Fluid management layer for an absorbent article

A fluid management layer comprising an integrated, carded nonwoven, the integrated, carded nonwoven comprising:

• a plurality of absorbent fibers comprising viscose cellulose, wherein the nonwoven comprises from about 15% by weight to about 40% by weight of absorbent fibers;
• a plurality of stiffening fibers having a bicomponent core-sheath arrangement, including a sheath component comprising polyethylene and a core component comprising polyethylene terephthalate, wherein the nonwoven comprises from about 30% by weight to about 50% by weight of stiffening fibers;
• and
• a plurality of resilient fibers comprising hollow spiral polyethylene terephthalate, wherein the nonwoven comprises from about 20% by weight to about 50% by weight of resilient fibers,
• wherein heat-formed between adjacent sheath components of the plurality of stiffening fibers impart an MD bending length of from between about 4 mN/cm to about 12 mN/cm,
• wherein the integrated, carded nonwoven has
• a basis weight of between about 40 grams per square meter (gsm) and about 75 gsm,
• a caliper of greater than about 0.45 mm at 8 kPa and greater than about 0.65 mm at 0.2 kPa,
• a compression distance of greater than about 0.60 mm, as measured by the Dynamic Mechanical Analysis method,
• wherein the resilient fibers comprise a linear density of from about 4 dtex to about 15 dtex,
• wherein the stiffening fibers comprise a linear density of from between about 1.0 dtex to about 6 dtex, as determined by the Fiber Decitex method,
• wherein the absorbent fibers have a linear density of between about 1 dtex to about 7 dtex, and
• wherein the nonwoven exhibits a fluid acquisition time of less than 10 second as measured by the Liquid Strikethrough Time method.

A fluid management layer comprising a plurality of strata along a Z-direction thereof, the plurality of strata comprising at least a first integrated, carded nonwoven,

• the first integrated, carded nonwoven comprising,
• a plurality of absorbent fibers comprising viscose cellulose, wherein the nonwoven comprises from about 15% by weight to about 40% by weight of absorbent fibers;
• a plurality of stiffening fibers having a bicomponent core-sheath arrangement, including a sheath component comprising polyethylene and a core component comprising polyethylene terephthalate, wherein the nonwoven comprises from about 30% by weight to about 50% by weight of stiffening fibers;
• and
• a plurality of resilient fibers comprising hollow spiral polyethylene terephthalate, wherein the nonwoven comprises from about 20% by weight to about 50% by weight of resilient fibers,
• wherein heat-formed bonds between adjacent sheath components of the plurality of stiffening fibers impart an MD bending length of from between about 4 mN/cm to about 12 mN/cm,
• wherein the first integrated, carded nonwoven has
• a basis weight of between about 40 grams per square meter (gsm) and about 75 gsm,
• a caliper of greater than about 0.45 mm at 8 kPa and greater than about 0.65 mm at 0.2 kPa,
• a compression distance of greater than about 0.60 mm, as measured by the Dynamic Mechanical Analysis method,
• wherein the resilient fibers comprise a linear density of from about 5 dtex to about 12 dtex,
• wherein the stiffening fibers comprise a linear density of from between about 1.5 dtex to about 5 dtex, as determined by the Fiber Decitex method, and
• wherein the absorbent fibers have a linear density of between about 1.4 dtex to about 5 dtex, and
• wherein the nonwoven exhibits a fluid acquisition time of less than 10 second as measured by the Liquid Strikethrough Time method.