GB2319265A - A high durability non-woven fabric - Google Patents

A high durability non-woven fabric Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2319265A
GB2319265A GB9724301A GB9724301A GB2319265A GB 2319265 A GB2319265 A GB 2319265A GB 9724301 A GB9724301 A GB 9724301A GB 9724301 A GB9724301 A GB 9724301A GB 2319265 A GB2319265 A GB 2319265A
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GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
fibres
woven fabric
bicomponent
absorbent
weight
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB9724301A
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GB9724301D0 (en
Inventor
Archibald John Abercrombie
Peter Godbeer
Simon Geoffrey Slater
Richard Meade
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Bonded Fibre Fabric Ltd
Original Assignee
Bonded Fibre Fabric Ltd
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Publication date
Application filed by Bonded Fibre Fabric Ltd filed Critical Bonded Fibre Fabric Ltd
Publication of GB9724301D0 publication Critical patent/GB9724301D0/en
Publication of GB2319265A publication Critical patent/GB2319265A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
    • D04H1/44—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling
    • D04H1/46—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres
    • D04H1/492—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres by fluid jet
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
    • D04H1/54—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties by welding together the fibres, e.g. by partially melting or dissolving
    • D04H1/541—Composite fibres, e.g. sheath-core, sea-island or side-by-side; Mixed fibres
    • D04H1/5418—Mixed fibres, e.g. at least two chemically different fibres or fibre blends
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L13/00—Implements for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings
    • A47L13/10—Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing
    • A47L13/16—Cloths; Pads; Sponges
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
    • D04H1/42—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties characterised by the use of certain kinds of fibres insofar as this use has no preponderant influence on the consolidation of the fleece
    • D04H1/425—Cellulose series
    • D04H1/4258—Regenerated cellulose series
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
    • D04H1/42—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties characterised by the use of certain kinds of fibres insofar as this use has no preponderant influence on the consolidation of the fleece
    • D04H1/4266—Natural fibres not provided for in group D04H1/425
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
    • D04H1/54—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties by welding together the fibres, e.g. by partially melting or dissolving
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
    • D04H1/54—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties by welding together the fibres, e.g. by partially melting or dissolving
    • D04H1/542—Adhesive fibres
    • D04H1/544—Olefin series
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
    • D04H1/54—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties by welding together the fibres, e.g. by partially melting or dissolving
    • D04H1/542—Adhesive fibres
    • D04H1/549—Polyamides
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
    • D04H1/54—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties by welding together the fibres, e.g. by partially melting or dissolving
    • D04H1/542—Adhesive fibres
    • D04H1/55—Polyesters
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/70—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres
    • D04H1/74—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres the fibres being orientated, e.g. in parallel (anisotropic fleeces)

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Nonwoven Fabrics (AREA)

Abstract

A non-Woven fabric suitable for use as a household cleaning and polishing cloth of good absorbency, and high durability yet low pilling and lint comprises from 5 to 95% by weight of absorbent fibres and 5 to 95% by weight of bicomponent fibres, optionally further including non-absorbent fibres, said absorbent fibres and said bicomponent fibres being entangled with one another by an entanglement process to form a fibrous web and the fibres of the fibrous web being bonded to one another by a low melting point component of said bicomponent fibres which has been caused to melt by a heat treatment/drying process. The entanglement process may use water jets.

Description

A HIGH DURABILITY NON-WOVEN FABRIC The present invention relates to a high durability non-woven fabric and a method of forming the same. The high durability non-woven fabric of the present invention is intended particularly, but not exclusively, for use as a household cleaning and polishing cloth.
A household cleaning and polishing cloth should exhibit some of the following features: rapid uptake of water which is necessary to mop up liquid spills; high water and oil absorbency which is necessary for general purpose household cleaning; high resistance to general household cleaning preparations including detergents and polishes; high resistance to vegetable and animal oils and fats; durability to boil washing; and high resistance to household cleaning preparations and bleaching agents to allow the cloth to be sanitised.
Presently available household cleaning and polishing cloths generally comprise stitched or woven cloths, sponges and chemically bonded non-woven fabrics. The present invention is directed to providing an improved household cleaning and polishing cloth formed from a nonwoven fabric.
It is known to manufacture non-woven fabrics by mechanical and/or chemical bonding processes, and also by entanglement processes. The last mentioned processes subject loose fibres or filaments to a stream or streams of jetted fluid e.g. air streams (US-A-4 100 324) or using hydraulic fluids (US-A-3 485 706) to intermingle the fibres.
Chemically bonded non-woven fabrics generally have good wash durability and low pilling and the chemical bonding process affords the manufacture of non-woven fabrics over a relatively large weight range. However, these chemically bonded non-woven fabrics usually exhibit low absorbency and poor resistance to solvents.
Mechanically bonded non-woven fabrics generally exhibit good absorbency and dry and wet bulk but are normally limited to heavier weight fabrics which have reduced wiping edge and higher pilling and lint.
In recent times, some household cleaning and polishing cloths have been made from a non-woven fabric formed by a hydro-entanglement process which provides a fabric having good absorbency but such cloths often have a poor durability. Hydro-entanglement is a known technique mentioned for example in the patent literature including WO-A-96/2704, US-A-5 500 068 and also in US-A-5 334 446.
US-A-5 334 446 proposes an elastic non-woven fabric to be formed by a hydro-entanglement process, and having a composite structure wherein two fibrous webs have an elastomeric web interposed therebetween. Binders provided in the fibre web undergo a two stage heating process to provide a degree of thermally activated bonding in the fibrous web. The nature of the fibres described therein is such that the fabric is considered as non-absorbent, being intended to provide compliant, elastic materials for support bandages, diapers and personal hygiene products.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a non-woven fabric formed by an entanglement process which not only offers good absorbency but also exhibits enhanced durability.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-woven fabric comprising 5 to 95% by weight of absorbent fibres and 5 to 95% by weight of bicomponent fibres, said absorbent fibres and said bicomponent fibres being entangled with one another by an entanglement process to form a fibrous web and the fibres of the fibrous web being bonded to one another by a low melting point component of said bicomponent fibres which has been caused to melt by a heat treatment/drying process.
Preferably, the entanglement process is a hydroentanglement process.
The non-woven fabric may also include from 5 to 95% by weight of non-absorbent fibres at the expense of some of the other fibre components. Preferably the non-woven fabric includes 20 to 40k by weight of non-absorbent fibres. More preferably, the non-woven fabric comprises about 30% by weight of non-absorbent fibres. These fibres may be selected from polyesters and acrylics or combinations thereof.
In a preferred form the non-woven fabric may comprise from 40 to 80% by weight of absorbent fibres. The absorbent fibres may include fibres formed of one of cotton, pulp and viscose or a combination of fibres formed thereof.
A preferred range for the bicomponent fibres is from 5 to 15 by weight, more preferably such fibres are present at about 10% by weight.
Preferably, the bicomponent fibres are between 0.5 dtex and 6.6 dtex.
It is also preferred that the bicomponent fibres are between 25mm and 60mm in length.
Preferably, the low melting point component of the bicomponent fibres is activated at a temperature in the range of about 90"C to about 1900C, more preferably in the range of about 900C to about 1450C.
The bicomponent fibres may comprise fibres formed of one of polyamides, polyesters and polyolefins or a combination of fibres formed thereof.
In a particularly preferred form the non-woven fabric comprises about 60% of absorbent fibres selected from the group consisting of cotton, viscose and mixtures thereof, about 30% of non-absorbent fibres selected from the group consisting of polyesters, and about 10% of bicomponent fibres selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polyesters, polyolefins and a combination of fibres formed thereof.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming a nonwoven fabric, comprising the steps of: forming a mat of fibres, said mat of fibres comprising 5 to 95% by weight of absorbent fibres and 5 to 95% by weight of bicomponent fibres; subjecting said mat of fibres to an entanglement process to cause said fibres to become entangled with one another to form a fibrous web; and subjecting said fibrous web to a heat treatment/drying process to cause a low melting point component of said bicomponent fibres to melt whereby said low melting point component bonds said fibres of the fibrous web together to form said non-woven fabric.
Preferably, the mat of fibres is formed by a carding process.
Preferably also, the entanglement process for forming the fibrous web is a hydro-entanglement process.
The method may include forming a mat of fibres including 5 to 95% by weight of non-absorbent fibres in addition to the absorbent fibres and the bicomponent fibres.
The method also encompasses selection of the fibres according to the preferences stated hereinbefore.
The invention will now be further described by way of example in the following description of a preferred embodiment.
The non-woven fabric of the present invention is produced by firstly forming a dry laid mat of bicomponent fibres and absorbent fibres. The dry laid mat may also include non-absorbent fibres to effect wet bulk and resilience of the non-woven fabric being formed.
Preferably, the dry laid mat of fibres is formed by a carding process as described in GB-A-2151667. The mat of fibres thus formed is then lightly entangled using high pressure water jets in a hydro-entanglement process. The hydro-entanglement process causes the various fibres forming the fibrous mat to become entangled with one another to form a fibrous web. Subsequent to this process, the fibrous web is subjected to a drying stage during which the low melting point component of the bicomponent fibres melts and adheres to the other fibre components of the fibrous web to bond said fibres together. The other component of the bicomponent fibres, which is of a non-absorbent material, maintains its structural integrity and forms part of the fibre construction of the non-woven fabric. The bicomponent fibres increase the cross-directional strength of the nonwoven fabric. It has surprisingly been found that the inclusion of the bicomponent fibres does not reduce the absorbency of the non-woven fabric when compared with a non-woven fabric having generally the same fibre composition save for the inclusion of bicomponent fibres which after the drying stage comprise part of a nonabsorbent fibre part of the non-woven fabric.
The preferred materials for forming the fibres of the fibrous web comprise natural and man-made water absorbent fibres such as cotton, pulp and viscose in addition to non-absorbent fibres formed of man-made synthetics such as polyesters and acrylics. The preferred materials for forming the bicomponent fibres are polyesters, polyamides and polyolefins and these fibres may be between 0.5 dtex and 6.6 dtex and have lengths between about 25mm and 60mm.
The percentage by weight of any of the absorbent, non-absorbent and bicomponent fibres may lie in the range of 5 to 95%, but preferably the percentage by weight of absorbent fibres lies in the range of 40 to 80%, the percentage by weight of non-absorbent fibre lies in the range of 15 to 40% and the percentage by weight of bicomponent fibres lies in the range of 5 to 10%. It is envisaged, however, that a non-woven fabric for forming an all round household cleaning and polishing cloth will comprise about 60% absorbent fibres (cotton or viscose), about 30% of non-absorbent fibres (polyester) and about 10t of bicomponent fibres. It is also envisaged that the weight of the non-woven fabric will be between 40g/m2 and 200g/m2, but it is preferred that the fabric weight will be between 45g/m2 and lOOg/m2.
Table 1 below illustrates a subjective comparison of mechanically bonded and chemically bonded non-woven fabrics relative to the non-woven fabric of the invention.
Table 1
Solvent Resistance Wash Resistance Absorbency (general household (boil) (wiping edlge) preparations) Non-woven fabric Very Good Very Good Very Good.
according to the invention Mechanically Bonded Very Good Very Good Good non-woven fabric Chemically Bonded Poor Fair Poor non-woven fabric As can be seen from Table 1, the non-woven fabric of the present invention provides a base fabric for forming household cleaning and polishing cloths which exhibits the advantages of both the mechanically and chemically bonded non-woven fabrics but without exhibiting their disadvantages. The non-woven fabric of the invention exhibits excellent resistance to household bleaching agents and to the 90/1000C wash cycle, a feature which has been the basis of consumer preference for traditional woven and stitched cloths in the past. By including a portion of bicomponent fibres in the mix of absorbent and non-absorbent fibres of non-woven fabric household cleaning and polishing cloths, no additional binding structures or fibres are required to strengthen the fabric which thus exhibits absorbency rates at least equal to the presently available non-woven fabric household cleaning and polishing cloths but with considerably enhanced durability and yet still exhibits low lint and low pilling.

Claims (27)

Claims:
1 A non-woven fabric comprising 5 to 95% by weight of absorbent fibres and 5 to 95% by weight of bicomponent fibres, said absorbent fibres and said bicomponent fibres being entangled with one another by an entanglement process to form a fibrous web and the fibres of the fibrous web being bonded to one another by a low melting point component of said bicomponent fibres which has been caused to melt by a heat treatment/drying process.
2 A non-woven fabric according to claim 1 wherein the entanglement process is a hydro-entanglement process.
3 A non-woven fabric according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the non-woven fabric includes 5 to 95% by weight of non-absorbent fibres.
4 A non-woven fabric according to claim 3 wherein the non-woven fabric includes 15 to 40% by weight of nonabsorbent fibres.
5 A non-woven fabric according to claim 3 wherein the non-woven fabric comprises about 30% by weight of nonabsorbent fibres.
6 A non-woven fabric according to any one of claims 3 to 5 wherein the non-absorbent fibres comprise fibres selected from the group consisting of polyesters, acrylics and a combination of fibres formed thereof.
7 A non-woven fabric according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the non-woven fabric comprises 40 to 80% by weight of absorbent fibres.
8 A non-woven fabric according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the absorbent fibres comprise fibres selected from the group consisting of cotton, pulp, viscose and a combination of fibres formed thereof.
9 A non-woven fabric according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the non-woven fabric comprises 5 to 15% by weight of bicomponent fibres.
10 A non-woven fabric according to claim 9 wherein the non-woven fabric comprises about 10% by weight of bicomponent fibres.
11 A non-woven fabric according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the bicomponent fibres are between 0.5 dtex and 6.6 dtex.
12 A non-woven fabric according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the bicomponent fibres are between 25 mm and 60 mm in length.
13 A non-woven fabric according to claim 1 wherein the bicomponent fibres are fibres having a structural component of a non-absorbent material, and a low melting component selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polyesters, polyolefins and a combination of fibres formed thereof.
14 A non-woven fabric according to claim 13 wherein the low melting point component of the bicomponent fibres is activated at a temperature in the range of about 900C to about 1900C.
15 A non-woven fabric according to claim 13 wherein the low melting point component of the bicomponent fibres is activated at a temperature in the range of about 900C to about 145"C.
16 A non-woven fabric according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the weight of the non-woven fabric is in the range of from 40g/m2 to 200g/m2,
17 A non-woven fabric according to claim 16 wherein the weight of the non-woven fabric is in the range of from 45g/m2 and 100g/m2.
18 A non-woven fabric according to claim 1 comprising about 60W of absorbent fibres selected from the group consisting of cotton, viscose and mixtures thereof, about 30% of non-absorbent fibres selected from the group consisting of polyesters, and about 10% of bicomponent fibres selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polyesters, polyolefins and a combination of fibres formed thereof.
19 A method of forming a non-woven fabric, comprising the steps of: forming a mat of fibres, said mat of fibres comprising 5 to 95% by weight of absorbent fibres and 5 to 95% by weight of bicomponent fibres, said bicomponent fibres including a low-melting component; subjecting said mat of fibres to an entanglement process to cause said fibres to become entangled with one another to form a fibrous web; and subjecting said fibrous web to a heat treatment/drying process to cause said low melting point component of said bicomponent fibres to melt whereby said low melting point component bonds said fibres of the fibrous web together to form said non-woven fabric.
20 A method according to claim 19 wherein the mat of fibres is formed by a carding process.
21 A method according to claim 19 or claim 20 wherein the entanglement process for forming the fibrous web is a hydro-entanglement process.
22 A method according to any one of claims 19 to 20 wherein during forming the mat of fibres there is included 5 to 95% by weight of non-absorbent fibres in addition to the absorbent fibres and the bicomponent fibres.
23 A method of forming a non-woven fabric comprising firstly forming a dry laid mat of bicomponent fibres having structural and low-melting components, and absorbent fibres in sufficient amounts to provide a desired absorbency, and sufficient amounts of nonabsorbent fibres to obtain a desired wet bulk and resilience in the non-woven fabric being formed, treating the dry laid mat of fibres using high pressure water jets in a hydro-entanglement process whereby the mat of fibres thus formed is then lightly entangled to form a fibrous web, and thereafter heating the fibrous web sufficiently to cause the low melting point component of the bicomponent fibres to melt and adhere to the other fibre components of the fibrous web to bond said fibres together.
24 A method according to any one of claims 19 to 23 wherein the bicomponent fibres are thermally activated by heating at a temperature in the range of about 900C to about 1900C.
25 A method according to claim 24 wherein the bicomponent fibres are thermally activated at a temperature in the range of about 90"C to about 145"C.
26 A non-woven fabric substantially or hereinbefore described.
27 A method of forming a non-woven fabric substantially or hereinbefore described.
GB9724301A 1996-11-18 1997-11-18 A high durability non-woven fabric Withdrawn GB2319265A (en)

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GBGB9623924.9A GB9623924D0 (en) 1996-11-18 1996-11-18 A high durability nonwoven fabric

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GB2319265A true GB2319265A (en) 1998-05-20

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GB9724301A Withdrawn GB2319265A (en) 1996-11-18 1997-11-18 A high durability non-woven fabric

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Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2002016025A2 (en) * 2000-08-21 2002-02-28 The Procter & Gamble Company Surface bonded entagled fibrous web and method of making and using
US6375773B1 (en) 1997-10-13 2002-04-23 M&J Fibretech A/S Plant for producing a fibre web of plastic and cellulose fibres
US6673158B1 (en) 2000-08-21 2004-01-06 The Procter & Gamble Company Entangled fibrous web of eccentric bicomponent fibers and method of using
US8281857B2 (en) 2007-12-14 2012-10-09 3M Innovative Properties Company Methods of treating subterranean wells using changeable additives
US8353344B2 (en) 2007-12-14 2013-01-15 3M Innovative Properties Company Fiber aggregate
US8596361B2 (en) 2007-12-14 2013-12-03 3M Innovative Properties Company Proppants and uses thereof
WO2016040754A1 (en) * 2014-09-12 2016-03-17 R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Nonwoven pouch comprising heat sealable binder fiber
US11019840B2 (en) 2014-07-02 2021-06-01 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Oral pouch products
US11832640B2 (en) 2014-12-05 2023-12-05 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Capsule-containing pouched product for oral use

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Cited By (14)

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US6375773B1 (en) 1997-10-13 2002-04-23 M&J Fibretech A/S Plant for producing a fibre web of plastic and cellulose fibres
USRE42765E1 (en) 1997-10-13 2011-10-04 Oerlikon Textile Gmbh & Co. Kg Plant for producing a fibre web of plastic and cellulose fibres
WO2002016025A2 (en) * 2000-08-21 2002-02-28 The Procter & Gamble Company Surface bonded entagled fibrous web and method of making and using
WO2002016025A3 (en) * 2000-08-21 2002-06-06 Procter & Gamble Surface bonded entagled fibrous web and method of making and using
US6534174B1 (en) 2000-08-21 2003-03-18 The Procter & Gamble Company Surface bonded entangled fibrous web and method of making and using
US6673158B1 (en) 2000-08-21 2004-01-06 The Procter & Gamble Company Entangled fibrous web of eccentric bicomponent fibers and method of using
US8281857B2 (en) 2007-12-14 2012-10-09 3M Innovative Properties Company Methods of treating subterranean wells using changeable additives
US8353344B2 (en) 2007-12-14 2013-01-15 3M Innovative Properties Company Fiber aggregate
US8596361B2 (en) 2007-12-14 2013-12-03 3M Innovative Properties Company Proppants and uses thereof
US11019840B2 (en) 2014-07-02 2021-06-01 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Oral pouch products
WO2016040754A1 (en) * 2014-09-12 2016-03-17 R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Nonwoven pouch comprising heat sealable binder fiber
US10959456B2 (en) 2014-09-12 2021-03-30 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Nonwoven pouch comprising heat sealable binder fiber
US11793235B2 (en) 2014-09-12 2023-10-24 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Nonwoven pouch comprising heat sealable binder fiber
US11832640B2 (en) 2014-12-05 2023-12-05 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Capsule-containing pouched product for oral use

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GB9724301D0 (en) 1998-01-14

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