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AssigneeKimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
InventorsFung-jou Chen, Jeffrey Dean Lindsay, Jian Qin, Yong Li
Estimating the term…
Disclosed is a fibrous absorbent structure that is wet stable and has large void volume with a density below the critical density of the fiber employed. In one embodiment, the fibrous absorbent uses open-celled foam technologies to keep the fibrous structure expanded and bonded. In other embodiments, the resulting fibrous structure resembles an open-celled polymeric foam, with fibers serving as struts stabilized by binder material. In another embodiment, the resulting fibrous structure is filled with hydrophilic open-celled foams with the cell size substantially smaller than the fibrous pores. Such a wet-stable, high void volume fibrous absorbent can be used in a disposable product intended for the absorption of fluid such as body fluid, including extensible absorbent articles.
A foam-structured absorbent fibrous structure comprising a water-insoluble hydrophilic foamable binder material and over 50% by weight of hydrophilic fibers, said fibrous structure having a density of about 0.05 g/cc or less.
An open absorbent fibrous structure comprising a foamable binder material and about 25% or greater by weight of hydrophilic papermaking fibers, wherein said fibers are arranged as struts between the cells of an open-cell foam structure, said fibrous structure being hydrophilic with a density of about 0.1 g/cc or less and comprising water-insoluble bonds that stabilize the structure.
A layered foam-fiber composite comprising a first fibrous layer and a second fibrous layer, said first layer comprising an absorbent porous fibrous structure comprising a foamable binder material and about 20% or greater by weight of hydrophilic fibers, wherein said fibers are arranged as struts between the cells of an open-cell foam;
An absorbent article comprising a liquid pervious topsheet, a liquid impervious backsheet, and an absorbent fibrous structure disposed between said backsheet and said topsheet, said absorbent fibrous structure comprising at least 25% hydrophilic fibers by weight and a binder residual from a foamable structuring composition which stabilizes the hydrophilic fibers in a high-bulk structure, said absorbent fibrous structure having a density of about 0.1 g/cc or less and a Wet Bulk of about 6 cc/g or greater.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.