Novel wear resistant fluoropolymer-containing flexible composites

Abstract

Fluoropolymer containing coatings are applied to substrates, preferably textile substrates, to obtain composites which are flexible and not brittle, and which exhibit a low coefficient of friction, good wear resistance and excellent release properties. This invention comprises the technique of initially coating a flexible substrate, such as glass fabric or a metal mesh, with a fluoropolymer, which serves to prevent cracking upon flexing. The precoated substrate is thereafter coated with a blend of a hard polymer and a fluoropolymer which adheres well to the pre-coated intermediate substrate. Significantly, the composites of the invention are flexible, yet possess the wear resistance of the hard polymer component as well as the frictional and release characteristics of the fluoropolymer components.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.