Pressurized steam-jetting nozzle, and method and apparatus for producing nonwoven fabric using the nozzle

A production method for a nonwoven fabric of entangling constituent fibers by continuously jetting pressurized steam along a width direction of a fiber web running in one direction from a plurality of nozzle holes, using a pressurized steam jetting nozzle comprising a tubular nozzle holder having on one end a steam inlet opening to be connected with a pressurized steam supply tube, on another end a steam outlet opening to be connected with a steam discharge tube of an outside and an opening elongating along a longitudinal direction of a lower surface thereof, and a nozzle member disposed detachably on the lower surface of the nozzle holder and having a plurality of nozzle holes formed so as to face the opening, the method comprising steps of:

• initially introducing pressurized steam from the steam inlet opening, discharging the pressurized steam from the steam outlet opening to the outside;
• measuring a temperature inside the pressurized steam jetting nozzle;
• stopping a discharge of the steam by switching a steam outlet path to a drainage eliminating path via a trap at a time the temperature inside the nozzle reaches at a predetermined temperature;
• running a fiber web continuously in a state facing the jetting nozzle holes of the nozzle after a stoppage of the discharge of the steam so as to entangle fiber web constituent fibers by the pressurized steam jetted from the jetting nozzle holes;
• and
• vacuuming the steam passing through the fiber web by vacuuming means so as to discharge the same to the outside at an opposite side of the fiber web with respect to the jetting nozzle holes.