Needled textile fabric with a thin polymeric coating thereon
AssigneeThe Fiberwoven Corporation
InventorAlexander M. Smith, II
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is provided a needled textile fabric having high bulk density, entangled fibers, a controlled axis of flexure and a bulk density gradient wherein the bulk density increases from the back surface to the face surface thereof. The products are made by needling layers of fibers having a needle pick-up gradient into a dense structure, with a bulk density gradient. The needled fabric is coated with a polymeric coating on the face surface of the structure where the thickness of the coating is from 4 to 20 mils. The fabric is suitable for use as an artificial leather.
Claims37
An artificial leather comprising
- 1. a needled textile fabric base of high bulk density and a controlled axis of flexure and being composed of needled textile fibers coherently entangled into an integral structure with a face surface and back surface, said structure having an overall bulk density of at least 6 pounds per cubic foot and a bulk density gradient wherein the bulk density increases from the back surface to the face surface, said needled structure having an axis of flexure which lies within about 0.4 of the distance from the face surface to the back surface;
- and
- 2. a polymeric coating disposed on the face surface of the said fabric base and where the thickness of the coating is from 4 to 20 mils.
An artificial leather comprising a fabric base of textile fibers needled together into an integral structure having coherent fiber entanglement, an overall bulk density of at least 12 pounds per cubic foot, a bulk density gradient wherein the bulk density increases from the back surface of the fabric base to the face surface of the fabric base and the axis of flexure of the fabric base lies within 0.4 of the distance from the face surface to the back surface, a relatively constant area under stress and capable of taking a permanent set, and a polymeric coating disposed on a face surface of the base and having a thickness of from 4 to 20 mils.
An artificial leather comprising a fabric base of staple fibers needled into an integral structure having random fiber entanglement and an overall bulk density of at least 12 pounds per cubic foot, a bulk density gradient wherein the bulk density increases from the back surface of the fabric base to the face surface of the fabric base and the axis of flexure of the fabric base lies within 0.4 of the distance from the face surface to the back surface, and a polymeric coating disposed on a face surface of the base and having a thickness of from 4 to 20 mils.
An artificial leather comprising a fabric base of textile fibers needled together into an integral structure having coherent fiber entanglement, an overall bulk density of at least 12 pounds per cubic foot and the axis of flexure which lies within 0.3 of the distance from the face surface to the back surface and a polymeric coating disposed on a face surface of the base and having a thickness of from 4 to 20 mils.
An artificial leather comprising a textile base of textile fibers needled together into an integral structure having coherent fiber entanglement, an overall bulk density of at least 8 pounds per cubic foot, a ratio of bulk density at or near the back surface of the structure to the bulk density at or near the face surface of the structure of at least 1:2 and the axis of flexure of the needled structure lies within 0.3 of the distance from the face surface to the back surface and a polymeric coating disposed on the face surface of the base and having a thickness of from 4 to 20 mils.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.