Dry-formed nonwoven fabric

Abstract

A dry-formed nonwoven fabric; preferably an air lay web; including a fiber composition which is at least 50%, by weight, wood pulp fiber less than about 0.635 cm (1/4 inch) in length with 25% or more of the fiber composition in the web, by weight, being kraft wood pulp fibers, and under 50%, by weight, reinforcing fibers intermixed with the wood pulp fibers throughout the web structure; an embossment in the web providing a plurality of compressed, densified valley regions and less-dense high loft regions; the web including no more than about 5.1 g/m.sup.2 (3.0 lbs per ream of 2,880 ft..sup.2) of a binder and having a cross machine direction wet tensile strength no lower than about 0.09 Kg/cm (0.5 lbs/inch), and preferably at least 0.107 Kg/cm (0.6 lbs/inch). A higher cross-machine direction wet tensile strength in excess of 0.267 Kg/cm (1.5 lbs/inch) can be established at a binder level less than 8.5 g/m.sup.2 (5 lbs/ream), and preferably at a binder level between 6.8-8.5 g/m.sup.2 (4-5 lbs/ream).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.