Polyurethane elastomeric fiber and process for making the fiber
AssigneeNoveon IP Holdings Corp.
InventorRavi Ram Vedula
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Abstract
This invention is comprised of a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer fiber obtained by melt spinning a polyurethane having a rebound of 60% or greater and a isocyanate-terminated polyether or polyester additive. The elastic fibers have low shrinkage, high heat resistance, low tensile set, and high elongation.
Claims20
A thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer obtained by a bulk melt polymerization of
- A. a polyurethane, and
- B. an isocyanate-terminated polyether or polyester.
A method of making a melt-spun elastomeric fiber comprising melting a polyurethane having a rebound of 60% or more and an isocyanate-terminated polyester or polyether, melt-spinning to provide a fiber, and recovering said fiber.
A method for the preparation of a melt-spun fiber providing a melt-spinnable thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer composition which comprises
- A. a polyether urethane derived from a diisocyanate reacted with a hydroxyl terminated polyether and a glycol chain extender,
- said hydroxyl terminated polyether having alkylene oxide repeat units containing from 2 to 6 carbon atoms and having a weight average molecular weight of at least 1,500,
- said chain extender being a substantially non-branched glycol having from 2 to 16 carbon atoms,
- wherein the amount of said chain extender is from about 0.7 to less than 1.0 mole per male of said hydroxyl terminated polyether and wherein the thermoplastic urethane polymer has a rebound of at least 60 percent when measured in accordance with ASTM D2632;
- B. a diphenyl methane diisocyanate-terminated polyether additive;
- and
- melt spinning said elastomer composition to provide a fiber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.