CA1227022A

CA1227022A - Treated fabric

Info

Publication number: CA1227022A
Application number: CA000446235A
Authority: CA
Inventors: James N. Elesh
Original assignee: Flexi-Mat Corp
Current assignee: Flexi-Mat Corp
Priority date: 1983-09-19
Filing date: 1984-01-27
Publication date: 1987-09-22
Also published as: US4525409A

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF DISCLOSURE

A process for making a fabric is used to produce bedding especially well suited for hospitals, nursing homes, jails, mental institutions, and the like. The process begins with a tightly woven taffeta or ripstop weave cloth made from fine nylon or polyester threads. First, one surface of the taffeta is coated with a urethane water repellent. Next, the partially finished product is treated by immersion in a bacteriostatic and fungistatic, a fire retardant, and an anti-static bath.
The cloth is then cut and sewn into a desired, at least partially, finished product, such as a pillow cover or mattress ticking and can be vented as desired.

Description

^~ TREATED ~`ABRIC ~2~70~2 03 This invention relates to fabrics and to processes for 04 treating fabrics. More particularly, the invention relates to 05 fabrics which are especially -- although not exclusively --06 well suited for use as bedding fabrics (e.g. the covers or 07 ticking for mattresses and pillows) for people confined to bed 08 over extended periods of time, such as patients in hospitals.
09 Heretofore, this kind of material is usually a loosely woven fabric coated by a waterproof vinyl layer or lamination 11 which is then perforated to make it porous. When the resulting 12 material is used to cover a pillow, it is hot, ~ncomfortable, 13 and is actually noisy during use.
14 A person who must remain in bed for long periods of time becomes very sensitive to discom~orts caused by these and 16 similar bedding fabrics. For example, under any use, and 17 particularly extended use by a bed-ridden patient, the fabrlc 18 used to manufacture pillows and mattresses needs to be soft and 19 should not make noise when a person moves. It should be cool to the touch and should not accumulate body heat. In addition, 21 due to government regulations and for safety reasons, the 22 material should be treated with a fire retardant, and with 23 anti-static, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal material. One 24 example of material which has been used heretofore to make pillow and mattress covers is described in U.S. Patent No.
26 3,279,986. This material, known under the trademark StaphChek, 27 uses a nylon scrim which is put through a vinyl bath and then 28 ventilated with many tiny holes. This material, however~ is 29 still stiff and noisy and retains body heat.
Accordinyly, an object of this invention is to provide new 31 and improved fabrics and processes for making fabrics of the 32 above described type. ~ere, an object is to provide new 33 processes for making more comfortable bedding and especia~ly a 34 more comfortable ticking for pillows and mattresses.

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^ Another object is to provide a new and improved pillow and 02 mattress ticking.
03 Yet another object of the invention is to provide fabric 04 which does not become offensive as by forming a breeding media 05 for mildew, bacteria, or fungus.
06 Still another object of the invention is to provide a fire 07 and stain resistant material which breathes by means of air 08 vents and yet does not pass water in a liquid state through the og fabric.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a 11 fabric which meets all appropriate government regulations.
12 In keeping with an aspect of the invention, these and other 13 objects are accomplished by providing means for and methods of 14 making a fabric which is tightly woven from very fine strand nylon or polyester (or a combination thereof) filaments which 16 are then coated on one side with a fire-retardant, urethane 17 finish. The resulting product is then treated by being 18 immersed in one or more liquid baths containing fluids 19 providing fire retardant, anti-static, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial characteristics. Thenl the material is squeezed 21 dry. After drying, the product is cut and sewn into the 22 desired shape, and air vents are made in the fabric.
23 In one em~odiment, the starting material is a taffeta weave 24 of nylon threads. The threads have a fineness in the range of 70-100 denier, although 70 denier is preferred to provide a 26 softer fabric. The preferred thread density is 88 threads pec 27 square inch in one direction and 104 threads per square inch in 28 the other direction.
29 AlternatiVely, a r;pstop weave can be used Again, a 70 denier thread is preferred, but the preferred thread density 31 for this weave is 74 threads per square inch in each direction.

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^l To this material, a coating of one ounce of urethane per 02 yard of material is applied to one side of the taffeta. When 03 combined with the tight weave of the nylon strands, the 04 material becomes very water repellent.
05 The material is then treated ~ith a finish which inhibits 06 the growth of mold, mildew and other bacteria and their 07 associated odors. Since the fabric finish inhibits the growth 08 of bacteria, this treatment also provides a longer resistance og to fiber breakdown, thereby increasing the life of the fabric.
It also prevents perspiration odors caused by fungal growth.
11 One such anti-mildew and an~i-bacteria finish is a commercially 12 available deodorant treatment for fabric which is supplied 13 under the trademark ~ULTRA-FRES~, distributed by B.J. ~ilton 14 Sales Co., Inc., 200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016.
Thomson Research Associate~ Ltd. of Toronto, Canada, 16 developer of the ULTRA-FRES~ anti-microbial finish, states that 17 the finish can be applied by exhaustion or padding operations, 18 and by spraying or incorporation into adhesive or resin bonding 19 systems. Since the present invention employs a woven fabric, a dipped process in which the fabric is immersed in a fungistat 21 bath is preferred. This finish is durable ~or laundering and 22 is active over a wide range of microbes, including staphylo-23 coccus aureus, a main contributor to odor production.
24 After or simultaneous to the time the bacteriostatic and fungistatic finish is applied, the material is treated with an 26 antistatic agent. One such agent is the ~elec DP~ brand 27 finish of E. I. duPont de Nemours and Company [Inc.~.

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^' According to the duPont company, this finish has the 02 following chemical and physical properties:
03 Composition Dispersion of complex organic 04 cationic polymers 06 Physical form Homogeneous, aqueous dispersion 08 Color Cream Odor Terpene 12 Viscosity Moderately viscous 14 pH 6 to 8 at 10~ concentration in water 17 Weight per gallon 8.5 lb.

19 Ionic charge Cationic 21 Solubility Miscible with water in all 22 proportions 24 Solids content 21 26 Stability 27 Normal Storage Indefinite 28 To Freezing Can be r.estored to satisfactory --29 condition by thawing and mixing 31 The antist~tic agent, like the bacteriostatic and 32 fungistatic finish, can be applied with a padding and drying 33 procedure. The antistatic agent is extended with water at ~ 2~
~ ab~ut 120 F (49~ C) to prepare the pad bath, and application 02 of the agent in the proportion of 2 to 4~ of the fabric weight 03 is desirable. The antistatic agent is applied to the fabric 04 using a two or three roll padder and dried in any suitable 05equipment, preferably at 250 to 280 F (121~ to 138 C). The 06 fabric should be thoroughly dried, but a curing step is 07 unnecessary.
08This finish is durable to repeated washings in a soap og solution. The duPont company claims that an effective finish is retained even after 15 to 30 typical home launderings in an 11 automatic washing machine or a~ter 30 to 80 hand launderings.
12 The washing of the fabric in synthetic detergents such as 13 alkylaryl sulfinates greatly reduces the degree of antistatic 14 effectiveness. If a dry cleaning process is used, the remaining effectiveness of ~he antistatic finish will dep~nd on 16 the solvent and dry cleaning detergent used; synthetic anionic 17 surfactants may have an adverse effect.
18 The fabric is then treated with a fire retardant finish.
19 One suitable fire retardant is distributed by Auralux Corporation of Norwich, Connecticut under the name Pyrolux -21 SNS. This is a durable modified thiourea-based fire retardant 22 designed to produce a soft finish on nylon. While the 23 bacteriostatic, fungistatic, antistatic and fire retardant

2~ finishes have been described sequentiallyl it is usual to 2S simultaneously apply all the finishes in a single immersion 26 bath.
27 When the material treated in the above described manner was 28 tested, it was found to have unusu~lly supecior 29 characteristics. The apparatus and methods used ~or testing the fire retardance characteristics were those speci~ied in the 31 National Fire Protec:tion Association Standard 70~ 75, as set 32 forth in the California ~egulations on Flammability Standards 33 ~or ~ospital Fabrics: Title 19, California Ad~inistrative 34 Code, Part 2, Sectiorls 1160-ll60.}6.

^' The average burning time (in seconds) of fiYe samples of 02 the fabric tested was 13~6, which greatly exceed the 7.0 03 seconds prescribed by the Code for sheets and pillow cases.
04 Stain resistance testing was also conducted on the 05 inventive material by using two methods.
06 First, the fabric was spotted with the below listed 07 staining agents and then immediately wiped with a paper towel ~8 to remove any excess staining agent. The fabric was evaluated og for the degrees of staining immediately and again after one hour. The second method was to spot the fabric with the same 11 staining agents, which were left undisturbed overnight. The 12 fabric was then washed in a reverse wash wheel as:cording to the 13 AATCC Method 96-80, Test IV E ~160~F wash and tumble dry).
14 After laundering, the fabric was evaluated for the degree of 15_ staining as follows:

17 Stain Evaluation 19 Procedure 1 Procedure 2 21 Immediately After 1 hr.

23 Perspiration None None Slight-None 24 Alcohol None None None Oil (Nujol) Noticeable Noticeable Slight 26 Lubricating 27 Grease Considerable Considerable Considerable 28 Urine None None None Liquid penetration resistance testing was done in 31 accordance with the procedures outlined in Federal Test Method 32 Standard lglA-5512, using a Mullen Hydrostatic Unit. According 33 to this test, five samples of the inventive fabric had an '~ Z
^1 average water resistance of 159 p.s.i , which was three times 02 as resistant to liquid penetration as the allowable minimum for 03 household fabrics.
04 A bloodstain resistance test was also conducted, using the 05 U.S. Testing Company Method. The fabric was soaked in blood 06 for 15 minutes and washed with cold water. The washed fabric 07 had a color alteration between classes 4-5, where class 5 is 08 negligible or no color alteration, class 4 is slight color 09 alteration, class 3 is noticeable color alteration, class 2 is considerable color alteration and class 1 is much color 11 alteration. The class ratings were determined through the use 12 of an AATCC Grey Scale for evaluating color changes.
13 The antimicrobial properties were tested in accordance with 14 the procedures outlined in AATCC Test Method 90-1974. The samples were placed on a~ar plates which had been inoculated 16 with Staphylococcus aureus ATCC ~6528. Half of the plates were 17 incubated immediately at 35C, while the other half were 18 refrigerated for twenty-four hours to retard bacterial growth 19 and to allow for diffusion of the antimicrobial~ The plates were then incubated for twenty-four hours at 35~C.

22 Zones of Inhibition (mm~

24 non-refrigerated pre-refrigerated 0/0.5 ~/0 2~
27 The bacterial reduction assays testing used a 20Q mg sample 28 to which a 20 ml phosphate buffer ~as added and inoculated with 29 1 x 105 bacteria, either Staphylococcus aureus ~ATCC ~6538) or ~lebsiella pneumoniae ~ATCC ~352). After either one or 31 five hours incubation at 37C, the bacterial population was 32 enumerated by plate counting, and then was compared to the 33 original population.

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02 Test Exposure ~ Reduction 03 Organism Time Blank Inventive Material 05 S. aureus 1 hr. 15.13 49.34 06 5 hr. 20.39 82.36 07 K. pneumoniae 1 hr. 0 78.40 08 5 hr. 32.73 97.80 The zone of inhibition studies were conducted on a 11 one-square inch swatch of fabric which was placed on a nutrient 12 agar which had been seeded with one of the follow~ng three 13 organisms:
14 Klebsiella pneumonia ~4352 Aspergillus niger ~9642 16 Aspergillus flavus t9643 17 The sample was then incubated at 35C for 29-48 hours at 18 which time the zone of inhibition was measured in milli~.etersO

Zone of Inhibition ~mm) 22 X. pneumoniaeA. Niger A. flavus 23 0 2.25 0.75 26 A summary of these tests show that the antifungal activity 27 continued to be present. The bacterial reduction studies 28 demonstrated antibacteri~l activity also continued to be 29 present. ~owever, this activity was less evident in the presence of ~ high organic load (AATCC 90).
31 These tests clearly demonstrated the superiority of the 32 inventive process. In addition, products produced from the 33 process are softer, quieter, and cooler during use than 34 previous products.

7~22 ^' In order to make pillow ticking, for example, from the 02 inventive material after it has been treated as described 03 previously, the material is cut and sewn into the desired 04 configuration. Four vents are then formed in the corners of o~ the pillow, with two vents in the top and two in the bottom 06 surfaces.
07 The inventive material can also be used for mattress 08 ticking. Those who are skilled in the art will readily og perceive many other uses for the inventive material.
Those who are skilled in the art will also readily perceive 11 how to modify the invention. Therefore, the appended claims 12 are to be construed to cover all equivalent structures which 13 fall within the true scope and spirit of the invention.

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Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A process for making a fabric comprising the steps of:
(a) tightly weaving a cloth selected from the group consisting of nylon and polyester threads or a combination thereof;
(b) coating one surface with a fire retardant treated urethane water repellant; and (c) immersing the cloth in a bath containing a bacteriostatic and fungistatic material, a fire retardant, and an antistatic material.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein step (c) involves use of cationic antistat material.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein said cationic antistat agent is comprises of a homogeneous, aqueous dispersion of organic cationic polymers, the solids content being about 21%, the weight of said cationic antistat agent being about 8.5 pounds per gallon, the viscosity of said cationic antistat agent being moderately viscous, and the pH of said cationic antistat agent ranging from about 6.0 to about 8.0 when present in water at a concentration of 10%.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein said threads have a denier of 70.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein said threads have a density of 88 threads per square inch in one direction and 104 threads per square inch in the other direction.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein said urethane coating is applied in the amount of one ounce of urethane per yard of taffeta.

7. The process of claim 1 wherein said cloth is a taffeta weave.

8. The process of claim 2 wherein said cloth is a ripstop weave.

9. A fabric comprising a tightly woven cloth selected from the group consisting of nylon and polyester threads or a combination thereof; one surface of said cloth coated with a fire retardant, water repellant urethane; and said entire cloth having been immersed in a fluid both containing a bacteriostatic and fungistatic agent, a fire retardant and an antistatic material.

10. A process for making a fabric comprising the steps of:
(a) tightly weaving a cloth from the group consisting of polyester and nylon threads or a combination thereof;
(b) coating one surface of the cloth with a fire retardant treated urethane water repellant;
(c) immersing the cloth in a deodorant bacteriostatic and fungistatic bath;
(d) immersing the cloth in a cationic antistatic bath;
(e) immersing the cloth in a flame retardant bath; and (f) drying the cloth.

11. The process of claim 10 including the additional step of cutting and sewing the fabric into a desired shape.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein the cutting and sewing step forms a pillow covering.

13. The process of claim 12 and the added step of forming vents in the pillow covering.

14. The process of claim 13 wherein at least two vents are formed in corners of the upper surface of the pillow and at least two vents are formed in the lower surface of the pillow.

15. The process of claim 10 wherein said cloth is woven into a taffeta weave.

16. The process of claim 10 wherein said cloth is woven into a ripstop weave.

17. A mattress cover comprising a tightly woven cloth selected from the group consisting of polyester and nylon threads or a combination thereof; one surface of said cloth coated with a fire retardant, water repellant urethane; and said entire cloth having been immersed in a bath containing deodorant bacteriostatic and fungistatic agents, a cationic antistatic agent, and a flame retardant.