Method of manufacture of nonwoven fabric
AssigneeTencel Limited
InventorsStephen J. Law, Heather Street, Gregory J. Askew
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Abstract
A method of manufacture of a nonwoven cellulose fabric is disclosed. The fabric is made from fibers formed by extrusion of a solution of cellulose through a spinning jet. The extruded fiber is attenuated with a high velocity gas flow, and the attenuated fiber is collected on a surface (such as the curved surface of a rotating drum) on which the fiber web is subsequently coagulated. Apparatus for carrying out the method is also disclosed. The method and apparatus permit the manufacture of a nonwoven lyocell fabric web in which fibers are bonded together without the use of a binder.
Claims18
A method of manufacture of a nonwoven cellulose fabric made from fibres comprising the steps of:
- extruding a solution of cellulose through at least one spinning nozzle;
- attenuating the extrudate fibre with high velocity gas flow to form an attenuated fibre;
- collecting the attenuated fibre on a support surface to form a fibre web;
- and
- coagulating said web by leaching solvent therefrom.
Apparatus for the manufacture of a nonwoven fabric comprising lyocell fibres, the apparatus comprising:
- a spinning nozzle through which a solution of cellulose in solvent is extruded in operation to form an extrudate;
- at least one gas jet adapted to direct a gas stream onto the extrudate to attenuate the extrudate and form fibrils;
- a support surface adapted to collect the attenuated extrudate;
- and
- a regeneration means for coagulating the fibrils on the support surface by leaching of said solvent from said fibrils.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.