Fully activated bicomponent web with absorbents
OwnerDarryl Franklin Clark, Paul Allan Giles +4inventors
InventorsDarryl Franklin Clark, Paul Allan Giles, Bryan David Haynes, Matthew Boyd Lake, John Joseph Lassig, David Michael Matela
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Abstract
A web of thermoplastic multicomponent substantially continuous fibers is mixed with absorbent materials. The multicomponent fibers have a low melting point sheath which is fully activated to melt and wet the absorbent particles. The web is then densified and cooled, securing the aborbents to the web with hardened flow joints and enabling the web to carry high loadings of absorbent while maintaining good web integrity.
Claims26
A method of making an absorbent nonwoven web, comprising:
- a) producing a mass of thermoplastic, substantially continuous side-by-side or sheath-core multicomponent filaments by entraining molten thermoplastic polymers into an air stream;
- b) introducing an absorbent material into the air stream to commingle the absorbent material within the mass of substantially continuous filaments;
- c) cooling the filaments,
- d) collecting the mass of filaments and commingled absorbent material onto a forming wire;
- e) passing the collected mass of filaments and commingled absorbent material through a heater at a time and temperature sufficient to activate the sheath of the filaments into a liquid state without activating the core of the filaments, whereby the activated sheath polymer wets a majority of the absorbent material.
An absorbent article comprising:
- a) a cover sheet serving as the exterior layer of the article;
- b) a top sheet serving as the interior layer of the article;
- and
- c) a primary liquid retention layer having:
- i) a mass of thermoplastic, substantially continuous, at least partially sheath-core, multicomponent filaments having a plurality of pulp fibers contacting the filaments;
- and
- ii) with a majority of the pulp fibers joined to sheaths of the multicomponent filaments by hardened flow joints;
- and
- iii) the primary liquid retention layer further being a densified web.
An absorbent nonwoven web comprising:
- a) a mass of thermoplastic, substantially continuous, at least partially sheath-core, multicomponent filaments having a plurality of pulp fibers in contact with the filaments;
- b) a majority of the pulp fibers joined to sheaths of the multicomponent filaments by hardened flow joints;
- and
- c) the mass of thermoplastic, substantially continuous, at least partially sheath-core, multicomponent filaments contacting a plurality of pulp fibers further being densified.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.