Indian Head Industries, Inc.

Futuris Automotive Interiors (us), Inc.

Duane M Juriga

A low mass acoustically enhanced floor carpet system for vehicles. In a first embodiment, the carpet assembly comprising a face layer and an opposite lower fiber mat. The carpet assembly further including a primary backing if the face layer is tufted, a back coating layer, an upper fiber mat, and a perforated film layer all in between the face layer and the lower fiber mat. The perforated film layer providing for enhanced sound absorption. In an alternate embodiment, the carpet assembly comprising a face layer, an insulator pad opposite the face layer; a back coating, a perforated film layer, and an insulator pad all between the face layer and the insulator pad.

Low mass acoustically enhanced floor carpet system

A structurally stable, self-supporting, lightweight, impact resistant laminate which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and particularly suitable as an insulating barrier, such as a contoured vehicle interior panel is disclosed. The disclosed embodiment includes a finish lamina, which may preferably be cloth-like or vinyl, and a substrate lamina which is preferably structurally stable and self-supporting. The substrate lamina includes a foam lamina and reinforcing scrim laminae adhesively bonded together, preferably with an thin flexible adhesive web. The thin adhesive web material preferably comprises a mesh-like material including a large strand polyester blend having adhesive dispersed therebetween. The scrim laminae preferably comprise spunbonded polyester filaments. The substrate lamina is preferably bonded to the finish lamina with a thin flexible web also. A method for making the inventive laminate is also disclosed.

Self-supporting impact resistant laminate

A method of forming a lightweight, contoured, structurally stable, self-supporting laminate comprises laying down, in succession, a finish lamina, a first heat activated adhesive, a first thermoformable scrim lamina, a second heat activated adhesive, a high density polymeric foam lamina, a third heat activated adhesive, and a second thermoformable scrim lamina thereby forming an unbonded laminate. This unbonded laminate is then uniformly heated in an oven to a temperature sufficient to make the adhesives bondable thereby forming a heated, substantially unbonded laminate. This heated, substantially unbonded laminate is then quickly transferred to a contoured die press and permanently bonded and formed, under pressure. The laminate is permanently bonded utilizing the residual heat in the laminate to form a contoured, structurally stable, self-supporting, impact resistant laminate.

An insulating laminate, which is particularly suitable for a sound attenuating barrier, such as a contoured vehicle headliner. The disclosed embodiment includes a finish lamina, which may be preferably cloth-like, and a substrate which is preferably structurally stable and self supporting and which may be adapted to absorb sound primarily at predetermined higher frequencies. In one preferred embodiment, a thin flexible film is located between the finish lamina and the substrate which is adapted to absorb sound primarily at relative lower predetermined frequencies. The film may include a pattern of openings or holes designed to absorb sound primarily at predetermined lower frequencies. In the disclosed embodiment, the substrate includes a porous fiber mat, preferably including fibers having a range of thicknesses to improve sound attenuation at higher frequencies, a structural foam lamina and a reinforcing scrim, preferably comprising spunbonded polyester filaments.

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Bloomfield Hills, MI, United States of America

Duane M Juriga