Floorcoverings stabilized with pressed-in fibrous layers

Abstract

Reinforcing fibers insensitive to thermal and hydroscopic expansion or contraction are inserted into the backside of a textile fabric using embossing with a fine and deep pattern of projections or cupped needles and held in place with adhesive. The process allows the stabilization of layers having a high sensitivity to variations in temperature or humidity in constructions when the stabilizing fibers cannot be included in the original fabric-forming process, as in the case of a tufted fabric using fiberglass fibers for stabilization.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A textile fabric comprising:
 a top face;   a back face spaced from the top face by a thickness;   a plurality of textile fibers located within the textile fabric between the top face and the back face; and   a stabilized layer extending into the textile fabric and partially along the thickness from the back face, the stabilized layer comprising a plurality of dimensionally stable fibers intermeshed with a portion of the textile fibers and an inter-bonding adhesive;   wherein each dimensionally stable fiber maintains dimensional stability upon exposure to changes in moisture, changes in temperate or changes in moisture and temperature.   
     
     
         2 . The textile fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the inter-bonding adhesive comprises a low-melt adhesive comprising an adhesive melting point lower than a textile fiber melting point. 
     
     
         3 . The textile fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the inter-bonding adhesive comprises a liquid adhesive introduced after the dimensionally stable fibers have been inserted into the back face of the fabric and cured. 
     
     
         4 . The textile fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the dimensionally stable fibers comprise glass or aramid fibers. 
     
     
         5 . The textile fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the dimensionally stable fibers comprise a low coefficient of thermal expansion. 
     
     
         6 . The textile fabric of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the textile fabric comprises a tufted fabric comprising a primary backing between the top face and the back face;   the textile fibers comprise yarns tufted into the primary backing at a plurality of yarn insertion points to define face loops extending from a first side of the primary backing to the top face and back-laps extending from a second side of the primary backing opposite the first side to the back face;   the stabilized layer extends from the back face through the back-laps to the primary backing; and   the dimensionally stable fibers are intermeshed with the back-laps and at least a portion of individual fibers within the back-laps.   
     
     
         7 . The textile fabric of  claim 6 , wherein the dimensionally stable fibers are intermeshed with backlaps in accordance with a pattern of insertion points comprising an insertion point frequency across the back face that exceeds a yarn insertion point frequency across the primary backing. 
     
     
         8 . The textile fabric of  claim 6 , wherein the inter-bonding adhesive extends from the back face through the back-laps and at least partially through the primary backing from the second side. 
     
     
         9 . The textile fabric of  claim 6 , wherein the inter-bonding adhesive is a low-melt adhesive 
     
     
         10 . The textile fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the textile fabric further comprises an additional layer attached to the bottom face and in contact with the stabilized layer. 
     
     
         11 . The textile fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the textile fabric comprises a needle-punched fabric. 
     
     
         12 . A method for stabilizing a textile fabric, the method comprising:
 placing a stabilizing fiber layer and an inter-bonding adhesive layer adjacent a back face of a textile fabric, the stabilizing fiber layer comprising a plurality of dimensionally stable fibers having a low coefficient of thermal expansion, a low coefficient of moisture expansion or a low coefficient of thermal expansion and a low coefficient of moisture expansion;   using heat, pressure or heat and pressure to embed the dimensionally stable fibers and the inter-bonding adhesive into the textile fabric and to form a stabilized layer in the textile fabric.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein:
 the inter-bonding adhesive comprises a liquid adhesive; and 
 the method further comprises curing the inter-bonding adhesive after embedding the dimensionally stable fibers into the back face of the textile fabric. 
 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the textile fabric is a tufted fabric comprising a primary backing between face loops and back-laps; and   using heat, pressure or heat and pressure to embed the dimensionally stable fibers and the inter-bonding adhesive into the textile fabric further comprises using heat, pressure or heat and pressure to embed the dimensionally stable fibers and to melt the inter-bonding adhesive into the back-laps from the back face.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein using heat, pressure or heat and pressure to embed the dimensionally stable fibers and the inter-bonding adhesive into the textile fabric comprises using heat, pressure or heat and pressure to embed the low-melt adhesive through the back-laps and at least partially into the primary backing. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the inter-bonding adhesive comprises a liquid adhesive; and   the method further comprises applying the inter-bonding adhesive to the back face of the tufted fabric after the stabilizing fibers have been intermeshed with the back-laps.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises attaching a second low-melt adhesive layer to the stabilized layer of the textile fabric. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the textile fabric comprises a needle-punched felt. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the stabilizing fiber layer comprises a staple web, a warp of yarns, a warp of filaments, or a fabric or scrim containing glass or aramid fibers, 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the stabilizing fiber layer comprises a blend of low-melt adhesive fibers and dimensionally stable fibers. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein using heat, pressure or heat and pressure to embed the dimensionally stable fibers and the inter-bonding adhesive into the textile fabric further comprises using a plurality of discrete applications of heat, pressure, or heat and pressure to embed the dimensionally stable fibers and inter-bonding adhesive into the textile fabric. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein using heat, pressure or heat and pressure to embed the dimensionally stable fibers and the inter-bonding adhesive into the textile fabric and to form a stabilizing layer in the textile fabric further comprises:
 contacting the stabilizing fiber layer or the inter-bonding adhesive layer with a heated plate comprising a pattern of projections; and   pressing the projections toward the back face to embed the dimensionally stable fibers and the inter-bonding adhesive into the textile fabric.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein using heat, pressure or heat and pressure to embed the dimensionally stable fibers and the inter-bonding adhesive into the textile fabric and to form a stabilizing layer in the textile fabric further comprises:
 contacting the stabilizing fiber layer or the inter-bonding adhesive layer with a heated roller comprising a pattern of projections; and   rolling the heated roller over the stabilizing fiber layer or inter-bonding adhesive layer and pressing the projections toward the back face to embed the dimensionally stable fibers and the inter-bonding adhesive into the textile fabric.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein using heat, pressure or heat and pressure to embed the dimensionally stable fibers and the inter-bonding adhesive into the textile fabric further comprises using a plurality of discrete applications of heat, pressure or heat and pressure. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein using the plurality of discrete applications of heat, pressure or heat and pressure further comprises using a separate pattern of projections for each application of heat, pressure or heat and pressure.