally to be understood as a strand of multiple cellulose acetate filaments and/or cellulose acetate staple fibers. A filament is understood to mean a virtually endless fiber and the term staple fiber denotes a fiber of limited length. These are in particular cut fibers having typical lengths between 10 and 60 mm. Such staple fibers are particularly suitable for use in nonwoven products having a particularly high water absorption property.

(3) Within the meaning of the present invention, the acetyl value is understood to mean the percentage of bound acetic acid in the cellulose acetate, and that being expressed in mass percent.

(4) Various different advantages are in summary achieved with the fibrous material according to the invention. On the one hand, the tubular composite structure formed from cellulose acetate is suitable for specialized applications in the medical field yet can nevertheless be produced relatively inexpensively. Also applicable to the inventive fibrous material is that compared to known fibrous polyolefin materials, it exhibits an accelerated rate of decomposition under environmental influences; yet it is readily feasible to use the fibrous material as a cleaning or wiping cloth, sanitary product, medical product or household cloth under today's usual conditions without the risk of microbiological degradation.

(5) The tubular cellulose acetate filaments are essentially produced by spinning cellulose acetate filaments by way of forcing a solution of cellulose acetate in acetone through a multi-orifice spinneret and, if applicable, subsequently cutting the cellulose acetate filaments into cellulose acetate staple fibers and gathering a plurality of the thusly obtained cellulose acetate filaments and/or cellulose acetate staple fibers into a tow material.

(6) In order to achieve the presence of the additive in the cellulose acetate filaments and in the cellulose acetate staple fibers, said additive can be supplied to the aforementioned solution of cellulose acetate in acetone, after which it is spun.

(7) In order to achieve the presence of the additive; i.e. the optionally added compound, on the surface of the cellulose acetate filaments and cellulose acetate staple fibers, said additive can be applied to these filaments or the cellulose acetate staple fibers formed therefrom during the production of the tow material but after the cellulose acetate filaments have been formed. For example, the additive can be applied to the filaments immediately prior to the cellulose acetate filaments being cut into cellulose acetate staple fibers or the additive can be applied to the finished tow material, thus to the filaments and/or staple fibers after the cellulose acetate filaments and/or cellulose acetate staple fibers having been gathered into tow material.

(8) According to implementations of the present invention, a so-called processing device which can comprise a pair of rollers for continuously pulling a continuous strip of tow material from a tow bale is used in order to tuft the provided tow material which, if applicable, comprises the optionally provided additive. After removal from the tow bale, the tow strip passes two air jets serving to spread and loosen the fabric of the tow strip on its way to the pair of rollers at which it is guided over a deflection roller.

(9) The invention not only relates to the optimized fibrous material but also to the use of the fibrous material as a nonwoven product, in particular in the form of a cleaning or wiping cloth, a sanitary product, a medical cloth or a household cloth. For example, the inventive fibrous material can be used in many varied forms in textiles for cleaning, particularly as a cleaning cloth, cleaning glove, cleaning belt and/or cleaning disc for cleaning machines, as well as for further purposes.