Artificial turf with marbled monofilament

Abstract

A method of manufacturing artificial turf creating a liquid polymer mixture, wherein the polymer mixture is at least a two-phase system. A first one of the phases includes a first polymer and a first dye, and a second one of the phases of the polymer mixture includes a second polymer and a second dye of a different color than the first dye. The first and the second phase are immiscible, the first phase forming polymer beads within the second phase. The method further includes extruding the polymer mixture into a monofilament including a marbled pattern of the first and second color; quenching the monofilament; reheating the monofilament; stretching the reheated monofilament to deform the polymer beads into threadlike regions and to form the monofilament into an artificial turf fiber; and incorporating the artificial turf fiber into an artificial turf backing.

1 .- 29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . A method of manufacturing artificial turf, the method comprising the steps of:
 creating a liquid polymer mixture, wherein the polymer mixture is at least a two-phase system, a first one of the phases comprising a first polymer and a first dye, a second one of the phases of the polymer mixture comprising a second polymer and a second dye, the second dye having a different color than the first dye, the second polymer being of the same or of a different type as the first polymer, the first and the second phase being immiscible, the first phase forming polymer beads within the second phase;   extruding the polymer mixture into a monofilament comprising a marbled pattern of the first and second color;   quenching the monofilament;   reheating the monofilament;   stretching the reheated monofilament to deform the polymer beads into threadlike regions and to form the monofilament into an artificial turf fiber; and   incorporating the artificial turf fiber into an artificial turf backing.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein one of the first and the second polymers is a polar polymer and the other one is an apolar polymer and wherein the first and second polymers are chosen such that the polarity difference of the polar and the apolar polymer results in the phase separation of the first and second phase. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the second polymer is a non-polar polymer and/or wherein the first polymer is a polar polymer. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the polymer bead comprises crystalline portions and amorphous portions, wherein stretching the polymer beads into threadlike regions causes an increase in the size of the crystalline portions relative to the amorphous portions. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the creating of the polymer mixture comprises the steps of:
 forming a first mixture by mixing the first polymer with the compatibilizer;   heating the first mixture;   extruding the first mixture;   granulating the extruded first mixture;   mixing the granulated first mixture with the second polymer; and   heating the granulated first mixture with the second polymer to form the polymer mixture.   
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the first polymer is any one of the following: polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the second polymer is any one of the following: polyethylene, polypropylene, and a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the compatibilizer is any one of the following:
 a grafted maleic acid anhydride (MAH); an ethylene ethyl acrylate (EEA);   a maleic acid grafted on polyethylene or polyamide; a maleic anhydride grafted on free radical initiated graft copolymer of polyethylene, SEBS (styrene ethylene butylene styrene), EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate), EPD (ethylene-propylene diene) or polypropylene with an unsaturated acid or its anhydride such as maleic acid, glycidyl methacrylate, ricinoloxazoline maleinate;   a graft copolymer of SEBS with glycidyl methacrylate, a graft copolymer of EVA with mercaptoacetic acid and maleic anhydride; a graft copolymer of EPDM with maleic anhydride; a graft copolymer of polypropylene with maleic anhydride; and   a polyolefin-graft-polyamidepolyethylene or polyamide; and a polyacrylic acid type compatibilizer.   
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the phase separation of the first and the second phase is achieved by selecting the first and the second polymer such that the difference in melt mass-flow rate of the first and second polymer results in a phase separation of a molten mixture of the first and second polymer. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38 , the first polymer having a melt mass-flow rate that differs by at least 3 g/10 min measured at 190° C/2.16 kg from the melt mass-flow rate of the second polymer. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 30 ,
 the first polymer having a melt mass-flow rate—measured at 190° C/2.16 kg—of 0.5-5 g/10 min; and   the second polymer having a melt mass-flow rate—measured at 190° C/2.16 kg—of 8-100 g/10 min.   
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 30 , the extrusion being performed at a pressure of 40-140 bars, more preferentially between 60-100 bars. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 30 , the creation of the liquid polymer mixture comprising heating the polymer mixture to reach at the time of extrusion a temperature of 190-260° C., more preferentially a temperature of 210-250° C. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 30 , the stretching comprising stretching the reheated monofilament according to a stretch factor in the range of 1.1-8, more preferentially in the range of 3-7. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 30 , the quenching being performed in a quenching solution having a temperature of 10-60° C., more preferentially between 25° C-45° C. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the polymer mixture comprises 1-15 percent by weight the first polymer, and preferentially comprises 2 to 10 percent by weight the first polymer. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the polymer mixture comprises more than 70 percent by weight the second polymer, and preferentially comprises 70 to 90 percent by weight the second polymer. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein in the marble pattern of the monofilament the occurrence of the two different colors changes every 50-1000 μm, more preferentially every 100-700 μm. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the first dye is an azo-nickel pigment complex in a concentration of 0.5-5, more preferentially of 1.5-2 percent by weight of the first phase and/or wherein the second dye is phthalocyanin green in a concentration of 0.001-0.3% by weight, preferably 0.05-0.2% by weight of the second phase. 
     
     
         49 . An artificial turf comprising an artificial turf textile backing and an artificial turf fiber incorporated into the artificial turf backing, wherein the artificial turf fiber comprises at least one monofilament comprising on its surface a marbled pattern of a first and a second color, wherein the monofilament is a monofilament created in an extrusion step from a liquid polymer mixture, each of the at least one monofilament comprising:
 a first polymer in the form of threadlike regions, the first polymer comprising a first dye having the first color;   a second polymer, the second polymer comprising a second dye having the second color, the second dye having a different color than the first dye, wherein the threadlike regions are embedded in the second polymer, wherein the first polymer is immiscible in the second polymer.