Process of forming wet laid tufted non-woven fibrous web from a viscous fibrous dispersion and product

Abstract

Abstract A TUFTED NONWOVEN WATERLAID WEB MATERIAL EXHIBITING HIGH LOFT, BULK AND ABSORBENCY IS COMPRISES OF A SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR WEB BODY PORTION OF RANDOMLY ARRANGED WATER DISPERSIBLE FIBERS AND A MULTITUDE OF SEPARATE, SPACED FIBER TUFTS OF HIGH CONCENTRATION ARRAYED ON AT LEAST ONE SURFACE. THE TUFTS ARE COMPOSED OF A PLURALITY OF CLOSELY ASSOCIATED, SUBSTANTIALLY ALIGNED FIBERS ANCHORED WITHIN BUT EXTENDING FROM THE WEB BODY PORTION IN THE FORM OF WEFT-LIKE FIBER BUNDLES. THE NONWOVEN WEB MATERIAL IS PRODUCED BY A WET PAPERMAKING PROCESS THAT INCLUDES THE STEPS OF PROVIDING AN AQUEOUS FIBER DISPERSING MEDIUM HAVING A CONTROLLED FLUID VISCOSITY OF ABOUT 3 CENTIPOISES AND MORE DISPERSING WITHIN THE VISCOUS MEDIUM SELECT FIBERS HAVING A DENIER OF AT LEAST 1 D.P.F. AT A FIBER CONCENTRATION OF AT LEAST ABOUT .02 PERCENT BY WEIGHT AND DEPOSITING THE FIBERS WITHIN SAID DISPERSION ON AN APERTURED FIBER COLLECTING ELEMENT WHEREIN THE AVERAGE HOLE AREA OF THE APERTURES IS ABOUT 3X10**-4 SQ. IN. AND MORE TO FORM THE TUFTED NONWOVEN FIBROUS WEB WITH THE TUFTS FORMED BY BUNDLES OF SUBSTANTIALLY ALIGNED FIBERS EXTENDING THROUGH THE APERTURES.

Inventors

• 👤 B Conway
• 👤 J Moran

Bibliographic Details