Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
I
DESCRIPTION
TITLE OF INVENTION: FASTENER CHAIN AND SLIDING FASTENER
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a fastener chain in a state in which
an intermediate
portion in a width direction thereof is closed, and a slide fastener including
the fastener chain
and a slider that opens and closes the intermediate portion in the width
direction of the
fastener chain in a longitudinal direction of the fastener chain.
In addition, in the present specification, expressions referred to as "front"
and
"back" are presented in relation to the slide fastener, but generally, when
the slide fastener is
attached to a product such as clothes or a bag, a side exposed to the outside
in a normal use
state of the product is the front, in other words, a side where a pull of the
slider is attached is
the front. In the present specification, expressions of "front" and "back" are
used in a similar
meaning.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] As an example of a water repellent treatment method for a fastener
chain in the
related art, it is known that the fastener chain is caused to pass through a
water repellent
filling a container, and then the fastener chain is dried to cause the water
repellent to adhere
to the fastener chain (Patent Literature 1). Generally, the slide fastener is
in a state in which a
small gap can be formed in an engagement portion of elements, a gap of a
certain degree can
be formed between a pair of left and right tapes, and water easily permeates
from the gap.
Therefore, in relation to a slide fastener described in Patent Literature 1,
in addition to a
specification, generally referred to as "back use", in which a side on which
elements are
present is used as a back side, even though a liquid-tight surface made of a
resin film or the
like is provided on entire front surfaces of fastener tapes, the fastener
chain is caused to pass
through the water repellent so as to suppress the permeation of water from the
gap between
the pair of left and right tapes, and the water repellent treatment is also
performed on element
portions and back surfaces of the fastener tapes.
[0003] Further, as another example of the water repellent treatment method for
a fastener
chain in the related art, it is known that a lower portion of a roller is
immersed in a water
repellent filling a container, and the roller is rotated to carry the water
repellent to an upper
surface of the roller, elements of the fastener chain are pressed against the
upper surface of
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the roller to apply the water repellent, and thereafter the fastener chain is
caused to pass
through a vacuum portion so as to adhere the water repellent to threads for
fixing the
elements to tapes or holes in the tapes through which the threads pass (Patent
Literature 2).
Although it is unclear whether a slide fastener described in Patent Literature
2 is for back use
or for front use, not only are the tapes subjected to a water repellent
treatment in advance, but
also the water repellent is applied to the elements. In the related art,
"front use" is a
specification in which a side on which the elements are present is used as a
front side.
[0004] Further, in order to suppress a permeation problem of water through a
gap of
engagement portion of elements and a gap between a pair of left and right
tapes, it is also
described in Patent Literature 3 that waterproofing of elements should be
considered.
As described above, in order to impart a sufficient water repellent effect to
the slide
fastener, it has been considered in the related art to positively apply a
water repellent to the
elements.
[0005] In recent years, it is required to suppress environmental pollution as
much as
possible from an enhancement in environmental protection awareness of the
entire society.
Regarding the water repellent and a substance whose use has not been
particularly regarded
as a problem before, there is a tendency to regulate the usage amount thereof
in accordance
with the enhancement in environmental protection awareness in recent years.
Nowadays, it is
required to reduce the usage amount of a fluorine-based water repellent that
is highly
effective as a water repellent material.
Among such an environmental protection awareness change, a technology
disclosed in Patent Literature 4 is proposed as a technology capable of
performing a water
repellent treatment on an object without performing drying after using water
and applying a
large amount of a water repellent.
[0006] Patent Literature 4 discloses that, as an example of a water repellent
treatment
method for a base material, a curable coating composition containing a
polymerizable
monomer is applied to the base material, a polymerizable monomer is
polymerized under a
specific condition, the curable coating composition is used to an organic
polymer coating,
and as a result, the organic polymer coating adheres to the base material.
Further, the water
repellent treatment method for a base material disclosed in Patent Literature
4 is described as
a typical usage example for fibers, but it is described that the method is
widely applicable to
leather goods, electronic components, and the like other than the fibers, and
the method is
also applicable to buttons and zippers.
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CITATION LIST
PATENT LITERATURE
[0007] Patent Literature 1: JP2008-194066A
Patent Literature 2: JPS59-080204A
Patent Literature 3: JPS60-198102A
Patent Literature 4: JP2018-528077A
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
TECHNICAL PROBLEM
[0008] As the water repellent treatment method for a base material disclosed
in Patent
Literature 4, an example actually applied to the fastener chain is not
described, and a problem
of treating an element portion of the fastener chain as described above is not
studied. As
described above, in order to impart the sufficient water repellent effect to
the slide fastener, it
has been considered in the related art to positively apply the water repellent
to the elements.
However, the fastener chain and the slide fastener are also desired to have
not only water
repellency but also flexibility.
[0009] The inventors of the present invention have found that, when the water
repellent
treatment method for a base material disclosed in Patent Literature 4 is
applied to the fastener
chain as in the Patent Literatures 1, 2, and 3 in the related art, and the
curable coating
composition containing the polymerizable monomer is directly applied not only
to the tapes
of the fastener chain but also to the elements, the fastener chain becomes
hard after the
polymerizable monomer is polymerized, and necessary flexibility of the
fastener chain is
deteriorated.
[0010] The present invention is made in consideration of the above-described
actual
conditions peculiar to the fastener chain and the slide fastener, and an
object thereof is to
provide a fastener chain and a slide fastener that have both water repellency
and flexibility.
The present invention is peculiar to the fastener chain and the slide
fastener.
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM
[0011] It is assumed that a fastener chain of the present invention includes:
a pair of tapes
that are opposite to each other in a width direction and are made of fibers; a
pair of element
rows that are separately fixed to opposite side edge portions on back surfaces
of front and
back surfaces of the pair of tapes and are in an engaged state; and an organic
polymer and a
non-fluorine-based water repellent component. The organic polymer and the non-
fluorine-
based water repellent component adhere to the pair of tapes in a state of
entering an inside
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thereof from the front surfaces to the back surfaces of the tapes. The organic
polymer and the
non-fluorine-based water repellent component do not substantially adhere to
the element
rows through a gap between the pair of tapes. "Not substantially adhere" is
intended to
exclude a case where, when strict component analysis is performed, a very
small amount of
the component that incidentally adheres to the element rows in a manufacturing
step different
from a step of directly applying the component to the element rows is
detected. Whether the
organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component pass
through the gap
between the pair of tapes and adhere to the element rows is a matter that can
be easily
identified by a person skilled in the art by viewing states of the front
surfaces of the tapes and
the element rows.
[0012] Further, it is assumed that another fastener chain of the present
invention includes:
a pair of tapes that are opposite to each other in a width direction and are
made of fibers; a
pair of element rows that are separately fixed to opposite side edge portions
on back surfaces
of front and back surfaces of the pair of tapes and are in an engaged state;
and an organic
polymer and a non-fluorine-based water repellent component. The organic
polymer and the
non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to the pair of tapes in a
state of entering
an inside thereof An adhesion amount of the non-fluorine-based water repellent
component
on the element rows is less than 0.14% of an adhesion amount of the non-
fluorine-based
water repellent component on the tapes on a weight ratio basis. The amount of
less than
0.14% is a concept including 0%, that is, a case where the non-fluorine-based
water repellent
component does not adhere to the element rows at all.
[0013] Further, it is assumed that still another fastener chain of the present
invention
includes: a pair of tapes that are opposite to each other in a width direction
and are made of
fibers; a pair of element rows that are separately fixed to opposite side edge
portions on back
surfaces of front and back surfaces of the pair of tapes and are in an engaged
state; and an
organic polymer and a non-fluorine-based water repellent component. The
organic polymer
and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to the pair of
tapes in a state of
entering an inside thereof An adhesion amount of the organic polymer and the
non-fluorine-
based water repellent component on the tapes is an amount in which a maximum
load
measured such that a width of one of the tapes is 16 mm and a length in a
longitudinal
direction of a portion to be a loop portion in a loop compression method is 80
mm is 0.1 N or
less in a flexibility test method according to a C method (the loop
compression method) of
8.22.3 of JIS-L-1096:2010.
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[0014] There is no limitation on whether the organic polymer and the non-
fluorine-based
water repellent component adhere to a core string, but the following is an
example.
That is, the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent
component
adhere to core strings that extend along the side edge portions of the tapes
by following
sewing threads that fix the pair of element rows to the tapes.
[0015] There is no limitation on how the adhesion amount of the non-fluorine-
based water
repellent component adheres to front surface sides and back surface sides of
the tapes, but the
following is desirable for improvement of flexibility.
That is, an adhesion amount of the non-fluorine-based water repellent
component
on a back surface side of the tape is smaller than that on a front surface
side.
[0016] Further, there is no limitation on an adhesion amount of a product
containing the
organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component on the
pair of tapes
per surface area, but the following is an example.
That is, an adhesion amount of a product containing the organic polymer and
the
non-fluorine-based water repellent component on the pair of tapes per surface
area is 9 g/m2
to 22.5 g/m2.
[0017] Further, there is no limitation on whether the organic polymer and the
non-fluorine-
based water repellent component adhere to the pair of element rows as
described above, but
the following is an example.
That is, in addition to the pair of tapes, the organic polymer and the non-
fluorine-
based water repellent component adhere to an installation region installed
onto the tape
among surfaces facing a side of the tape, which are front surfaces of the pair
of element rows,
in a state of permeating from the inside of the pair of tapes.
[0018] Further, there is no limitation on to which surface the organic polymer
and the non-
fluorine-based water repellent component adhere, but the following is an
example.
That is, the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent
component
adhere to the pair of tapes other than the back surfaces.
[0019] Further, there is no limitation on whether the organic polymer and the
non-fluorine-
based water repellent component adhere to the pair of element rows as
described above, but
the following is an example.
That is, the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent
component
do not adhere to the pair of element rows.
[0020] Further, there is no limitation on whether the fastener chain includes
an element
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other than the tapes, the element rows, the organic polymer, and the non-
fluorine-based water
repellent component and on details of the element rows, but the following is
an example.
That is, the fastener chain further includes a core string extending along the
side
edge portion of the tape, and the element row is a monofilatnent extending in
a longitudinal
direction of the core string in a state of being entangled with the core
string. The organic
polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to the
core string in a
state of permeating from front surfaces of a pair of the monofilaments in
addition to the pair
of tapes and the pair of monofilaments.
[0021] Further, there is no limitation on the adhesion amount of the non-
fluorine-based
water repellent component on the core string and the tapes, but the following
is an example.
That is, an adhesion amount of the non-fluorine-based water repellent
component
on the core string is smaller than that on a back surface side of the tape on
a weight ratio
basis.
[0022] There is no limitation on the type of the non-fluorine-based water
repellent
component, but the following is an example.
That is, the non-fluorine-based water repellent component is a silicone oil-
based component.
[0023] The present invention relates not only to the fastener chain, but also
to a slide
fastener. That is, a slide fastener of the present invention includes the
above-described
fastener chain; and a slider attached to the pair of element rows of the
fastener chain.
ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION
[0024] According to the present invention, water repellent treatment for a
fastener chain
and a slide fastener is optimized, and the fastener chain and the slide
fastener according to the
present invention have both water repellency and flexibility.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0025] [FIG. 1] FIG. 1 is a view showing a back surface of a slide fastener
according to a
first embodiment of the present invention.
[FIG. 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II-II in FIG. 1.
[FIG. 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view clearly showing a right side portion
of a
fastener chain shown in FIG. 2.
[FIG. 4] FIG. 4 is an illustrative diagram showing an outline of flexibility
test
apparatus.
[FIG. 5] (a) and (b) of FIG. 5 are illustrative views showing an outline of a
water
repellency test, and (b) of FIG. 5 is an illustrative view showing a
relationship between the
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fastener chain and a jig viewed from a direction A in (a) of FIG. 5.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0026] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a slide fastener 1 according to a first
embodiment of
the present invention includes a fastener chain 2 in a state in which an
intermediate portion in
a width direction thereof is closed by engaging a pair of element rows 6 with
each other, and
a slider 3 that opens and closes the intermediate portion in the width
direction of the fastener
chain 2 in a longitudinal direction of the fastener chain 2. Further, the
slide fastener 1
according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes, in
addition to the fastener
chain 2 and the slider 3, first stoppers 4A and a second stopper 4B that are
fixed to both end
portions in the longitudinal direction of the fastener chain 2 and define a
moving range of the
slider 3. The slide fastener 1 according to the first embodiment is a
specification referred to as
"back use" in which a side on which the element rows 6 are present is used as
a back side.
[0027] The fastener chain 2 includes a pair of tapes 5 that face each other in
the width
direction, the pair of element rows 6 that are fixed to the pair of tapes 5
and are in an engaged
state, core strings 7 that extend along side edge portions facing each other
of the tapes 5 and
in which the element rows 6 are entangled with each other, and sewing threads
8 that fix the
pair of element rows 6 to the tapes 5.
[0028] The tape 5 is a woven object or a knitted object. A thread used as a
raw material of
the woven object or the knitted object is a combination of a plurality of
fibers. The core string
7 is also a combination of a plurality of fibers. The sewing thread 8 is
thinner than the core
string 7 and is a combination of a plurality of fibers. The tape 5 is not
particularly limited as
long as an organic polymer and a non-fluorine-based water repellent component,
which will
be described later, can adhere to the tape 5 in a state of entering the inside
thereof For
example, the tape may be a non-woven fabric having a gap that allows the
organic polymer
and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component to enter the inside
thereof
The pair of element rows 6 are fixed in a state of being engaged with the side
edge
portions that are on one side in a thickness direction of the pair of tapes 5
and face each other.
The first stoppers 4A and the second stopper 4B are fixed to the tapes 5 in a
state of being
adjacent to the element rows 6 on both sides in the longitudinal direction of
the fastener chain
2.
[0029] In the present embodiment, the first stopper 4A is fixed to each tape
5. In the
present embodiment, the second stopper 4B is fixed to the pair of tapes 5 in a
state in which
the pair of tapes 5 are connected. The first stoppers 4A and the second
stopper 4B define the
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moving range of the slider 3 when the slider 3 collides with the first
stoppers 4A and the
second stopper 4B.
[0030] The pair of element rows 6 are separately fixed to the side edge
portions that are on
back surfaces of the plurality of tapes 5 and face each other. The pair of
element rows 6 are
engaged with or separated from each other according to the direction in which
the slider 3
moves. When the slider 3 is moved upward in FIG. 1, the pair of element rows 6
are engaged
with each other, and when the slider 3 is moved downward in FIG. 1, the pair
of element
rows 6 are separated from each other. The slider 3 includes a body 3a movably
attached to the
pair of element rows 6 and a pull 3b connected to the body 3a for operation.
By the
movement of the body 3a, the pair of element rows 6 are engaged with or
separated from
each other.
[0031] Hereinafter, directions are determined as follows based on a state in
which the slide
fastener 1 is placed on a fiat surface.
A front-rear direction is a direction in which the slider 3 is moved. The
front-rear
direction coincides with the longitudinal direction of the fastener chain 2.
The front-rear
direction coincides with an upper-lower direction in FIG. 1.
A left-right direction coincides with the width direction of the fastener
chain 2. The
left-right direction coincides with the left-right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The upper-lower direction coincides with a thickness direction of the fastener
chain
2. The upper-lower direction coincides with the upper-lower direction in FIG.
2. A lower
surface of the tape 5 is a front surface of the tape 5, and an upper surface
of the tape 5 is the
back surface of the tape 5. A lower surface of the element row 6 is a front
surface of the
element row 6, and an upper surface of the element row 6 is a back surface of
the element
row 6. The pull 3b is disposed on a front side of the fastener chain 2.
[0032] The element row 6 is a monofilament. The monofilament is made of a
synthetic
resin and is linear. Further, the monofilament has a shape that is three-
dimensionally bent into
a coil shape or a zigzag shape in a form of being entangled with the core
string 7 extending
linearly. The monofilament may be referred to as a coil element or a zigzag
element
corresponding to a bent shape. A portion of the monofilament having a unit
length to be
engaged and separated is referred to as an element 6a. In the monofilament, a
large number of
elements 6a are continuous in a longitudinal direction of the core string 7.
As the slider 3
moves, the elements 6a of the pair of element rows 6 are engaged with and
separated from
each other.
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[0033] The element 6a includes a lower leg portion 11 disposed on the back
surface of the
tape 5, an upper leg portion 12 facing the lower leg portion 11 from above, an
engaging head
portion 13 joining the upper leg portion 12 and the lower leg portion 11 on
the other tape 5
side, and a joining leg portion 14 joining one of the upper leg portion 12 and
the lower leg
portion 11 to the adjacent element 6a. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the element
6a is attached
to the tape 5 such that the lower leg portion 11 is in contact with the tape 5
and the upper leg
portion 12 is not in contact with the tape 5. That is, in the width direction
of the fastener
chain 2, the lower surface (front surface) of the lower leg portion 11 is
divided into a contact
region with the tape 5 (an installation region 6c of the element row 6
installed onto the tape 5)
and a region 6d on a gap 5S side of the pair of tapes 5. The gap 5S between
the pair of tapes 5
is a space portion formed between the pair of tapes 5. The engaging head
portion 13 is
engaged with and separated from the engaging head portion 13 of another
element 6a.
In the case of the coil element, as shown in the drawing, the joining leg
portion 14
joins the upper leg portion 12 of the element 6a to the lower leg portion 11
of the adjacent
element 6a.
In the case of the zigzag element, although not shown, the middle element 6a
of the
three elements 6a adjacent to each other in the front and rear direction joins
the joining leg
portion 14 extending from the upper leg portion 12 of the element 6a to the
upper leg portion
12 of the adjacent element 6a on the front side, and the joining leg portion
14 extending from
the lower leg portion 11 of the adjacent element 6a on the rear side is joined
to the lower leg
portion 11 of the middle element 6a. Such a configuration in which the three
elements 6a
adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction are continuous in the front-
rear direction is
the zigzag element.
[0034] Those adhering to the front surfaces of the pair of tapes 5 of the
above-described
fastener chain 2 are the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water
repellent
component. Specific examples of the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based
water
repellent component are disclosed in the above-described Patent Literature 4.
The organic
polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component are obtained by
polymerizing
a liquid curable coating composition containing a polymerizable monomer and
contain an
organic compound. More specifically, the liquid curable coating composition
containing the
polymerizable monomer, the non-fluorine-based water repellent component, and a
thermally
activated polymerization initiator is chemically changed under predetermined
conditions, the
polymerizable monomer is polymerized, and the non-fluorine-based water
repellent
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component is incorporated into the organic polymer. Depending on the degree of
polymerization, the non-fluorine-based water repellent component may not be
incorporated
into the organic polymer. Examples of the non-fluorine-based water repellent
component
include silicone oil-based and hydrocarbon-based components, preferably a
silicone oil-based
component. An example of the silicone oil-based component is a straight,
branched or cyclic
polysiloxane, and specific examples thereof include a dimethylsiloxane. An
example of the
hydrocarbon-based component is one of which a main chain is a polyurethane
group and a
side chain is a hydrocarbon group. Specific examples thereof include paraffin.
Specific
examples of the curable coating composition (hereinafter, abbreviated as
"coating
composition") are products named EMPEL sold by Green Theme Technologies, Inc.
[0035] The coating composition is polymerized through the following steps 1)
to 4) to
impart water repellency to the fastener chain.
Step 1) is an application step of applying to an entire front surface of the
fastener
chain 2, that is, the entire front surfaces of the pair of tapes 5 under a non-
polymerizable
condition. Depending on application conditions at this time, the coating
composition does not
pass through the gap 5S between the pair of tapes 5 and does not substantially
adhere to the
element rows 6. Depending on the application conditions, the coating
composition passes
through the gap 5S between the pair of tapes 5 and adheres to a part of the
element rows 6.
However, an adhesion amount is very small. In any case, unlike the water
repellent fastener
of the related art, the water repellent component (coating composition) in the
present
invention is not directly applied to the element rows. In other words, the
water repellent
component (coating composition) is not directly applied from the back surface
of the element
row 6 (the surface facing a side opposite to the tape 5).
[0036] Step 2) is an oxygen removal step of putting the fastener chain 2 to
which has been
performed application into a container under the non-polymerizable condition
to remove
oxygen in the container. It is assumed that the fastener chain 2 is put into a
container in a roll
shape (in a spirally wound state).
[0037] Step 3) is a pressurizing step in which, during step 2) or after step
2), the inside of
the container is filled with a gas not containing oxygen, for example,
nitrogen gas, and the
inside of the container is pressurized until a predetermined gas pressure.
Through the
pressurizing step, the coating composition applied to the front surface of the
fastener chain 2
enters at least an inside of the tapes 5. That is, the coating composition
enters the inside of the
tapes 5 (a gap between fibers), and enters an inside of the core strings 7 (a
gap between
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fibers) depending on the application conditions and pressurizing conditions.
The coating
composition may enter the inside of the core strings 7 by following the sewing
threads 8 for
fixing the pair of element rows 6 to the tapes 5. Further, depending on the
application
conditions and the pressurizing conditions, the coating composition permeates
to the front
surfaces of the element rows 6. That is, the coating composition can not only
travel from the
front surface side 5A to the back surface side 5B of the pair of tapes 5, but
also enter the front
surfaces of the element rows 6 depending on the application conditions and the
pressurizing
conditions, and further enter the inside (the gap between the fibers) of the
core strings 7 via
the lower leg portions 11 of the element rows 6. Depending on the application
conditions,
since the coating composition may pass through the gap 5S between the pair of
element rows
6 and adhere to a part of the element rows 6 (normally, the region 6d on the
gap 5S side of the
front surfaces thereof), in this case, the coating composition can also enter
the core strings 7
and other portions of the element rows 6 by the pressurizing step. The
adhesion amount of the
coating composition per unit volume gradually decreases according to an order
in which the
coating composition enters.
[0038] Step 4) is a heating step of heating the inside of the container while
maintaining a
pressurized state in the container. The thermoplastic polymerization initiator
is activated and
the polymerizable monomer is polymerized by heating, and the coating
composition finally
becomes a product containing the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based
water repellent
component, and adheres to the fibers of the tapes 5, the element rows 6, and
the fibers of the
core strings 7 in a form of binding. As described above, since the product
contains the organic
polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component, whether the
organic polymer
and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhere to each member can
be
evaluated by extracting the non-fluorine-based water repellent component.
Alternatively, it
may be determined by observing the state of the front surface of each member.
Further, a
difference in the amount of the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based
water repellent
component adhering to each member can be evaluated by extracting the non-
fluorine-based
water repellent component and measuring the amount thereof. Specifically, the
difference can
be evaluated by measuring the amount of silicone oil by a method to be
described later.
Assuming that the tape 5 is bisected in the thickness direction, the adhesion
amount of the
silicone oil on the tape 5 per sample weight satisfies an inequality of the
front surface side 5A
of the tape 5 > the back surface side 5B of the tape 5. The adhesion amount of
the silicone oil
on the tape 5 and the core string 7 per sample weight satisfies an inequality
of the front
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surface side 5A of the tape 5 > the back surface side 5B of the tape 5 > the
core string 7.
Since the element row 6 is not a fiber, the silicone oil adheres to an outer
surface of the
element row 6 and does not enter the gap of the fibers like a tape. The
adhesion amount of the
silicone oil adhering to the element row 6 is not appropriate to be expressed
by the above
inequality. The outer surface of the element row 6 includes the front surface
and the back
surface of the element row 6.
[0039] As described in the above step 1), unlike the water repellent fastener
of the related
art, since the water repellent component in the present invention is not
directly applied to the
element row 6, the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent
component
generated by directly applying the coating composition (the water repellent)
do not adhere to
the element row 6 of the fastener obtained after step 4). In other words, the
organic polymer
and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component generated by directly
applying the
coating composition (the water repellent) from the back surface of the element
row 6 (the
surface of the element row 6 facing the side opposite to the tape 5) do not
adhere. The organic
polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component adhering to the
element row 6
are generated by either adhering to the installation region 6c installed onto
the tape 5 in a
state of permeating from the inside of the pair of tapes 5, or adhering to the
region 6d on the
gap 5S side of the pair of tapes 5, or by bringing the back surface of the
element row 6 into
contact with the front surface of the tape 5 so that a very small amount of
the coating
composition adhering to the front surface of the tape 5 adheres to the back
surface of the
element row 6 when the fastener chain 2 is wound into a roll in the above
steps 2) to 4), or do
not adhere to anything.
[0040] In a case where the coating composition does not pass through the gap
5S between
the pair of tapes 5, the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water
repellent
component do not substantially adhere to the element rows 6. "Not
substantially adhere" is
intended to exclude a case where, when strict component analysis is performed,
a small
amount of the component that incidentally adheres to the element rows 6 in a
manufacturing
process different from the process in which the component is directly applied
to the element
rows 6 is detected. For example, in some cases, the organic polymer and the
non-fluorine-
based water repellent component adhere to the pair of tapes 5 in a state of
entering the inside
thereof from the front surfaces toward the back surfaces thereof, and adhere
to front surface
sides of the element rows 6 in a state of permeating from the inside of the
tapes 5. In addition,
there is a case where the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water
repellent
CA 03227211 2024- 1- 26
13
component adhere to the element row 6 by following the sewing thread 8, or a
case where the
organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component
permeating to the
core string 7 by following the sewing thread 8 also adheres to the element row
6. Whether the
organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water repellent component pass
through the gap
5S between the pair of tapes 5 is a matter that can be easily identified by a
person skilled in
the art by viewing states of the front surfaces of the tapes 5 and the element
rows 6.
Specifically, when the adhesion amount of the organic polymer and the non-
fluorine-based
water repellent component on the front surfaces of the tapes 5 is clearly
different from the
adhesion amount of the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water
repellent
component on the region 6d on the gap 5S side of the front surfaces of the
element rows 6,
that is, when the adhesion amount of the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-
based water
repellent component per unit area on the front surfaces of the tapes 5 is
clearly larger than
that on the region 6d on the gap 5S side of the front surfaces of the element
rows 6, it can be
said that the coating composition is not applied to the pair of element rows 6
through the gap
5S between the pair of tapes 5, and that the organic polymer and the non-
fluorine-based water
repellent component do not substantially adhere to the region 6d on the gap 5S
side between
the pair of tapes 5 of the element rows 6. Further, when the coating
composition is positively
applied to the element rows 6 such that the coating composition passes through
the gap 5S
between the pair of tapes 5, a fastener chain strength such as a puncture
strength may be
reduced, and it is possible to determine whether the organic polymer and the
non-fluorine-
based water repellent component pass through the gap 5S between the pair of
tapes 5 by
measuring the strength of the fastener chain 2. Further, it is also possible
to determine the
presence or absence of passage through the gap 5S by electron microscopic
observation,
XRF-WDX analysis, and mapping of the non-fluorine-based water repellent
component.
[0041] Further, satisfying the above inequality means that the coating
composition is
applied to the front surface of the fastener chain 2 and an application amount
is optimized.
When the application amount is large, the water repellency of the fastener
chain 2 becomes
high, but the fastener chain 2 becomes hard, and the reference of the
flexibility of the slide
fastener 1 is not satisfied. The present inventors have found that the
application amount of the
coating composition (the adhesion amount of the organic polymer and the non-
fluorine-based
water repellent component) is optimized by the following flexibility test and
water repellency
test.
[0042] For the test, four types of sample fastener chains 2 having different
application
CA 03227211 2024- 1- 26
14
amounts of the coating compositions were prepared as shown in Table 1 below.
[0043] [Tablel]
Washing
Application durability Flexibility
Comprehensive
amount (g/m2) 50 100 (tape) (N)
evaluation
times times
Example 1 9.0 3 3 0.043
Example 2 22.5 3 3 0.077
Comparative
45.0 4 4 0.115
Example 1
Comparative
75.0 4 4 0.131
Example 2
[0044] The application amount is an application amount of the coating
composition per
surface area (unit: 1 m2) of the tape 5 in the application step described
above. More
specifically, this is the amount of the coating composition applied to a range
of per surface
area (unit: 1 m2) of the tape 5 in a state of the fastener chain 2. Since the
element row 6 and
the core string 7 in addition to the tape 5 are present in the fastener chain
2 in the range of per
surface area of the tape 5, the applied coating composition adheres not only
to the tape 5 but
also to the element row 6 and the core string 7 present in this range. The
surface in the term
"surface area" refers to the surface to which the coating composition is
applied. In the water
repellency test, these four types of fastener chains are used as samples, but
in the flexibility
test, these four types of fastener chains are disassembled, the element row 6
is removed from
one tape 5 of the fastener chain 2, and this tape 5 is used as a sample.
[0045] The flexibility test is a method according to the C method (loop
compression
method) of 8.22.3 of JIS-L-1096:2010.
An outline of the flexibility test according to this method is a test in
which, as
shown in FIG. 4, both end portions of the tape 5 in a longitudinal direction
are overlapped
with each other, both end portions of the tape 5 in the longitudinal direction
are set as
clamping margin portions 21, an intermediate portion thereof in the
longitudinal direction is
set as a loop portion 22 to which a pressurization head 32 is pressed, the
clamping margin
portions 21 disposed on a lower side of the loop portion 22 in an upright
state are sandwiched
by the clamp 31, the pressurization head 32 is reciprocated in the upper-lower
direction with
CA 03227211 2024- 1- 26
15
respect to the loop portion 22, and a load applied to the pressurization head
32 during the
reciprocating period is measured. More details are as follows.
[0046] A test apparatus used for the flexibility test includes the clamp 31
that sandwiches
an object to be measured, a moving member 33 that moves up and down at a
position directly
above the clamp 31, a load cell 34 that is fixed directly below the moving
member 33, and the
pressurization head 32 that is fixed directly below the load cell 34 and
applies a pressure to
the object to be measured of the fastener chain 2. The load applied to the
pressurization head
32 is converted into an electric signal proportional to the load by the load
cell 34, and the
load is measured from the electric signal.
[0047] Details of the sample tape 5 used for the flexibility test are as
follows. The sample
tape 5 is obtained by removing the element row 6 from the one tape 5 of the
fastener chain 2,
and the width of the one tape 5 is 16 mm. The dimension of the tape 5 in the
longitudinal
direction is 120 mm or more. The intermediate portion in the longitudinal
direction of the
tape 5 is a portion to be the loop portion 22 for pressing the pressurization
head 32, and a
dimension thereof in the longitudinal direction is set to 80 mm. Both end
portions in the
longitudinal direction of the tape 5 are portions located adjacent to each
other in the loop
portion 22 and serving as the clamping margin portions 21 to be sandwiched by
the clamp 31
of flexibility test apparatus, and the dimension of each end portion in the
longitudinal
direction is 20 mm or more. Then, marks are given at both ends of the loop
portion 22, that is,
boundary positions between the clamping margin portions 21 and the loop
portion 22.
The tape 5 is bent and overlapped with each other at both end portions in the
longitudinal direction of the tape 5 to form the clamping margin portions 21,
and the
intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction is formed as the loop
portion 22 in a loop
shape against which the pressurization head 32 is pressed. In order to
maintain the overlapped
state of the clamping margin portions 21, for example, the tape 5 is attached
to the pair of
clamping margin portions 21, and the overlapped state is fixed.
[0048] The posture of the tape 5 is set such that the loop portion 22 is
located directly
above the clamping margin portions 21, and the clamping margin portions 21 are
clamped by
the clamp 31. At this time, the marks match an upper end of the clamp 31. A
distance between
the pressurization head 32 and an upper end of the clamp 31 is set to 40 mm.
By this way, the
pressurization head 32 is disposed directly above the loop portion 22 with a
gap
therebetween. Then, the pressurization head 32 is reciprocated up and down
under conditions
of a moving speed of 50 mm/min and a moving amount of 25 mm. The number of
CA 03227211 2024- 1- 26
16
reciprocations is five. A maximum load (unit: N) applied to the pressurization
head at each
time is measured, and a value obtained by averaging maximum loads of all the
times is
shown in Table 1. The maximum load is a value rounded at the fourth decimal
place.
[0049] According to the test results of Table 1, in both Example 1 in which
the application
amount is 9.0 g/m2 and Example 2 in which the application amount is 22.5 g/m2,
the value of
the flexibility test is 0.1 N or less, and it is determined that the
flexibility is appropriate. On
the contrary, in both Comparative Example 1 in which the application amount is
45.0 g/m2
and Comparative Example 2 in which the application amount is 75.0 g/m2, it is
determined
that the flexibility is inappropriate since the value of the flexibility test
is larger than 0.1 N.
[0050] The water repellency test is a spray test based on JIS-L-1092. An
outline of this
spray test is a test in which, as shown in FIG. 5, water (250 mL) is sprayed
from a funnel 41
onto the fastener chain 2 for 25 to 30 seconds, thereafter, water droplets
adhering to the
fastener chain 2 are shaken down by indirectly applying an impact to the
fastener chain 2, and
the water repellency of the fastener chain 2 is evaluated. More details are as
follows.
1) A circular jig 44 having a diameter of 150 mm is prepared.
The jig 44 includes a circular inner frame 45, a C-shaped outer frame 46
surrounding an outer periphery of the inner frame 45 in a range slightly
shorter than an entire
periphery thereof, a fastening tool 47 fixed to both ends of the outer frame
46, and a pair of
handles 48 protruding from the outer frame 46 at two points separated
clockwise and
counterclockwise from the position of the fastening tool 47 by about 1/4
circumference along
an outer circumference of the outer frame 46.
Then, the front surface of the sample fastener chain 2 is directed upward, the
fastener chain 2 is disposed on one surface side of the jig 44 while
maintaining a form of
passing through the center of the circle of the jig 44 in a state of extending
linearly so as not
to have wrinkles, both end portions of the fastener chain 2 are inserted
between the outer
frame 46 and the inner frame 45, the fastening tool 47 is closed, and both end
portions are
fixed to the jig 44. Portions of the fastener chain 2 protruding from the jig
44 are cut off.
2) Water (250 mL) is placed in the funnel 41, and it is confirmed that
spraying is
completed in 25 to 30 seconds after the start of the spray. A spray nozzle 42
is attached to a
tip of the funnel 41, and water is discharged in a radiation shape from a
large number of holes
in the spray nozzle 42.
3) The jig 44 with the fastener chain 2 is placed on a table 51 having an
inclined
surface inclined at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to a horizontal
surface. The front
CA 03227211 2024- 1- 26
17
surface of the fastener chain 2 faces upward. Further, the direction of the
jig 44 is set such
that the fastener chain 2 extended linearly is parallel to a traveling
direction of the water
flowing on the inclined surface of the table 51 when the table 51 is viewed
from directly
above. A distance L in the upper-lower direction between a center of a tip end
of the spray
nozzle 42 and a center of the jig 44 is set to 150 mm.
4) Water (250 mL) is placed in the funnel 41, and the water is sprayed onto
the
fastener chain 2 in 25 to 30 seconds.
5) One of the handles 48 is gripped and the jig 44 is removed from above the
table
51, and the handle 48 on the side opposite to the gripped handle 48 is lightly
put on a hard
material once so that the front surface of the fastener chain 2 faces
downward, thereby
dropping water droplets. Next, the handle 48 put on the hard material is
grasped, and the
opposite handle 48 is lightly put on the hard material to drop water droplets.
After performing
the above processes, in JIS-L-1092, grades are evaluated according to the
following
standards. From the viewpoint of the quality required at the time of normal
use of the slide
fastener 1, Grade 3 or higher is considered to be acceptable.
Grade 1: The entire front surface is wet.
Grade 2: Half of the front surface is wet with small discrete wet spots
permeating a
cloth.
Grade 3: Small discrete droplet-like wet spots are observed on the front
surface.
Grade 4: No wet spot is observed on the front surface but small water droplets
are
observed thereon.
Grade 5: No wetting and adhesion of water droplets on the front surface.
[0051] The sample fastener chains 2 were obtained by washing 50 times and by
washing
100 times in accordance with MS-L-1930 C4M. According to the results of Table
1, washing
durability after washing 50 times and after washing 100 times was Grade 3 in
Examples 1
and 2, and was Grade 4 in Comparative Examples 1 and 2. The quality of the
water
repellency in Grade 3 or higher is satisfied.
[0052] From the results of the flexibility test and the water repellency test
described above,
Examples 1 and 2 have both the washing durability and the flexibility. In the
samples of
examples, a ratio of an average adhesion amount of silicone oil on each member
is as follows.
[0053] The adhesion amount of the silicone oil on each of the element row 6
and the core
string 7 is smaller than the adhesion amount of the silicone oil on the tape 5
on a weight ratio
basis. This result is presumed from the matter that, as described above, the
coating
CA 03227211 2024- 1- 26
18
composition that is the organic polymer and the non-fluorine-based water
repellent
component (silicone oil) is directly applied to the tape 5, not the element
row 6 or the core
string 7. The adhesion amount of the silicone oil on the element row 6 is less
than 0.14% of
the adhesion amount of the silicone oil on the tape 5 on the weight ratio
basis. That is, when
the adhesion amount of the silicone oil on the tape 5 (the ratio of the weight
of the silicone oil
to the total weight of the weight of the tape 5 and the weight of the silicone
oil: wt%) is
100%, the ratio of the adhesion amount of the silicone oil on the element row
6 (the ratio of
the weight of the silicone oil to the total weight of the weight of the
element row 6 and the
weight of the silicone oil: wt%) is less than 0.14%. The adhesion amount of
the organic
polymer on the core string 7 is less than 17% of the adhesion amount of the
organic polymer
on the tape 5 on the weight ratio basis. That is, when the adhesion amount of
the silicone oil
on the tape 5 (the ratio of the weight of the silicone oil to the total weight
of the weight of the
tape 5 and the weight of the silicone oil: wt%) is 100%, the ratio of the
adhesion amount of
the silicone oil on the core string 7 (the ratio of the weight of the silicone
oil to the total
weight of the weight of the core string 7 and the weight of the silicone oil:
wt%) is less than
17%.
[0054] The difference in the adhesion amount of the water repellent component
on each
member can be evaluated from the adhesion amount of the silicone oil, and the
adhesion
amount of the silicone oil can be measured as follows. Approximately lOg of
each sample of
the tape 5, the element row 6, and the core string 7 to which both the organic
polymer and the
non-fluorine-based water repellent component (silicone oil) adhere was weighed
and taken
out, and Soxhlet extraction was performed with hexane for 2 hours. As a result
of an IR
measurement performed after the extract was dried and solidified, it was
confirmed that the
extract was mainly composed of silicone oil. The IR measurement is a
measurement
according to an infrared spectroscopy, and an ATR method was used this time.
Accordingly,
the adhesion amount of the extract containing silicone oil as the main
component on each
sample was calculated.
[0055] The application amount of the coating composition on the tape 5 per
surface area
can be calculated from the weight difference between the fastener chain before
the coating
composition is applied and the fastener chain after the coating composition is
applied. The
weight of the fastener chain after the application of the coating composition
is substantially
the same as the weight of the fastener chain after chemical change of the
coating composition
into a polymerized product, that is, the fastener chain to which the
polymerized product
CA 03227211 2024- 1- 26
19
adheres.
[0056] The present invention is not limited to the above-described
embodiments, and can
be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present
invention.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
[0057] 1 slide fastener
2 fastener chain
3 slider
3a body
3b pull
4A first stopper
4B second stopper
5 tape
5A front surface side
5B back surface side
5S gap
6 element row
6a element
6c installation region
6d region on gap side
7 core string
8 sewing thread
11 lower leg portion
12 upper leg portion
13 engaging head portion
14 joining leg portion
21 clamping margin portion
22 loop portion
31 clamp
32 pressurization head
33 moving member
34 load cell
41 funnel
CA 03227211 2024- 1- 26
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42 spray nozzle
44 jig
45 inner frame
46 outer frame
47 fastening tool
48 handle
51 table
L distance
CA 03227211 2024- 1- 26
