Low smoke, low toxicity carpet

Details Low smoke, low toxicity carpet Low smoke, low toxicity carpet

1999-10-19

2001-09-04

Acquah, Samuel A. (Department: 1711)

Stock material or miscellaneous articles

Pile or nap type surface or component

Composition of pile or adhesive

C524S416000, C524S056000, C524S430000, C524S387000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06284343

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a fire retardant polyurethane resin formulation which is suitable for use as a carpet backing for nylon carpets.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Aircraft carpeting can be made from a number of fibers. The two most commonly used for aircraft are wool and nylon. Nylon, in general, has become the preferred fiber for mechanical properties. Wool, historically, has been superior for fire safety.
The standards for fire safety purposes are imposed and monitored by governmental regulatory agencies such as FAA (United States—Federal Aviation Agency), CAA (Great Britain—Civil Aviation Authority—also recognized in parts of Europe), and JAA (Japan Aviation Authority). These apply to all airline operators under their respective jurisdiction. Fire safety standards are additionally maintained by airframe manufacturers such as Boeing, Airbus, McDonnell Douglas and others, and apply to all aircraft they manufacture.
Fire safety regulations vary worldwide. In parts of the world, particularly Europe and Asia, wool has been the only fiber that was able to meet all fire safety regulations, such as vertical burn, smoke and toxic gas emission requirements. In the United States, where fire safety requirements for carpet do not include smoke and toxicity standards, nylon dominates the market as the fiber of choice for aircraft carpet.
More specifically, it is mandatory that all carpet installed on any aircraft worldwide must pass the twelve second vertical burn test described in FAR 25.853(a), Appendix F, Part 1, (a) (1) (ii) and incorporated herein by reference. This is the FAA version of the vertical burn regulation which is generally recognized worldwide and which appears essentially verbatim in CAA, JAA, and other regulatory agencies' documentation.
In contrast to vertical burn, smoke emission and toxic gas emission are regulated differently throughout various parts of the world. For instance, Boeing and Airbus, as airframe manufacturers serving worldwide markets, maintain standards for smoke and toxic gasses. These airline manufacturers provide Supplier Furnished Equipment (SFE) carpet which is selected and installed by Boeing or Airbus as original equipment on their aircraft. For smoke emission and toxic gas emission, this carpet must meet the airline manufacturer's standard, such as Boeing's BMS 8.237C, BSS 7236 and BSS 7238 standards and Airbus' ATS-1000.001 ABD 0031 issue 5 standards, incorporated herein by reference.
These standards describe the smoke emission and toxicity test methods in detail. Generally, to meet the Airbus smoke emission and toxicity standards, a carpet sample (3″×3″) is burned for four minutes in a burn chamber under both flaming and non-flaming conditions. To meet the smoke emission standard, the specific optical density (D
s
) of the resulting smoke cannot exceed 150. To meet the toxicity requirements for smoke gases, the smoke in the chamber is tested for the presence of the following six gases which cannot be present in more than the following listed quantities:
ppm w/in 4 minutes
Hydrogen Fluoride (HF)
100
Hydrogen Chloride (HCL)
150
Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN)
150
Sulfur Dioxide (SO
2
+ H
2
S)
100
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
3500 
Nitrous Gases (NO + NO
2
)
100
The Boeing standards for smoke emission and toxicity are less stringent, but similar to Airbus' standards.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a backing for textiles, particularly nylon carpet which, when applied to these materials, produces a construction that exhibits lower smoke and toxic gas emissions than current products.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a composition for treating carpet or fabrics so they meet flammability, smoke generation and toxic gas emission requirements for aerospace, mass transportation and housing markets.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a fire retardant composition for carpets and fabrics which is agreeable to the manufacturing process, is environmentally safe, exhibits a very low level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and is a single-component material making it compatible with many existing commercial application processes.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a fire retardant composition for carpets and fabrics in a single package formulation which can be used without specialized application equipment being required, requires no mixing, and decreases worker exposure to isocyanates for increased worker safety.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a fire retardant composition for carpets and fabrics in a water-based formula with very low initial toxicity, with low VOCs, and with a non-flammable formula for increased fire safety.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a fire retardant composition for carpets and fabrics which is fire resistant and which meets governmental and industry fire worthiness regulations for use worldwide.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a fire retardant composition for carpets and fabrics which has high penetration and high adhesion to lock in carpet fibers, is tough to assure dimensional stability and provide long service life, and is an elastomeric formulation to eliminate concerns about shrinkage.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a fire retardant nylon carpet.
These and further objects of the invention will become apparent as the description of the invention proceeds.
These objects are attained by providing a fire resistant carpet backing formulation has been made having the following components:
a) a polyurethane dispersion;
b) fire retardant components having at least
a) ammonium polyphosphate,
b) melamine, and
c) a char former;
c) solvents including water;
d) filler, pigment and grinding aids; and
e) surfactants.
Preferred char formers are pentaerythritol and polysaccharides. The polyurethane dispersion is present in about 18-30% by weight, the fire retardant components of part (b) are present in about 39-61% by weight and the solvents of part (c) are present in about 9-25% by weight in the preferred embodiments. When this formulation is used to make a nylon carpet, the resulting carpet is fire retardant and meets the airline standards for fire safety.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A carpet backing has been developed which enables nylon carpet to meet demanding fire safety requirements and thus permits European airline operators to enjoy the many benefits of nylon carpeting. The formula of this invention produces a backing for textiles, particularly nylon carpet which, when applied to these materials, produces a construction that exhibits lower smoke and toxic gas emissions than current products. Carpet or fabrics so treated meet flammability, smoke generation and toxic gas emission requirements for aerospace, mass transportation and housing markets. Additionally this product is environmentally safe, exhibiting very low VOCs and is a single-component material which makes it compatible with many existing commercial application processes.
The preferred formulation is set forth in Table 1 below. Each ingredient is numbered and a more detailed ingredient description as well as its function and source is given below the table.
TABLE 1
Preferred Formulation
% by
No.
Component
weight
% range
1
PR-240 main dispersion
22.00
18-30
2
Water
8.75
 5-15
3
2-Propanol
4.00
3-6
4
N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone
1.70
1-4
5
CT-131 dispersing agent
1.00
0.5-1.5
6
Lorama ECO R1 polysaccharide resin
7.00
4-9
7
Melamine
10.00
 7-13
8
FR Cros 484 Ammonium polyphosphate
30.00
25-35
9
Pentaerythritol
10.00
 7-13
10 
5099 black iron oxide
1.00
0.5-1.5
11 
Dow Corning Antifoam “A”
0.05
0.01-1.00
12 
Surfynol 465 surfactant
0.50
0.1-1.0
13 
4% aqueous dispersion of Rheox
4.00
2-6
Bentone A. D.
1. PR-240 is a proprietary solvent-free anionic aliphatic polyurethane dispersion in water. Typical resin solids are 38-42% with viscosity @ 25° C. Ford Cup of 10-50 secon

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