NONWOVEN FABRIC

• US 20080044622A1
• Filed: 06/01/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: KIMURA, Akihiro, ISHIKAWA, Hideyuki, MIZUTANI, Satoshi, NODA, Yuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,507,463 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/131
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/74 the fibres being orientated, e.g. in parallel (anisotropic fleeces)
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/76 otherwise than in a plane, e.g. in a tubular way
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24273 including aperture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24322 Composite web or sheet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24331 including nonapertured component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24479 including variation in thickness
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2457 Parallel ribs and/or grooves
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24595 and varying density
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24603 Fiber containing component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24612 Composite web or sheet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24992 Density or compression of components
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/60 Nonwoven fabric [i.e., nonwoven strand or fiber material]

Abstract

A nonwoven fabric adjusted so that the fiber densities of convex portions and recessed portions are not excessively high. A plurality of open portions is formed by blowing fluid mainly composed of gas from the top side of a fiber web onto the fiber web supported from the bottom side thereof by a supporting member, and moving fiber constituting the fiber web. The nonwoven fabric is formed with the plurality of open portions continuously formed at predetermined intervals along a predetermined direction and a plurality of joining portions formed between the open portions adjacent thereto in a predetermined direction.

Claims

1. A nonwoven fabric having a first direction and a second direction, comprising:

a plurality of open portions formed along the first direction; and

a plurality of joining portions formed between the predetermined open portions in the plurality of open portions and open portions adjacent to the predetermined open portions along the first direction, wherein

each of the plurality of joining portions having a greater percent content of fiber oriented in the second direction compared to that oriented in the first direction.

2. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 1, wherein fiber in the peripheral edge of each of the plurality of open portions are oriented along the peripheral edge of each of the plurality of open portions.

3. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of open portions is substantially circular or substantially oval.

4. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of open portions is 0.1 to 5 mm in length in the first direction.

5. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of groove portions recessed in the thickness direction on a first surface side of the nonwoven fabric, formed by the plurality of open portions and the plurality of joining portions; and

a plurality of convex portions projecting in the thickness direction on the first surface side, the plurality of convex portions being adjacent to and along the plurality of the groove portions.

6. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of groove portions is constituted so that a height in the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric is not greater than 90% of the height of each of the plurality of convex portions.

7. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 5, wherein predetermined convex portions in the plurality of convex portions are different in height from convex portions adjacent to the convex portions across the plurality of groove portions sandwiched therebetween.

8. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of joining portions is further recessed in the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric in each of the plurality of groove portions.

9. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 5, wherein the top of each of the plurality of convex portions is substantially flat.

10. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 5, wherein a second surface, which is a surface on the opposite side to a surface formed with the plurality of groove portions and the plurality of convex portions in the nonwoven fabric, is formed with a plurality of areas projecting to the opposite side to the projecting direction of the convex portions.

11. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 5, further undulating in the first direction.

12. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 5, wherein the second surface of the nonwoven fabric is substantially flat.

13. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 5, wherein each of a plurality of side portions in each of the plurality of convex portions is constituted so that the percent content of fiber oriented in the first direction is greater than that oriented in the second direction.

14. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of convex portions is constituted so that a percent open area measured from the first surface side of the predetermined convex portions is greater than that measured from the second surface side of the predetermined convex portions.

15. The nonwoven fabric according to claims 5, wherein each of the plurality of convex portions further comprises a plurality of central portions in areas sandwiched between the plurality of side portions, and each of the plurality of central portions is constituted so that the fiber density of each of the plurality of central portions is greater than that of each of the plurality of joining portions and is lower than that of each of the plurality of side portions.

16. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 5, wherein the fiber density of each of the plurality of convex portions is no greater than 0.20 g/cm³, while the fiber density of each of the plurality of joining portions is no greater than 0.20 g/cm³.

17. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of joining portions is constituted so that a basis weight of each of the plurality of joining portions is less than that of each of the plurality of convex portions.

18. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of convex portions is constituted so that the basis weight is from 15 to 250 g/m², while each of the plurality of joining portions is constituted so that the basis weight is from 5 to 200 g/m².

19. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 1, wherein fiber constituting the nonwoven fabric includes water-repellent fiber.