Abstract:
The invention is directed to a composite nonwoven fabric comprising a nonwoven web of spunbonded substantially continuous thermoplastic filaments, a nonwoven web of thermoplastic strands, and a nonwoven web of thermoplastic meltblown microfibers sandwiched between the nonwoven web of spunbonded substantially continuous filaments and the nonwoven web of thermoplastic strands. An adhesive agent is disposed between the nonwoven web of spunbonded filaments and the nonwoven web of meltblown microfibers and between the nonwoven web of thermoplastic strands and the nonwoven web of meltblown microfibers, adhering the respective nonwoven webs together to form a unitary composite nonwoven fabric. In a preferred embodiment, the composite nonwoven fabric of the invention comprises a nonwoven web of spunbonded substantially continuous polyamide filaments, a nonwoven web of polyamide strands, and a nonwoven web of polyethylene meltblown microfibers sandwiched between the nonwoven web of spunbonded substantially continuous filaments and the nonwoven web of strands.
Abstract:
The invention provides composite elastic nonwoven fabrics and the process of making them. The composite elastic fabrics of the invention include an elastomeric net and at least one fibrous web including binder fibers and which is intimately hydroentangled with the elastomeric net. At least a portion of the binder fibers in the hydroentangled fibrous web have been thermally activated thereby bonding the hydro-entangled web into a coherent, substantially unitary structure encompassing the elastomeric net.
Abstract:
A nonwoven fabric having high performance aqueous fluid retention and wiping characteristics and a method of producing such fabric. The fabric comprises a reinforcing web of self-bonded continuous filament synthetic fibers having at least one surface with spaced clusters of synthetic staple fibers and short natural fibers generally surrounded by void areas having a concentration of synthetic staple fibers and short natural fibers which is lower than such concentration in the clusters. The desired pattern of clusters may be obtained by hydroentanglement using a coarse apertured forming surface.
Abstract:
A tampon is provided having an absorbent core made of a plurality of discrete plies of a blend of cellulosic material and superabsorbent fibers and having an absorbent layer overwrap and a fluid permeable cover surrounding the absorbent material. The absorbent layer is located on both the top and bottom surfaces of the absorbent core and contains staple textile fibers.
Abstract:
A method for producing an elastic nonwoven fabric, comprising: stretching a nonwoven web in the cross machine direction, machine direction, or both directions to reduce the basis weight and/or denier of the nonwoven web to form the elastic nonwoven fabric, wherein the nonwoven web comprises a plurality of multicomponent strands having first and second polymer components longitudinally coextensive along the length of the strands, said first component comprising an elastomeric polymer, and said second polymer component comprising a polymer less elastic than the first polymer component.
Abstract:
Nonwoven fabrics and fabric laminates are formed from continuous filaments or staple fibers of a select blend of specific grades of polyethylene and polypropylene which give improved fabric performance not heretofore recognized or described, such as high abrasion resistance, good tensile properties, excellent softness and the like. Furthermore, these blends have excellent melt spinning and processing properties which permit efficiently producing nonwoven fabrics at high productivity levels. The polymers are present as a lower-melting dominant continuous phase and at least one higher-melting noncontinuous phase dispersed therein The lower-melting continuous phase forms at least 70 percent by weight of the fiber and comprises a linear low density polyethylene polymer of a melt index of greater than 10 and a density of less than 0.945 g/cc. At least one higher-melting noncontinuous phase comprises a polypropylene polymer with melt flow rate of greater than 20 g/10 min.
Abstract:
A fabric comprising at least two layers wherein at least one layer is an extensible, bonded non-woven composed of a fiber comprising multiple different polymers such as a fiber comprising isotactic polypropylene, polyethylene and a block or grafted polyolefin copolymer or terpolymer which is at least partially miscible with said polypropylene and polyethylene.
Abstract:
The invention provides elastic fabrics which are substantially non-extensible in the machine direction and have substantial elastic properties in the cross-machine direction. The process stable fabrics of the invention include a net and a fibrous layer which are secured together. The net is composed of a plurality of continuous machine direction strands and a plurality of cross-direction strands. The machine direction strands are substantially non-extensible and the cross-direction strands are substantially elastic. The fabrics of the invention can be manufactured and processed more readily than fabrics which are elastic in both the machine direction and the cross-machine direction.
Abstract:
The invention is directed to elastomeric meltblown webs having desirable strength and stretch/recovery properties which can be produced at relatively high throughputs and/or relatively low die pressures. The meltblown webs of the invention comprise a blend of (i) a fully hydrogenated diblock or triblock thermoplastic elastomer copolymer or mixtures thereof based on polystyrene and poly(ethylene-butylene) blocks; and (ii) from about 5% by weight up to about 50% by weight of a copolymer of ethylene and acrylic acid or ethylene and a lower alkyl ester of acrylic acid in which the ethylene content ranges from about 5% by weight up to about 50% by weight.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for forming non-woven webs by separating fibers from a compacted sheet or sheets of the fibers utilizing a lickerin. The method and apparatus include provision for attaining substantially individual fibers from a compressed sheet of short papermaking fibers such as wood pulp or cotton linters, and also fibers from a compacted sheet of longer fibers such as rayon, and blending the long and short fibers together into a non-woven web in the continuous operation of the lickerin and associated equipment. For the purpose of obtaining the short (1/4 inch and less) papermaking cellulosic fibers of wood pulp or the like the nose of the feed bar for the compacted short fibers is spaced a considerable distance from the working circumference of the lickerin such that the compacted sheet tip vibrates and the feed of the sheet of short fibers is substantially radially of the lickerin. Additionally, when forming a composite of long and short fibers the short fibers are freed by the lickerin in the course of lickerin rotation in advance of the freeing of the longer fibers.