Nonwoven fabric and production method for nonwoven fabric

Abstract

A nonwoven fabric comprising heat-expanding particles, having bulk and high strength, and a method for producing the nonwoven fabric. The method of producing a nonwoven fabric according to the invention comprises a step of supplying a first sheet-forming material comprising fiber and water onto a belt, to form a first sheet layer on the belt, a step of spraying a high-pressure water jet onto the first sheet layer to form grooves extending in the machine direction on the surface, a step of forming a second sheet-forming material comprising fibers, heat-expanding particles and water into a sheet to form a second sheet layer, a step of layering the first sheet layer and the second sheet layer to form a third sheet layer, a step of drying the third sheet layer, and a step of spraying high-pressure steam onto the third sheet layer to expand the heat-expanding particles. The nonwoven fabric of the invention is provided with a fiber-containing first layer having a plurality of grooves extending in the longitudinal direction and aligned in the transverse direction, on the first surface, and is provided with a second layer comprising expanded heat-expanding particles and fibers, on the second surface.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.