Abrasion-resistant composite sheet

Claim 1

An abrasion-resistant composite sheet comprising an upper outer surface, a lower surface, a planar fibrous network of yarns located between and substantially parallel to the upper and lower surfaces, a stratum comprising pile-like fibers that loop through the planar fibrous network, protrude generally perpendicularly from the planar fibrous network and extend to the upper outer surface of the composite sheet, the stratum of pile-like fibers having a height in the range of 0.5 to 3.0 millimeters and a concentration of vertical pile-like fibers in the range of 0.05 to 0.5 g/cm 3 and a resin extending through the stratum of pile-like fibers from the upper outer surface to a depth of at least 0.5 mm, the resin immobilizing being an elastomer and the pile-like fibers in a position generally vertical to the planar fibrous network, and the resin-containing depth of the pile-like stratum having a density of at least 0.5 gram/cm 3 , the resin-containing stratum of immobilized pile-like fibers exhibiting a 40-grit Wyzenbeek abrasion wear that is at least three times the 40-grit Wyzenbeek abrasion wear of a layer of the resin containing no fibers the composite sheet having a stretchability of no greater than 25%, a compressibility of no more than 25%, and a total unit weight in the range of 150 to 3,000 grams/m 2 .