Insulating material

Abstract

An insulating material is constructed in weight percent from about 20-60% low melt bicomponent fiber, 10-40% high melt bicomponent fiber and 20-60% staple fiber. The material provides a unique combination of strength, acoustical insulating and even thermal insulating properties heretofore unavailable in the art.

What is claimed  
     
         1 . An insulating material, comprising in weight percent about 20-60% low melt bicomponent fiber, 10-40% high melt bicomponent fiber and 20-60% staple fiber.  
     
     
         2 . The material of  claim 1 , including an average fiber diameter of between about 10-30 microns.  
     
     
         3 . The material of  claim 1 , including an average fiber diameter of between about 16-24 microns.  
     
     
         4 . The material of  claim 1 , including an average fiber diameter of between about 18-22 microns.  
     
     
         5 . The material of  claim 1 , wherein said material has a density of between about 1.0-10.0 pcf and a flexural strength of between about 40-1200 psi.  
     
     
         6 . The material of  claim 5 , wherein said material has the acoustical absorption coefficients as follows:  
       
         
           
                 
                 
                 
               
                     
                     
                 
                     
                     
                 
                     
                   freq (Hz) 
                   @ 2 pcf density 
                 
                     
                     
                 
                     
                    500 
                   0.17-0.24 
                 
                     
                   1000 
                   0.29-0.63 
                 
                     
                   2000 
                   0.50-0.94 
                 
                     
                   4000 
                   0.71-0.99 
                 
                     
                     
                 
                     
                     
                 
             
                
                
                
                
               
               
                
                
                
                
                
                
               
            
           
         
       
     
     
         7 . The material of  claim 6 , wherein said material has a thermal conductivity value of between about 0.20 and 0.30 at 2 pcf density.  
     
     
         8 . The material of  claim 1 , wherein said low melt and high melt bicomponent fibers are a concentric sheath/core CoPET/PET.  
     
     
         9 . The material of  claim 8 , wherein said staple fibers are selected from a group of materials consisting of polyester fibers, polyethylene fibers, polypropylene fibers, nylon fibers, rayon fibers, glass fibers, natural fibers and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         10 . The material of  claim 1 , wherein said material has the acoustical absorption coefficients as follows:  
       
         
           
                 
                 
                 
               
                     
                     
                 
                     
                     
                 
                     
                   freq (Hz) 
                   @ 2 pcf density 
                 
                     
                     
                 
                     
                    500 
                   0.17-0.24 
                 
                     
                   1000 
                   0.29-0.63 
                 
                     
                   2000 
                   0.50-0.94 
                 
                     
                   4000 
                   0.71-0.99 
                 
                     
                     
                 
                     
                     
                 
             
                
                
                
                
               
               
                
                
                
                
                
                
               
            
           
         
       
     
     
         11 . The material of  claim 10 , wherein said material has a thermal conductivity value of between about 0.20 and 0.30 at 2 pcf density.  
     
     
         12 . The material of  claim 11 , wherein said staple fibers are selected from a group of materials consisting of polyester fibers, polyethylene fibers, polypropylene fibers, nylon fibers, rayon fibers, glass fibers, natural fibers and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         13 . The material of  claim 1 , wherein said staple fibers are selected from a group of materials consisting of polyester fibers, polyethylene fibers, polypropylene fibers, nylon fibers, rayon fibers, glass fibers, natural fibers and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         14 . The material of  claim 13 , wherein said low melt bicomponent fibers are selected from a group of materials consisting of copolyester/polyethylene terephthalate, poly 1,4 cyclohexanedimethyl terephthalate/polyethylene terephthalate, poly 1,4 cyclohexanedimethyl terephthalate/polypropylene, glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate/polyethylene terephthalate, propylene/polyethylene terephthalate, nylon 6/nylon 66, polyethylene/glass, polymer/natural fibers and mixtures thereof that yield differential melt flow temperatures.  
     
     
         15 . The material of  claim 14 , wherein said bicomponent fibers are in a configuration selected from a group consisting of sheath-core, side-by-side, segmented pie and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         16 . The material of  claim 14 , wherein said low melt bicomponent fibers have a melt flow temperature of about 100 to about 130° C.  
     
     
         17 . The material of  claim 13 , wherein said high melt bicomponent fibers are selected from a group of materials consisting of copolyester/polyethylene terephthalate, poly 1,4 cyclohexanedimethyl terephthalate/polyethylene terephthalate, poly 1,4 cyclohexanedimethyl terephthalate/polypropylene, glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate/polyethylene terephthalate, propylene/polyethylene terephthalate, nylon 6/nylon 66, and mixtures thereof that yield differential melt flow temperatures.  
     
     
         18 . The material of  claim 17 , wherein said high melt bicomponent fibers are in a configuration selected from a group consisting of sheath-core, side-by-side, splitable segmented pie and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         19 . The material of  claim 17 , wherein said high melt bicomponent fibers have a melt flow temperature of about 170 to about 200° C.  
     
     
         20 . The material of  claim 17 , wherein crystalline/semicrystalline bicomponent fibers having a melt flow temperature of about 150 to about 180° C. are substituted in part or whole for said high melt bicomponent fiber.