Nonwoven laminate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12005692-B2
Application number	US-202016932852-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2020
Priority date	Jul 22, 2019
Publication date	Jun 11, 2024
Grant date	Jun 11, 2024

Abstract

The invention provides a nonwoven laminate, comprising in order (A) to (E): a spunbond nonwoven layer (A) comprising fibres, which comprise polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and copolyester; an optional spunbond nonwoven layer (B) comprising fibres, which comprise polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and copolyester, the nonwoven layer (B) having a higher copolyester content than nonwoven layer (A); a needled staple fibre nonwoven layer (C), comprising: monocomponent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) staple fibres (c1), and multicomponent staple fibres (c2), which comprise at least a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) component and a copolyester component; an optional spunbond nonwoven layer (D) comprising fibres, which comprise polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and copolyester, the nonwoven layer (D) having a higher copolyester content than nonwoven layer (E); a spunbond nonwoven layer (E) comprising fibres, which comprise polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and copolyester; wherein all layers are melt-bonded to each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A nonwoven laminate, comprising in order
a spunbond nonwoven layer (A) comprising fibres, which comprise polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and copolyester;
an optional spunbond nonwoven layer (B) comprising fibres, which comprise polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and copolyester, the nonwoven layer (B) having a higher copolyester content than nonwoven layer (A);
a needled staple fibre nonwoven layer (C), comprising:
monocomponent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) staple fibres (c 1 ), and
multicomponent staple fibres (c 2 ), which comprise at least a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) component and a copolyester component;

an optional spunbond nonwoven layer (D) comprising fibres, which comprise polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and copolyester, the nonwoven layer (D) having a higher copolyester content than nonwoven layer (E);
a spunbond nonwoven layer (E) comprising fibres, which comprise polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and copolyester;

wherein all layers are melt-bonded to each other,
wherein a melting point of the copolyester in spunbond nonwoven layers (A) and (E) is higher than a melting point of the copolyester in needled staple fibre nonwoven layer (C) by at least 30 degrees Celsius,
wherein non of layer (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E) is mechanically bonded to any other of layers (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E), and
wherein none of the layers contain a polyolefin.

2. The nonwoven laminate of claim 1 , wherein the needled staple fibre nonwoven layer (C) is heat-shrunk.

3. The nonwoven laminate of claim 1 , wherein none of the layers contain inorganic reinforcements.

4. The nonwoven laminate of claim 1 , wherein the laminate has at least one of the following characteristics:
a bending strength according to ISO 178:2019-04 of ≥330 MPa;
a tensile strength according to ASTM 5034:2009 of ≥780 N; and/or
a tear strength according to DIN EN 29073-3:1992-08 of ≥110 N.

5. The nonwoven laminate of claim 1 , wherein the copolyester in layers (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E) is a copolymer of polyethylene terephthalate, said copolymer having a melting point of ≤240° C.

6. The nonwoven laminate of claim 1 , wherein layers (A) and (E) each comprise 10% to 70% copolyester.

7. The nonwoven laminate of claim 1 , wherein at least one of comprising spunbond nonwoven layer (B) and spunbond nonwoven layer (D) are present and wherein
the fibres of spunbond nonwoven layer (B) and/or spunbond nonwoven layer (D) comprise copolyester; and/or
spunbond nonwoven layer (B) and/or spunbond nonwoven layer (D) have a basis weight according to DIN EN 29073-1:1992-08 of 1 to 100 g/m2.

8. The nonwoven laminate of claim 1 , wherein needled staple fibre nonwoven layer (C)
comprises 10 to 90% of monocomponent staple fibres (c 1 ) and 10 to 90% of multicomponent staple fibres (c 2 ), and/or
has a basis weight according to DIN EN 29073-1:1992-08 of ≤1700 g/m2.

9. The nonwoven laminate of claim 1 wherein:
the nonwoven laminate comprises layers (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E);
the copolyester in layers (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E) is a copolymer of polyethylene terephthalate, said copolymer having a melting point of 160 to 240° C.;
each of spunbond nonwoven layer (B) and spunbond nonwoven layer (D) comprises copolyester and each has a basis weight according to DIN EN 29073-1:1992-08 of 10 to 20 g/m2; and
needled staple fibre nonwoven layer (C) comprises 40 to 60% of monocomponent staple fibres (c 1 ) and 40 to 60% of multicomponent staple fibres (c 2 ).

10. The nonwoven laminate of claim 1 wherein:
the nonwoven laminate comprises neither spunbond nonwoven layer (B) nor spunbond nonwoven layer (D);
the copolyester in layers (A), (C) and (E) is a copolymer of polyethylene terephthalate, said copolymer having a melting point of 160 to 240° C.; and
needled staple fibre nonwoven layer (C) comprises 40 to 60% of monocomponent staple fibres (c 1 ) and 40 to 60% of multicomponent staple fibres (c 2 ).

11. A moulded article comprising a nonwoven laminate according to claim 1 .

12. A vehicle comprising: a body; and an underbody shield comprising the nonwoven laminate according to claim 1 .

13. A process for producing the nonwoven laminate according to at least of claim 1 , comprising:
preparing a needled staple nonwoven layer (C) by needling;
providing in order layers (A) to (E); and
melt-bonding layers (A) to (E) to each other.

14. The nonwoven laminate of claim 3 , which does not contain glass fibres.

15. The nonwoven laminate of claim 6 , wherein layers (A) and (E) each comprise at least 30% copolyester.

16. The nonwoven laminate of claim 1 , wherein layers (B) and (D) are excluded and the copolyester in spunbond nonwoven layers (A) and (E) has a melting point of 205 to 240 degrees Celsius.

17. The nonwoven laminate of claim 1 , wherein layers (B) and (D) are excluded and the copolyester in needled staple fibre nonwoven layer (C) has a melting point of 170 to 190 degrees Celsius.

Assignees

• Freudenberg Carl Kg

Inventors

• Venugopal Arun Prasad
• Schoepping Gerhard

Classifications

• D04H1/46

  by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres (D04H1/45 takes precedence; needling machines D04H18/00) · CPC title

• B32B5/267

  characterised by at least one non-woven fabric layer that is a spunbonded fabric · CPC title

• D04H1/06

  by treatment to produce shrinking, swelling, crimping or curling of fibres · CPC title

• B32B2262/144

  Non-woven fabric · CPC title

• D04H1/55

  Polyesters · CPC title