Composite of fabric with flexible backing

Claim 2

The composite structure of claim 1 wherein a prepolymer of the polyisocyanate and liquid polymeric reactive hydrogen-containing material is first formed with a ratio of isocyanato groups to hydroxyl groups of said reactive hydrogen-containing material in the range of about 1.1/1 to about 12/1 followed by mixing therewith a curative selected from at least one of the group consisting of hydrocarbon diols and primary diamines where the ratio of hydroxyl and/or amino groups of the curative to the isocyanato groups in excess of the hydroxyl groups of said reactive hydrogen-containing material is in the range of about 0.5/1 to about 1.5/1.

Claim 3

The composite structure of claim 1 where the backsizing is extended with up to about 10 parts by weight of an extender oil or wax having a boiling point of at least about 200* C.

Claim 4

The composite structure of claim 4 wherein a curative is used with the reaction mixture selected from at least one of the groups consisting of hydrocarbon diols and primary diamines where the ratio of amino groups and/or hydroxyl groups of the curative to isocyanato groups in excess of hydroxyl groups of the liquid polymeric reactive hydrogen-containing material is in the range of about 0.5/1 to about 1.5/1.

Claim 5

The composite structure of claim 5 wherein the water insoluble granular material has a particle size in the range of about 25 to about 500 mesh and is selected from at least one of the group consisting of aluminum silicates, calcium carbonate, clay, aluminum hydrates, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, feldspar and barytes, the polyurethane reaction mixture has a sprayability equivalent to a Newtonian fluid having a viscosity in the range of about 2,000 to about 1,000,000 centipoises at about 25* C., the ratio of isocyanato groups to hydroxyl groups of the said reactive hydrogen-containing material is in the range of about 0.8/1 to about 2/1 and the ratio of amino and/or hydroxyl groups of any primary amine or hydrocarbon diol curative to isocyanato groups in excess of the hydroxyl groups of said reactive hydrogen-containing material is in the range of about 0.8/1 to about 1/1.

Claim 6

The composite structure according to claim 5 wherein the flexible backsizing is characterized by having an ultimate tensile strength in the range of about 300 to about 2,000 pounds per square inch at a corresponding elongation in the range of about 700 to about 200 percent at about 25* C.

Claim 7

A method of preparing the composite structure of claim 1 which comprises tufting a yarn through a primary backing of a woven or nonwoven fabric or film to create yarn bundles on its underside, where the integrally adhering said yarn bundles are integrally adhered to and substantially encapsulated by encapsulating them by applying thereto a surface coating of a flexible backsizing and bundle wrap, adhered to the back of the primary backing, said flexible backsizing comprising an inorganic water insoluble granular material of an average specific gravity of greater than 1 and a flexible cured polyurethane binder therefore, and for bonding to the fabric, wherein the said flexible backsizing is deposited by applying a mixture substantially as a topcoat to the back surface of the primary backing and corresponding yarn bundles which comprises from about 50 to about 400 parts by weight of the said granular material per 100 parts by weight of a liquid polyurethane reaction mixture substantially free of volatile solvent and curing the reaction mixture.