KR100368622B1 - Nonwoven fabric made from filaments and artificial leather containing it - Google Patents

Abstract

A nonwoven fabric made from a filament, comprising a filament formed from a fibrous thermoplastic polymer, wherein the nonwoven fabric made from the filament satisfies all of the following conditions (A) to (D).

(A) The fiber bundles are present in the range of 5-70 per centimeter in any cross section parallel to the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric.

(B) The total area occupied by the fiber bundle is in the range of 5-70% of the cross-sectional area of any cross section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric.

(C) The apparent density is 0.10-0.50 g / cm ³ .

(D) The cut ends of the fibers on the nonwoven surface are within the range of 5-100 per mm ² surface area.

Description

Nonwoven fabric made from filament and artificial leather containing it {NONWOVEN FABRIC MADE FROM FILAMENTS AND ARTIFICIAL LEATHER CONTAINING IT}

The present invention relates to a nonwoven fabric made from filaments and artificial leather containing the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a nonwoven fabric made from filaments and advantageously used as a base fabric for artificial leather, and to artificial leather made using the nonwoven fabric.

Artificial leather, which is used as a leather substitute, has recently become popular among consumers due to its light weight and easy handling, and is widely used in the fields of clothing, general materials, and sports. However, it is desired that the artificial leather be endowed with properties provided by natural leather, such as flexibility, drapability caused by a dense structure, and several proposals have been made to provide such desired properties.

In particular, unlike nonwovens made from staple fibers, nonwovens made from filaments do not require a series of large equipment such as staple fiber feeders, opening devices, carding devices, crosslappers, etc. for manufacturing. In addition, various nonwoven fabrics made from filaments have been proposed since they have a great advantage in strength compared to the entangled nonwoven fabric of staple fibers (Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 44-29543, 60-12465, etc.).

Furthermore, nonwovens made from filaments also do not require a carding step, unlike nonwovens made from staple fibers, so that there is no need to form many crimps in the fibers, and filament nonwovens can be made directly from fine denier filaments, The nonwoven fabric can be made compact by easily reducing the ratio of spaces between them.

For improved appearance, non-woven fabrics with good softness and good wear resistance include tangled nonwoven fabrics made from resin and fine denier filaments having denier of 0.3de or less, and nonwoven fabrics having high tear strength are disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Proposed in US 59-42108. However, at least one surface is a surface formed by filaments and resins, and is different from a surface having a suede upright hair or a smooth surface composed of polymer alone, ie a "silvered surface".

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 3-213555 proposes a nonwoven fabric composed of two-component splittable fibers. In this patent publication, nonwoven fabrics can be used for medical purposes, bags, etc., but at least in spite of the high strength due to the partial bonding of the fibers by the resin among the fiber forming components, the repulsion is too large, especially as a garment artificial leather It is described as inappropriate.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-53948 also discloses a method of forcibly entangled an aggregate of splittable fibers as a raw material fiber by needle punching, or entangled by high pressure water flow to divide the filaments. A method of further densifying a nonwoven fabric obtained by heating it in boiling water or a flow for heat shrinkage has been proposed.

The artificial leather obtained by using the nonwoven fabric produced in this way has a high apparent density due to heat shrinking, which also provides a densified structure, which has a rich and tight handling property, but lacks flexibility, and is made of a high elastic polymer and the like. In the case where the same coating forms a silvered artificial leather formed on the surface of the artificial leather, a lot of buckling creases occur when the artificial leather is folded, which constitutes an inherent important defect, and therefore, such artificial leather, In particular, a problem that arises when silver coated artificial leather is used to manufacture shoes, bags, gloves or furniture is early appearance degradation.

On the other hand, even in the case of Suede artificial leather, artificial leather with dense and upright hair and having a pleasant surface feel similar to natural leather has not yet been obtained, and therefore, such as natural leather with flexibility and limited elasticity as well as beautiful appearance. Feeling artificial leather has been desired.

A first object of the present invention is a non-woven fabric made from filament, which has both softness and rich and tight handling characteristics as natural leather, and also has silver resistance artificial leather that is resistant to the formation of buckling wrinkles when folded. By overcoming the above problems of the prior art by providing a non-woven fabric used for producing artificial leather as a fine leather texture having excellent fine touch similar to baby skin that did not exist in the prior art.

A second object of the present invention is to provide an artificial leather produced from the nonwoven fabric made from filament.

1 is a sectional view parallel to the thickness direction of an artificial leather including a nonwoven fabric made from a filament according to the present invention, which is a sectional view sketched from the electron micrograph 35 × of FIG.

2 is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the thickness direction of an artificial leather including a nonwoven fabric made from a filament according to the present invention, which is a cross-sectional view sketched from the electron micrograph 50 × of FIG.

3 is a view showing the surface of the nonwoven fabric made from the filament according to the present invention, which is sketched from the electron micrograph 200 × of FIG. 6.

4 is an electron micrograph (35 ×) showing the state of the fiber bundle in a cross section parallel to the thickness direction of the artificial leather obtained by the process of Example 7. FIG.

5 is an electron micrograph (50 ×) showing the state of the fiber bundle in a cross section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the artificial leather obtained by the process of Example 7. FIG.

6 is an electron micrograph (200 ×) showing the state of the cut end of the fiber on the surface of the nonwoven fabric made from the filament obtained by the process of Example 3. FIG.

7 is an electron micrograph (200 ×) showing the surface of a nonwoven fabric made from the filaments obtained by the process of Comparative Example 3. FIG.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the cross-sectional shape of the sides of the divisible multicomponent filaments produced in Example 1. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional shape of side surfaces of the divisible multicomponent filaments produced in Example 2. FIG.

The inventors of the present invention have found that buckling wrinkles when silver-bonded leather is folded, which is a cause of both softness and tight handling characteristics and excellent suede surface feel in artificial leather manufactured by using a nonwoven fabric made from filament as a base fabric. Focusing on the structure of the nonwoven fabric, which is the cause of "buckling folds", and conducting intensive studies on the properties of the nonwoven structure made from entangled fine denier filaments and how to form it, thereby providing flexibility and tautness. It has been found that the artificial leather having all the handling characteristics requires a high density nonwoven fabric and the number of fiber bundles oriented in the thickness direction of the artificial leather needs to be within a specific range.

In addition, the buckling wrinkles of silver-bonded artificial leather that occurs when using a splittable multicomponent filament are a result of the unique structure for the splittable multicomponent filament, and the splittable fine denier filaments are still close to each other. It has also been found that in the aggregated state, in the state of orientation as a multicomponent filament, the nonwoven fabric contains a macrospace of 800 µm ² or more. In other words, the buckling wrinkles of silver-bonded artificial leather arise due to the multifilament state formed by a group of fine denier filament groups produced by dividing from the monofilaments of the multicomponent filaments of the divisible type, which results in fine denier filaments. An entanglement of the multicomponent filaments of the divisible type that forms the macrospace in nonwovens not filled by the group occurs.

On the other hand, in the case of non-woven fabrics made from filaments formed from island-in-the-sea multicomponent filaments, the soft feel and the rich and tight handling characteristics of natural leather and the surface feel of the nubuck artificial leather are due to the specific structure with the fiber bundles, and It has also been found that it can be obtained by the properties resulting from this fiber bundle, thus completing the present invention.

In other words, a first object of the present invention is a nonwoven fabric made from a filament, which is made of a filament formed from a thermoplastic polymer forming a fiber, and can be achieved by a nonwoven fabric satisfying all of the following conditions (A) to (D). have.

(A) The fiber bundles are present in the range of 5-70 per centimeter in any cross section parallel to the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric.

(B) The total area occupied by the fiber bundle is in the range of 5-70% of the cross-sectional area of any cross section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric.

(C) The apparent density is 0.10-0.50 g / cm ³ .

(D) The cut ends of the fibers on the nonwoven surface are within the range of 5-100 per mm ² of surface area.

A second object of the present invention can be achieved by an artificial leather comprising the nonwoven fabric according to the present invention and a polymerized elastomer which is impregnated therein and satisfying all of the following conditions (I) to (N).

(I) Fiber bundles exist within the range of 5-70 per centimeter in any cross-section parallel to the thickness direction of artificial leather.

(J) The total area occupied by the fiber bundle is in the range of 5-70% of the cross-sectional area of any cross section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the artificial leather.

(K) At least a part of the impregnated polymer elastomer is a polymer elastomer which is not fixed in the fibers.

(L) The tensile stress at 20% elongation (? 20) in the warp direction of the artificial leather and the tensile stress at 20% elongation (σ20) in the weft direction are each in the range of 1.5-10 kg / cm.

(M) Ratio of 20% elongation (σ20) in the warp direction for artificial leather (Rb (g / cm)) and 20% elongation in the weft direction for artificial leather (σ20) The ratio for Rb (g / cm) has an average value of 3-30.

(N) The apparent density of artificial leather is 0.20-0.60 g / cm ³ .

Description of the Preferred Embodiments

First, conditions (A) to (D) for a nonwoven made from a filament according to the present invention will be described in detail. These conditions are essential for nonwovens made from filaments as base fabrics that can be used to obtain artificial leather that did not exist in the prior art.

According to condition (A), the number of fiber bundles should be in the range of 5-70 per centimeter in width in any cross section parallel to the thickness direction of the nonwoven made from the filament.

This is a structure exhibited by the processes of entanglement with each other in the nonwoven stage described below, and the filaments which tend to align parallel to the surface are entangled with each other in the thickness direction of the nonwoven sufficiently, thereby resulting in the stiffness when artificial leather is produced. The density is lowered, and the density is imparted together with both flexibility and rich and tight handling characteristics. By the alignment in the thickness direction, it is possible to obtain the effect of greatly improving the adhesion strength in the layer while having a suitable compressive elasticity.

When the number of filaments in the fiber bundle is less than 5 per centimeter in width, the above effect does not appear properly, and when it exceeds 70, it becomes difficult to entangle the filaments with each other. The preferred range for the number of fiber bundles is 10-50 pieces.

According to condition (B), the total area occupied by the fiber bundle should be in the range of 5-70% of the cross-sectional area of any cross section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric.

The fiber bundle can be easily observed in any cross section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric made from the filament, and by occupying the specific area ratio, a structure is obtained in which the nonwoven fabrics are sufficiently entangled with each other, and this structure is made of artificial leather. Both compactness and suppleness are possible, and the fine upright hair feel on the surface when made from a nubuck artificial leather. If the total ratio occupied is less than 3%, the effect does not appear properly, and if it exceeds 70%, it becomes difficult to actually entangle the filaments with each other. The preferred range for occupied area is 8-50%.

The number of fiber bundles in any cross section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric is preferably 2-20 per mm ² of cross section.

Conditions (A) and (B), which are essential conditions for the nonwoven fabric of the present invention, impart flexibility that cannot be exhibited by artificial leather made from nonwoven fabrics made from filaments known to the prior art, and are embodied by the present invention. It provides the structure necessary for the resilience to be within the range.

According to condition (C), the apparent density of the nonwoven fabric made from the filament should be 0.10-0.50 g / cm ³ . The apparent density provides a uniform structure for the nonwoven fabric made from the filaments, contributes to the tight handling properties and the drape of the resulting nonwoven fabric made from the filaments, preferably 0.20-0.40 g / cm ³ . If the apparent density is less than 0.10 g / cm ³ , a nonwoven fabric having a uniform and dense structure cannot be obtained. If the apparent density exceeds 0.50 g / cm ³ , the drape property of the nonwoven fabric is inferior in spite of its tight handling characteristics.

According to condition (D), the cut ends of the surface of the nonwoven made from the filament should be in the range of 5-100 pieces per mm ² of surface area. This is because the specific degree of cut of the filament, which tends to align parallel to the surface of the nonwoven, imparts flexibility to the nonwoven. If at least five cutting ends per mm ² are not present, there is no softness in spite of the cutting ends, and softness cannot be obtained when manufacturing the artificial leather in the manner described. Conversely, if there are more than 100 cut ends per mm ² , the strength of the nonwoven will be reduced. Therefore, the preferred range of the number of cut ends is 10-50 pieces / mm ² .

The range is based on the number of cut ends in the nonwoven after splitting when the multicomponent filaments of the splittable type are used as filaments and when the mixed polymer filaments and / or multicore filaments are used as the filaments It applies to the number of cut ends in the nonwoven fabric before extrusion and removal of.

Now, "fiber bundles" and conditions (A) and (B) according to the invention will be explained in more detail and in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 and 2 are cross-sectional views parallel to the thickness direction of the artificial leather obtained using the nonwoven fabric made from the filament in Example 6 of the present invention and a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the thickness direction, respectively, respectively made from the filaments in Example 6 It is sketched from FIGS. 4 (35x) and 5 (50x) which are electron micrographs which show the cross section parallel to the thickness direction and the cross section perpendicular | vertical to the thickness direction of the artificial leather obtained using the nonwoven fabric.

1 and 2 denote “fiber bundles” according to the present invention, and denote filaments arranged in bundles approximately parallel to the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric made from the filament, the size of the bundle being 20-500 μm. And the length is at least half of the thickness of the nonwoven fabric made from the filament in the direction parallel to the thickness of the nonwoven fabric. "Per centimeter wide" means per centimeter of straight line distance in the selected cross-section of the nonwoven, perpendicular to the thickness direction of the nonwoven.

The fiber bundle is preferably composed of fine denier fibers, the fine denier fibers being in a dense or coarse aggregate, and when using a filament capable of forming a fine fiber bundle, for example, an island-in-sea filament, As long as microfibers can be induced after forming the made nonwoven fabric or after obtaining artificial leather, there is no problem in using them prior to extraction and removal of the harmful components of the fibers.

Now, conditions (D) according to the present invention will be described in more detail and in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the surface of a nonwoven fabric made from the filament according to the present invention, sketched from FIG. 6 (200 ×) which is an electron micrograph showing the surface of the nonwoven fabric made from the filament obtained by the process of Example 3. FIG. Reference numeral 3 in FIG. 3 denotes a cut end of the filament, and this cut end is present at a density of 20 / mm ² .

For comparison, FIG. 7 shows an electron micrograph of the surface of a nonwoven fabric made from filaments known in the art, which is obtained in Comparative Example 4. FIG. As can be clearly seen by comparing the photograph of FIG. 7 with the photograph of FIG. 6 showing the surface of the nonwoven made from the filament according to the invention, the cut end of the filament is per mm ² on the surface of the nonwoven made from the filament of FIG. 7. There is one, and as described above, the range for the number of cut ends of the filament in the nonwoven made from the filament according to the invention is embodied to exhibit the desired surface softness.

According to the present invention, it is preferable that the percentage of compression in the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric made from the filament is 10-30%. Compression percentage is to prepare a 100mm × 100mm sample, place it on a level platform, apply a load of 80g / cm ² to measure the thickness (A) at the center of the sample, and load a 500g / cm ² load. Is determined by calculating [(AB) / A] × 100 (%) after application and measuring the thickness B at the same position, and serves as a measure of the reduction of the thickness of the nonwoven fabric under load to the original thickness. In addition, the hardness of the resulting nonwoven fabric is more satisfactory when the compression percentage is within the above range. More preferably, the percentage of compression is in the range of 12-18%.

According to the present invention, when the nonwoven fabric made from the filament is made of fine denier filaments obtained from a multicomponent filament of a divisible type comprising a polymer having two or more components, the following conditions (E) to (H) are satisfied. It is preferable.

(E) The denier of the filament is 0.01-0.5 de.

(F) The apparent density of the nonwoven fabric is 0.25-0.45 g / cm ³ .

(G) The average area of space in any cross section of the nonwoven fabric is 70-300 μm ^{2 as} measured by an image analysis method using a scanning electron microscope.

(H) The uniformity of the structure and the standard deviation of the space area at any cross section of the nonwoven fabric is 200-450 μm ^{2 as} measured by an image analysis method using a scanning electron microscope.

We will now explain these conditions. With a single filament having a denier of 0.01-0.5de constituting a nonwoven fabric made from the filament according to condition (E), it is easier to impregnate the polymerized elastomer when manufacturing artificial leather, and one of the objects of the present invention It is also easy to obtain a nonwoven fabric having a phosphorus uniform and fine structure.

According to condition (F), an apparent density preferably in the 0.25-0.45g / cm ^3, particularly preferably 0.3-0.40g / cm ^3. When this range is satisfied, the nonwoven fabric has better taut handling characteristics and drape property exhibited by the uniform structure of the nonwoven fabric by shrinkage.

According to conditions (G) and (H), the macroscopic space of the nonwoven fabric of the prior art is 800 µm ² or more to cause buckling wrinkles, whereas the average space area in any cross section of the nonwoven fabric made from the filament according to the present invention is at most 300 µm. Limited to ^two . However, from the viewpoint of the tight handling characteristics and the drape properties of the nonwoven fabric not related to buckling wrinkles, the space area is preferably at least 70 µm ² . If the average area is less than 70 μm ² , the resulting nonwoven will have tight handling properties due to the high density and uniform densities not obtainable in the prior art, but the drape of the nonwoven will be somewhat lower.

Similarly, a macro-area is more than 800㎛ ² of the nonwoven fabric of the prior art and the average area was then hand, to cause the buckling wrinkles, and the standard deviation of space area is also limited to a maximum of 450㎛ ^2. A standard deviation exceeding 450 μm ² means that the macrospace can diffuse even if the average value is within the target range of the present invention, which tends to cause buckling wrinkles. On the other hand, small deviations are desirable for more uniform structures, with about 200 μm ² being a practical limit.

As described in the following examples, the spatial area according to the present invention was measured by image analysis with a scanning electron microscope.

The nonwoven fabric made from the fine denier filaments according to the present invention, which satisfies all the conditions (E) to (H) and consists of a splittable multicomponent filament, has a uniform and dense structure with substantially no macroscopic space and feels flexible. It is useful as a non-woven fabric made from filaments made of silver-bonded artificial leather that does not give buckling wrinkles.

In addition, when the filament constituting the nonwoven fabric made from the filament according to the present invention is an island-in-the-sea multicomponent filament containing a fiber-forming thermoplastic polymer as an island component and a polyolefin-based polymer as a sea component, the mixed polymer An island-in-the-sea cross-section for filaments or island-in-the-sea cross-sections for multicore filaments can be obtained.

In addition, the filaments constituting the nonwoven fabric made from the filaments according to the present invention may be island-in-the-part divided multi-layer filaments, each segment comprising a polymer mixture (a) and a polymer mixture (b) as described below. It consists of a polymer.

Polymer mixture (a):

A polymer mixture comprising a fiber-forming thermoplastic polymer (A) as a drawing component and a polyolefin-based polymer (B) as a sea component.

Polymer mixture (b):

A polymer mixture comprising a fibrous thermoplastic polymer (A ') as an island component and a polyolefin-based polymer (B') as a sea component.

The fibrous thermoplastic polymer used to form the filaments is polyethylene terephthalate, copolymerized polyethylene terephthalate containing at least 80 mole percent of ethylene terephthalate units, nylon 6, nylon 66, nylon 610, nylon 12, polypropylene, poly In the case of any one or more polymers selected from the group consisting of urethane elastomers, polyester elastomers and polyamide elastomers, no problem arises.

Now, the artificial leather of the present invention will be described.

The artificial leather of the present invention comprises the nonwoven fabric according to the present invention and the polymerized elastomer which is impregnated therein, and satisfies all of the following conditions (I) to (N).

(I) A bundle of fibers is present in the range of 5-70 per centimeter width in any cross section parallel to the thickness direction of the artificial leather.

(J) The total area occupied by the fiber bundle is in the range of 5-70% of the cross-sectional area of any cross section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the artificial leather.

(K) At least a part of the impregnated polymer elastomer is a polymer elastomer which is not fixed in the fibers.

(L) The tensile stress at 20% elongation (? 20) in the warp direction of the artificial leather and the tensile stress at 20% elongation (σ20) in the weft direction are in the range of 1.5-10 kg / cm, respectively.

(M) Ratio of 20% elongation (σ20) in the warp direction for artificial leather (Rb (g / cm)) and 20% elongation in the weft direction for artificial leather (σ20) The ratio to Rb (g / cm) has an average value of 3-30.

(N) The apparent density of artificial leather is 0.20-0.60 g / cm ³ .

According to condition (I), the fiber bundle must be present in the range of 5-70 per centimeter in width in any cross section parallel to the thickness direction of the artificial leather. When the number of fiber bundles is within this range, the artificial leather has a suitable stiffness and compact structure, gives a soft feeling, and has both rich and taut handling characteristics.

In addition, the number of fiber bundles is a condition for providing a nonwoven fabric made of artificial leather according to the present invention. The preferred range for the number of fiber bundles is 10-50 pieces.

According to condition (J), the total area occupied by the fiber bundle must be in the range of 5-70% of the cross-sectional area of any cross section perpendicular to the direction of the thickness of the artificial leather.

The total area contributes to both the density and the softness as artificial leather, and contributes to the feel of good upright hair on the surface when made from nubuck artificial leather, and when the total area is less than 5%, the above effect is unsuitable. In other words, when it exceeds 70%, it becomes difficult to actually entangle the filaments with each other. The preferred range for occupied area is 8-50%.

According to condition (K), at least a part of the polymer elastomer impregnated in the nonwoven fabric should not be fixed in the fibers.

Usually, impregnating a polymer elastomer with a nonwoven fabric serving as a substrate provides a rich feeling to the artificial leather, but when the fibers are completely attached and fixed together by the polymer elastomer, the elasticity of the polymer elastomer is excessively over the characteristics of the artificial leather. It is reflected, and the softness of natural leather cannot be obtained.

According to condition (L), the tensile stress at 20% elongation (σ20) in the warp direction of the artificial leather and the tensile stress at 20% elongation (σ20) in the weft direction should be in the range of 1.5-10 kg / cm, respectively. do. If the tensile stress is less than 1.5 kg / cm, the limiting elasticity is insufficient and the looseness of the body, while if it exceeds 10 kg / cm, it is difficult to obtain the softness. The preferred range is 2-6 kg / cm.

Here, the warp and weft directions of the artificial leather are two axial directions perpendicular to the plane among the total orientations on the plane perpendicular to the thickness direction of the artificial leather, and the width direction during the manufacture of the nonwoven fabric made from the filament is the weft direction. The other direction is shown by the warp direction.

According to condition (M), the ratio of the 20% elongation (σ20) to the stiffness Rb (unit g / cm) (σ20 / Rb) in the warp direction and the weft direction should have an average value of 3-30. Here, the stiffness Rb represents the repulsion force when the artificial leather is bent by a radius of curvature of 2 cm, and a small value thereof indicates that the flexibility is large. It is more preferable that the lecture degree be in the range of 0.1-3.

Therefore, a large value of (? 20 / Rb) indicates that the softness is large and the tense is tight and that the limiting elasticity is large. However, when the value is too large, the tension is lost. The average value for the warp direction and the weft direction is preferably 5-20.

According to condition (N), the apparent density of artificial leather contributes to the uniform structure, tight handling characteristics and drape of the artificial leather, and when the apparent density is less than 0.20 g / cm ³ , a uniform and dense structure cannot be obtained. If the density exceeds 0.60 g / cm ³ , the womb will be taut but the artificial leather will feel hard. As a result, the apparent density 0.20-0.60g / cm ^3, and preferably, it is essential in a range of 0.30-0.50g / cm ^3.

When the substrate used is a nonwoven fabric made of filaments of fine denier obtained from a multicomponent filament of a divisible type comprising the two or more polymers and satisfying all of the above conditions (E) to (H), artificial leather Moreover, it is preferable to satisfy all the following conditions (O)-(Q).

(O) A bundle of fibers is present in the range of 10-50 per centimeter width in any cross section parallel to the thickness direction of the artificial leather.

(P) The average area of space at any cross section of artificial leather is 70-140 μm ^{2 as} measured by an image analysis method using a scanning electron microscope.

(Q) The structure is uniform, and the standard deviation of the space area in any cross section of artificial leather is 80-200㎛ ^{2 as} measured by the scanning electron microscope image analysis method.

We will now explain these conditions. According to the condition (O), it is possible for the artificial leather to have a structure with a suitable stiffness and a dense structure, and also to exhibit a more flexible feeling and to have rich and taut handling characteristics. It is particularly preferable that the number of fiber bundles is 12-30. By "per centimeter wide" is meant per centimeter of straight line distance in the cross section of artificial leather, perpendicular to the fiber bundle.

According to conditions (P) and (Q), similar to the nonwoven fabric made from the filaments used in artificial leather, the space formed by the polymerized elastomer in the cross section of the filament and the artificial leather, measured by the image analysis method by scanning electron microscope It is preferable that the average area of is 70-140 micrometer <^2> , and it is preferable that the standard deviation value exists in the range of 80-200 micrometer <^2> . This further reduces the macrospace present in the nonwoven made from the filaments.

In order to obtain silver-bonded artificial leather which does not generate buckling wrinkles, it is preferable that the resin-impregnated artificial leather does not have a space of 400 µm ² or more, and within this specific range, buckling wrinkles are generated even when manufactured as silver-bonded artificial leather. It is possible to obtain artificial leather having a dense structure having a higher level of flexibility and drape.

It is preferable that the standard deviation value indicating uniformity is in the range of 50-200 μm ² , which, when in this range, further suppresses macroscopic diffusion and further suppresses buckling wrinkles generated in the case of silver-bonded artificial leather. Because it becomes.

When the fiber bundle in the nonwoven fabric and the artificial leather made from the filament according to the present invention is a fiber bundle obtained from a multicomponent filament of a splittable type, the number of filaments having a denier of, for example, 0.2 denier after division is about 10- It is preferable that the number is 1000, and when the multicomponent filament as the structural fiber is island-in-sea type, the number of filaments having a denier of 4 denier, for example, before causing microfibers (before extraction of sea component) is about 1 -500 is preferred. If the number of fiber bundles is within this range, a uniform structure is provided, and the above effect obtained by the presence of the fiber bundles is more pronounced. The cross-sectional shape of the side of the fiber bundle is preferably isotropic, i.e., circular, and may be shaped like an ellipse.

Now, the manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric and the artificial leather made from the filament of the present invention will be described.

The filaments constituting the nonwoven fabric may be filaments capable of producing microfibers, such as a multicomponent filament of a divisible type or an island-in-the-sea multicomponent filament, or may be a fine denier filament obtained therefrom, which is a superdrawing Although it may be a fine denier filament manufactured directly by a method or the like, a sea island type multicomponent filament or a divisible type multicomponent filament is particularly preferable.

The cross sectional shape of the side of the filament may be a cross sectional shape of any known side such as circular, elliptical, rectangular, multileaf cross section, hollow cross section and the like.

The thermoplastic polymer constituting the filament may be a thermoplastic polymer known so far such as polyester, polyamide, polyolefin, elastomer, and the like, and aromatic polyamide, fluorinated polymer and the like may also be used. In addition, carbon black, titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, calcium carbonate, mica, fine metal powders, organic pigments, inorganic pigments and the like may be added as long as they do not interfere with the object of the present invention, and these additives may be added to the polymer. It also has a coloring effect on the surface, and an effect of raising or lowering the melt viscosity of the polymer, and is effective in adjusting the area and shape of the lateral cross section of the filament.

Now, the production of a nonwoven made from a filament comprising a multicomponent filament of a divisible type will be described. The fibrous thermoplastic polymers that make up the multicomponent filaments of the divisible type can be any combination of polymers, if not compatible with each other, of which polyester and polyamide combinations are particularly preferred.

In this case, as the polyester, polyethylene terephthalate-based polyester, polybutylene terephthalate-based polyester and the like can be mentioned, but polyesters in which the anti-crystallization component is copolymerized or included are particularly preferable, which is entangled and divided Later, the heat shrinkage rate can be increased.

These polyesters may be used alone or in combination of two or more, for example, a polyester containing a metal salt sulfonate group may be combined with a polyester not containing a sulfonate group.

As the polyamide, mention may be made of nylon 6, nylon 66, nylon 610, nylon 12, polyphthalamide and the like.

Other fiber forming thermoplastic polymers that may be used include polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane elastomers, polyester elastomers, polyamide elastomers, polyolefin elastomers, and the like. Most preferred combinations of thermoplastic polymers in the multicomponent filaments of the divisible type of the invention are polyethylene terephthalate and nylon 6.

The multicomponent filaments of the divisible type have a structure in which two or more polymer components are aligned with each other in a radial manner in the lateral cross section of the filament, and the number of alignments is not particularly limited, but in terms of process flow and splitability, 8 -24 is preferred, and segmentability can be further increased when the side cross section of the filament is hollow. In this case, it is preferable that the percentage of the vacant portion is 25% or less in order to prevent splitting during the formation of the filament and thereby further improve the spinning stability. Spinning stability is the ratio of the area in the hollow to the lateral cross-sectional area of the filament.

As a reference for the total area of the lateral cross section of the filament, it is preferable that the proportion of each component of the multi-components of the multicomponent filament of the divisible type is 30-70%, in particular 40- It is preferable that it is 60%. This ratio is usually 50:50 when the number of alignments is even and there are only two components, but when the ratio changes to 70:30, it is necessary to include fine denier filaments with different deniers in the nonwoven made from the filaments. It is possible. The denier of the multicomponent filament of the divisible type can be determined from the number of splits and the denier after splitting, but generally it is preferably 1-10de.

The multicomponent filaments of the splittable type are drawn at low speed and then subsequently meshed as nonwoven on a wound or meshed table while opening with a high speed drawing fluid. In particular, from the viewpoint of productivity, it is preferable to employ a combined spinning method in which the filament radiated from the nozzle is stretched at high speed and injected onto the meshed table.

Here, the speed of high speed stretching may be a range of known speeds according to the prior art, and high speed stretching of fibers spun at such speed through an ejector or air inhaler. Fine filaments obtained by high-speed stretching can be meshed on meshed nets as they are opened, and these filaments can be mixed while meshing on nets, layered or mixed with other filaments or staple fibers.

Other filaments or staple fibers used herein are not particularly limited so long as they can exhibit the effect of the present invention, but in order to obtain a nonwoven fabric made from filaments having a uniform and dense structure, the proportion of different filaments to be mixed is used in the total amount of filaments Less than 30% of is preferred.

Nonwoven fabrics made from the filaments obtained in this way can be layered or used alone in multiple sheets, preheated if necessary, and first fed or continuously fed for forced three-dimensional entanglement. The entanglement treatment further densifies the state of filling of the filament by a punching method by a needle using a needle punch or the like, a method of entangled the filaments by a high pressure water flow, or a combination of these methods.

Nonwoven fabrics made from filaments obtained by conventional spinning methods have substantially all the filaments aligned parallel to a plane perpendicular to the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric, and have always lacked flexibility when used as a base fabric for artificial leather, with simple shrinkage The treatment gives a dense structure as a nonwoven fabric, but the density and softness are not expressed when manufactured from artificial leather.

Nonwoven fabrics made from the filaments according to the present invention have fiber bundles arranged parallel to the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric within a certain range, and therefore entanglement by needle punching is desirable for sufficient formation and three-dimensional entanglement of the fiber bundles. It features. If the number of fiber bundles is within a certain range, it is possible to obtain the softness when manufacturing the artificial leather. The presence of the fiber bundles can provide the effect of greatly improving the interlayer adhesion strength of nonwovens made from filaments.

However, the simple needle punching causes severe cutting of the filament, which lowers the strength of the nonwoven fabric, and thus cannot produce the artificial leather obtained by the present invention.

Therefore, a feature of the present invention is that the number of fiber bundles is within the range specified by the present invention, and unlike any known technique of the prior art, the filaments constituting the nonwoven fabric are partially cut. Of course, although not cut to the extent that the strength of the nonwoven fabric is reduced, effective cutting within this range provides flexibility and flexibility and a feel like natural leather when manufacturing artificial leather. For this purpose, it is necessary to appropriately determine the oil, the shape of the needle, the depth of the needling and the number of penetrations. Specifically, the oil should provide high filament / filament friction so that entangled filaments do not loosen, for example aliphatic esters or polysiloxanes may be used. The shape of the needle is more effective as the number of barbs is more effective, which can be 1-9 barbs in the range of no needle breakage, and the barb depth is 0.02-in terms of entanglement and needle smoothness. It is preferable that it is 0.2 mm. The depth of the needling must be determined in consideration of various conditions based on the distance from the tip of the needle to the barb, but the deeper the depth within the range where the needle tracking is not too strong, it is preferable. It is preferable that the number of penetrations is 300-5000P / cm ² .

It is a feature of the present invention that the number of fiber bundles is within the range specified by the present invention and, unlike any known technique of the prior art, the filaments constituting the nonwoven fabric are partially cut. Of course, although not cut to the extent that the strength of the nonwoven fabric is reduced, effective cutting within this range provides flexibility and flexibility and a feel like natural leather when manufacturing artificial leather. More specifically, the oil must first be applied to the surface of the filament at 0.5-5% by weight based on the weight of the filament in order to prevent unnecessary breakage of the filament due to the needle or damage to the needle. The type of oil applied should be chosen as causing partial breakage of the filaments without reducing friction between the filaments and between the filaments and the needles.

Since it is preferable to perform the division of the multicomponent filaments of the divisible type simultaneously with the three-dimensional entanglement treatment, it is more effective to carry out the entanglement by high pressure water flow after needle punching, for example, 150 g in weight / cm ² to obtain a nonwoven fabric, a water pressure is 50-200kg / cm ² of surface and back of the nonwoven fabric made of a compressed water flow from the filament from a nozzle having orifices of 0.05-0.5mm in diameter at intervals of 0.5-1.5mm May be sprayed 1-4 times each.

Another method is mechanical and / or chemical splitting after entanglement, and the mechanical splitting used may be any known method such as pressurizing, sonicating, impacting or rubbing between rolls. The chemical cleavage treatment used is of the prior art such as chemical solution causing swelling of at least one of the components constituting the multicomponent filament of the divisible type, or immersion in a chemical solution dissolving at least one of the components. It may be any known method. This type of division processing can be performed alone or in combination of two or more.

It is also desirable to thermally shrink nonwoven fabrics made from such entangled and split filaments in a relaxed state. In the case of high pressure water flow or chemical treatment and washing with water, the heat shrink treatment may be carried out after drying at a temperature having no shrinkage, or the heat shrink treatment may be performed directly.

The shrinkage percentage and apparent density can be easily controlled by the shrinkage ratio of the heat shrinkage components in the shrinkage step of the divisible type multicomponent filaments, the degree of entanglement and heating temperature with each other, and the degree of mixing of the different filaments.

In the nonwoven fabric made from the filament according to the present invention, when the nonwoven fabric is made from filaments with different shrinking properties, the filaments are heat shrinkable so that one of the components is heat-shrinkable to remove the macrospace in the nonwoven fabric and cause a uniform and dense structure. It is preferable that it is a component filament, and it is preferable that the heat shrinkage difference of a heat-shrinkable component and another component is 5-50%, especially 10-30% in 95 degreeC warm water, and the fine denier filament which has a denier of 0.01-0.5de A non-woven fabric made from filaments comprising a mixture of two or more types of sinters in a relaxed state in hot water at 70-100 ° C. and / or dried at 80-140 ° C. for about 20 seconds to 10 minutes. Particular preference is given to performing a heating to obtain a nonwoven fabric having an area shrinkage percentage of 5-50%.

The heat shrinkage percentage according to the present invention is determined from the shrinkage percentage when shrinking the filament in hot water at 95 ° C. for 30 minutes under a load of 0.5 g / de, (length before shrinkage-length after shrinkage) / (before shrinkage) Calculate the percentage shrinkage by length) × 100%.

The area shrinkage percentage is calculated as [(area of nonwoven fabric made from filament before shrinkage-area of nonwoven fabric made from filament after shrinkage) / (area of nonwoven fabric made from filament before shrinkage)] x 100 (%).

Here, the "relaxed state" means a state in which the nonwoven fabric made from the filament proceeds in one direction at an overfeed rate of 3-30%. In accordance with the object of the invention focused on the area shrinkage percentage, the hem of the nonwoven made from the filament perpendicular to the direction of travel of the nonwoven made from the filament should preferably be kept non-held. The overfeed rate can be set according to the target area shrinkage percentage, but it is preferable because the overfeed rate in the range of 3-30% facilitates obtaining an area shrinkage percentage of 5-50%.

The preferred form of shrinkage treatment in this relaxed state is that the nonwoven fabric made from the filament is capable of shrinking in hot water, which is preferably 70-100 ° C. in a more strain-relaxed state due to buoyancy, which is more thorough within this range. This is because shrinkage treatment can be performed. When carrying out the shrinkage treatment by dry heating, an ambient temperature of 80-140 ° C is preferred, since more thorough shrinkage treatment can be performed within this range.

The shrinkage treatment time in the relaxed state can be appropriately set from at least 20 seconds to 10 minutes to obtain an area shrinkage percentage of at least 5%, but when performing the shrinkage treatment concurrently with the chemical splitting treatment, the splitting treatment is performed for 10 minutes. It requires time exceeding, and the time required to complete the splitting process is superior as an appropriate time.

When the area shrinkage percentage is in the range of 5-50%, it is possible to obtain a nonwoven fabric having a more uniform and dense structure, the apparent density of the nonwoven fabric made from the filament is more suitable, and the nonwoven fabric has a higher level of tight handling characteristics and It has drape property. In particular, when the apparent density is sufficiently increased in the entanglement treatment step and the densification by heat shrinkage is set to 10-30% in terms of area shrinkage percentage, a gentle heat shrinkage treatment is performed to obtain a more uniform and dense structure from the filament. It is possible to obtain a made nonwoven.

As a result, the space formed between the fine denier filaments is further refined, and the volume of the space between the filaments is smaller than the nonwoven fabric made from the conventional fine denier filaments, and the number of spaces is increased, so that the silver-bonded artificial leather Even when manufactured with a non-woven fabric provided with the resulting filaments, the advantage of resistance to buckling wrinkles is provided.

The above description relates to a manufacturing method employed when the divisible type multicomponent filament is used as a filament constituting a nonwoven made from the filament, but will now describe a manufacturing method using the island-in-the-sea multicomponent filament.

The island-in-the-sea multicomponent filaments used comprise two or more types of fibrous thermoplastic polymers (polymers of the same type as those mentioned for the multipart filaments of the splittable type) having different heat shrinkages as island components, and by dissolution Any desired polymer that can be easily removed can be contained as a sea component. Mixed polymeric filaments comprising a polymer mixture of sea component and island component, or multicore / exterior filaments, can be used, which have a cross-sectional shape on any side of known islands-in-the-sea multicomponent filaments.

The island-in-the-sea multicomponent filaments may also be mixed multicomponent filaments that are bonded together in a multi-layer manner and comprise the polymer mixture (a) and the polymer mixture (b) described below.

Polymer mixture (a):

A polymer mixture comprising a fibrous thermoplastic polymer (A) as a drawing component and a polyolefinic polymer (B) as a sea component.

Polymer mixture (b):

A polymer mixture comprising a fibrous thermoplastic polymer (A ') as a drawing component and a polyolefinic polymer (B') as a sea component.

Thermoplastic polymers in which these polymers and polymers are mixed may be of the polymer type constituting the multicomponent filaments of the divisible type, and thermoplastic polymers (A) and (A ') and polyolefin polymers (B) and (B') Each can be the same or different.

The fabrication and entanglement of nonwoven fabrics made from filaments can be carried out in the same manner as when using multipart filaments of the divisible type, and three-dimensional entanglement is carried out after dissolving and removing the sea component with the desired solvent. It is possible to obtain a nonwoven fabric made from the filament according to the invention.

The resulting nonwoven fabric made from filament can be used with particular advantages as a base fabric for nubuck artificial leather, but since nubuck artificial leather requires satisfactory artificial leather surface feel in addition to the characteristics of silver-seated artificial leather, It is necessary to increase the density of the hair.

Particular fiber bundles are of great importance here as a feature of the present invention, as well as the fiber bundles having to be aligned parallel to the thickness direction, the filaments constituting the fiber bundles must also be partially cut and the particular fiber bundles according to the invention Can be easily formed by needle punching performed for cutting of the filament in the same manner as when using a multicomponent filament of the dividable type.

According to the present invention, a composite by impregnating a polymerized elastomer to produce a nonwoven fabric made from filaments into artificial leather, such as a nonwoven fabric made from a filament comprising a splittable filament or a nonwoven fabric made from a filament comprising a sea island-type multicomponent filament Make it.

Polymeric elastomers include polyvinyl chloride, polyamide, polyester, polyester-ether copolymer, polyacrylic acid-ester copolymer, polyurethane, neoprene, styrene-butadiene copolymer, silicone resin, polyamino acid and polyamino acid-polyurethane air. Copolymers, natural polymer resins, and mixtures thereof may be mentioned, and pigments, dyes, crosslinkers, fillers, plasticizers and various stabilizers may be added as necessary.

Polyurethanes and mixtures of polyurethanes with other resins are preferred for use as polymeric elastomers because they give a soft feel.

The polymerized elastomer is impregnated into a nonwoven fabric of the present invention as a solution or dispersion in an organic solvent, or as an aqueous solution or an aqueous dispersion. The solidification method employed may be any method conventionally used in the prior art, for example, a thermosensitive solidification method is preferable as a drying method, and a pore solidification method by drying from an emulsion of a W / O type is more preferable. . Another example is a wet process in which a nonwoven fabric made from a filament impregnated with a water-miscible organic solvent solution of a polymeric elastomer passes through a coagulation bath consisting primarily of water for pore coagulation.

Preferably, for impregnation of the polymer elastomer, the nonwoven fabric serving as the base fabric is first treated with an emulsion such as silicone, or the nonwoven fabric made from the filament serving as the base fabric is first treated with a water-soluble polymer such as PVA to make the filament It is preferable to prevent the polymerized elastomer from adhering to the surface of the polymer and to sufficiently bind the constituent filaments. By treating the surface of the filament, the filament can make a suitable free movement and the polymerized elastomer can resist deformation and external stress, thereby giving flexibility.

The amount of the polymerized elastomer can be easily controlled by adjusting the concentration of the polymerized elastomer in the impregnation solution or by adjusting the wet pick-up of the impregnation solution during impregnation.

According to the invention, the ratio of the nonwoven fabric made from the filament functioning as the base fabric and the impregnated polymer elastomer is preferably 97: 3 to 50:50, more preferably 90: based on the total weight of the artificial leather. 10 to 60:40. When the proportion of the polymerized elastomer is within such a range, the resultant artificial leather will have better softness and tension. According to the present invention, a nonwoven fabric made from a filament functioning as a base fabric of artificial leather has a tight macroscopic space in its structure, and evenly, the resulting artificial leather is tightly handled even when the amount of polymerized elastomer for impregnation is small. Will have characteristics.

By erecting the artificial leather hair of the present invention, it is possible to make a suede or nubuck artificial leather, in which case it can be dyed to further increase the value.

In addition, the artificial leather of the present invention can also be made of silver-attached artificial leather by providing a coating of polymerized elastomer on the surface. Conventional silver-bonded artificial leather was not satisfactory in terms of density and uniformity of the impregnated nonwoven fabric functioning as the base fabric, and buckling wrinkles tended to occur. This shortcoming was treated by rubbing silver-bonded artificial leather and applying buckling wrinkles in advance, and the coating provided on the surface should be thicker than necessary.

In contrast, artificial leathers made from nonwoven fabrics made from filaments according to the present invention are resistant to buckling wrinkles regardless of the thickness of the coating formed as silver-bonded surfaces on the surface, and have tight handling properties along with flexibility and drape.

The method used to form the coating is, for example, a lamination method in which the coating is formed on a release sheet and then attached to the surface of the impregnated nonwoven fabric, impregnated with a W / O type emulsion of polymeric elastomer. The method is applied to the surface of the nonwoven fabric and dried to form a porous layer, followed by embossing, gravure printing, or the like to form a coating; A solution is applied to the surface of the impregnated nonwoven fabric and a porous layer is formed using a wet method for pore solidification in a coagulating solution consisting mainly of water, followed by embossing, gravure printing, or the like to form a coating, or the porous layer It may be any known forming method such as a method of forming a coating by laminating on the surface of the film.

When island-in-the-sea multicomponent filaments are used as filaments constituting a nonwoven fabric made from filaments, the nonwoven fabrics made from the resulting filaments can be made mainly of nubuck artificial leather.

This is because (1) ultra microfibres are easily obtained, (2) artificial leather is suitable because it can have both density and surface softness, and (3) excellent surface feel. In such a case, it is particularly preferable that the average denier of the island component remaining after extraction of the sea component is 0.0001-0.2de.

Thus, extraction of sea components in the multicomponent filaments is necessary when the island-in-the-sea multicomponent filaments are selected as the constituent filaments of the nonwoven fabric made from the filaments, and the extraction step used may be any known method of the prior art, such as urethane The polymerized elastomer can be impregnated into the space after the extraction step and the island component can be extracted after the impregnation of the polymer elastomer, or can be extracted simultaneously with the impregnation of the polymer elastomer according to the appropriate choice, but the polymer is polymerized to remove the step. It is preferable to extract with impregnation of an elastic body.

Nonwoven fabrics made from the filaments according to the invention are useful for the production of artificial leathers with a touch and softness that have not been possible until now. By adjusting the resulting softness, surface pattern, color and glossiness of the resulting artificial leather, it is possible to include all types of balls, portfolios, handbags and briefcases, such as sports shoes, soccer balls, basketballs, volleyballs, etc. Various types of bags, seats for sofa and chair covers, seats for furniture, seats for automobiles, gloves such as golf gloves, baseball gloves, ski gloves, or clothing, wearing gloves, belts, etc. It is possible to adopt for.

The invention will now be described in more detail by way of examples, but it should not be understood that the invention is limited to the examples.

The measurements of the examples were measured by the method described below and, unless otherwise specified, are the average of five different measurements obtained in five measurements.

Limiting viscosity

A solution of the sample was prepared according to conventional methods and determined by measuring at 35 ° C. Solvents used are described in the Examples.

Sample thickness

A thickness gauge ("543-101F", manufactured by Mitsuto) was used to measure under a load of 0.98 N on 1 cm diameter weight.

Tensile Stress, Tensile Strength and Elongation at Break

According to the method of JIS L-1096, 20% of a sample of 1 cm in width and 9 cm in length is cut, maintained at 5 cm intervals, using a universal tension meter to measure elongation at a tensile speed of 6 cm / min, 20% Tensile stress as stress at elongation (? 20), load value at cut point and tensile strength and elongation at elongation were measured, respectively.

Lecture degree (Rb)

A sample having a width of 2 cm x 9 cm was produced, the end of the sample was held in a retaining device, the sample was bent 90 ° to form a U, the measuring tip of the U gauge was pressed against the end, and the load value Was recorded and calculated per centimeter wide. The unit is g / cm, and the stiffness indicates the softness of the fabric, and a small value indicates that the softness is large.

Ratio to stiffness of 20% tensile stress

Natural leather has "flexibility and tight handling characteristics" due to its compact and uniform structure, and employs (20% stress) / (strength) = (σ20 / Rb) as its index, and has a length and width. The average value was taken.

Compression percentage

A 100 mm x 100 mm sample was prepared, mounted on a level platform, and the thickness A at the center of the sample was measured by applying a load of 80 g / cm ² . Then, the thickness (B) was measured by applying a load of 500 g / cm ² at the same position, and [(AB) / A] × 100 (%) was calculated.

Number of fiber bundles aligned parallel to the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric

A cross section selected parallel to the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric was photographed by an electron microscope at 40 × magnification, and the number of fiber bundles within a distance of 1 cm on the line perpendicular to the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric was visually counted.

Percentage of unit area occupied by fiber bundles in cross section parallel to the surface

Take a photomicrograph of a cross-section parallel to the surface of the nonwoven fabric at 50 × magnification, magnify it further by 200%, cut out the portion of the surface of the copy paper corresponding to the fiber bundle, measure its area, and measure the total area. In addition, the percentage of the area occupied by the fiber bundle was calculated as (the total area of the fiber bundle / the area of the photograph) x 100 (%).

Number of cut ends of filament per unit area of nonwoven surface

Photograph the surface of the nonwoven fabric by electron micrographing at 100 × magnification, count the number of cut ends of the filament per 0.5mm × 0.5mm section, take the average of 5 sections, calculate this per area, and from this, area 1mm ² The number of cut ends of the filament was determined.

Split percentage

Photograph the surface of the nonwoven fabric with an electron microscope at 200 × magnification, measure the cross-sectional area of 100 filaments, and do not fully divide the total area and undivided filaments (eg, divided into about 2 or 3 parts). By dividing the difference between the cross sectional areas by the total area, the percentage of division of the multicomponent filaments of the divisible type was determined. Larger split percentages indicate better splits.

Average area and standard deviation of the space

The average area of the space between the filaments in the cross section of the nonwoven fabric and the cross section of the artificial leather was measured by the following image analysis method by scanning electron microscope.

(1) Sample preparation: The cross-sectional sample of the nonwoven fabric to be measured was subjected to metal by ion sputtering using an ion sputtering apparatus "JFC-1500" manufactured by Nihon Denshi, KK. To coat.

(2) Electron microscopy: The sample produced in (1) above was prepared by Nihon Denshi, K.K. under the conditions of an acceleration voltage of 5 kV, a filament current of 2.2 A, and a scanning speed of 15.7 seconds / line (horizontal, 60 Hz). Mounted in microscope "JSM-6100", display image signal waveform on CRT for observation, adjust the maximum and minimum peak level of waveform to 5V and 0V on potential scale and set magnification to 200x, respectively To determine the exposure time.

(3) Image processing: Asahi Kasei, KK. High Precision Image Analysis System "IP-1000PC" is used for measurement by selection of image processing of "coefficient of open cells" on an image automatically input from a scanning microscope. . The binary threshold for this image processing is the luminance (luminance = 0) at the center point between the maximum and minimum peak levels of the peaks of the luminance distribution obtained from the image analysis. The lower part of the luminance defined by the threshold value is extracted as the space part.

(4) Calculation of Mean Area and Standard Deviation: The area of the extracted spatial portion present within the 0.25 mm ² area of the nonwoven cross section was measured and the same procedure was repeated at least three times at different locations of the nonwoven cross section. The average area and the standard deviation were calculated from the area of the space part obtained in this way.

Buckling wrinkles

Samples 4 cm in length and width were fabricated, held in a warp direction (or weft direction) in a compartment 1 cm away from the ends of the ends, and the spacing of the parts held with the surface bent inward from 2 cm. The number of buckling wrinkles occurring on the surface when decreasing to 1 cm was visually counted and evaluated according to the scales listed below. Coefficients below seven buckling wrinkles are suitable for practical use.

◎ 0-2 buckling wrinkles

3-7 buckling wrinkles

× 8 or more buckling wrinkles

Nubuck touch

A sample having a length and width of 4 cm was produced, and the nubuck-forming surface of the sample was found with a finger to measure the state and feel of the upright hair, and this was evaluated according to the following scale.

◎ Very dense and fine upright hair with excellent touch

○ Upright hair with slightly roughness but excellent touch

× coarse upright hair with a normal touch

Example 1

Manufacture of Nonwovens 1

Polyethylene terephthalate copolymer (in ortho chlorophenol) obtained by polycondensation of an acid component containing 10 mol% dimethyl isophthalate containing 10 mol% of dimethyl terephthalate as the first component and 10 mol% of ethylene glycol The ultimate viscosity is 0.64) and the second component, nylon 6 (the ultimate viscosity in metacresol is 1.1) is fed to the extruder and individually melt kneaded and hollow nozzle at a release rate per filament of 2 g / min After ejecting from the spinneret and stretching at high speed at an ejector pressure of 3.5 kg / cm ² , impinge on the dissipation board by air flow to open the filament, and a 16-split type multilayer stack as shown in FIG. 8. Table conveyor meshed as a nonwoven fabric made from filaments comprising multicomponent filaments of a divisible type having a cross section of the type It was collected on the air. The volume ratio of the two components was 50:50, otherwise the components were arranged in 16 layers.

Next, an oil composed mainly of fatty acid metal salts and silicones was sprayed onto the nonwoven fabric made from the filaments to an effective range of 1.5% by weight based on the weight of the filaments, and 8.7 using commercially available needles (9 barbs, barb depth of 0.08 mm). Needle punched at 800 P / cm ² to a penetration depth of mm, after which the entanglement treatment by high pressure water flow was performed once at a water pressure of 50 kg / cm ² from the front and twice at a water pressure of 140 kg / cm ² , Two runs were performed at 140 kg / cm ² water pressure from the rear side. The filament was partially cut during needle punching and no bending of the needle occurred.

The nonwoven fabric made from the filament was immersed in a hot water bath at 90 DEG C for 60 seconds, and then dried by a hot air dryer at 110 DEG C to obtain Nonwoven Fabric 1.

Example 2

Manufacture of Nonwovens 2

A nonwoven fabric 2 was obtained by the same procedure as in Example 1 except that the solid spinneret was used to the inside, and the cross section of the filament side was modified to the shape shown in FIG. 9.

Example 3

Manufacture of nonwovens 3

After needle punching, the solution was immersed in an aqueous emulsion containing 10% benzyl alcohol and 2% nonionic surfactant at room temperature for 10 minutes, and after washing and pressing dewatering, shrinkage treatment was performed for 20 minutes in a 90 ° C hot water bath. Except for the nonwoven fabric 3 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1.

Comparative Example 1

Manufacture of nonwovens 4

The first component, polyethylene terephthalate (intrinsic viscosity in ortho chlorophenol is 0.63) and the second component, nylon 6 (intrinsic viscosity in metacresol is 1.1) are spun at a release rate per filament of 2 g / min. Wound by a typical melt spinning method at a winding speed of 1000 m / min to give a 6.6de-divisible multicomponent unstretched filament having a cross-sectional shape of the filament side shown in FIG. Then, the unstretched filament was stretched twice in 40 degreeC warm water, and the stretched filament of 3.3de was obtained. The stretched filaments are then coated with oil up to 0.3% by weight, based on the filament weight, passed through a stuffing box for mechanical crimping, dried in a conveyor type hot air dryer at 60 ° C., Cutting to 45 mm yielded a splittable type multicomponent staple fiber containing heat shrinkable components.

The multicomponent staple fibers of the dividable type are opened by a parallel carding device, a layer is formed by a cross wrapper on a nonwoven fabric made from the resulting staple fibers, and a penetration depth of 8.7 mm using a needle of the same type as in Example 1 Needle punched to 400P / cm ² until then the entanglement treatment by high pressure water flow was carried out once at a water pressure of 50 kg / cm ² from the front and twice at a water pressure of 140 kg / cm ² and then at 140 kg / Performed twice at a water pressure of cm ² to produce a nonwoven fabric made from staple fibers. The percent split in the multicomponent staple fibers of the divisible type constituting the nonwoven was 95%.

After immersing the nonwoven in a hot water bath at 75 ° C. for 20 seconds, the surface was shrunk by 19% and dried by a hot air dryer at 320 ° C. to obtain nonwoven fabric 4 with an average denier of 0.21 de.

Comparative Example 2a

Preparation of Nonwovens 5a

Nonwoven fabric 5a was obtained by the same procedure as in Example 3 except that needles having nine barbs and a barb depth of 0.03 mm were used to needle punch at 280 P / cm ² to a penetration depth of 6.4 mm. Substantially no cut end was found in the resulting nonwoven fabric.

Comparative Example 2b

Preparation of Nonwoven 5b

Nonwoven fabric 5b was obtained by the same procedure as in Example 3 except that the oil used was an oil mainly composed of paraffin wax.

Comparative Example 3

Manufacture of nonwovens 6

Spinning and stretching polyethylene terephthalate copolymers having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.64 in ortho chlorophenol obtained by polycondensation of acid components containing 10 mol% dimethyl isophthalate and 10 mol% ethylene glycol relative to dimethyl phthalate Was used to obtain a stretched filament having a denier of 2de. The stretched filaments are then coated with oil up to 0.3% by weight, based on the filament weight, passed through a stuffing box for mechanical crimping, dried in a conveyor-type hot air feed bin and dryer at 60 ° C., to 51 mm It cut | disconnected and obtained the heat shrinkable staple fiber. In the same way, polyethylene terephthalate (final viscosity in ortho chlorophenol is 0.63) was used to obtain staple fibers with 2de denier and cut to 51 mm length.

Then, at a mixing ratio of 30% by weight based on the total staple fiber weight of the heat-shrinkable staple fibers, they are mixed, and a layer is formed by a cross wrapper on a nonwoven fabric made from staple fibers carded and opened by a parallel carding machine, Using a commercially available needle (9 barbs, barb depth of 0.08 mm), needle punching was carried out at 1500 P / cm ² to a penetration depth of 8.7 mm, followed by heat shrink treatment in hot water at 80 ° C. to obtain a nonwoven fabric 6.

Example 4

Manufacture of nonwovens 7

Nylon 6 as the island component (intrinsic viscosity in the meta cresol is 1.34) and polyethylene as the sea component (melting flow rate: 50) were mixed with the chips in a weight ratio of 50:50 and melted by an extruder, after which the mixture was single Discharged from a nozzle having a circular opening at a release rate of 1.3 g / min per opening, stretching at high speed at an ejector pressure of 2.5 kg / cm ² , and then impinging on the dissipation board by air flow to open the filament A nonwoven made from filaments comprising a mold multicomponent filament was collected on a meshed table conveyor. The denier of the filament was 3.8 de. Next, an oil composed mainly of a fatty acid metal salt and silicone was sprayed onto the nonwoven fabric made from the filament to an effective range of 2% by weight based on the weight of the filament, and 8.7 using commercially available needles (9 barbs, barb depth of 0.08 mm). Needle punching was carried out at 600P / cm <^2> to the penetration depth of mm, and the nonwoven fabric 7 was obtained.

Example 5

Manufacture of Nonwovens 8

The polyethylene terephthalate as the figure component (intrinsic viscosity in the ortho chlorophenol is 0.64) and the polyethylene as the sea component (melting flow rate: 50) are separately melted by an extruder and 19 at a release rate of 1.3 g / min per single opening. Discharged at a weight ratio of 70:30 from the island-in-sea multicomponent type nozzle having two degrees and circular openings, drawn at high speed at an ejector pressure of 2.5 kg / cm ² , and then impinged on the dissipation board by air flow to filament Was opened and collected on a meshed table conveyor as a nonwoven made from a filament comprising island-in-the-sea multicomponent filaments. The filament denier was 2.8de. Next, oil is sprayed onto the nonwoven fabric made from the filament to the effective range of 2% by weight based on the weight of the filament, and 600P / to a penetration depth of 8.7 mm using commercially available needles (9 barbs, 0.08 mm barb depth). Needle punching was carried out in cm ² to obtain a nonwoven fabric 8.

Comparative Example 4

Manufacture of Nonwovens 9

Nylon 6 as the figure component (intrinsic viscosity in the meta cresol is 1.34) and polyethylene (melting flow rate: 50) as the sea component are mixed with the chips in a weight ratio of 50:50, and wound at 1000 m / min by a conventional melt spinning method. After winding up at speed, it extended | stretched and obtained the stretched filament of 8de which has the cross section of the filament side surface same as the filament obtained in Example 5. The stretched filaments are then coated with oil up to 0.3% by weight, based on the filament weight, passed through a stuffing box for mechanical crimping, dried in a conveyor-type hot air dryer at 60 ° C., cut to 45 mm An island-in-the-sea multicomponent staple fiber was obtained.

Example 6

Fabrication of Nonwovens 10

Polyethylene terephthalate copolymer obtained by polycondensation of an acid component containing 10 mol% of dimethyl isophthalate containing 10 mol% of dimethyl terephthalate and 10 mol% of ethylene glycol (having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.64 in orthochlorophenol) It was fed into an extruder and melt kneaded, after which it was discharged from a nozzle having a circular cross-section opening at a release rate per filament of 1.1 g / min, and after high-speed stretching at an ejector pressure of 3.5 kg / cm ² , dissipated by air flow The filaments were opened upon impingement on a dragon board and collected on a meshed table conveyor as a nonwoven made from filaments with 2 deniers. Next, an oil composed mainly of fatty acid metal salts and silicones was sprayed onto the nonwoven fabric made from the filaments to an effective range of 1.5% by weight based on the weight of the filaments, and 8.7 using commercially available needles (9 barbs, barb depth of 0.08 mm). Needle punched at 800 P / cm ² to a penetration depth of mm, followed by immersion in a hot water bath at 90 ° C. for 60 seconds, followed by drying at 110 ° C. with a hot air dryer to obtain nonwoven fabric 10.

The properties of the obtained nonwovens are listed in Table 1.

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Comparative Example 1 Comparative Example 2a Comparative Example 2b Nonwovens No. One 2 3 4 5a 5b Cross section Hollowed out Hollowed out Hollowed out Hollowed out Hollowed out Hollowed out Denier before division (de) 3.7 3.9 3.7 3.3 3.7 3.7 Number of fiber bundles (n / cm) 14 16 18 9 12 4 Area occupied by fiber bundles (%) 9.0 10.5 12.2 4.2 8.5 2.3 Number of surface filament cutting ends (n / mm ² ) 24 18 20 136 One One 20% Stress (kg / cm) (MD / CD) 2.8 / 2.6 2.9 / 2.7 2.8 / 2.6 3.7 / 1.9 2.4 / 2.3 1.8 / 1.7 σ20 / Rb 15.2 17.6 9.0 6.7 6.9 6.0 Compression percentage 13.4 13.5 12.4 9.8 10.3 12.3 Area shrinkage (%) 12 9 14 19 16 15 Split Percentage 95 91 97 95 97 97 Thickness (mm) 1.32 1.33 1.32 1.29 1.33 1.33 Apparent density (g / cm ³ ) 0.31 0.30 0.31 0.30 0.32 0.32 Denier after division (de) 0.23 0.24 0.23 0.21 0.23 0.23 Average area of space (㎛ ² ) 204.9 220.5 258.4 266.8 246.2 278.8 Standard Deviation of Space Area (㎛ ² ) 420.6 421.3 432.8 489.5 419.3 443.9

Comparative Example 3 Example 4 Example 5 Comparative Example 4 Comparative Example 6 Nonwovens No. 6 7 8 9 10 Cross section Hard inside Hard inside Hard inside Hard inside Hard inside Denier before division (de) 2 3.8 2.8 8 2 Number of fiber bundles (n / cm) One 6 8 0.5 12 Area occupied by fiber bundles (%) 1.9 12.2 10.3 2.1 10.3 Number of surface filament cutting ends (n / mm ² ) 54 6 7 22 12 20% Stress (kg / cm) (MD / CD) 2.3 / 1.1 1.9 / 1.2 1.8 / 1.5 0.5 / 0.3 2.7 / 2.2 σ20 / Rb 4.3 5.5 5.1 1.2 6.9 Compression percentage 6.4 16.4 15.5 32.3 11.1 Area shrinkage (%) 25 ― ― ― 23 Split Percentage ― ― ― ― ― Thickness (mm) 1.31 1.35 1.32 2.9 1.45 Apparent density (g / cm ³ ) 0.31 0.27 0.26 0.17 0.29 Denier after division (de) (2) ― ― ― ― Average area of space (㎛ ² ) 820.5 ― ― ― ― Standard Deviation of Space Area (㎛ ² ) 1560.3 ― ― ― ―

We will now discuss the results shown in Table 1. Examples 1 to 3 satisfied all the conditions of the present invention, and the resulting nonwoven fabric had a dense and uniform structure. In particular, the nonwoven obtained in Example 1, in which the constituent filaments consisted of splittable multicomponent filaments having a hollow side cross-sectional shape, had a filament in a rough and aggregated state, which showed a very uniform and dense structure upon shrinkage.

On the other hand, the nonwovens obtained by the procedures of Comparative Examples 1 and 3 constituted by staple fibers had an average area of apparent density and space comparable to the nonwovens made from the filaments obtained by the processes of the examples, but these nonwovens were staple Since it is made from fibers, the number of cut ends of the fibers on the surface of the nonwoven fabric exceeds 100 per mm ² , and a nonwoven fabric having sufficient softness and suitable stiffness, which is the object of the present invention, cannot be obtained.

However, in Comparative Example 2a, the number of cut ends of the filament on the nonwoven surface was less than five per mm ² , so that a nonwoven fabric having sufficient softness and suitable stiffness, which is the object of the present invention, could not be obtained. In Comparative Example 2b, the oil was changed, but the fiber bundle could not be formed properly, the 20% stress was reduced, and the stiffness was greater than that in Comparative Example 2a, and the nonwoven fabric did not have adequate softness.

Examples 4 and 5 were nonwoven fabrics made from filaments in which the constituent filaments were island-in-the-sea multicomponent filaments, and Comparative Example 4 was nonwoven fabrics made from staple fibers in which the constituent filaments were island-in-the-sea multicomponent filaments. Examples 4 and 5 met all the conditions for the nonwovens of the present invention and had excellent limiting elasticity and rich texture. In contrast, the nonwoven fabric of Comparative Example 4 had less than 5 fiber bundles per centimeter and, despite being flexible, did not have tight handling properties.

Example 6 was a nonwoven fabric made from filaments whose filaments were filaments having a denier of 2.0 denier, and a nonwoven fabric made from filaments excellent in terms of softness and tight hand.

Examples 7-10, Comparative Examples 5-7

Preparation of Silver Attached Artificial Leather 1 to 7

180% pickup of nonwoven fabrics 1 to 6 and 10 nonwoven fabrics prepared in Examples 1 to 3, 6 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3 respectively (weight of nonwoven fabric after impregnation of 180% by weight based on nonwoven weight before impregnation) Was immersed in a 1.4% aqueous emulsion of dimethylsiloxane until and dried at 100 ° C. for 30 minutes.

Then, polyurethane having a 100% elongation stress of 110 kg / cm ³ using diphenylmethane diisocyanate, polytetramethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene glycol, polybutylene adipate diol and trimethylene glycol according to a conventional method. The nonwoven fabric was impregnated with a W / O type emulsion prepared by dispersing water in a proportion of 35 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of a methyl ethyl ketone slurry containing 16% by weight of the polyurethane, based on the total weight of the slurry. The excess emulsion on the surface was washed off, solidified and dried in an atmosphere of 70% relative humidity and 45 ° C temperature. In addition, a 50 μm-thick polyurethane coating formed on the release sheet was attached using a two-part urethane-based adhesive, and after proper drying and crosslinking reaction, the release sheet was peeled off to obtain silver-attached artificial leathers 1 to 7.

The properties of the artificial leathers obtained in Examples 7-10 and Comparative Examples 5-7 are listed in Table 2.

Also listed are properties of natural kangaroo leather (Reference Example 1), and artificial leathers including islands-in-sea multi-component staple fibers of nylon 6 / polyethylene terephthalate (Reference Example 2).

Example 7 Example 8 Example 9 Comparative Example 5 Comparative Example 6a Silver Artificial Leather No. One 2 3 5 6a Used nonwoven One 2 3 4 5a Nonwovens: Resin (non) 77:35 77:35 77:35 77:35 77:35 Thickness (mm) 1.62 1.58 1.61 1.52 1.59 Apparent density (g / cm ³ ) 0.44 0.42 0.44 0.44 0.44 Number of fiber bundles (n / cm) 17 18 18 7 13 Area occupied by fiber bundles (%) 22.0 26.3 28.9 8.7 21.2 Tensile Strength (kg / cm) (MD / CD) 20.1 / 16.8 25.5 / 22.1 23.5 / 20.6 24.2 / 17.3 20.1 / 18.9 Elongation at Break (%) (MD / CD) 134/111 140/148 142/148 105/144 145/149 20% Stress (kg / cm) (MD / CD) 3.6 / 3.6 3.5 / 3.2 4.8 / 3.0 6.1 / 1.8 3.9 / 2.1 σ20 / Rb 4.5 5.6 5.6 6.5 2.6 Inner layer adhesive strength (kg / cm) 5.3 6.2 7.8 2.5 7.9 Average area of space (㎛ ² ) 98.5 103.4 111.3 145.9 138.3 Standard Deviation of Space Area (㎛ ² ) 140.3 150.1 136.1 221.4 159.2 Buckling wrinkles ◎ ○ ○ × ○

Comparative Example 6b Comparative Example 7 Reference Example 1 Reference Example 2 Example 10 Silver Artificial Leather No. 6b 7 ― ― 4 Used nonwoven 5b 6 ― ― 10 Nonwovens: Resin (non) 77:35 77:35 ― ― 77:35 Thickness (mm) 1.58 1.57 0.75 1.53 1.69 Apparent density (g / cm ³ ) 0.44 0.46 0.64 0.44 0.42 Number of fiber bundles (n / cm) 5 One ― 8 14 Area occupied by fiber bundles (%) 2.5 2.9 ― 3.8 22.2 Tensile Strength (kg / cm) (MD / CD) 15.1 / 12.2 18.1 / 14.7 34.5 / 32.5 16.2 / 18.0 20.2 / 19.3 Elongation at Break (%) (MD / CD) 122/115 121/151 79/78 75/113 142/137 20% Stress (kg / cm) (MD / CD) 2.2 / 1.9 4.6 / 3.4 4.3 / 3.5 4.3 / 2.6 3.4 / 3.2 σ20 / Rb 2.2 1.0 13.0 2.7 4.1 Inner layer adhesive strength (kg / cm) 2.8 7.0 5.2 7.3 5.8 Average area of space (㎛ ² ) 150.2 292.1 ― 368.1 ― Standard Deviation of Space Area (㎛ ² ) 223.2 565.2 ― 918.8 ― Buckling wrinkles × ○ ○ × ○

We will now discuss the results shown in Table 2. The artificial leather obtained by the process of Examples 7 to 9 according to the present invention satisfies all conditions, and the resulting artificial leather has a dense and uniform structure. Due to the compact and uniform structure, there was no anisotropy of 20% stress in the warp and weft directions, limited stretch tactile feel, and the artificial leather was flexible with tight handling characteristics. Artificial leather also had an excellent appearance without buckling wrinkles when bent. In addition, the artificial leather of Example 10 employing a nonwoven fabric made from non-dividable filaments satisfied all the conditions, and had both softness and tight handling characteristics not obtainable by a leather composed of a conventional nonwoven fabric made from staple fibers.

On the other hand, Comparative Example 5 and Comparative Example 7 had an apparent density equivalent to the apparent density of the Example, but had a softness but inadequate stiffness due to the small number of fiber bundles of nonwoven fabrics made from staple fibers used as the base fabric. In addition, it showed low intralayer adhesion strength.

Comparative Example 6a had few cutting ends of the filaments on the surface of the nonwoven fabric made from the filaments used as the base fabric, and therefore the leather had high stiffness and lacked flexibility. Comparative Example 6b had almost no fiber bundles, had a high stiffness, but also lacked a uniformly entangled state and had a large number of buckling wrinkles.

In particular, the artificial leather obtained in Example 7 and the artificial leather of Reference Example 2, which had a rough structure, had tight handling characteristics, but numerous buckling wrinkles were found when the surface was bent inwardly.

Examples 11 and 12, Comparative Example 8

Preparation of Nubuck Artificial Leather 1 ~ 3

1.4% aqueous solution of dimethylsiloxane up to 180% pickup (weight of nonwoven fabric after impregnation of 180% by weight based on nonwoven weight before impregnation) of nonwovens 7-9 prepared in Examples 4, 5 and Comparative Example 4, respectively It was immersed in the emulsion and dried at 70 ° C. for 30 minutes.

Thereafter, diphenylmethane diisocyanate, polytetramethylene glycol, ethylene glycol and polybutylene adipate diol were reacted according to a conventional method to obtain a polyurethane having a nitrogen content of 4.5% based on isocyanate, Dissolved in dimethylformamide solution to give a dimethylformamide (DMF) solution of polyurethane (15 wt% concentration), and nonwovens 7-9 were each impregnated with this solution and further immersed in 15% aqueous DMF solution for coagulation. . After washing suitably in hot water at 40 ° C, it was dried in a hot air chamber at 135 ° C to obtain a substrate impregnated with urethane.

The substrate was repeatedly immersed and nipping in toluene at 80 ° C. and the polyurethane components of the filament constituents were removed by dissolution to produce fine denier filaments from the islands-in-sea multicomponent filaments. The toluene in the substrate was then removed by azeotropic distillation in hot water at 90 ° C., dried in a hot air chamber at 120 ° C., and then lightly buffed four times with 600 mesh sandpaper to yield nubuck artificial leathers 1 to 3. .

The properties of the nubuck artificial leather obtained by the procedure of Examples 11 and 12 and Comparative Example 8 are listed in Table 3.

Furthermore, the characteristics of the artificial leather which is a nonwoven fabric containing the island-in-the-sea multicomponent staple fiber of nylon 6 / polyethylene, and the commercial artificial leather as Reference Example 3 are also enumerated.

Example 11 Example 12 Comparative Example 8 Reference Example 8 Nubuck artificial leather No. One 2 3 ― Used nonwoven 7 8 9 ― Nonwovens: Resin (non) 77:38 77:38 77:38 ― Thickness (mm) 0.85 0.82 0.95 0.39 Apparent density (g / cm ³ ) 0.37 0.36 0.36 0.41 Number of fiber bundles (n / cm) 5 7 0.5 One Area freed by fiber bundles (%) 15.6 18.9 3.4 1.8 Tensile Strength (kg / cm) MD / CD) 15.7 / 10.2 14.3 / 10.0 13.1 / 12.2 21.9 / 20.61 Elongation at Break (%) (MD / CD) 123/123 130/128 158/164 75/115 20% Stress (kg / cm) (MD / CD) 2.6 / 1.7 2.4 / 1.6 0.8 / 0.4 6.0 / 2.3 σ20 / Rb 10.8 9.5 1.0 2.0 Inner layer adhesive strength (kg / cm) 3.1 3.1 3.2 2.8 Nubuck touch ◎ ○ × ×

We will now discuss the results shown in Table 3. The artificial leathers obtained by the processes of Examples 11 and 12 had a uniform and dense structure and a large number of fiber bundles, thus exhibiting suitable softness and tight handling properties, as also indicated by the sigma 20 / Rb value, and the surface Also had a very satisfactory nubuck texture.

On the other hand, the artificial leather obtained by the process of Comparative Example 8, which had only one fiber bundle per centimeter, lacked limiting elasticity touch and did not have tight handling characteristics. The artificial leather of Reference Example 3 had a tight handling characteristic, but lacked softness, provided a touch different from that of natural leather, and inferior touch of the surface was also inferior.

Example 12

The artificial leather obtained by the procedure of Example 7 was used as the upper material for the shoes in a two month wear test. Due to the flexibility of the artificial leather, the manufactured shoes fit well, the comfort was satisfactory, and no problems were found at the end of the test.

Artificial leather as a silver artificial leather that does not require a series of large equipment, has both the flexibility and the rich and tight handling characteristics of natural leather, and does not produce buckling wrinkles when folded, and is resistant to the formation of buckling wrinkles. Alternatively, the present invention can provide a nonwoven fabric used to produce a silky-brown artificial leather having excellent fine touch similar to baby skin, which did not exist in the prior art, and an artificial leather manufactured from the nonwoven fabric made from filaments.

Claims (12)

Nonwoven fabric made from filaments, comprising filaments formed from fibrous thermoplastic polymers, having the following conditions: (A) The fiber bundles are present in the range of 5-70 per centimeter in any cross section parallel to the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric. (B) The total area occupied by the fiber bundle is in the range of 5-70% of the cross-sectional area of any cross section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric. (C) The apparent density is 0.10-0.50 g / cm ³ . (D) The cut ends of the fibers on the nonwoven surface are within the range of 5-100 per mm ² of surface area. Non-woven fabric made from filaments, characterized in that to satisfy all. A nonwoven fabric made from filaments according to claim 1, wherein the percentage of compression in the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric is in the range of 10-30%. The filament of claim 1, wherein the filament is a fine denier filament obtained from a multicomponent filament of a divisible type comprising a polymer having two or more components, (E) The denier of the filament is 0.01-0.5 de. (F) The apparent density of the nonwoven fabric is 0.25-0.45 g / cm ³ . (G) The average area of space in any cross section of the nonwoven fabric is 70-300 μm ^{2 as} measured by an image analysis method using a scanning electron microscope. (H) The uniformity of the structure and the standard deviation of the space area at any cross section of the nonwoven fabric is 200-450 μm ^{2 as} measured by an image analysis method using a scanning electron microscope. Non-woven fabric made from filaments, characterized in that to satisfy all. 2. The nonwoven fabric of claim 1 wherein the filament is an island-in-the-sea multicomponent filament containing a fibrous thermoplastic polymer as the island component and a polyolefin-based polymer as the sea component. 2. The nonwoven fabric of claim 1 wherein the filament is an island-in-the-sea multicore filament containing a fibrous thermoplastic polymer as the island component and a polyolefin-based polymer as the sea component. A nonwoven fabric made from filaments according to claim 1, wherein the filaments are island-in-the-part splittable multifilaments, each segment consisting of a mixed polymer comprising the following polymer mixture (a) and polymer mixture (b): Polymer mixture (a): A polymer mixture comprising a fiber-forming thermoplastic polymer (A) as a drawing component and a polyolefin-based polymer (B) as a sea component. Polymer mixture (b): A polymer mixture comprising a fibrous thermoplastic polymer (A ') as an island component and a polyolefin-based polymer (B') as a sea component. The method of claim 1 wherein the fibrous thermoplastic polymer is polyethylene terephthalate, copolymerized polyethylene terephthalate containing at least 80 mole percent ethylene terephthalate units, nylon 6, nylon 66, nylon 610, nylon 12, polypropylene, polyurethane A nonwoven fabric made from filaments characterized in that it is any one or more polymers selected from the group consisting of elastomers, polyester elastomers and polyamide elastomers. A nonwoven fabric made from fine denier filaments, which is obtained by extracting and removing sea component polymers from a nonwoven fabric made from the filaments according to claim 4, 5 or 6. An artificial leather comprising a nonwoven fabric made from the filament according to claim 1 and a polymeric elastomer impregnated therein. (I) A bundle of fibers is present in the range of 5-70 per centimeter width in any cross section parallel to the thickness direction of the artificial leather. (J) The total area occupied by the fiber bundle is in the range of 5-70% of the cross-sectional area of any cross section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the artificial leather. (K) At least a part of the impregnated polymer elastomer is a polymer elastomer which is not fixed in the fibers. (L) The tensile stress at 20% elongation (? 20) in the warp direction of the artificial leather and the tensile stress at 20% elongation (σ20) in the weft direction are in the range of 1.5-10 kg / cm, respectively. (M) Ratio of 20% elongation (σ20) in the warp direction for artificial leather (Rb (g / cm)) and 20% elongation in the weft direction for artificial leather (σ20) The ratio to Rb (g / cm) has an average value of 3-30. (N) The apparent density of artificial leather is 0.20-0.60 g / cm ³ . Artificial leather characterized by satisfying all. A nonwoven fabric made from the filament according to claim 3 and a polymeric elastomer impregnated therein, comprising the following conditions: (O) A bundle of fibers is present in the range of 10-50 per centimeter width in any cross section parallel to the thickness direction of the artificial leather. (P) The average area of space at any cross section of artificial leather is 70-140 μm ^{2 as} measured by an image analysis method using a scanning electron microscope. (Q) The structure is uniform, and the standard deviation of the space area in any cross section of artificial leather is 80-200㎛ ^{2 as} measured by the scanning electron microscope image analysis method. Artificial leather characterized by satisfying all. 10. The method according to claim 9, which is obtained by impregnating the polymerized elastomer in a nonwoven fabric made from the filament comprising the island-in-the-sea multicomponent filament according to claim 4, 5 or 6. , Artificial leather, characterized in that it contains fine denier filaments having an average denier of 0.0001-0.2de. 10. The artificial leather according to claim 9, characterized by containing a fine denier filament obtained by impregnating a nonwoven fabric made from the fine denier filament according to claim 7, and having an average denier of 0.0001-0.2 de.