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AssigneeKimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
InventorsRyan J. McEneany, Vasily A. Topolkaraev, Neil T. Scholl, Thomas A. Eby
Estimating the term…
Fibers that are formed from a thermoplastic composition that contains a rigid renewable polyester and has a voided structure and low density are provided. To achieve such a structure, the renewable polyester is blended with a polymeric toughening additive in which the toughening additive can be dispersed as discrete physical domains within a continuous matrix of the renewable polyester. Fibers are thereafter formed and then stretched or drawn at a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the polyester (i.e., “cold drawn”).
A fiber that is formed from a thermoplastic composition, the thermoplastic composition comprising at least one rigid renewable polyester having a glass transition temperature of about 0° C. or more, from about 1 wt. % to about 30 wt. % of at least one polymeric toughening additive based on the weight of the renewable polyester, from about 0.1 wt. % to about 20 wt. % of at least one interphase modifier based on the weight of the renewable polyester, wherein the thermoplastic composition has a morphology in which a plurality of discrete primary domains and voids are dispersed within a continuous phase, the domains containing the polymeric toughening additive and the continuous phase containing the renewable polyester, wherein the fiber has a density of about 1.4 grams per cubic centimeter or less, and wherein the average percent volume of the composition that is occupied by the voids is from about 20% to about 80% per cubic centimeter.
A method for forming a low density fiber, the method comprising:
A method for forming a nonwoven web, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.