JP5642009B2 - Nonwoven fabric, absorbent article containing the nonwoven fabric, and method for producing the nonwoven fabric - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a nonwoven fabric including a first ridge groove region and a second ridge groove region on the same surface, an absorbent article including the nonwoven fabric, and a method for manufacturing the nonwoven fabric.

  Nonwoven fabrics are also used in absorbent articles such as sanitary and disposable diapers, cleaning articles such as wipers, and medical articles such as masks. However, in these products, a nonwoven fabric having performance suitable for the use of the product, the site to be used, etc. is often adopted.

  For example, an absorbent article requires a non-woven fabric that expands and contracts in accordance with the movement of the body when worn or used without causing the user to feel uncomfortable. In addition, a disposable diaper is required to be a nonwoven fabric that has high stretchability and strength that does not break when stretched, and that has good touch and breathability.

  In these products, a nonwoven fabric having a desired performance is often designed and manufactured for each product, and the nonwoven fabric having the desired performance is easily manufactured by, for example, processing a commercially available nonwoven fabric. If possible, it is desirable from the viewpoint of manufacturing cost, environmental protection and the like. Furthermore, if a non-woven fabric having different structures and properties depending on the location can be produced by subjecting a commercially available non-woven fabric to different processing, it is considered that the functionality of the nonwoven fabric can be further enhanced.

  As a nonwoven fabric suitable for use in absorbent articles made of nonwoven fabric as a raw material, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and a liquid interposed between these two sheets. An absorbent article having a retentive absorber, wherein the laminated sheet on the skin contact surface has an uneven area in which a large number of protrusions are regularly formed, and a height higher than the protrusions in the uneven area. An absorbent article having a low convex portion or a non-concave region where no convex portion is formed is described. In the laminated sheet described in Patent Literature 1, the first layer disposed on the skin side and the second layer disposed on the absorber side are laminated, and the second layer is contracted, thereby causing the uneven region and the non- uneven surface. A region is formed.

  Further, Patent Document 2 is a nonwoven fabric that alternately has ridges and groove portions extending in one direction, and has openings in the groove portions, and the amount of fibers is substantially greater in the heel portion than in the groove portion. Many non-woven fabrics are described which have different fiber densities at the top of the heel and the end of the aperture. Furthermore, [0048] of Patent Document 2 describes that a nonwoven fabric in which fibers are bonded and entangled can be used as a raw material.

JP 2003-275239 A JP 2009-62650 A

However, in the absorbent article described in Patent Document 1, since the concavo-convex region and the non-concave region are formed by partially shrinking the laminated sheet, the amount of materials increases and the number of processes increases. Therefore, it is disadvantageous in terms of cost. Moreover, since the thickness of the laminated sheet formed becomes thick, there exists a tendency for the air permeability of the thickness direction to fall.
In addition, in the nonwoven fabric described in Patent Document 2, for example, when a commercially available nonwoven fabric is used as a raw material, each fiber is fixed and hardly moves, so that it is necessary to increase the energy of fluid treatment. When a water vapor flow or air flow is used as the fluid treatment, it is necessary to increase the fluid treatment temperature. By increasing the treatment temperature, the fibers in the nonwoven fabric are fused, and the produced nonwoven fabric is flexible. As a result, the desired structure is difficult to form.
Further, when a water stream is used as the fluid treatment, a drying process is further required. In addition, in the nonwoven fabric described in Patent Document 2, it is described that a card web can be used as a raw material. However, if a card web is used as a raw material, the texture of the manufactured sheet is likely to be disturbed. There is a need to increase the suction force at the time, and the manufacturing equipment becomes large.
Furthermore, in the nonwoven fabric described in Patent Document 2, there is no description or suggestion of changing the structure and properties of the nonwoven fabric depending on the location.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a non-woven fabric having a different structure depending on a region, which can be easily manufactured.

  As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the inventors of the present invention are non-woven fabrics including a first ridge groove region and a second ridge groove region on the same surface, and the first ridge groove region includes a plurality of The first flange part includes a plurality of first groove parts, the second groove part region includes a plurality of second flange parts and a plurality of second groove parts, and the height of the flanges of the first flange part is It is found that the above problem can be solved by a non-woven fabric characterized by being higher than the ridge height of the second ridge portion and having a fiber diameter in the first ridge groove region that is smaller than the fiber diameter in the second ridge groove region, The present invention has been completed.

Specifically, the present invention relates to the following aspects.
[Aspect 1]
A non-woven fabric comprising a first ridge groove region and a second ridge groove region on the same surface,
The first groove region includes a plurality of first groove portions and a plurality of first groove portions,
The second groove region includes a plurality of second groove portions and a plurality of second groove portions,
The height of the first collar is higher than the height of the second collar,
The fiber diameter in the first grooving region is thinner than the fiber diameter in the second grooving region,
The said nonwoven fabric characterized by the above-mentioned.

[Aspect 2]
The nonwoven fabric according to aspect 1, wherein the first flange portion and the first groove portion are parallel to each other and alternately disposed.
[Aspect 3]
The nonwoven fabric according to aspect 2, wherein the second ridges and the second groove portions are parallel to each other and alternately arranged, and are parallel to the first ridge portions and the first groove portions.

[Aspect 4]
The nonwoven fabric as described in any one of aspects 1-3 whose quantity of the fiber of a 1st collar part is larger than the quantity of the fiber of a 1st groove part.
[Aspect 5]
The nonwoven fabric as described in any one of aspects 1-4 which consists of one 1st ridge groove area | region and two 2nd ridge groove area | regions adjacent to a 1st ridge groove area | region.

[Aspect 6]
In any one of the aspects 1 to 5, the first grooving region has better liquid permeability than the second grooving region, and the second grooving region has better liquid drawability than the first grooving region. The nonwoven fabric described.
[Aspect 7]
The non-woven fabric according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 6, comprising a single layer.

[Aspect 8]
An absorbent article comprising a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent body between the top sheet and the back sheet,
The top sheet is formed from the nonwoven fabric according to any one of aspects 1 to 7,
The above absorbent article.

[Aspect 9]
A method for producing the nonwoven fabric according to any one of aspects 1 to 7,
Preparing a nonwoven to be treated;
A part of the nonwoven fabric to be treated is stretched non-uniformly so as to form a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion, and includes a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion, and a non-stretch region. Forming a non-woven fabric, and disposing a non-woven fabric comprising a region having the high-stretched portion and the low-stretched portion and a non-stretched region on a support, and ejecting the ejected fluid into the high-stretched portion and the low-stretched portion. Spraying two regions, a region having a portion and the non-stretched region,
Including methods.

[Aspect 10]
The step of forming the nonwoven fabric including the region having the high stretched portion and the low stretched portion and the non-stretched region is a pair of gear rolls having a rotation axis perpendicular to the transport direction, and is formed on each outer peripheral surface of the gear roll. The method according to aspect 9, wherein the method is carried out by passing a part of the nonwoven fabric to be treated through a gap between the plurality of arranged teeth rotating while meshing with each other.

[Aspect 11]
The plurality of teeth are arranged on the outer peripheral surface perpendicular to the rotation axis, and in a region having the high stretch portion and the low stretch portion, a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion that are parallel to the transport direction, respectively. The non-woven fabric alternately formed in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the conveying direction is formed, or the plurality of teeth are arranged on the outer peripheral surface in parallel with the rotation axis, and the high stretch portion and the low stretch portion are provided. The method according to aspect 10, wherein a non-woven fabric having alternating high-stretched portions and low-stretched portions parallel to the direction perpendicular to the transport direction in the transport direction is formed in the region having the same.

[Aspect 12]
The method according to aspect 10 or 11, wherein the nonwoven fabric to be treated is selected from the group consisting of an air-through nonwoven fabric, a spunbonded nonwoven fabric, and a stretchable nonwoven fabric.
[Aspect 13]
A method according to any one of embodiments 9-12, wherein the fluid is selected from the group consisting of air, water vapor and water.

  The nonwoven fabric of the present invention is easily manufactured and has a different structure depending on the region.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a nonwoven fabric comprising a first ridge region and a second ridge region in the same plane according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of the nonwoven fabric 1 shown in FIG. 1 and including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining gear stretching. FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a non-woven fabric including a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion and a non-stretch region manufactured by the gear stretching apparatus shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining gear stretching. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining gear stretching. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an apparatus used in the fluid treatment step.

Hereinafter, the nonwoven fabric including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region of the present invention on the same surface will be described in detail.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a nonwoven fabric comprising a first ridge region and a second ridge region in the same plane according to the present invention. The non-woven fabric 1 shown in FIG. 1 including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface is composed of a single layer, and the first ridge groove region 2 includes a plurality of first ridge portions 4 and The second groove region 3 includes a plurality of second groove portions 6 and a plurality of second groove portions 7.

Moreover, in the 1st grooving area | region 2 of the nonwoven fabric 1 which shows a 1st grooving area | region and a 2nd grooving groove area | region shown by FIG. 1, the 1st ridge part 4 and the 1st groove part 5 mutually They are parallel and alternately arranged. In other words, the first flange portions 4 and the first groove portions 5 are alternately arranged in a direction B that is parallel to the direction A and orthogonal to the direction A.
Furthermore, in the 2nd groove area 3 of the nonwoven fabric 1 which shows a 1st groove area and a 2nd groove area on the same surface shown by FIG. 1, the 2nd groove part 6 and the 2nd groove part 7 mutually mutually They are parallel and alternately arranged, and are parallel to the first flange 4 and the first groove 5. In other words, the second flange part 6 and the second groove part 7 are parallel to the direction A and are alternately arranged in the direction B, respectively.
Furthermore, in the nonwoven fabric 1 which shows the 1st ridge groove area | region and the 2nd ridge groove area | region which are shown by FIG. 1 in the same surface, 2 adjacent to the 1st ridge groove area 2 and the 1st ridge groove area 2 Two second groove regions 3.

Moreover, although not shown in figure, in the nonwoven fabric 1 which shows the 1st ridge groove area | region and the 2nd ridge groove area | region which are shown by FIG. 1 on the same surface, the diameter of the fiber in the 1st ridge groove area | region 2 is 2nd. It is thinner than the diameter of the fibers in the ridge groove region 3, and the amount of fibers in the first ridge portion 4 is larger than the amount of fibers in the first groove portion 5.
Moreover, in the nonwoven fabric 1 which shows a 1st ridge groove area | region and a 2nd ridge groove area | region shown by FIG. 1 in the same surface, the 1st ridge groove area | region 2 is more permeable than the 2nd ridge groove area | region 3. It is excellent and the 2nd groove area 3 is excellent in the liquid drawing property rather than the 1st groove area 2. FIG.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of the nonwoven fabric 1 shown in FIG. 1 and including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface. As shown in FIG. 2, in the non-woven fabric 1 including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface, the ridge height h ₁ of the first ridge portion is the height of the ridge of the second ridge portion. higher than the height h _2.

  In the first ridge region 2 of the nonwoven fabric 1 including the first ridge region and the second ridge region shown in FIG. 1, the first ridge portion 4 and the first groove portion 5 are parallel to each other. In the nonwoven fabric including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface of the present invention, the first ridge portion and the first groove portion are alternately arranged. As long as the first ridge and the first groove are meandering, for example, when the first ridge groove region is observed from above, the first ridge and / or the first groove One groove part may have a waveform.

In addition, in this specification, the nonwoven fabric of the present invention that includes the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface may be simply referred to as the nonwoven fabric of the present invention.
The properties of the first ridge and the first groove in the first ridge region and the formation method thereof will be described in relation to the method for producing the nonwoven fabric of the present invention.

In the second ridge groove region 3 of the nonwoven fabric 1 including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region shown in FIG. 1, the second ridge portion 6 and the second groove portion 7 are parallel to each other. In the nonwoven fabric of the present invention, the second ridges and the second grooves are not necessarily parallel as long as they are alternately arranged. Well, for example, when the second ridge and the second groove are meandering, for example, when the second ridge region is observed from above, the second ridge and / or the second groove has a waveform. You may do it. Moreover, the 2nd collar part and the 2nd groove part do not need to be parallel to the 1st collar part and the 1st groove part.
In addition, the property and formation method of the 2nd ridge part and 2nd groove part of a 2nd ridge groove area | region are demonstrated in relation to the manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric of this invention.

  In the non-woven fabric 1 shown in FIG. 1 that includes the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface, one first ridge groove region 2 and two second ridge groove regions adjacent to the first ridge groove region 2 are provided. Although composed of 2 groove regions 3, the nonwoven fabric of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, for example, a nonwoven fabric including one first groove region and one second groove region on the same surface, Non-woven fabric including two first grooving regions and one second grooving region on the same surface, including two or more first grooving regions and two or more second grooving regions on the same surface Nonwoven fabrics and the like are included in the range, and can be appropriately designed depending on a desired function.

  In the nonwoven fabric of the present invention, the fiber diameter in the first ridge region is smaller than the fiber diameter in the second ridge region, and the ridge height of the first ridge portion is higher than the ridge height of the second ridge portion. Although it is high, those reasons, functions, etc. are demonstrated in relation to the manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric of this invention. Moreover, in the nonwoven fabric of this invention, it is preferable that the quantity of the fiber of a 1st collar part is larger than the quantity of the fiber of a 1st groove part, but the reason, a function, etc. are related with the manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric of this invention. I will explain.

As long as the nonwoven fabric of the present invention including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface has the above structure, its production method is not particularly limited. For example, the following method is used. Can be manufactured.
1. Preparing a nonwoven to be treated;
2. A part of the nonwoven fabric to be treated is stretched non-uniformly so as to form a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion, and includes a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion, and a non-stretch region. 2. forming a nonwoven, and A non-woven fabric including a region having the high stretch portion and the low stretch portion, and a non-stretch region is disposed on a support, and a jetted fluid is placed in the region having the high stretch portion and the low stretch portion, and Spraying the two areas with the unstretched area.
The above method (hereinafter referred to as “method of the present invention”) will be described in detail below.

The method of the present invention includes providing a nonwoven to be treated.
The nonwoven fabric to be treated may be a nonwoven fabric in general, but is not particularly limited, for example, a nonwoven fabric produced by various known methods, for example, an air-through nonwoven fabric, a spunbond nonwoven fabric, a point bond nonwoven fabric, a spunlace nonwoven fabric. , Airlaid nonwoven fabric, meltblown nonwoven fabric, nonwoven fabric containing nanofibers, stretchable nonwoven fabric, and the like. The stretchable nonwoven fabric means a nonwoven fabric containing the stretchable fiber.
The nonwoven fabric to be treated is preferably an air-through nonwoven fabric, a spunbond nonwoven fabric, or a stretchable nonwoven fabric.
As the nonwoven fabric to be treated, a commercially available nonwoven fabric can be used as it is. Further, the nonwoven fabric to be treated may be a single layer or may be laminated.

When the formed non-woven fabric containing the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface is used for an absorbent article, the non-woven fabric to be treated is about 10 to about 80 g / m ² . It preferably has a basis weight, more preferably has a basis weight of about 15 to about 70 g / m ² , and even more preferably has a basis weight of about 20 to about 60 g / m ² . When the basis weight is less than about 10 g / m ² , the fiber amount is insufficient when used in an absorbent article, and in particular, the first ridge portion is less likely to be formed in the first ridge region. If it exceeds 80 g / m ² , the air permeability tends to decrease and the cost tends to be disadvantageous.

When the nonwoven fabric to be treated is formed, and the nonwoven fabric including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface is adopted as the liquid-permeable top sheet of the absorbent article, It is preferable that it has hydrophilicity. This is because, when coming into contact with hydrophilic excrement (such as urine, sweat, stool, etc.), the excrement is easily permeated into the nonwoven fabric without remaining on the surface of the nonwoven fabric.
Among the nonwoven fabrics to be treated, those having hydrophilicity include, for example, nonwoven fabrics produced by treating hydrophobic nonwoven fabrics with hydrophilic agents, nonwoven fabrics produced from fibers kneaded with hydrophilic agents, and surfactants. Nonwoven fabric coated with In addition, among the nonwoven fabrics to be treated, those having hydrophilicity may include essentially hydrophilic fibers, for example, nonwoven fabrics made from natural and / or semi-natural fibers.

  The nonwoven fabric to be treated can contain fibers used in the art without any particular limitation. Examples of the fibers include natural fibers, semi-natural fibers, and synthetic fibers. As the fiber, a synthetic fiber is preferable. This is because, in the step of forming a non-woven fabric having unevenness, which will be described later, the fibers are not excessively dense, and the first ridge region and the second ridge region formed by the step are on the same plane. This is because the non-woven fabric contained has high flexibility. In the nonwoven fabric to be treated, the proportion of synthetic fibers is preferably about 50% by mass or more, more preferably about 70% by mass or more, and further preferably about 100% by mass, based on the total amount of fibers. This is because the higher the proportion of the synthetic fiber, the more difficult it is to be crushed even when the user's body pressure is applied, and the better the air permeability. Examples of the synthetic fiber material include polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyester.

In consideration of moldability, the fiber preferably has a fineness of about 1 to about 6 dtex. Moreover, as said fiber, there is no restriction | limiting in particular in the fiber length, For example, a staple fiber and a continuous filament can be mentioned. When two or more kinds of fibers are mixed, the fiber lengths of these fibers may be the same or different.
The fiber structure may be a core-sheath structure or a side-by-side structure that is a self-bonding fiber.

The nonwoven to be treated can also include extensible fibers, stretch fibers, and combinations thereof.
In the present specification, “stretchable fiber” means a fiber that is elastically stretchable. More specifically, the elastic fiber has a greater elastic limit than the stress applied at the time of formation and assumed use, and can be elastically stretched within the range of the stress applied at the time of formation and assumed use. Means a good fiber. Examples of the elastic fiber material include polyurethane elastomers, polystyrene elastomers, polyolefin elastomers, polyamide elastomers, polyester elastomers, and combinations thereof. The stretchable fiber is preferably a polyurethane-based elastomer from the viewpoint of little distortion after stretching, high heat resistance, and the like.
The fiber diameter of the stretchable fiber is preferably in the range of 2 to 50 μm, and more preferably in the range of 15 to 30 μm.

  In this specification, “extensible fiber” means a fiber having an elastic limit smaller than that of the stretchable fiber. More specifically, the extensible fiber means a fiber that has a smaller elastic limit than the stress applied during formation and can be plastically deformed by the stress applied during formation. The extensible fiber becomes thin and long due to plastic deformation. In the present specification, an extensible fiber that is plastically deformed by stress applied during formation may be referred to as an “elongated extensible fiber”. As an example of the extended | stretched extensible fiber, what has a uniform diameter or the thing which has a non-uniform diameter, for example, has a partially thin part (necking part) can be mentioned.

Examples of materials for the extensible fibers include fibers made of polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polystyrene, polyester, polyamide, polyurethane, polylactic acid, or combinations thereof. The extensible fiber may be a composite fiber such as a core-sheath fiber or a side-by-side fiber.
The stretchable fiber is preferably a fiber containing polypropylene and polyethylene from the viewpoints of low crystallinity and high elongation.

  The fiber diameter of the extensible fibers is preferably in the range of about 1 to about 40 μm, and more preferably in the range of about 5 to about 25 μm. Moreover, it is preferable that the fiber diameter of the said extensible fiber is thinner than the fiber diameter of the said elastic fiber. This is because the nonwoven fabric of the present invention can be given flexibility, bulkiness, concealment properties, and the like.

  The method of the present invention is to stretch a part of the nonwoven fabric to be treated in a non-uniform manner so that a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion is formed, and a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion; A step of forming a non-woven fabric including a non-stretched region (hereinafter may be referred to as a “non-uniform stretch step”).

A region stretched by the non-uniform stretching step, that is, a region having a high stretched portion and a low stretched portion forms a first ridge region through a subsequent fluid treatment step. Therefore, in the non-uniform stretching step, reference is mainly made to a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion.
In addition, the area | region which is not extended | stretched by the non-uniform | heterogenous extending | stretching step, ie, a non-stretching area | region forms a 2nd ridge groove area | region through a subsequent fluid treatment step.

In the non-uniform stretching step, (i) each bonding of fibers in the non-woven fabric is partially performed in a predetermined range of the non-woven fabric to be treated (which will later become a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion). This is done to break the points, bring the fixed fibers into a web state, and (ii) plastically deform the fibers between each joint point of the fibers in the nonwoven, making them thin and long. Here, in the above (ii), the plastically deformed thin and long fibers have a uniform diameter and further have a non-uniform diameter, for example, a partially thin portion (necking portion). In some cases. In (ii) above, the amount of fibers that can move during the subsequent fluid treatment step is increased by plastically deforming the fibers between the joints of the fibers in the nonwoven fabric and making them thin and long. A 1st collar part with a high height and a 1st groove part with a deep depth become easy to be formed in a nonwoven fabric.
In the present specification, fibers that are plastically deformed due to stress applied during formation may be referred to as “stretched fibers”.

  In the case of air-through non-woven fabric, the above-mentioned bonding point includes a heat-bonding point, in the case of spunbonded non-woven fabric and point-bonded non-woven fabric, the thermocompression bonding point, and in the case of spunlace non-woven fabric, the fiber entanglement point. Is mentioned.

In the present specification, the “highly stretched portion” means a portion stretched so that the stretched fiber has a higher degree of elongation than the low stretched portion, and the “low stretched portion” refers to a stretched fiber. Means a portion that has been stretched so that the degree of elongation is lower than that of the highly stretched portion, and includes a portion where no stretched fiber is formed, that is, a non-stretched portion.
In the present specification, “extending unevenly” means that the nonwoven fabric is stretched so as to have a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion, that is, the nonwoven fabric is stretched by a site. It means that the fibers are stretched so that regions having different degrees of elongation are formed.

  The above step is not particularly limited as long as it is a means capable of forming a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion in the nonwoven fabric to be treated, and can be carried out by any means. A pair of gear rolls having a rotation axis perpendicular to the conveying direction, wherein a part of the nonwoven fabric to be treated is placed in a gap between the gear rolls rotating while meshing a plurality of teeth arranged on the outer peripheral surfaces of the gear rolls. It can be performed by passing (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “gear stretching”).

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining gear stretching. The gear stretcher 11 shown in FIG. 3 has a pair of gear rolls 12 and 12 '. A plurality of teeth 14 and 14 'are arranged on the outer peripheral surfaces 13 and 13' of the gear rolls 12 and 12 ', respectively. Further, in the gear stretching device 11 shown in FIG. 3, the rotation axes of the gear rolls 12 and 12 ′ are each perpendicular to the nonwoven fabric conveyance direction MD. Further, the plurality of teeth 14 and 14 'are disposed on the outer peripheral surfaces 13 and 13' perpendicular to the rotation axis.

  In the gear stretcher 11 shown in FIG. 3, the nonwoven fabric 15 to be treated is passed through the roll gap between the pair of gear rolls 12 and 12 ′, and when passing through the gear rolls 12 and 12 ′, By the plurality of teeth 14 and 14 ', the nonwoven fabric 15 to be treated is stretched on the principle of three-point bending, and a region having a high stretched portion and a low stretched portion is formed in the nonwoven fabric 15 to be treated. The nonwoven fabric 16 including a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion and a non-stretch region is formed.

  FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a non-woven fabric including a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion and a non-stretch region manufactured by the gear stretching apparatus shown in FIG. 3. The nonwoven fabric to be treated is subjected to gear stretching to form a nonwoven fabric 16 including a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion and a non-stretch region. The nonwoven fabric 16 including a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion and a non-stretch region has a region 17 having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion, and a non-stretch region 18. The non-stretching region 18 is formed on both sides in the transport direction MD of the region 17 having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion, that is, a side portion on the orthogonal direction CD side orthogonal to the transport direction MD.

Further, the region 17 having the high stretch portion and the low stretch portion has a high stretch portion 17 ′ indicated by a solid line and a low stretch portion 17 ″ indicated by a dotted line parallel to the transport direction MD in the orthogonal direction MD. Have alternately.
In the gear stretching, the non-woven fabric to be treated is fixed at the portion in contact with the tips of the plurality of teeth 14 and 14 ', so that it is not stretched too much or substantially, and the low stretched portion 17''is formed. The On the other hand, in the region not in contact with the tips of the plurality of teeth 14 and 14 ′, the region is greatly stretched to form a highly stretched portion 17 ′.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a non-woven fabric including a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion and a non-stretch region, and a plurality of teeth 14 and 14 of the gear stretcher 11 shown in FIG. The numbers of 'and the high stretched portions 17' and the low stretched portions 17 '' shown in FIG. 4 do not match.
3 and 4 show an example in which the central portion in the transport direction of the nonwoven fabric to be processed is gear-stretched, but in the method of the present invention, only the left or right side in the transport direction can be gear-stretched. it can.

The gear stretching can be performed using a gear stretching apparatus as shown in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining gear stretching. The gear stretcher 11 shown in FIG. 5 has a pair of gear rolls 12 and 12 ′. A plurality of teeth 14 and 14 'are arranged on the outer peripheral surfaces 13 and 13' of the gear rolls 12 and 12 ', respectively. Moreover, in the gear extending | stretching apparatus 11 shown by FIG. 5, several teeth 14 and 14 'are each arrange | positioned at the outer peripheral surfaces 13 and 13' in parallel with the rotating shaft line of the gear rolls 12 and 12 ', respectively. By arranging the plurality of teeth 14 and 14 ′ in this manner, in the region having the high-stretched portion and the low-stretched portion, the high-stretched portion and the low-stretched portion perpendicular to the conveying direction MD are alternately arranged in the orthogonal direction. The nonwoven fabric which has can be formed.

  Further, the gear stretching can be performed using a gear stretching device in which a plurality of teeth are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the gear roll so as to be inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the gear roll as shown in FIG. . FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining gear stretching. The gear stretching apparatus 11 shown in FIG. 6 has a pair of gear rolls 12 and 12 ′, and a plurality of teeth 14 and 14 ′ are arranged on the outer peripheral surfaces 13 and 13 ′ of the gear rolls 12 and 12 ′, respectively. Yes. Further, in the gear stretching device 11 shown in FIG. 9, the rotation axes of the gear rolls 12 and 12 'are each perpendicular to the nonwoven fabric conveyance direction MD. Further, the plurality of teeth 14 and 14 ′ are arranged on the outer peripheral surfaces 13 and 13 ′ so as to have a constant angle θ with respect to the rotation axis.

In the gear stretcher as shown in FIG. 6, depending on the angle θ and the gear pitch, one tooth 14 and one tooth 14 ′ are provided on the outer peripheral surfaces 13 and 13 ′ of the gear rolls 12 and 12 ′, respectively. May be arranged.
The said gear extending | stretching apparatus can be suitably selected according to the desired performance of the nonwoven fabric which has an unevenness | corrugation formed.

In the gear stretching apparatus, the gear pitch is preferably about 1 to about 10 mm, and more preferably about 2 to about 6 mm. If the gear pitch is less than about 1 mm, the need to thin the gear blades may arise, and the nonwoven fabric may be partially cut, and if the gear pitch is greater than about 10 mm, the draw ratio is low, and the fiber web and In some cases, the plastic deformation of the fiber is insufficient.
The gear pitch means a distance between one tooth and the next tooth represented by reference numeral 19 in FIG.

In the gear stretching apparatus, the gear biting depth is preferably about 0.5 mm or more. If the gear biting depth is less than about 0.5 mm, the nonwoven fabric may not be sufficiently stretched, and a highly stretched portion may be difficult to form.
The gear biting depth means a depth of a portion where an upper gear roll tooth and a lower gear roll tooth overlap each other, which is represented by reference numeral 20 in FIG.

  In a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion, the stretch ratio in the stretched direction is preferably about 30 to about 400%, and more preferably about 50 to about 200%. When the draw ratio is less than about 30%, the nonwoven fabric to be treated only remains elastically deformed, and there may be a case where a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion is not substantially formed in the nonwoven fabric to be treated. If it exceeds about 400%, the strength of the region having the high-stretched portion and the low-stretched portion is weak, and the stretched fiber tends to fall off, which may make conveyance difficult.

により算出される値を意味する。 In the present specification, the “stretch ratio” is the following formula when the gear pitch is P and the gear biting depth is D:

Means the value calculated by.

  In the method of the present invention, a non-woven fabric including a region having the high-stretched portion and the low-stretched portion and a non-stretched region is disposed on a support, and the ejected fluid is placed in the high-stretched portion and the low-stretched portion. And a step of spraying the two regions of the non-stretched region and the non-stretched region (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “fluid treatment step”).

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an apparatus used in the fluid treatment step. Here, an example will be described in which a nonwoven fabric including a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion and a non-stretch region, which are gear stretched by the gear stretching apparatus shown in FIG.
The non-woven fabric 16 including a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion and a non-stretch region formed in FIG. 3 is a region 17 having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion existing in the center of the transport direction MD, and And non-stretched regions 18 existing on both sides in the transport direction MD. The non-woven fabric 16 formed in FIG. 3 and including a region having a high-stretched portion and a low-stretched portion and a non-stretched region is placed on a support 21 that is a punching plate. It is possible to spray a total of three regions, a region 17 having a stretched portion and a low stretched portion, and a non-stretched region 18.

  In the apparatus shown in FIG. 7, a suction portion (not shown) for receiving fluid is provided below the fluid nozzle 22 with the support 21 interposed therebetween. The fluid ejected from the fluid nozzle 22 is sprayed on the nonwoven fabric 16 including the region having the high-stretched portion and the low-stretched portion and the non-stretched region, which has been placed and carried on the support 21, and the first ridge groove The nonwoven fabric 1 including the region and the second ridge region is formed on the same surface. The sprayed fluid is discharged from a suction part (not shown).

  In the region having the high-stretched portion and the low-stretched portion formed by the non-uniform stretch step, at least a part of the web-like fibers and / or the stretched fibers existing in the high-stretched portion is a surface on which the fluid collides. In (hereinafter referred to as a fluid collision surface), the ejected fluid collides and then rebounds, so that the fluid is selected in a plane direction, for example, an orthogonal direction. Further, in the surface opposite to the fluid collision surface (hereinafter referred to as a non-fluid collision surface), at least a part of the web-state fibers and / or the stretched fibers includes a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion. And moves along the flow of fluid passing through the nonwoven fabric including the non-stretched region.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of first flange portions and a plurality of first groove portions in the first groove region are formed. Since the fibers are selected in the portion immediately below the fluid nozzle, the first groove portion is formed, and the selected fibers gather in the portion between the two fluid nozzles to form the first collar portion.

  On the other hand, in the non-stretched region, since it has not been subjected to a non-uniform stretching step, there are essentially no web-like fibers and no stretched fibers. Thus, because the amount of fibers that can move is less than in regions with high stretch and low stretch, some of the fibers in the plane direction as the ejected fluid collides and then bounces For example, it is sorted in the orthogonal direction, but the amount is smaller than the region having the high stretch portion and the low stretch portion.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of second flange portions and a plurality of second groove portions in the second groove region are formed, and the height of the second flange portion is the first flange portion. It becomes lower than the height. In the second grooving region, as in the first grooving region, fibers are selected in the portion immediately below the fluid nozzle, so the second groove is formed and selected in the portion between the two fluid nozzles. The fibers gather to form a second collar.

  In addition, when the nonwoven fabric to be processed is gear-stretched as shown in FIG. 3 and fluid-treated as shown in FIG. 7, the first grooving region as shown in FIG. A non-woven fabric including the second ridge groove region is formed on the same surface, and in FIG. 1, the direction A corresponds to the transport direction MD, and the direction B corresponds to the orthogonal direction CD.

  In the nonwoven fabric of the present invention including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface, the fiber diameter in the first ridge groove region is smaller than the fiber diameter in the second ridge groove region. For example, the fiber diameter in the first groove region is preferably about 3% or more smaller than the fiber diameter in the second groove region, and is about 5%. % Or more is more preferable, and about 7% or more is still more preferable. This is because by reducing the length of the fiber in the first grooving region, the height of the ridge in the first grooving region is increased. In addition, if the fiber diameter in the first grooving region is too thin, there may be a problem in strength. Therefore, the fiber diameter in the first grooving region is about 50% of the fiber diameter in the second grooving region. It will be the lower limit.

  In the nonwoven fabric of the present invention including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface, the height of the ridges of the first ridge portion is about 1. It is preferably 1 or more times higher, more preferably about 1.2 or more times higher, and more preferably about 1.3 or more times higher. If the height of the ridge of the first ridge portion is not higher than the height of the ridge of the second ridge portion by about 1.1 times or more, the difference in properties between the first ridge region and the second ridge region is There is a tendency to be hard to come out. Moreover, in order to form the nonwoven fabric which contains a 1st ridge groove area | region and a 2nd ridge groove area | region on the same surface from a single nonwoven fabric, the height of the ridge of a 1st ridge part is the height of the ridge of a 2nd ridge part. The upper limit would be about 10 times higher than the height.

  In the nonwoven fabric of the present invention including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface, the height of the ridges in the first ridge groove region is determined when the nonwoven fabric is used for an absorbent article. For example, it is preferably about 0.1 to about 5 mm, more preferably about 0.3 to about 4 mm, and even more preferably about 0.5 to about 3 mm. When the height is less than about 0.1 mm, the difference between the first and second groove regions is small, and the characteristics of these regions, in particular, the difference in liquid permeability and liquid drawability tends not to occur. If it exceeds about 5 mm, when used as an absorbent article, the thickness increases as a whole, the feeling of wearing becomes worse, and it may be bulky and difficult to carry.

  In the nonwoven fabric of the present invention including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface, the first ridge portion and the first groove portion of the first ridge groove region, and the second ridge of the second ridge groove region. When the nonwoven fabric is used for an absorbent article, the width of the portion and the second groove is preferably, for example, about 0.2 to about 10 mm, and about 0.5 to about 5 mm. More preferred. When the width is less than about 0.2 mm, the groove structure tends to be difficult to be formed in the nonwoven fabric, and when the width is more than about 10 mm, the contact area between the skin and the nonwoven fabric of the present invention is increased, so that it is easily stuffy. In addition, since the width of the groove is increased, the heel portion tends to be crushed.

  In the first ridge region, the width of the first ridge and the first groove is the same, the width of the first ridge is larger than the width of the first groove, or the width of the first ridge is first. Although it can be made smaller than the width of the groove portion, when the width of the first flange portion is increased, it is preferable to make the width of the first groove portion smaller than the width of the first flange portion.

Examples of the fluid used in the fluid treatment step include air, for example, heated air, water vapor, or water, for example, hot water.
The fluid can be sprayed from a fixed fluid nozzle to a nonwoven fabric including a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion and a non-stretch region, or from a fluid nozzle that reciprocates in the orthogonal direction CD. . When fluid is sprayed from a fluid nozzle that reciprocates in the orthogonal direction CD onto a non-woven fabric including a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion and a non-stretch region, a corrugated first ridge portion and a first groove portion are formed. Is done.

  Moreover, the fluid can be sprayed from a fluid nozzle continuously or intermittently onto a nonwoven fabric including a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion and a non-stretch region. Moreover, these can also be combined. In addition, when the fluid is intermittently sprayed from the fluid nozzle onto the nonwoven fabric including the region having the high stretch portion and the low stretch portion and the non-stretch region, the intermittent first first flange portion and the first groove portion. The second flange portion and the second groove portion are formed.

  The fluid can be appropriately selected according to a nonwoven fabric including a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion and a non-stretch region, particularly a state of the non-stretch region. For example, if the gear pitch is small and the draw ratio is large in a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion, or if the amount of joints between fibers is small in a non-stretch region, the fibers are moved with relatively low energy. Therefore, it is preferable to select air or water vapor as the fluid. Further, in a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion, when the gear pitch is large and the stretch ratio is low, in the non-stretch region, when the amount of the joint portion between the fibers is large, it is relatively easy to move the fibers. Because high energy is required, it is preferred to select water or steam as the fluid, and steam is more preferred. This is because moisture hardly remains in a portion where the amount of fiber is large, and the stretched fiber in the portion to be moved can be easily moved.

The fluid treatment step can be performed using a known device in the art and by a known method.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the support used to support the nonwoven comprising a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion and a non-stretch region is a support commonly used in the art. The body can be a metal, for example, a punching plate, a plastic conveyor net, a papermaking net, and the like. The support is generally fluid permeable.
Examples of the punching plate include a round hole type, for example, a round hole 60 ° zigzag type, a round hole square zigzag and round hole series type, a square hole type, a round dove type, a cloud type, and a cloud zigzag type. Can be mentioned.

  In the non-fluid collision surface, a part of the fiber moves along the flow of the fluid. Therefore, particularly in the region having the high-stretched portion and the low-stretched portion, the surface on the side opposite to the surface to which the fluid is sprayed in advance. When the support having the projecting portions and the recessed portions having the defined shape and arrangement is disposed, the surface opposite to the surface having the first groove region and the second groove region is uneven. It can also be formed.

  Examples of the support having the protrusions and the depressions include (i) protrusions and depressions that are parallel to the conveying direction, and are alternately arranged in the orthogonal direction. (Ii) Projections and depressions having an inclination with respect to the conveying direction, and having projections and depressions alternately arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the inclination A body, (iii) a projecting portion and / or a hollow portion having a predetermined shape (for example, a cubic shape, a columnar shape, a hemispherical shape, etc.), and a predetermined array (for example, a heart shape, a star shape, etc.) ) And the like having a projecting portion and a recessed portion arranged in the above.

  In addition, the conditions for spraying the fluid vary depending on the type of nonwoven fabric to be treated, the use of the nonwoven fabric including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region to be formed, etc. In the case of water vapor, the ejection pressure can be about 0.2 to about 0.8 MPa, the water vapor temperature can be about 119 to about 167 ° C., and the distance between the nozzle and the support can be about 0.1 to about 10 mm. When the fluid is hot water, the ejection pressure is about 1 to about 10 MPa, the hot water temperature is about 50 to about 100 ° C., and the distance between the nozzle and the support is about 0.1 to about 30 mm. it can. The spacing between the nozzles is determined by the desired widths of the first and first groove portions of the first groove region and the second and second groove portions of the second groove region.

The non-woven fabric of the present invention including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface is derived from the structure, and the first ridge groove region is more permeable than the second ridge groove region. The second grooving region tends to be superior in liquid drawability than the first grooving region. Specifically, the first ridge groove region originates from the gear stretching step and the fluid treatment step, and in particular, the fibers are oriented in the thickness direction in the first ridge portion, and the inter-fiber distance is greater than that of the second ridge groove region. Since it is large and has a low density and easily penetrates the liquid, the liquid permeability tends to be better than that of the second groove region.
On the other hand, the second grooving region has undergone a fluid treatment step without going through a gear stretching step, and the interfiber distance is smaller than that of the first grooving region, has a high-density structure, and capillary force works. It is easy to draw in and diffuse. Therefore, the second grooving region tends to be more excellent in liquid drawing than the first grooving region.

  The non-woven fabric of the present invention comprising the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface is an absorbent article such as a sanitary article and disposable diaper, a cleaning article such as a wiper, and a medical article such as Useful for masks and the like. Examples of the absorbent article include a liquid permeable top sheet, a liquid impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent body between the top sheet and the back sheet. When the nonwoven fabric including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region of the present invention on the same surface is used for the liquid-permeable top sheet, the first ridge groove region is the absorbent article. It exists in the longitudinal center part, and it is preferable that a 2nd groove area exists in the both sides of a longitudinal direction. The first grooving region tends to have high liquid permeability, the absorbed liquid can be quickly transferred to the absorbent body, and the second grooving region draws in the liquid as evaluated by the Krem water absorbency etc. This is because the liquid absorbed at the central portion in the longitudinal direction is drawn and diffused, and the entire absorber can be used effectively.

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example and a comparative example are given and this invention is demonstrated, this invention is not limited to these Examples.
The measurement conditions of the items evaluated in the examples and comparative examples are as follows.
[Fiber diameter]
The fiber diameter was picked up from 50 arbitrary fibers in a sample observed at 300x with an acceleration voltage of 5 kV using a real surface view microscope VE-7800 manufactured by Keyence Corporation, and the fiber diameter was measured. Is used as the fiber diameter.
[Head height]
The height of the heel is determined by arbitrarily measuring 10 highest points of the heel using a high-precision two-dimensional laser displacement meter manufactured by Keyence Corporation, and adopting an arithmetic average thereof.

[Basis weight]
The basis weight is measured according to 5.2 of JIS L 1906.
[Bulk]
The bulk is measured using THICKNESS GAUGE UF-60 manufactured by Daiei Kagaku Seiki Seisakusho.

[Compression characteristics]
The compression characteristics are evaluated using an automated compression tester, KES-FB3, manufactured by Kato Tech Co., Ltd.
The measurement conditions are as follows.
SENS: 2
Speed: 0.02mm / sec Stroke: 5mm / 10V
Pressurized area: 2 cm ²
Uptake interval: 0.1 seconds Upper limit load: 50 g / cm ²
Repeat count: 1 time

Compression properties, and WC, which means compression energy per nonwoven 1 cm ^2, and T _0, which means the thickness of the sample at a pressure 0.5 gf / cm ^2, and T _m, which means the thickness of the sample at a pressure 50 gf / cm ² Evaluate by WC means that the larger the value, the easier it is to compress.

[Air permeability]
The air permeability is measured using a KES-F8-AP1 air permeability tester manufactured by Kato Tech Co., Ltd., and the unit is converted to “m ³ / m ² / min”.
The air permeability in the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric is measured by setting a nonwoven fabric cut to a size of 100 mm × 100 mm in a breathability tester.
For the air permeability in the plane direction of the nonwoven fabric, a nonwoven fabric cut to a size of 100 mm × 100 mm is set in a breathability tester, and an acrylic plate having a size of 100 mm × 100 mm is further set on the nonwoven fabric. Measure under a weight of cm ² .
[Clem water absorption]
In accordance with JIS P 8141, the suction height (mm) for 5 minutes was evaluated.

[Liquid permeability]
The liquid permeability is evaluated using a LISTER strike-through tester manufactured by LENZING. The evaluation procedure is as follows.
(1) A sample cut to a size of 100 × 100 mm is placed on five pieces of filter paper (ADVANTEC FILTER PAPER GRADE 2) cut to a size of 100 × 100 mm, and an electrically permeable liquid plate is placed thereon. .
(2) Set a filter paper, a sample and a current-permeable plate on the strike-through tester body. Note that the sample is set so that the opening of the testing machine and the first or second groove region coincide with each other.
(3) Put 5 mL of physiological saline into the strike-through tester body.
(4) The physiological saline (room temperature) is dropped from the strike-through tester main body into the opening of the conductive liquid-permeable plate.
(5) Record the energization time of the energized permeable plate.
(6) The measurement is repeated twice, and the average value of the total three times is defined as the liquid permeation time.
In the case where the sample was not set, that is, the liquid permeation time in 5 sheets of filter paper was 69 seconds.

[Production Example 1]
-Gear extension-
As a nonwoven fabric to be treated, an air-through nonwoven fabric was prepared, and a gear stretching apparatus (gear temperature: 55 ° C., gear pitch: 2.5 mm, gear biting depth: 3.0 mm, gear tip width: 0. 0) as shown in FIG. 2 mm, a non-woven fabric including a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion and a non-stretch region was formed as shown in FIG. 3. The area | region which has the said high extending | stretching part and the low extending | stretching part exists in the center of a conveyance direction, and the non-stretching area | region existed in the both sides of the conveyance direction, as FIG. 3 shows. The area | region which has a high extending | stretching part and a low extending | stretching part had alternately the high extending | stretching part and low extending | stretching part parallel to a conveyance direction in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction. The stretch ratio in the orthogonal direction of the region having the high stretch portion and the low stretch portion was 160%.

In the air-through nonwoven fabric subjected to gear stretching, the fused portion remained in the low-stretched portion that was in contact with the tip of the tooth. Further, in the highly stretched portion that was not in contact with the tip portion of the tooth, the fused portion was partially broken and a web region was formed.
Table 1 shows the characteristics of the air-through nonwoven fabric, the region having the high stretch portion and the low stretch portion, and the non-stretch region.

-Steam treatment-
A non-woven fabric including a region having the high stretch portion and the low stretch portion and a non-stretch region is formed into a round hole 60 ° staggered punching plate (φ: 1.0 mm, MD pitch: 2.60 mm, CD pitch: 1. 5 mm, thickness: 1.0 mm). Next, a steam treatment system (jet pressure: jetting pressure: a nonwoven fabric including a region having the high stretch portion and the low stretch portion and a non-stretch region having a plurality of nozzles (φ: 0.5 mm) at an interval of 3.0 mm. The nonwoven fabric 1 was obtained by passing the nozzle and the support at a speed of 50 m / min while maintaining the distance between the nozzle and the support at 4.0 mm.
The characteristic values of the nonwoven fabric 1 are shown in Table 1.

  Regarding the air permeability, when the nonwoven fabric of the present invention is used as a top sheet of an absorbent article, in order to grasp the air permeability of the entire top sheet, the first ridge groove area, the second ridge groove area, Was measured for the air permeability of the place including the area ratio of 1: 1. In addition, for comparison, regarding a nonwoven fabric including a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion and a non-stretch region, the area having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion and the non-stretch region are 1 in area ratio. : The air permeability of the place where it was included was measured.

[Production Example 2]
The air-through nonwoven fabric is changed to a spunbond nonwoven fabric, the processing speed at the time of gear stretching is changed to 30 m / min, and the steam pressure is changed to 0.35 Mpa, steam temperature: about 136 ° C. According to Production Example 1, a nonwoven fabric 2 was obtained.
Table 1 shows the properties of the spunbonded nonwoven fabric, the region having the high stretched portion and the low stretched portion, the non-stretched region, and the nonwoven fabric 2.
The air permeability is the same as in Production Example 1.

From Table 1, regardless of the type of nonwoven fabric, the first ridge groove region is higher in liquid permeability than the second ridge groove region, and the second ridge groove region has a Klemm water absorption rate than the first ridge groove region. I understand that it is expensive.
Therefore, it is suggested that the nonwoven fabric of the present invention including the first ridge groove region and the second ridge groove region on the same surface is suitable for the liquid-permeable top sheet. For example, in a liquid-permeable top sheet, when the first ridge groove region is disposed at the center in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article and the second ridge groove region is present on both sides in the longitudinal direction, the longitudinal direction This is because the central portion is excellent in liquid absorbency, and both side portions in the longitudinal direction are excellent in liquid drawability and diffusibility.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Nonwoven fabric which contains the 1st ridge groove area | region and the 2nd ridge groove area | region on the same surface 2 1st ridge groove area | region 3 2nd ridge groove area | region 4 1st ridge part 5 1st groove part 6 2nd ridge part 7 2nd groove part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Gear extending | stretching apparatus 12, 12 'Gear roll 13, 13' Outer peripheral surface 14, 14 'A plurality of teeth 15 Non-woven fabric which should be processed 16 Non-woven fabric containing the area | region which has a high extending | stretching part and a low extending | stretching part, and an unstretched area | region 17 High stretching Region having a portion and a low stretch portion 17 'High stretch portion 17''Low stretch portion 18 Non-stretch region 19 Gear pitch 20 Gear biting depth 21 Support 22 Fluid nozzle MD Transport direction CD Orthogonal direction

Claims (13)

A non-woven fabric comprising a first ridge groove region and a second ridge groove region on the same surface,
The first groove region includes a plurality of first groove portions and a plurality of first groove portions,
The second groove region includes a plurality of second groove portions and a plurality of second groove portions,
The height of the first collar is higher than the height of the second collar,
The fiber diameter in the first grooving region is thinner than the fiber diameter in the second grooving region,
The said nonwoven fabric characterized by the above-mentioned.   The nonwoven fabric according to claim 1, wherein the first flange portion and the first groove portion are parallel to each other and are alternately arranged.   The non-woven fabric according to claim 2, wherein the second ridges and the second groove portions are parallel to each other and alternately arranged, and are parallel to the first ridge portions and the first groove portions.   The nonwoven fabric as described in any one of Claims 1-3 whose amount of the fiber of a 1st collar part is larger than the amount of the fiber of a 1st groove part.   The nonwoven fabric as described in any one of Claims 1-4 which consists of one 1st ridge groove area | region and two 2nd ridge groove area | regions adjacent to a 1st ridge groove area | region.   The first grooving region is more permeable than the second grooving region, and the second grooving region is more excellent in liquid drawing than the first grooving region. The nonwoven fabric described in 1.   The nonwoven fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising a single layer. An absorbent article comprising a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent body between the top sheet and the back sheet,
The top sheet is formed from the nonwoven fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The absorbent article. A method for producing the nonwoven fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Preparing a nonwoven to be treated;
A part of the nonwoven fabric to be treated is stretched non-uniformly so as to form a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion, and includes a region having a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion, and a non-stretch region. Forming a non-woven fabric, and placing a non-woven fabric comprising a region having the high-stretched portion and the low-stretched portion and a non-stretched region on a support, and ejecting the fluid into the high-stretched portion and the low-stretched portion. Spraying two regions, a region having a portion and the non-stretched region,
Including methods.   The step of forming a non-woven fabric including a region having the high-stretched portion and the low-stretched portion and a non-stretched region is a pair of gear rolls having a rotation axis orthogonal to the transport direction, and is formed on each outer peripheral surface of the gear roll. The method according to claim 9, wherein the method is performed by passing a part of the nonwoven fabric to be treated through a gap between rotating teeth while meshing with each other.   The plurality of teeth are arranged on the outer peripheral surface perpendicular to the rotation axis, and in the region having the high stretch portion and the low stretch portion, a high stretch portion and a low stretch portion that are parallel to the transport direction, respectively. The nonwoven fabric alternately formed in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the conveying direction is formed, or the plurality of teeth are arranged on the outer peripheral surface in parallel to the rotation axis, and the high-stretched portion and the low-stretched portion are provided. The method according to claim 10, wherein a non-woven fabric having alternating high-stretched portions and low-stretched portions parallel to a direction orthogonal to the transport direction in the transport direction is formed in the region having.   The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the nonwoven fabric to be treated is selected from the group consisting of an air-through nonwoven fabric, a spunbond nonwoven fabric, and a stretchable nonwoven fabric.   13. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the fluid is selected from the group consisting of air, water vapor and water.

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