Apparatus for producing apertured non-woven fabrics

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR REARRANGING THE FIBERS IN A UNITARY WEB OF FIBROUS STARTING MATERIAL HAVING INDIVIDUAL FIBERS CAPABLE OF RELATIVE MOVEMENT WITHIN THE WEB UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF APPLIED FLUID FORCES, WHICH COMPRISES A MEMBER HAVING OPPOSED FIRST AND SECOND FACES, ONE OF SAID FACES PRESENTING A PATTERN OF PROTUBERANCES HAVING ENDS DIFINING A COMMON PLANE AND REGIONS SURROUNDING THE INDIVIDUAL PROTURBERANCES RECESSED INWARDLY FROM SAID PLANE, SIDE WALLS IN SAID PROTUBERANCES, PASSAGEWAYS COMMUNICATING THROUGH THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID PROTUBERANCES INTERCONNECTING THE SECOND FACE OF SAID MEMBER WITH THE RECESSED REGIONS OF SAID MEMBER, FLUID PERVIOUS MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A WEB OF SUCH FIBROUS MATERIAL IN CONTACT WITH THE ENDS OF SAID PROTUBERANCES, AND MEANS FOR DIRECTING FLUID THROUGH SAID PASSAGEWAYS FROM SAID SECOND FACE TOWARD SAID FIRST FACE AT AN ACUTE ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID PLANE AND AT VELOCITIES SUCH THAT FIBER SEGMENTS IN THE WEB PLUS SUPPORTED AND IN THE AREAS THEREOF OPPOSITE THE RCESSED REGIONS OF THE MEMBER ARE REARRANGED INTO A PATTERN OF MORE CLOSELY COMPACTED GROUPS OF FIBER SEGMENTS WHOSE CONTOUR, IN PART AT LEAST, IS DETERMINED BY THE CONTOUR OF THE FIRST FACE OF SAID MEMBER.