Water-resistant plywood substitutes made from recycled carpets or textiles

Abstract

A method is disclosed for using discarded carpet segments or other recycled textiles to make wood-like material in sheets that are comparable to plywood. The carpet segments or other recycled materials are shredded, then layered across a slow-moving conveyor to form a thick, low-density belt of fibers. This belt is compressed between rollers, and then needle-punched, using needles with surface barbs that pull fibers downward and upward. This needle-punching causes fibers inside the mat to be pulled into vertical alignment (i.e., perpendicular to the top and bottom surfaces of a horizontal mat), to form a needle-punched mat that will hold together without chemical adhesives. A binder material is then applied to at least one and possibly both surfaces of the mat, by means such as spreading or spraying a liquid binder on either or both surfaces of the mat, or stretching a continuous film of the binder material across either or both surfaces of the mat. The polymer-coated fiber mat is then compressed while the binder hardens and cures, to form hardened wood-like product, in sheet form, without requiring melting of the nylon or other synthetic fibers inside the material. In an alternate embodiment, nylon fibers blended with polypropylene or other polyolefins can be heated and compressed to a temperature which (i) melts the polypropylene, causing it to act as an adhesive, and (ii) creates a “heat set” in the nylon fibers. These materials are strong, durable, highly resistant to cracking or splitting, and highly resistant to water infiltration or damage, and offer highly useful substitutes for plywood, particleboard, and other forms of wood and lumber.

1 - 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . A method of manufacturing an article, comprising the steps of:
 providing fiber material;   cross-lapping at least one ribbon of fibers formed from the fiber material to form a cross-lapped fibrous mat;   compressing the cross-lapped fibrous mat and then needle-punching the compressed cross-lapped fibrous mat to form a dense needle-punched cross-lapped fibrous mat;   forming a single layer of viscous adhesive comprising a foaming mixture comprising two components on the dense needle-punched cross-lapped fibrous mat;   allowing the single layer of adhesive to foam such that foaming action of the adhesive causes the adhesive to generate pressure and travel outwardly in various directions to permeate thoroughly into and throughout the entire thickness of the dense needle-punched cross-lapped mat as the fibrous mat is sandwiched between pressing members; and   maintaining the dense needle-punched cross-lapped fibrous mat and adhesive under pressure between the pressing members while the adhesive cures and chemically bonds to fibers of the mat.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the fibrous mat comprises nylon fibers. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the fibrous mat comprises a mixture of nylon- 6  fibers and nylon-6,6 fibers. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising cutting the fibrous mat into articles of a desired size after the adhesive has cured. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the adhesive is a polyurethane adhesive. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the adhesive comprises a mixture of isocyanate component and polyurethane component.