Fibrous nonwoven web surge layer for personal care absorbent articles and the like

• US 5,486,166 A
• Filed: 02/09/1995
• Issued: 01/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Corporation
• Inventors: Bishop, David F., Ellis, Clifford J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Green, Randall L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZUTTARELLI, ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US08/386,244
• Time in Patent Office: 348 Days
• Field of Search: 604/358, 604/365-367, 604/369-370, 604/374-375, 604/378, 604/384, 604/385.1, 428/304.4, 428/311.1, 428/311.5, 428/311.7, 428/314.8, 428/342
• US Class Current: 604/366
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15203 Properties of the article, e.g. stiffness or absorbency chemical aspects A61L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/534 having an inhomogeneous composition through the thickness of the pad A61F13/538, A61F13/539 take precedence; homogeneous cores with tissue wrapping A61F13/53
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/537 characterised by a layer facilitating or inhibiting flow in one direction or plane, e.g. a wicking layer A61F13/538 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/153 in dry conditions
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/15317 Wet compressibility, i.e. void volume/gr
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/15406 Basis weight
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/15463 Absorbency
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/1556 Water permeability
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/53016 having special shape
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/530167 being crimped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/53024 being bicomponent fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/53795 being a surge management layer
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/8491 including test methods
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249953 Composite having voids in a component [e.g., porous, cellular, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/638 Side-by-side multicomponent strand or fiber material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/64 Islands-in-sea multicomponent strand or fiber material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/641 Sheath-core multicomponent strand or fiber material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/692 Containing at least two chemically different strand or fiber materials

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a lofty fibrous nonwoven web which is particularly well-suited for use as a surge layer in personal care absorbent articles including, but not limited to, diapers, training pants, incontinence garments, sanitary napkins, bandages and the like. The fibrous nonwoven web is made from a plurality of fibers heat bonded to one another to form a lofty nonwoven web having a basis weight of at least 20 grams per square meter, a void volume of between about 80 and about 117 centimeters per gram of web while under a pressure of 689 dynes per square centimeter, a permeability of about 8,000 to about 15,000 darcy, a porosity of about 98.6 percent to about 99.4 percent and a surface area per void of about 10 to about 25 square centimeters per cubic centimeter. The fibrous nonwoven web will have a saturation capacity of between about 55 and about 80 grams of 0.9 percent saline solution per gram of web and a compression resilience in both the wet and dry state of at least about 60 percent.

Claims

1. A fibrous nonwoven web comprising:

a plurality of thermoplastic fibers heat bonded to one another to form a lofty nonwoven web having a basis weight of at least 20 grams per square meter, a void volume of between about 80 and about 117 cubic centimeters per gram of web at 689 dynes per square centimeter pressure, a permeability of about 8,000 to about 15,000 darcy, a porosity of about 98.6% to about 99.4% and a surface area per void volume of about 10 to about 25 square centimeters per cubic centimeter.

2. The fibrous nonwoven web of claim 1 wherein said basis weight ranges from about 40 to about 68 grams per square meter.

3. The fibrous nonwoven web of claim 1 wherein said web has a saturation capacity between about 55 and about 80 grams of 0.9 percent saline solution per gram of web.

4. The fibrous nonwoven web of claim 3 wherein said web has a compression resilience of at least about 60 percent.

5. The fibrous nonwoven web of claim 1 wherein said web includes at least 50% by weight bicomponent fibers, based upon the total weight of said web.

6. The fibrous nonwoven web of claim 5 wherein at least a portion of said bicomponent fibers have a denier equal to or greater than 2.

7. The fibrous nonwoven web of claim 5 wherein said web further includes polyester fibers.

8. The fibrous nonwoven web of claim 5 wherein said bicomponent fibers are crimped.

9. A personal care absorbent article comprising:

a body side liner and a backing layer with an absorbent core disposed therebetween, said article further including a surge layer disposed between said body side liner and said absorbent core, said surge layer comprising a plurality of thermoplastic fibers heat bonded to one another to form a lofty nonwoven web having a basis weight of at least 20 grams per square meter, a void volume of between about 80 and about 117 cubic centimeters per gram of web at 689 dynes per square centimeter pressure, a permeability of about 8,000 to about 15,000 darcy, a porosity of about 98.6% to about 99.4% and a surface area per void volume of about 10 to about 25 square centimeters per cubic centimeter.

10. The personal care absorbent article of claim 9 wherein said basis weight ranges from about 40 to about 68 grams per square meter.

11. The personal care absorbent article of claim 9 wherein said web has a saturation capacity between about 55 and about 80 grams of 0.9 percent saline solution per gram of web.

12. The personal care absorbent article of claim 11 wherein said web has a compression resilience of at least about 60 percent.

13. The personal care absorbent article of claim 9 wherein said web includes at least a 50% by weight bicomponent fibers, based upon the total weight of said web.

14. The personal care absorbent article of claim 13 wherein at least a portion of said bicomponent fibers have a denier equal to or greater than 2.

15. The personal care absorbent article of claim 13 wherein said web further includes polyester fibers.

16. The personal care absorbent article of claim 13 wherein said bicomponent fibers are crimped.