CN1578635A - Elongated pile sub-assembly, guide apparatus and pile sub-assembly articles of manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

An elongated pile sub-assembly having a support beam for attachment to a plurality of yarn bundles. Each of the yarn bundles attached to the beam have a pile end and a root end for anchoring the elongated pile sub-assembly. The root ends can also entangle its loose fibers for added anchoring support of the elongated pile sub-assembly. A guide assembly is used to form a rooted tuftstring article such as a brush or flooring article therefrom. The elongated pile sub-assembly may be used alone to make a brush or a pile or bristle surface structure such as a floor covering, a wall covering or an automotive component, or may be arranged with other elongated pile articles and attached to a backing substrate, as when used to make up a pile or bristle surface structure. A brush or pile surface structure may be fabricated from an elongated pile sub-assembly alone, or from the pile sub-assembly together with a brush body member or a backing substrate.

Description

Elongated pile component, guiding device and manufactured pile component product

This application acknowledges the benefit of US Provisional Application No. 60/336,226 issued on October 29, 2001.

field of invention

The present invention relates to an elongated pile assembly, various pile assembly articles and a guiding device which can be used to make a brush, or to make a pile or bristle surface structure such as a carpet, a A tapestry or an automotive component. More specifically, the present invention relates to an elongated pile assembly having a "root" end for securely securing the elongated pile assembly to a substrate on or through the substrate.

Background of the invention

The following disclosures may relate to various aspects of the invention and may be summarized as follows:

Conventional tufted filaments made from yarn generally have a "U" shape when fixed or tufted in a backing substrate. The "U" shape is formed when a length of yarn is secured to an elongated strand near the midpoint of the length of yarn. This "U" shape is similar to that of a needled tufted yarn which also forms two different or identical tufts from one length of yarn. Such "U" shaped tufted filaments are described in prior art such as WO 99/29949 to Veenema et al., and US Patent 5,472,762 to Edwards et al.

"U" shaped tufted filaments for tapestries or carpets are usually first secured to a backing structure to form a pile or felt. The anchor point for the "U" tufted filaments is at the bottom of the "U" which is also where the yarn and the supporting warp beam interengage. This land is generally a solid body of fibers fused together that provides only a small surface area to contact and bond to the support substrate. The joints between the "U" shaped tufted filaments can be formed by a heat or solvent fusion method, various adhesives, or mechanical interlocking devices. This small contact area generally results in low "tuft lock" values (eg, force to break the joint). In addition, the round bottom of the "U" shape is prone to rotation (see Figures 1B and 1C), which rotation may cause undesired visible defects. Figure 1C shows an example of the effect of such rotation on a "U" shaped tufted filament. The base of the "U" falls or slopes to one side when aligned with the ridge line 105a on the surface of a base 105 having an embedded reinforcing fiber. This form of rotation causes density variations in the finished product. Another example of rotation of the tufted filaments in a "U" shape is when the tufts on one side of the "U" have a higher frictional resistance than the tufts on the opposite side during the insertion/joining process, causing the tufted filaments When pivoting upward (see FIG. 1B ), an undesirable visible defect occurs. When this happens, one row of tufts actually grows longer, while the other actually shortens by the same amount. These linear changes or visible defects are called "rowiness".

Furthermore, when an adhesive is used to secure the "U" shape to a substrate, the upper surface of the adhesive is generally above the datum plane 300 of FIG. softness of the tufts is reduced) the adhesive wicks into the tufts.

Another disadvantage of the "U" tufted sliver is that, when manufactured, the two ends of the "U" tufted sliver have a considerable gap between them. When tufted filaments are positioned in close proximity to other tufted filaments, gaps are reduced due to compression or interference of other tufts in adjacent tufted filaments. However, this compression or disturbance may be another cause of density variation, as some of the pile filaments may separate such that none of them are in vertical alignment. Some of the filaments are oriented toward the base and spliced thereto, or otherwise entangled, so that they are not part of the desired pile density.

U.S. Patent No. 5,470,629 to Mokhtar et al. describes the manufacture of pile "tufted filaments", where each tufted filament is made by winding yarn around a mandrel, transferring a support strand onto the aforementioned mandrel. As the support strand moves, it feeds several "loops" of yarn to an ultrasonic welder which joins the loops to the support strand. The spliced loops are then conveyed to a slitter station which cuts the loops and thus forms the tufted sliver. Tufted filaments consist of two upstanding rows of legs or tufts which are secured at their bases to a support strand. The yarn of Mokhtar et al. is a multifilament, crimped, bulky yarn which is preferably made from a thermoplastic polymer such as nylon or polypropylene. The support strand is also preferably a thermoplastic polymer so that when passed under the sonic welder, the yarn and support strand melt and form a bond therebetween.

It would be desirable to have an elongated tuft assembly with a high "tuft lock" value, controlled wicking and vertical alignment. There is also a need for a low cost elongated pile assembly comprising several yarn bundles arranged to provide a high density that can be manufactured with a simple, inexpensive Manufactured by method and designed to be packaged, or used directly as a feed material for the manufacture of a brush or a pile/bristle surface structure. There is also a need for a strong, reliable elongated pile assembly that can be packaged and handled in one manufacturing process. It is also desirable to have a guiding device for engaging the elongated pile assembly to a substrate.

Summary of the invention

The elongated pile assembly of the present invention includes a continuous length of support beam having a longitudinal axis, a uniform or substantially uniform cross-sectional size and shape, and a plurality of filament tows. a peripheral surface, a reference plane tangent to, or coincident with, a position on the surface of the support warp beam to which the plurality of filament bundles are secured. Each filament bundle has a long bundle segment end opposite a short bundle end end. The filaments at one end of at least one of the tows (eg, the end of the tow length) define a tuft forming a tuft. In each tow there is an area in which the filaments are densely packed together, and generally spliced together, and the tow is preferably secured to the support beam at the location of the densely packed area .

Briefly, and in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elongated pile assembly comprising: an elongated warp beam having a longitudinal axis, a substantially uniform cross-sectional size and shape, and a peripheral surface; and at least one bundle of filaments secured to the peripheral surface of the warp beam; at least one of which is at one end along the length of the bundle. fixed to the warp beam at positions that divide the length of the bundle on either side of the longitudinal axis into a longer bundle segment and a shorter bundle segment, the longer bundle segment defining a tuft forming the pile velvet.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is a brush comprising: a first body member, and at least one elongated pile assembly secured to the first body member.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is a pile or bristle surface structure comprising: a base, and an elongated pile assembly secured to the base.

According to another aspect of the invention there is a guide comprising a slot for receiving at least one elongated pile assembly according to any one of claims 1-19, having At least one stub end, and means for securing the at least one stub end to a base, said stub end protruding from the same side of the guide as the slot, wherein the guide is used to guide the at least one A pile assembly is bonded to the above-mentioned base.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is a method for joining an elongate pile assembly to a substrate with a guide, the method comprising: guiding the elongate pile assembly through a slot while short strands extending outwardly of the slot in the guide; adding an engaging means to at least one of the base and the shorter bundle; moving the base and the shorter bundle into engaging contact with each other; The shorter bundle segments outside the groove are fixed to the substrate.

Brief introduction to the drawings

From the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the present invention will be more fully understood, wherein:

Fig. 1 A shows the prior art of a kind of conventional " U " shape tufted yarn;

Figures 1B and 1C are prior art side views showing visible defects created by rotation of "U" shaped tufted filaments;

Fig. 2 B shows a kind of rooting type tufted silk sliver of the present invention;

Figures 2A, 3A, and 4 are side views of the elongated pile assembly of the present invention showing different "root" end penetrations;

Figure 3B shows a side view of a plurality of rooted tufted filaments shown in Figure 3A under the entanglement of each rooted filament;

Figure 5A is a perspective view of the elongated pile assembly of the present invention;

Figure 5B is a perspective view of a prior art elongated "U" shaped tufted filament;

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a method of measuring the diameter of a pile yarn;

Figure 7 is a simplified representation of a portion of the center of the support beam along the elongated tuft assembly, showing the tufts joined to the beam in a single layer with the "root" extending below;

Figure 8 is a simplified representation of a portion along the center of a rooted tufted filament support warp beam, showing several bundles joined to the warp beam in superimposed relationship;

Fig. 9 A is a schematic diagram of a simple method for manufacturing the elongated fleece product of the present invention;

Figure 9B is an end view of Figure 9A showing a second slitter;

Figure 10 is a side view of a paint roller pile assembly utilizing the present invention;

Figure 11 is an end view of the paint roller of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a side view of one embodiment of a plurality of elongated pile assemblies;

Figure 13 is a side view of one embodiment of an elongated pile assembly joined using ultrasonic bonding;

Figure 14 is a side view of a plurality of elongated pile assemblies of the present invention secured to a core by adhesive pile strips;

Fig. 15 is the schematic diagram of the method for making a pile or bristle surface structure by the elongated pile assembly of the present invention;

Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a guide used when the elongated pile assembly of the present invention is fixed or bonded to a backing substrate or bonding material;

Figure 17 is a schematic illustration of an elongated pile assembly guide for engagement with various flexible materials; and

18A and 18B show front views of two embodiments of ultrasonic horns for bonding in the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Definition of Terms

The following definitions are provided as criteria of how they are used in the context of this specification and the appended claims:

1. Beam or base thread: A strand, thread, or string comprising one or more materials and having one or more separate structural elements , each structural element has its own defined and identifiable shape. The warp beam or base thread provides connectivity and support to which the tufts are attached.

2. Bristle: A short, rigid, fibrous segment, natural or man-made, usually expressed in diameters measured in thousandths of an inch.

3. BCF or BCF Yarn: Bulked Textured Filament; a deformed filament generally used as pile yarn in felt rugs or in upholstery fabrics for furniture.

4. Tufted threadline: a warp beam to which at least one segment of yarn is attached, said at least one segment of yarn consisting of one or more filaments, each filament having such a diameter , the diameter is reported in deniers rather than in thousandths of inches (mils).

5. Rooted tufted strand or elongated pile assembly: A tufted strand where the warp beam or base strand separates the long fiber segments from the short fiber segments. The staple fiber segments, also referred to as "roots", are the non-bonded yarn fibers that secure the tufted strands to the substrate (ie, other article or substrate material). Long-bundle fiber segments are non-bonded yarn fiber ends that form the bristle ends of tufted or tufted strands.

6. Denier: The mass expressed in grams of a fiber, filament or yarn and 9000 meters.

7. Fiber: Textile raw material, generally characterized by flexibility, fineness and the large ratio of length to thickness.

8. Filament: A fiber of infinite length.

9. Filament yarn: usually a continuous filament. A yarn comprises one or more filaments, measured in units of denier, that run substantially the entire length of the yarn.

10. Yarn: A product consisting of several fibers and/or filaments, twisted or not, having a major length and a relatively small cross-section.

The rooted tufted sliver of the invention is known from a general description of a method by which it can be produced. The method comprises: feeding a continuous length of a bundle of filaments under tension along the center of rotation of an eccentric guide; rotating the guide to wrap the bundle of filaments around a support having a plurality of elongated protuberances so as to form a series of coils or spirals of a continuous length of a bundle of filaments surrounding the support; between the support and the spiral of filament bundles formed by the winding step, along at least one of the protuberances on the support - feeding continuous strands of a material to provide a warp beam; bonding the filaments to each other in bundles and securing the filament bundles to the warp beam; cutting the spiral of filament bundles to form a thin the long pile assembly; and advancing the elongated pile assembly for further processing. See U.S. Patent No. 5,547,732, WO 99/29949, and 5,498,459, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, for examples of forming the above-described "U"-shaped tufted filaments. However, in the present invention, the above prior art references differ from the present invention in that the tufted sliver is produced at the cutting step. In the present invention, a significant difference is the position of the rotary slitter blades relative to the bonded warp beam, such as the base strand. In the aforementioned referenced patent, the slitter is positioned so as to form two tufts of substantially equal length from one continuous length of yarn. In the present invention, either the slitter, or the bonding position of the warp beam, or both are repositioned to produce a tufted strand bundle having a first filament tow segment and a The second filament tow section, the above-mentioned first filament tow section is used as the pile surface, and the above-mentioned second filament tow section is used to fix the tufting thread to a fabric or other supporting structure, so the first section Generally longer than the second segment (see Figures 9A and 9B). The above references are some examples, but not all inclusive, of machine processes capable of producing tufted filaments with modified cutting steps. There are various machine methods that can be used to produce the rooted tufted slivers of the present invention.

In a "U" shaped tufted filament (see FIG. 1A ), the filament strands are cut such that the base strand 101 is substantially equidistant from the cut end of each bundle segment of the tufted filament 108 . In FIG. 1A, the "U" shaped tufted strand 108 has an equal bundle length 109a and 109b on both sides of the base strand 101. In FIG. The tufted strands 108 are bonded to the adhesive backing 107 at the 6 o'clock position 101a. A disadvantage of the "U" tufted filament method is that when assembled with other "U" tufted filaments (see Figures 1B and 1C), the bundle lengths 109a and 109b appear to be uneven. This can appear in various ways. For example, the "U" shaped tufted thread base portion may roll or rotate as it is guided and secured to the backing material. For example, more friction on one filament tow section 109b than on one tow section 109a will generate a torque and cause the "U" shaped tufted filament to rotate counterclockwise as indicated by arrow 103a (see FIG. 1B ). Another reason can be attributed to an uneven substrate surface, as is the case when there is a reinforcing fiber and a raised line 105a is produced on the surface. Referring to Fig. 1C, when the first side 109a of the "U"-shaped tufted filament contacts the substrate surface before the second side 109b, a torque force is again created at a velocity or movement perpendicular to the substrate plane and may cause tufting. The filament is rotated or tilted. The tilting action shown in Figure 1C may also create a spacing 132 between individual tufts, or at least a density variation in the finished tuft, which creates an undesirable spacing defect.

The present invention (see Figures 2A, 2B, 3A, and 4) utilizes an improved tufted filament that increases the bond strength between the tufted filament and the substrate used to Joining multiple tufted strands together (for example, as in carpets), especially when an adhesive is used as the binding agent. Thus, the tufting of yarns into a conventional "U" formation is omitted in the present invention (eg, one long fiber tow segment side 126 and one short fiber tow segment side 127, 128, 129). The long strands 126 are arranged together in a continuous row of long strands in a suitable orientation for functional value, while the short strands 127, 128, or 129 are used to bond them together by means of an adhesive or other means such as ultrasonic bonding or solvent bonding. An elongated pile assembly 125 is secured to the backing substrate.

In the present invention, the yarn used in the elongated pile assembly 125 (see FIG. 2A) is a multifilament strand where the individual filaments are generally "joined" to each other. The individual filaments are "joined" in that they can be twisted at a level of at least about 1 turn/inch to provide filament crossing to enhance bonding (especially ultrasonic bonding), or the filaments can be intertwined to provide cross. Yarns may also comprise two or more multifilament strands that are ply twisted together. Ply twist can be a "real" S or Z strand and ply twist, or a reverse twist where S and Z strands and ply twist alternate and there is a twist in the ply and ply twist reversals. join. It is preferred that the reverse twisted yarns have an engagement in the piled yarns prior to reverse twisting, as described in US Patent No. 5,012,636. One such yarn is preferably made from crimped, bulky, heat-treated filaments and is commonly used as a carpet yarn. The filaments of each yarn can have various cross-sections, they can be hollow and contain antistatic agents and the like. The yarn may have an oil to aid in ultrasonic bonding. In certain preferred implementations, the yarn may be a multifilament, crimped, bulky ply-twist yarn that has been heat-set to maintain the ply-twist.

In other applications where a brushed fabric surface is preferred, such as in automotive flooring and paint rollers, another type of yarn is preferred. Such yarns include yarns in which BCF yarn multifilaments are loosely entangled and have not been heat treated. For automotive or other transportation applications, the rooted tufted strands (i.e., the elongated tuft assembly) are preferably made from a number of BCF yarns, that is, untwisted, ply-twisted, or otherwise entangled to form Individual filament tow segments, as described in WO 99/29949.

When ultrasonic bonding is used to form rooted tufted filaments, the yarn, (preferably made of a thermoplastic polymer having the same composition as the warp beam) achieves a high bond strength between the yarn bundle and the warp beam . In certain ultrasonic bonding applications, the yarn and warp beam can have different compositions and still achieve adequate bonding between the two. One such example is a nylon yarn bonded to a polypropylene beam. It should also be noted that in other bonding methods than ultrasonic bonding, utilizing the same composition of warp beam and yarn provides high bond strength and does not require adhesives. However, in bonding methods other than ultrasonic bonding, adequate bonding of the different components of the yarn and warp beam is also sufficient.

When an adhesive method is used to join the yarns to the beam, the components of the yarn and beam are selected according to the range of suitable materials to which the adhesive can be bonded, or the adhesive is selected according to the components of the yarn and beam to select. It is important that the engagement between the yarn and warp beam is sufficient to deliver the yarn to the support structure without loss of the yarn segment or individual fibers in the yarn segment. Once the staple fiber is bonded to the substrate, the strength of the bond between the warp beam and the bundle of yarns becomes irrelevant.

In the present invention, the yarn is usually a thermoplastic polymer, a polyamide, a polyolefin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, a polyester, a fluoropolymer, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, poly Vinylidene chloride, or a polymer or copolymer of styrene, others include mixtures of two or more of them, etc. Polypropylene; or a polyamide such as Nylon 6; Nylon 11; Nylon 6,6; Nylon 6,10; Nylon 10,10; Alternatively, the yarn may be a poly(aryl ether ketone) or a polyamide or meta-aramid, which may be bonded by solvent, ultrasound, or heat.

Warp beams that can be used for the elongated pile assembly can have various cross-sectional shapes, such as square, rectangular, oval, oblong, round, triangular, multi-lobed, flat ribbon, and the like. The warp beam must be yarn spliceable and have sufficient elongational stability so that the splicing is not overstressed by stretching the warp beam or exceeding its tensile strength. The warp beam must provide sufficient stability to the pile assembly so that it can be handled for its intended application, such as making a kind of brush or making carpeted articles such as felt or travel rugs. The warp beam can be a monofilament, a composite construction, a sheath/core construction, a reinforced construction, or a twisted multifilament construction. The warp beams are preferably made of a thermoplastic polymer so that the yarn beams can be bonded without adhesives. The warp beam is more preferably a polymer having a molecular structure oriented in the direction of elongation and a low dimensional change in the direction of orientation due to moisture gain or loss or moderate temperature changes . One material used for the support beam is a monofilament nylon polymer such as Tynex ^(R) manufactured by EI du pont de Nemous and Company. Other materials used for support beams include polypropylene and polyethylene. In certain applications, one or more of the above-named polymers may be combined, for example by coextrusion, to form a two-component warp beam.

Filament production can be accomplished with an extruder, many of which, such as a twin screw extruder, are commercially available from manufacturers such as Werer and Pfleiderer. A polymer in the form of pellets is fed into the extruder either by volume or by weight from a feed device. A slip agent is fed into the extruder from a separate feeder through a side arm port and mixed with the polymer in the extruder at a temperature of 150-285°C. Alternatively, the slip agent may be precompounded or premixed with the polymer so that a separate feed system is not required. The polymer and slip agent are mixed into a melt in an extruder, and the final components are then metered to a spinneret with a die plate. The components are filtered and filaments of various shapes and sizes are produced by extrusion through holes in the formwork.

As with the support beams described above, some of the filaments from which the filament bundle is made can have various cross-sectional shapes, as determined, for example, by the shape of the hole in the template when produced by extrusion. The various shapes may include, but are not limited to: circular, oval, rectangular, triangular, or any regular polygonal shape; or the filament or warp beam (described above) may be an irregular non-circular shape. In addition, the filament or warp beam can be solid, hollow or contain a plurality of longitudinal voids in its cross-section. By using a platen with holes of various shapes, any combination of cross-sectional shapes can be produced with each run of the extruder. By varying the size of the holes in the template, filaments or beams of one or more diameters can be produced simultaneously. Alternatively, the filaments and/or beams used in the present invention may be produced by solution spinning.

Another aspect of the invention involves the use of a filament and/or beam having a sheath/core construction. The outer skin surrounds the inner core in a coaxial or concentric configuration. The polymers used in the core and sheath can be the same or different. When different polymers are used, the properties of the individual polymers must be such that they can be coextruded drawn to diameter and wound onto various spools. Nylon 6,6 is preferred as a sheath material. Sheath/core filaments or warp beams are usually produced by coextrusion using two extruders sharing a spinneret. The polymer used to make the core is flowed from a first extruder to the center of the spinneret hole, while the component used to make the skin is formed from a second extruder to the outside of the spinneret hole runner.

A sheath/core filament of yarn, or a warp beam in the form of a filament, as described above, can be produced from more than one flowable polymer or polymer component, which can be combined with a flowable polymer component The filament produced by the source is different. Such single source filaments may be referred to as monocomponent monofilaments. For warp beams, the filament used in the present invention can be a multiconstituent or a monoconstituent filament, while monoconstituent filaments are preferred.

The long filaments for use in the filament bundle of the present invention have a diameter or maximum cross-sectional diameter as determined by the diameter of the smallest circle defined therein, said diameter being about 1 or greater than 1 mil, preferably about 2 or Greater than 2 mils, and most preferably about 2.5 mils or greater, and also about 15 mils or less, preferably about 10 mils or less, and more preferably about 5 mils or less Ear (1 mil is 0.025mm).

The filaments or warp beams for use in the present invention may be made from one of the above-mentioned polymer components containing typical additives such as various fillers, colorants, stabilizers, plasticizers or antioxidants, Or a mixture of more than one of them; or it can be prepared with a surface coating.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A-4, there are shown various end views and packaged embodiments of the "root" end or rooted tufting filament 125 of a tuft assembly of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a side view of an elongated pile assembly with short filament tow segments 127 penetrating through adhesive 117 and backing substrate 115 . FIG. 3A shows a side view of an elongated pile assembly with short filament tow segments 127 having an adhesive 117 and flared penetrations 128 of the backing substrate 115. FIG. FIG. 4 shows a side view of an elongated pile assembly with short filament tow segments 127 having surface flares 129 in adhesive 117 . In FIGS. 2A-4 , each short and long tow segment is fully encapsulated for strong fixing of the elongated tuft assembly 125 . Another variant not shown is that all the roots 127 of FIG. 2 are placed horizontally on one side.

Continuing to refer to Figures 2A-4, the final position of the tufted filament root is mostly related to the properties of the substrate and the stiffness of the root filament. An open nonwoven substrate easily allows the individual roots to penetrate the fabric structure without further root deflection, as shown in Figure 2A. The more resistance provided by the tightly woven fabric, the more the individual strands deflect as they enter the fabric, as shown in Figures 3A and 3B. A very dense non-woven fabric, like ^Tyvek® or a solid sheet, such as an extruded thermoplastic structure will prevent the penetration of the individual filament roots into the base structure while producing a fully deflected portion 129 of the short length fibers 127, as shown in FIG. 4.

Referring now to FIG. 5A , FIG. 5A shows a plurality of filament 154 bundles when the yarn has been secured to the support beam 119 at a location 73 on the peripheral surface of the support beam 119 . The longer bundle segments 126 of the elongated tuft assembly 125 define a tuft forming tufts. The shorter tuft segments 127 of the elongate tuft assembly 125 define root-forming tufts.

Referring now to FIG. 2A , an elongated pile assembly 125 is shown. A bundle of filaments 154 is bonded to beam 119 to form an elongated pile assembly. The bundle of filaments 154 has a densely packed region 162 along its length where the filaments are generally bonded together and where the bundle is secured to the support beam 119. Location.

Referring again to FIG. 5A , the support beam 119 has a uniform or substantially uniform cross-sectional size and shape, and a peripheral surface 133 . A tightly packed region 162 (FIGS. 2A-4) is secured along the length of the elongated tuft assembly 154 to the peripheral surface 133 of the support warp beam 119 parallel and adjacent thereto, where the filaments are bonded. together. Each filament bundle 154 is secured to the peripheral surface 133 of the warp beam (perpendicular to the datum plane 71 ) across all or a substantial portion of the tightly packed region 162 . Included within monofilament bundle 154 are those filaments that are substantially linear, and thus have opposing ends 202 and 204 . The opposite ends of each filament define the length of a tow. The tow 154 is secured to the warp beam at a position along the length of the tow that divides the tow length into a longer bundle section 126 and a shorter one on either side of the longitudinal axis 140 of the warp beam 119. The longer bundle segment 126 has a longer length, and the shorter bundle segment 127 has a shorter length.

The longer bundle segment 126 includes longer filament segments, and the length of the longer bundle segment is from the position where the filament bundle is divided into longer and shorter bundle segments to the longer filaments included in the longer bundle segment. The end 202 of the segment is measured. The longer bundle segments 126 are tufted at the cut end 202 of each longer filament segment. The shorter bundle segment 127 comprises several shorter filament segments, and the length of the shorter bundle segment is from the position where the filament bundle is divided into longer and shorter bundle segments to the end 204 of each shorter filament segment. Measurement. The available portions of the longer tow segment 126 and the shorter tow segment 127 are on opposite sides of the closely packed region of the filament tow 125 . The shorter filament segments define "roots" which are of great utility in securing the tufts, especially when utilizing the tuft assembly to make a brush, tuft surface structure or other article. sex, as described herein.

The length of the shorter bundle segment 127 ( FIG. 2A ) is preferably about 90% or less than the length of the longer bundle segment 126 . However, in other embodiments, the length of the shorter strand can be about 75% or less, about 50% or less, about 25% of the length of the longer strand, as desired Or less than 25%, about 10% or less, or about 5% or less. The length of the shorter bundle segments preferably exceeds about 10% of the beam width. For example, if the warp beam width is 200 mils, the roots need to be longer than 20 mils (it should also be noted that the longer the shorter bundle segments 127 when secured to the substrate, the longer the elongated pile assembly 125 will be the stronger). The width of the warp beam is defined as the minimum of: (i) the distance across the cross-sectional area of the warp beam 74, e.g., in FIG. 71; (ii) the diameter of the smallest circle completely enclosing the cross-sectional area of the warp beam; or (iii) in the case of a true rectangular cross-sectional area of the warp beam, the longer of the two dimensions of the rectangle. However, in other embodiments, the length of the shorter bundle segments may exceed about 55%, about 60%, about 75%, or about 100% of the beam width, as desired.

Six specimens of rooted tufted filaments were tested for anchorage strength using an Instro tester (Model #1125). Rooted tufted filament samples were 1.00" long with both a short segment length of 0.090 inches and a long segment length of 0.265 inches. Two reusable test units were made with the following cavity dimensions: 1.00 ” long x 0.185” wide and 0.25” deep to receive one adhesive. A Porfax Polypropylene PF 611 CT hot melt adhesive distributed by H.A. Hanna Company was used. The test unit is heated and filled with profax polypropylene PF 611 CT adhesive. Samples of rooted tufted filaments were placed in the test cell such that only short lengths of fiber were subsurface in the adhesive melt. The rooted tufted filaments, adhesive and test unit were then allowed to cool to room temperature before testing for anchorage strength. The grips of the Instron tester were fastened to the test unit and the rest to the length of fiber of the rooted tufted sliver. The Instron tester was used to detect the maximum force applied to the clamp at the moment of root fracture. These tests were performed on rooted tufted sliver to have a holding strength greater than 15 pounds (lbs). In tests subsequent to those described above, no breakage of the bond between the short length of fiber and the fixing adhesive resin within the test unit was observed. The types of breaks observed were: 1) between the adhesive and the wall of the test unit, this break was the most common break; and 2) the rest of the breaks were near the bonding portion between the yarn fibers and the warp beam Damaged yarn fibers. All failures of the adhesive to the test unit and individual yarn fibers occurred at tensions in excess of 45 lbs. These results far exceeded the desired goal of a minimum of 15 lbs.

It is important to realize that each "root" of each yarn bundle is in a three-dimensional space when secured in a substrate. For example, Figure 4 shows the roots spreading to the left or right of the vertical center of the bundle in this end view. While such orientations 129 of the short tow segments 127 may occur, they are more likely to be from the vertical center of the tow 125 in a plane parallel to the reference plane 71 of FIG. 5A and in a plane below the plane of the reference plane 71 of FIG. 5A . Scatter 360°. In Figures 2B and 3A, the roots are spread conically below the reference plane 71 (Figure 5A), each root having a central vertical axis, the taper generally paralleling the peripheral surface perpendicular to the bundle side of the warp axis. Cut or coincide with it. Figure 2B is a narrow cone, while Figure 3A is more hemispherical.

In one embodiment of the invention, Figure 5A shows an elongated pile assembly in which the filament bundles are secured to a support beam 119, which can be accomplished by ultrasonic bonding or other methods. The individual filaments of the short bundle section 127 are utilized as attachment points for the elongated pile assembly 125 . In contrast, the prior art "U" shaped tufted sliver utilizes the dense portion 101a of the filament bundle (see FIG. 1A) and the junction line between the support strand and the bundle as the anchoring surface. This area has a solid character and as such, the only surface available for adhesive attachment to it is the outer peripheral surface of the yarn/strand body. This is a limited property of prior "U" shaped technology. In contrast, the short strands 127 (FIG. 2B) of the present invention have a relatively large surface area due to the "roots" (eg, individual fibers of the short strands) that provide for securing the filaments in an adhesive medium 117. In the present invention, each is a filament segment that is continuous with the filament segment forming the pile and extends in a direction opposite to the filament segment forming the pile. The proximal end of each short filament segment or root is joined to the beam and thus fixed in place and has limited surface area in this regard. However, the remaining length of the short filament segment root can and provides considerable surface area, which in the simplest case where the cross-section of each filament is circular, is simply that of a cylinder.

The benefits of the present invention are clearly demonstrated by comparing the surface area of a "U" shaped tufted sliver with the surface area of a rooted tufted sliver of the present invention. For example, when using a 28 mil warp beam and a 1500 denier two-ply yarn spliced to the warp beam to form a "U" tufted strand and a rooted tufted strand bundle, the "U" The adhesive-bonded surface area of the shaped tufted yarn is 0.060 square inches per inch of tufted yarn, while for a rooted tufted yarn with a short fiber length of 0.063 inches and 11 tufts per inch, it is found that is 0.864 square inches per inch of tufted filaments. There is a 1340% increase in available surface area for the adhesive to which it is bonded.

In addition, these unconstrained distal filament ends of short length fibers can interact and entangle 121 with the base (fibrous) structure as shown in FIG. 3B for increased fixation strength. The fibrous "roots" of the present invention are encapsulated and mechanically locked in the adhesive when the adhesive freezes. This mechanical bonding replaces the need for strong chemical or thermal bonding to secure the tufted filaments to a support substrate, and thus greatly expands the opportunity to utilize lower cost and environmentally friendly adhesives.

Referring to Figures 2B-4, the individual filaments of the short bundle section 127 act as a wicking action and pull the adhesive into the interstitial spaces between the individual filaments, which create a matrix structure, as in resin composites. found in the material structure. The dense portion of the filaments 162 limits the adhesive from moving upward into the strand section 126 by forming a barrier region. In this embodiment, the opposite ends 202, 204 of each filament define a length of a tow having longer and shorter tow segments, properties associated with the longer and shorter tow segment lengths, and when relatively The short filament segments change orientation 128, 129 when secured to the support substrate, as described above.

Where yarns with strong interconnections in each filament are used, it may be preferable to "remove" short sections of rooted tufted filaments in order to minimize filament-to-filament entanglement, allowing Individual short lengths of fiber are better dispersed in the adhesive and support substrate.

Another characteristic of the filament bundles used in the elongated pile assembly of the present invention is that: (1) at least one bundle is divided into (a) a first segment and (b) a second segment, the first segment comprising a plurality of A length of filament, on one side of the position where the filament bundle is fixed to the warp beam, has a first rigidity, and said second segment comprises a plurality of second lengths of filament, and has a first rigidity on the other side of said position. Two stiffness. The change in stiffness of a filament is proportional to the fourth power of the effective cross-sectional area and to the third power of the length. Thus, for a given diameter, when the unconstrained length is doubled, the relative stiffness will decrease by 87.5%, assuming no interaction with adjacent filaments. Thus short-segment beams may be slightly or several orders of magnitude stiffer than long-segment beams, depending solely on the length ratio.

Depending on the product to be made from the rooted tufted sliver, the length of the short section is selected for properties such as stiffness and strength of fixation to the substrate. Longer stub fibers have reduced stiffness and will be more likely to "felt" down as in FIG. 4 . Shorter staple fibers will be stiffer and have a greater surface plane possible for piercing the support substrate, as shown in FIG. 2 . As noted above, the denier of each fiber filament also affects the degree to which the fiber will pierce or penetrate the substrate. Longer staple fibers may entangle with adjacent rooting tufting filaments and thus share cohesion with each adjacent tufting filament (see Figure 3B). However, there is a limit to the desired length of the staple fiber. At certain lengths determined by composition, cross-section, shape, etc., the joint strength of the individual roots in the dense portion of the rooted tufted filaments may exceed the breaking strength of the fibers. Therefore, there is no value in increasing the length of the individual strands unless the purpose is to reinforce the base material. Cost is also a consideration here. Raw material costs also increase when increasing staple fiber length. The optimum length can be selected based on the choice of materials and experimentation to ensure adequate anchoring strength within the desired cost range.

In a preferred position, the warp beam is disposed between the supply yarn and the mandrel as the supply yarn is wound around the mandrel (as described in US Pat. No. 5,472,762, incorporated by reference above). However, in an alternative embodiment, the warp beam may be secured to the yarn coil or helix such that the yarn coil is located between the warp beam 119 and the mandrel. Some properties of the densely packed land are the same as those described with reference to Figure 2A.

The unique geometry of the tuft assembly is described below and "normalization" is provided by expressing the dimensional characteristics as a ratio to the diameter of the free yarn bundle. Yarn bundle diameter is a parameter that relates to the ability of yarns to cover surfaces in an efficient manner in a manufactured article. For measurement reproducibility, the bundle diameter is the untensioned average diameter of the one inch long straightened portion of a longer bundle away from the cut end in order to avoid possible blurring caused by cut end flaring when measurements are made. The bundle diameter can be measured repeatedly using a microscope with grid lines or an optical comparator, such as a "Qualifier 30" manufactured by Opticom. Figure 6 shows a view of the yarn on the Qualifier 30. A one inch length of straight yarn without cut end flares (flares can be straightened with little tension that does not appreciably affect the yarn) is placed on top of a platform 181 in the optical path of the comparator. At 20X magnification, the sample 182 was aligned with a horizontal line 184 on the comparator screen that passed the peaks and valleys along the edge of the sample to define an average edge position. Move the horizontal line to the opposite average edge of the yarn at location 186 and record the distance moved 188 as the average "diameter" of the one inch long sample. This can be repeated with several feed yarn samples to further average the "diameter". In the case of bundles of different diameters along the warp axis, the bundle diameter will be the average diameter of all the different bundle diameters along a representative length at which the pattern of different diameters repeats. The bundle diameter may be about 0.114 inches, but is preferably between 0.020 inches and 0.150 inches.

As noted above, the invention is applicable to both single and twisted/pile yarns. A single yarn is not a twisted or highly entangled bundle of fibers. The loosely entangled single yarns are "homogenized" in the joining process by means of an ultrasonic horn which tends to even out and redistribute the yarn filaments. The mutual relationship of the bundles along the support beam is defined by the pitch of the twisted yarns, which is the distance between the bundles along the support beam, the width of the support beam, and the bundle diameter. The individual yarns have no distinguishable P/D ratio.

The bundle pitch/bundle diameter ratio (P/D ratio) describes the ratio of the distance (pitch) between adjacent yarn bundles laid down along a support beam to the bundle diameter. The unique method of the present invention enables the article to have a denser bundle distribution along the warp beam than other elongated pile articles described in the prior art. When the yarn is wound onto the supporting beam, there are at least three ways to achieve high bundle density on the beam: 1) Apply sufficient tension to the bundle of yarn, which is necked in diameter so that when passing the neck 2) laying down the warp beam next to each other at pitches smaller than the free untensioned bundle diameter; 2) winding multiple layers of yarn bundles on the warp beam; and 3) one of the first two methods combination.

In order to achieve the same pile density compared to prior art "U" tufted sliver, the P/D ratio for rooted tufted sliver will generally be "U" shaped tufted sliver P/D Twice (2X) the ratio of D. Because the second, shorter length of the tow is used to secure the rooting tufted strands to a support substrate, it cannot be used as pile for exposed surfaces as is the case with the "U" tufted strands. head. Doubling the pitch to achieve the desired density provides a corresponding root density to ensure a high holding strength for rooted tufted filaments.

The P/D ratio can be further understood with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 . Several yarn bundles are spliced onto opposite sides of warp beam 119, each shown in simplified tufts 205a, 206a, and 208a. The individual reduced tufts are joined to warp beams at dense packing zone 162 . Simplified rooted tips 205b, 206b, and 208b do not extend through the beam. The pitch "P" of each strand along the warp axis 119 is best understood by referring to Figure 7 and looking at the center-to-center spacing or pitch 210 of the fit between adjacent strands in close engagement. It is preferred to measure the pitch here rather than at the ends of the tufts, since each tuft end is somewhat free to move. The diameter "D" of the wire bundle is indicated by the diameter 75 across the untensioned wire bundle. When some local variation is expected, the pitch may have to be averaged along a pitch length in order to obtain a representative value.

Figure 8 shows how pitch is determined when there are multiple layers of bundles along warp axis 119 and the simplified root end portions of bundles of bundles of bundles may overlap each other. Individual strand tufts such as 205a, 206a, 214a, and 215a are shown above warp beam 119, and the overlapping dense root end portions of the strand bonds for these strands are shown on warp beam 119 below, such as 205b, 206b, 214b, and 215b. Pitch "P" is the distance between adjacent dense portions 162 of each bundle placed sequentially along the warp axis at pitch 210 . Again, bundle splice values along 1 inch segments may need to be averaged in order to obtain a representative "P" value. In the case of several bundles of different diameters along the warp beam, perhaps making the pitch vary widely, the pitch will be an average value for each representative length of each representative length repeated in a pattern of different diameters. Reciprocal representation of yarn bundle value. The yarn pitch can be about 0.033 inches, but is preferably between about 0.015 and 0.150 inches. The P/D ratio may be about 0.30, but is preferably between about 0.1 and 0.75.

The width of the support warp beam is an important parameter in the present invention for the following reasons: 1) it must have an outer periphery which is sufficiently sized to use rooted tuft guide assemblies (Fig. 16 and 17); and 2) if it is too wide, it may cause the spacing between adjacent tuft assemblies to be too large to achieve close alignment of the yarn tufts in the finished product. A rectangular beam has several advantages and is preferred, although other cross-sectional shapes may also be useful. The vertical sides to which the filaments are joined have a larger surface than, for example, the intersection of the yarns with a circular or elliptical warp beam section. Flat top and bottom surfaces are useful in vertically aligning the pile sections. The flat top pressing against a slightly larger planar beam of the guide assembly works in concert with the slots for passing the long fiber segments to prevent rotation when the rooted tufted strands are processed with a backing substrate. The horizontal flat bottom side of the warp beam provides a stable surface as opposed to a curved surface such as that of a circular or elliptical warp beam. The warp beam width is preferably 0.010-0.70 inches.

There is a structural feature, which is important in some embodiments, related to the manner in which the filament bundles, ie, yarns, are joined to the warp beam 119 in the densely packed region 162. The individual continuous filaments fixed within each bundle to the warp beam and further to the substrate ensure a high capture probability and high retention strength of each individual fiber. However, it has now been found that when a suitable adhesive is selected, the higher strength is to the adhesive rather than to the warp beam. In the present invention, the rooted tufted sliver minimizes debonding lint, such as loose fibers loosened from the pile product due to breakage, for the reasons described above.

Although the invention has been described above as being performed on automated means, an alternative embodiment of the invention may be performed manually or by any other suitable means. Referring now to Figures 9A and 9B, the supply yarn 20 may be wound by hand around a thin rectangular mandrel 282 having, for example, support beams 119 with belts along slots 288 and 290. tied or otherwise held in place. After the yarn supply 20 is in place, an ultrasonic horn 292 may be passed along the yarn wound around slots 288 and 290 to engage the yarn on beam 119. The yarn can then be cut with a knife or slitter 294 at a predetermined location near the warp beam 119 on either side of the mandrel. For greater efficiency and speed, the slitter can be positioned above the warp beam in slot 288 and below the warp beam 119 in slot 290 as shown in Figure 9A (see Figure 9B), or vice versa. In this manner, two elongated tuft assemblies are easily produced. The first elongated tuft assembly has several short bundles relative to the groove 288 at the end where it is severed by the slitting machine 294 above the warp beam 119 . The long strand of rooted tufted filament will be the portion that extends from warp beam 119 at slot 288 to slitter 293, which is located below warp beam 119 at slot 290 in Figure 9B. The remaining cut film flat yarns separated from the first elongated pile component form a second elongated pile component. If only one rooted tufted sliver assembly is desired, the second warp beam and slitter are omitted along one hump. The mandrel may have a length 296 as wide as the carpet or article in which the rooted tufted strands are used.

To aid in winding the yarn, the mandrel can be mounted on a rotating chuck, and the yarn moves along the rotating mandrel. A lathe with a moving crosshead can be effectively used to place the yarn on the mandrel. In the most general sense, the product can also be manufactured by simultaneously laying a pre-cut yarn bundle on the grooves of the warp beam and mandrel and joining the yarn bundle, so that no winding step is required.

A method for making an elongated pile preform of the present invention comprises: contacting an elongated supporting warp beam with a plurality of filament bundles at a position along the periphery of the warp beam; Spliced to each other (so as to form a dense portion in the bundle where the filaments join together) and to the warp beam at a location along the warp beam. In the present invention, one method of splicing the yarn feed onto the warp beam involves an ultrasonic driver such as a Dukane Corp. Model 40A351 power supply, capable of 350 watts at 40KHz, connected to a Dukane Corp. Model 41C28 power supply energy device. A Dukane supercharger is also available. Bonding devices other than ultrasonic bonding devices may also be used to form the compacted portion of the tow by securing the filaments to each other and to the warp beam. This method can be solvent bonding or thermal bonding with, for example, a heat bar; or some combination of solvent, conductive, and ultrasonic bonding. Alternatively, an adhesive may be added to the location where the tow is secured to the beam to form an adhesive bond between the tow and the beam.

The elongated pile assembly of the present invention can be used to make a fabricated article such as a pile surface structure including flooring articles, paint rollers, etc., or a brush surface structure comprising Various toothbrushes, a type of buffing wheel, etc. Brushes are available in a variety of configurations with or without handles. The elongated pile assembly of the present invention can be used to form a pile brush surface. The pile brush surface is the part of the brush that can be used, for example, to apply or remove a liquid material, or to modify the surface by applying or removing a liquid material. The pile brush surface on the brush may be of generally planar shape, or it may take other shapes, such as a generally cylindrical shape.

A roller brush used for an activity such as applying paint is a typical example of a brush having a generally cylindrical pile brush face. An example of a roller brush can be shown, for example, in FIGS. A brush surface. The hollow core 314 may have any suitable shape depending on the application, such as a cylinder forming an ellipse. The pile covering portion 312 is made from at least one elongated pile assembly 125 (FIG. 2A) having a support beam 119. The elongated pile assembly 125 has at least one bundle of yarn secured to the support beam 119, wherein a longer bundle segment 126 defines a pile-forming tuft, as shown in FIG. 2A. The core of the roller brush is typically rotatable about a handle member, not shown.

Continuing to refer to FIGS. 10 and 11 , the pile covering portion 312 is formed by securing one or more pile components to the outer surface of the core 314 . In a preferred embodiment, one or more pile assemblies are helically and continuously wound around the outer surface of the core 314 . However, alternatively, an elongated pile assembly may be mounted on the core 314 in the following manner: wherein the elongated pile assembly is longitudinally aligned, i.e. parallel to the centerline axis of the core; or are other variations in which the elongated pile assemblies describe a circle about the longitudinal axis along the perimeter of the core; or in any of these alignments as described above. The elongated pile assemblies may be secured to the core in parallel alignment with each other.

The elongated pile assembly 125 (see FIG. 4 ) may be secured to the core 314 by any suitable joining method, including attaching a pile assembly directly to the core 314 prior to the step of winding or otherwise securing the pile assembly to the core. An adhesive adhesive is applied to the outer surface of the core 314. However, instead of mechanical bonding features such as anchors provided at opposite ends of the core 314, or a hook and loop locking system, chemical or thermal bonding could equally be used. When thermal bonding is used, it is preferred that the core and/or the elongated pile assembly or both are made of a polymeric material. A portion of the core and/or a portion of the elongated pile assembly, or both, may then be softened by inducing a temperature above the melting temperature or glass transition temperature of the polymeric material. At temperatures above the melting temperature or glass transition temperature, the softened polymer material will flow while forming a polymer flow region. Increasing the temperature at which the polymer flows can be achieved by radiators or conductive heating means, but is preferably achieved by ultrasonic energy. when the polymeric material from which the core is made flows and contacts the elongated pile component, or when the polymeric material from which the elongated pile component is made flows and contacts the core, or when both occur , the flowing polymer materials become welded and fixed at the contact points as they cool and return to their solid state. As an alternative to increasing the temperature, the polymer flow zone can be formed by applying a suitable solvent to any element already made of polymeric material.

Core 314 may be prepared from a polymeric material as described above, or may be prepared from paper and resin with an adhesive applied thereto. The core 314 may also comprise a helical winding of resin impregnated paper to which adhesive and fabric are applied to form a continuous profile.

In one embodiment, the pile-covering fabric is at least partly produced from a material having a surface with holes, perforations or apertures etc., such as a screen, net or mesh material. In this embodiment, the shorter strands 127 of the elongated pile assembly may be secured to the fabric mesh, and this may be accomplished by arranging for the filament segments to pass through the mesh material in the shorter strands. The pile-covered fabric is then secured to the core. However, in other embodiments, the shorter strands of the elongated tuft assembly may be fixed to the surface of the core; The joint between a part or all of both the shorter bundle segment and the supporting warp beam, secured to the core. In these embodiments, the shorter filament segments can become the contact points for applying adhesive between the substrate and the elongated pile assembly while forming an adhesive between the substrate and each shorter filament segment The junction, or each shorter filament segment, may be the location of a polymer flow zone and be in contact with the polymer flow zone. The shorter filament segments function as roots in these embodiments while maintaining a solid bond between the elongated pile assembly and the substrate.

Referring to Fig. 12, another embodiment of the present invention is shown in Fig. 12, wherein each elongated pile assembly 424, 426, 428, 430 is made of The support warp shaft interface of the pile preform is secured to a backing strip 440 . When the elongated pile assembly is helically wound around a core 442 (FIG. 14), as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,547,732, the belt 440 has contiguous or The opposite sides of the belt are adjacent to each other, that is, such that after one spiral or turn of the belt, the elongated pile assembly 424 is adjacent to the elongated pile assembly 430 (see US Patent No. 5,547,732). Figure 13 shows the joining of individual short filament fibers to a support fabric without the action of an adhesive, such as when utilizing ultrasonic energy.

Another use of the elongated pile element according to the invention is to produce a pile surface structure. The pile/brushed surface structure can be used to further make various articles, such as a tapestry or carpet, or an aircraft or automotive component for a motor vehicle such as a door panel, a headliner, a floor or a trunk Floor mats or seat upholstery. Fig. 15 shows a method of manufacturing a pile surface structure such as a carpet using the pile assembly of the present invention. A drum 78 is mounted for rotation with a backing material 80 which is secured, for example, by clamping both ends 82 and 84 of the backing in a groove 86 of the drum 78 . The outwardly facing surface 87 of the backing is coated with an adhesive coating, such as a thermoplastic adhesive. An assembly 88 is provided to move parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum, and carries an elongated pile assembly guide 90 and a hot glue applicator nozzle 92 for just prior to contact with the elongated pile assembly or with the fine pile Positioning and metering a thermoplastic or thermosetting adhesive while the head assembly is in contact and on its centerline. Alternative heating methods may include hot air jets, radiant heaters, or flames. The elongated pile assembly 45 may be fed from a frame 94 or directly from a mandrel.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 15 , when the drum 80 rotates clockwise, the elongated pile assembly is pulled out by the guide 90 and pressed against the adhesive coated on the fabric surface 87 of the substrate 80 . The elongated pile assembly contacts the hot adhesive and bonds to the backing. Assembly 88 is synchronized with the movement along the drum surface and lays the helical array of elongated pile assemblies onto the backing surface with adjacent turns of the helix in close proximity so that the just added elongated pile assemblies are in close proximity. The previously applied elongated pile elements in the helical array define a pile surface structure. After the elongated pile assembly has moved the axial length of the drum surface, the winding is stopped and the assembly of the elongated pile assembly and backing material is cut along the axis of the drum as at line 96, where The two backing ends at line 96 come together at groove 86. In the illustrated embodiment, only the elongated pile component needs to be cut at 96 and the ends of the backing material loosened to allow removal of the pile structure component. The pile structure assembly may then be removed from the drum and laid flat to form a pile surface structure or felt.

Carpet articles made in this way are characterized in that adjacent rows of elongated pile elements are derived from different elongated portions of the same elongated pile element, thus eliminating many yarn segment variations within the carpet. For example, a felt with approximately 3.30 Z/ft ² (oz/ft ² ) yarn may first be made with 2350 denier, two-ply, The ply-twisted yarn produces an elongated pile assembly, and the pile assembly is then mounted on the backing at a pitch of 5 pile assemblies/inch.

In variations of the methods shown above, and the articles resulting therefrom, the substrate backing can be selected from a variety of woven or spunbond materials. Selected fabrics such as ^Sontara® produced by EI Dupont de Nemours, Reemay® produced by Reemay Incorporated, ^{and Cerex®} produced by Cerex Advanled Fabric are particularly useful because they are all made of polymeric materials, available in various weights and densities, and can be Used in a variety of ways to secure rooting tufted strands to them. Although natural fiber fabrics can be used, they limit the use of adhesives to join rooted tufted filaments to them. The elongated pile assembly can be secured to a backing substrate to create a pile surface structure by selecting one of an adhesive, thermal bonding or solvent bonding. The elongated pile assembly can be secured to the backing substrate by use of support beams and/or shorter strands, either on or below the surface of the backing substrate, in the same manner as used for brush construction. The elongated pile assembly may alternatively be secured to a backing substrate using conventional stitching and/or a hook and loop system, although bonding using adhesives, heat or solvents may be preferred.

Alternatively, the rooted tufted filaments can be secured to a polymeric plate with a relatively "hard" surface, such as made from epoxy, thermoset, thermoplastic, wood, and even metal. (Some of these fixing methods require the use of adhesives). As described above with respect to a brush, an alternative to packaging the elongated pile assembly, as shown in Figure 15, is to create a pile surface structure by forming an array of one or more The elongated pile components are, for example, in parallel alignment with each other and in contact with a bonding surface of a backing substrate.

Another method of securing more than one elongated pile assembly to a backing substrate is illustrated by the guide assembly of FIGS. 16 and 17 . Unlike the rotating drum method described above, these guide assemblies can run continuously and do not have to be stopped in order to remove the "felt" of elongated fleece. Fig. 16 shows a schematic diagram of a guide for elongated pile assembly 125 to form a fleece or article. This flat guide assembly 90 is better suited for some relatively rigid substrates that resist bending or otherwise adopt the arrangement in the bending guide 91 of FIG. 17 .

In FIG. 16, the long flat bottom surface provides a suitable gap between and parallel to the base and guide assembly 90 (not shown). The gap 310 is determined by one or more variables including the length of the staple fiber segment 127, the vertical dimension 315 of the warp beam, the depth of the warp beam guide groove 320, and the depth of the adhesive. Beam dimension 315 must not pass through gap 325 . Gap 325, together with gap 328, which loosely defines the portion of the long tow segment near warp axis 119, loosely defines the warp axis, for proper positioning of short and long fibers perpendicular to the substrate. Generally, the gap 325 is greater than 20% of the warp beam width 322 , and more preferably between 20% and 50% of the warp beam width 322 . A typical installation is to place the guide 90 with the elongated pile assembly 125 screwed into the guide 90 above a flat base between the bottom surface of the warp beam and the There is a minimum gap between the bases so that the short lengths of filaments 127 substantially tilt without causing engagement of the elongated pile assemblies 125 as they pass through the slots 97 of the guide assembly 90 .

Rooted tufted yarn pile products are fed by one or more rooted tufted yarn machines or by a device on a spool. The elongated pile assembly is guided with the short tufted end extending outwardly therefrom through rollers and guide pins (not shown) into slots in the guide. The guide mechanism directs the individual short bundle segments of the elongated pile assembly into contact with the preferably continuously fed backing substrate. An adhesive material, such as a thermosetting or thermoplastic adhesive, is applied to the surface of the substrate just as it passes under the guide assembly. Ideally, the linear rate of the process and the thermal capacity of the adhesive are sufficient to achieve good wetting and encapsulation of the individual staple fiber segments prior to bonding to the substrate. The adhesive cools as it passes under the guide assembly, so the rooted tufted filaments cannot reposition themselves at the exit of the guide.

Another method embodiment of the present invention for the guide of Figure 16 utilizes a thermoplastic polymer melt delivery system and die assembly to cast or form a substrate on the exposed surface of a guide assembly 90 having The exposed portion of the elongated pile component extending therefrom. In this case, the guide is turned over so that each staple fiber bundle extends vertically upward from the guide. The polymer melt delivery system drips a thin layer of polymer melt onto the top guide surface. A tape or strip of material such as Kapton ^(TM) or Teflon ^(TM) may be used as a barrier to protect otherwise exposed metal surfaces from the polymer melt when the polymer melt has a tendency to bond to the metal. The surface of the guide is sufficiently cooled and causes rapid freezing of the polymer melt together with the individual short lengths of fibers encapsulated therein. The elongated fleece helps transport the melt in the plate and cool the polymer melt. Because the elongated fleece is strong enough and does not overheat, the polymer sheet will be sufficiently supported by the elongated fleece after it leaves the guide and continues to cool.

Another method embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown in FIG. 17 . As the elongated pile assembly is fed through the guide 91, the short lengths of fibers 127 of the elongated pile assembly 125 face the engaging element (such as the debonding agent applicator 95). Each short strand segment of the elongated pile assembly preferably wipes the adhesive from the end of the applicator, and the elongated pile assembly continuously rubs the surface of the guide so that when the elongated pile assembly is fed through the guide, the guide is avoided. Large buildup of adhesive in the part. The fabric backing 99 is fed in unison with the tufted strands for joining by one or more adhesive applicators 95 while forming a pile-covered fabric 199 . Although two applicators are shown in this example, one may be sufficient. If an adhesive applicator 95 is used, the adhesive can be applied to the short strands 127 just before they come into contact with the substrate 99, or alternatively, directly to the fabric backing or substrate 99 on. The number of applicators used in this example can also be increased to more than two if desired.

This method embodiment is well suited for substrates that are sufficiently flexible to conform to the curvature of the roller 91 . The low thermal conductivity of most substrates allows a hot melt adhesive to be applied directly to the substrate while providing good thermal insulation and high flow in contact with rooted elongated pile articles. Some substrates may require some heating of the rollers 93 to keep the adhesive fluid until the desired joining time. Such heating of the rollers 93 may be required especially when the substrate is extremely thin.

As with the guide assembly of Figure 16, the guide of Figure 17 must be properly tuned for optimum performance. The curvature of the guide assembly 91 is designed so that the entire arc length is concentric with the surface of the drum. In addition, a distance is formed between the roller 93 rotating in the direction of arrow 98 and the guide 91 to ensure that the short fibers are properly inclined and/or passed when they are pressed into the substrate as shown in FIGS. 2A-4.

In both Figures 16 and 17, the guide assembly is mounted to a mechanism that enables vertical and, if desired, horizontal adjustment of the guide. This is advantageous because the guide can be retracted for cleaning, screwing on or other preparation/maintenance activities. When operating this method, small incremental adjustments in positioning can be accomplished.

18A and 18B illustrate ultrasonic bonding of rooted tufted filaments 125 to substrate 115 in the present invention. Ultrasonic horns 340, 345 vibrate in the directions indicated by arrows 342, 343, respectively, while anvils 350, 355, respectively, provide rigid support for the ultrasonic horns. As vibrational energy is transmitted from the energized horn, the forces 346, 347 press against the base 115 and press the short-segment bundles into contact with each other. The vibratory energy creates frictional heating at the interface while simultaneously melting each short length of fiber 129, warp beam 119, and at least one of the surfaces of substrate 115 to form a polymer flow zone that will bind the long fibers A header assembly is bonded to the base. Figures 18A and 18B show anvils 350, 355 and horns 340, 345, respectively, which act as guides for the elongated pile assembly, respectively.

It is therefore evident that according to the present invention there is provided an elongated pile assembly with "roots", a guide and a product made from several elongated pile assemblies which fully satisfy the above objects and advantages. Although the invention has been described in conjunction with some specific embodiments, it is evident that various alternatives, modifications and changes will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, improvements and changes which fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.

Claims (9)

1. elongated pile assembly comprises:

One elongated through axle, and described elongatedly have a longitudinal axis, one uniform cross-sectional area size and dimension and a periphery surface basically through axle; With

At least one endless tow, described at least one endless tow is fixed on the periphery surface of axle;

Wherein at least one tow is fixed on axle in a position along this tow length, above-mentioned position is divided into long bundle section and short bundle section to length on the longitudinal axis both sides, tufting that forms pile of above-mentioned long bundle paragraph qualification, and above-mentioned short canned paragraph of bundle paragraph qualification.

2. according to the described elongated pile assembly of claim 1, wherein short bundle section is fixed to elongated pile assembly in the substrate.

3. brush comprises:

One first brush body member; And

At least one is according to the described elongated pile assembly of claim 1, and described elongated pile assembly is fixed on the first brush body member.

4. according to the described brush of claim 3, wherein the first brush body member is columnar basically.

5. according to the described brush of claim 3, wherein the first brush body member is the plane basically.

6. according to the described brush of claim 3, one of wherein elongated pile assembly at least one short bundle section is fixed on the first brush body member.

7. pile or bristle surfaces structure comprise:

A substrate; And

At least one is according to the described elongated pile assembly of claim 1, and described elongated pile assembly is fixed in the substrate.

8. guide comprises:

At least one groove, described groove are used for optionally leading at least one according to the described elongated pile assembly of claim 1, and it is terminal that above-mentioned elongated pile assembly has at least one short bundle section, the terminal the same side of stretching out guide of above-mentioned short bundle section, and

Be used at least one short bundle section end is fixed to a suprabasil device,

Wherein at least one elongated pile assembly is joined in the above-mentioned substrate with guide.

9. one kind is utilized a guide to join an elongated pile assembly to a suprabasil method, comprising:

Pass a groove guiding according to the described elongated pile assembly of claim 1, the outside that short bundle section is stretched out groove in the above-mentioned guide;

A kind of engagement device is added at least on one of them of substrate and short bundle section; And

To stretch out the outer short bundle section of groove is fixed in the substrate.

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