Continuous filament mat and method of making

Abstract

The present invention provides an improved method of forming continuous filament mat (CFM) at greater through-put while maintaining or improving product quality by use of a synchronized draw process. The synchronized draw process provides CFM having improved weight variation, structure and tensile strength is capable of operating at increased mat line speed. CFM produced may have controlled mat density, MD density variation, CM density variation, MD tensile strength and CM tensile strength by controlling the period, frequency and interval of the deposited fiber strands. Using the synchronization technology of the present invention it is possible to control the tensile strength ratio (MD/CD) to meet a specific customer need by adjusting the LFR, frequency, period, and line speed. The method of the present invention provides for increasing the throughput of specialized and costly CFM manufacturing equipment without substantial expenditure.

1 . A continuous filament mat having a predetermined fiber lay down pattern.  
   
   
       2 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined fiber lay down pattern comprises: 
 a plurality of fiber groups laid in a pattern having a predetermined interval.    
   
   
       3 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 2 , wherein the predetermined fiber lay down pattern further comprises: 
 a plurality of fiber groups laid in a pattern having a period (P) on a forming conveyor from a number (N) forming positions, wherein the interval is equal to P/N.    
   
   
       4 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 3 , wherein the predetermined fiber lay down pattern comprises: 
 a plurality of fiber groups laid in a pattern having a number of plies, each ply having a predetermined interval.    
   
   
       5 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 4 , wherein the predetermined interval is equal among all plies.  
   
   
       6 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 4 , wherein the predetermined interval of a first ply is not equal to the predetermined interval of a second ply.  
   
   
       7 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 4 , wherein the predetermined fiber lay down pattern comprises: 
 a number of plies (X), each ply having a period P on a forming conveyor from N/X forming positions, wherein the interval is equal to P/(N/X).    
   
   
       8 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined fiber lay down pattern comprises: 
 a plurality of fiber groups laid in a pattern having a number of plies, each ply having a predetermined interval.    
   
   
       9 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 1  wherein the predetermined fiber lay down pattern comprises: 
 a plurality of fiber groups laid in a pattern having a predetermined period and interval.    
   
   
       10 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 1 , wherein the continuous filament mat has a tensile strength in the machine direction (MD) and in the cross machine (CM) direction and the MD tensile strength is at least 70% of the CM direction tensile strength.  
   
   
       11 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 1 , wherein the continuous filament mat is formed of glass fibers.  
   
   
       12 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 1   1 , wherein the glass fibers are selected from the group consisting of A-type glass fibers, C-type glass fibers, E-type glass fibers, S-type glass fibers, ECR-type glass fibers.  
   
   
       13 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 1 , wherein the continuous filament mat is formed of fibers selected from the group consisting of mineral fibers, glass fibers, carbon fibers, basalt fibers, polymer fibers, nylon fibers, polyester fibers, polyamide fibers, aramid fibers, PVC fibers, PVAC fibers, melamine fibers, acrylic fibers, visil fibers, natural fibers, staple fibers, chopped fibers and mixtures thereof.  
   
   
       14 . A continuous filament mat having a tensile strength in the machine direction (MD) and in the cross machine direction (CM), wherein the MD tensile strength is at least 70% of the CM tensile strength.  
   
   
       15 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 14 , further comprising: 
 a predetermined fiber lay down pattern.    
   
   
       16 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 15  wherein the predetermined fiber lay down pattern comprises: 
 a plurality of fiber groups laid in a pattern having a predetermined interval.    
   
   
       17 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 16 , wherein the predetermined fiber lay down pattern comprises: 
 a plurality of fiber groups laid in a pattern having a period (P) on a forming conveyor from a number (N) forming positions, wherein the interval is equal to P/N.    
   
   
       18 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 17 , wherein the predetermined fiber lay down pattern comprises: 
 a plurality of fiber groups laid in a pattern having a number of plies, each ply having a predetermined interval.    
   
   
       19 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 18 , wherein the predetermined fiber lay down pattern comprises: 
 a number of plies (X), each ply having a period P on a forming conveyor from N/X forming positions, wherein the interval is equal to P/(N/X).    
   
   
       20 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 14 , wherein the continuous filament mat is formed of glass fibers.  
   
   
       21 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 20 , wherein the glass fibers are selected from the group consisting of A-type glass fibers, C-type glass fibers, E-type glass fibers, S-type glass fibers, ECR-type glass fibers.  
   
   
       22 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 14 , wherein the continuous filament mat is formed of fibers selected from the group consisting of mineral fibers, glass fibers, carbon fibers, basalt fibers, polymer fibers, nylon fibers, polyester fibers, polyamide fibers, aramid fibers, PVC fibers, PVAC fibers, melamine fibers, acrylic fibers, visil fibers, natural fibers, staple fibers, chopped fibers and mixtures thereof.  
   
   
       23 . A method of manufacturing a continuous filament mat comprising the steps of: 
 drawing plurality of groups of fibers from a plurality of fiber sources, and depositing a plurality of fiber groups in a predetermined fiber lay down pattern on a forming conveyor.    
   
   
       24 . The method of manufacture of  claim 23 , further comprising the step of: 
 determining an interval between the plurality of fiber groups on the forming conveyor, and    depositing said plurality of fiber groups on said forming conveyor, each of said fiber groups being spaced from an adjacent fiber group by said interval.    
   
   
       25 . The method of manufacture of  claim 24 , further comprising the step of: 
 altering the predetermined interval.    
   
   
       26 . The method of manufacture of  claim 24 , further comprising the step of: 
 measuring a material property of the continuous filament mat and altering said interval in order to alter said material property.    
   
   
       27 . The method of manufacture of claim26, wherein said material property is selected from the group consisting of mat density, MD weight variation, CM weight variation, MD tensile strength and CM tensile strength.  
   
   
       28 . The method of manufacture of  claim 23 , wherein the predetermined fiber lay down pattern comprises: 
 a plurality of fiber groups laid in a pattern having a period (P) on a forming conveyor from a number (N) forming positions, wherein the interval is equal to P/N.    
   
   
       29 . The method of manufacture of  claim 28 , wherein the predetermined fiber lay down pattern comprises: 
 a plurality of fiber groups laid in a pattern having a number of plies, each ply having a predetermined interval.    
   
   
       30 . The method of manufacture of  claim 29 , wherein the predetermined fiber lay down pattern comprises: 
 a number of plies (X), each ply having a period P on a forming conveyor from N/X forming positions, wherein the interval is equal to P/(N/X).    
   
   
       31 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 23 , wherein the continuous filament mat is formed of glass fibers.  
   
   
       32 . The continuous filament mat of  claim 31 , wherein the glass fibers are selected from the group consisting of A-type glass fibers, C-type glass fibers, E-type glass fibers, S-type glass fibers, ECR-type glass fibers.  
   
   
       33 . The continuous filament mat of claim A 23 , wherein the continuous filament mat is formed of fibers selected from the group consisting of mineral fibers, glass fibers, carbon fibers, basalt fibers, polymer fibers, nylon fibers, polyester fibers, polyamide fibers, aramid fibers, PVC fibers, PVAC fibers, melamine fibers, acrylic fibers, visil fibers, natural fibers, staple fibers, chopped fibers and mixtures thereof.  
   
   
       34 . A method of manufacturing a continuous filament mat comprising the steps of: 
 drawing plurality of groups of fibers from a plurality of fiber sources, and depositing a plurality of fiber groups in a predetermined fiber lay down pattern on a forming conveyor, said fiber lay down pattern including pattern having a predetermined period, frequency and interval.    
   
   
       35 . The method of manufacture of  claim 35 , further comprising the step of: 
 measuring a material property of the continuous filament mat and altering said predetermined pattern in order to alter said material property.    
   
   
       36 . The method of manufacture of  claim 35 , wherein said material property is selected from the group consisting of mat density, MD weight variation, CM weight variation, MD tensile strength and CM tensile strength.  
   
   
       37 . The method of manufacture of  claim 35 , wherein one or more of the predetermined period, frequency and interval are altered in order to alter said material property.  
   
   
       38 . The method of manufacture of  claim 37 , wherein the frequency is altered in order to alter the ratio between MD tensile strength and CM tensile strength.