CA1042599A - Dielectrically modified polyurethane foam material - Google Patents

Abstract

DIELECTRICALLY MODIFIED POLYURETHANE FOAM MATERIAL Inventor: Morey Weisman, a citizen of the United States of America and resident of Jamaica, New York ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A modified, flexible polyurethane foam product which incorporates a three-dimensional skeletal network of a thermoplastic additive whose dielectric loss index is greater than the loss index of polyurethane foam to impart to the product an acceptable dielectric heating response in a high-frequency electric field. The additive in par-ticulate form is introduced into the polyurethane foam-forming reaction mixture, the additive having a gell point which is lower than the temperature level of the exothermic reaction which takes place when the mixture is caused to foam and expand. The additive is further characterized by a low order of viscosity whereby when rendered molten by the exothermic reaction, the particles are extruded by the expanding urethane mass to create tentacles that interlace the cellular urethane structure to form the skeletal network. -1-

Description

10425~9 BACRGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to polyurethane foam plastic material, and more particularly to a modified poly-urethane foam capable of being embossed, welded, tear sealed, bar sealed, sealed and cut or otherwise processed by high-frequency dielectric heating techniques.
In dielectric heating, the material being treated is pressed between electrodes across which is imposed a high-frequency voltage in the range of 2 - 200 megahertz, to elec-trically stress the dielectric and thereby generate heat in-ternally. For dielectric embossing, the surface of one of the electrodes is contoured SQ as to impart a predetermined design to the material engaged thereby.
It has not heretofore been feasible to dielectrically process ordinary polyurethane foam using standard dielectric heating equipment. Since the primary concern of the present ; invention is to alter the dielectric characteristics of poly-urethane foam ~o that it i8 responsive to a high-frequency field of the type generated by standard dielectric heating equipment, a brief outline of the principles unterlying the use of such equipment is in order. t When an electrically non-conductive or insulating material is sub~ected to a high-frequency field, the electrically charged molecules in the material tend to change position or oscillate in response to the high-frequency alternating voltage. The result-ant agitation of the molecules gives rise to lnternal friction and heat. This internal heat is sufficlent with some plastlc materials to reduce the plastic to a near liquid or softened state that can result in a weld or tear when pressure is simul- ;
taneously imposed on the material by the dielectric heating electrodes.

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The two properties of a tielectric material that determine how well it will retain energy in the form of heat when stressed by a higb-frequency field are the dielectric constane and the power factor of the material. The dielectric constant of a material is the measure of retained energy due to molecular te-formation, or the ratio of the capacitance of a material in a given electrical configuration with a vacuum as the dielectric. ~ -The power factor i8 the amount of lea~age current that will pass through the insulating material to produce a heat loss. ~
The product of the dielectric constant and the power ~ -factor of a given material determine its 1088 factor or loss ~-index. When an alternating voltage is applied to the dielectric, ;
a current called the displacement current flows through it, causing energy to be stored in the dielectric In an ideal di-electric, all of the displacement current is stored, so that an -ideal dielectric makes a perfect capacitor. An ideal resistor, - on the other hand, will convert all of the current passing through into heat and no charge is stored.
Synthetic plastic materials are usually classified as ~- -dielectrics but not all such materials lend themselves to di-electric heating. This capabllity is determined by the loss in-- : ..
dex of the plastic material which in some instances is so low a~ to result in virtually no internal heat when the material ls exposed to a high-frequency field. -It has been demonstrated that when the loss index is 0.2 and greater, the heating response of a dielectric material in an electric field of the type establl~hed by standard hi~h-frequency dielectric heating equipment is satisfactory or good, but when the loss index lies in a range from 0.08 to 0.2, the response is only fair.
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Below this range as the loss index diminishes, the re-sponse becomes increaslngly poor. Thus, in the 1089 index range of 0.01 to 0.08, the response i8 quite poor, while in the range of 0.01 or less the response runs from extremely poor to ne-gligible.
Thu~, the loss index of a dielectric material is in-dicative of its ability to be heated by a high-frequency electric ~ -field. With the above-described response scale in mind, we can now consider, for purposes of comparison, typical loss index values for a variety of familiar materials.

Tvpical Loss Index Values ~ ~ .
Material Loss Index ResFonse ABS polymer 0.025 poor epoxy resins 0.12 fair polyester 0.05 poor polyvinyl chloride (PVC) 0.4 good `~ `
, .. ~ , water 0.4 good polyurethane foam 0.00055 extremely poor ; . -(typical "one shot" .
polyether) In the case of polyurethane foam, the sample from which : the above 1089 index value was derived, had a dielectric con-stant of 1.1 and a power factor of .0005. Since the loss index is the dielectric constant multiplied by the power factor, the ¦
loss index of polyurethane i9 1 . 1 X 0.0005 which e~uals 0.00055~ !
~ecause the loss index of PVC affords a good response to high-frequency dlelectric heating voltages, it is widely used ln the fabrication of such products as embosset auto~
motive upholstery in which a trim material of vinyl sheeting is ! -placed over a flexible vinyl foam plastic pad having a fabric or -~

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fiberboard backing. Upon operation of the tielectric heating press, an embossed pattern is produced in the laminated article, in which the vinyl trim material is fused to the backing through the foam plastic vinyl pad, the plastic in the pad having been melted and cured along the embossing lines.
The flexible foam pad in the embossed article provides cushioning and shock-absorbing qualities. One can, by this tech- -~
nique, produce seat covers, floor mats and wall panels of various kinds, and ~any other cushioned and embossed products having an attractive trim. In the commercial manufacture of articles of the type wherein the heat-seal seam ~oining the lami-nations also completely defines the contour of the article, it is also possible to so construct the shaped electrode as to form along the heat-seal lines, a tear-line permitting ready strip-ping of the waste material from the completed article. This does away with the need for a subsequent cutting operation and leaves a welI-defined edge on the article.
In articles of the foregoing type, use has generally been made of PVC foam for the padding and PVC sheeting for the trim, for such com~inations of vinyl foam and vinyl sheeting or --film have very similar or matching dielectric characteristics which facilitate dielectric heating. However, despite the ad- -vantages of urethane, it has not been feasible to make these articles of ordinary polyurethane foam or polyurethane foam combined with a dissimilar material such as vinyl, film, woven nylon fabrics and other thermoplastlc materials capable to being dielectrically heated.
Among the advantages of polyurethane foam over vinyl and other commercially-available forms of foam plastics, are that polyurethane foam has markedly superior thermal and acoustical insulating properties as well as a more uniform cell structure.

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Moreover, not only i~ polyurethane foam much lighter than vinyl foam, a significant factor in handling and transportation costs, but it is a far more economical material.
Attempes have heretofore made to alter the dielectric characteristics of polyurethane foam 80 as to impart thereto a loss factor which lends itself to dielectric heating techniques.
One approach is that set forth in the Schickendanz U.S. patent 3,061,460 which involves the post impregnation of urethane foam of the ester or ether type with a vinyl plastic to so alter the i~
dielectric properties of the foam as to render it dielectrically heatable.
P:' Another approach i9 that disclosed in applicant's prior U.S. patent 3,244,571 in which the polyurethane foam is modi- -fied by the introduction of vinyl resin. This is accomplished by including vinyl particles in the foam-forming reaction mixture.
In thi~ way, the vinyl is diffused during the foaming process throughout the fibrous structure of the foam without fllling the cells ~hereof, so that the structure of the foam retains its normal cushioning and acoustic insulating properties that would otherwise be degraded had the cells been impregnated. Other examples of post-impregnation may be found in the Dugan U.S.
patent 3,393,119, the Fishbein U.S. patent 3,535,197 and the ~and U.S. pstent 3,585,062.
The present invention is concerned with improving the phyaical and dielectric characteristics of pre-treated poly-urethane foam of the e~ter or ether type incorporating an addi-tive such as PVC which is inc~uded in the urethane-foam forming reactlon mi~ture to modify the dielectric properties of the ` -resultant foam material so as to render it responsive to di-electric heating. The expression, "modified polyurethane foam~" -will hereinafter be used to designate this type of foam materiaI

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-~o~zs99 to distinguish it from foam whose properties are altered by post impregnation.
The difficulty experienced with modified polyurethane foam is that the introtuction of the adtitive in the fosming process is such as to create holes in the final protuct. The existence of such holes militates against the commercial accept- -ability of the modified polyurethane.
When a polyvinyl additive in particular form i5 inter-mingled with the liquid polyurethane foam-forming reaction mixture, the particles are later softened and liquified as a `
result of ehe exothermic reaction which takes place when the ;
liquid foaming reaction mixture is laid down and foamed. But with PVC additives of the type heretofore usedS the gell point of the PVC was close to the temperature of the exothermic reaction Cabout 3~0F); hence the additive wa~ slor~ to soften during foaming or failed to soften. The exothermic temperature depends on the nature of the mixture and, in practice, goes as low as 270F and as high as 330F.
Also because the viscosity of the liquified polyvinyl of the type heretofore used as an additive was distinctly greater than the viscosity of the urethane, extrusion of the softened additive was retarded and the polyvinyl was not adequately distributed throughout the structure of the polyurethane foam body.
Moreover, because the sizes and shapes of the PVC
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particles heretofore employed as an additive were such as to lmpair the flowability of the polyurethane-foam-forming mixture into which the particles were introduced and to render the mix-ture sluggish, it became difficult to pump the mixture. As a result, air was entrapped in the mixture, creating air pockets -or holes in the fir,al ~oam product.

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SUM~ARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, it is the primary ob~ect of the present invention to provide a method for producing a modi-fied polyurethane foam material of the ether or ester type, having dielectric properties that render the ma~erial suitable for sealing, welding, embossing and lamination to similar or dissimilar materials using standard dielectric heating tech-niques at power and frequency levels comparable- to those present-ly used with vinyl foam material.
A significant advantage of the invention is that it makes possi/ble the production of articles having a flexible poly-urethane layer by existing dielectric heating and die equipment, thereby satisfying market requirements for a simple inexpensive and rapid method for fabricating polyurethane foa~ products. ~ -More specifically, it is an ob~ect of this invention to provide a modified polyurethane foam plastic material free of : holes and other defects and having the advantageous physical ~ -properties of ordinary polyurethane foam but a loss factor sub-stantially greater than ordinary foam whereby the ~odified foam ~ -~ .
may be processed by dielectric heating techniques.
Also, an obiect of the invention is to provide additives to be incorporated in a polyurethane foam-forming reaction mixture to render the flexible foam product formed there~y both dielectrically heatable and fire retardant.
Brie1y stated, these objects are attained by inter-mingling wlth a polyurethane foam-forming reaction mixture particles of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) preferably ~n spherical form, the PVC being of a type having a Iow molecular weight affording a low order of viscosity and a gell or softening point which is distinctly below the temperature level of the exo-thermic reaction which thereafter takes placa when the foam-forming reaction mixture containing the particles i9 laid down ~and foamed. 7 db/

Because of their low gell point, the moving particles ln the expanding mass are softened and extruded into tiverging streams or tentacles of low viscosity PVC which permeate the mass to create within the resulting cellular structure of polyurethane foam, a three-dimensional skeletal network that is distributed throughout the entire structure. The PVC network modifies the loss factor of the cellular urethane body without filling the cells and without producing holes or otherwise degrading the physical character- - -istics of the foam plastic material.
In one particular aspect the present invention provides the method of i~parting tielectric heating properties to a flexible polyurethane foam which comprises incorporating in a polyurethane -foam-forming reaction mixture an un-plasticized synthetic thermo-plastic additive having a dielectric loss index which is at least about 0.2 in a proportion w~hich modifies the loss index o the poly- - ;
urethane foam product to impart thereto an acceptable heating re- -sponse in a high-frequency electric field, saia additive having a .. ;:, - , .. . .
gell poLnt which is lower than the temperature level of the exo- -thermic reaction which takes place when said mixture i9 caused to foam and expand, said additive being in the form of spheroidal particles, at l~ast 80% of which are larger than those which pass -through a USS 200 mesh screen. ~
In another aspect the present invention provides a flexible, ~ -dielectrically heatable polyurethane foam product comprising the ~ -reaction product of a polyol, an organic polyisocynate, a foaming agent, a catalyst and an un-plasticized synthetic thermoplastic additive having a dielectric Ioss index which is at least about 0.2 in a proportion which modifies the 109s index of the polyurethane foam product to impart thereto an acceptable heating response in a - ~ ~
30 high-frequency electric field, said additive having a gell point ~ -which is lower than the temperature level of the exothermic reaction produced in the course of foaming, said additive being in the form of spheroidal particles, at least 80% of ~hich are larger than those 1, , db/

which psss through a USS 200 mesh screen.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In mod~fying a polyurethane foam to render it re-sponsive to dielectric heatlng, any known formulation for producing ordinary polyurethane foam may be used, such as the formulation set forth in my U.S. Patent 3,499,848 or in the other patents cited hereinabove. The basic pro-cesses for making homogeneous polyurethane foam of elastic consistency are disclosed in U.S. patent 2,764,565 issu~ed September 25, 1956. Many polyurethane flexible foams are based on diethylene glycoladipic acid polyesters.
In the preparation of the polyurethane foam- -forming reaction mixture for use in this invention, either ~ -the so-called "one-shot method" may be used or one may use the two-step process known as the semi-prepolymer or qua~ii-prepolymer technique. Any combination of poly- ~- -:
ether, polyols, organic polyisocyanates, foaming agent, catalyst and other reactants capable of forming a flexible -or semi-flexible polyurethane foam can be employed in carrying out the invention. The term foam-forming reaction mixture in the specification and claims herein is meant to include any such combination of ingredients.
Typical formulations are described in U.S. patent 3,072,582, is6ued January 8, 1963 and U.S. patent 3,679,718, issued July 9, 1972.
To further lllustrate suitable formulatlons, the polyether polyols, useful for the preparation of the poly- -urethane material include oxyalkylated palyhydric alcoholg having a molecular weight in the range between about 200 -db/,~P

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lU42599 and about 10,000 and preferably between about 1,000 and 8,000.
The hydroxyl number of the polyether polyol ls generally less than about 750 and preferably in the range between about 20 and about 175. These oxyalkylated polyhydric alcohols are generally prepared by reacting, in the presence of an alkal~ne catalyst, a polyhydric alcohol and an alkylene oxide such as ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butylene oxide, amylene oxide, epichlorohydrin, andmixtures of these alkylene oxides, by either random addition or step-wiæe addition, as is well-known in the art. If desired, a portion of the polyether polyols may be replaced with another compound having at least two reactive hydrogen atoms, such as a diol, an alkyl amine, and alkylene polyamine, a cyclic amine, an amide, or a poiycarboxylic acld. -In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a polyol blend is employed comprising a polyether triol, having a molecu- ~;
lar weight range of about 1,000-8,000 and a hydroxyl number range ~ -of about 20-175, and a tiol having a molecular weight range of about 60-3,000 and a hydroxyl number range of about 50-200. -~ -The weight ratio of polyether triol to diol, according to thi6 preferred embodiment, can range from about 1:8 to about 6:8.
The or~anic polyisocyanates used in the preparation ~ -of the polyurethane foam-forming reaction mixture include toluene diisocyanate, ethylene diisocyanate, propylene dilso- :~
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cyanate,methylene-bls (4-phenylisocyanate), 3,3'-bitoluene-4,4'-diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, naphthalene-1,5-di-isocyanate, polyphenylene polymethylene polyisocyanate, mixtures thereof and the like. The amount of polyisocyanate employed in the process should be sufficient to provide at least about 0.7 NC0 group per reactive hydrogen present in the total reaction-system. An excess of isocyanate compount may be conven-~ently employed; however, this is generally undesirable due to the hlgh cost of the isocyanate compounds. It is 1~ .

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The polyurethane foam-forming reaction mixture also contains a foaming agent, a reaction catalyst, and pre~erably a small proportion of a conventional surfactant. The foaming agent employed may be any of those known to be useful for this purpose, such as water, as well as organic foaming agents contain-ing up to about ~even carbon atoms such as the halogenated :
hydrocarbons, lower molecular weight alkanes, alkenes, ethersand mixtures thereof. Typical halogenated hydrocarbons include, `
but are not limited to, monofluorotrichloromethane, dichloro-fluoromethane, difluorodichloromethane, 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2- --:
trifluoroethane, dichlorotetrafluoroethane, ethyI chloride, .
methylene chloride, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride. Other useful foaming agents include lower moIecular weight alkanes, : alkenes and ethers such as methane, ethane, ethylene, propane, propylene, pentane, hexane, heptane, ethyl ether, diisopropyl .
ether, mixtures thereof, and the like. It is preferred, however, to use water, either alone or in combination with an organic foaming agent.
The amount of foaming agent employed may be varied within a wide range. Generally, however, the halogenated hydrocarbons are employed in an amount from about 1 to 50 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the polyol, and water i9 generally em-ployed in an amount from about 1.0 to 6.0 parts by weight per 100 parts by ~eight of the polyol.
The polyurethane foam-forming reaction mixture further contains a catalytic amount of a reaction catalyst. The catalyst employed` may be any of the catalysts known to be useful for this purpose, or mixtures thereof, including tereiary amines and - 11 ;~'.`

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metallic salts, particularly stannous salts. Typical tertiary amines include, but are not limited to, the ollowing: N-methyl morpholine, N-hydroxyethyl morpholine, triethylene dia-mine, triethylamine and trimethylamine. Typical metallic salts include, for example, the salts of antimony, tin and iron, e.g., dibutyltin dilaurate, stannous octoate, and the like. Any catalytic proportion of catalysts may be employed. Preferably, a mixture of amine and metallic salt is employed as the catalyst.
The catalyst or catalyst mixture, as the case may be, is usually employed in an amount ranging between about 0.05 and about l.S, ~-and preferably between about 0.075 and about O.S0 percent by weight of the polyol. ~ -It is preferred in the preparation of the polyurethane foam-forming reaction mixture to employ minor amounts of a con-ventional surfactant in order to further improve the cell structure of the polyurethane foam. Typical of such surfactants - are the silicone oils and soaps, and the siloxane oxyalkylene :s. .
block copolymers. U.S. Pat. No. 2,834,748 and T. H. Ferrigno, Rigid Plastic Foams (~ew York: Reinhold Publishing Corp., 1963), ~;
pp. 38-42, disclose various surfactants which are useful for this purpose. Generally up to 2 parts by weight of the sur- -factant are employed per 100 parts of the polyol.
Various additives may also be employed which serve to impart different properties to the resulting foam, e.g., fillers such as clay, calcium sulfate, or ammonium phosphate may be added to lower cost and improve physical properties. Ingredients such as dyes may be added for color, and fibrous glass, asbestos, or synthetic fibers may be added for strength. In addi~ion, plasticizers, deodorants and anti-oxidants may also be included in the foam-forming composition. The urethane foam may be rendered fire-retardant by the inclusion of antimony oxide and db/
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other ingredients in the PVC a~ditive, as disclosed in patent 3,574,149 or by the lnclusion of aluminum hydrate (Alcoa HYDRA ~ #705 and #710). Unlike inert fillers, hydrated alumina stands up to fire by giving off water vapor as heat is ab-sorbed - to extend the flash point and snuff the flame. More-over, ~YDRAL is a good vinyl resin stabilizer, particularly with regard to heat stability and volume resistivity. Also because water is highly polar, it enhances the dielectric heat -sealability of the product along the line of seal.
In accordance with the present invention, introduced ~;
into a mixing or reaction zone containing the urethane foam-forming mixture is an additive, preferably in the form of poly-vinyl chloride resin particles. The particles fed into the mixture are thoroughly intermingled and are dispersed through-out the mixture by suitable mixing blades or similar expedients.
In practice, one may use additives whose dielectric character-istics are similar to PVC, such as polyvinyl acetate which may be sub~tituted for or blended with PYC.
It is important that the additive have the following characteri3tics:
A. A gell point that is lower than the temperature level of the exothermic reaction which takes place when the foam-forming reaction mixture is laid down for foaming and curing. (The gell point or gelling point, as it is sometimes called, is the temperature at which a semi-liquid becomes solid.
It is a function of the concentration as well as the temperature of the substance. Hence, when solid PVC particles are heated above their gell point, they become semi-liquid).
B. A specific viscosity of about 0.30 (Viscosity is the - -resistance to flow exhibited by the additive in the liquid state and bears an inverse relationship to mobility).
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., , 1()42599 The lower the molecular weight of the PVC additive, the :
lower its viscosity ant the lower its gell point. ~ecause the gell point of the particles i9 below the exothermic reaction temperature (i.e., 300F and higher) when the foam-forming mixture ~ , containing the particles i5 laid down in a mold or on a conveyor belt and proceeds to foam and expand, the PVC particles are sub- :' ~ected to a displacement force as well as to heat. The large PVC particles are softened by the heat and because the viscosity of the molten PVC is low, extrusion takes place as the foaming urethane mass expands to draw streams or tentacles of PVC from the particles which interlace the entire cellular structure of the urethane to produce a three-dimensional skeletal network therein.
Among the co~mercial types of PVC resin particles which are suitable for this purpose are NARVINOL (trade mark) vinyls, types 15 and 19 produced by Uniroyal Chemical, a division of Uniroyal, Inc. of Naugatuck, Connecticut. Marvinol type 15 has an inherent viscosity of 0.74, a specific viscosity of 0.30, a gell temperature of 275-300F and a heat loss ~f 0.2%. The particle size is: 20% retained on a USS 270 mesh screen.
Marvinol type 19 has an inherent viscosity of 0.84, a specific visco3ity of 0.34, a gell temperature of 275-300~, and a heat loss of 0.2%. The particle size is 20% retained on a USS 277 mesh screen.
It has been found that a further reduction in the gell point of the additive may be effected by blending ~ith the PVC
particles a 8mall amount (3 to 20% by weight) of polyvinyl acetate. Another suitable additive for this purpose is poly methyl methacrylate. The additive, therefore, in order to be effective must be a thermoplastic material ~hich is highly polar and has a good response to a high-frequency field, and also one :

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1~42S99 whose gell point is below the temperature of the exothermic reaction of the foam-forming mixture, with a low order of vis-cosity, go as to form a skeletal network within the foam.
The particle size and particle shape oE the additive come into play in the preparation of the polyurethane foam-forming reaction mixture. It has been found that when the particle shape is spherical and the particles are relatively large (80%
retained on a 200 mesh screen), then the particles, when introduced lnto the urethane foam-forming mixture have a minimal effect on the flowability of the mixture and do not interfere with the pumping and further treatment thereof. It has been found that when the particles are relatively small and irregular in shape, then when they are introduced into the mixture, the mixture is rendered sludge-like in character and is difficult to pump. But with large spherical particles, then they are readily dispersed in the mixture and do not impàir the normal flowability of the mixture and the entrainment of air therein is minimized. In this way, the ultimate foam product is free of air pockets or holes.
-The movement of the additive particles, as a result of the displacement force produced by the expanding foam, and the rapid softening thereof, resulting from the heat generat~ed by the exothermic reaction, transpire concurrently so that as the particles are displaced, they are at the same time rendered ~ -molten and extruded into tentacles or fibres which interlace the cellular structure of the foam material to form a polyvinyl 8keleton or three-dimensional network therein.
An example of a suitable polyvinyl chloride additive whose particle shape is generally spherical and whose size is relatively large is MARVINOL No. 24 ~Gell. temp. 275 - 300F--specific viscosity 0.30--particl~ ~ize: 80~ retained on 200 mesh).

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104;~S99 Because the loss index of the PVC additive affords 8 good response when the additive is sub~ected to a high-freauency heating field, whereas the loss index of pure urethane foam gives rise to a poor response, by interlacing the PVC through-out the cellular structure of the urethane to create a skeletal network therein, the overall loss index of the modified urethane foam is such as to provide an acceptable response. The relative amount of PVC which is added to the urethane foam is determined by the end use of the product and may be proportioned or tailored to meet specific requirements. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to PVC but encompasses other thermoplastic additives having a good high-frequency response, a gell polnt below the exothermic temperature level of the poly-urethane mixture, and a relatively low viscosity.
As pointed out previously, polyvinyl acetate (PVA) or poly methyl methacrylate (PMM) may be blended with a polyvinyl (PVC) resin additive or they may be used alone. Thus, in practice, an additive may be a blend of PVC - 20 parts by weight (pbw) and PVA - 15 pbw relative to 100 parts of polyol or a blend of PVC - 20 pbw and PMM - 15 pbw. Or one may use PVA
alone - 35 pbw or PMM alone - 35 pbw.
While there have been disclosed preferred techniques for modifying urethane foam, it will be appreciated that many changes may be made therein without departing from the essential spirit of the invention. Thus while the invention has been described in connection with rendering polyurethane foam di- `~
electrically heat sealable, the invention i~ al90 applicable~ ;
to other non-thermoplastic foam materials such as urea-formaldehyde and rubber foams.
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Claims (15)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. The method of imparting dielectric heating proper-ties to a flexible polyurethane foam which comprises incorporating in a polyurethane foam-forming reaction mixture an un-plasticized synthetic theremoplastic additive having a dielectric loss index which is at least about 0.2 in a proportion which modifies the loss in-dex of the polyurethane foam product to impart thereto an accep-table heating response in a high-frequency electric field, said additive having a gell point which is lower than the temperature level of the exothermic reaction which takes place when said mixture is caused to foam and expand, said additive being in the form of spheroidal particles, at least 80% of which are larger than those which pass through a USS 200 mesh screen.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said polyurethane is polyether-based.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said polyurethane is polyester-based.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said additive is constituted primarily by polyvinyl chloride resin particles.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4 wherein said additive includes a small percentage of polyvinyl acetate in an amount sufficient to lower the gell point of the additive to a degree below its gell point in the absence of the polyvinyl acetate.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said additive is constituted primarily by polyvinyl acetate particles.

7. The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein said additive includes a small percentage of polymethyl methacrylate in an amount sufficient to lower the gell point of the additive.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said additive is constituted primarily by polymethyl methacrylate particles.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said additive has a gell point in the range of about 275° to 300° F.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said additive has a specific viscosity in the range of about 0.30 to 0.34.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said particles have a size such that 20% thereof are retained in a USS 270 mesh.

12. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said additive further includes a fire-retardant ingredient.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12 wherein said fire-retardant ingredient is hydrated alumina.

14. A flexible, dielectrically heatable polyurethane foam product comprising the reaction product of a polyol, an organic polyisocynate, a foaming agent, a catalyst and an un-plasticized synthetic thermoplastic additive having a dielec-tric loss index which is at least about 0.2 in a proportion which modifies the loss index of the polyurethane foam product to impart thereto an acceptable heating response in a high-frequency electric field, said additive having a gell point which is lower than the temperature level of the exothermic reaction produced in the course of foaming, said additive being in the form of spheroidal particles, at least 80% of which are larger than those which pass through a USS 200 mesh screen.

15. A product as set forth in claim 14, wherein said additive is primarily composed of polyvinyl chloride resin.