Kuraray Co., Ltd.

Kunio Kogame

Masaru Makimura

Tsuyoshi Yamasaki

Yoshihiro Tanba

Osamu Fukushima

Koji Hoashi

A fiber entanglement is provided which is characterized in that it is a three-dimensional entanglement comprising elastic fibers (A) each being a fine-denier fiber bundle or exhibiting porous fiber structure as seen on a fiber cross section with a number of irregularly-shaped pores extending in the fiber axis direction; nonshrinkable, nonelastic fibers (B); and shrinkable, nonelastic fibers (C); said fibers (A) are at least partially bonded or fused together at various points of contact with one another and, thereby, produce a taut condition; said nonshrinkable, nonelastic fibers (B) are folded several times over by means of the elastic fibers (A) and the shrinkable, nonelastic fibers (C). This fiber entanglement is useful as a base material for leather-like sheet materials.

Fiber entanglements and method of producing same

An entangled fibrous mat comprising an elastic polymer fiber A and a nonelastic polymer fiber B, said fiber A having voids therein and being in a taut condition within the mat; while said fiber B is in a slack condition and is highly elastic and flexible, rich in fullness, and firm-bodied, thus being very suitable for use as a substrate for artificial leather.

Entangled fibrous mat having good elasticity and methods for the

A suede-like sheet material closely resembling natural leathers in feel and nap is produced by temporarily fixing a fibrous mat consisting of 'oceano-insular' composite fibers, impregnating said fibrous mat with elastomer (A), smoothing the surface, impregnating the resulting mat with another elastomer (B) which is harder and less swellable than said elastomer (A), removing the sea or matrix component of the composite fiber, and napping the surface of the resulting sheet material.

Napped sheet material bearing the characteristics of a suede-leather and

Method of making a leather-like sheet material having a low bounce impact elasticity, which comprises: (a) mixing (i) a solvent solution of a polymer (A) consisting mainly of an elastomer and (ii) a dispersion in a liquid of a polymer (B) consisting mainly of an elastomer, thereby obtaining a composite solution containing fine particles of (B) dispersed in a solution of polymer (A); (b) coating a sheet or impregnating a fibrous mat substrate with the composite solution; (c) immersing the substrate in a coagulation bath to deposit and coagulate both polymers; and (d) drying said sheet or mat.

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Kurashiki, Japan

Kunio Kogame