Hydroentangled disintegratable fabric
AssigneeJames River Corporation of Virginia
InventorsJames H. Manning, Joseph H. Miller, Thomas E. Quantrille
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A nonwoven fibrous web is disclosed having high wet tensile strength when packed in a preservative liquid load, yet which breaks up under mild agitation conditions in a wet environment such as by the flushing action of a toilet. The wiper includes a nonwoven web made of a special blend of cellulosic fibers held together only by friction and naturally occurring hydrogen bonding. No binder is necessary to hold together the fibers. Derivatization of the fibers is not necessary for their breakapartability. The nonwoven fibrous web is produced by subjecting a wet-laid web of cellulosic fibers to hydroentanglement and drying the web without addition of a bonding agent.
Claims13
A nonwoven fibrous web having a basis weight in the range of 20 to 90 grams per square meter, said web being characterized by sufficient wet strength in an aqueous environment to enable its use as a wet wiper and by being capable of disintegrating under mild agitation in water and decomposing in a septic system, which web comprises at least 70 weight percent wood pulp fibers and at least 5 weight percent short staple length regenerated cellulose fibers, said fibers being hydroentangled together to form a composite web having a wet tensile strength of at least 250 grams per inch.
A nonwoven fibrous web comprising about 70 to 95 weight percent pulp fibers selected from the group consisting of spruce, hemlock, cedar, pine, and sisal fibers and blends thereof, and about 5 to 30 weight percent synthetic fibers having a denier of 6.0 or less and an average length in the range of 7 to 19 millimeters selected from the group consisting of rayon, hollow rayon, cellulose acetate, chitin, polyester, polyolefin, polysaccharide, and nylon acrylic fibers and blends thereof, hydroentangled together to form a composite web having a wet tensile strength of at least 250 grams/inch.
A method of forming a nonwoven fibrous web having a basis weight in the range of 20 to 90 grams per square meter and sufficient wet strength in an aqueous environment for use as a wet wiper capable of disintegrating under mild agitation in water and decomposing in a septic system, comprising:
- (a) forming a dispersion consisting essentially of 5 to 30 weight percent short staple length regenerated cellulose fibers and 70 to 95 weight percent softwood papermaking fibers in an aqueous carrier medium;
- (b) forming a wet web of the fibers on a foraminous member;
- (c) entangling the fibers in the web with one another by hydroentanglement with sufficient energy to impart a wet tensile strength of at least 250 grams per inch to the web;
- and,
- (d) drying the web without the addition of a bonding agent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.