Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – Cellular products or processes of preparing a cellular...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-01
2002-09-24
Cooney, Jr., John M. (Department: 1711)
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
Cellular products or processes of preparing a cellular...
C521S137000, C521S142000, C521S147000, C521S163000, C521S172000, C521S173000, C521S174000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06455606
ABSTRACT:
INDUSTRIAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a polyurethane foam excellent in mechanical properties, a process for producing the same, and a foam forming composition. More particularly, the present invention relates to a polyurethane foam having a structure in which polymer chains formed by an addition-polymerization reaction (hereinafter abbreviated as addition-polymerization chains) and polyurethane chains are cross-linked to each other, which is excellent in mechanical properties such as hardness and dimensional stability in the case of forming a rigid foam, and which has mechanical properties such as reduced compression set in the case of forming a flexible foam.
INDUSTRIAL BACKGROUND
Polyurethane foams having addition-polymerization chains and polyurethane chains have been disclosed, for example, in Japanese Publication of Unexamined Patent Application (Tokkai) No. HEI 3-244620 (Document 1), and Japanese Publication of Unexamined Patent Application (Tokkai) No. SHO 63-23956 (Document 2).
The Japanese Publication of Unexamined Patent Application (Tokkai) No. HEI 3-244620 (Document 1) discloses an elastic polyurethane foam obtained by reacting a high molecular weight polyol such as a polyoxyalkylene polyol having a hydroxyl value of 5 to 38 with a polyisocyanate compound in the presence of a low viscosity compound having an addition-polymerizable unsaturated group, a catalyst, and a blowing agent. Furthermore, Document 1 discloses that a compound having zero or one, particularly zero functional group capable of reacting with an isocyanate may be used as the low viscosity compound having an addition-polymerizable unsaturated group, and indicates that if a compound having many functional groups is used, it is incorporated in the polyurethane chains and causes undesirable cross-linking.
Japanese Publication of Unexamined Patent Application (Tokkai) No. SHO 63-23956 (Document 2) discloses a polyurethane that is obtained by admixing a mixture of a long-chain polyol and a short-chain diol with an ethylenic unsaturated esterol such as alkyl hydroxy acrylate or alkyl hydroxy methacrylate to prepare a polyol mixture having storage stability, and reacting the polyol mixture with an organic polyisocyanate by a method such as RIM (reaction injection molding). It is also disclosed in the Document 2 that a blowing agent may be included as an optional component in the RIM.
It is a first object of the present invention to provide a polyurethane foam excellent in mechanical properties.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a rigid polyurethane foam excellent in mechanical properties such as hardness and dimensional stability.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a flexible polyurethane foam which has mechanical properties such as reduced compression set and in which ball rebound is not reduced even when its density is decreased.
It is a still further object of the present invention to obtain a rigid polyurethane foam that has equal dimensional stability and equal or higher mechanical strength as compared to the case of using conventional monochlorotrifluorocarbon (CFC-11), and has good thermal insulation and flame resistance, when producing a rigid polyurethane foam in the presence of at least one blowing agent selected from hydrogen atom-containing halogenated hydrocarbon, water, low boiling point hydrocarbon, and liquefied carbon dioxide gas.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a rigid polyurethane foam reinforced with staple fiber having a high bending strength and a high bending modulus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Other objects of the present invention, which will be apparent from the above and below descriptions, are broadly achieved by the following polyurethane foam:
A polyurethane foam which is obtained by reacting an addition-polymerizable active hydrogen component comprising a compound having an active hydrogen-containing group and an addition-polymerizable functional group or comprising this compound and a compound having at least 2.5 groups (on the average) containing active hydrogen and not having an addition-polymerizable functional group with an organic polyisocyanate in the presence or absence of at least one auxiliary selected from the group consisting of blowing agents and additives to polymerize the addition-polymerizable functional group and simultaneously form a polyurethane, and which has a structure in which the addition-polymerization chains are cross-linked to the polyurethane chains.
As the above-mentioned addition-polymerizable active hydrogen component, an addition-polymerizable active hydrogen component (A) comprising a compound (A1) having at least one group containing active hydrogen (w) and at least one addition-polymerizable functional group (x) or comprising the compound (A1) and a compound (A2) having at least 2.5 groups (w) (on the average) and not having the group (x) may be employed. When using a combination of the compounds (A1) and (A2) in the component (A), the combination is selected from {circle around (1)} to {circle around (3)} below:
{circle around (1)} a compound (A11) having one group (w) as the compound (A1), and a compound with a value of active hydrogen-containing group of at least 40 as the compound (A2);
{circle around (2)} a compound (A12) having at least two groups (w) as the compound (A1), and the compound (A2);
{circle around (3)} the compound (A11), the compound (A12), and the compound (A2).
Hereinafter, a polyurethane foam obtained using an addition-polymerizable active hydrogen component (A) is referred to as a polyurethane foam [1].
Furthermore, the following addition-polymerizable active hydrogen component (A′) also may be used as the above-mentioned addition-polymerizable active hydrogen component.
Addition-polymerizable active hydrogen component (A′): an addition-polymerizable active hydrogen component that comprises the active hydrogen-containing group (w) and an addition-polymerizable functional group (x), and which is selected from (A31), (A32), and (A33) below; wherein the reaction rate constant K1 between the active hydrogen-containing group (w) and an isocyanate group (z) at 120° C. is not more than 1 (liter/mol/sec); the polymerization reaction rate constant K2 of the addition-polymerizable functional group (x) is not less than 10 (liter/mol/sec); and K2/K1 is not less than 100.
(A31): an addition-polymerizable active hydrogen compound which has the active hydrogen-containing group (w) and the addition-polymerizable functional group (x), and which may have a cyclic group (y) reactive with the group (w).
(A32): an active hydrogen compound (A321) having at least three groups (w) or having the groups (w) and (y), and an addition-polymerizable compound (A322) having the groups (x) and (y), used in combination.
(A33): the compound (A31), the compound (A321) and/or the compound (A322), used in combination.
Hereinafter, a polyurethane foam obtained using an addition-polymerizable active hydrogen component (A′) is referred to as a polyurethane foam [2].
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the polyurethane foam of the present invention, the addition-polymerizable active hydrogen component (A) comprises at least one compound (A1) having at least one group containing active hydrogen (w) and at least one addition-polymerizable functional group (x), or comprises the compound (A1) and at least one compound (A2) having at least 2.5 groups (w) (on the average) and not having the group (x).
The active hydrogen-containing group (w) in the compound (A1) may be at least one group containing active hydrogen selected from hydroxyl, mercapto, carboxyl, primary amino, and secondary amino groups, etc., and preferably used is a hydroxyl group. Examples of the addition-polymerizable functional group (x) in the compound (A1) include radical-polymerizable functional groups of the terminal olefin type or the internal olefin type, cationic-polymerizable functional groups (e.g. vinyl ether group, propenyl ether group), and anionic-polyme
Akiyama Hajime
Kaku Motonao
Kubota Sadao
Kumagai Yasushi
Nakanishi Toru
Cooney Jr. John M.
Merchant & Gould P.C.
Sanyo Chemical Industries Ltd.
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