Development of Lightweight, Bulky Batting-Type Filling Material for Sleeping Bags

摘要

An investigation of lightweight, bulky batting-type filling material for sleeping bags involved the study of a wide range of fiber types, which were formed into webs by carding, garnetting and air-layering systems. The resultant webs were subsequently processed into battings by spray-bonding and needling. Needled battings were found to have a consistently greater bulk density than spray-bonded battings formed from corresponding webs. Picker blending followed by carding was found to be a satisfactory method of web formation, as air-laid battings tended to show a greater loss of thickness alter laundering. Thickness loss after laundering was also found to be influenced by the batting weight per unit area. The lighter battings generally shrank to a greater extent than the heavier battings. However, for sleeping bag applications, multi-layering of battings is required to obtain a final thickness of approximately 2 inches at 0.01 psi pressure. Under these circumstances, loss in thickness after laundering is inhibited; in one instance a trial sleeping bag was found to have increased in thickness after laundering. (Author)