Absorbent web structure
AssigneeMitsui Petrochemical Industries, Ltd.
InventorsKoji Horimoto, Yoshinori Morita
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Abstract
An absorbent web structure composed of a mixture of 5 to 50% by weight of short fibers of a thermoplastic resin rendered hydrophilic with a surface-active agent and 95 to 50% by weight of cellulosic fibers, said thermoplastic short fibers being melt-bonded to impart self-supporting property to the web structure; characterized in that (i) said thermoplastic short fibers are rendered hydrophilic by forming an aqueous slurry of the fibers containing a nonionic surface-active agent and then dehydrating the slurry, and (ii) said nonionic surface-active agent has (a) an HLB value of from 2 to 20 and (b) a melting point equal to, or higher than, the temperature of the slurry at the time of the dehydrating treatment described in (i) above.
Claims4
An absorbent web structure obtained by a dry sheet forming process composed of a mixutre of 5 to 50% by weight of short fibers of a thermoplastic resin rendered hydrophilic with a surface acting agent and 95 to 50% by weight by cellulosic fibers, said thermoplastic short fibers being melt-bonded to impart self-supporting property to the web structure;
- characterized in that
- (i) said thermoplastic short fibers are composed of flash-spun fibers of an olefin resin and are rendered hydrophilic by forming an aqueous slurry of the fibers containing a nonionic surface-active agent and then dehydrating the slurry at a temperature of the slurry of not more than about 50.degree. C., and
- (ii) said nonionic surface-active agent has (a) an HLB value of from 2 to 20 and (b) a melting point equal to, or higher than, the temperature of the slurry at the time of the dehydrating treatment in (i) above, and
- (iii) the time required for water absorption, as determined by J. TAPPI testing methods of said absorbent web structure, is 5 seconds or less after melt-bonding treatment at 140.degree. C. for 5 minutes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.