Fabric (woven – knitted – or nonwoven textile or cloth – etc.) – Coated or impregnated woven – knit – or nonwoven fabric which... – Coating or impregnation specified as porous or permeable to...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-15
2004-09-07
Singh, Arti R. (Department: 1771)
Fabric (woven, knitted, or nonwoven textile or cloth, etc.)
Coated or impregnated woven, knit, or nonwoven fabric which...
Coating or impregnation specified as porous or permeable to...
C428S343000, C428S346000, C428S354000, C428S3550EP, C428S361000, C428S368000, C428S375000, C442S064000, C442S066000, C442S071000, C442S085000, C442S086000, C442S088000, C442S149000, C442S150000, C442S374000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06787487
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a moisture-permeable, waterproof material and a method for the production thereof. More specifically the present invention relates to a moisture-permeable, waterproof, highly durable material that comprises a film layer such as a moisture-permeable, water-resistant layer firmly adhered to a fibrous structural material such as fabric, and also relates to a method for the production thereof.
Conventionally, moisture-permeable, waterproof materials, particularly laminate-type ones that consist of a film layer and a fabric layer adhered to each other, are produced by using an adhesive to attach such film and fabric layers to each other. More specifically, an adhesive is applied to film or fabric, and the film and the fabric are pressure-bonded, followed by curing the adhesive to thereby adhere them together.
In recent years, moisture-permeable, waterproof materials are required to be more comfortable, and adhesive layers with higher moisture-permeability have been sought in order to provide more comfortable materials. For this purpose, water-swellable polymer compounds with higher moisture-permeability have been in wider use as adhesive material.
Although such a water-swellable polymer compound serving as adhesive can improve the moisture-permeability of a moisture-permeable, waterproof material, the water-swellability of the adhesive layer impairs the adhesion with fibrous structural material, especially when moistened, contributing to lowering the durability against washing.
As described above, it is highly desirable presently to develop a water-swellable polymer compound that can achieve improved adhesion in a moistened condition.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, the object of the present invention is to provide a moisture-permeable, waterproof material that is high in permeability and water-resistance, able to maintain good adhesion between a film layer such as a moisture-permeable, water-resistant layer and a fibrous structural material, and high in bond durability in a moistened condition such as during washing, and to provide a method for the production thereof.
The moisture-permeable, waterproof material of the present invention has the following constitution to overcome the above-mentioned problems.
Thus, the present invention provides a moisture-permeable, waterproof material comprising a moisture-permeable, water-resistant layer and a fibrous structural material, with a water-swellable adhesive layer interposed between the former two to adhere them together, wherein the surfaces of single fibers comprising the fibrous structural material are coated with a pre-treating agent containing a polyhydric compound as main component, said fibrous structural material and said water-swellable adhesive layer being adhered by said pre-treating agent.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the moisture-permeable, waterproof material is characterized by the following features:
(a) Said pre-treating agent is a resin that contains a phenol resin derivative as main component;
(b) Said water-swellable adhesive layer is composed of a mixture of a water-swellable polyurethane and a polyhydric alcohol derivative, and crosslinked by a polyisocyanate;
(c) Said ratio of the number of ethylene glycol units that constitute the polyethylene glycol in the polyol to the number of isocyanate units that constitute said water-swellable polyurethane, is 20 or more and less than 30;
(d) Said polyhydric alcohol derivative is a glycerol derivative;
(e) Said polyisocyanate is an aliphatic isocyanate derivative;
(f) Said adhesive layer is a continuous resin layer; and
(g) Said moisture-permeable, water-resistant layer is a continuous resin layer containing polyurethane as main component.
The production method of the moisture-permeable, waterproof material of the present invention has the following constitution.
Specifically, the production method of the moisture-permeable, waterproof material comprises the following steps: coating a moisture-permeable, water-resistant layer with a water-swellable, adhesive layer, the latter being the outermost, to form film; and pressure-bonding a fibrous structural material pre-treated with a pre-treating agent containing a polyhydric compound as main component, to the water-swellable, adhesive layer, to thereby adhere the water-swellable, adhesive layer and the fibrous structural material together.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the production method of the moisture-permeable, waterproof material is characterized by the following features:
(a) Said pre-treatment is carried out by impregnating an aqueous solution of a pre-treating agent into the fibrous structural material, followed by heat-treatment for fixing;
(b) Said pre-treatment is carried out by allowing the fibrous structural material to absorb and fix the pre-treating agent a bath.
The above-described constitution of the present invention provides material that has a single fiber surface with high wettability by a water-swellable, adhesive layer and that contains highly crosslinkable functional groups to achieve high adhesiveness, particularly in a moistened state, even when a water-swellable, highly moisture-permeable adhesive layer is used.
BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The moisture-permeable, waterproof material of the present invention comprises a moisture-permeable, water-resistant layer, a fibrous structural material, and a water-swellable, adhesive layer interposed between the former two to adhere them together.
The “moisture-permeable, water-resistant layer” as used herein refers to a film layer having both moisture-permeability and waterproofness.
The “moisture-permeability” of the moisture-permeable, water-resistant layer refers to ability to allow sweat vapor or liquid sweat generated inside clothing to pass through the film, thereby discharging the sweat vapor or liquid sweat to the outside of the clothing. The “waterproofness” refers to ability to block out water droplets of rain or snow so as not to allow them to pass through the film to the inside of the clothing.
Specifically, typical moisture-permeable, water-resistant layer include dry, non-porous film of a polyurethane resin; wet, porous film of a polyurethane resin; non-porous film of a hydrophilic polyester elastomer resin; and stretched porous film of a polytetrafluoroethylene. The moisture-permeable, water-resistant layer of the present invention is preferably a continuous (the meaning of “continuous” will be described hereinafter) resin layer containing polyurethane as main component because such a layer serves to provide material with good texture and particularly with high stretching capability and cold resistance.
In order to achieve desired properties such as moisture-permeability, durability, and texture of the material obtained after the completion of adhesion, the thickness of the moisture-permeable, water-resistant layer is preferably 5-50 &mgr;m, more preferably 10-30 &mgr;m.
Such a moisture-permeable, water-resistant layer is then adhered to a fibrous structural material by means of adhesive force of a water-swellable adhesive layer interposed between them.
Preferred adhesives constituting a water-swellable adhesive layer as used in the present invention include solvent-based adhesives such as urethane resin, acrylic resin, and vinyl acetate resin; other types of adhesives in such forms as emulsion, hot-melt, and reactive hot-melt; and adhesives consisting of two or more of the above-listed ones. Urethane resin adhesives are preferred because they adhere strongly to materials used for the moisture-permeable, water-resistant layer and the fibrous structural material while maintaining moisture permeability.
The “water-swellability” used herein refers to a property of a resin to swell by the effect of moisture (in vapor state) or water (in liquid state) absorbed among polymer molecules to allow large amounts of water molecules to be sorbed among polymer molecules, resulting in swelling of the resin into which water is inc
Amano Jiro
Takeda Keiji
Piper Rudnick LLP
Singh Arti R.
Toray Industries Inc.
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