Carpet backing based on carded technology

Abstract

A carpet backing material, such as a unitary carpet backing material or a primary carpet backing material, and carpet comprising the same, in which the carpet backing material comprises at least one thermally bonded carded (TBC) nonwoven layer comprising a plurality of carded staple fibers comprising a polymer constituent that is chemically the same as that of a secondary backing material, which improves recyclability of the carpet is provided.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A carpet, comprising: a plurality of carpet yarns tufted into and/or through a fibrous backing material comprising at least one thermally bonded carded (TBC) nonwoven layer comprising a plurality of carded staple fibers including (i) a polymer constituent and (ii) an optional additive constituent; wherein the polymer constituent of each of the plurality of carded staple fibers is the same. 
     
     
         2 . The carpet of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one TBC nonwoven layer comprises from about  1  to about  10  individual TBC nonwoven layers thermally bonded together to define the fibrous backing material. 
     
     
         3 . The carpet of  claim 1 , wherein the fibrous backing material has a basis weight from about 20 to about 300 grams-per-square-meter (gsm). 
     
     
         4 . The carpet of  claim 1 , wherein fibrous backing material comprises a primary backing material or a unitary backing material. 
     
     
         5 . The carpet of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of carded staple fibers comprise monocomponent staple fibers. 
     
     
         6 . The carpet of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of carded staple fibers comprises a blend of a first portion of the monocomponent staple fibers comprising a first polymer component of the polymer constituent and a second portion of the monocomponent staple fibers comprising a second polymer component of the polymer constituent, wherein the first polymer component is partially crystalline and serves as the matrix component and the second polymer component is amorphous and serves as the binder component, and wherein the fibrous backing material exhibits a single melting peak as evidenced by a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) trace. 
     
     
         7 . The carpet of  claim 6 , wherein the polymer constituent is a single polymer system that forms the first portion of the monocomponent staple fibers comprising the first polymer component having stress-induced crystallization and the second portion of the monocomponent staple fibers comprising the second polymer component having a lower softening temperature than the first portion of monocomponent staple fibers. 
     
     
         8 . The carpet of  claim 1 , wherein the fibrous backing material is thermally area bonded. 
     
     
         9 . The carpet of  claim 1 , wherein the fibrous backing material is thermally pattern bonded and has a bonded area from about 8 to about 50%. 
     
     
         10 . The carpet of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of carded staple fibers comprise bicomponent staple fibers including the first polymer component and the second polymer component present in distinct portions of a cross section of the bicomponent staple fibers, and wherein the fibrous backing material exhibits a single melting peak as evidenced by a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) trace. 
     
     
         11 . The carpet of  claim 10 , wherein the bicomponent staple fibers have a sheath-core configuration, a side-by-side configuration, or a multi-lobal configuration. 
     
     
         12 . The carpet of  claim 10 , wherein the polymer constituent is a single polymer system that forms the first polymer component having stress-induced crystallization and the second polymer component having a lower softening temperature than the first polymer component of the bicomponent staple fibers. 
     
     
         13 . The carpet of  claim 1 , wherein the polymer constituent comprises a a polypropylene or copolymer thereof, a polyethylene or copolymer thereof a polyester, a polylactic acid, a polyamide, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The carpet of  claim 1 , wherein the fibrous backing material is a primary backing material, and the carpet further comprises a secondary backing material bonded directly or indirectly to the primary backing material, wherein the secondary backing material comprises a nonwoven fabric. 
     
     
         15 . The carpet of  claim 14 , wherein the secondary backing material is indirectly bonded to the primary baking material via an adhesive layer located between and adjacent the primary backing material and the secondary backing material or directly bonded to the primary baking material via one or more thermal bonds. 
     
     
         16 . The carpet of  claim 15 , wherein the secondary backing material comprises a spunbond nonwoven, a secondary TBC nonwoven, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         17 . A method of making a carpet, comprising: tufting a plurality of carpet yarns into and/or through a fibrous backing material to provide a carpet, the fibrous backing material comprising at least one thermally bonded carded (TBC) nonwoven layer comprising a plurality of carded staple fibers including (i) a polymer constituent and (ii) an optional additive constituent; wherein the polymer constituent of each of the plurality of carded staple fibers is the same. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the fibrous backing material is a primary backing material, and the method further comprises bonding a secondary backing material to the primary backing material. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein bonding the secondary backing material to the primary backing material comprises adhesively bonding the secondary backing material to the primary backing material. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein bonding the secondary backing material to the primary backing material comprises thermally bonding the secondary backing material directly to the primary backing material, wherein an interface between the secondary backing material and the primary backing material is devoid of an adhesive.