Airlaid composite sheet material

Inventors

REN, Jichun • Wang, Juan • FENG, Xunwang • QU, Yijian • Newman, Marc

Assignees

Fitesa China Airlaid Co Ltd • Fitesa Simponsville Inc • Fitesa Simpsonville Inc

Abstract

Provided is a composite sheet that is particularly useful as an AQDL component in absorbent articles. The composite sheet includes a fluid acquisition component and an airlaid component. The airlaid component may include one or more airlaid layers that are successively formed overlying each other. Each of the airlaid layers are adjacent to, and in direct contact with, immediately adjacent layers of the airlaid component so that adjacent layers are in fluid communication with respect to each other. The fluid acquisition component includes a nonwoven fabric comprising a carded nonwoven fabric comprised of a plurality of staple fibers that are air through bonded to each other to form a coherent nonwoven fabric. The airlaid layer(s) include a blend of cellulose and non-cellulose staple fibers. The staple fibers may be bicomponent fibers having a polyethyelene sheath and a polypropylene or polyethylene terephthalate core, and mixtures of such fibers.

Core Innovation

An airlaid composite sheet material is provided for use as an AQDL component in absorbent articles. The composite sheet material includes a fluid acquisition component comprising a carded nonwoven fabric having a plurality of staple fibers that are air through bonded to each other to form a coherent nonwoven fabric, and an airlaid component overlying the fluid acquisition component.

The airlaid component comprises a blend of cellulose staple fibers and non-cellulose staple fibers. A first surface of the airlaid component is disposed towards and thermally bonded to a surface of the fluid acquisition component, and a second surface defines an outer surface of the composite sheet material. In embodiments, the outer surface of the airlaid component includes a plurality of alternating ridges and channels extending across the outer surface.

In embodiments, the airlaid component comprises a plurality of airlaid layers that are thermally bonded to adjacent airlaid layers. The composite sheet material is characterized by improved fluid acquisition, absorption, retention, wicking, and resiliency for comfort, and by improved anti-reverse-osmosis (dry-touch). Embossing and alternating ridges and channels on the outermost airlaid layer are described to enhance fluid lateral distribution, while maintaining softness/fluffiness and rebound resilience after embossing.

Claims Coverage

The independent claims focus on a composite sheet material combining an air-through bonded carded nonwoven fluid acquisition component with an overlying airlaid component formed from blended cellulose and non-cellulose staple fibers, with thermal bonding between components and defined outer-surface structure or multi-layer airlaid bonding. The independent claim set identified here comprises 3 independent claims: clm-00001, clm-00004, and clm-00018.

Overall, the claim coverage is directed to a thermally bonded composite sheet combining an air-through bonded carded nonwoven fluid acquisition component and an airlaid blend of cellulose and non-cellulose staple fibers. The independent claims further differentiate embodiments by either adding alternating ridges and channels extending across the airlaid outer surface, or using multiple airlaid layers thermally bonded to adjacent airlaid layers.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications