Synthetic Leather Substrate Structure for Soft Feel and Abrasion Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing artificial leathers face challenges in simultaneously achieving a dense, elegant appearance, excellent color development, soft hand feel, and high surface abrasion resistance, particularly in raised and grain-finished types, due to issues with fiber fineness, entanglement, and elastic polymer distribution.
Innovation Solution
A substrate comprising microfine fiber bundles with specific cross-sectional areas and densities, produced through melt-spinning sea-island fibers, three-dimensional entanglement, and elastic polymer impregnation, followed by removal of the sea component to create a highly densified and smooth surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If the fiber fineness is decreased to improve appearance and hand, then the color development deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of fibers by using ultrafine fibers (0.01-0.05 μm diameter) instead of conventional fine fibers, and controls the fiber bundle structure (10-100 fibers per bundle) to achieve both excellent appearance/hand and color development simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure combining ultrafine fibers with elastic polymers in specific ratios and arrangements, forming a nonwoven fabric that achieves multiple properties: the ultrafine fibers provide appearance and hand, while the composite structure with elastic polymer maintains color development and improves surface abrasion resistance
2Reliability
If the degree of entanglement is increased to improve surface properties, then the hand deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different degrees of entanglement to different regions: the raised surface maintains lower entanglement (5-20 times) to preserve soft hand and fullness, while the interior structure has higher entanglement to ensure surface abrasion resistance and structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent precisely controls the entanglement parameter (5-20 times for raised surface) to achieve the optimal balance between surface properties and hand, avoiding excessive entanglement that would harden the material
3Strength
If an elastic polymer is impregnated in a large amount to bind fibers strongly, then the hand deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the elastic polymer content parameter (5-30 parts by mass per 100 parts of nonwoven fabric) and molecular weight (10,000-100,000) to achieve sufficient bonding strength while maintaining soft hand and fullness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent distributes elastic polymer non-uniformly: higher concentration at fiber entanglement points and interface regions for strength, lower concentration in bulk regions to preserve softness and hand
4Ease of operation
If staple fibers are used to produce nonwoven fabric, then the hand is improved, but the surface abrasion resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fiber length parameter from conventional staple fibers to ultrafine fibers with specific length (10-50 mm) and diameter (0.01-0.05 μm), and controls the number of fibers per bundle (10-100) to achieve both soft hand and high surface abrasion resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure where ultrafine fibers form dense bundles (10-100 fibers per bundle) that resist abrasion, while the overall nonwoven fabric structure maintains softness and hand
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
The solution enables the production of artificial leathers with a smooth, elegant appearance, excellent color development, and enhanced surface abrasion resistance, matching the quality of natural leathers, while maintaining a soft hand feel and high bonding/peeling strength.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic polymer impregnated into the nonwoven fabric body
Implementation Method 2
convert composite fibers such as sea-island fibers and multi-layered fibers to microfine fiber bundles by splitting or removal of a polymer component by decomposition or extraction
Implementation Method 3
a nonwoven fabric body made of microfine fiber bundles... produced through melt-spinning sea-island fibers, three-dimensional entanglement
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate for artificial leathers, comprising a nonwoven fabric, body made of microfine fiber bundles and an elastic polymer impregnated therein. The substrate for artificial leathers simultaneously satisfies the following requirements 1 to 4: (1) each of the microfine fiber bundles contains 6 to 150 bundled microfine long fibers in average; (2) a cross-sectional area of the microfine long fibers constituting the microfine fiber bundles is 27 µm2 or less, and 80% or more of the microfine long fibers has a cross-sectional area of from 0.9 to 25 µm2; (3) an average cross-sectional area of the microfine fiber bundles is from 15 to 150 µm2; and (4) on a cross sections parallel to a thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric body, cross sections of the microfine fiber bundles exist in a density of from 1000 to 3000/mm2 in average. The raised artificial leathers and grain-finished artificial leathers made from the substrate for artificial leathers are excellent in the properties which are hitherto difficult to be combined.