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US 2021/0277557 A1Published application
Non-planar nonwoven fabrics and methods of making the same
AssigneeKimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
InventorsLaura E. Keck, John H. Conrad, Susan E. Shawver
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides a method of making a nonwoven fabric of continuous fibers that includes forming a nonwoven web on a highly porous woven or knitted forming fabric that defines a pattern of recesses that are bordered by spaced apart filaments extending between the outer surfaces of the fabric and that allows air to pass both downwardly and sidewardly through the forming fabric. Bonded nonwoven webs are formed having protrusions with very low density and high surface area.
Claims22
A method of making a nonwoven fabric comprising:
- providing a fibrous forming fabric having an air porosity of at least 500 CFM and having
- (a) a first major outer surface including first land areas formed from entwined first filaments and that extend predominantly in a first plane, wherein said first land areas define a plurality of first openings each having a minimum area in said first plane of at least 12 mm2 and collectively comprising at least 40% of the total area of said first major outer surface;
- (b) an opposed second major outer surface distal to the first major outer surface, said second major outer surface including second land areas formed from entwined second filaments and that extend predominantly in a second plane substantially parallel to the first plane;
- and
- (c) a foraminous interior area located between said first and second land areas, said interior area having a thickness greater than 2.3 mm and further having third filaments extending downwardly from said first land areas to said second land areas, said third filaments being entwined with said first filaments in said first land areas and said second filaments in said second land areas and further wherein at least some of the third filaments extend downwardly adjacent said first openings and at least partially define recesses located between said first and second land areas and further wherein the interior area allows air to flow both downwardly and sidewardly therethrough;
- circumrotating said fibrous forming fabric;
- entraining a plurality of continuous fibers in a stream of air;
- suctioning said air through said fibrous forming fabric from adjacent said second major outer surface;
- depositing said entrained fibers onto the first land areas of said fibrous forming fabric and onto the third filaments defining said recesses;
- forming inter-fiber bonds between said deposited fibers and non-planar nonwoven web;
- removing the nonwoven web from the fibrous forming fabric;
- and
- wherein said third filaments proximate to centers of the first land areas extend substantially perpendicularly to the first plane and said third filaments adjacent the respective first openings extend at an angle inwardly towards and directly under the respective first openings.
10 more elements
A method of making a nonwoven fabric comprising:
- providing a fibrous forming fabric having an air porosity of at least 500 CFM and having
- (a) a first major outer surface including foraminous first land areas that extend predominantly in a first plane, wherein said first land areas define a plurality of first openings each having a minimum area in said first plane of at least 12 mm2 and collectively comprising greater than 50% of the total area of said first major outer surface;
- (b) an opposed second major outer surface distal to the first major outer surface, said second major outer surface including foraminous second land areas that define second openings;
- and
- (c) a foraminous interior area located between said first and second land areas, said interior area having a thickness of at least 2.3 mm and comprising individual interior filaments extending downwardly adjacent said first openings from said first land areas to said second land areas and wherein the interior filaments at least partially define recesses located between said first and second land areas and beneath the first openings, and further wherein air can travel both downwardly and sidewardly through the interior filaments;
- circumrotating said fibrous forming fabric;
- entraining said plurality of continuous fibers in a stream of air;
- suctioning said air through said fibrous forming fabric wherein said suctioned air moves in the direction towards the first major surface, through the fibrous forming fabric and then away from the second major surface;
- depositing said entrained fibers onto the first land areas of said fibrous forming fabric and into the onto the interior filaments adjacent said recesses;
- forming inter-fiber bonds between said deposited fibers thereby forming a bonded nonwoven web;
- removing said bonded nonwoven web from said fibrous forming surface;
- and
- wherein said interior filaments proximate to centers of the first land areas extend substantially perpendicularly to the first plane and said interior filaments adjacent the respective first openings extend at an angle inwardly towards and directly under the respective first openings.
10 more elements
A nonwoven fabric comprising:
- a nonwoven web of continuous fibers having autogenous fiber-to-fiber bonds, said nonwoven web further having pattern of projections separated by at least one land area;
- said land area having a height and a basis weight and said projections have a height and a basis weight;
- and
- wherein the projections comprise greater than 50% of the area of the nonwoven web and the land areas comprise less than 50% of the area of the nonwoven web and the average height of the projections is at least twice the average thickness of the land area;
- further wherein each projection has a minimum area greater than 12 mm2 and a density less than 0.03 g/cc, and wherein the land areas completely surround the projections and wherein the land areas extend continuously across both the machine and cross directions.
2 more elements
-31. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.