Interbonded compressed polyurethane foam material and method of making same

Claim 2

A product useful as a leather replacement material, comprising a compressed sheet structure, having a water vapor transmissivity of at least 5 g. H2O per 100 sq. in. per 24 hours and having a network of polyurethane strands point bonded by a polyisocyanate satisfying the test specified herein and formed by impregnating a reticulated omnidirectional polyurethane foam network with said polyisocyanate and compressing said foam network with heating, said structure being bonded to a substrate material by said polyisocyanate.

Claim 3

The product of claim 3 wherein said substrate material is a nonwoven fabric formed from staple fibers and at least 5 percent of said fibers contain active hydrogen atoms.

Claim 4

The product of claim 4 wherein said active hydrogen containing fibers comprise at least one fiber selected from the class consisting of natural fibers, rayons, nylons and cellulose acetates and said polyisocyanate is a long chain aliphatic diisocyanate.

Claim 5

The product of claim 3 wherein said polyurethane strands are formed from a polyurethane which is stable to hydrolysis and oxidation and which at room temperature does not show appreciable crystallinity.

Claim 6

The product of claim 3 wherein said polyurethane strands are formed from a polyurethane containing carbon segments having no less than three carbon atoms and which at room temperature does not show appreciable crystallinity.

Claim 7

The product of claim 7 wherein said polyurethane is formed essentially by reacting a hydroxyl-terminated compound, a diisocyanate and a chain extender, the said hydroxyl-terminated compound comprising a major amount of poly(neopentyl adipate) glycol.

Claim 8

The product of claim 7 wherein said polyurethane is formed essentially by reacting a hydroxyl-terminated compound, a diisocyanate and a chain extender, the said hydroxyl-terminated compound comprising a major amount of a copolyester glycol formed by reacting adipic acid with a mixture of 50-80 mole percent 1,6-hexanediol and 50-20 mole percenT neopentyl glycol.