EP4132303A1

EP4132303A1 - Hydroentangled filter material for smoking articles having improved expansion behaviour

Info

Publication number: EP4132303A1
Application number: EP21733956.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Dietmar Volgger; Stefan Bachmann
Original assignee: Delfortgroup AG
Current assignee: Delfortgroup AG
Priority date: 2021-06-15
Filing date: 2021-06-15
Publication date: 2023-02-15
Anticipated expiration: 2041-06-15
Also published as: EP4132303B1; KR20240023097A; WO2022262955A1; CN117479851A

Abstract

The invention relates to a hydroentangled nonwoven fabric for producing a segment for a smoking article, said hydroentangled nonwoven fabric being in the form of a web and containing at least 50% and at most 100% cellulose fibres, in each case based on the mass of the hydroentangled nonwoven fabric, said hydroentangled nonwoven fabric having a weight per unit area of at least 15 g/m2 and at most 60 g/m2, the hydroentangled nonwoven fabric having a machine direction and a transverse direction orthogonal thereto in the plane of the web of the hydroentangled nonwoven fabric, and the hydroentangled nonwoven fabric having a characteristic plastic deformability in the transverse direction which is characterised in that, in a tensile test in the transverse direction according to ISO 1924-2:2008, the non-linear portion of the deformation energy absorbed by the hydroentangled nonwoven fabric up to half the elongation at break is at least 10% and at most 50% of the total deformation energy absorbed by the hydroentangled nonwoven fabric up to half the elongation at break.

Description

WATERJET REINFORCED FILTER MATERIAL FOR RAU CH ARTICLES WITH IMPROVED EXPANSION BEHAVIOR

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a filter material suitable for producing a segment in a smoking article, which has favorable plastic expansion behavior in the transverse direction, so that segments for smoking articles can be produced from it in an efficient manner. The invention also relates to a segment for a smoking article made from this filter material.

BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART

Smoking articles are typically rod-shaped articles consisting of at least two rod-shaped segments arranged one after the other. One segment contains a material that is capable of forming an aerosol when heated, and at least one other segment is used to influence the properties of the aerosol.

The smoking article can be a filter cigarette in which a first segment contains the aerosol-forming material, in particular tobacco, and in which a further segment is designed as a filter and is used to filter the aerosol. The aerosol is generated by burning the aerosol-forming material, and the filter primarily serves to filter the aerosol and to equip the filter cigarette with a defined draw resistance.

However, the smoking article can also be a so-called tobacco heater, in which the aerosol-forming material is only heated but not burned. This reduces the number and amount of harmful substances in the aerosol. Such a smoking article also consists of at least two, but more often more, in particular four segments. One segment contains the aerosol forming material, which typically comprises tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, or tobacco processed by other processes. Other segments in the smoking article, some of which are optional, are used to forward the aerosol, to cool the aerosol or to filter the aerosol.

The segments are mostly encased by an encasing material. Paper is very often used as a wrapping material. In the following, unless explicitly stated otherwise or the context indicates otherwise, the term “segment” is understood to mean the segment of a smoking article that does not contain the aerosol-forming material but is used, for example, to convey, cool or filter the aerosol.

Forming such segments from polymers such as cellulose acetate or polylactides is known from the prior art. After consumption of the smoking article, the smoking article must be disposed of appropriately. In many cases, however, the consumer simply throws the consumed smoking article away in the environment and attempts to restrict this behavior through information or punishment have had little success.

Because cellulose acetate and polylactides are very slow to biodegrade in the environment, it is in the industry's interest to fabricate the segments of the smoking article from other materials that are more biodegradable. In addition, regulations are being discussed in the European Union, for example, which significantly reduce or prohibit the use of non-natural polymers in smoking articles, so that for this reason there is also an interest in having alternative segments for smoking articles available. It is known in the prior art to produce segments for smoking articles, in particular filter segments, from paper. Although segments of this type are generally readily biodegradable, they also have disadvantages. For example, filter segments made of paper generally have a high filtration efficiency and therefore result in a dry aerosol, which affects the taste of the aerosol compared to cigarettes with the usual cellulose acetate filter segments. Furthermore, they often have a lower filtration efficiency for phenols than cellulose acetate.

A major reason why filter segments made of paper have not yet found widespread use is their visual appearance. At the mouth end of the smoking article, the cut surface of the segment located at the mouth end is often visible, and the consumer is accustomed to a white homogeneous surface from the usual segments made of cellulose acetate, where the individual cut fibers are hardly recognizable. Paper segments, on the other hand, have a coarse structure, which apparently gives the consumer the impression of lower quality. Therefore, slices of paper are often used only as a sub-slice in a multi-slice filter so that the consumer cannot see the interface. The segment located at the end of the mouth then often continues to consist of cellulose acetate. Because of these visual defects, the biodegradability benefits of a paper segment cannot be fully exploited.

It is also known in the prior art to produce segments for smoking articles from non-woven fabrics. EP 2 515 689, for example, describes a filter material made of non-woven fabric, which, however, mainly contains fibers made from polyvinyl alcohol, polylactides or other non-natural polymers and is therefore unable to meet the requirements for biodegradability well. In addition, the nonwovens described there are too thin to produce a visually appealing appearance on the cut surface of the segment made from them.

It is also known in the prior art to produce filter material for smoking articles made of paper from bio-logically readily degradable fibers. Such a filter material is described in US 2015/0374030, which, however, consists to a considerable extent of cellulose fibers made of hemp, flax, abaca, sisal or cotton. These fibers are expensive and, because of their short growth period compared to cellulose fibers from wood, exhibit great fluctuations in quality. According to the teaching in US 2015/0374030, however, they are necessary in order to achieve a sufficiently porous structure and sufficiently high strength at the same time. The use of wood pulp is discouraged because it creates a dense and compact paper structure. In fact, the proportion of wood pulp should always be less than 50% by weight and in the industrially implemented embodiments it is less than 5% by weight. Due to the manufacturing process used for this purpose, the visual appearance of such filters is not sufficiently appealing to the consumer. Contrary to the teaching of the prior art, the inventors of the present application have found that a filter material with a high proportion of wood pulp fibers can be produced in the form of a hydroentangled nonwoven fabric without the structure of the nonwoven fabric becoming too dense or too compact. A corresponding filter material, which can be seen as the starting point for the present invention, is described in the international application PCT/EP2019/085125, which was not previously published. This application, which is not a prior publication, also describes folding or crimping the filter material in order to form an endless strand of folded or crimped filter material, which is then wrapped in wrapping paper and cut into individual rods of a defined length to form the segments mentioned.

For example, when producing a segment, it is possible to first crimp a web made of a cellulose-based fleece in the longitudinal direction before it becomes an endless strand molded and encased with an encasing material. Finally, the endless strand can be cut into pieces suitable for further processing.

When crimping the web, the web may be passed through two patterned rollers which imprint that pattern on the web. For example, this pattern can be a line pattern oriented in the machine direction of the web. Such embossed lines stretch and deform the web in the direction orthogonal to the machine direction, the cross direction, so that thereafter a continuous strand can more easily be formed by collapsing the web in the cross direction.

However, with the type of crimping described, it can happen that the web tears in the transverse direction. There is therefore a need for a filter material that does not have this disadvantage or only to a lesser extent, but otherwise has the preferred filter materials, in particular those described in the above-mentioned non-prior-published application PCT/EP2019/085125. is identical as far as possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to provide a web-shaped filter material for a smoking article which can be processed into a segment of a smoking article with high productivity and which is otherwise as similar as possible to preferred filter materials in terms of its properties. This object is achieved by a hydroentangled nonwoven according to claim 1, a segment for a smoking article according to claim 16, and a smoking article according to claim 23, as well as by a method for producing a segment according to claim 22 and a method for producing the hydroentangled nonwoven according to claim 27. Advantageous further developments are specified in the dependent claims.

The inventors have found that this object can be achieved by a filter material for producing a segment for a smoking article, the filter material being a web-shaped hydroentangled fleece. Although the term "hydroentangled" first refers to the underlying manufacturing process, it should be noted that a hydroentangled web has characteristic structural properties that distinguish it from other webs and which, to the inventors' knowledge, are not achieved in an identical manner by any other manufacturing process can. Unlike for example in the case of paper, in which the strength is primarily caused by hydrogen bridges and the fibers are arranged primarily in the plane of the paper, the strength of the hydro-jet-bonded nonwoven is achieved by the turbulence of the fibers. A hydroentangled fleece has a particularly porous structure, which makes it particularly suitable as a filter material for segments of smoking articles.

According to the invention, the hydroentangled fleece contains at least 50% and at most 100% cellulose fibers, based on the mass of the hydroentangled fleece, the hydroentangled fleece having a basis weight of at least 15 g/m ² and at most 60 g/m ² . The hydroentangled fleece has a machine direction and a transverse direction that is orthogonal thereto in the plane of the web of the hydroentangled fleece. Furthermore, the hydroentangled fleece has a characteristic plastic deformability in the transverse direction, which is characterized by the fact that in a tensile test in the transverse direction according to ISO 1924-2:2008, the non-linear portion of the deformation energy absorbed by the hydroentangled fleece up to half the elongation at break is at least 10% and at most 50% of the total deformation energy absorbed by the hydroentangled fleece up to half the elongation at break. This characteristic plastic deformability is more pronounced than is the case with conventional filter materials.

During the production and further processing of the hydroentangled nonwoven, the hydroentangled nonwoven runs in one direction, the so-called machine direction, through the machine and the hydroentangled nonwoven has a direction that is orthogonal to the machine direction and lies in the web plane of the hydroentangled nonwoven, the transverse direction.

When processing a filter material into a segment of a smoking article, the hydroentangled fleece is preferably crimped. For this purpose, the hydroentangled fleece is passed through two rollers provided with a pattern, which emboss this pattern onto the web. Preferably, this pattern is a line pattern oriented in the machine direction of the web. The embossed lines stretch and deform the hydroentangled web in the direction orthogonal to the machine direction, the cross direction. A filter material deformed in this way can be pushed together more easily in the transverse direction and an endless strand can thus be produced for the production of the segments. A problem with this method, however, is that the two rollers have to exert a high degree of stretching in the transverse direction on the web in order to bring about a desired deformation of the hydroentangled web, and that there is therefore a risk that the hydroentangled web transverse direction tears. The person skilled in the art could now be tempted to increase the elongation at break of the hydroentangled fleece in the transverse direction, so that the hydroentangled fleece tolerates larger deformations without tearing. However, the inventors have recognized that this does not solve the problem, because in order to achieve permanent deformation in the transverse direction, the elongation must then be increased even further, so that the risk of exceeding the breaking load in the transverse direction increases even more.

According to the findings of the inventors, it is more important that the stretching in the transverse direction to which the hydroentangled fleece is subjected during crimping causes a permanent, plastic and not an elastic deformation. If such a plastic deformation can already be achieved with a greater distance between the rollers during crimping, the risk of the hydroentangled fleece tearing in the transverse direction during processing is reduced. In general, it should be sufficient to stretch the hydroentangled fleece in the transverse direction to about half its elongation at break.

The inventors have now found that the hydroentangled nonwoven can be equipped with a structure using suitable methods that allows good plastic deformability in the transverse direction and thus simplifies crimping. Methods suitable for this are explained further below.

This plastic deformability in the transverse direction can be characterized by a tensile test according to ISO 1924-2:2008. In this tensile test, a strip 15 mm wide is taken from the sample in the transverse direction and stretched at a rate of 20 mm/min until it breaks. The strain e and the force F applied are recorded, resulting in a force-strain curve F( ). Elongation at break 8 _b and tensile strength F( _b ) are also recorded. The deformation energy E absorbed by the water jet bonded fleece up to half the elongation at break 8 _b /2 is then given by where in practice the integral is calculated numerically.

This deformation energy consists of an elastic and a plastic part. The elastic deformation decreases after relief, so that it does not contribute to the result of the crimping. The plastic deformation, on the other hand, is irreversible, so even at low Elongation by the two roles can be expected when crimping a good result when the proportion of plastic deformation energy in the total deformation energy is higher than in comparable filter materials from the prior art.

Elastic deformation is generally associated with a proportionality between strain and force. Under the fictitious assumption that the water-jet bonded fleece behaves ideally linearly elastic up to half the elongation at break, the deformation energy Ei _m can be transmitted up to half the elongation at break be calculated.

The non-linear portion E _ni of the deformation energy introduced into the water jet-bonded nonwoven up to half the elongation at break, which goes beyond this deformation energy, is then

According to the findings of the inventors, very good results can be achieved during crimping if the non-linear component of the deformation energy absorbed up to half the elongation at break in the transverse direction is at least 10% of the total deformation energy absorbed up to half the elongation at break in the transverse direction, i.e is applicable.

These considerations for quantifying the plastic behavior can be illustrated by the diagram shown in FIG. The elongation e is plotted on the x-axis 10, while the force F( ) required to produce this elongation is plotted on the y-axis 11. FIG. Starting from an unloaded state 12, the elongation e is increased at a rate of 20 mm/min and at the same time the force F(c) is measured, with the force-elongation curve 13 being produced. The elongation is increased until the sample breaks in state 14, and from this the elongation at break C _b and the tensile strength F(c _b ) are determined.

In the production of a segment from the hydroentangled fleece, the hydroentangled fleece can in places, for example, be approximately half the elongation at break C _b / 2, Point 15, are loaded with the associated force F( _b /2), so that state 16 is reached.

The line 17 connecting points 12 and 16 would represent a notional linear elastic behavior and the linear strain energy Ei _m corresponds to the area of the triangle formed by points 12, 16 and 15. The total deformation energy E, on the other hand, corresponds to the area enclosed by the lines from point 12 to point 15, from point 15 to point 16 and the line 13 from point 16 to point 12. The non-linear component E _ni of the deformation energy, which is used within the scope of the invention to characterize the hydroentangled fleece according to the invention, corresponds to the area bounded by lines 17 and 13, between points 12 and 16, respectively. The more the force-strain curve bends upwards and the more it deviates from fictitious linear elastic behavior, the greater the potential for plastic and thus irreversible deformation.

When producing segments from the hydroentangled nonwoven according to the invention, the elongation in the transverse direction during crimping can of course deviate from half the elongation at break, but the non-linear component of the deformation energy up to half the elongation at break has changed independently of the elongation actually applied and the actual elastic -Plastic behavior highlighted as a suitable parameter to characterize the structural structure of the hydroentangled nonwoven according to the invention and to predict behavior of the hydroentangled nonwoven when crimping.

For comparison, FIG. 2 shows the behavior of a typical conventional and non-inventive filter material. Here, too, a tensile test according to ISO 1924-2:2008 is carried out on a sample in the transverse direction. The elongation e is plotted on the x-axis 20, while the force F( ) required to generate this elongation is plotted on the y-axis 21. FIG. Starting from an unloaded state 22, the elongation e is increased at a rate of 20 mm/min and at the same time the force F(c) is measured, with the force-elongation curve 23 being produced. The elongation is increased until the sample breaks in state 24 and from this the elongation at break C _b and the tensile strength F(c _b ) are determined.

When producing a segment from the hydroentangled nonwoven, the hydroentangled nonwoven can, for example, be loaded with the associated force F( _cb /2) up to approximately half the elongation at break C _b / 2, point 25, so that state 26 is reached. Line 27 connecting points 22 and 26 would represent linear elastic behavior and the associated deformation energy Ei _m corresponds to the area of the triangle formed by points 22, 26 and 25. The total deformation energy E, on the other hand, corresponds to the area enclosed by the lines from point 22 to point 25, from point 25 to point 26 and the line 23 from point 26 to point 22. The non-linear component E _ni of the deformation energy corresponds to that area which is delimited by the lines 27 and 23 between the points 22 and 26, respectively. It can be seen that with a very similar elongation at break and a very similar linear portion of the deformation energy, the portion of the non-linear deformation energy is significantly lower. Such a hydroentangled nonwoven will therefore primarily react elastically to the deformation and, after the load has been relieved, essentially reverse the entire deformation. In order to introduce a similar plastic deformation energy as in the case of the hydroentangled fleece illustrated in FIG. 1, indicated by line 28, the hydroentangled fleece would have to be stretched to point 29. The elongation required for this is significantly higher and, above all, the force required comes close to the breaking load in the transverse direction. Small machine malfunctions or fluctuations in the quality of the hydroentangled web can therefore tear the hydroentangled web in the transverse direction. The hydroentangled nonwoven according to the invention from FIG. 1, on the other hand, has a structure that allows permanent deformation in the transverse direction even with slight elongation, which is why segments for smoking articles can be produced more reliably from it.

The hydroentangled web according to the invention contains cellulose fibers. According to the inventors' knowledge, the cellulosic fibers are required to provide the hydroentangled web with sufficient strength so that it can be processed into a segment. According to the invention, the proportion of cellulose fibers in the hydroentangled fleece is at least 50% and at most 100% of the mass of the hydroentangled fleece, but preferably at least 60% and at most 100% and particularly preferably at least 70% and at most 95%, in each case based on the mass of the Water jet bonded fleece.

The cellulosic fibers may be wood pulp fibers or regenerated cellulosic fibers or mixtures thereof.

The cellulose fibers are preferably obtained from conifers, deciduous trees or other plants such as hemp, flax, jute, ramie, kenaf, kapok, coconut, abaca, sisal, bamboo, cotton or from esparto grass. Mixtures of cellulose fibers from different origins can also NEN are used for the production of hydroentangled fleece. The cellulose fibers are particularly preferably obtained from coniferous woods, because even a small proportion of such fibers give the hydroentangled fleece good strength. The hydroentangled web of the present invention may contain regenerated cellulose fibers. The proportion of fibers made from regenerated cellulose is preferably at least 5% and at most 50%, particularly preferably at least 10% and at most 45% and very particularly preferably at least 15% and at most 40%, in each case based on the mass of the hydroentangled nonwoven.

The fibers made of regenerated cellulose are preferably formed at least partially, in particular more than 70%, by viscose fibers, modal fibers, Lyocell® fibers, Tencel® fibers or mixtures thereof. These fibers have good biodegradability and can be used to optimize the strength of the hydroentangled web and adjust the filtration efficiency of the smoking article segment made therefrom. Because of their manufacturing process, they are less variable than naturally sourced pulp fibers and help ensure that the properties of a segment made from the hydroentangled batt vary less than when only pulp fibers are used. However, their production is more complex and they are usually also more expensive than cellulose fibers.

According to the invention, the weight per unit area of the hydroentangled nonwoven is at least 15 g/m ² and at most 60 g/m ² , preferably at least 18 g/m ² and at most 55 g/m ² and particularly preferably at least 20 g/m ² and at most 50 g/m 2 ² . The basis weight influences the tensile strength of the hydroentangled web, with a higher basis weight generally leading to higher strength. However, the weight per unit area should not be too high, because then the hydroentangled fleece can no longer be processed at high speed into segments for smoking articles. The information relates to a basis weight measured according to ISO 536:2019.

In the case of the hydroentangled fleece according to the invention, in a tensile test in the transverse direction according to ISO 1924-2:2008, the nonlinear component of the deformation energy absorbed by the hydroentangled fleece up to half the elongation at break is at least 10% and at most 50% of the energy absorbed by the hydroentangled fleece up to half the elongation at break total deformation energy. The non-linear part of the deformation resistance absorbed by the hydroentangled fleece up to half the elongation at break is preferably energy is at least 15% and at most 40% of the total deformation energy absorbed by the hydroentangled fleece up to half the elongation at break, and the non-linear component is particularly preferably at least 15% and at most 35%, and in particular at least 18% and at most 32%. In the preferred and particularly preferred intervals, a very good crimping result can be achieved with moderate elongation, and the risk of the hydroentangled fleece tearing in the transverse direction is particularly low.

The hydroentangled web according to the invention can contain additives such as alkyl ketene dimers (AKD), acid anhydrides such as alkenyl succinic anhydrides (ASA), polyvinyl alcohol, waxes, fatty acids, starch, starch derivatives, carboxymethyl cellulose, alginates, chitosan, wet strength agents or substances for adjusting the pH, such as organic ones or inorganic acids or bases to set specific properties. Alternatively or additionally, the hydroentangled web according to the invention can also contain one or more additives selected from the group consisting of citrates such as trisodium citrate or tripotassium citrate, malates, tartrates, acetates such as sodium acetate or potassium acetate, nitrates, succinates, fumarates, gluconates , Glycolates, lactates, oxylates, salicylates, a-hydroxycaprylates, phosphates, polyphosphates, chlorides and bicarbonates, and mixtures thereof.

The person skilled in the art is able to determine the type and amount of such additives from his experience.

The hydroentangled web of the present invention can also include other substances that better match the filtration efficiency of the hydroentangled web to that of cellulose acetate. In a preferred embodiment, the hydroentangled fleece according to the invention comprises a substance selected from the group consisting of triacetin, propylene glycol, sorbitol, glycerol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol and triethyl citrate or mixtures thereof.

In a preferred embodiment of the hydroentangled nonwoven, at least some of the cellulose fibers are loaded with a filler, with the filler particularly preferably being formed by mineral particles and in particular calcium carbonate particles. Since the structure of the hydroentangled nonwoven is very porous, it is not suitable for retaining fillers, so that it is favorable to load the cellulosic fibers with the fillers and thus fix them in the structure of the hydroentangled nonwoven. Fillers can be used to give the hydroentangled web special properties. The thickness of a layer of the hydroentangled nonwoven, measured according to ISO 534:2011, is preferably at least 25 μm and at most 1000 μm, preferably at least 30 μm and at most 800 μm and particularly preferably at least 35 μm and at most 600 μm. The thickness affects the amount of hydroentangled batt that can be packed into the segment of the smoking article and thus the draw resistance and filtration efficiency of the segment, but also the processability of the hydroentangled batt, particularly when crimped or folded to make a segment for a smoking article. Too high a thickness is unfavorable for such process steps, and thicknesses in the preferred and particularly preferred intervals allow particularly good processability of the hydroentangled nonwoven according to the invention to form a segment of a smoking article.

The mechanical properties of the hydroentangled nonwoven are important for the processing of the hydroentangled nonwoven according to the invention into a segment of a smoking article. The width-related tensile strength of the hydroentangled fleece in the transverse direction, measured according to ISO 1924-2:2008, is preferably at least 0.05 kN/m and at most 5 kN/m, particularly preferably at least 0.07 kN/m and at most 4 kN/m .

The elongation at break of the hydroentangled fleece in the transverse direction, measured according to ISO 1924-2:2008, is therefore preferably at least 0.5% and at most 50% and particularly preferably at least 0.8% and at most 40%. The elongation at break is primarily determined by the length of the fibers, with longer fibers leading to a higher elongation at break, and it can thus be adapted over a wide range to the specific requirements of the hydroentangled nonwoven.

Segments for smoking articles according to the invention can be produced from the hydroentangled fleece according to the invention by methods known per se from the prior art. These methods include, for example, crimping the hydroentangled web, forming a continuous strand from the crimped hydroentangled web, encasing the continuous strand with a wrapping material, and cutting the encased strand into individual rods of defined length. In many cases, the length of such a rod is an integer multiple of the length of the segment then to be used in the smoking article of the present invention, and therefore the rods are cut into segments of the desired length before or during manufacture of the smoking article. The segment for smoking articles according to the invention comprises the hydroentangled nonwoven fabric of the invention and a wrapping material.

Specifically, the segment comprises a hydroentangled web that is pushed together in the transverse direction and a wrapping material, the hydroentangled web containing at least 50% and at most 100% cellulosic fibers, each based on the mass of the hydroentangled web. The hydroentangled fleece has a basis weight of at least 15 g/m ² and at most 60 g/m ² . The basis for determining the basis weight is the area of the hydroentangled fleece when it is spread out (i.e. no longer pushed together). The hydroentangled web has a transverse direction in which the hydroentangled web is collapsed. To make it easier to collapse the hydroentangled web, it can be preformed by crimping or folding. The term "push together" is used broadly here, and the verb "push" it contains is not intended to suggest any particular mechanical way in which the "push together" condition is produced. A "gathered" state is also, for example, a "pushed together" state within the meaning of the present disclosure, regardless of the mechanical way in which the gathering or shortening in the transverse direction is produced. In addition, the hydroentangled nonwoven exhibits a characteristic plastic deformability in the transverse direction in the non-compacted state, which is characterized by the fact that in a tensile test in the transverse direction in accordance with ISO 1924-2:2008, the nonlinear portion of the deformation energy absorbed by the hydroentangled nonwoven up to half the elongation at break at least 10% and at most 50% of the total deformation energy absorbed by the hydroentangled fleece up to half the elongation at break.

In a preferred embodiment of the segment according to the invention, the segment is cylindrical with a diameter of at least 3 mm and at most 10 mm, particularly preferably at least 4 mm and at most 9 mm and very particularly preferably at least 5 mm and at most 8 mm. These diameters are favorable for the use of the segments according to the invention in smoking articles.

In a preferred embodiment of the segment according to the invention, the segment has a length of at least 4 mm and at most 40 mm, particularly preferably at least 6 mm and at most 35 mm and very particularly preferably at least 10 mm and at most 28 mm. The draw resistance of the segment determines, among other things, what pressure difference the consumer must apply when using the smoking article in order to generate a certain volume flow through the smoking article, and it therefore has a significant influence on the consumer's acceptance of the smoking article. The draw resistance of the segment can be measured according to ISO 6565:2015 and is given in mm water column (mmWG). In a very good approximation, the tensile resistance of the segment is proportional to the length of the segment, so that the tensile resistance can also be measured on rods that differ from the segment only in length. From this, the drag resistance of the segment can be easily calculated.

The tensile strength of the segment per length of the segment is preferably at least 1 mmWG/mm and at most 12 mmWG/mm and particularly preferably at least 2 mmWG/mm and at most 10 mmWG/mm.

The covering material of the segment according to the invention is preferably paper or foil.

The wrapping material of the segment according to the invention preferably has a basis weight according to ISO 536:2019 of at least 20 g/m ² and at most 150 g/m ² , particularly preferably at least 30 g/m ² and at most 130 g/m ² . A covering material with this preferred or particularly preferred basis weight gives the segment according to the invention covered therewith a particularly advantageous hardness.

Smoking articles according to the invention can be produced from the segment according to the invention by methods known in the art.

The smoking article of the present invention comprises a segment containing an aerosol generating material and a segment comprising the hydroentangled nonwoven fabric of the present invention and a wrapping material.

Because the cut surface of the segment of the present invention is visually very similar to that of a cellulose acetate segment, in a preferred embodiment the segment of the smoking article nearest the mouth end is a segment of the present invention.

In a preferred embodiment, the smoking article is a filter cigarette and the aerosol forming material comprises tobacco. In a preferred embodiment, the smoking article is a smoking article in whose intended use the aerosol-forming material is only heated but not burned, and the aerosol-forming material preferably comprises a material selected from the group consisting of tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, nicotine, glycerol, propylene glycol kol or mixtures thereof. The aerosol-forming material can also be in liquid form and can be located in a suitable container in the smoking article.

According to the findings of the inventors, the non-linear component of the deformation energy according to the invention can be achieved in that the fibers in the hydroentangled nonwoven are aligned more strongly in the machine direction of the hydroentangled nonwoven. This can be achieved by the methods according to the invention described below.

The hydroentangled nonwoven according to the invention can be produced by a method which comprises the following steps Ai to A3.

Ai - providing a fiber web comprising cellulose fibers which has a machine direction and a transverse direction orthogonal thereto in the web plane,

A2 - hydroentangling the fibrous web by jets of water directed at the fibrous web to produce a hydroentangled fibrous web,

A3 - drying of the hydroentangled fibrous web, the proportion of cellulose fibers in the fibrous web being selected in step Ai such that the hydroentangled nonwoven after drying in step A3 contains at least 50% and at most 100% cellulose fibers, based on the mass of the hydroentangled nonwoven , and wherein steps Ai and A2 are carried out in such a way that the hydroentangled nonwoven is given a characteristic plastic deformability in the transverse direction, which is characterized in that in a transverse tensile test carried out on the hydroentangled nonwoven after drying in step A3 in accordance with ISO 1924- 2:2008 the non-linear portion of the deformation energy absorbed by the hydroentangled web up to half the elongation at break is at least 10% and at most 50% of the total deformation energy absorbed by the hydroentangled web up to the half elongation at break, and the hydroentangled e Nonwoven has a weight per unit area of at least 15 g/m ² and at most 60 g/m ² after drying in step A3.

Steps Ai and A2 can be carried out in such a way that the cellulose fibers in the finished hydroentangled web tend to be more aligned in the machine direction than in the transverse direction. The water jets directed at the fibrous web in step A2 cause the cellulose fibers to swirl, whereby the structure conducive to the favorable plastic behavior in the transverse direction can be produced. The expert understands the “pressure of the water jet” to mean the pressure that is used to generate the water jet, for example in a pressure chamber. According to the findings of the inventors, in order to achieve favorable plastic behavior of the hydroentangled nonwoven, the proportion of fibers oriented in the transverse direction in the hydroentangled nonwoven is low and the fibers are aligned more in the machine direction and thickness direction. In order to produce this structure according to the invention in the hydroentangled nonwoven, the water jets should be arranged close to one another in the transverse direction. Due to the proximity of the water jets simultaneously impinging on the fibrous web, the water deflects in the machine direction rather than in the cross direction and orients the fibers in that direction.

The pressure of the water jets can be reduced compared to the pressure usually used. However, the distance and the pressure of the water jets also depend significantly on the size of the openings from which the water jets emerge and, above all, on the speed of the fiber web, so that the specialist can determine the specific value based on experience, based on the specific exemplary embodiments and can choose by simple experiments.

In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, a plurality of water jets are used to carry out the hydroentanglement in step A2, the water jets being arranged in at least one row in the cross-machine direction of the fibrous web.

In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the hydroentanglement in step A2 is effected by at least two rows of water jets aimed at the fibrous web, with at least one row of the water jets particularly preferably acting on each of the two sides of the fibrous web.

In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the drying in step A3 is effected at least partially by contact with hot air, by infrared radiation or by microwave radiation. Drying by direct contact with a heated surface is also possible, but less preferred because the thickness of the hydroentangled nonwoven can decrease. The hydroentangled web produced by this process is said to be suitable for use in segments for smoking articles. This means that it can in particular have all the features, individually or in combination, which have been described above in connection with the hydroentangled nonwoven and are defined in the claims directed to the hydroentangled nonwoven.

In an advantageous development, said step Ai of preparing the fiber web includes the following sub-steps Bi to B3:

Bi - producing an aqueous suspension comprising cellulose fibers, B2 - applying the suspension from step Bi to a rotating screen,

B3 - dewatering of the suspension through the circulating wire in order to form said fibrous web, the amount or proportion of cellulose fibers in step Bi being selected such that the water jet-bonded web after drying in step A3 contains at least 50% and at most 100% contains cellulose fibers, based on the mass of the hydroentangled nonwoven, and wherein in step B3 the machine direction of the fiber web is defined by the running direction of the wire and the transverse direction is defined by the direction orthogonal thereto in the plane of the fiber web, and wherein in step B2 the suspension is applied to the circulating screen at a speed which is lower than the speed of the circulating screen. The speeds of the circulating screen and the suspension are to be understood in relation to the same reference system, so that differing speeds lead to a relative speed between the suspension and the circulating screen, which is used in this embodiment of the method.

In this embodiment of the method, the fibrous web is at least partially given the desired structure by suitably matching the speed at which the suspension flows onto the circulating wire in step B2 and the speed of the circulating wire in step B2. In particular, according to the findings of the inventors, the speed at which the suspension flows onto the circulating screen in step B2 should be lower than the speed of the circulating screen. Due to the speed difference, the suspension is entrained by the screen and shear forces arise in the suspension, which align the cellulose fibers in the machine direction and thus contribute to a structure of the hydroentangled nonwoven that leads to the inventive plastic deformability in the transverse direction. The person skilled in the art can determine the magnitude of the speed difference based on his experience and on the basis of the exemplary embodiments or by means of simple experiments. According to the inventors' experience, a structure with the desired plastic deformability in the transverse direction can be achieved in many cases if, in step B2, the suspension is applied to the circulating screen at a speed that is only about 90% of the speed of the circulating screen, for example between 88% and 93% of the speed of the surrounding sieve is. However, this information only serves as a guide, a suitable numerical value of the differential speed will depend at least in part on the other process parameters, and the person skilled in the art will therefore determine it experimentally in practice, with the characteristic plastic deformability obtained as a guideline and ultimately decisive criterion of the hydroentangled web thus produced, characterized as described above with reference to the transverse tensile test according to ISO 1924-2:2008.

In a preferred development, the aqueous suspension in step Bi has a solids content of at most 3.0%, particularly preferably at most 1.0%, very particularly preferably at most 0.2% and in particular at most 0.05%. The particularly low solids content of the suspension allows a low-density fiber web to be formed in step B3, which has a favorable effect on the filtration efficiency of a segment made from it.

In a preferred embodiment, the circulating screen of steps B2 and B3 is inclined upwards in the machine direction of the fibrous web to the horizontal at an angle of at least 3 ^° and at most 40°, particularly preferably at an angle of at least 5 ^° and at most 30° very particularly preferably at an angle of at least 15 ^° and at most 25 ^° . In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises a step in which a pressure difference is created between the two sides of the rotating screen in order to support the dewatering of the suspension in step B3, the pressure difference being particularly preferably created by vacuum boxes or suitably shaped vanes . In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises a further step in which one or more additives are applied to the fibrous web. The additives are preferably selected from the group consisting of alkyl ketene dimers (AKD), acid anhydrides such as alkenylsuccinic anhydrides (ASA), polyvinyl alcohol, waxes, fatty acids, starch, starch derivatives, carboxymethyl cellulose, alginates, chitosan, wet strength agents or substances for adjusting the pH, such as organic or inorganic acids or bases, and mixtures thereof. Alternatively or additionally, one or more additives can also be applied, which are selected from the group consisting of and mixtures of them.

In a preferred embodiment, the one additive or the additives are applied between steps A2 and A3 of the method according to the invention or after step A3, followed by a further step of drying the fibrous web.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary force-elongation diagram of a hydroentangled nonwoven according to the invention.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary force-strain diagram of a filter material not according to the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a device by means of which a method according to the invention for the production of a hydroentangled fleece according to the invention can be carried out.

FIG. 4 shows force-elongation curves measured in the transverse direction on the exemplary embodiments A, B and C according to the invention.

FIG. 5 shows force-strain curves measured in the transverse direction on comparative example Z, which is not according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS AND A

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE

In the following, some preferred embodiments of the water jet are compacted

Nonwoven, the process for producing the hydroentangled nonwoven, the segment for

Smoking article and the smoking article described. Furthermore, a non-inventive

Comparative example described.

Examples A, B and C The device shown in FIG. 3 was used to produce the exemplary embodiments A, B and C according to the invention.

A suspension 31 of pulp fibers and fibers of regenerated cellulose was provided in a reservoir 32, step Bi, and pumped from there onto a revolving screen 33 inclined upwards relative to the horizontal, step B2, and dewatered through vacuum boxes 39, step B3, so that a fiber web 34 formed on the screen, the general direction of movement of which is indicated by the arrow 310 . It should be noted that steps Bi to B3 are specific sub-steps of general method step Ai (providing a fibrous web comprising cellulose fibers). The speed at which the screen 33 moves was selected to be about 10% higher than the speed of the suspension 31 flowing out of the storage container 32 in order to orient the fibers primarily in the machine direction. The fibrous web 34 was removed from the screen 33 and transferred to a support screen 35 which also rotates. There, water jets 311 arranged transversely to the machine direction of the fibrous web 34 were directed from devices 36 in several rows onto the fibrous web 34 in order to entangle the fibers and solidify the fibrous web 34 into a nonwoven fabric, step A2. As a continuation of step A2, water jets 312 were directed to the other side of the fiber web 34 by additional devices 37. The nonwoven fabric, which was still moist, then passed through a drying device 38 and was dried there, step A3, in order to obtain the hydroentangled nonwoven fabric.

A mixture of cellulose fibers from softwoods and Lyocell® fibers was used to produce the hydroentangled web, the fiber amounts being chosen such that the finished hydroentangled web consisted of 65% cellulose fibers and 35% Lyocell® fibers. The finished hydroentangled nonwoven had a weight per unit area, according to ISO 536:2019, of 55 g/m ² .

In step A2 of the manufacturing process, three rows of water jets, 311 in FIG. The pressure of the water jets was varied between 2 MPa and 40 MPa in three stages (low, medium, high) in order to obtain different hydroentangled webs A, B and C according to the invention. The diameter of the openings from which the water jets emerged differed in the rows and were chosen between 80 μm and 120 μm, the distance between the openings from center to center was 0.3 mm. Samples were taken in the transverse direction from these hydroentangled webs and the force-elongation diagram was recorded in a tensile test according to ISO 1924-2:2008. The result is shown in FIG. The elongation in % is plotted on the x-axis 40, while the force in N is plotted on the y-axis 41. The three lines labeled A, B and C show the force-elongation diagrams of the three water-jet-reinforced nonwovens A, B and C according to the invention Elongation at break recorded deformation energy for the hydroentangled web C explained.

At half the elongation at break 8 _b / 2, the associated force F( _b / 2) is determined and the linear component of the deformation energy Ei _m can be determined from this be calculated.

The total deformation energy E absorbed up to half the elongation at break corresponds to the area spanned by the x-axis 40 and curve C from =0 to =8 _b /2 and can easily be determined with sufficient accuracy by methods of numerical integration. If the linear component of the deformation energy Ei _m is subtracted from this, the area shown as hatched remains, which corresponds to the non-linear component of the deformation energy E _ni .

The determination of the deformation energies up to half elongation at break was carried out for all three hydroentangled webs A, B and C and the results are given in Table 1, where E is the total deformation energy, Ei _m the linear part of the deformation energy and E _ni the non-linear part of the mean deformation energy in each case in the transverse direction up to half the elongation at break. The deformation energies were determined numerically from the force-strain curve and formally have the unit N%. In order to arrive at the usual unit J/m ² , the sample geometry must also be taken into account. However, since only the relationships to one another are important here and the sample geometries are identical, this is not done. The elongation at break 8 _b and the force at half the elongation at break F( _b /2) are also given.

Table 1

The values from Table 1 show that in the exemplary embodiments A, B and C according to the invention, there is a non-linear component of the deformation energy of approximately 20% to approximately 30%. It can also be seen that the elongation at break decreases as the pressure of the water jets increases. For this reason, it can be advantageous to choose a low pressure for the water jets, because in addition to the good plastic elongation behavior, even larger permanent deformations are then possible during crimping. Comparative Example D

Comparative example D relates to the production of a filter material in a process which only contains steps B1 to B3 and A3, but not the step of hydroentangling the fibrous web. The filter material from Comparative Example D is not in accordance with the invention in that it is not a hydroentangled nonwoven. Comparative example D essentially serves to demonstrate that the performance of process steps Bi to B3 (as sub-steps of a preferred embodiment of process step Ai) are indeed suitable for contributing to a structure that leads to a desired characteristic plastic deformability in the transverse direction , if in step B2 the suspension is applied to the rotating screen at a reduced speed.

A mixture of cellulose fibers from coniferous wood and Lyocell® fibers was used to produce the filter material, with the fiber quantities chosen so that the finished filter material consisted of 80% cellulose fibers and 20% Lyocell® fibers. The finished filter material had a basis weight of 15 g/m ² according to ISO 536:2019.

In step B2 of the process, the speed of the outflowing suspension was chosen to be about 10% lower than the speed of the circulating wire.

Four samples were taken in the transverse direction from the filter material D obtained in this way and the force-elongation diagram was recorded in a tensile test according to ISO 1924-2:2008. The force-strain diagrams were evaluated analogously to exemplary embodiments A to C. The results of the four measurements are listed in Table 2

Table 2

The values from Table 2 show that the filter material D produced in this way has a non-linear component of the deformation energy of around 30% and that repeated measurements on the same sample material show little scatter. This proves that process steps B1 to B3 do in fact contribute to the desired plastic deformability in the transverse direction when the suspension is applied to the rotating wire at a reduced speed in step B2.

Example E

On the other hand, the specific execution of step Ai (with reduced application speed of the suspension in step B2) used in the exemplary embodiments A to C is not necessary in order to obtain the inventive characteristic plastic deformability in the transverse direction in the hydroentangled nonwoven. This can be seen from the exemplary embodiment E described below.

To produce the hydroentangled nonwoven, a mixture of cellulose fibers from softwoods and Lyocell® fibers was used in exemplary embodiment E, the fiber quantities being chosen so that the finished hydroentangled nonwoven consisted of 80% cellulose fibers and 20% Lyocell® fibers. Step Ai was performed without first imparting a preferential cross-machine direction to the pulp fibers in the fibrous web by performing step B2. The finished hydroentangled fleece had a weight per unit area, according to ISO 536:2019, of 15 g/m ² .

Step A2 of hydroentanglement takes place like step A2 of the exemplary embodiment

B.

Two samples were taken in the transverse direction from the hydroentangled nonwoven E obtained in this way and the force-elongation diagram was recorded in a tensile test according to ISO 1924-2:2008. The force-elongation diagrams were evaluated analogously to exemplary embodiments A to C. The results of the two measurements are listed in Table 3. Table 3

The values from Table 3 show that the hydroentangled fleece E produced in this way has a proportion of the non-linear deformation energy of about 17%. The comparison with exemplary embodiments A to C, which were produced by means of the combination of suitable implementation of hydroentanglement in step A2 and pre-structuring of the fiber web by reduced application speed in step B2, shows that this combination has higher proportions of non-linear deformation energy of around 22% to about 28% is allowed and can thus lead to better behavior when crimping. The complexity of the combined method is of course somewhat higher than if, as in exemplary embodiment E, the fiction, contemporary characteristic plastic deformability in the transverse direction is only obtained by suitably performing the hydroentanglement in step A2. Embodiment E demonstrates that this is indeed possible.

Comparative Example Z

To produce a filter material not according to the invention, the same mixture of fibers was used as in exemplary embodiment D. The weight per unit area was still 15 g/m ² , but only machine settings were used as are customary in the production of conventional filter papers.

Three samples were taken from the filter material of Comparative Example Z in the transverse direction and the force-elongation diagram was recorded in a tensile test according to ISO 1924-2:2008. The force-strain diagrams were evaluated in the same way as in exemplary embodiments A to C. The results of the three measurements are listed in Table 4.

Table 4

The force-strain curves of Comparative Example Z are shown in FIG. Even without quantitative analysis, it can already be seen that the behavior is much closer to linear elastic behavior, so that deformations essentially increase again when the load is removed. are regressed and much larger strains and forces are required to achieve permanent deformation. The breaking load or the elongation at break in the transverse direction can easily be exceeded. Manufacture of segments and smoking articles

Paper-covered filter rods with a length of 100 mm and a diameter of 7.85 mm were produced from each hydroentangled nonwoven from Examples A to C and E and the filter material from Comparative Example Z. The web width of the water-jet-bonded fleece or the filter material and the machine settings during filter manufacture were chosen in such a way that a draw resistance of 45000 mmWG resulted.

It was possible to produce filter rods from the hydroentangled nonwovens of exemplary embodiments A to C and E and the filter material from comparative example Z. During production, however, it turns out that the crimping process of the hydroentangled nonwovens of exemplary embodiments A to C and E reacted much less sensitively to changes in the machine settings and in particular to the adjustment of the distance between the rollers during crimping than in comparative example Z. From The segments of the exemplary embodiments A to C and E and the comparative example Z were manufactured using a conventional prior art method. This manufacturing process went smoothly.

It is therefore evident that segments and smoking articles can be manufactured more reliably and easily from the hydroentangled nonwoven according to the invention than from conventional hydroentangled nonwovens or papers and that the favorable plastic expansion behavior enables better crimping results to be achieved.

Claims

EXPECTATIONS

1. Hydroentangled nonwoven for the production of a segment for a smoking article, wherein the hydroentangled nonwoven is web-shaped and contains at least 50% and at most 100% cellulose fibers, each based on the mass of the hydroentangled nonwoven, wherein the hydroentangled nonwoven has a basis weight of at least 15 g/m ² and at most 60 g/m ² , the hydroentangled web having a machine direction and a transverse direction orthogonal thereto in the plane of the web of the hydroentangled web, and the hydroentangled web having a characteristic plastic deformability in the transverse direction, which is characterized in that in a tensile test in the transverse direction according to ISO 1924-2:2008 the non-linear portion of the deformation energy absorbed by the water-jet-bonded fleece up to half the elongation at break is at least 10% and at most 50% of the up to half the elongation at break from the water-jet-bonded web total deformation energy absorbed by the fleece.

2. Hydroentangled nonwoven according to claim 1, in which the proportion of cellulose fibers in the hydroentangled nonwoven is at least 60% and at most 100%, preferably at least 70% and at most 95%, based in each case on the mass of the hydroentangled nonwoven.

3. Hydroentangled web according to claim 1 or 2, in which the cellulose fibers are formed by cellulose fibers, by fibers of regenerated cellulose or mixtures thereof.

4. Hydroentangled web according to claim 3, in which the cellulose fibers consist of softwood or softwoods, deciduous wood or deciduous trees or other plants, in particular hemp, flax, jute, ramie, kenaf, kapok, coconut, abaca, sisal, bamboo, cotton or are derived from esparto grass; or are formed by a mixture of pulp fibers from different of these origins.

5. Hydroentangled nonwoven according to claim 3 or 4, in which the proportion of fibers made from regenerated cellulose is at least 5% and at most 50%, preferably at least 10% and at most 45% and particularly preferably at least 15% and at most 40%, based in each case on the mass of the hydroentangled web.

6. Hydroentangled fleece according to one of claims 3 to 5, in which the fibers made of regenerated cellulose are formed at least partially by viscose fibers, modal fibers, Lyocell® fibers, Tencel® fibers or mixtures thereof.

7. Hydroentangled nonwoven according to one of the preceding claims, whose basis weight is at least 18 g/m ² and at most 55 g/m ² , preferably at least 20 g/m ² and at most 50 g/m ² .

8. Hydroentangled nonwoven fabric according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the hydroentangled nonwoven fabric has a characteristic plastic deformability in the transverse direction, which is characterized in that in said tensile test in the transverse direction according to ISO 1924-2:2008 the up to half the elongation at break of the water jet- entrenched The non-linear portion of the deformation energy absorbed by the nonwoven fabric is at least 15% and at most 40%, preferably at least 15% and at most 35%, and in particular at least 18% and at most 32% of the total deformation energy absorbed by the hydroentangled fleece up to half the elongation at break.

9. Hydroentangled fleece according to one of the preceding claims, which contains at least one additive selected from the group consisting of alkylketene dimers (AKD), acid anhydrides, in particular alkenylsuccinic anhydrides (ASA), polyvinyl alcohol, waxes, fatty acids, starch, starch derivatives, carboxymethyl cellulose, alginates, chitosan, wet strength agents or substances for adjusting the pH value, in particular organic or inorganic acids or alkalis, or a mixture of two or more of these additives.

10. Hydroentangled fleece according to one of the preceding claims, which contains at least one additive selected from the group consisting of citrates, in particular trisodium citrate or tripotassium citrate, malates, tartrates, acetates, in particular sodium acetate or potassium acetate, nitrates, succinates, fumarates, gluco nates, glycolates, lactates, oxylates, salicylates, a-hydroxycaprylates, phosphates, polyphosphates, chlorides and bicarbonates, or a mixture of two or more of these additives.

11. Hydroentangled fleece according to one of the preceding claims, which contains at least one substance selected from the group consisting of triacetin, propylene glycol, sorbitol, glycerol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol and triethyl citrate, or a mixture of two or more of these contains substances.

12. Hydroentangled fleece according to one of the preceding claims, in which at least some of the cellulose fibers are loaded with a filler, the filler preferably being formed by mineral particles, in particular calcium carbonate particles.

13. Hydroentangled nonwoven according to one of the preceding claims, in which the thickness of one layer of the hydroentangled nonwoven, measured according to ISO 534:2011, is at least 25 μm and at most 1000 μm, preferably at least 30 μm and at most 800 μm and particularly preferably at least 35 μm and is at most 600 pm.

14. Hydroentangled fleece according to one of the preceding claims, in which the width-related tensile strength of the hydroentangled fleece in the transverse direction, measured according to ISO 1924-2:2008, is at least 0.05 kN/m and at most 5 kN/m, preferably at least 0. 07 kN/m and not more than 4 kN/m.

15. Hydroentangled fleece according to one of the preceding claims, in which the elongation at break of the hydroentangled fleece in the transverse direction, measured according to ISO 1924-2:2008, is at least 0.5% and at most 50%, preferably at least 0.8% and at most 40% .

16. Segment for a smoking article, comprising a hydroentangled fleece that is pushed together in the transverse direction and a wrapping material, wherein the hydroentangled fleece contains at least 50% and at most 100% cellulose fibers, based in each case on the mass of the hydroentangled fleece, the hydroentangled fleece having a basis weight of at least 15 g/m ² and at most 60 g/m ² , wherein the hydroentangled web has a transverse direction in which the hydroentangled web is collapsed, and wherein the hydroentangled web in the non-collapsed state has a characteristic plastic deformability in the transverse direction which is characterized in that in a tensile test in the transverse direction according to ISO 1924-2:2008 of the up to half the elongation at break of the hydroentangled fleece, the non-linear part of the deformation energy is at least 10% and at most 50% of the up to half Elongation at break of the hydroentangled nonwoven is total deformation energy.

17. The segment of claim 16, wherein the hydroentangled web has one or more of the additional features defined in claims 2-15.

18. Segment according to one of claims 16 or 17, wherein the segment is cylindrical with a diameter of at least 3 mm and at most 10 mm, preferably at least 4 mm and at most 9 mm and particularly preferably at least 5 mm and at most 8 mm, and/or wherein the segment has a length of at least 4 mm and at most 40 mm, preferably at least 6 mm and at most 35 mm and particularly preferably at least 10 mm and at most 28 mm.

19. Segment according to one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the tensile strength of the segment according to ISO 6565:2015 per length of the segment is at least 1 mmWG/mm and at most 12 mmWG/mm, and preferably at least 2 mmWG/mm and at most 10 mmWG/mm amounts to.

20. Segment according to one of claims 16 to 19, the covering material of which is formed by a paper or a film.

21. Segment according to one of claims 16 to 20, the covering material of which has a basis weight according to ISO 536:2019 of at least 20 g/m ² and at most 150 g/m ² , preferably at least 30 g/m ² and at most 130 g/m 2 . m has ² .

22. A method for producing a segment according to any one of claims 16 to 21, in which a hydroentangled fleece according to any one of claims 1 to 15 is crimped or folded, a preferably endless strand of crimped or folded hydroentangled fleece is formed, the strand from crimped or folded water jet bonded nonwoven covered with a covering material and the covered strand is cut into individual rods of defined length.

23. A smoking article comprising a segment containing an aerosol generating material and a segment according to any one of claims 16 to 21, said segment according to any one of claims 16 to 21 preferably constituting the segment of the smoking article closest to the mouth end.

24. The smoking article of claim 23, wherein the smoking article is a filter cigarette and the aerosol forming material is or includes tobacco.

25. Smoking article according to claim 23, wherein the smoking article is a smoking article, during the intended use of which the aerosol-forming material is only heated but not burned, wherein the aerosol-forming material preferably comprises a material selected from the group consisting of tobacco, reconstituted Tobacco, nicotine, glycerol, propylene glycol or mixtures thereof.

26. A smoking article according to claim 25, wherein the aerosol generating material is in liquid form and is contained in an associated receptacle within the smoking article.

27. A method for producing a hydroentangled web, the method comprising the following steps:

Ai - providing a fibrous web comprising cellulose fibers which has a machine direction and a transverse direction orthogonal thereto in the plane of the web,

A3 - drying of the hydroentangled fibrous web, the proportion of cellulose fibers in the fibrous web being selected in step Ai such that the hydroentangled nonwoven after drying in step A3 contains at least 50% and at most 100% cellulose fibers, based on the mass of the hydroentangled nonwoven , and steps Ai and A2 are carried out in such a way that the hydroentangled fleece is given a characteristic plastic deformability in the transverse direction, which is characterized in that in a transverse tensile test carried out on the hydroentangled fleece after drying in step A3 in accordance with ISO 1924 -2:2008 the non-linear portion of the deformation energy absorbed by the hydroentangled fleece up to half the elongation at break is at least 10% and at most 50% of the total deformation energy absorbed by the hydroentangled fleece up to half the elongation at break, and the hydroentangled V after drying in step A3, has a basis weight of at least 15 g/m ² and at most 60 g/m ² .

28. The method of claim 27, wherein a plurality of water jets are used to carry out the hydroentanglement in step A2, the water jets being arranged in at least one row in the cross-machine direction of the fibrous web.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the hydroentanglement in step A2 is effected by at least two rows of water jets directed onto the fibrous web, with at least one row of the water jets preferably acting on each of the two sides of the fibrous web.

30. The method as claimed in any of claims 27 to 29, in which the drying in step A3 is effected at least in part by contact with hot air, by infrared radiation or by microwave radiation.

31. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 30, wherein the hydroentangled nonwoven fabric made by this method is a hydroentangled nonwoven fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

32. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 31, in which step Ai of providing the fibrous web comprises the following sub-steps B1 to B3:

Bi - preparing an aqueous suspension comprising cellulose fibers,

B2 - applying the suspension from step Bi to a rotating screen,

B3 - dewatering of the suspension through the circulating wire in order to form said fibrous web, the amount or proportion of cellulose fibers being selected in step Bi so that the hydroentangled web after drying in step A3 contains at least 50% and at most 100% contains cellulose fibers, based on the mass of the hydroentangled nonwoven, wherein the machine direction of the fibrous web is defined by the running direction of the wire in step B3 and the transverse direction is defined by the direction orthogonal thereto in the plane of the fibrous web, and wherein in Step B2 the suspension is applied to the circulating screen at a speed which is lower than the speed of the circulating screen.

33. The process as claimed in claim 32, in which the aqueous suspension in step Bi has a solids content of at most 3.0%, particularly preferably at most 1.0%, very particularly preferably at most 0.2% and in particular at most 0.05%.

34. The method according to claim 32 or 33, wherein the circulating wire of steps B2 and B3 in the machine direction of the fibrous web is inclined upwards to the horizontal at an angle of at least ³⁰ and at most 40°, preferably at an angle of at least 5 ^° and at most 30° and particularly preferably at an angle of at least 15 ^° and at most 25 ^° .

35. The method according to any one of claims 32 to 34, further comprising a step in which a pressure difference is created between the two sides of the rotating screen in order to support the dewatering of the suspension in step B3, the pressure difference being particularly preferably created by vacuum boxes or suitably shaped wing is produced.

36. The method of any one of claims 27 to 35, comprising a further step of applying one or more additives to the fibrous web, wherein the one or more additives is selected from the group consisting of alkyl ketene dimers (AKD) , Acid anhydrides, in particular alkenylsuccinic anhydrides (ASA), polyvinyl alcohol, waxes, fatty acids, starch, starch derivatives, carboxymethyl cellulose, alginates, chitosan, wet strength agents and substances for adjusting the pH, in particular organic or inorganic acids or alkalis, and mixtures of them.

37. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 36, which comprises a further step in which one or more additives are applied to the fibrous web, the one or more additives being selected from the group consisting of citrates, in particular trisodium citrate or tripotassium citrate, malates, tartrates, acetates, especially sodium acetate or potassium acetate, nitrates, succinates, fumarates, gluconates, glycolates, lactates, oxylates, salicylates, a-hydroxycaprylates, phosphates, polyphosphates, chlorides and bicarbonates, and mixtures thereof.

38. A method according to any one of claims 36 and 37, wherein the one or more additives are applied between steps A2 and A3, or after step A3, followed by a further step of drying the fibrous web.