Method and apparatus for preparing non-woven fibrous materials

Claim 1

A method for preparing non-woven materials exhibiting high strength both in the longitudinal and lateral directions comprising: feeding fiber strands having an upper layer, an intermediate layer, and a lower layer, through feed rollers to a fiber direction converting zone; forcing the fiber strands to open and causing the upper and lower layers of said fiber strands to obliquely move in opposite directions by impinging fluid jets upon said fiber strands from above and below said fiber strands, the direction of impingement from above being opposite of impingement from below; feeding the resulting opened fiber strands to a contact zone comprising upper and lower opposed symmetrical plates, each plate containing a plurality of apertures therein ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 millimeter in diameter, said apertures being disposed in each plate in at least one row with inTervals between apertures of 0.5 to 2 millimeters; charging fluid through said apertures under pressure, forming fluid jets which impinge upon said open fiber strands in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of said fiber strands causing said strands to interlock; withdrawing the resulting non-woven fibrous material through take-up rollers; and passing said non-woven material to a final delivery roller.

Claim 2

A method for preparing non-woven materials exhibiting high strength both in the longitudinal and lateral directions comprising: feeding fiber strands having an upper layer, an intermediate layer, and a lower layer, through feed rollers to a fiber direction converting zone; forcing the fiber strands to open and causing the upper and lower layers of said fiber strands to obliquely move in opposite directions by impinging fluid jets upon said fiber strands from above and below said fiber strands, the direction of impingement from above being opposite of impingement from below; feeding the resulting opened fiber strands to a contact zone comprising upper and lower opposed symmetrical plates, each plate containing a plurality of apertures therein ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 millimeter in diameter, said apertures being disposed in each plate in at least one row with inTervals between apertures of 0.5 to 2 millimeters; charging fluid through said apertures under pressure, forming fluid jets which impinge upon said open fiber strands in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of said fiber strands causing said strands to interlock; withdrawing the resulting non-woven fibrous material through take-up rollers; and passing said non-woven material to a final delivery roller.

Claim 6

An apparatus for preparing non-woven fibrous material by the fluid jet method comprising a pair of tanks adapted to receive and transmit fluid under pressure, each tank terminating in a plate containing a plurality of apertures, the plurality of apertures in each plate ranging in diameter from 0.5 to 1.0 millimeter and being disposed in at least one row at intervals between 0.5 to 2 millimeters with corresponding apertures in each plate being on identical axes, said tanks being maintained in opposed spaced relation with said plates facing each other, spacing means situated between said tanks and being adapted to maintain said tanks in spaced relation, said spacing means and said plates defining a contact zone adapted to receive and permit passage therethrough of fiber strands, said contact zone having a width greater than 3 centimeters and a height of from 3 to 5 millimeters, means for passing said fiber strands through said contact zone, and means for charging fluid to said tanks, whereby the charged fluid upon egress from the apertures impinges upon the fiber strands in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of said fiber strands within the contact zone causing interlocking of said strands forming a non-woven fibrous material.

Claim 7

An apparatus for preparing non-woven fibrous material by the fluid jet method comprising a pair of tanks adapted to receive and transmit fluid under pressure, each tank terminating in a plate containing a plurality of apertures, the plurality of apertures in each plate ranging in diameter from 0.5 to 1.0 millimeter and being disposed in at least one row at intervals between 0.5 to 2 millimeters with corresponding apertures in each plate being on identical axes, said tanks being maintained in opposed spaced relation with said plates facing each other, spacing means situated between said tanks and being adapted to maintain said tanks in spaced relation, said spacing means and said plates defining a contact zone adapted to receive and permit passage therethrough of fiber strands, said contact zone having a width greater than 3 centimeters and a height of from 3 to 5 millimeters, means for passing said fiber strands through said contact zone, and means for charging fluid to said tanks, whereby the charged fluid upon egress from the apertures impinges upon the fiber strands in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of said fiber strands within the contact zone causing interlocking of said strands forming a non-woven fibrous material.