Non-woven fabric manufacture

• US 5,881,440 A
• Filed: 12/02/1997
• Issued: 03/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Courtaulds Engineering Limited
• Original Assignee: Courtaulds Engineering Limited
• Inventors: Arden, John Eric, Deeming, Robert Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Neas, Michael A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Worrell, Jr., Larry D.
• Application Number:
  US08/945,688
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 28/103, 28/104, 28/105, 28/106, 28/107, 28/108, 28/109, 28/110, 28/111, 28/167, 26/1, 198/626.1, 198/626.2, 198/804
• US Class Current: 28/104
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 18/04 with water jets

Abstract

A method and apparatus for processing fibrous material into a web (15) of hydroentangled nonwoven fabric, the web (15) passing through an apparatus (11) comprising high pressure jets (51) and drums (31) (32) and rollers (41). The web (15) is initially passed through the apparatus by guide tapes (62) (63) which pass through the apparatus in parallel with the web, and holds the web (15) on one front lateral edge only during the initial pass of the web through the apparatus.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a non-woven fabric in which a web of fibrous material is entangled using high pressure liquid jets, the fibrous web passing through an apparatus having a tortuous process path, said path passing at least partially around at least two drums wherein one drum contacts an upper surface of said web and the other drum contacts a lower surface of said web, whereby the method comprises the steps of;

providing at least two tapes, each of said tapes having a width less than a width of said webs said tapes at least passing along at least a portion of said path in parallel; and

passing said fibrous web through the apparatus by sandwiching at least one lateral edge of said web between said tapes said tapes and said sandwiched web passing along at least a portion of said tortuous process path, so that the web is held by the tapes which guide the web during at least an initial pass of the web through the apparatus.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tapes comprise a pair of endless belts which follow separate paths but which are superimposed one on the other in a common path for at least a portion of said path.

3. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1, wherein tapes are continuously passing through the apparatus whilst the web is being processed.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 claims, wherein said tapes automatically detach from the front portion of the web after the fibrous web has passed through the tortuous process path in the apparatus.

5. Apparatus for processing a web of fibrous material into non-woven fabric by entanglement of fibres using high pressure liquid jets, said web having two surfaces, the apparatus comprising:

at least two drums, said at least two drums defining a tortuous processing path for said web, wherein one of said drums at least partially contacts said web on one of said surfaces and the other of said drums at least partially contacts said web on the other of said surfaces along said path jet heads directing jets of liquid onto each of said surfaces of said web;

at least two tapes passing along said path, each of said tapes having a width less than a width of said web, said tapes sandwiching at least one lateral edge of said webs said tapes and said web sandwiched therebetween in combination passing along at least a portion of said path during an at least initial pass of said web in said apparatus.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said tapes comprise first and second endless tapes which are superimposed one on the other for at least a portion of said path through the apparatus, the with said fibrous web being held between portions of the two tapes.

7. Apparatus for processing a web of fibrous material into non-woven fabric by entanglement of fibres using high pressure liquid jets, said web having two surfaces, said apparatus comprising:

at least two drums, said at least two drums defining a tortuous processing path for said web, wherein one of said drums at least partially contacts said web on one of said surfaces and the other of said drums at least partially contacts said web on the other of said surfaces along said path jet heads directing jets of liquid onto each of said surfaces of said web;

at least two tapes passing along said path, each of said tapes having a width less than a width of said web, said tapes sandwiching at least one lateral edge of said web, said tapes and said web sandwiched therebetween in combination passing along at least a portion of said path,

a substantially horizontal conveyor belt onto which the fibrous material is deposited,

a pre-wetting weir which initially compacts the fibres; and

a low pressure jet head immediately downstream of the weir for partial entanglement of the fibres, the conveyor belt being adapted to feed the wetted fibrous material directly onto at least one porous drum onto which said high pressure liquid jets are directed.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first and second endless tapes converge at a location in the process path between the low pressure jet head and said one porous drum.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claims 7, wherein the apparatus further includes at least one vacuum roller for removing excess liquid from the fibrous web arranged downstream of said at least one drum.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the two endless tapes diverge downstream of the vacuum roller thereby automatically releasing the fibrous web after guiding said web through the apparatus.