Low-foaming polyurethane elastomer.

0001The present invention relates to a low-foaming polyurethane elastomer. More particularly, the present invention relates to a low-foaming polyurethane elastomer suitable for use as a vibration-damping material, particularly a vibration-damping pad for railroad track.

0002As the vibration-damping pad used in railroad tracks in order to reduce the vibration occuring during vehicle running, there can be mentioned, for example, flat low spring pads which are used beneath tracks, pads for bridge tie which are used beneath bridge ties, and vibration-damping materials for track slab which are used beneath track slabs.

0003As the vibration-damping pad for railroad, non-foaming rubber copolymers of styrene-butadiene type have been used in large amounts. The spring constant of this conventional vibration-damping pad is adjusted by forming grooves in the pad or by changing the width of the pad. However, the adjustment of spring constant by these methods has a limitation, making it difficult to obtain a pad of low spring. Moreover, since the above conventional pad is a non-foaming type, the pad undergoes a traverse strain when subjected to a stress and may cause slip-off owing to the repeated passing of train.

0004A method for reducing the spring constant of vibration-damping pad is proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 151701/1988. This method, however, has problems, for example, in that the resulting pad has a complex shape.

0005Meanwhile, a plurality of polyurethane elastomers are proposed as a bivration-damping material. However, none of them is not fully satisfactory as a vibration-damping material for railroad which can withstand severe conditions during the running of train. For example, foamed polyurethane elastomers proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 27913/1984, 158712/1987 and 181815/1986 have a low tensile strength; a foamed polyurethane elastomer described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 250019/1986 has a poor compression set; and a polyurethane elastomer composition described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 45149/1987 has a poor compression set and is a non-foaming type, making it difficult to obtain different spring constants.

0006The main object of the present invention is to provide a low-foaming polyurethane elastomer free of the above drawbacks and suitable for use as a vibration-damping material particularly for railroad track.

0007According to the present invention there is provided a low-foaming polyurethane elastomer which is formed from <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li>(A) a prepolymer obtained by the reaction between polytetramethylene ether glycol and diphenylmethane diisocyanate, having a NCO content of 3-22 % by weight,</li><li>(B) a polyoxypropylenetriol having a number-average molecular weight of 400-5,000 and a short-chain diol having a molecular weight of 120 or less, and</li><li>(C) a foaming agent selected from water and halogenated hydrocarbons, and which has an urea bond concentration of 5 x 10⁻⁴ mole/g or less and a bulk density of 0.4-1 g/cm³.</li></ul>

0008The low-foaming polyurethane elastomer of the present invention is hereinafter described in wore detail.

(A) Isocyanate component

0009In the present invention, as the isocyanate component for production of a polyurethane elastomer, there is used a prepolymer obtained by the reaction between polytetramethalene ether glycol (hereinafter referred to as PTMEG in some cases) and diphenylmethane diisocyanate (hereinafter referred to as MDI in some cases).

0010PTMEG used in production of said prepolymer is represented by theformula HO-[CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂O]n-H and desirably has a number-average molecular weight of generally 500-4,000, preferably 1,000-2,000. MDI to be reacted with PTMEG may be a crude product or a purified product but is desirably a purified product.

0011The reaction between PTMEG and MDI is advantageously conducted in such mixing ratio of the two materials as to give a prepolymer having a NCO content of 3-22 % by weight, preferably 5-15 % by weight, more preferably 10-15 % by weight. When the NCO content in the prepolymer is lower than 3 % by weight, the prepolymer has a high viscosity and the mixing ratio of the isocyanate component to the polyol component is high. When the NCO content in the prepolymer is higher than 22 % by weight, the polyurethane elastomer produced has a low strength and tends to show a poor compression set.

0012Formation of a prepolymer from PTMEG and MDI can be effected easily by a per se known method.

(B) Polyol component

0013In production of a polyurethane elastomer of the present invention, there are used a polyoxypropylenetriol and a short-chain diol in cobination, as the polyol component. As the polyoxypropylenetriol, there is used a polyoxypropylenetriol having a structure represented by <chemistry id="chem0001" num="0001"><img file="EP0449331A2_D0001.tif" /></chemistry> and having a number-average molecular weight of 400-5,000, preferably 600-3,000, more preferably 1,000-3,000. As the short-chain diol, there is used a diol having a molecular weight of 120 or less, such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butanediol or the like. Ethylene glycol or 1,4-butanediol is particularly preferable. When the polyoxypropylenetriol has a number-average molecular weight smaller than 400, the resulting polyurethane elastomer tends to have a low elongation and a low tensile strength. When the molecular weight is larger than 5,000, the resulting polyurethane elastomer tends to have a poor compression set.

0014The proportions of the polyoxypropylenetriol and the short-chain diol are not strictly restricted and can be varied over a wide range depending upon the properties required for the polyurethane elastomer obtained; however, it is generally appropriate that the equivalent ratio of the polyoxypropylenetriol/the short-chain diol be 1/30 to 2/1, preferably 1/20 to 1/2, more preferably 1/10 to 1/2.

(C) Foaming agent

0015As the foaming agent, there is used water or a halogenated hydrocarbon such as Freon 11, Freon 113, methylene chloride or the like. The amount of the foaming agent can be selected so that the resulting polyurethane elastomer has a bulk density of 0.4-1 g/cm³, preferably 0.5-0.9 g/cm³, more preferably 0.6-0.8 g/cm³.

0016When water is used as the foaming agent, it should be used in such an amount that the urea bond concentration in the polyurethane elastomer obtained becomes 5 x 10⁻⁴ mole/g or less, particularly 4 x 10⁻⁴ mole/g or less. When the urea bond concentration in the polyurethane elastomer is higher than 5 x 10⁻⁴ mole/g, the polyurethane elastomer tends to have a low strength.

(D) Other additives

0017The polyurethane elastomer of the present invention can have, as necessary, additives such as filler (e.g. metal powder like iron powder), inorganic fine powder (e.g. fine powder of calcium carbonate or aluminum hydroxide), coloring agent (e.g. carbon black), foam stabilizer (e.g. silicon), catalyst, ultraviolet absorber, light stabilizer, antioxidant and the like in amounts ordinarily used.

(E) Production of low-foaming polyurethane elastomer

0018The isocyanate component (A), the polyol component (B), the foaming agent (C) and, as necessary, other additives are mixed so as to give a NCO index of ordinarily 90-100, preferably 100-105 [NCO index = (equivalent ratio of NCO/OH) x 100]; they are reacted at a mixture temperature of about 25°C to about 70°C; the reaction mixture is cured at a mold temperature of about 40°C to about 120°C for about 10 minutes to about 30 minutes; thereby, a low-foaming polyurethane elastomer of the present invention can be produced. The amount of the foaming agent can be varied depending upon the bulk density, etc. required for the polyurethane elastomer. The above mixing can be advantageously effected, for example, at 3,000-6,000 rpm using a low-pressure foaming machine provided with agitating elements.

0019The low-foaming polyurethane elastomer provided by the present invention can have a low spring constant without reducing the properties such as compression set, compression durability and the like and can be used as a vibration-damping material, particularly a vibration-damping material for railroad such as flat low spring pad for railroad track, pad for railroad track, pad for bridge tie or bivration-damping material for track slab.

0020The low-foaming polyurethane elastomer provided by the present invention can have the following properties. Bulk density: 0.4-1 g/cm³, preferably 0.5-0.9 g/cm³, more preferably 0.6-0.8 g/cm³ Tensile strength: 40-100 kg/cm², preferably 70-100 kg/cm², more preferably 80-100 kg/cm² Tear strength: 20-60 kg/cm, preferably 30-60 kg/cm, more preferably 50-60 kg/cm Compression set (50 % compression, 70°C, 22 hours): 0-15 %, preferably 0-10 %, more preferably 0-5 % Compresion fatigue (50 x 50 x 10 mm, 0.9±0.6 ton, 10 Hz, 1,000,000 times): 0-15 %, preferably 0-10 %, more preferably 0-5 % Dynamic spring constant (100 x 100 x 10 mm, 1.2±0.9 ton, 10 Hz): 10-40 t/cm, preferably 10-30 t/cm, more preferably 20-30 t/cm

0021The low-foaming polyurethane elastomer of the present invention can satisfy a compression set of 15 % or less and a compression fatigue of 10 % or less both required for vibration-damping pads and yet can have a spring constant lower than those of conventional polyurethanes.

0022When the low-foaming polyurethane elastomer of the present invention is used in the above-mentioned applications, the flat low spring pad can be molded so as to have a plate shape of 140 x 180 x 10 mm; the pad for bridge tie can be molded so as to have a <img file="EP0449331A2_D0002.tif" /> shape having a thickness of 15-20 mm and a pressure area of 300-600 cm²; and the vibration-damping material for track slab can be molded so as to have a sheet shape of 100 x 100 cm or larger.

0023The present invention is hereinafter described more specifically by way of Examples. In the Examples, parts refer to parts by weight.

Example 1

0024There were mixed at 25°C, 18 parts of a polyoxypropylenetriol having a molecular weight of 3,000 [GP 3,000 (trade name) manufactured by SANYO CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES LIMITED], 10 parts of ethylene glycol (these two materials constitute the polyol component), 1.0 part of water, 0.5 part of triethylenediamine and 0.5 part of a foam stabilizer [CF 2080 (trade name) manufactured by TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.]. Meanwhile, as the isocyanate component, there was used a prepolymer having a NCO concentration of 20 %, obtained by reacting a polytetramethylene ether glycol having a molecular weight of 2,000 (hereinafter referred to as PTMG 2,000) and a crude MDI at 60°C for 20 hours.

0025The above mixture and the isocyanate component were mixed and reacted in such ratio that the resulting mixture has a NCO index of 105 [NCO index = (equivalent ratio of NCO/OH) x 1001, at a liquid temperature of 40°C using a low-pressure foaming machine (rotation of agitating elements = 6,000 rpm). The reaction mixture was poured into a mold of 140 x 180 x 10 mm of 80°C, cured at 80°C for 30 minutes, and released from the mold. The obtained product was further cured at 80°C for 12 hours in a drier. The resulting product was measured for properties. The results are shown in Table 2.

0026As is clear from Table 2, the obtained polyurethane elastomer had a low spring constant and yet gave a good compression set and a good compresion fatigue. Examples 2-5

0027Polyurethane elastomers were produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the compounding recipes shown in Table 1 were used.

0028The properties of the polyurethane elastomers are shown in Table 2. <tables id="tabl0001" num="0001"><img file="EP0449331A2_D0003.tif" /></tables><tables id="tabl0002" num="0002"><img file="EP0449331A2_D0004.tif" /></tables>

Comparative Examples 1-4

0029Polyurethanes were produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the compounding recipes shown in Table 3 were used.

0030The properties of the polyurethanes are shown in Table 4. <tables id="tabl0003" num="0003"><img file="EP0449331A2_D0005.tif" /></tables><tables id="tabl0004" num="0004"><img file="EP0449331A2_D0006.tif" /></tables>