Patent Grant
8440286
The disclosure herein relates generally to a capped tufted laminate web and an article incorporating a capped tufted laminate web.
Laminates of webs, such as films and fibrous webs are known in the art. For example, nonwoven webs are often laminated with polymer films such that they are useful as materials in disposable products such as backsheets on disposable absorbent diapers. In such laminates the nonwoven portion can provide softness while the film portion can provide for fluid impermeability.
Laminates in which nonwoven fibers protrude through a polymer film can be useful for providing an absorbent structure in which the nonwoven acts as the conveyor of fluid from one side of the polymer film to the other. The laminate can be structured such that the fluid collecting side of the laminate is the polymer film and nonwoven fibers protrude through the polymer film to the fluid collecting side of the laminate. For example, in a sanitary napkin or diaper, such a laminate can be practical for use as a topsheet that transports fluid from the body facing surface of the sanitary napkin more deeply into the sanitary napkin towards the absorbent core. If the fibers are structured as tufts in which the fibers comprising the tuft generally converge near the base of the tuft, the convergence of fibers can provide for small capillaries that can aid in transporting the fluid through the topsheet. Further, the fibers protruding through the polymer film can have a pleasant tactile impression.
Depending on the arrangement of the fibers of the nonwoven protruding through the polymer film and the fluid acquired by the tufts, the fibers on the fluid collecting side of the film may retain some fluid in small capillaries that might exist between the fibers. If the laminate is an absorbent article, such a sanitary napkin, diaper, or tampon, this may result in the retained fluid appearing as a stain on the body facing surface of the laminate. Stains of menses, vaginal discharge, urine, and feces may not be viewed favorably by the wearer of the absorbent article. If the laminate is used in a wipe or cleaning device, the retained fluid may be visually perceptible to the user of the device and the user may misinterpret the staining as an indication that the utility of the wipe or cleaning device is exhausted even when such a determination is in reality premature.
With this limitation in mind, there is a continuing unaddressed need for a laminate of a polymer film and fibrous web in which the fibrous web protrudes through the polymer film that has improved capabilities for masking fluid retained in the fibers protruding through the polymer film.
Disclosed herein is a laminate web comprising a nonwoven web in facing relationship with a polymer film, the laminate web comprising a first side comprising the polymer film and a plurality of discrete tufts comprising fibers integral with and extending from the nonwoven web, wherein each of the tufts has a tuft base proximal to the nonwoven web and a distal portion opposing the tuft base, wherein at least part of the distal portion of each of the tufts is covered by a cap, each cap being an integral extension of the polymer film extending over the distal portion of a discrete tuft, the cap comprising a first opening comprising a location of rupture in the polymer film above which the tuft extends.
Disclosed herein is an absorbent article comprising a topsheet in facing relationship with an absorbent core, the topsheet comprising a laminate web comprising a first side comprising the polymer film and a plurality of discrete tufts comprising fibers integral with and extending from the nonwoven web, wherein the nonwoven web is between the polymer film and the absorbent core, wherein each of the tufts has a tuft base proximal to the nonwoven web and a distal portion opposing the tuft base, wherein at least part of the distal portion of each of the tufts is covered by a cap, each cap being an integral extension of the polymer film extending over the distal portion of a discrete the tuft, the cap having a first opening comprising a location of rupture in the polymer film above which the tuft extends.
Web 1 has a first side 3 and a second side 5, the term “sides” being used in the common usage of generally planar two-dimensional webs, such as paper and films that have two sides when in a generally flat condition. Each precursor web 20 and 21 has a first surface 12 and 13, respectively, and a second surface 14 and 15, respectively (shown in
In one embodiment, first side 3 of web 1 is defined by exposed portions of the first surface 13 of second precursor web 21 and at least one, but preferably a plurality of, discrete tufts 6 which are integral extensions of the fibers of a nonwoven first precursor web 20. As shown in
As used herein, the term “nonwoven web” refers to a web having a structure of individual fibers or threads which are interlaid, but not in a repeating pattern as in a woven or knitted fabric, which do not typically have randomly oriented fibers. Nonwoven webs or fabrics have been formed from many processes, such as, for example, meltblowing processes, spunbonding processes, hydroentangling, airlaying, and bonded carded web processes, including carded thermal bonding. The basis weight of nonwoven fabrics is usually expressed in grams per square meter (gsm). The basis weight of the laminate web is the combined basis weight of the constituent layers and any other added components. Fiber diameters are usually expressed in microns; fiber size can also be expressed in denier, which is a unit of weight per length of fiber. The basis weight of laminate webs suitable for use in the present invention can range from 10 gsm to 500 gsm, depending on the ultimate use of the web 1.
The constituent fibers of nonwoven precursor web 20 can be comprised of polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, and blends thereof. The fibers can comprise cellulose, rayon, cotton, or other natural materials or blends of polymer and natural materials. The fibers can also comprise a super absorbent material such as polyacrylate or any combination of suitable materials. The fibers can be monocomponent, bicomponent, and/or biconstituent, non-round (e.g., capillary channel fibers), and can have major cross-sectional dimensions (e.g., diameter for round fibers) ranging from 0.1-500 microns. For example, one type of fibers suitable for the nonwoven web includes nanofibers. Nanofibers are described as fibers having a mean diameter of less than 1 micron. Nanofibers can comprise all of the fibers in a nonwoven web or a portion of the fibers in a nonwoven web. The constituent fibers of the nonwoven precursor web may also be a mixture of different fiber types, differing in such features as chemistry (e.g. polyethylene and polypropylene), components (mono- and bi-), denier (micro denier and >20 denier), shape (i.e. capillary and round) and the like. The constituent fibers can range from about 0.1 denier to about 100 denier.
As used herein, “spunbond fibers” refers to small diameter fibers which are formed by extruding molten thermoplastic material as filaments from a plurality of fine, usually circular capillaries of a spinneret with the diameter of the extruded filaments then being rapidly reduced. Spunbond fibers are generally not tacky when they are deposited on a collecting surface. Spunbond fibers are generally continuous and have average diameters (from a sample of at least 10) larger than 7 microns, and more particularly, between about 10 and 40 microns.
As used herein, the term “meltblowing” refers to a process in which fibers are formed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material through a plurality of fine, usually circular, die capillaries as molten threads or filaments into converging high velocity, usually heated, gas (for example air) streams which attenuate the filaments of molten thermoplastic material to reduce their diameter, which may be to microfiber diameter. Thereafter, the meltblown fibers are carried by the high velocity gas stream and are deposited on a collecting surface, often while still tacky, to form a web of randomly dispersed meltblown fibers. Meltblown fibers are microfibers which may be continuous or discontinuous and are generally smaller than 10 microns in average diameter.
As used herein, the term “polymer” generally includes, but is not limited to, homopolymers, copolymers, such as for example, block, graft, random and alternating copolymers, terpolymers, etc., and blends and modifications thereof. In addition, unless otherwise specifically limited, the term “polymer” includes all possible geometric configurations of the material. The configurations include, but are not limited to, isotactic, atactic, syndiotactic, and random symmetries.
As used herein, the term “monocomponent” fiber refers to a fiber formed from one or more extruders using only one polymer. This is not meant to exclude fibers formed from one polymer to which small amounts of additives have been added for coloration, antistatic properties, lubrication, hydrophilicity, etc. These additives, for example titanium dioxide for coloration, are generally present in an amount less than about 5 weight percent and more typically about 2 weight percent.
As used herein, the term “bicomponent fibers” refers to fibers which have been formed from at least two different polymers extruded from separate extruders but spun together to form one fiber. Bicomponent fibers are also sometimes referred to as conjugate fibers or multicomponent fibers. The polymers are arranged in substantially constantly positioned distinct zones across the cross-section of the bicomponent fibers and extend continuously along the length of the bicomponent fibers. The configuration of such a bicomponent fiber may be, for example, a sheath/core arrangement wherein one polymer is surrounded by another, or may be a side-by-side arrangement, a pie arrangement, or an “islands-in-the-sea” arrangement.
As used herein, the term “biconstituent fibers” refers to fibers which have been formed from at least two polymers extruded from the same extruder as a blend. Biconstituent fibers do not have the various polymer components arranged in relatively constantly positioned distinct zones across the cross-sectional area of the fiber and the various polymers are usually not continuous along the entire length of the fiber, instead usually forming fibrils which start and end at random. Biconstituent fibers are sometimes also referred to as multiconstituent fibers.
As used herein, the term “non-round fibers” describes fibers having a non-round cross-section, and includes “shaped fibers” and “capillary channel fibers.” Such fibers can be solid or hollow, and they can be tri-lobal, delta-shaped, and are preferably fibers having capillary channels on their outer surfaces. The capillary channels can be of various cross-sectional shapes such as “U-shaped”, “H-shaped”, “C-shaped” and “V-shaped”. One practical capillary channel fiber is T-401, designated as 4 DG fiber available from Fiber Innovation Technologies, Johnson City, Tenn. T-401 fiber is a polyethylene terephthalate (PET polyester).
As used herein, the term “integral” as in “integral extension” when used for the tufts 6 refers to fibers of the tufts 6 having originated from the fibers of the first precursor web 20. Therefore, the looped fibers 8 and non-looped fibers 18 of tufts 6, can be plastically deformed and extended fibers of the first precursor web 20, and are, therefore, integral with first precursor web 20. As used herein, “integral” is to be distinguished from fibers introduced to or added to a separate precursor web for the purpose of making tufts, as is commonly done in conventional carpet making, for example.
As used herein, the term “integral” as in “integral extension” when used for the cap 7 refers to the substrate forming the cap 7 having originated from the polymer film that is the second precursor web 21. Therefore, the cap 7 can be a plastically deformed extended substrate of the second precursor web 21, and is, therefore, integral with the second precursor web 21. As used herein, “integral” is to be distinguished from a substrate introduced to or added to a separate precursor web for the purpose of making a cap 7.
As used herein, the term “opacity” refers to the property of a substrate or printed substrate which measures the capacity of the substrate to hide or obscure from view an object placed behind the substrate relative to the point from which observation is made. Opacity can be reported as the ratio, in percent, of the diffuse reflectance of a substrate backed by a black body having a reflectance of 0.5% to the diffuse reflectance of the same substrate backed with a white body having an absolute reflectance of 89%. Opacity can be measured as described in ASTM D 589-97, Standard Test Method for Opacity of Paper (15°/Diffuse Illuminant A, 89% Reflectance Backing and Paper Backing).
A substrate high in opacity will not permit much, if any, light to pass through the substrate. A substrate having low opacity will permit much, if not nearly all, light to pass through the substrate. Opacity can range from 0 to 100%. As used herein, the term “low opacity” refers to a substrate or printed substrate having opacity less than 50%. As used herein, the term “high opacity” refers to a substrate or printed substrate having opacity greater than or equal to 50%. As used herein, the term “opaque” refers to a substrate or printed substrate that has an opacity greater than or equal to 50%.
As used herein, the term “adjacent” means not distant and implies an absence of anything of the same kind in between the structures that are adjacent.
The number, spacing, and dimensions of tufts 6 can be varied to give varying texture to first side 3 of web 1. For example, if tufts 6 are sufficiently closely spaced the first side 3 of web 1 can have a terry cloth-like feel. Alternatively, tufts 6 can be arranged in patterns such as lines or filled shapes to create portions of a laminate web having greater texture, softness, bulk, absorbency or visual design appeal. For example, when tufts 6 are arranged in a pattern of a line or lines, the tufts can have the appearance of stitching. Likewise, the size dimensions, such as the height, length and width of individual tufts 6 can be varied. Single tufts can be as long as about 3 cm in length and can be made alone or dispersed among tufts of various sizes.
First precursor web 20 can be a fibrous woven or nonwoven web comprising fibers having sufficient elongation properties to have portions formed into tufts, as described more fully below. Tufts are formed by urging fibers out-of-plane in the Z-direction at discrete, localized, portions of first precursor web 20. The urging out-of-plane can be due to fiber displacement, i.e., the fiber is able to move relative to other fibers and be “pulled,” so to speak, out-of-plane. More often, however, for most nonwoven first precursor webs 20, the urging out-of-plane is due to the fibers of tufts 6 having been at least partially plastically stretched and permanently deformed to form tufts 6. Therefore, in one embodiment, depending on the desired height of tufts 6, the constituent fibers of a nonwoven first precursor webs 20 can exhibit an elongation to break of at least about 5%, of at least about 10%, of at least about 25%, of at least about 50%, or of at least about 100%. Elongation to break can be determined by simple tensile testing, such as by use of Instron tensile testing equipment, and can generally be found on material data sheets from suppliers of such fibers or webs.
It can be appreciated that a suitable nonwoven first precursor web 20 should comprise fibers capable of experiencing sufficient plastic deformation and tensile elongation, or are capable of sufficient fiber mobility, such that looped fibers 8 are formed. However, it is recognized that a certain percentage of fibers urged out of the plane of the first surface 12 of first precursor web 20 will not form a loop, but instead will break and form loose ends. Such fibers are referred to herein as “loose” fibers or non-looped fibers (i.e. loose fiber ends) 18 as shown in
First precursor web 20 can be a fibrous woven or nonwoven web comprising elastic or elastomeric fibers. Elastic or elastomeric fibers can be stretched at least about 50% and return to within 10% of their original dimension. Tufts 6 can be formed from elastic fibers if the fibers are simply displaced due to the mobility of the fiber within the nonwoven, or if the fibers are stretched beyond their elastic limit and are plastically deformed.
Second precursor web 21 can be a polymer film web have sufficient integrity to be formed into the laminate by the process described below, and that it have sufficiently less elongation properties relative to first precursor web 20, such that upon experiencing the strain of fibers from first precursor web 20 being urged out-of-plane in the direction of second precursor web 21, second precursor web 21 will rupture, e.g., by tearing due to extensional failure, such that portions of first precursor web 20 can extend through, (i.e., “punch through” so to speak), the plane of the first surface 13 of second precursor web 21 to form tufts 6 on first side 3 of web 1 and a cap 7 will remain over the distal portion 31 of each tuft 6.
The second precursor web 21 can be microtextured polymer film. By microtextured it is meant that there are a plurality of microfeatures in the second precursor web 21 between the tufts 6, such microfeatures being sized and dimensioned so that a plurality of microfeatures can fit between adjacent tufts 6. That is, the micro features are sized and dimensioned such that the microfeatures can have a maximum dimension smaller than one-half the distance between adjacent tufts 6. The microfeatures can, for example, be microapertures or micro bubbles, examples of which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,402,732, issued to Stone et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,216 issued to Curro et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,518 issued to Curro et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,518 issued to Curro et al. The polymer film can be an apertured polymer film, the apertures of which each have an area of between about 0.01 mm2 and about 0.78 mm2 The microfeatures can be raised portions. Raised portions can be integral extensions of the polymer film or can be materials added to the surface of the polymer film.
As shown in
As can be appreciated by the description herein, in many embodiments of web 1 openings 4 of second precursor web 21 can have a distinct linear orientation and a longitudinal axis, which is oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis L of its corresponding tuft 6. Likewise, openings 4 will also have a transverse axis generally orthogonal to longitudinal axis in the MD-CD plane.
As shown in
Tufts 6 are, in a sense, “punched above” second precursor web 21 and can be “locked” in place by frictional engagement with openings 4. In some embodiments, for example, the lateral width of opening 4 (i.e., the dimension measured parallel to its transverse axis) can be less than the maximum width of the tooth that formed the opening (per the process described below). This indicates a certain amount of recovery at the opening that tends to constrain tuft 6 from pulling back out through opening 4. The frictional engagement of the tufts and openings provides for a laminate web structure having permanent tufting on one side that can be formed without adhesives or thermal bonding.
As shown in
In contrast, non-looped fibers 18 are integral with, but only begin in first precursor web 20 and have a free end extending outwardly in the Z-direction from first surface 13 of second precursor web 21. Non-looped fibers 18 can also have a generally uniform alignment described as having a significant or major vector component parallel to the Z-CD plane.
For both looped fibers 8 and non-looped fibers 18, the alignment can be a characteristic of tufts 6 prior to any post-manufacture deformation due to winding onto a roll, or compression in use in an article of manufacture.
As used herein, a looped fiber 8 oriented at an angle of greater than 45 degrees from the longitudinal axis L when viewed in plan view, as in
The orientation of looped fibers 8 in the tufts 6 is to be contrasted with the fiber composition and orientation for first precursor web 20, which, for nonwoven webs can be described as having a substantially randomly-oriented fiber alignment.
In the embodiment shown in
In some embodiments, as described below, another characteristic of tufts 6 comprising predominantly looped, aligned fibers 8, can be their generally open structure characterized by open void area 10 defined interiorly of tufts 6, as shown in
Additionally, as a consequence of a method of making web 1, the second side 5 of web 1 exhibits discontinuities 16 characterized by a generally linear indentation defined by formerly random fibers of the second surface 14 of first precursor web 20 having been urged directionally (i.e., in the “Z-direction” generally orthogonal to the MD-CD plane as shown in
From the description of web 1 comprising a nonwoven first precursor web 20, it can be seen that the fibers 8 or 18 of tuft 6 can originate and extend from either the first surface 12 or the second surface 14 of first precursor web 20. Of course the fibers 8 or 18 of tuft 6 can also extend from the interior 28 of first precursor web 20. As shown in
Therefore, from the above description, it is understood that in one embodiment web 1 can be described as being as a laminate web comprising a nonwoven web in facing relationship with a polymer film, the laminate web comprising a first side comprising the polymer film and a plurality of discrete tufts comprising fibers integral with and extending from the nonwoven web, wherein each of the tufts has a tuft base proximal to the nonwoven web and a distal portion opposing the tuft base, wherein at least part of the distal portion of each of the tufts is covered by a cap, each cap being an integral extension of the polymer film extending over the distal portion of a discrete tuft, the cap comprising a first opening comprising a location of rupture in the polymer film above which the tuft extends.
The extension of fibers 8 or 18 can be accompanied by a general reduction in fiber cross sectional dimension (e.g., diameter for round fibers) due to plastic deformation of the fibers and Poisson's ratio effects. Therefore, the aligned looped fibers 8 of tuft 6 can have a tuft average fiber diameter less than the nonwoven web average fiber diameter of the fibers of first precursor web 20. That is, portions of the fibers comprising the tufts 6 can have a fiber diameter less than the nonwoven web fiber diameter. It is believed that this reduction in fiber diameter contributes to the perceived softness of the first side 3 of web 1, a softness that can be comparable to cotton terry cloth, depending on the material properties of the first precursor web 20. It has been found that the reduction in fiber cross-sectional dimension is greatest intermediate the tuft base 17 and the distal portion 31 of tuft 6. This is believed to be due to the method of making, as disclosed below. As shown on
Caps 7 are integral extensions of the second precursor web 21, which is a polymer film. At least part of a distal portion 31 of each of the tufts 6 is covered by a cap 7. As shown in
The first opening 51 can be arch shaped such that the first opening 51 is broadest proximal the first surface 13 of the second precursor web 21 and generally becomes narrower towards the portion of the cap covering the distal portion 31 of the tuft 6. The cap 7 can have a cap base 71 proximal the first surface 13 of the second precursor web 21. The cap base 71 can be narrower than a portion of the cap 7 away from the cap base 71. That is, the distance between the extension locations 54 can be less than maximum lateral extent of the cap 7 away (i.e. above) from the cap base 71. The first opening 51 can be uppercase omega shaped (Ω) such the first opening 51 is narrower proximal the first surface 13 of the second precursor web 21 than at a location midway between the tuft base 17 and the distal portion 31 of tuft 6. Similarly, if a second opening 52 is present, second opening 52 can be arch shaped such that the second opening 52 is broadest proximal the first surface 13 of the second precursor web 21 and generally narrows towards the portion of the cap 7 covering the distal portion 31 of the tuft 6. The second opening 52 can be uppercase omega shaped (Ω) such that the second opening 52 is narrower proximal the first surface 13 of the second precursor web 21 than at a location midway between the tuft base 17 and the distal portion 31 of tuft 6. The second opening 52 can oppose the first opening 51 in that at least part of the tuft 6 is between second opening 52 and first opening 51. The first opening 51, the second opening 52, and any additional openings can make the laminate web 1 liquid pervious.
If there is a first opening 51 and a second opening 52, the cap 7 can integrally extend from the second precursor web 21 at at least two extension locations 54 spaced apart from one another by the first opening 51 and second opening 52. The at least two extension locations 54 can be at opposing positions on opposing sides of the tuft 6. The cap 7 can integrally extend from the second precursor web 21 (polymer film) at at least two extension locations 54, each extension location 54 adjacent a location of rupture 53. In addition to a first opening 51 and a second opening 52, there can be additional openings. For instance, if there are three or more openings (e.g., first opening 51, second opening 52, and third opening), the cap 7 can integrally extend from the second precursor web 21 at at least three extension locations 54 spaced apart from one another by the openings (e.g. first opening 51, second opening 52, and third opening).
As shown in
Caps 7 in laminate web 1 are thought to mask or partially mask fluid that is collected by the laminate web 1 and remains in the capillaries between fibers 8 forming tuft 6. Such a laminate web employed in an absorbent article such as a wipe, a sanitary napkin, a tampon, or a diaper can be appealing to the user (or caregiver) in that potentially unsightly urine, menses, feces, or other liquid retained in the capillaries between fibers 8 forming tuft 6 will be obscured or partially obscured from the viewer. In an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin, in absence of the caps 7, tufts 6 can essentially have the color of menses, which might be unattractive to the user of the sanitary napkin. The caps cover or partially cover tufts in which menses is held and can make the laminate web 1 appear less red or even allow the laminate web 1 to maintain its virgin color (e.g. prior to insult by a fluid).
If the second precursor web 21 and cap 7 extending there from is a polymer film comprising a whitener, such as titanium dioxide, the caps 7 can be more effective at obscuring materials held in the capillaries of the tufts 6 from view. Such caps 7 can better maintain a perceived color of white, which many consumers associate with cleanliness.
The caps 7 can have an opacity greater than about 10%, greater than about 20%, greater than about 30%, greater than about 40%, greater than about 50%, greater than about 60%, greater than about 70%, greater than about 80%, or greater than about 90%. The cap can be opaque. The second precursor web can have an opacity. The opacity of the caps 7 can be less than the opacity of the second precursor web 21 from which the caps 7 extend, for instance as a result of stretching of the precursor web 21 to form cap 7. The caps 7 can have an opacity that is between about 80% and about 95% of the opacity of the second precursor web. The caps 7 can have an opacity that is between about 50% and about 95% of the opacity of the second precursor web. The caps can have an opacity that is between about 35% and about 95% of the opacity of the second precursor web. The greater the opacity of the caps 7, the more effective the caps 7 might be at obscuring liquids that held in the capillaries of the tufts 6. The caps 7 can have an opacity less than about 90% of the opacity of the second precursor web 21. The caps 7 can have an opacity less than about 75% of the opacity of the second precursor web 21. The caps 7 can have an opacity less than about 50% of the opacity of the second precursor web 21.
Second precursor web 21 can have a polymer film thickness t and the cap 7 can have a cap thickness tc. Being that the caps 7 are integral extensions of the second precursor web 21 and formed by stretching the polymer film out of plane of the first surface 13 of the second precursor web 21, the cap thickness tc of a portion of the cap 7 can be less than the polymer film thickness t. That is, the polymer film that is extended to form a cap 7 is thinned at at least some portion of the cap 7 relative to the planar portion of the polymer film from which the cap 7 extends. The cap thickness tc may not be uniform about the entire first opening 51 and/or second opening 52. The cap thickness tc at a distal portion of the cap 7 may be the same or less than the polymer film thickness t. The cap thickness tc at a distal portion of the cap 7 may be about the same or less than the polymer film thickness t and the cap thickness tc at a portion of the cap 7 between the distal portion of the cap 7 and the polymer film may be less than the polymer film thickness t. Thinning of the cap 7 may provide for caps 7 having a soft hand. Further, because the cap 7 might be thin and might readily be deformed, the characteristics of the tuft 6 underlying the cap 7 might govern the tactile impression imparted by the tuft 6 having a cap 7. Therefore, the characteristics of the tuft 6 can be important to the tactile impression imparted by the laminate web 1.
Referring to
In
The method of making a web 1 of the present invention in a continuous process is depicted in
The process and apparatus of the present invention is similar in many respects to a process described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,801 entitled “Web Materials Exhibiting Elastic-Like Behavior” and referred to in subsequent patent literature as “SELF” webs, which stands for “Structural Elastic-like Film”. However, there are significant differences between the apparatus and process of the present invention and the apparatus and process disclosed in the '801 patent, and the differences are apparent in the respective webs produced thereby. As described below, the teeth 110 of roll 104 have a specific geometry associated with the leading and trailing edges that permit the teeth to essentially “punch” through the precursor webs 20, 21 as opposed to, in essence, deforming the web. In a two layer laminate web 1 the teeth 110 urge fibers from a first precursor web 20 simultaneously out-of-plane and through second precursor web 21, which is ruptured, so to speak, by the teeth 110 pushing the fibers 8 through the plane of second precursor web 21 to form tufts 6 and caps 7 Therefore, a web 1 of the present invention can have tufts 6 of non-looped fibers 18 and/or “tunnel-like” tufts 6 of looped, aligned fibers 8 extending through and away from the surface 13 of a first side 3, unlike the “tent-like” rib-like elements of SELF webs which each have continuous side walls associated therewith, i.e., a continuous “transition zone,” and which do not exhibit rupturing of second precursor web 21.
Precursor webs 20 and 21 are provided either directly from their respective web making processes or indirectly from supply rolls and moved in the machine direction to the nip 116 of counter-rotating intermeshing rolls 102 and 104. The precursor webs are preferably held in a sufficient web tension so as to enter the nip 116 in a generally flattened condition by means well known in the art of web handling. As each precursor web 20, 21 goes through the nip 116 the teeth 110 of roll 104 which are intermeshed with grooves 108 of roll 102 simultaneously urge portions of first precursor web 20 out of the plane of first precursor web 20 and through the plane of second precursor web 21 to form tufts 6. In effect, teeth 110 “push” or “punch” fibers of first precursor web 20 through the plane of second precursor web 21.
As the tip of teeth 110 push through first and second precursor webs 20, 21 the portions of the fibers of first precursor web 20 that are oriented predominantly in the CD across teeth 110 are urged by the teeth 110 out of the plane of first precursor web 20. Fibers can be urged out of plane due to fiber mobility, or they can be urged out of plane by being stretched and/or plastically deformed in the Z-direction. Portions of first precursor web 20 urged out of plane by teeth 110 push through the plane of the first surface 13 of second precursor web 21, which due to its relatively lower extensibility, ruptures, thereby resulting in formation of caps 7 and tufts 6 on first side 3 of web 1. Fibers of first precursor web 20 that are predominantly oriented generally parallel to the longitudinal axis L, i.e., in the MD of precursor web 20 as shown in
It can be appreciated by the forgoing description that when web 1 is made by the apparatus and method of the present invention that the precursor webs 20, 21 should possess differing material properties with respect to the ability of the precursor webs to elongate before failure, e.g., failure due to tensile stresses. In particular, a nonwoven first precursor web 20 can have greater fiber mobility and/or greater fiber elongation characteristics relative to second precursor web 21, such that the fibers thereof can move or stretch sufficiently to form tufts 6 while the second precursor web 21 ruptures, i.e., does not stretch to the extent necessary to form tufts.
The degree to which the fibers of nonwoven precursor webs are able to extend out of plane without plastic deformation can depend upon the degree of inter-fiber bonding of the precursor web. For example, if the fibers of a nonwoven precursor web are only very loosely entangled to each other, they will be more able to slip by each other and therefore be more easily extended out of plane to form tufts. On the other hand, fibers of a nonwoven precursor web that are more strongly bonded, for example by high levels of thermal point bonding, hydroentanglement, or the like, will more likely require greater degrees of plastic deformation in extended out-of-plane tufts. Therefore, in one embodiment, first precursor web 20 can be a nonwoven web having relatively low inter-fiber bonding.
For a given maximum strain (e.g., the strain imposed by teeth 110 of apparatus 100), second precursor web 21 must actually fail under the tensile loading produced by the imposed strain to locally (i.e., in the area of strain) fail in tension, thereby producing openings 4 through which tufts 6 can extend. If second precursor web 21 merely deforms or stretches in the region of induced strain, but does not actually fail, thereby producing an opening 4 therein, a tuft 6 may not result. In one embodiment second precursor web 21 has an elongation to break in the range of 1%-5%. While the actual required elongation to break depends on the strain to be induced to form web 1, it is recognized that for most embodiments, second precursor web 21 can exhibit a web elongation-to-break of 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, or more. It is also recognized that actual elongation-to-break can depend on the strain rate, which, for the apparatus shown in
Furthermore, relative to first precursor web 20, second precursor web 21 can have lower elongation-to-break (i.e., elongation-to-break of the film) such that, rather than extending out-of-plane to the extent of the tufts 6, second precursor web 21 ruptures in tension under the strain produced by the formation of tufts 6, e.g., by the teeth 110 of apparatus 100. In general, second precursor web 21 can have an elongation to break of at least 10% less than the first precursor web 20, at least 30% less, more preferably at least 50% less, and even more preferably at least about 100% less than that of first precursor web 20. Relative elongation to break values of webs used in the present invention can be measured by means known in the art, such as by standard tensile testing methods using standard tensile testing apparatuses, such as those manufactured by Instron, MTS, Thwing-Albert, and the like.
The number, spacing, and size of tufts 6 can be varied by changing the number, spacing, and size of teeth 110 and making corresponding dimensional changes as necessary to roll 104 and/or roll 102. This variation, together with the variation possible in precursor webs 20, 21 permits many varied webs 1 to be made for many purposes. For example, a web 1 made from a first precursor web 20 comprising a relatively low basis weight nonwoven web of plastically-extensible spunbond polymer fibers and a second precursor web 21 comprising relatively low-extensible synthetic polymer film could be could be used as a terry cloth-like fabric for semi-durable or durable clothing, or for personal care items as are described in WO 01/76523. As described more fully below, a web 1 comprising a nonwoven/film first precursor web/second precursor web combination can also be used as a component in disposable absorbent articles.
An enlarged view of teeth 110 is shown in
As shown in
Therefore, from the above description, it is understood that in one embodiment web 1 can be described as being a laminate web formed by selective mechanical deformation of at least a first and second precursor webs, the first precursor web being a nonwoven web and the second precursor web being a polymer film, the laminate web having a first side, the first side comprising the second precursor web and a plurality of discrete tufts comprising fibers integral with and extending from the nonwoven web, each of the tufts having a tuft base proximal to the nonwoven web and a distal portion opposing the tuft base, at least part of the distal portion of each of the tufts is covered by cap, each cap being an integral extension of the polymer film extending over the distal portion of a discrete tuft, the cap comprising a first opening comprising a location of rupture in the polymer film above which the tuft extends.
While not wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that if the fibers of the first precursor web have a highly curvilinear shape, e.g., curled fibers, the resultant tufts 6 will have more looped fibers 8 and less non-looped fibers 18 as compared to more linear fiber conformations. It is believed that such fiber conformations have a lesser chance of bridging between two adjacent teeth, and, as a result they are less prone to be stretched beyond their breaking point, and thus have a greater chance of forming complete loop structures. Furthermore, such curvilinear-shaped fibers can be made by using eccentric bicomponent fibers, or side-by-side bicomponent fibers, such as bicomponent fibers consisting of polyethylene and nylon.
It has been found that certain nonwoven webs, such as carded webs comprising staple-length fibers, when used as first precursor web 20 produce very few looped fibers 8 in tufts 6, so that the tufts 6 produced in these webs cannot be described as comprising a plurality of looped, aligned fibers 8 as described above with respect to
If a woven first precursor web 20 is utilized, the formation and structure of tufts 6 can be very close to the same as that exhibited by tufts 6 formed from nonwoven webs. For example, if a woven first precursor web 20 has extensible warp and/or weft threads predominantly oriented in a cross machine direction, upon being processed by the apparatus 100 described above, the teeth 110 tend to separate the machine direction threads (either warp or weft) and only urge out of plane the cross-machine direction threads. Thus, the web 1 produced from a woven first precursor web 20 can look and feel very much like terry cloth fabric.
In some embodiments, first precursor web 20 is a nonwoven web in which there are minimal fiber-to-fiber bonds. For example, the precursor web can be a nonwoven web having a pattern of discrete thermal point bonds, as is commonly known in the art for nonwoven webs. In general, however, it is desirable to minimize the number of bond points and maximize the spacing so as to allow for maximum fiber mobility and dislocation during formation of tufts 6. In general, using fibers having relatively high diameters, and/or relatively high extension to break, and/or relatively high fiber mobility, might result in better and more distinctly formed tufts 6.
Although web 1 is disclosed as a two layer web made from two precursor webs, it is not necessary that it be limited to two layers. For example, a three-layer or more laminate can be made from three precursor webs. For example, web 1 could comprise the top sheet, secondary topsheet, and core of hygiene products. In general, it is not necessary that adhesive or other bonding means be utilized to make laminate web 1.
The constituent layers of web 1 (e.g., precursor webs 20 and 21 and any other layers) can be held in a face-to-face laminated relationship by virtue of the “locking” effect of the tufts 6 that extend through openings 4 in second precursor web 21. In some embodiments it may be desirable to use adhesives or thermal bonding or other bonding means, depending on the end use application of web 1. For example, a web 1 comprising bicomponent fiber nonwoven webs can be through-air bonded after formation of tufts 6 to provide for layer-to-layer adhesion for greater peel strength. Additionally, it may be desirable to apply adhesive to at least a portion of one of the precursor webs. For example, in some embodiments adhesive, chemical bonding, resin or powder bonding, or thermal bonding between layers can be selectively applied to certain regions or all of the precursor webs. In the case of adhesive application, for example, adhesive can be applied in a continuous manner, such as by slot coating, or in a discontinuous manner, such as by spraying, extruding, and the like. Discontinuous application of adhesive can be in the form of stripes, bands, droplets, and the like.
In a multilayer web 1 each precursor web can have different material properties, thereby providing web 1 with beneficial properties. For example, web 1 comprising two (or more) precursor webs, e.g., first and second precursor webs, can have beneficial fluid handling properties for use as a topsheet on a disposable absorbent article, as described below. For superior fluid handling, for example, first precursor web 20 can be comprised of relatively hydrophilic fibers. Second precursor web 21 can be polymer film, e.g., a polyethylene film, and can be hydrophobic or rendered hydrophobic. Fluid deposited upon the upper relatively hydrophobic polymer film might be quickly acquired by hydrophilic tufts 6.
One driving mechanism for rapid fluid transport might be the capillary structures formed by the generally aligned fibers 8, 18 of tufts 6. The fibers 8, 18 form directionally-aligned capillaries between adjacent fibers, and the capillary action is enhanced by the general convergence of fibers near the base 17 of tufts 6.
It is believed that the rapid fluid transport might further be increased due to the ability of fluid to enter the web 1 via the voids 10 defined by looped tufts 6. This “lateral entry” capability and/or capillary action, and/or the hydrophilicity gradient afforded by the structure of web 1 might make web 1 an ideal material for optimal fluid handling for disposable absorbent articles.
Depending on the precursor webs 20 and 21 utilized and the dimensional parameters of rolls 102 and, including teeth 110, web 1 can exhibit a wide range of physical properties. The web 1 can exhibit a range of texture subjectively experienced as ranging from softness to roughness, an absorbency ranging from non-absorbent to very absorbent, a bulkiness ranging from relatively low bulk to relatively high bulk; a tear strength ranging from low tear strength to high tear strength; an elasticity ranging from non-elastic to at least 100% elastically extensible, a chemical resistance ranging from relatively low resistance to high resistance, depending on the chemical considered, and many other variable parameters generally described as shielding performance, alkali resistance, opacity, wiping performance, water absorptivity, oil absorptivity, moisture permeability, heat insulating properties, weatherability, high strength, high tear force, abrasion resistance, electrostatic controllability, drape, dye-affinity, safety and the like. In general, depending on the elongation properties of the first precursor web 20, the dimensions of apparatus 100 can be varied to produce a web 1 having a wide range of dimensions associated with tufts 6, including the height h (as shown in
The laminate web 1 can comprise a lotion composition. A lotion composition on the body facing surface of an absorbent article has been found to be able to modulate skin properties and conditions for the wearer. The lotion composition can be a semisolid lotion that melts when the absorbent article is worn against a body. The lotion can be a hydrophobic semisolid lotion which can contribute to reducing rewet from the absorbent article to the wearer's body, thereby improving the wearing experience. The tufts 6 can be substantially free of lotion, thereby preserving the fluid acquisition properties of the tufts 6. Lotion composition can be applied to the laminate web 1 using a kiss roll. Lotion composition can be applied to the caps 7. The lotion composition can comprise petrolatum. The lotion composition can include lotion compositions disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,025; U.S. Pat. No. 6,627,787; U.S. Pat. No. 6,498,284; U.S. Pat. No. 6,426,444; U.S. Pat. No. 6,586,652; U.S. Pat. No. 3,489,148; U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,503,526; 6,287,581; U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,197; U.S. Pat. No. 6,506,394; U.S. Pat. No. 6,503,524; U.S. Pat. No. 6,626,961; U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,934; U.S. Pat. No. 6,515,029; U.S. Pat. No. 6,534,074; U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,932 WO 2000038747; or EP-A 927,050, or combinations thereof. The lotion composition can be applied such that more than about seventy five percent of said lotion composition by mass per square centimeter is applied to said polymer film, That is, for a particular square centimeter of laminate comprising a lotion composition, more than about seventy five percent by mass is applied to the polymer film. The lotion composition can be applied such that more than about ninety percent of said lotion composition by mass per square centimeter is applied to the polymer film,
Web 1 may be used for a wide variety of applications, including various filter sheets such as air filter, bag filter, liquid filter, vacuum filter, water drain filter, and bacterial shielding filter; sheets for various electric appliances such as capacitor separator paper, and floppy disk packaging material; various industrial sheets such as tacky adhesive tape base cloth, oil absorbing material, and paper felt; various wiper sheets such as wipers for homes, services and medical treatment, printing roll wiper, wiper for cleaning copying machine, baby wipers, and wiper for optical systems; various medicinal and sanitary sheets, such as surgical gown, gown, covering cloth, cap, mask, sheet, towel, gauze, base cloth for cataplasm, diaper, diaper liner, diaper cover, feminine napkin covers, feminine napkin or diaper acquisition layer (underneath the cover layer), diaper core, tampon liners, tampon overwraps, base cloth for adhesive plaster, wet towel, and tissue; various sheets for clothes, such as padding cloth, pad, jumper liner, and disposable underwear; various life material sheets such as base cloth for artificial leather and synthetic leather, table top, wall paper, blind, wrapping, and packages for drying agents, shopping bag, suit cover, and pillow cover; various agricultural sheets, such as ground covers and erosion control devices, cooling and sun light-shielding cloth, lining curtain, sheet for overall covering, light-shielding sheet, wrapping materials of pesticides, underlining paper of pots for seeding growth; various protection sheets such as fume prevention mask and dust prevention mask, laboratory gown, and dust preventive clothes; various sheets for civil engineering building, such as house wrap, drain material, filtering medium, separation material, overlay, roofing, tuft and carpet base cloth, wall interior material, soundproof or vibration reducing sheet, and curing sheet; and various automobile interior sheets, such as floor mat and trunk mat, molded ceiling material, head rest, and lining cloth, in addition to a separator sheet in alkaline batteries. Other uses include utilizing web 1 as a wipe for personal cleansing or hygiene, such as for a baby wipe, facial cloth or wipe, or body cloth.
In one embodiment, web 1 or a composite comprising web 1 can be utilized as a fecal material storage element. Web 1 can be utilized as a secondary topsheet or sublayer when it is disposed under an apertured web or film to accept and hold low viscosity feces or viscous bodily waste away from a wearer's skin after defecation. Embodiments of the present invention having larger total three dimensional volume within the web or between the tufts 6 generally provide a greater capacity for storage of low viscosity feces. Absorbent articles employing such fecal material storage elements, or sublayers, are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,941,864; 5,957,906; 6,018,093; 6,010,491; 6,186,992; and 6,414,215, among others.
In one embodiment, web 1 comprises a nonwoven first precursor web 20 comprising a spunbond nonwoven having a basis weight of about 80 gsm, and comprising polyethylene/polypropylene (sheath/core) bicomponent fibers having an average diameter of about 33 microns, and a second precursor web comprising a polyethylene film having a basis weight of 20 gsm. In this embodiment, web 1 has about 24 tufts 6 per square centimeter, the tufts 6 having a plurality of looped, aligned fibers 8, each of which has an average fiber diameter of about 18 microns. A web of this type can be beneficially used as a topsheet for disposable absorbent articles, as shown below with reference to
Web 1 might be especially useful as a topsheet 206 of sanitary napkin 200. Web 1 might be beneficial as a topsheet 206 for sanitary napkins due to the combination of excellent fluid acquisition and distribution to the absorbent core 204, excellent prevention of rewet to the body-facing surface of topsheet 206 when in use, and the ability of the caps 7 to obscure fluid that is retained in the capillaries of tufts 6. Rewet can be a result of at least two causes: (1) squeezing out of the absorbed fluid due to pressure on the sanitary napkin 200; and/or (2) wetness entrapped within or on the topsheet 206. In a desired topsheet 206 both properties, fluid acquisition and fluid retention, are maximized and rewet is minimized Said differently, a desirable topsheet might exhibit high rates of fluid acquisition, and low levels of rewet.
A topsheet 206 can be made by using a nonwoven first precursor web 20 and a fluid impermeable polyethylene film second precursor web 21. The basis weights of the component webs can be varied, however, in general due to cost and benefit considerations a total basis weight of between about 20 gsm and 80 gsm is desirable for web 1. When made as a film/nonwoven laminate, web 1 can combine the softness and fluid capillarity of fiber tufts and the rewet prevention of a fluid impermeable polymer film. When a sanitary napkin is used having a topsheet 206 comprising web 1 with first side 3 being the body-facing side, and the second side 5 being in fluid communication with an underlying absorbent core, fluid can be acquired by tufts 6 on first side 3 of web 1 and wicked through second precursor web 21 to second side 5 of web 1 which can then be desorbed to the absorbent core 204. Because tufts 6 are discrete and spaced apart, and are separated by a fluid impermeable second precursor web 21, rewet can be minimized. Alternatively, web 1 could be used with first side 3 being the fluid communication side and second side 5 being the body-facing side. This enables the discontinuities 16 to potentially allow fluid to be transported into or through the tufts 6.
A laminate web 1 that could be used as a topsheet 206 or cover wrap 304 can be fabricated using the apparatus disclosed herein. A suitable material for first precursor web 20 can be a BBA Bico, 28 gsm, GCAS 95001796, 50/50 PE/PP, philic nonwoven, available from BBA Nonwovens. A suitable material for the second precursor web 21 could be Tredegar X-33350 (philic) which is a 100 mesh precursor web, obtainable from Tredegar Corp. Two sets of process parameters listed in Table 1 could be employed to form the laminate web disclosed herein. The teeth 110 could have a uniform circumferential length dimension TL of 0.120 inches spaced from one another circumferentially by a distance TD of 0.060 in., a pitch P of 0.060 in., a depth of engagement E of 0.114 in., a tooth height TL of 0.185 in, a radius of curvature at the tips of teeth 110 and grooves 108 of 0.005 in, and the radius of curvature in the valleys between teeth 110 and grooves 108 of 0.015 in. The temperature of the nonwoven in could be about 25° C. The temperature of the polymer film in could be higher than 25° C. Having the temperature of the polymer film above 25° C., for instance about 50° C., may provide for formation of caps 7. In general, it is thought that modulus of the materials processed, temperature, microtexture of the polymer film, and the web tensions on the upstream side and downstream side of the apparatus might be factors that affect the resulting structure of the laminate.
The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm.”
Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent or application, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/415,140 filed Mar. 31, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,153,226.
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| Entry |
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| U.S. Appl. No. 12/817,488, filed Jun. 17, 2010, Curro, et al., Publication: US 2010-0255258 A1, Oct. 7, 2010, All Office Actions and potential Notice of Allowance from Oct. 8, 2010 thru potential issue date. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20120164368 A1 | Jun 2012 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12415140 | Mar 2009 | US |
| Child | 13413182 | US |
