The thickness of the material and the structure of the base cloth have a great influence on the application of artificial leather. The specific analysis is as follows:
Effect of thickness on durability of artificial leather
With the increase of thickness, the abrasion resistance of artificial leather is obviously improved. For example, the thickness of shoe leather should be controlled between 0.3 and 31 mm. If the substrates are too thick, the shoes will be easy to wear out when walking, easy to damage shoe surface, while increasing the thickness can improve abrasion resistance and prolong service life.
Strain rate and elasticity
Weft direction strain rate: Stretchable displacement of the weft yarn increases with thickness and weft direction strain rate increases; warp direction strain rate decreases slightly due to warp curvature and weave fatigue.
Elastic: Low peeling PU leather (thin coating) has good flexibility and breathability, but poor abrasion resistance; high peeling PU leather (thick coating) has good abrasion resistance, but poor flexibility. For example, conventional PU leather is 0.6-1.2mm thick, whereas luggage leather needs to be more than 1.5mm thick. Too thin and easy to wear, too thick will reduce flexibility.
Water permeability and vapor permeability
The increase in thickness reduces the permeability of water and vapour. For example, when the thickness of a nitrocellulose coating increases by 1.5 times, the water permeability value decreases by 20%, affecting hygiene performance.
II. Effect of Substrates on the Properties of Artificial Leather
Woven fabric base
Tensile strength: The tensile strength of warp direction increases with the increase of base fabric density, while the elongation the weft direction decreases with the increase of yarn slip resistance.
Comparisons between coated and uncoated: Woven artificial leather and coated warp direction elongation is lower (fatigue due to warp being fixed by resin) and weft the weft direction elongation is higher (due to increased weft yarns elasticity).
Application scenarios: Market Fabric Artificial Leather for Ordinary shoe uppers (thickness > 0.3mm) and Canvas Artificial Leather for High Strength Scenes (thickness not up to 0.61mm).
fabric base
Overall performance: Needle-impregnated non-woven synthetic leather has better wrinkle resistance and elongation and higher peel strength than woven fabric (stiffness increases with increased thickness due to good fiber elasticity).
Structural advantages: Nonwoven fabric has a three-dimensional mesh structure, high strength and softness, suitable for shoe uppers, clothing uppers and sofa uppers.
Hygiene properties: The water vapor permeability of non-woven fabric base is better than that of non-woven substrates, but the moisture absorption is still lower than that of natural leather.
Fiber type and weaving method
Fiber types: Cotton, hemp, polyamide fibers, etc., will affect the performance of leather materials. For example, cotton-based fabrics can improve hygiene performance and polyester-based fabrics can improve tear resistance.
Weaving density: High density woven base fabric can significantly improve tear resistance, while inferior quality products use recycled fibers that are prone to deformation and blistering.
III. Synergistic Influence of Thickness and Base Fabric Structure
Application Adaptability
Vamp leather: The mechanical properties of lacing and stretching must be met. Woven or non-woven fabrics with a thickness greater than0.3mm and an eastward tensile strength greater than 3 N/mm are generally selected.
Car Seat Leather: Composite leather with fiber PU. By wet treatment, a dense layer is formed that combines the moisture absorption and abrasion resistance of natural leather.
Clothing leather: soft and breathable. Priority is given to low-peeling PU leather or a non-woven base to balance breathability and durability.
Process Optimization Direction
Coating Process: high-end products use 3-5 layers of coating, each layer's thickness control between 0.1 and 0.3 millimeters, to avoid a single coating too thick and cause cracking.
Basic Fabric Treatment: Plasma treatment can improve the adhesion strength between the base fabric and coating and improve the durability of the product.
