Disposable article with particulate hydrophilic polymer in an absorbent bed

An absorbent article of manufacture having an inside surface for direction toward an animal body and an outside surface for direction away from said animal body which article of manufacture comprises, in combination,

• a porous moisture-permeable facing sheet forming said inside surface;
• an absorbent pad means in face-to-face juxtaposition relative to said facing sheet and including a first fibrous structure comprising a layer of highly-porous, loosely compacted first fibrous batt and an integral first densified fibrous layer of relatively higher wickability and relatively higher liquid retentivity than the first fibrous batt and formed from a portion of the fibers of said first fibrous batt, said first fibrous batt being contiguous with said facing sheet, and a second fibrous structure adjacent to said first fibrous structure and comprising a layer of highly-porous, loosely-compacted second fibrous batt contiguous with said first densified fibrous layer, a particulate, water-insoluble but water-swellable polymeric absorbent only in said second fibrous batt, said particulate absorbent being distributed substantially uniformly throughout said second fibrous batt to define a widely distributed liquid receiving and holding means that is adapted to receive liquid directly from said first densified fibrous layer, said second fibrous batt being at least co-extensive in external dimension as said first fibrous batt, whereby transfer of liquid from said particulate absorbent to said facing layer is retarded, said first densified fibrous layer defining means for rapidly wicking liquid outwardly from an initially wetted area for an enhanced liquid transfer over a large area into said second fibrous batt, and a second densified fibrous layer of relatively higher wettability and relatively higher liquid retentivity than the second fibrous batt integral with said second fibrous batt said second densified fibrous layer defining means for rapidly wicking liquid passing through said second fibrous batt outwardly for enhanced absorbtion of liquid, in the particulate absorbent in remote areas of said second fibrous batt;
• and
• a moisture-impervious backing sheet in face-to-face juxtaposition relative to said second densified fibrous layer in said absorbent pad means and forming the outside surface of said absorbent article.

A sanitary napkin having a multi-layer absorbent pad means, a moisture-impervious backing sheet under the absorbent pad means, and a porous, moisture-permeable facing sheet enveloping the absorbent pad means and the backing sheet;

• said absorbent pad means comprising a fibrous structure having an intermediate densified fibrous layer, a layer of highly porous, loosely-compacted batt on each side of the densified layer, and a particulate, water-insoluble but water-swellable, cross-linked polymeric absorbent only in the batt layer situated between the densified layer and the moisture-impervious backing sheet, said particulate absorbent being distributed substantially uniformly throughout said last mentioned batt to define a widely distributed liquid receiving and holding means that is adapted to receive liquid directly from said densified layer, the batt without said particulate absorbent being at least co-extensive in external dimension as the batt containing said particulate absorbent, whereby transfer of absorbent from said particulate absorbent to said facing layer is retarded;
• said densified layer being integral with and formed from a portion of the fibers of at least one of the loosely-compacted batts, said densified layer having relatively higher wickability and relatively higher liquid retentivity than the loosely-compacted batt from which it is formed and defining means for rapidly wicking liquid outwardly from an initially wetted area for enhanced liquid transfer over a large area into the batt containing the particulate absorbent and located between the densified layer and the moisture imperious backing sheet.