Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or... – Noninterengaged fiber-containing paper-free web or sheet...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-24
2003-12-09
Morris, Terrel (Department: 1771)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or...
Noninterengaged fiber-containing paper-free web or sheet...
C428S298400, C428S299100, C428S323000, C428S327000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06660372
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a resin composition for a non-woven fabric-like design and a process for producing a molded article of a resin having a non-woven fabric-like design. More particularly, the present invention relates to a resin composition which can be pelletized with stability and, when the resin composition is mixed with pellets of an uncolored resin and molded in a mold having a pattern of fine roughness, provides a molded article which has excellent mechanical properties, weatherability and heat resistance and exhibits a non-woven fabric-like design with warmth and depth, and a process for producing the molded article.
2. Description of Related Art
Heretofore, non-woven fabrics are frequently used as interior materials for vehicles and houses. Non-woven fabrics exhibit an excellent design with warmth and depth due to the structure composed of entangled fibers. However, to use a non-woven fabric as an interior material, it is necessary that a substrate having a sufficient mechanical strength and a fixed shape is placed and a non-woven fabric is laminated to the substrate. This cause an increase in the operation procedure and cost inevitably increases. Moreover, when a non-woven fabric is laminated as an interior material of a vehicle using an adhesive and left for a long time, window glasses are occasionally clouded due to volatile matters.
When a molded article of a plastic is used as an interior material, the strength and the shape of the interior material can be selected in a considerably wide range. However, it is not easy that a molded article of a plastic is provided with such a pattern with warmth and depth as that of non-woven fabrics. Moreover, when a colored molded article of a plastic is prepared, it is frequently conducted that a resin composition containing coloring agents in a great concentration and prepared in advance is mixed with pellets of an uncolored resin in an amount 5 to 100 times as much as the amount of the colored resin composition and the prepared mixture is used for molding. It is not easy that a resin composition containing coloring agents in a great concentration is pelletized with stability.
From the standpoint of environmental protection and effective utilization of materials, recycling of various products are being urged in recent years. Therefore, it is important for resin compositions containing coloring agents that molded articles prepared by using the resin composition can be recycled.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has objects to provide a resin composition for a non-woven fabric-like design which can be pelletized with stability and, when the resin composition is mixed with pellets of an uncolored resin and molded, provides a molded article which shows excellent mechanical properties and durability for a long time, exhibits a non-woven fabric-like design with warmth and depth and has an excellent property for recycling, and a process for producing the molded article.
As the result of extensive studies by the present inventors to overcome the above problems, it was found that a resin composition for a non-woven fabric-like design which comprises fiber piles of carbonized polyacrylonitrile having a nitrogen content of 10% by weight or more and/or fiber piles of viscose rayon mass-colored with pigments can be pelletized with stability and, when the resin composition is mixed with an uncolored resin and molded, the molded article exhibits a non-woven fabric-like design with warmth and depth and has an excellent property for recycling. The present invention has been completed based on this knowledge.
The present invention provides:
(1) A resin composition for a non-woven fabric-like design which comprises fiber piles of carbonized polyacrylonitrile having a nitrogen content of 10% by weight or more and/or fiber piles of viscose rayon mass-colored with pigments;
(2) A resin composition described in (1), wherein the fibers piles have a size of 1 to 15 denier and a length of 0.1 to 2 mm;
(3) A resin composition described in any of (1) and (2), which comprises 5 to 20% by weight of the fibers piles;
(4) A resin composition described in any of (1), (2) and (3), which comprises 15 to 40% by weight of polypropylene, 15 to 40% by weight of polyethylene, 10 to 30% by weight of an ethylene-propylene elastomer, 1 to 10% by weight of polypropylene modified with an acid and 5 to 20% by weight of the fibers piles;
(5) A molded article produced by using a resin composition for a non-woven fabric-like design which is described in any of (1), (2), (3) and (4); and
(6) A process for producing a molded article of a resin having a non-woven fabric-like design which comprises mixing a resin composition for a non-woven fabric-like design comprising 5 to 20% by weight of fiber piles of carbonized polyacrylonitrile having a nitrogen content of 10% by weight or more and/or fiber piles of viscose rayon mass-colored with pigments with an uncolored resin in an amount 5 to 20 times as much as an amount of the resin composition and molding a prepared mixture.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The resin composition for a non-woven fabric-like design of the present invention comprises fiber piles of carbonized polyacrylonitrile having a nitrogen content of 10% by weight or more and/or fiber piles of viscose rayon mass-colored with pigments. The fiber piles of carbonized polyacrylonitrile having a nitrogen content of 10% or more can be obtained by applying a flame resistance treatment and a carbonization treatment to polyacrylonitrile fiber to prepare carbonized polyacrylonitrile fiber, followed by cutting the prepared carbonized polyacrylonitrile fiber to prepare piles. The polyacrylonitrile fiber contains 26.4% by weight of nitrogen. The content of nitrogen increases to some extent by the flame resistance treatment. However, the content of nitrogen gradually decreases as the carbonization treatment proceeds and a carbon fiber in the range of a high strength type containing 4 to 7% by weight of nitrogen to a high modulus type containing almost no nitrogen is obtained. The carbonized polyacrylonitrile fiber used in the present invention can be obtained by stopping the carbonization treatment before the polyacrylonitrile fiber is converted into a carbon fiber, i.e., at a stage in which the content of nitrogen is 10% by weight or more. It is more preferable that the carbonized polyacrylonitrile fiber used in the present invention contains 15% by weight or more of nitrogen.
The fiber piles of carbonized polyacrylonitrile containing 10% by weight or more of nitrogen maintains the original shape without breaking or melting even after two steps of working, i.e., a pelletization step in which a matrix resin, the fiber piles, pigments, antistatic agents and antioxidants for the resin composition are mixed together, extruded and pelletized and a molding step in which the obtained resin composition is mixed with pellets of an uncolored resin and injection molded. The fiber piles are uniformly dispersed in the matrix resin without breaking of strands and can be worked with stability during the pelletizing step in which the resin composition is extruded. The fiber piles are uniformly dispersed also in the molding step in which the resin composition is injection molded. The fiber piles are exposed at the surface of the molded article as black fiber piles and contribute to exhibiting a non-woven fabric-like design.
The fiber piles of viscose rayon mass-colored with pigments can be obtained by dipping and pressing pulp in an aqueous solution of an alkali to prepare alkali cellulose, pulverizing and aging the prepared alkali cellulose, reacting the treated alkali cellulose with carbon disulfide to prepare cellulose xanthate, dissolving the prepared cellulose xanthate into an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide to prepare a material solution of viscose, mixing the prepared material solution of viscose with pigments, filtering, aging, defoaming and spinning the mixture of the material solution of
Kondou Masaki
Mizuno Masaki
Todaka Nobuhiko
Yamaguchi Isamu
Dainichiseika Color & Chemicals Mfg. Co. Ltd.
Frishauf Holtz Goodman & Chick P.C.
Morris Terrel
Pratt Christopher L.
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