BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional carpet products made of synthetic fibers include carpets

intended for "wall-to-wall" installation, area rugs, bath rugs and scatter rugs. These products are typically made of synthetic carpet fibers, such as nylon 6,

nylon 66, a polyolefm or a polyester, applied to a backing material. Through the

years, a variety of carpet products have been developed that offer desired

combinations of durability, texture and feel.

A drawback to using carpet products in areas where they may be exposed to high levels of moisture, such as in residential bathrooms, is that the fibers may become wet or soggy. Mold or mildew may form if the carpet products are slow to dry. Additionally, the feel of a wet carpet underfoot is undesirable.

Many conventional synthetic carpet fibers, such as fibers formed of nylon

polymers, have little absorbency of liquid moisture and a tendency to resist water at their surface. Additionally, carpet fibers having a water-repellent finish have been proposed. However, since liquid moisture is retained at the fiber surface on such fibers, the carpet still feels wet underfoot. And when moisture is pressed into

the carpet fibers such as by stepping or walking with wet feet, the carpet backing

may become saturated with water.

Carpet products made of water absorbent fibers, such as cotton fibers, have been marketed for bathroom applications. Generally, these carpets do not have the bulk attributed to carpets employing synthetic fibers such as nylon polymer

fibers, for example, the carpet tufts lay flat. And although the carpet fibers absorb

water so as to prevent water from penetrating to the carpet backing, the carpet fibers are slow to dry and still feel wet underfoot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a carpet product comprising a backing material and a face yam, wherein the face yam comprises synthetic carpet fibers and second fibers which are synthetic fibers having effective moisture transport properties. The invention also relates to preferred face yams that are composed of a combination yam comprising the synthetic carpet fibers commingled with the synthetic fibers having moisture transport properties.

The carpet products have a texture and feel approximating that of conventional synthetic fiber facings, yet effectively transport moisture so that the carpets feel drier upon exposure to moisture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The face yam used in the carpet products of the invention comprises synthetic carpet fibers and synthetic fibers having moisture transport properties.

As used herein, the term "carpet fibers" denotes fibers conventionally used in carpet face yams, including yams used in carpets intended for "wall-to-wall" installation, area rugs, bath rugs and scatter rugs. The carpet fibers are characterized as providing bulk to the carpet facing. The carpet fibers include those formed of nylon polymers, such as nylon 6 and nylon 66, those formed of polyolefins such as polypropylene, and those formed of polyesters.

The second fibers have higher moisture transport properties than the carpet fibers. As used herein, the term "moisture transport properties" denotes the ability of the fibers to effectively transport moisture from a moisture source to which a

portion of the fiber is exposed. Although commercial carpet fibers have limited ability to transport moisture, these second fibers used in the invention are exclusive of conventional carpet fibers and are distinguished by their increased ability to transport moisture, as discussed in more detail below.

Suitable second fibers include many synthetic fibers known to exhibit "wicking action". For example, there are commercial fibers developed and marketed for textile apparel applications due to their wicking action, since a desired property for synthetic textile apparel applications is the ability to wick perspiration.

A first preferred class of second fibers include those having the ability to transport moisture along the length of the fiber. As one example, there are fibers having special configurations that provide the fiber with the ability to transport liquid moisture from a moisture source along a length of the fiber by capillary action.

These known fibers include those having surface channels or grooves extending axially along the fiber, whereby liquid moisture may be transported through the channel or groove.

One example of a commercial fiber believed to have surface channels and marketed for textile products are hydrophobic fibers formed of polyester and sold under the trademark COOLMAX by E. I. DuPont (Wilmington, Delaware, USA).

Additionally, US 5,057,368 (Largman et al.) discloses trilobal or tetralobal fibers formed from synthetic fibers, wherein the fiber cross-section is comprised of a central core having three or four essentially T-shaped lobes. The T-shaped lobes form channels and provide the fibers with good liquid wicking properties. EP 0,600,331-A (Dugan et al.) also discloses synthetic fibers wherein the fiber has T-shaped lobes such that the lobes form lengthwise open channels for wicking liquids. EP '331 also discloses that the surfaces of the channels may be rendered hydrophilic, such as by treatment with a hydrophilic spin finish.

Other fibers having suitable moisture transport properties include synthetic microfibers employed in the textile apparel industry. As used herein, the term "microfibers" denotes fibers composed of individual filaments having a denier per filament less than 2, more preferably less than 1, and having a total denier between about 70 to about 120, more preferably about 80 to about 100. The

microfibers are commonly made of a nylon polymer. Due to the relatively large number of individual fine-denier filaments, the microfibers have a relatively large number of interstices between individual filaments, whereby the microfibers have the ability to transport moisture along a length of the fiber by capillary action.

According to preferred embodiments of the invention, the second fibers include hydrophilic fibers that not only have the ability to transport moisture along a length of the fiber, but also the ability to transport moisture away from the fiber surface.

More specifically, preferred fibers in this class include fibers formed of copolymers of nylon, especially nylon 6, and a hydrophilic moiety. These

copolymers exhibit increased hydrophilicity in comparison with nylon polymers due to the inclusion of the hydrophilic moiety. As an example, the fibers may be

formed of a block copolymer of nylon and poly(ethylene oxide)diamines (PEOD).

These fibers are disclosed in US 4,919,997 (Twilley et al.), and R. A. Lofquist et al., "Hydrophilic Nylon for Improved Apparel Comfort", Textile Research

Joumal, Vol. 55, No. 6, pp 325-333 (1985). As a further example, the fibers may

be formed of a graft copolymer composed of nylon and a low molecular weight

poly(dimethylacrylamide) grafted on the nylon chain. These fibers are disclosed

in US 4,458,053 (Lofquist et al.) and the aforementioned article by Lofquist et al.

Especially preferred are fibers formed of a block copolymer of nylon 6 and

PEOD and available under the trademark HYDROFIL (AlliedSignal Inc., Morris Township, New Jersey, USA). These fibers have the ability to effectively

transport moisture, thereby imparting a drier feel to carpets incorporating the fibers in the face yam. Additionally, the ability of these fibers to absorb moisture

is dependent on humidity conditions. Accordingly, at high humidity conditions,

such as when exposed to a liquid moisture source, the fibers have higher

absorption rates, thereby contributing to quick absorption or transport of liquid

moisture. At lower humidity conditions, the fibers tend to desorb moisture,

thereby permitting the fibers to dry.

As mentioned, the carpet fibers include those formed of nylon polymers, such as nylon 6 and nylon 66, those formed of polyolefms such as polypropylene, and those formed of polyesters. The carpet fibers may be initially provided as

staple fiber or bulked continuous filament (BCF).

Although it is conceivable to add separately the carpet fibers and the fibers having moisture transport properties to a carpet backing, it is preferred that the

carpet fibers and the second fibers are first combined into a combination yam.

This provides for a more uniform distribution of the two types of fibers. Additionally, this ensures that the resultant combination yam can be more easily

added to a carpet backing by conventional tufting or weaving methods. Methods for combining two types of fibers are known in the art, and various methods are described in EP-0,324,773 (Hackler), incorporated herein by reference. Representative methods are described below. For combination yams formed from staple carpet fiber, the combination yams can be formed by blending staple carpet fibers and the second fibers by conventional blending methods, and the resultant blended fibers will generally then be carded, pinned, and spun into a singles yam. This "combination" singles yam can be added directly into carpet, or optionally, this yam can be twisted and plied with another singles yam to form a 2-ply or 3-ply construction. Generally, the resultant yam is twist-set, and multiple ends of the desired yam are then tufted or woven into a carpet backing.

For combination yams processed from BCF yarns, BCF carpet filament

fibers and the second fibers can again be combined into a combination yam by conventional methods. As an example, the caφet fibers and the second fibers can be combined by direct cabling or a twisting process, so as to commingle the two types of fibers into a combination yam. This combination singles yam can be formed directly into carpet, or optionally, this yam can be twisted and plied with

another yam to form a 2-ply or 3-ply construction. Generally, the resultant yam is twist-set. Multiple ends of the desired yarn are then tufted or woven into a carpet

backing.

According to preferred embodiments, BCF carpet fibers and second fibers are commingled by air entanglement according to known processes. More

specifically, two types of fibers are taken up by a mingling nozzle, and a jet of air impinges upon the yarns traveling through the nozzle, thereby entangling (or

commingling) the yams.

The BCF carpet fibers will generally have a total denier of about 800 to

about 3900, and a denier per filament of about 6 to about 28. The preferred

second fibers will generally have a total denier of about 20 to about 400, more

preferably of about 40 to about 200. The second fibers may have a denier per

filament no greater than about 5 dpf. The carpet fibers will generally have a total denier of about 800 to about 3900, and a denier per filament of about 6 to about 28. The preferred second fibers will generally have a total denier of about 20 to

about 400, more preferably of about 40 to about 200. The second fibers may have

a denier per filament no greater than about 5 dpf.

The combination yams of the invention are able to transport moisture

away from a moisture source more effectively and more quickly than carpets

wherein substantially all the face yam is composed of conventional carpet fibers. This provides a drier feel to face yarns having been exposed to moisture. To illustrate, the combination yam will have a wicking rate of at least about 1.0

cm/min (based on vertical wicking over a 5 minute interval by the methodology

described in the Example below). In comparison, conventional nylon carpet fibers

generally have a wicking rate no greater than about 0.5 cm/min. Conceivably, carpets could be manufactured wherein substantially all the face fibers were

formed of various described second fibers. However, such carpets would generally lack the bulk and texture of conventional carpets made of synthetic

carpet fibers.

Generally, the combination yams of the invention will include at least about 50 weight percent of the synthetic carpet fibers to ensure that face fibers formed from the combination yam will have sufficient bulk, and at least about 3 weight percent of the second fibers having moisture transport properties to ensure that face fibers formed therefrom have the desired ability to transport moisture. Accordingly, it is preferred that the combination yams comprise about 50 to about

97 weight percent of the synthetic carpet fibers, and about 3 to about 50 weight percent of the second fibers. More preferably, the combination yams comprise about 70 to about 95 weight percent of the synthetic carpet fibers, and about 5 to about 30 weight percent of the second fibers. Especially preferred are combination yams comprising about 80 to about 92 weight percent of the synthetic carpet fibers, and about 8 to about 20 weight percent of the second fibers. One skilled in the art can readily ascertain optimum amounts of any specific combination of fibers for a desired application through routine testing. The combination yams can be incorporated into carpet products by conventional methods. As an example, the combination yams are tufted or woven to a relatively pliable backing. Representative primary backings include woven

fabrics of synthetic materials such as polypropylene, and woven fabrics of natural materials such as jute.

For carpet products such as caφet for wall-to-wall installation or area rugs,

the non-wear side of a primary backing is generally coated with a bonding

material such as latex for holding the fibers in place and preventing fibers from

being pulled free of the primary backing. Generally, a secondary backing is applied to the back surface of the primary backing, wherein additional bonding

material is applied to prevent delamination of the primary and secondary

backings. The secondary backing strengthens the caφet and ensures that the

bonding material does not come into contact with the floor.

For caφet products such as bath rugs or scatter rugs having a skid-resistant

back surface, the yam may be tufted or woven into a primary backing, followed

by application of a thick elastomeric back coating such as latex according to

conventional methods. The elastomeric back coating provides the rug with skid- resistance.

After the yam is tufted or woven into the caφet backing, the combination

yam is dyed. As known in the art, when the primary backing is constructed of

polypropylene, a relatively small amount of capcoat. consisting primarily of caφet

staple yam dyed to match the combination yam, may be added to the polypropylene backing using a needlepvmch operation prior to tufting or weaving of the face yarn. Since polypropylene does not take up dye as well as the combination ya . the capcoat serves to conceal the polypropylene backing in case

the caφet facing tufts are flattened. Alternately, the combination yam can be

dyed prior to tufting or weaving into the caφet backing, or solution spun-dyed yams can be used.

The following examples illustrate various preferred embodiments of the invention.

Examples 1 -4

In all the following Example yams and the Control yam, a bulked continuous filament (BCF) yam made of nylon 6 polymer and composed of filaments having a trilobal cross-sectional shape was employed. This BCF yam had a denier of 1202 and a denier per filament of 9.1.

In all the following Example yams, a second yam made of a block copolymer of nylon 6 (about 85%) and poly(ethylene oxide)diamine (about 15%) was employed. This yam had a denier of 90 and a denier per filament of 2.65. and is available from AlliedSignal Inc: under the trademark HYDROFIL. For the Control sample, a face yam was made by twisting two BCF yams

(3.5 x 3.5 twist/inch), followed by twist-setting.

For the face yam of Example 1, a combination yam was made by air entangling one end of BCF yam and four ends of the second yam to form a singles

yam. Two ends of the singles yam were taken up, twisted (3.5 x 3.5 twist/inch), and twist-set. The resultant combination yam contained the second yam at about 23 weight percent.

For the face yam of Example 2, a combination yam was made by air entangling one end of BCF yam and two ends of the second yam to form a singles

yam. Two ends of the singles yam were taken up, twisted (3.5 x 3.5 twist/inch), and twist-set. The resultant combination yam contained the second yam at about 13 weight percent.

For the combination yam of Example 3, a combination yam was made by air entangling one end of BCF yam and one end of the second ya to form a

singles yam. Two ends of the singles yam were taken up, twisted (3.5 x 3.5 twist/inch), and twist-set. The resultant combination yarn contained the second yam at about 7.5 weight percent.

For the face yam of Example 4, a combination yam was made by air

entangling one end of BCF yam and one end of the second yam, and the resultant yam was twist-set. The combination yam contained the second yam at about 3.6 weight percent.

Caφet samples were prepared by tufting the Example yams or Control yam to a polypropylene backing containing capcoat staple fibers, and a latex backing was applied to the tufted backing. The caφet samples had a pile height of

0.7 inch, and a pile weight of 36 oz/yd ² .

Wicking Rate

Each of the yam samples of Examples 1 to 4, and the Control yam sample, was tested according to the following procedure. Yam samples having a length of 12 inches were mounted from the side arm holding bracket of a buret stand and weighted with a 2-gram anchor. The bases of the yam samples were immersed in a 250-ml beaker of an aqueous red dye solution, and the initial vertical position was recorded as height 0. Maintaining a constant vertical ruler position beside the vertical yam sample, the vertical position of the red solution in the yam sample was measured after 5 minutes. The procedure was repeated with multiple

samples, and the recorded heights were averaged. The results summarized in Table 1 are derived from total vertical distance traveled over a 5-minute interval divided by 5 minutes.

TABLE 1

Sample Wicking Rate

Control (0% Second Fiber) 0.48 cm/min

Example 4 (3.6% Second Fiber) 1.00 cm/min

Example 3 (7.5% Second Fiber) 2.20 cm/min

Example 2 (13 Second Fiber) 2.00 cm/min

Example 1 (23% Second Fiber) 1.80 cm/min

The data demonstrate that the inventive combination yams have significantly better wicking ability than yams made solely of conventional

synthetic caφet fibers. Drvness Testing

Caφet samples obtained from the yams of Examples 1 and 2, and caφet samples obtained from the Control yam, were tested as follows. Twenty-ml of water was sprayed on the caφet surface, with the spraying confined to a 4-inch diameter area, and the wet caφet was left untouched for 5 minutes. Subsequently, a 4x4 inch square of muslim cloth was weighed, then folded to a 2x2 inch square, and affixed to each wet area of the caφet samples with a 5-pound weight. After five minutes on the caφet samples, the cotton cloth was removed and weighed. From the weight of the cloth prior to application to the wet caφet, and the weight of the cloth after application to the wet caφet, the amount of moisture transferred

from the caφet sample to the cotton cloth contacting the sample was calculated. The results are summarized in Table 2.

IΔBLE_2

Carpet Sample Water Transferred

Control (0% Second Fiber) 0.77 g

Example 2 (13% Second Fiber) 0.49 g

Example 1 (23% Second Fiber) 0.22 g

The results summarized in Table 2 demonstrate the caφets formed of the combination yam of the invention transferred less moisture to the contacting cloth when saturated with moisture. The test quantitatively demonstrates that the combination yam would have a drier feel than the Control yam.

Drying Tests

The caφet samples obtained from the yams of Examples 1 and 2, and the Control yam, were tested as follows. In a first set of tests, the weight of each sample was initially determined, then each sample was washed in a washing machine through an entire washing cycle. Upon removal from the washing machine, the weight of the sample was again measured. The sample was

transferred to a laundry dryer and dried at four-minute intervals. At the end of each 4-minute interval, the sample was removed and weighed, then retumed to the dryer for another 4-minute drying sample. The percent moisture retained at each interval was calculated, and the results are summarized in Table 3.

TABLE 3

Caφet Sample % Moisture Retained (% Second Fibert ΩMin 4Min £Min 12Min 16Min 2ΩMin Control (0%) 100 70.0 49.1 34.7 22.7 8.0 Example 2 (13%) 100 65.9 41.1 27.2 9.1 1.8 Example 1 (26%) 100 54.5 34.5 25.3 15.9 0.0

A second set of tests were performed as in the first set of tests, but the

samples were allowed to dry under ambient conditions with weight measurements

taken at one-hour intervals. The percent moisture retained at each interval was

calculated, and the results are summarized in Table 4.

TABLE 4

Carpet Sample % Moisture Retained (% Second Fiber) OHrs lHr 2Hrs 2Hrs 4ϋrs 5ϋιs 6ϋrs 2Hιs Control (0%) 100 75.5 56 38 25 15 6.8 5.1 Example 2 (13%) 100 73.6 52 35 22 14 7.2 2.4 Example 1 (26%) 100 76.9 59 41 27 17 10 4.3

The data in Table 3 demonstrate that caφets formed of the yams of the

invention dry more efficiently than caφets formed of conventional caφet yams at

the low humidity conditions found in a laundry dryer. (It is noted that the results

summarized in Table 3 may be unique to the preferred embodiment of the

invention where the second fibers have substantial hydrophilicity.) The data in Table 4 demonstrate the caφets formed of yams of the invention generally dry comparatively to those formed of conventional caφet fibers at ambient conditions

even though the yarns of the invention employed second fibers having higher hydrophilicity.

From the foregoing description, one skilled in the art can readily ascertain the essential characteristics of the invention, and without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can readily make various changes and modifications of the invention.