DE2550730A1 - Tampon with extractor thread - has maximum absorbent and dimensional recovery characteristics - Google Patents

Abstract

The tampon consists of a spirally wound multi-layer strip of absorbent material, densified by radial pressure and provided with a recovery thread. The multi-layered strip is of open-pored, soft polyurethane foam, to which, on one or both surfaces, a fibrous fleece is needle-bonded. A thermoplastic fixative soluble in water is added to the pores of the foam and/or the fibrous fleece, and at the bottom end of the tampon all the layers of the coil are stitched through by a thread. The bonding of the various layers eliminates partitioning zones in the tampon so that its full absorptive capacity can be utilised, and the lightly pressed tampon can expand very closely to its original dimensions.

Description

Feminine hygiene tampon

The invention relates to a tampon for feminine hygiene, which consists of a multi-layered spiral wound and equipped with a withdrawal thread Strip is made of absorbent material and compacted by radial pressing is.

Such tampons are for example from the German patent 804,835 known. The tampon described there consists of a spiral wound and then radially pressed two-layer web, of which the outer layer, for example made of wadding and the inner layer made of a highly absorbent cellulose material is. The tampon has the advantage that the highly absorbent, but easily fibrous pulp material does not directly contact the body cavity when used can come into contact.

From the German Offenlegungsschrift 22 34 183 is a multilayer tampon known, the tampon core of which is a rod-shaped, at its the tampon introducer facing end of expanded molded body made of organic rebound-elastic material, is preferably hydrophilic flexible polyurethane foam. The tampon cover is made made of an absorbent fiber material, preferably cellulose and / or Cotton fibers. The construction of this tampon is intended to ensure that the tampon is unfolds in a funnel shape when in use. This is caused by the fact that the inside of the tampon existing, upwardly expanded molded body made of flexible polyurethane foam expands when wetted and thereby the surrounding fibrous material, its association is also loosened by the wetting, drifts apart.

Multi-layer tampons of the previously known type have various disadvantages. A major disadvantage is that the two are composed differently Layers of material lie next to one another without any further connection and thereby create separation zones are present that ensure the undisturbed transfer of the liquid to be absorbed by the tampon impede. The disadvantage can be alleviated in a certain way that higher pressing pressures are used. On the other hand, this is undesirable because because this makes the tampon harder on the one hand and the ability to recover on the other is reduced in the acted upon state. Under "ability to recover" is included understood the property of the secretion-charged tampon, after being squeezed z. B. by 50% of the dimension in the wet state back to the highest possible To expand the amount of its original dimensions.

There is thus the object of a multilayer tampon of the type described To propose structure in which the disadvantages mentioned do not exist, in which so the liquid absorbency at least in the order of magnitude fully textile tampons and in which the ability to recover is improved.

To solve this problem, it is assumed that a tampon is made of a spiral-wound multilayer strip equipped with a withdrawal thread consists of absorbent material and is compressed by radial pressing. Of the Tampon is characterized in that the multi-layer strip is made of open-cell Polyurethane soft foam is made, which is needled with fiber fleece on one or both sides is.

Due to the needling of the two materials, which is known per se ensures that these are largely permanently connected to one another. The needling is known to cause individual fibers or fiber bundles of the nonwoven fabric to be deep are drawn into the foam layer and penetrate it like wicks.

The two layers unite to form one practically inseparable Unit that does not separate when the finished tampon is moistened. Of the Construction also has the advantage that separation zones, which the liquid transport blocking into the inside of the tampon should be avoided.

With tampons of the type according to the invention there is the possibility that the pressed lap gradually expands, especially during prolonged storage this becomes looser. This is due to what is known as the ability to stand up, i.e. the Resilience - in this case in the dry state - of the flexible polyurethane foam which is by far the case with flexible foams more pronounced than with pressed cotton and cellulose fibers. This is the property of PU foam is desirable when using the tampon. However, the property can be undesirable when storing the tampon, especially when it is unpacked.

To keep the tampon together during this time, it is suggested into the open cells of the flexible polyurethane foam and / or into the fiber fleece store a thermoplastic fixing aid.

Powdered polyethylene glycol, for example, can be used as such 4,000 molar weight or similar water-soluble polymeric substances are considered.

From the nature of the flexible polyurethane foam it follows that stripes made of this material, even if they are made with fibers made of cotton and / or viscose viscose are needled, behave differently than pure cotton or rayon fiber strips. The wound bodies made from such materials tend to be higher, for example Measures to straighten up again than with cotton or rayon strips the case is. To this property, which may be disruptive in production to counteract it is proposed that the tampon at its lower end through all layers of his wrap is stapled. The stitching is appropriate to the wrap in any case to hold together until it is through the already mentioned radial pressure is finally sufficiently compressed and then no longer shows any tendency to turn into short times to straighten up.

To produce the proposed tampon, the procedure is that First a PU foam sheet needled with a fiber fleece on one or both sides, then cut a strip of sufficient width and length, this with a Return thread connected, spirally wound, stapled and in a radial direction is pressed into a tampon. The pressing can be done cold or warm, depending according to the desired result.

If the mentioned fixing aid is to be introduced, this can be done can be applied before or after needling with the nonwoven fabric. Becomes the fixation aid Applied before needling, it is preferentially stored in the open cells of the PtI foam. The fixing aid is used for subsequent application preferably taken up by the needled fiber fleece and only to a small extent forwarded to the open cells of the PU foam. In any case, however, it is able to perform its function.

Depending on the structure of the tampon and depending on whether a fixing aid is present or not, the pressing treatment of the coil is carried out at room temperature or made at elevated temperature. Should in any case at room temperature are pressed, it is also possible to activate the fixing aid, to subsequently subject the pressed tampon to a heat treatment in which the tampon must be heated to temperatures at which the fixing aid melts or at least softens.

The manufacture and properties of the proposed tampon are described in the following explained in more detail with the aid of some exemplary embodiments: example 1: A block of open-cell, hydrophilic polyurethane foam with a density of 35 kg / m3 was cut into 2 mm thick strips. Powdery was applied to the strips obtained Polyethylene glycol with a molar weight of 4,000 and a grain size of 200-300 / u as long inflated until there is 10 Ge d of the sheet weight of polyethylene glycol in the open Knocked down cells.

Regardless of this, cellulose fibers of 1.7 dtex and one Stack length of 50 mm on a carding machine a fleece with a basis weight of 233 g / m.

Both webs of material were joined under slight pressure and Needled in a needle loom with a stitch density of 40 stitches per cm.

The resulting composite was made into sheets 48 mm wide and Cut 185 mm in length. The webs weighed 2.87 g.

A pulling thread was pulled through about the middle of the strips on the lanes Sew on and the strip is then wound up with the help of a winding fork. The resulting wrap was attached with a tack stitch at a distance of 4 mm from the end of the tampon sewn.

The lap produced in this way was then introduced into a radial press and pressed at room temperature with a pressing pressure of 5 kg / cm. Direct then the produced compact was placed in a heat treatment sleeve convicted and heated there to 800 C. After cooling, which under mechanical fixation was carried out, there was a tampon which was sufficiently firm to to be inserted without an applicator.

Example 2: The procedure was the same as in Example 1 described. With the foam sheet of 2 mm thickness, however, two cellular wool fleeces were made each with a surface weight of 38 g / m2 needled. In this case too, the stripes were separated so that they weighed 2.87 g.

Example 3: In order to obtain a comparative tampon, in principle proceed as described in example 1. However, there were two cellulose fleece Each 117 g / m surface weight needled together. On the addition of a foam layer was waived.

The section length was 184-200 mm and it was dimensioned so that the weight of each blank was also 2.87 g.

Comparative measurements: The tampons produced were under a counter pressure of 170 mm water column with a blood substitute fluid with a viscosity of 10 cP applied. After a suction time of 15 minutes, the following liquid uptakes were made measured: Example 1 16.6 g of liquid per tampon. Example 2 17.8 g of liquid per tampon Example 3 16.3 g of liquid per tampon Leave the numbers recognize that the tampons according to Examples 1 and 2, that is, using Made of PU foam, practically the same, in fact, actually show even better fluid absorption values. However, they differ significantly with regard to the ability to recover.

When carrying out the experiments described above, the tampons swell from 12 mm in diameter to about 21-23 mm. A side load can you squeeze it to about half, i.e. about the dry cross-section and then relieve it again.

The recovery rate for the fibrous tampon is 74.4%, for the Composite tampon 97 # according to the invention.

In practice, this means that the tampon according to the invention is the Adapt to physiologically determined spatial conditions in the body cavity much better can than is the case with a uniformly composed fiber tampon.

The tampon according to the invention is described below with reference to the drawing explained in more detail.

1 shows a schematic side view of the tampon; Fig. 2 shows a cross section of the multilayer strip used; Fig. 3 is a perspective Top view of a multi-layer strip with the retrieval thread folded over.

Fig. 1 shows that the tampon shown from the pressed Winding body 1 consists of all layers of the winding at its lower end 2 has thorough basting stitch 3. The tampon also has a withdrawal thread 4, which is preferably knotted at the lower end 5.

The winding body 1 consists of a wound multilayer strip 6, which in turn consists of a strip 7 of open-cell flexible polyurethane foam consists of layers 8 on both sides in the example shown in FIG Nonwoven is needled. The layers 8 are sufficient as a result of the needling process deep into the PU foam strip 7 and form wick-like fiber bridges there 9.

During the manufacture of the tampon, the multilayer strips 6 cut out of the finished needled multilayer material. Then the Return thread 4 sewn on or - as shown in Fig. 3 - turned inside out.

The strip is then in a known manner with the help of a Wrapping fork spirally wound into a wrap, sewn at the lower end (basting stitch 3) and finally as known and also described in a radial press to the Compressed tampon shown in Fig. 1.

L e r s e i t e

Claims (6)

Pa tent claims 1. Tampon for feminine hygiene, which consists of a spiral wound multilayer strips equipped with a withdrawal thread absorbent material and is compressed by radial pressing, thereby characterized in that the multi-layer strip (6) made of open-cell flexible polyurethane foam exists, which is needled with fiber fleece on one or both sides. 2. Tampon according to claim 1, characterized in that in the open Cells of the flexible polyurethane foam and / or a thermoplastic in the fiber fleece Fixing aid is stored. 3. Tampon according to claim 1, characterized in that the tampon is stapled at its lower end (2) through all the layers of its wrap. 4. A method for manufacturing a tampon according to at least one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a PU foam web is one or needled with fiber fleece on both sides, then a strip of sufficient width and Cut off the length, connected it with a return thread, wound it up in a spiral, is stapled and pressed in the radial direction to the tampon. 5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the PU foam web before or after needling with fiber fleece with a thermoplastic fixing aid loaded and the strips cut out of it after winding and pressing heat-treated at a temperature sufficient to set the fixing aid will. 6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the PU foam web before or after needling with fiber fleece with a thermoplastic fixing aid loaded and the strips cut out of it after winding in radial Direction at a temperature sufficient to set the fixing aid be hot-pressed.