Leather-like waterlaid sheets containing particulate fillers
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorRobert A. Worden
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Waterlaid sheets comprising essential solids consisting of (I) elastomeric binder, and (II) nonelastomeric solids comprising inflexible, non-fibrous, rounded, particulate fillers and a fibrous reinforcing component. The waterlaid sheets are useful as substitutes for leather in the manufacture of footwear, particularly as the outsole or insole portion of a shoe.
Claims26
A leather-like, waterlaid sheet comprising a major amount of essential solids consisting of elastomeric binder and nonelastomeric solids comprising particulate filler and reinforcing fiber, said particulate filler comprising about 10 to 60% by weight of said essential solids, the particles of said particulate filler being inflexible, non-fibrous, rounded particles having an average particle size in the range of about 1 to 160 microns, the length of any major axis of the particles being no more than twice the length of any of the other axes, said reinforcing fiber comprising at least 5% by weight of said essential solids and said elastomeric binder being present in an amount sufficient to provide an integral, cohesive sheet.
A leather-like, waterlaid sheet comprising at least 75% by weight of the total solids of essential solids consisting of 15 to 80% by weight elastomeric polyurethane binder, 10 to 60% by weight particulate filler comprising vegetable shell flour and 5 to 50% by weight fibrous reinforcing component selected from the group consisting of wood, leather, rayon, nylon and asbestos fibers.
An aqueous slurry for providing a leather-like, waterlaid sheet comprising a major amount of water and slurried solids and having a papermaking consistency, said slurried solids comprising essential solids consisting of 15 to 80% by weight elastomeric binder, 10 to 60% by weight particulate filler, and 5 to 50% by weight fibrous reinforcing component, the particles of said particulate filler being inflexible, non-fibrous, rounded particles having an average particle size in the range of about 1 to 160 microns, the length of any major axis of the particles being no more than twice the length of any of the other axes.
A method of providing a leather-like, waterlaid sheet comprising
- a. providing an aqueous slurry comprising water and slurried solids and having a papermaking consistency, said slurried solids comprising a major amount of essential solids consisting of 15 to 80% by weight elastomeric binder, 10 to 60% by weight particulate filler, and 5 to 50% by weight fibrous reinforcing component, the particles of said particulate filler being inflexible, non-fibrous, rounded particles having an average particle size in the range of about 1 to 160 microns, the length of any major axis of the particles being no more than twice the length of any of the other axes,
- b. depositing said slurry on a supporting surface,
- c. removing water from the deposited slurry to form a coherent sheet,
- d. drying said sheet to provide a leather-like sheet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.