3m Innovative Properties Company

Anne N De Rovere

Michael R Berrigan

William T Fay

Pamela A Percha

Richard P Merry

Lahoussaine Lalouch

Jill R Munro

Jerald W Hall, Jr

Joseph D Rule

Timothy J Lindquist

Bradley W Eaton

Mary M Caruso Dailey

Gary F Howorth

Troy K Ista

Lili Qie

Michael Patrick M Mandanas

David M Wilson

Kim C Sachs

Daimon K Heller

Brandy S Nolan

William V Chiu

Kari A Mcgee

Articles are provided, including a substrate having a first major surface, the substrate including a nonwoven material, a woven material, or a foam. The article further includes microcapsules having an outer surface and a plasticizer encapsulated in the microcapsules, where the plurality of microcapsules is attached to the first major surface of the substrate with a polymeric material. A method of making an article is also provided, including providing a substrate having a first major surface and providing microcapsules having an outer surface and a plasticizer encapsulated in the microcapsules. The method further includes attaching the microcapsules to the first major surface of the substrate with a polymeric material, thereby forming a polymeric matrix attached to the first major surface of the substrate.

Articles including microcapsules for on-demand adhesion and methods of making same

Non-woven mat including basalt and amorphous refractory ceramic fibers, bio-soluble ceramic fibers, and/or heat-treated silica fibers. Embodiments of the non-woven mat surprisingly have a Resiliency Value after three thermal cycles from 25&#xb0; C. to 700&#xb0; C./400&#xb0; C. of the Real Condition Fixture Test at least 1.1 times greater than the Resiliency Value of a comparable non-woven mat consisting of any individual type of fibers of the non-woven mat. The non-woven mats are useful, for example, in pollution control devices and other thermal insulation applications.

Mounting mat and pollution control device with the same

Non-woven mat including magnesium aluminum silicate glass fibers and amorphous refractory ceramic fibers, bio-soluble ceramic fibers, and/or heat-treated silica fibers. Embodiments of the nonwoven mat surprisingly have a Resiliency Value after three thermal cycles from 25&#xb0; C. to 700&#xb0; C./400&#xb0; C. of the Real Condition Fixture Test at least 1.1 times greater than the Resiliency Value of a comparable non-woven mat consisting of any individual type of fibers of the non-woven mat. The non-woven mats are useful, for example, in pollution control devices and other thermal insulation applications.

A coherent nonwoven fibrous web comprises directly formed elastic fibers that have a molecular orientation sufficient to provide a birefringence number of at least 1&#xd7;10and preferably at least 1&#xd7;10. The web can be made by a method that comprises a) extruding filaments of elastic-fiber-forming material; b) directing the filaments through a processing chamber in which gaseous currents apply a longitudinal stress to the filaments that attenuates and draws the filaments; c) maintaining the filaments at their orienting temperature while the filaments are under attenuating and drawing stress for a sufficient time for molecules within the filaments to become oriented along the length of the filaments; d) cooling the filaments to their orientation-locking temperature while the filaments are under attenuating and drawing stress and further cooling the filaments to a solidified fiber form; and e) collecting the solidified fibers as a fibrous nonwoven web. In a preferred aspect, the method includes the further step of annealing the collected fibers by exposing them to a temperature that is above their shrinking temperature but less than their relaxation temperature, and preferably bonding the fibers after (or before) the annealing step. Dimensionally stable webs comprising elastic oriented fibers are obtained.

Nonwoven elastic fibrous webs and methods for making them

Nonwoven fibrous webs comprise fibers of uniform diameter that vary in morphology along their length. The variation provides longitudinal segments that exhibit distinctive softening characteristics during a bonding operation. Some segments soften under the conditions of the bonding operation and bond to other fibers of the web, and other segments are passive during the bonding operation. Webs as described can be formed by a method that comprises a) extruding filaments of fiber-forming material; b) directing the filaments through a processing chamber in which the filaments are subjected to longitudinal stress; c) subjecting the filaments to turbulent flow conditions after they exit the processing chamber; and d) collecting the processed filaments; the temperature of the filaments being controlled so that at least some of the filaments solidify while in the turbulent field.

Bondable, oriented, nonwoven fibrous webs and methods for making them

Nonwoven fibrous webs including amorphous polymeric fibers with improved and/or more convenient bondability are disclosed. The nonwoven fibrous webs may include only amorphous polymeric fibers or they may include additional components in addition to amorphous polymeric fibers. The amorphous polymeric fibers within the web may be autogeneously bonded or autogeneously bondable. The amorphous polymeric fibers may be characterized as varying in morphology over the length of continuous fibers so as to provide longitudinal segments that differ from one another in softening characteristics during a selected bonding operation.

Nonwoven amorphous fibrous webs and methods for making them

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Woodbury, MN, United States of America

Anne N De Rovere