What is claimed is:
1. A method of preparing a stain resistant and water repellant textile fabric, said method comprising:
a) treating a textile fabric with an aqueous primary treatment composition, said primary treatment composition comprising at least about 5 weight percent of a fluorochemical textile treating agent, based on the weight of said primary treatment composition;
b) drying the treated fabric to obtain a primarily treated fabric;
c) providing a polymeric film on said primarily treated fabric, said polymeric film comprising an aqueous secondary treatment composition, said secondary treatment composition comprising at least about 4 weight percent of a fluorochemical textile treating agent, based on the weight of said secondary treatment composition; and
d) drying the treated fabric with said film to obtain a secondarily treated fabric.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said primary treatment composition comprises no more than about 20 weight percent of a fluorochemical textile treating agent, based on the weight of said primary treatment composition.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein said secondary treatment composition comprises no more than about 20 weight percent of a fluorochemical textile treating agent, based on the weight of said secondary treatment composition.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said primary treatment composition further comprises about 0.25 weight percent to about 4 weight percent of an antimicrobial agent, based on the weight of said primary treatment composition.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein said secondary treatment composition further comprises about 0.1 weight percent to about 4 weight percent of an antimicrobial agent, based on the weight of said secondary treatment composition.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein said primary treatment composition further comprises a crosslinkable resin in an amount of from about 0.1 weight percent to about 3 weight percent, based on the weight of said primary treatment composition.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein said crosslinkable resin comprises a melamineformaldehyde resin.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein said primary treatment composition further comprises at least one polymeric latex.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein said polymeric latex comprises a polyurethane latex.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said primary treatment composition further comprises an acrylic latex.
11. The method of claim 8 wherein said polymeric latex comprises a copolymer latex.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein said copolymer latex has a glass transition temperature between about 10-50 C.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein said secondary treatment composition further comprise a polymeric latex.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein said polymeric latex comprises a polyurethane latex.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein said secondary treatment composition further comprises an acrylic latex.
16. The method of claim 13 wherein said polymeric latex comprises an copolymer latex.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein said copolymer latex has a glass transition temperature of less than about 0 C.
18. The method of claim 1 wherein both sides of said textile fabric are treated with said primary treatment composition.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein only one side of said primarily treated fabric is provided with said polymeric film.
20. The method of claim 1 wherein said primary treatment composition has a viscosity of less than about 1,000 cps at room temperature.
21. The method of claim 1 wherein said secondary treatment composition has a viscosity of about 25,000 cps to about 60,000 cps at room temperature.
22. The method of claim 1 wherein said primary treatment composition has a percent solids of about 1% to about 30%.
23. The method of claim 1 wherein said secondary treatment composition has a percent solids of about 30% to about 70%.
24. The method of claim 1 wherein said secondarily treated fabric is liquid water impermeable and water vapor permeable.
25. The method of claim 1 wherein said secondarily treated fabric is transfer printable.
26. The method of claim 8 wherein said secondary treatment composition further comprises a polymeric latex.
27. The method of claim 20 wherein said secondary treatment composition has a viscosity of about 25,000 cps to about 60,000 cps at room temperature.
28. The method of claim 23 wherein said secondarily treated fabric is liquid water impermeable and water vapor permeable.
29. The method of claim 1 wherein in said drying steps of steps (b) and (d), the temperatures are elevated.
30. A stain resistant and water repellant textile fabric prepared by the method of:
a) treating a textile fabric with an aqueous primary treatment composition, said primary treatment composition comprising at least about 5 weight percent of a fluorochemical textile treating agent, based on the weight of said primary treatment composition;
b) drying the treated fabric to obtain a primarily treated fabric;
c) providing to said primarily treated fabric a polymeric film comprising an aqueous secondary treatment composition, said secondary treatment composition comprising at least about 4 weight percent of a fluorochemical textile treating agent, based on the weight of said secondary treatment composition; and
d) drying the treated fabric to obtain a secondarily treated fabric.
31. The fabric of claim 30 wherein said primary treatment composition further comprises about 0.25 weight percent to about 4 weight percent of an antimicrobial agent, based on the weight of said primary treatment composition.
32. The fabric of claim 31 wherein said secondary treatment composition further comprises about 0.1 weight percent to about 4 weight percent of an antimicrobial agent, based on the weight of said secondary treatment composition.
33. The fabric of claim 30 wherein said primary treatment composition further comprises a polymeric latex.
34. The fabric of claim 30 wherein said secondary treatment composition further comprises a polymeric latex.
35. The fabric of claim 30 wherein both sides of said textile fabric are treated with said primary treatment composition.
36. The fabric of claim 35 wherein only one side of said primarily treated fabric is treated with said secondary treatment composition.
37. A stain resistant and water repellant textile fabric comprising:
a textile fabric having two sides;
a coating of an aqueous primary treatment composition on said fabric, said primary treatment composition comprising at least about 5 weight percent of a fluorochemical textile treating agent, based on the weight of said primary treatment composition; and
a polymeric film on one side of said primarily treated fabric comprising an aqueous secondary treatment composition, said secondary treatment composition comprising at least about 4 weight percent of a fluorochemical textile treating agent, based on the weight of said secondary treatment composition.
38. The fabric of claim 37 wherein said primary treatment composition further comprises about 0.25 weight percent to about 4 weight percent of an antimicrobial agent, based on the weight of said primary treatment composition.
39. The fabric of claim 38 wherein said secondary treatment composition further comprises about 0.1 weight percent to about 4 weight percent of an antimicrobial agent, based on the weight of said secondary treatment composition.
40. The fabric of claim 37 wherein said primary treatment composition further comprises a polymeric latex.
41. The fabric of claim 37 wherein said secondary treatment composition further comprises a polymeric latex.
42. The fabric of claim 37 wherein both sides of said textile fabric are treated with said primary treatment composition.
43. The fabric of claim 42 wherein only one side of said primarily treated fabric is treated with said secondary treatment composition.
44. The fabric of claim 37 wherein at least a portion of said coating is disposed between said fabric and said film.
45. The fabric of claim 30 wherein in said drying steps of steps (b) and (d), the temperatures are elevated.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An apparatus for comminution of polymer gel, said apparatus comprising:
a static cutting unit including a cutting screen for obtaining gel strands, wherein the cutting screen is formed of pretensioned members, and the static cutting unit includes a stiffening grid for supporting the cutting screen;
a dynamic cutting element, positioned downstream of the static cutting unit, for cutting the gel strands formed by the static cutting unit into particles of uniform size and shape; and
a feed unit for feeding the polymer gel to the static cutting unit in a shape-stable state, wherein the feed unit is operable to feed the polymer gel batchwise or continuously,
wherein the feeding unit comprises a tubular container and a plunger positioned in the container, and the dynamic cutting element comprises a plurality of wires supported by a guide structure that is movable in a direction that is transverse relative to the feed direction of the container.