Artificial turf with textured yarn and production method

Abstract

The method of manufacturing a textured artificial turf yarn includes providing a monofilament yarn, wherein the monofilament yarn includes a polymer blend of polymers; receiving differential scanning calorimetry, DSC, data of a sample of the polymer blend; determining one or more melting temperatures of the monofilament yarn using the DSC data; and texturing the monofilament yarn within a chosen temperature range using a texturing device to provide a textured artificial turf yarn, wherein the chosen temperature range is selected using the one or more melting temperatures.

1 . A method of manufacturing a textured artificial turf yarn using a texturing device and a controller operable to hold an actual temperature of a texturing process in the texturing device at a desired temperature, wherein the method comprises:
 providing a monofilament yarn, wherein the monofilament yarn includes a polymer blend of polymers;   receiving differential scanning calorimetry, DSC, data of a sample of the polymer blend;   determining one or more melting temperatures of the monofilament yarn using the DSC data;   determining a desired temperature of the texturing process using the one or more melting temperatures; and   texturing the monofilament yarn using the texturing device to provide the textured artificial turf yarn, wherein the controller is programmed to hold the actual temperature at the determined desired temperature-.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the desired temperature of the texturing process is determined such that a portion of a crystalline fraction of the polymer blend is in a solid state in a process of the texturing of the monofilament yarn and another portion of the crystalline fraction of the polymer blend is in a molten state in the process of the texturing of the monofilament yarn. 
     
     
         3 . The method  claim 1 , wherein the one or more melting temperatures is two or more melting temperatures, wherein the desired temperature is determined within a temperature range or the desired temperature is determined as a range within the temperature range, wherein the temperature range has an upper boundary temperature being less or equal to one of the melting temperatures, wherein the temperature range has a lower boundary temperature being greater or equal to another one of the melting temperatures. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the upper boundary temperature is no more than a predetermined percentage larger than the lower boundary temperature in degrees Celsius, wherein the predetermined percentage is any one of the following: 5%, 10%, and 15%; and wherein the another one of the melting temperatures is the lowest of the one or more melting temperatures. 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more melting temperatures is a melting temperature of the respective polymer. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the melting temperature of the respective polymer is a minimum temperature at which only a portion of a crystalline fraction of the respective polymer is in a molten state. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the DSC data includes a curve of a heat flow versus temperature, wherein the crystalline temperature of the respective polymer is a temperature at which a peak of the curve corresponding to a melting of a crystalline fraction of the respective polymer has its maximum. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the polymers has polymorphism, wherein each of some of the melting temperatures is a melting temperature of a respective polymorphic modification of the polymer having polymorphism. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the polymer blend includes first portions each having the respective polymorphic modification, wherein the melting temperature of the respective polymorphic modification is a minimum temperature at which only a portion of the first portion having the respective polymorphic modification is in a molten state. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the DSC data includes a curve of a heat flow versus temperature, wherein the crystalline temperature of the respective polymorphic modification is a temperature at which a peak of the curve corresponding to a melting of the respective polymorphic modification has its maximum. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the desired temperature of the texturing process is determined such that a crystalline fraction of one of the polymers is in a solid state in a process of the texturing of the monofilament yarn and a crystalline fraction of another one of the polymers is in a molten state in the process of the texturing of the monofilament yarn; and/or
 at least two of the polymers are different types of polyethylene; and/or   wherein the texturing device includes a stoffer box or a venturi nozzle; and/or   wherein the sample is either a sample of the polymer blend or a sample of the monofilament yarn; and/or   wherein the method further includes drawing the monofilament yarn to a factor of 4-6.5; and/or   wherein the providing of the monofilament yarn including extruding the polymer blend into the monofilament yarn.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the DSC data includes a curve of a heat flow versus temperature in a temperature range, wherein the curve has a base line, wherein the curve coincides with the base line at a lower boundary temperature of the temperature range and at an upper boundary temperature of the temperature range, wherein the upper boundary temperature and the lower boundary temperature are different temperatures, wherein the determined desired temperature complies with the following constraint: a ratio of an integral value and an overall integral value is within a predefined range, wherein the integral value is equal to an integral of a difference of the curve and the base line from the lower boundary temperature to the determined desired temperature, wherein the overall integral value is equal to an integral of the difference of the curve and the base line from the lower boundary temperature to the upper boundary temperature. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the predefined range is 0.05-0.15, preferably 0.09-0.11. 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the method further includes raising the temperature of the monofilament yarn to a temperature within the temperature range using one or more godets. 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 1 , the method further comprising:
 creating the polymer blend, wherein the polymer blend is at least a three-phase system, wherein the polymer blend includes a first polymer, a second polymer, and a compatibilizer, wherein the first polymer and the second polymer are immiscible, wherein the first polymer forms polymer beads surrounded by the compatibilizer within the second polymer.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the creating of the polymer blend comprises:
 forming a first blend by mixing the first polymer with the compatibilizer;   heating the first blend;   extruding the first heated blend;   granulating the extruded first blend;   mixing the granulated first blend with the second polymer; and   heating the granulated first blend with the second polymer to form the polymer blend.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the polymer blend is at least a four phase system, wherein the polymer blend includes at least a third polymer, wherein the third polymer is immiscible with the second polymer, wherein the third polymer further forms the polymer beads surrounded by the compatibilizer within the second polymer. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the creating of the polymer blend comprises:
 forming a first blend by mixing the first polymer and the third polymer with the compatibilizer;   heating the first blend;   extruding the first heated blend;   granulating the extruded first blend;   mixing the first blend with the second polymer; and   heating the mixed first blend with the second polymer to form the polymer blend.   
     
     
         27 . A textured artificial turf yarn manufactured according to the method claimed in  claim 1 . 
     
     
         28 . A method of manufacturing an artificial turf carpet, wherein the method includes:
 manufacturing the textured artificial yarn according to the method claimed  claim 1 ;   tufting the textured artificial turf yarn into a backing.   
     
     
         29 . (canceled)