Artificial Leather Polymer Penetration for Soft Hand and Fiber Holding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing artificial leather using aqueous dispersions of elastic polymers face challenges in achieving both sufficient fiber-holding ability and a soft hand, as they often result in poor fiber retention or a hardened texture due to uneven distribution and migration of the elastic polymer.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the impregnation of an aqueous dispersion of elastic polymer into a fiber-entangled body formed from composite fibers, followed by infrared irradiation to raise the surface temperature above the gelation temperature, reducing water content, and subsequent drying to fix the polymer, while extracting the water-soluble polymer component, ensuring a controlled penetration of the elastic polymer into microfine fiber bundles, achieving a 1-30% areal ratio of penetration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If an aqueous dispersion of elastic polymer is impregnated into a fiber-entangled body to improve environmental compatibility, then the artificial leather has a soft hand, but the fiber-holding ability deteriorates due to poor fiber retention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating different regions with different elastic polymer content. The surface layer contains a higher concentration of elastic polymer to ensure fiber holding, while the inner layer has lower concentration to maintain soft hand. This spatial differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between fiber retention and hand softness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses partial action by applying elastic polymer selectively to specific regions rather than uniformly throughout. The surface layer receives sufficient elastic polymer impregnation to achieve adequate fiber holding, while the inner layer receives reduced impregnation to preserve the soft hand characteristic, thus avoiding excessive polymer throughout the entire structure.
2Strength
If the amount of aqueous dispersion of elastic polymer is increased to form a continuous layer to improve fiber-holding ability, then the fiber retention improves, but the hand becomes hard
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the artificial leather structure into distinct surface and inner layers with different elastic polymer contents. The surface layer is segmented to contain sufficient polymer for fiber holding, while the inner layer is segmented to contain reduced polymer for maintaining softness, thus resolving the contradiction through structural division.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by varying the elastic polymer concentration across different spatial locations. The surface region has high polymer concentration for fiber retention, while the inner region has low concentration for hand softness, achieving both requirements simultaneously through localized material property differentiation.
3Strength
If elastic polymer is impregnated to directly contact fibers for improving fiber-holding ability, then the fiber retention improves, but the hand becomes hard
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by limiting direct elastic polymer-fiber contact to only where necessary. The surface layer has sufficient direct contact between polymer and fibers for adequate retention, while the inner layer reduces direct contact to preserve softness, avoiding excessive polymer-fiber interaction throughout the entire structure.
4Strength
If elastic polymer migrates excessively to hold fibers more than expected, then the fiber-holding ability improves, but the hand deteriorates due to hardening
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing a controlled elastic polymer distribution pattern before fiber entanglement occurs. The surface layer is pre-loaded with sufficient polymer to prevent migration, while the inner layer is pre-configured with reduced polymer content, thereby preventing excessive migration and maintaining hand softness from the outset.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in artificial leather with improved fiber-holding ability and a soft hand, preventing the pull-out of raised fibers and maintaining a uniform appearance, suitable for applications like chair seats and clothing.
Implementation Method 1
a step of raising a temperature of a surface of the fiber-entangled body impregnated with the aqueous dispersion of elastic polymer by an infrared irradiation to a temperature which is 10 °C or more higher than a gelation temperature of the aqueous dispersion of elastic polymer
Implementation Method 2
raising a temperature of a surface of the fiber-entangled body impregnated with the aqueous dispersion of elastic polymer by an infrared irradiation to a temperature which is 10 °C or more higher than a gelation temperature of the aqueous dispersion of elastic polymer
Implementation Method 3
a step of reducing a water content of the fiber-entangled body to 50% by mass or less while keeping the surface of the fiber-entangled body at a temperature which is 10 °C or more higher than the gelation temperature of the aqueous dispersion of elastic polymer
Implementation Method 4
a step of removing water remaining in the fiber-entangled body by drying, thereby fixing the elastic polymer to the fiber-entangled body
Implementation Method 5
a step of converting the composite fibers to bundles of microfine fibers by extracting the water-soluble polymer component with a hot water from the composite fibers in the fiber-entangled body having the elastic polymer fixed
Data Source
AI summary
An artificial leather including an entangled body made of bundles of microfine fibers and an elastic polymer impregnated into the entangled body. A part of the elastic polymer penetrates into the bundles of microfine fibers. The degree of penetration of the elastic polymer is from 1 to 30% by area when measured on a cross section which is taken along a direction perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the bundles of microfine fibers. The fiber-holding property is improved by the elastic polymer which partly penetrates into the bundles of microfine fibers, and therefore, the artificial leather has a good hand without deteriorating the surface quality.