Homogeneously branched ethylene polymer carpet backsizing compositions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9376769-B2
Application number	US-201113036457-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2011
Priority date	Feb 28, 1997
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed herein are carpets and carpet tiles comprising a primary backing material having a face and a back side; a plurality of fibers attached to the primary backing material and extending from the face of the primary backing material and exposed at the back side of the primary backing material; and an adhesive composition. The adhesive composition generally comprises at least one homogenously branched ethylene polymer. Also disclosed are methods for manufacturing the disclosed carpets and carpet tiles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A carpet or carpet tile comprising:
a. a primary backing material having a face and a back side;
b. a plurality of fibers attached to the primary backing material and extending from the face of the primary backing material and exposed at the back side of the primary backing material; and
c. an adhesive composition, wherein the adhesive composition comprises at least one homogenously branched ethylene polymer characterized as having a short chain branching distribution index (SCDBI) of greater than or equal to 50%.

2. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 1 wherein the homogeneously branched ethylene polymer is an interpolymer of ethylene with at least one C 3 -C 20 a-olefin.

3. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 1 wherein the homogeneously branched ethylene polymer is a copolymer of ethylene and one C 3 -C 20 a-olefin.

4. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 3 wherein the one C 3 -C 20 a-olefin is selected from the group consisting of propylene, 1-butene, 1-isobutylene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, 1-hepteneand 1-octene.

5. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 4 wherein the one C 3 -C 20 a-olefin is 1-octene.

6. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 1 wherein (i) the fibers, primary backing and adhesive composition all comprise a polyolefin polymer, (ii) the olefin monomer chemistry of the polymer component in the adhesive composition differs from that of the fibers and the primary backing, and (iii) the carpet includes a label or literature at the time of sale which represents that the carpet is recyclable without segregation of carpet components.

7. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 1 wherein the at least one homogeneously branched ethylene polymer is further characterized as having a single differential scanning calorimetry, DSC, melting peak between −30 and 150° C.

8. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 7 wherein the at least one homogeneously branched ethylene polymer is a substantially linear ethylene polymer characterized as having:
a. a melt flow ratio, I 10 /I 2 >5.63,
b. a molecular weight distribution, M w /M n as determined by gel permeation chromatography and defines by the equation:
( M w /M n )<( I 10 /I 2 )−4.63, and

c. a gas extrusion rheology such that the critical shear rate at onset of surface melt fracture for the substantially linear ethylene polymer is at least 50% greater than the critical shear rate at the onset of surface melt fracture for the linear ethylene polymer, wherein the linear ethylene polymer has a homogeneously branched short chain branching distribution and no long chain branching, and wherein the substantially linear ethylene polymer and the linear ethylene polymer are simultaneously ethylene homopolymers or interpolymers of ethylene and at least one C 3 -C 20 a-olefin and have the same I 2 and M w /M n and wherein the respective critical shear rates for the substantially linear ethylene polymer and the linear ethylene polymer are measure at the same melt temperature using a gas extrusion rheometer.

9. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 1 wherein the at least one homogeneously branched ethylene polymer is homogenously branched linear ethylene polymer.

10. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 1 , wherein the primary backing material consists essentially of a polypropylene material.

11. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 1 , further comprising a secondary backing material adjacent to the adhesive backing material.

12. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 11 , wherein the secondary backing material comprises at least one homogenously branched ethylene polymer characterized as having a short chain branching distribution index (SCDBI) of greater than or equal to 50%.

13. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive composition has substantially penetrated and substantially consolidated the fibers.

14. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive composition is not integrally fused to the primary backing.

15. A carpet or carpet tile comprising:
a. a primary backing material having a face and a back side;
b. a plurality of fibers attached to the primary backing material and extending from the face of the primary backing material and exposed at the back side of the primary backing material; and
c. a polymer backing composition comprising at least one homogenously branched ethylene polymer.

16. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 15 , wherein the homogeneously branched ethylene polymer is an interpolymer of ethylene with at least one C 3 -C 20 a-olefin.

17. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 15 , wherein the homogeneously branched ethylene polymer is a copolymer of ethylene and one C 3 -C 20 a-olefin.

18. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 17 , wherein the one C 3 -C 20 a-olefin is selected from the group consisting of propylene, 1-butene, 1-isobutylene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 4-methyl-l-pentene, 1-hepteneand 1-octene.

19. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 18 , wherein the one C 3 -C 20 a-olefin is 1-octene.

20. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 15 wherein (i) the fibers, primary backing and polymer composition all comprise a polyolefin polymer, (ii) the olefin monomer chemistry of the polymer component in the polymer backing composition differs from that of the fibers and the primary backing, and (iii) the carpet includes a label or literature at the time of sale which represents that the carpet is recyclable without segregation of carpet components.

21. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 15 , wherein the at least one homogeneously branched ethylene polymer is further characterized as having a single differential scanning calorimetry, DSC, melting peak between −30 and 150° C.

22. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 21 , wherein the at least one homogeneously branched ethylene polymer is a substantially linear ethylene polymer characterized as having:
a. a melt flow ratio, I 10 /I 2 >5.63,
b. a molecular weight distribution, M w /M n as determined by gel permeation chromatography and defines by the equation:
( M w /M n )<( I 10 /I 2 )−4.63, and

c. a gas extrusion rheology such that the critical shear rate at onset of surface melt fracture for the substantially linear ethylene polymer is at least 50% greater than the critical shear rate at the onset of surface melt fracture for the linear ethylene polymer, wherein the linear ethylene polymer has a homogeneously branched short chain branching distribution and no long chain branching, and wherein the substantially linear ethylene polymer and the linear ethylene polymer are simultaneously ethylene homopolymers or interpolymers of ethylene and at least one C 3 -C 20 a-olefin and have the same I 2 and M w /M n and wherein the respective critical shear rates for the substantially linear ethylene polymer and the linear ethylene polymer are measure at the same melt temperature using a gas extrusion rheometer.

23. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 15 , wherein the at least one homogeneously branched ethylene polymer is homogenously branched linear ethylene polymer.

24. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 15 , wherein the primary backing material consists essentially of a polypropylene material.

25. The carpet or carpet tile of claim 15 , wherein the polymer backing composition is an adhesive backing composition and wherein a secondary backing material is adjacent to the adhesive backing composition.

26. The carpet or

Assignees

• Bieser John O
• Dibbern Joseph A
• Diehl Charles F
• Goins James D
• Kelley David C
• Maugans Rexford A
• Mckinney Osborne K
• Peng Lichih R
• Turley Robert R
• Columbia Insurance Co

Inventors

• Bieser John O
• Dibbern Joseph A
• Diehl Charles F
• Goins James D
• Kelley David C
• Maugans Rexford A
• Mckinney Osborne K
• Peng Lichih R
• Turley Robert R

Classifications

• B32B37/153

  at least one layer is extruded and immediately laminated while in semi-molten state · CPC title

• B32B2309/14

  Velocity, e.g. feed speeds · CPC title

• B32B2309/02

  Temperature · CPC title

• D06N2209/105

  Resistant to abrasion, scratch · CPC title

• B32B7/12

  using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties · CPC title