Non-woven fabrics bonded by radiation-curable, hazard-free binders

A process for making a non-woven fabric comprising:

• a. providing a mass of fibers associated in a random or regular pattern to form a web or mat, at least 50% by weight of the fibers being hydrophobic;
• b. contacting with the fibers a hydrophobic binder, which does not contain conventional polymerizable crosslinking agents or unpolymerized ethylenic unsaturation and which does not contain a photosensitive group or compound, comprising a polymer polymerized from a monomer mixture comprising at least one polymerizable mono-ethylenically unsaturated monomer selected from the group consisting of C.sub.2 -C.sub.18 alkyl acrylates, C.sub.2 -C.sub.18 alkyl methacrylates, vinyl aromatic compounds, vinyl halides, vinylidene halides, vinyl esters of saturated carboxylic acids, polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated mono-carboxylic and dicarboxylic acids and esters thereof, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, alpha-olefins, and diene monomers, the polymer having a molecular weight of from about 50,000 to 10,000,000 and a glass transition temperature of from about -60.degree. C. to 40.degree. C.;
• c. drying the binder-containing mass of fibers at a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the polymer to effect fusion of the polymer and bonding of the mass of fibers thereby;
• and
• d. exposing the dried binder-containing mass of fibers to a source of radiation, wherein the radiation consists of ultraviolet radiation and electron beam radiation, for a period of time sufficient to effect cure of the polymer by crosslinking the polymer chains, thereby rendering the resulting non-woven fabric resistant to organic dry-cleaning solvents and laundering and increasing the wet strength of the resulting non-woven fabric.