Abstract: Provided is an artificial leather substrate including: an entangled fiber body; a filler and a non-volatile oil in liquid form added into the entangled fiber body by impregnation; and preferably, an elastic polymer. Preferably, the content of the non-volatile oil is 0.5 to 10 mass % relative to the entangled fiber body. Further preferably, the artificial leather substrate further includes a smoothing layer for smoothing the substrate surface, the smoothing layer being a layer including a second elastic polymer and a second filler and having a thickness of 10 to 100 ?m.

Abstract: A production method of an elastically stretchable artificial leather which includes a step of making microfiberizable fibers into a web; a step of entangling the obtained web to produce an entangled nonwoven fabric; a step of converting the microfiberizable fibers in the nonwoven fabric to microfine fibers, thereby producing a substrate for artificial leather; a step of producing an artificial leather by using the obtained substrate for artificial leather; and a step wherein the obtained artificial leather is brought into close contact with an elastomer sheet stretched in a machine direction by 5 to 40%; the artificial leather is allowed to shrink in the machine direction simultaneously with allowing the elastomer sheet to shrink in the machine direction by relaxing elongation of the elastomer sheet; the artificial leather is heat-treated in shrunk state; and then the artificial leather is peeled off from the elastomer sheet.

Abstract: A method of producing a substrate suitable for artificial leathers. The substrate is composed of an entangled nonwoven fabric made of microfine fibers and a binder resin. At least one surface of the substrate is a densified layer which is made of the microfine fibers and which is substantially free from the binder resin. The binder resin is impregnated into a portion of the substrate other than the densified layer. The densified layer prevents the binder resin impregnated into the entangled nonwoven fabric from migrating into the surface of the entangled nonwoven fabric, thereby providing the substrate having the surface substantially free from the binder resin. The peeling strength between the substrate and a grain layer formed on the surface thereof is drastically improved because the surface of the substrate is substantially free from the binder resin.

Abstract: A method for forming a film, containing the following steps (1) to (4), and a film obtained by the method for forming a film: step (1): preparing an aqueous dispersion liquid containing (A) a hydrophilic functional group-containing resin, (B) an ammonium salt, and (C) a nonionic thickener, a mixed amount of the component (B) being from 0.25 to 10 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of a solid content of the component (A); step (2): coating the aqueous dispersion liquid on at least one surface of a substrate to form a coated film; step (3): subjecting the coated film to a thermal gelation treatment to form a gelled film; and step (4): drying and solidifying the gelled film to form a film.

Abstract: A method of producing a substrate suitable for artificial leathers. The substrate is composed of an entangled nonwoven fabric made of microfine fibers and a binder resin. At least one surface of the substrate is a densified layer which is made of the microfine fibers and which is substantially free from the binder resin. The binder resin is impregnated into a portion of the substrate other than the densified layer. The densified layer prevents the binder resin impregnated into the entangled nonwoven fabric from migrating into the surface of the entangled nonwoven fabric, thereby providing the substrate having the surface substantially free from the binder resin. The peeling strength between the substrate and a grain layer formed on the surface thereof is drastically improved because the surface of the substrate is substantially free from the binder resin.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet material exhibiting an appearance excellent in three dimensional feel in combination with sufficient abrasion strength of the surface, cushioning property and non-slipping property and advantageously used as the surface material of balls for basketball and the like. The sheet material has a base fabric and a coating layer of a polymer covering the surface of the base fabric, where the coating layer has substantially continuous protrusions and hemispherical depressions formed adjoining the protrusions on a surface, the depressions have a color tone different from a color tone of the protrusion and a gloss brighter than a gloss of the protrusion, a vertical projected area of the depression is 3 to 30 mm2, an average distance between the depressions is 0.5 to 3 mm, and a height difference between the protrusion and the depression is 50 to 1,000 ?m.

Abstract: A substrate for artificial leathers which is composed of a nonwoven fabric made of fiber bundles of microfine fibers having an average single fiber fineness of 0.5 dtex or less and an elastic polymer impregnated into the nonwoven fabric. The substrate for artificial leathers satisfies the following requirements 1 and 2: (1) the number of fiber bundles which are oriented to a thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric is 75 to 300 per 1 cm of width which is perpendicular to the thickness direction, when measured on a cross section parallel to the thickness direction; and (2) the number of cross sections of the fiber bundles which are oriented to the thickness direction is 30 to 800 per 1 mm2, when measured on a cross section perpendicular to the thickness direction.

Abstract: A substrate for artificial leathers, comprising a nonwoven fabric body made of microfine fiber bundles and an elastic polymer impregnated therein. The substrate for artificial leathers simultaneously satisfies the following requirements 1 to 4: (1) each of the microfine fiber bundles contains 6 to 150 bundled microfine long fibers in average; (2) a cross-sectional area of the microfine long fibers constituting the microfine fiber bundles is 27 ?m2 or less, and 80% or more of the microfine long fibers has a cross-sectional area of from 0.9 to 25 ?m2; (3) an average cross-sectional area of the microfine fiber bundles is from 15 to 150 ?m2; and (4) on a cross section parallel to a thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric body, cross sections of the microfine fiber bundles exist in a density of from 1000 to 3000/mm2 in average.

Abstract: A substrate for artificial leather comprising a nonwoven fabric of bundles of microfine filaments. The substrate for artificial leather simultaneously satisfies the following requirements 1 to 4: (1) the bundle of microfine filaments comprises 8 to 70 microfine filaments having a cross-sectional shape of nearly circle; (2) the bundle of microfine filaments has a cross-sectional area of 170 to 700 ?m2 and a flatness of 4.0 or less; (3) on a cross section parallel to a thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric body, cross sections of the microfine fiber bundles exist in a density of 1500 to 3000/mm2; and (4) on a cross section parallel to a thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric body, gaps between the microfine fiber bundles have a size of 70 ?m or less. By satisfying the requirements, the substrate for artificial leather combines high level of sensuous qualities and high level of physical properties which have been considered to be mutually exclusive.

Abstract: A leather-like sheet comprising a microfine long-fiber nonwoven fabric comprising an entangled web structure made of bundles of microfine long fibers and an elastic polymer impregnated in the microfine long-fiber nonwoven fabric. The leather-like sheet has the following features: (1) each of the bundles of microfine long fibers comprises 5 to 70 microfine long fibers having an average single fiber fineness of 0.5 dtex or less; (2) the bundles of microfine long fibers have an average fineness of 3 dtex or less; (3) the entangle web structure comprises superposed webs each comprising the bundles of microfine long fibers; (4) a ratio of the microfine long fibers and the elastic polymer is 70/30 to 40/60 by mass; (5) the elastic polymer is substantially continuous; and (6) a machine direction/transverse direction ratio of breaking strength is 1/1 to 1.

Abstract: The present invention provides a gas filling-type ball for sports which has excellent non-slip property and sufficient mechanical strength such as surface abrasion resistance, and which can be particularly suitably used in a field of a material for a ball such as a basketball, American football, or rugby ball. The present invention relates to a ball used for any one of basketball, handball, rugby ball, and American football, comprising a sheet having formed thereon a cover layer including substantially continuous pebbles and hemispherical valleys adjoining the pebbles formed on a surface of a base fabric, in which: a height difference between the pebbles and the valleys is 50 to 1,000 ?m, a vertical projected area of each of the adjoining valleys is 3 to 30 mm2, and an average distance between the valleys is 0.5 to 3 mm.

Abstract: A substrate for artificial leathers which is composed of a united laminate of a nonwoven fabric layer A made of bundles of microfine fibers having an average single fiber fineness of 0.5 dtex or less and a cushion layer B made of an elastic polymer sheet. A part of the microfine fibers constituting the nonwoven fabric layer A is allowed to penetrate through the cushion layer B to form a microfine fiber layer C on the outer surface of the cushion layer B. The inner surface of the elastic polymer sheet is undulated with a height difference of 100 ?m or more in a thickness direction. Between the undulated surface of the elastic polymer sheet and the nonwoven fabric layer A, voids having a height of 100 ?m or more in a thickness direction are formed. Using the substrate for artificial leathers, grain-finished artificial leathers which combine a softness without resistance and a stiff hand resembling natural sheep leathers and have bent wrinkles with fullness are produced.

Abstract: A substrate for artificial leathers composed of an entangled nonwoven fabric made of microfine fibers and a binder resin. At least one surface of the substrate for artificial leathers is a densified layer which is made of the microfine fibers and which is substantially free from the binder resin. The binder resin is impregnated into a portion of the substrate for artificial leathers other than the densified layer. The densified layer prevents the binder resin impregnated into the entangled nonwoven fabric from migrating into the surface of the entangled nonwoven fabric, thereby providing the substrate for artificial leathers having the surface substantially free from the binder resin. The peeling strength between the substrate for artificial leathers and a grain layer formed on the surface thereof is drastically improved because the surface of the substrate for artificial leathers is substantially free from the binder resin.

Abstract: A substrate for artificial leathers which is composed of a nonwoven fabric made of fiber bundles of microfine fibers having an average single fiber fineness of 0.5 dtex or less and an elastic polymer impregnated into the nonwoven fabric. The substrate for artificial leathers satisfies the following requirements 1 and 2: (1) the number of fiber bundles which are oriented to a thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric is 75 to 300 per 1 cm of width which is perpendicular to the thickness direction, when measured on a cross section parallel to the thickness direction; and (2) the number of cross sections of the fiber bundles which are oriented to the thickness direction is 30 to 800 per 1 mm2, when measured on a cross section perpendicular to the thickness direction.

Abstract: A substrate for artificial leathers, comprising a nonwoven fabric body made of microfine fiber bundles and an elastic polymer impregnated therein. The substrate for artificial leathers simultaneously satisfies the following requirements 1 to 4: (1) each of the microfine fiber bundles contains 6 to 150 bundled microfine long fibers in average; (2) a cross-sectional area of the microfine long fibers constituting the microfine fiber bundles is 27 ?m2 or less, and 80% or more of the microfine long fibers has a cross-sectional area of from 0.9 to 25 ?m2; (3) an average cross-sectional area of the microfine fiber bundles is from 15 to 150 ?m2; and (4) on a cross section parallel to a thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric body, cross sections of the microfine fiber bundles exist in a density of from 1000 to 3000/mm2 in average.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet material exhibiting an appearance excellent in three dimensional feel in combination with sufficient abrasion strength of the surface, cushioning property and non-slipping property and advantageously used as the surface material of balls for basketball and the like. The sheet material has a base fabric and a coating layer of a polymer covering the surface of the base fabric, wherein the coating layer has substantially continuous protrusions and hemispherical depressions formed adjoining the protrusions on a surface, the depression has a color tone different from a color tone of the protrusion and a gloss brighter than a gloss of the protrusion, a vertical projected area of the depression is 3 to 30 mm2, an average distance between the depressions is 0.5 to 3 mm, and a height difference between the protrusion and the depression is 50 to 1,000 ?m.

Abstract: The present invention provides a gas filling-type ball for sports which has excellent non-slip property and sufficient mechanical strength such as surface abrasion resistance, and which can be particularly suitably used in a field of a material for a ball such as a basketball, American football, or rugby ball. The present invention relates to a ball used for any one of basketball, handball, rugby ball, and American football, comprising a sheet having formed thereon a cover layer including substantially continuous pebbles and hemispherical valleys adjoining the pebbles formed on a surface of a base fabric, in which: a height difference between the pebbles and the valleys is 50 to 1,000 ?m, a vertical projected area of each of the adjoining valleys is 3 to 30 mm2, and an average distance between the valleys is 0.5 to 3 mm.

Abstract: A sheet material having polymer layer over the surface of base fabric, the polymer layer comprises a primary outwardly projecting pebbles and a secondary pebbles & valleys over the primary outwardly projecting pebbles, wherein an average height difference (A) of the primary pebbles is 50 to 1000 ?m, a projected area of the upper surface of the primary pebbles is 1 to 300 mm2, an average height difference (B) of the secondary pebbles & valleys is 5 to 200 ?m, an average distance between the pebbles each other of the secondary pebbles & valleys is 100 to 500 ?m, and A?B. A gas filling type ball, a basketball and a glove using the sheet material. Materials for sporting balls such as basketball, American football, Rugby ball, handball, etc., or as the material for gloves having enough mechanical strength, excellent handling property and sufficient surface abrasion resistance are provided.