Feminine hygiene pad with differing functional arrangements of topsheet apertures

A process for producing topsheets for feminine hygiene pads, the pads and topsheets having prescribed lengths, widths, longitudinal axes and lateral axes, comprising the steps of:

• providing a nonwoven web and conveying it along a machine direction (MD);
• providing a pair of aperturing rollers having a nip therebetween, the nip being oriented along a cross direction (CD);
• passing the nonwoven web along the machine direction through the nip, and thereby sequentially and repeatedly imparting a pitched pattern of apertures through the nonwoven web as it moves along the machine direction, the pattern comprising:
• at least two arrangements of apertures therethrough, including a first arrangement of first apertures having a first average size, and a second arrangement of second apertures having a second average size, wherein the first average size is greater than the second average size, wherein:
• the first arrangement occupies a rectangular central region that is 80 mm long by 20 mm wide, has forward and rearward sides and left and right sides, and is centered about the longitudinal axis and lies on both forward and rearward sides of the lateral axis;
• the first average size is 0.4 mm2 to 0.6 mm2;
• and the central region has an Average Percent Open Area of 1 to 12 percent;
• the second arrangement occupies one or more regions longitudinally outboard of the central region, and the second average size is 0.05 mm2 to 0.2 mm2;
• and
• wherein the second arrangement comprises one or more paths of the second apertures, wherein each of the one or more paths comprises a group of the second apertures such that for each of the one or more paths:
• each second aperture of the group is located a distance of not greater than three times a largest dimension of the second apertures in the group from its immediate neighbor second aperture in the group;
• or
• there is no break angle among the second apertures of the group that is less than 120 degrees, wherein the break angle is at an intersection of path lines through geometric centers of immediate neighboring second apertures in the group.

A feminine hygiene pad having a longitudinal axis oriented along a y-direction, a lateral axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis oriented along an x-direction, and a pad caliper measured along a z-direction orthogonal to the longitudinal and lateral axes, and comprising a liquid permeable topsheet comprising a first fibrous nonwoven web, a backsheet beneath the topsheet, and an absorbent structure disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, wherein:

• the first fibrous nonwoven web comprises at least two arrangements of apertures therethrough, including a first arrangement of first apertures having a first average size, and a second arrangement of second apertures having a second average size, wherein the first average size is greater than the second average size;
• wherein the first arrangement occupies a rectangular central region that is 80 mm long by 20 mm wide, has forward and rearward sides and left and right sides, wherein the forward side of the rectangular central region is longitudinally inboard of a forward side of the absorbent structure and wherein the rearward side of the rectangular central region is longitudinally inboard of a rearward side of the absorbent structure and wherein the rectangular central region is centered about the longitudinal axis and lies on both forward and rearward sides of the lateral axis;
• the first average size is 0.4 mm2 to 0.6 mm2;
• and the central region has an Average Percent Open Area between a lower limit and an upper limit, wherein a value of the lower limit is selected to achieve efficacy and performance in the first arrangement of the first apertures for fluid acquisition and wherein a value of the upper limit is selected to achieve efficacy and performance in the first arrangement of the first apertures for fluid retention and reducing a visibility of staining in the absorbent structure;
• wherein the second arrangement occupies one or more regions longitudinally outboard of the central region and comprising paths of apertures of the second average size extending in part along a lateral direction over the longitudinal axis of the feminine hygiene pad, wherein each aperture in each of the paths is located a distance from its immediate neighbor aperture that is not greater than three times a largest dimension of the apertures of the second average size, wherein there is no break angle among the apertures of each of the paths that is less than 120 degrees, wherein the break angle is at an intersection of path lines through geometric centers of immediate neighboring apertures in each of the paths and wherein the second average size is 0.05 mm2 to 0.2 mm2.