A non-woven product is prepared in which a fiber or fabric is bound by a binder containing an aqueous copolymer emulsion which contains a first polymer network which is intertwined on a molecular scale with a second polymer network.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 753,685, filed July 10, 1985, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,057.
A two stage polymerization process for preparing a vinyl acetate/ethylene emulsion copolymer containing a monomer which is normally incompatible with vinyl acetate. In the first stage the vinyl acetate and ethylene and, optionally, an active crosslinking comonomer and/or latent crosslinking comonomer are free radical polymerized in the presence of a stabilizing system to yield a first stage polymer emulsion. When the free vinyl acetate monomer content of the first stage emulsion is less than about 5%, the second stage polymerization begins by adding the incompatible monomer. Preferably, there is no cessation of the addition of the free radical source during the transition from the first stage to the second stage polymerization. No additional stabilizing system is added to the reaction in the second stage. Vinyl acetate/ethylene/incompatible comonomer/latent crosslinking comonomer copolymers prepared by the two stage polymerization process are suitably used as binders for making nonwoven products.
Emulsion copolymers having a core-shell structure with alkyl alkanoate, alkylene, alkyl acrylate and vinyl silane in the core and vinyl alkanoate in the shell are usable in pigmented surface coating compositions. These compositions have desired water permeability tensile strength and elongation properties at low temperatures. The compositions provide bridging for cracks present or developing in the surface.
A layered geosystem and method employ at least one layer of geotextile which has at least one surface friction-treated with a treatment material in a manner described herein. Contact of the friction-treated surface with an adjacent layer of, for example, geonet or geomembrane assists in preventing movement of such a layer which can occur on sloped terrain.
Lofted non-woven materials are formed by bonding fibres and used for, e.g. furniture filing and heat insulation. The flammability of these materials is an important characteristic. The use of copolymer emulsions having defined Tg, molecular weight and solution viscosity as binders allows the material to melt away from an open flame. Thus the flammability of the non-woven material is reduced.
The present invention provides monofilaments coated with certain adhesive layers and methods to produce the coated filaments. Also provided are fabrics formed from the monofilaments. The coated monofilaments and fabrics provide improved adhesion with additional coating top layers.
