Rugged elastic nonwoven fabric and method for manufacturing the same

A method for manufacturing a nonwoven fabric, comprising the following steps (1) to (3):

• the step (1) for laminating a second fibrous layer containing heat-fusible heat-shrinkable fibers (2A) having a smaller shrinkage as compared with heat-shrinkable fibers (1A) onto at least one side of a first fibrous layer containing the heat-shrinkable fibers (1A), the first fibrous layer comprises a combination of polypropylene (PP) and ethylene-propylene rubber (EPM), the second fibrous layer comprises a combination of polypropylene (PP) and olefin-based elastomer, a melting point or a softening point of a heat-fusible component of the heat-shrinkable fibers (2A) is in the range of 70° C. or higher to 125° C. or lower, a melt mass flow rate of the heat-fusible component of the heat-shrinkable fibers (2A) is in the range of approximately 0.1 g/10 min to approximately 80 g/10 min;
• the step (2) for performing bonding processing of both of the fibrous layers laminated in the step (1) and uniting both of the fibrous layers in a thickness direction with a large number of bonded parts arranged at intervals such that a portion of fibers constituting the first fibrous layer are bonded to a portion of fibers constituting the second fibrous layer by the bonded parts, wherein the bonded parts are formed by heat-press bonding, an area of one of the bonded parts is in the range of 0.5 to 20 mm2, a distance between the bonded parts is in the range of 2 to 20 millimeters, fibers constituting the first fibrous layer are not substantially bonded with each other by thermal melting;
• and
• the step (3) for performing shrinking processing of both of the fibrous layers united in the step (2) to shrink the heat-shrinkable fibers (1A) contained in the first fibrous layer, a difference in shrinkage between the heat-shrinkable fibers (1A) and the heat-shrinkable fibers (2A) is 10% or more, a maximum shrinkage development temperature of the first fibrous layer is 145° C. or higher, and the second fibrous layer between the bonded parts is projected in a convex by shrinking of the first fibrous layer.