ARTIFICIAL LEATHER HAVING EXCELLENT STRETCHABILITY IN LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a casual-like artificial leather having excellent longitudinal stretchability and stretch recovery as well as high strength and durability and having a unique appearance in contrast with ordinary plain surface appearance. SOLUTION: A number of creases having the form of ridges and furrows essentially discontinuous in lateral direction and essentially having a number of pitches in longitudinal direction are formed on at least one surface of a sheet composed of an interlocked material of ultrafine fibers and/or ultrafine fiber bundles and a polymeric elastomer and a stretchable sheet is bonded to a surface of the above sheet to obtain an artificial leather having a longitudinal elongation of≥10% and a longitudinal stretch recovery of≥85%. The method for the production of the artificial leather comprises the application of a polymeric elastomer to an interlocked material of ultrafine fibers and/or ultrafine fiber bundles, the stuffing of the obtained sheet essentially continuously in longitudinal direction at a stuffing ratio of 5-50% under heating at 80-190°C to generate creases on the surface by the buckling of the sheet and the bonding of a stretchable sheet on one surface of the sheet. COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO