Basf Aktiengesellschaft

Other

Basf Corporation

Shred-Tech Corporation

Basf Corportion

Mckinnon-Land, LLC

Sumlin Holdings, Inc.

Basofil Fibers, LLC

Alan C Handermann

Frank J Land

Joel A Dyksterhouse

Robert Dyksterhouse

Edward D Western

Richard Kotek

William D Porter

David K Yamamoto

Thomas F Corbin

David W Shaw

Jack A Dellinger

Simon A Jones

William R Bryant

Atish Adhya

Scott Bridges

Dennis L Mater

Edward A Davis

William P Cochran

George E Husman

Peter G Ittemann

Bob McKinnon

Randall A Sferrazza

Cecil H Atwell

Edward Alan Davis

Arlen K Sarian

The invention relates to an inherently flame resistant (FR) stitchbonded nonwoven fabric for mattresses, boxsprings, upholstered furniture, top-of-the-bed, office panel, transportation seating or any end use application where a FR textile material is desired. Two of the preferred forms of this invention include:

Stitchbonded inherently flame resistant fabrics

The invention relates to slickened or siliconized flame resistant fiber blends that are well suited for use in mattresses, boxsprings, upholstered furniture, fiber-filled bed clothing, transportation seating or any end use application where a soft materials are desired for flame resistant (FR) purposes. Some of the fibers in the blend are slickened. The FR fibers incorporated into these blends include both char forming FR fibers and oxygen depleting FR fibers. FR char-forming fibers are those which exhibit little shrinkage when exposed to direct flame and are not spun from polymers manufactured with halogenated monomers. Oxygen depleting FR fibers are spun from polymers manufactured with halogenated monomers.

Slickened or siliconized flame resistant fiber blends

The invention relates to a nonwoven highloft flame barrier well suited for use in mattress, upholstered furniture and other end use applications where a highloft nonwoven material is desired for flame barrier purposes. A preferred nonwoven highloft flame barrier of the invention comprises a blend of fibers, that are inherently fire resistant and essentially nonshrinking to direct flame, with melamine fibers being preferred either alone or in conjunction with, for example, viscose rayon based fibers, fibers extruded from polymers made with halogenated monomers and preferably low-melt binder fibers, which are thermally activated in a highloft manufacturing process to provide low bulk density, resiliency and insulation properties in the end use application. The preferred fiber blends are designed to withstand extended periods of time exposed to open flame with minimal shrinkage of the char barrier; thereby preventing a flames from 'breaking through' the char barrier and igniting underlying materials. Other component fibers can also, optionally, be included such as: natural fibers, to improve product economics in the end use application. The highloft flame barrier of this invention also allows for the manufacture of open flame resistant composite articles, while also permitting the continued use of conventional non-flame retardant dress cover fabrics, conventional non-flame retardant fiberfills and conventional non-flame retardant polyurethane foams.

Nonwoven highloft flame barrier

Provided is a novel method of dyeing a corespun yarn which comprises an inorganic fiber core and at least a first sheath. The method comprises: (a) contacting the corespun yarn with a dye liquor; (b) heating the dye liquor to a dyeing temperature for a time effective to dye the yarn; (c) cooling the dye liquor at a controlled rate; and (d) rinsing the yarn with water or with a mixture comprising the dye liquor and water. The dyed corespun yarn has a strength retention of about 80% or more based on the undyed yarn. The methods in accordance with the invention allow for the formation of uniformly dyed, high strength corespun yarns. Also provided is a dyed, corespun yarn which can be made by the inventive method, a fabric formed from the corespun yarn, as well as a product upholstered with the fabric. The dyed yarns exhibit substantially no &ldquo;grin through&rdquo; and little to no yarn strength loss after dyeing.

Method of dyeing a corespun yarn and dyed corespun yarn

Provided is a fire resistant corespun yarn. The yarn includes a core of high temperature resistant continuous inorganic filaments; a first sheath of staple fibers surrounding the core, wherein the staple fibers comprise fibers of at least one fire resistant material selected from the group consisting of meta-aramids, para-aramids, fluoropolymers and copolymers, chloropolymers and copolymers, polybenzimidazole, polyimides, polyamideimides, partially oxidized polyacrylonitriles, novoloids, poly (p-phenylene benzobisoxazoles), poly (p-phenylene benzothiazoles), polyphenylene sulfides, flame retardant viscose rayons, polyvinyl chloride homopolymers and copolymers, polyetheretherketones, polyketones, polyetherimides, polylactides, and combinations thereof; and a second sheath of staple fibers surrounding the first corespun yarn. This yarn may be woven and knit in fine, non-plied or plied form and extends the range of fineness of fabrics below heretofore achievable limits. Also provided is a fire resistant fabric which includes a fire resistant fabric substrate formed from the fire resistant corespun yarn, as well as a product upholstered with the fire resistant fabric.

Fire resistant corespun yarn and fabric comprising same

.epsilon.-Caprolactam is continuously recovered from carpet made from nylon 6 face fibers and a backing. The carpet is fed to a separator to prepare scrap containing nylon 6 and auxiliary materials. The scrap from the separator is fed to a depolymerizing reactor to produce an .epsilon.-caprolactam containing distillate and more auxiliary materials. The .epsilon.-caprolactam in the distillate is separated from other volatiles and purified. The auxiliary materials are also recovered or re-used.

Reclaiming epsilon-caprolactam from nylon 6 carpet

A process for recovering polyamide from composite articles that contain polyamide involves (a) subjecting at substantially nondepolymerizing conditions the composite article to a solvent for polyamide for a time sufficient to dissolve substantially all of the polyamide and leaving an insoluble fraction; (b) separating insoluble fraction of the composite article from the dissolved polyamide; and (c) precipitating the dissolved polyamide with appropriate precipitants.

Recovery of polyamides from composite articles

Process and system for reclaiming polymeric fibers (e.g., nylon) from post-consumer carpeting includes shredding the post-consumer carpeting into strips, dismantling the carpet strips to form a mixture of the fibers to be reclaimed and the backing material to be discarded, and then separating a substantial portion of the fibers from the backing material. Preferably, the carpet strips are dismantled by impacting the strips of carpeting against an anvil structure with hammer elements using, e.g., a hammermill. A secondary reclamation system is provided whereby the separated backing material which may contain some fibers bound thereto is subjected to secondary dismantling and separation operations. The fractions obtained from the primary and secondary separation operations containing predominantly the polymeric fibers may thus be combined so as to form a process discharge stream which can be pelletized and/or baled as desired.

Carpet recycling process and system

Hybrid and commingled yarns containing reinforcing fibers and thermoplastic matrix fibers when sized with a dispersion or emulsion having a dispersed phase containing a thermoplastic compatible with the thermoplastic of the matrix fibers but having a lower melting point allow preparation of thermoplastic matrix fiber reinforced composite structures at reduced consolidation temperatures, cycle times, and/or consolidation pressures without loss of composite physical properties.

Process for preparing thermoplastic matrix fiber-reinforced prepregs and

Compositions are disclosed which are suitable for the preparation of thermoplastic syntactic foam intermediate and final products. These compositions comprise a slurry or putty containing thermoplastic particles, microballoons, and a non-solvent, optionally in the presence of suitable thickeners, binders, and surfactants. In a preferred embodiment, the composition contains particles of an engineering thermoplastic having a mean particle size less then about 100 .mu.m, microballoons, water as the non-solvent, and a thickener/binder which is a lightly crosslinked polyacrylic acid.

Process for the preparation of thermoplastic syntactic foam and

An improved multifilamentary fibrous material is formed having solid particles of a matrix-forming thermosetting resin substantially uniformly dispersed among adjoining filaments in the absence of fusion bonding. The thermosetting resin particles initially are dispersed in an aqueous medium containing an effective amount of a dissolved polymeric binding agent and the viscosity of the medium subsequently is substantially increased to at least 50,000 cps. to form a gelled impregnation bath having a plastic flow characteristic with shear-thinning behavior wherein the thermosetting resin particles are substantially uniformly suspended. The resulting impregnation bath is caused to flow between the adjoining filaments of the multifilamentary fibrous material with a concomitant viscosity reduction which aids in the incorporation of the resin particles. The concentration of the aqueous medium in the product is controlled to yield a uniform, handleable, drapable, tacky, and highly stable product. Upon the application of heat and pressure the improved product can be transformed into a fiber-reinforced composite article wherein the thermosetting resin forms the matrix phase.

Improved preimpregnated material comprising a particulate thermosetting

Production of improved preimpregnated material comprising a particulate

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Asheville, NC, United States of America

Alan C Handermann