Claims
- 1. A method of producing a strong, durable nonwoven fabric comprising: (a) forming a layer of overlapping intersecting polyester or polyolefin or both fibers; (b) supporting said layer on an apertured support member; (c) jetting pressurized fluid through rows of orifices to form essentially columnar jets of fluid and directing said jets of fluid against the surface of the fibrous support layer opposite said support member without impeding or diffusing said jets, to rearrange the fibers into a regular repeating pattern of lightly entangled fiber regions, and; (d) applying an effective amount of an adhesive bonding material to said rearranged layer.
- 2. A method of producing a nonwoven fabric according to claim 1 wherein the apertured support member has a predetermined topography.
- 3. A method of producing a nonwoven fabric according to claim 1 wherein the jets of fluid are streams of water.
- 4. A method of producing a nonwoven fabric according to claim 1 including drying the fabric at an elevated temperature to cure the adhesive bonding material.
- 5. A method of producing a nonwoven fabric according to claim 1 wherein the apertured support member has a predetermined topography, the jets of fluid are streams of water, and the fabric is dried at an elevated temperature to cure the adhesive bonding material.
- 6. A strong, durable nonwoven fabric comprising a layer of polyester or polyolefin or both fibers, said fibers being disposed in a regular repeating pattern of lightly entangled fiber regions of higher area density than the average area density of the layer, and interconnecting fibers extending between the lightly entangled fiber regions and being randomly entangled with each other in said regions, and an effective amount of an adhesive binder, said fabric formed by the method of claim 1 and exhibiting a strength greater than the combined strength attributable to the amount of binder and degree of entanglement used to form said fabric.
- 7. The fabric of claim 6 wherein the fibers are polyester.
- 8. The fabric of claim 6 wherein the fibers are polypropylene.
- 9. The nonwoven fabric of claims 6, wherein adhesive binder material is uniformly distributed through the layer.
- 10. The nonwoven fabric of claims 6, wherein the adhesive binder material is distributed in an intermittent pattern of spaced binder areas.
- 11. Process which comprises:
- (a) supporting a layer of staple-length fibrous starting material whose individual fibers are in mechanical engagement with one another but which are capable of movement under applied liquid forces, on a liquid pervious support member adapted to move in a predetermined direction;
- (b) moving the supported layer in said predetermined direction through a zone within which streams of high pressure, fine, essentially columnar jets of water are projected directly onto said layer to produce a web of entangled fibers;
- (c) drying the web of entangled fibers;
- (d) applying, by printing, an effective amount of an aqueous resin binder composition to the dried web in an intermittent pattern; and
- (e) drying said aqueous resin binder composition after it has been applied to said web.
- 12. Process of claim 11 wherein said binder composition is applied to said dried web so as to produce discrete binder areas that extend into said web a distance less than the thickness of said web.
- 13. Process of claim 11 wherein said aqueous binder composition is applied to both surfaces of said dried web.
- 14. Process of claim 13 wherein said binder composition is applied to each surface of said dried web so as to produce discrete binder areas that extend into said web a distance such that a region free of binder is maintained inside said web between the discrete binder areas on each surface.
- 15. Process of claim 14 wherein said fibrous starting material is rayon or a mixture of rayon and polyester.
- 16. Process of claim 15 wherein said aqueous resin binder composition has a viscosity of from about 300 to about 2000 centipoises at 72.degree. F.
- 17. Process of claim 14 wherein said aqueous resin binder composition has a viscosity of at least about 150 centipoises at 72.degree. F.
- 18. Process of claim 13 wherein said fibrous starting material is rayon or a mixture of rayon and polyester.
- 19. Process of claim 18 wherein said aqueous resin binder composition has a viscosity of from about 300 to about 2000 centipoises at 72.degree. F.
- 20. Process of claim 13 wherein said aqueous resin binder composition has a viscosity of at least about 150 centipoises at 72.degree. F.
- 21. The bonded fibrous web produced by the process of claim 11.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a joint application filed pursuant to 35 U.S.C. .sctn.116, as amended Nov. 8, 1984, and is (1) a continuation U.S. application Ser. No. 677,884, filed Dec. 3, 1984 by Berry A. Brooks, now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 540,113, filed Oct. 11, 1983, now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 282,481, filed July 13, 1981, now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 115,117, filed Jan. 25, 1980, now abandoned which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 12,417, filed Feb. 15, 1979, now abandoned; and is (2) a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 293,740, filed Aug. 17, 1981, by John W. Kennette and Conrad C. Buyofsky now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2045825 |
Nov 1980 |
GBX |
Continuations (3)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
540113 |
Oct 1983 |
|
Parent |
282481 |
Jul 1981 |
|
Parent |
115117 |
Jan 1980 |
|
Continuation in Parts (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
293740 |
Aug 1981 |
|
Parent |
12417 |
Feb 1979 |
|