JP2002522250A - Liquid transport member having a high permeability bulk region and a high critical pressure port region - Google Patents

Abstract

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a liquid transport member having significantly improved liquid handling properties, which has at least one bulk region completely surrounded by a wall region, which comprises at least one bulk region. A port region wherein the product of the bubble point pressure of the permeable port region of the bulk region is greater than half the porosity product of the surface tensioned member of the transported liquid.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a liquid transport member that can be used in a wide range of applications requiring high flow rates and / or flux rates, wherein liquid is transported through such a member, and / or It relates to a liquid transport member that can be transported into or out of such a member. Such members are suitable for many applications, including but not limited to: That is, disposable sanitary articles, water irrigation devices, spilled absorbers, oil / water separators, and the like. The present invention further relates to a liquid transport system including the liquid transport member and a product using the same.

BACKGROUND The need to transport liquid from one location to another is a well-known problem.

[0003] Generally, this transport is from a liquid source through a liquid transport member to a liquid sink, eg, from a reservoir to another reservoir through a tube. There may be potential energy differences between reservoirs (eg, hydrostatic height), especially if the transport member has a significant length with respect to its diameter, such as in a transport system such as a transport member. Some may have a loss of frictional energy.

With respect to this general problem of liquid transport, there are many ways to create a pressure differential to overcome such energy differences or losses in order for the liquid to flow. A widely used principle is the use of mechanical energy, for example a pump. However, in many cases such energy losses or differences are overcome without pumps, for example by utilizing the difference in hydrostatic height (gravitationally driven flow) or by capillary action (often called wicking). Would be desirable.

In many such applications, it is desirable to transport the liquid at a high rate, ie, at a high flow rate (volume per hour) or at a high flux rate (volume per hour per unit cross-sectional area).

[0006] Examples of the use of liquid transport elements or components are in the field of water irrigation, for example as described in EP-A-0,439,890, or in the field of sanitation, for example absorbers,
For example, it can be found in areas such as baby diapers, training pants, adult incontinence products, and women's protective equipment, both in the pull-up type and in the type with a fastening element such as tape.

[0007] A well-known and widely used embodiment of such a liquid transport member is a capillary flow member in which liquid is wicked against gravity, for example a fibrous material such as blotter. . Typically, such materials are limited in their flow rates and / or flux rates, especially when the suction height is added as an additional requirement. Improvements to obtain particularly high fluences at suction heights which are particularly useful, for example, for absorbent applications are described in EP-A-0,810,078.

[0008] Other capillary flow members may be non-fibrous but porous structures, such as open-cell foams. Particularly for treating aqueous liquids, hydrophilic polymer foams have been described, in particular hydrophilic open-cell foams produced by the so-called high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) polymerization process are described in US-A-5,563, 1
No. 79 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,207.

However, despite various improvements made to such embodiments,
There is still a need to obtain a significant increase in the liquid transport properties of a liquid transport member.

It would be desirable to have a liquid transport member capable of transporting liquid against gravity, especially at very high flux rates.

In situations where the liquid is not homogeneous in the composition (eg, salt solution in water) or its phase (eg, liquid / solid suspension), it may be desirable to transport the entire liquid or only a portion thereof. is there. Many methods for these selective transport mechanisms are well known, as in, for example, filter technology.

For example, filtration techniques take advantage of the relatively high and relatively low permeability of one member when comparing one material or phase to another. There are numerous technologies in this field, especially those involving so-called micro, ultra or nanofiltration. Some of the more recent publications include: US-A-5,733,581 for meltblown fibrous filters; US-A-5,728,292 for nonwoven fuel filters. WO-A-97 / 47375 for membrane filter devices; WO-A-97 / 35656 for membrane filter devices; EP-A-0,780,148 for integral membrane structures; lipophilic filter structures No. EP-A-0,773,058.

[0013] Also disclosed are those in which such membranes are also used in absorbent devices.

[0014] In US-A-4,820,294 (Kamme), a compact or bandage having a liquid absorbent material enclosed in a jacket made of one essentially homogeneous material. There is disclosed an absorber for use. Liquid can enter the absorber through any portion of the jacket, but the means by which liquid exits the absorber is not anticipated.

Here, the liquid absorbent material may have an osmotic action, or may be a gel-forming absorbent substance confined in a semipermeable membrane. For example, if the pore size is 0
. Cellulose, regenerated cellulose, cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, polycarbonate, polyamide, fiberglass, polysulfone having a thickness of between 001 μm and 20 μm, preferably between 0.005 μm and 8 μm, especially about 0.01 μm And polytetrafluoroethylene.

In such a system, the permeability of the membrane is intended to allow the absorbed liquid to permeate, but retain the absorbent material.

Thus, as described below, to obtain a high liquid conductivity k / d for this layer,
It is desirable to use a membrane having a high permeability k and a low thickness d.

This is because relatively high molecular weight promoters (eg, molecular weight 40, 40) can be used so that these membranes can have relatively large pores resulting in a larger membrane permeability k.
000 polyvinylpyrrolidone). The maximum pore size described herein for use in this application is less than 0.5 μm, with pore sizes of about 0.01 μm or less being preferred. With these material examples,
Calculation of k / d values in the range of 3-7 × 10 ⁻¹⁴ m is possible.

Since this system is very slow, the absorber is provided with further liquid receiving means for fast liquid drainage, for example conventional receiving means providing temporary storage of liquids before they are slowly absorbed. May be.

Another use of membranes in absorbent packets is described in US Pat. No. 5,082,723.
No., EP-A-0,365,565, or US-A-5,108,383.
No. (White, Allied-Signal).

Here, an osmotic promoter, ie a high ionic strength material such as Na
Cl, or other high osmolarity material, such as glucose or sucrose, is contained in a membrane made of, for example, a cellulose film. As in the above disclosure, liquid can enter the absorber through any portion of the jacket, but the means by which liquid exits the absorber is not anticipated. When these packets come in contact with an aqueous liquid, such as urine, the promoter material provides an osmotic driving force that pulls the liquid through these membranes. These membranes are characterized by low permeability to the promoter, and these packets have a capacity of 0.001 ml / c
A typical rate of m ² / min is achieved. When calculating the membrane conductivity k / d value for the membranes disclosed herein, a value of about 1-2 × 10 ⁻¹⁵ m results. An essential property of membranes that can be used in such applications is their "salt retention". That is, these membranes should be easily penetrated by the liquid, but they must retain a significant amount of promoter material in the packet. This requirement of salt retention places a limit on pore size, which limits liquid flux.

US-A-5,082,723 (Gross et al.) Discloses a superabsorbent material, such as a copolymer of acrylic acid and sodium acrylate, which improves the absorbency, eg, per gram. Discloses a permeable material, such as NaCl, for high absorbency and absorption based on "grams".

Overall, such liquid handling members are used for improved liquid absorption, but have only very limited liquid transport capabilities.

[0024] Therefore, there is still a need to improve liquid transport properties, especially to increase the flow rate and / or fluence in liquid transport systems.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a liquid transport member composed of at least two regions that differ in permeability.

Provided is a liquid permeable member that exhibits improved liquid transport, as indicated by a significantly increased liquid flow rate, particularly the liquid flux rate, ie, the amount of liquid flow in a unit of time through a cross section of the liquid transport member. Is yet another purpose.

It is yet another aspect of the present invention to enable such liquid transport against gravity.
One purpose.

Liquids with a wide range of physical properties, such as aqueous (hydrophilic) or non-aqueous, oily,
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such an improved liquid transport member for a lipophilic liquid.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a liquid transport device that includes a liquid sink and / or a liquid source in addition to the liquid transport member.

It is an object of the present invention to provide any of the foregoing which can be used, for example, in sanitary absorbent products, such as baby diapers, adult incontinence products, women's protection products, for use in absorbent structures. Yet another purpose.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide any of the foregoing for use as a water irrigation device, spill absorber, oil absorber, water / oil separator. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a liquid transport member comprising at least one bulk region, a wall region completely surrounding the bulk region, and further having at least one port region, wherein the bulk region is has an average liquid permeability k _b, the member has a bubble point pressure _{^{P, P 2 × k b>}} m (ε / 2) wherein a × gamma ^2, gamma is transported Is the surface tension of the liquid, and ε is the volume porosity of the member, and m has a value of at least 1, preferably greater than 2, more preferably greater than 10, and most preferably greater than 100. .

[0033] The liquid transport member according to the present invention may comprise a first region with a first material, and may further comprise an additional element in contact with the first material in the first region, It extends into an adjacent second area of the liquid transport member. The additional element may be in contact with the wall region, extend into the adjacent second region, and have a capillary pressure for absorbing liquid below the bubble point pressure of the member. This additional element may comprise a flexible layer.

In another preferred embodiment, the ratio of the permeability of the bulk region to the permeability of the port region is at least 10, preferably at least 100, more preferably at least 1000, even more preferably at least 100,000. .

In another preferred embodiment, the member is at least 1 kPa, preferably at least 2 kPa, more preferably at least 4.5 kPa, as measured with a test liquid having a surface tension of 72 mN / m. More preferably it has a bubble point pressure of 8 kPa, most preferably 50 kPa.

In another preferred embodiment, the port area is at least 1 kPa, preferably at least 2 kPa, more preferably at least 4.5 kPa when measured with a test liquid having a surface tension of 72 mN / m. Even more preferably with a bubble point pressure of 8 kPa, most preferably 50 kPa,
At least 0.6 when measured with a test solution having a surface tension of N / m.
7 kPa, preferably at least 1.3 kPa, more preferably at least 3 kPa
Pa, even more preferably at least 5.3 kPa, most preferably at least 33 kPa bubble point pressure.

In another preferred embodiment, the bulk region has a ratio of the average pore size of the bulk region to the average pore size of the port region, preferably at least 10
, More preferably at least 50, even more preferably at least 100, even more preferably at least 500, most preferably at least 1000, having an average pore size larger than said port area.

In another preferred embodiment, the bulk region has at least 200
μm, preferably at least 500 μm, more preferably at least 1000 μm
m, most preferably at least 5000 μm.

In another preferred embodiment, the bulk region has at least 50%
, Preferably at least 80%, more preferably at least 90%, even more preferably at least 98%, most preferably at least 99%. Thus, this bulk region can have a density of 0.001 g / cm ³ or more.

[0040] In another preferred embodiment, the port area is at least 10%
More preferably at least 20%, even more preferably at least 30%,
Most preferably it has a porosity of at least 50%.

In another preferred embodiment, these port areas have as few as 100
μm, preferably only 50 μm, more preferably only 10 μm and most preferably only 5 μm. It is also preferred that this port region has a pore size of at least 1 μm, more preferably at least 3 μm.

In another preferred embodiment, these port areas have as few as 100
It has an average thickness of μm (not more than 100 μm), preferably only 50 μm (not more than 50 μm), more preferably only 10 μm (not more than 10 μm), most preferably only 5 μm (not more than 5 μm).

In another preferred embodiment, the bulk regions and the wall regions have a volume ratio (bulk region to bulk region) of at least 10, preferably at least 100, more preferably at least 1000, even more preferably at least 10,000. Wall area).

In another preferred embodiment, the liquid transport initially loses at least 3% of the liquid in a closed system test.

In another particular embodiment, especially for the transport of aqueous liquids, this port area is hydrophilic, and preferably has a contact angle for the liquid to be transported of preferably 7
It is made of less than 0 °, preferably less than 50 °, more preferably less than 20 °, even more preferably less than 10 °. Preferably, these port regions do not substantially reduce the liquid surface tension of the liquid being transported.

In another particular embodiment, especially for transporting oleaginous liquids, this port area is lipophilic and preferably has a contact angle for the liquid to be transported of less than 70 °, preferably less than 50 °, more Preferably less than 20 °, even more preferably 1
It is made of a material that is less than 0 °.

In another particular embodiment, the bulk region is deformable and can expand during liquid transport, and according to the reversible volume expansion test defined herein:
It may have a shrinkage coefficient of less than 0.8 after the first test cycle and an expansion coefficient of at least 1.2 after the first test cycle.

In another particular embodiment, the member may have a sheet-like shape or a cylindrical-like shape, and in some cases the cross-section of the member along the direction of liquid transport is not constant. Further, the port region may have an area that is greater than the average cross section of the member along the liquid transport direction, and preferably the port region has an area greater than the average cross section of the member along the liquid transport direction. Also have at least a factor of 2, preferably a factor of 10,
Most preferably it has an area larger by a factor of 100.

[0049] In another particular embodiment, the bulk region comprises fibers, particulates, foam,
It comprises one material selected from the group of spirals, films, corrugated sheets, or tubes.

[0050] In another particular embodiment, the wall region comprises fibers, particulates, foam,
It comprises a material selected from the group of spirals, films, corrugated sheets, tubes, woven webs, woven fiber mesh, apertured films, or integral films.

In another particular embodiment, the bulk region or wall region may be an open cell reticulated foam, preferably a foam selected from the group of cellulose sponge, polyurethane foam, HIPE foam.

[0052] In yet another specific embodiment, the liquid transport member comprises a polyolefin,
It has fibers made of polyester, polyamide, polyether, polyacryl, polyurethane, metal, glass, cellulose, cellulose derivatives.

[0053] In yet another embodiment, the liquid transport member is made of a porous bulk region surrounded by a separate, separate wall region. In certain embodiments,
The member may include a water-soluble material, for example, to increase permeability or pore size when in contact with liquid in the bulk or port region.

In still other specific embodiments, the liquid transport member is initially wet with a liquid, or is essentially filled with water, or is under a vacuum.

The liquid transport member may be particularly suitable for transporting water-based liquids, viscoelastic liquids, or bodily excretions such as urine, blood, menstrual secretions, stool, or sweat.

The liquid transport member may also be suitable for transporting oil, grease, or other liquids that are not based on water, or for oil or grease transport but with water. It may be particularly suitable for selective transport, but not for transport of liquids on the basis of. In special applications, these port regions may be hydrophobic.

In yet another particular embodiment, the properties or parameters of any of the areas of the member or of the member itself are maintained during transportation of the member from its production location to the intended use location. Although not required, they need to be established just prior to or at the time of liquid treatment. This can be achieved by activating the member, for example, having contact with a transported liquid, pH, temperature, enzymes, chemical reactions, salt concentrations, or mechanical activation.

Another aspect of the invention relates to the combination of a liquid transport member with a liquid source and / or liquid sink. At least one of these is located outside this member.

In one particular embodiment, a liquid transport system comprising a liquid transport member according to the present invention, when measured in a required absorbency test, has at least 5 g / g, preferably at least 10 g, based on the weight of the sink material. / G, more preferably at least 20 g / g.

In yet another particular embodiment, the liquid transport system, when subjected to a tea bag centrifugation capability test, is based on the weight of the sink material, at least 10 g / g, preferably at least 20 g / g, and more. Preferably at least 5
Includes a sink material having an absorbency of 0 g / g. In yet another embodiment, having an absorbency of at least 5 g / g, preferably at least 10 g / g, more preferably at least 50 g / g when measured in a capillary suction test at a pressure up to the bubble point pressure of the port. And less than 5 g / g, preferably less than 2 g / g, more preferably less than 1 g / g, most preferably less than 0.2 g / g, as measured in a capillary suction test at a pressure above the bubble point pressure in this region. It has a sink material having an absorptive power.

In some specific embodiments, the liquid transport member also includes a superabsorbent material or a foam made by high internal phase emulsion polymerization.

[0062] Yet another aspect of the invention relates to a product comprising a liquid transport member according to the invention,
For example, it relates to an absorbent body or a disposable absorbent body provided with a liquid transport member. In particular, applications that may benefit from using the components according to the invention are disposable absorbent hygiene articles such as baby or adult incontinence diapers, female protective pads, panty liners, training pants. Other suitable applications can be found on bandages or other healthcare absorption devices. In another aspect, the product may be a water transport device or component, optionally by combining transport and filtration functions, for example, by purifying transported water. Similarly, the member may be useful in cleaning operations, such as by removing liquid or by discharging liquid in a controlled manner. The liquid transport member according to the present invention may also be an oil or grease absorber, or may be used for separating oily and aqueous liquids.

Yet another aspect of the invention is a method of manufacturing a liquid transport member, comprising the following steps: a) providing a bulk or internal material; b) providing a wall material with a port region. C) completely enclosing the bulk region material with the wall material; d) the following: d1) vacuum; d2) liquid filling; d3) inflatable elastics / springs. Providing the enabling means.

Optionally, the method may include the following steps: e) adding the following activating means: e1) liquid dissolution port area; e2) liquid dissolution swellable elasticizer / spring; e3 E) removable sealing packaging.

In another embodiment, the method may comprise the following steps: a) a separate, separate, highly porous bulk material comprising at least one permeable port region B) completely sealing the wall area, and c) essentially evacuating the air from the member.

In yet another particular embodiment, the method further comprises wetting the member, or partially or essentially completely filling the member with a liquid.

In yet another particular embodiment, the method further comprises sealing the member with a liquid dissolving layer, at least in the port area.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION General Definitions As used herein, "liquid transport member" refers to a material or composite material capable of transporting a liquid. Such a member includes at least two regions. That is, the "inside" part, where the term "bulk" region is used interchangeably, and the wall region with at least one "port" region. The terms "inside" and "outside" relate to the relative positions of these regions. That is, the outer portion generally surrounds the inner region, eg, the wall region surrounds the bulk region.

As used herein, the term “Z dimension” refers to a dimension orthogonal to the length and width of the liquid transport member or product. The Z dimension usually corresponds to the thickness of the liquid transport member or product. As used herein, the term "XY dimension" refers to a plane orthogonal to the thickness of the member or product. The XY dimensions typically correspond to the length and width, respectively, of the liquid transport member or product. The term layer can also apply to members that extend much less in the radial direction than in other directions when describing this in spherical or cylindrical coordinates. For example, the hull of a balloon would be considered a layer in this situation, so that the hull would define the wall area and the air-filled center would define the inner area.

As used herein, the term “layer” refers to a region whose major dimensions are XY, ie, a region along its length and width. It should be understood that the term layer is not necessarily limited to a single layer or sheet of material. This layer may thus comprise a laminate or combination of several sheets or webs of the required type of material. Thus, the term “layer” includes the terms “some layers” and “layering”.

For the purposes of the present invention, the term “top” also refers to parts, articles, products, or articles that are oriented upwards (ie, oriented against the gravity vector) during their intended use.
It should be understood, for example, about layers. For example, for a liquid transport member for transporting liquid from a “lower” reservoir to an “upper” reservoir, this means transporting against gravity.

All percentages, ratios, and proportions used herein are calculated by weight unless otherwise specified.

As used herein, the term “absorber” refers to a device that absorbs and contains body excrement, and more specifically, absorbs and contains various excrement discharged from the body. To the body of or near the wearer.
The term "fluid from the body" as used herein includes, but is not limited to, urine, menstrual discharge, and vaginal discharge, sweat, and stool.

The term “disposable” is used herein to describe absorbents that are not intended to be washed or also restored or reused as absorbents (ie, they are disposed of after use) To be recycled, preferably composted, or otherwise disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner).

As used herein, the term “absorbent core” refers to the absorbent element that is primarily responsible for the liquid handling properties of the product. This includes receiving, transporting, distributing and storing liquids from the body. Thus, the absorbent core generally does not include a topsheet or backsheet of the absorbent.

One member or material can be described as having a structure, for example, porosity. It is defined as the ratio of the volume of the solid substance of the component or material to the total volume of the component or material. For example, in the case of a fibrous structure made of polypropylene fibers, the porosity can be calculated from the specific weight of the structure, the caliper and the specific weight (density) of the polypropylene of this fiber: V voids / total V = ( 1-ρ bulk / ρ material) The term “activatable” refers to a situation in which, when this means is released, a reaction, such as a mechanical response, occurs when the means is released. Say about For example, if the spring is coupled (and thus can be activated) by a clamp, release of the clamp will activate the expansion of the spring. In the case of such a spring or other member, a material or system having an elastic behavior, expansion can be defined by an elastic modulus well known in the art. Fundamental Principles and Definitions Liquid Transport Mechanism in Ordinary Capillary Flow Systems While not wishing to be linked to any of the following descriptions, the basic functional mechanism of the present invention is best explained by comparing it with ordinary materials. can do.

In materials where liquid transport is based on capillary pressure as the driving force, the liquid is
The interaction of this liquid with the surface of the pores draws them into the pores, which are initially dry. When these pores are filled with liquid, they are displaced by the air in these pores. If such materials are at least partially saturated, then also hydrostatic, capillary,
Or if a osmotic suction force is applied to at least one region of the material, if the suction pressure is greater than the capillary pressure holding the liquid in the pores of these materials,
Liquid is desorbed from this material (eg, J. Bear, Ha, Dover Publications Inc., New York, 1988).
ifa, “Dynamics of fluid in a porous medium”
luids in suspended media) ").

When desorbed, air enters the pores of such conventional capillary flow material. If additional liquid is available, this liquid is drawn back into the pores by capillary pressure.
Thus, a conventional capillary flow material, if one end is connected to a liquid source (e.g., a reservoir) and the other end to a liquid sink (e.g., a hydrostatic suction), liquid transport through this material is Based on the absorption / desorption and resorption cycles of the individual pores, the capillary forces at the liquid / air-interface provide the internal driving force for the liquid through the material.

This is in contrast to the transport mechanism of a liquid through a transport member according to the invention. Similarity with siphon A brief description of the function of the invention can be started by comparing it with a siphon (see FIG. 1). Siphons are well known from drainage systems as tubes in the form of a lying "S" (101). The principle of this is that the tube (102)
Is filled with liquid (103), ie, when more liquid is received (as shown at 106), it enters at one end of the siphon and almost immediately leaves the siphon at the other end (at 107). It is shown). This means that since the siphon is filled with an incompressible liquid, the incoming liquid will immediately pass the liquid through the siphon if there is a differential pressure on the liquid between the inlet and outlet points of the siphon. Because the liquid is forced out of the siphon at the other end. In such siphons, the liquid is inflow and outflow "mouths" of the open surface.
(104 and 105 respectively) in and out of the system.

The drive pressure to move the liquid along the siphon can be obtained by various mechanisms. For example, if the inflow is at a higher position than the outflow, gravity creates a hydrostatic pressure differential, creating a liquid flow through the system.

Alternatively, if the outlet is higher than the inlet and the liquid must be transported against gravity, the liquid will pass through the siphon only if an external differential pressure greater than the hydrostatic pressure is applied. Flowing. For example, a pump could generate enough suction or pressure to move liquid through the siphon. Thus, liquid flow through the siphon or pipe is caused by the overall pressure differential between its inlet and outlet port areas. This can be explained by well-known models, such as represented by the Bernoulli equation.

The similarity of this invention to this principle is shown schematically in FIG. 2 as one particular embodiment. Here, the liquid transport member (201) need not be S-shaped, but may be a straight tube (202). The liquid transport member can be filled with liquid (203) if the inlet and outlet of the transport member are covered by inlet material (204) and outlet material (205). Inlet material (20
4) Upon receiving additional liquid (shown at 206) that is likely to penetrate through, liquid (207) immediately leaves this member through the outlet port (205) and through the outlet material.

An important difference of the principle is therefore that the inlet and / or outlet is not an open surface, preventing air or gas from penetrating into the transport member, thus leaving the transport member filled with water. Have special transparency requirements. This will be explained in more detail below.

A liquid transport member according to the present invention can be combined with one or more liquid sources and / or sinks to form a liquid transport system. Such a liquid source or sink may be glued to the transport member, for example at the inlet port and / or the outlet port, or the sink or source may be integral with this member. The liquid sink may be integral with the transport member, for example, when the transport member is able to expand its volume and thereby receive the transported liquid.

Another simple similarity to a siphon system when compared to a liquid transport system can be seen in FIGS. 3A (siphon) and 3B (invention). An open end (303) in which the liquid (source) reservoir (301) and the lower (in the direction of gravity) liquid (sink) reservoir (302) are in the shape of an inverted "U" (or "J")
When connected by a conventional tube or pipe having a liquid, the liquid can only flow from the upper reservoir to the lower reservoir if the tube is filled with liquid by immersing the upper end in the liquid. If air can enter the pipe, for example by removing liquid from the upper end (305), this transport is interrupted and the pipe must be refilled to be functional again.

[0086] Liquid transport members according to the present invention will look very similar in a similar arrangement, except as follows. That is, instead of an open area, the end of the transport member with inlet and outlet materials having special permeability requirements as described in more detail below, ie, inlet (305) and outlet (306). ). The inflow and outflow materials prevent air or gas from penetrating into the transport member, thereby maintaining liquid transport capability even if the inlet is not immersed in the liquid source reservoir. Obviously, if the transport member is not immersed in the liquid source reservoir, liquid transport will be stopped, but liquid transport can begin immediately when immersed again.

In a broader sense, the present invention relates to liquid transport, which is based on direct suction rather than capillary. Here, the liquid is transported through one area where substantially no air (or other gas) enters (or at least does not enter a significant amount of) this member. The driving force for flowing the liquid through such a member is created by a liquid sink and a liquid source in external or internal flow relationship with the member.

There are many embodiments of the present invention, some of which are discussed in more detail below. For example, there may be members in which the inlet and / or outlet materials are distinctly different from the inner or bulk region, or there may be members with gradually changing properties, or the source or sink may be connected to the transport member. The integral or incoming liquid is
There may be embodiments of the member that differ in their type or characteristics from the liquid exiting the member.

Furthermore, all embodiments rely on an inlet or outlet having a different permeability for the transported liquid as well as for the surrounding gas, eg air, than the inner / bulk region. .

In the context of the present invention, the term “liquid” refers to a fluid consisting of a continuous liquid phase, optionally a discontinuous phase, for example an immiscible liquid phase, or a solid or gas comprising a suspension,
It refers to a fluid that forms an emulsion or the like. The liquid may be homogeneous in composition, which may be a mixture of miscible liquids, such as a solid or gaseous solution in the liquid. Non-limiting examples of liquids that can be transported through a member according to the invention include pure water or water with additives or contaminants, saline, urine, blood, menstrual fluid, a wide range of consistency and Includes stool substances of viscosity, oils, food greases, lotions, creams, etc.

The term “transported liquid” or “transport liquid” refers to the liquid actually transported by the transport member. That is, it may be all in a homogeneous phase, or it may be a solvent in the phase with the dissolved material, such as water in an aqueous salt solution, or it may be one in a multiphase liquid. It may be a single phase or it may be a whole of a multi-component or multi-phase liquid. Thus, for various liquids, it will be readily apparent to which liquid properties, eg, surface energy, viscosity, density, etc., are appropriate.

[0092] The liquid entering the liquid transport member will be of the same type or of the same type as the liquid leaving or storing the member, but this is not necessarily the case. No need to be. For example, if the liquid transport member is filled with an aqueous liquid and, with a suitable design, when an oleaginous liquid is received by the member, the aqueous phase can first leave the member. In this case, the aqueous phase could be considered a “replaceable liquid”. Geometric description of the transport member area In the sense of the present invention, the liquid transport member comprises at least two areas, namely "
"Wall region" with "bulk region" and at least one liquid permeable "port region"
Must be provided. The geometry of the wall region completely surrounding the bulk region and in particular its requirements are defined by the following description (see FIG. 4).
This considers the liquid transport member at one point.

The bulk / inner area (403) and wall area (404) are distinctly different from each other and to the outer part (ie, “the rest of the universe”) and non-overlapping geometric Area. This can be defined by the following feature determination (see FIG. 4). Thus, any point can belong to only one of these regions.

The bulk region (403) is connected. That is, this bulk region (403)
There are at least one continuous line (curve or straight line) that connects these two points without leaving the bulk region (403) for any two points A ′ and A ″ inside.

For any point A in the bulk region (403), all rod-like straight lines having a circular thickness of at least 2 mm diameter intersect the wall region (404). The straight lines have the geometric meaning that they are cylinders of infinite length, similar to the fact that point A is a light source, these lines being rays, but these rays are It need not have an extreme geometric "thickness" (alternatively, one line can pass through a pore opening in the port region (405)). This geometric thickness is set at 2 mm. This, of course, must be considered in the approximation near point A (without a three-dimensional extension that fits such a rod-like line).

The wall region (404) completely surrounds the bulk region (403). Thus, for any point A ″ belonging to the bulk region (403) and C belonging to the outside,
Every continuous curve rod (similar to a continuous curve but with a circular thickness of 2 mm diameter) intersects the wall area (404).

The port area (405) connects the bulk area (403) and the outer part,
Connecting every point A '' of the bulk region to every point C of the "outside", there is at least one continuous curved rod having a circular thickness of 2 mm and intersecting the port region (405).

The term “region” refers to a three-dimensional region that can be of any shape. The thickness of this area may be thin, so this area is often, but not necessarily, a flat structure, for example like a thin film. For example, the membrane can be used in the form of a film. This depends on the porosity,
It may have a thickness of μm, or may be much smaller, and therefore much smaller than the extension of the membrane perpendicular to it (ie the length and width dimensions).

The wall regions may be arranged around the bulk region, for example, in an overlapping arrangement. That is, some parts of the wall area material are in contact with each other and are connected to each other, for example, by sealing. The sealing should then not have an opening large enough to interrupt the function of the element. That is, the sealing line could be considered to belong to the (impermeable) wall region or to the wall region.

One region can be described as having at least one property that stays within certain limits in order to define the common function of its sub-regions, while other properties are It is quite possible that it will change within the area.

In this specification, the term “regions” should be understood to also encompass the term “one region”. That is, if a member has several "regions", the possibility of having only one such region should be included in this term unless explicitly stated otherwise. It is.

The “port” and “bulk / inside” regions can be easily distinguished from each other. For example, a void for one region and a membrane for another. Alternatively, these regions may have a gradual transition with respect to certain related parameters, as described below. It is therefore essential that the transport element according to the invention has at least one area that satisfies the requirements for the “inner area” and one area that satisfies the requirements for the “wall area” (where the wall area is actually May have a very small thickness with respect to its extension in the other two dimensions, so that it looks more like a surface area than a volume). The wall region may have an inlet port and an outlet port.

Thus, in the case of a liquid transport member, the transport path can be defined as a passage for liquid entering the port area and exiting the outlet. This allows the liquid transport path to pass through the bulk region. The transport path may also be defined as a passage for liquid entering the port area and entering a liquid reservoir integral with the inner area of the transport member, or alternatively, a liquid source area within the inner area of the transport member. It can also be defined as a liquid passage from to the outlet port area.

The transport path of the liquid transport member may be of considerable length, a length of 100 m or even longer may be envisaged, or the liquid transport member may have a very short length. For example, even a few millimeters or less. Providing a high transport rate and being able to transport large volumes of liquid is a particular advantage of the present invention, but the latter is not a requirement. It is also conceivable that only a small amount of liquid is transported in a relatively short time. This is the case when the system is used to transmit signals in liquid form, for example at another point along the transport element, to trigger a certain response to the signal.

In this case, the liquid transport member can function as a real-time signal device. Alternatively, the transported liquid may perform a function at the outlet. For example, the function of activating voids to release mechanical energy and to create a three-dimensional structure. For example, the liquid transport member can send a triggering signal to the responder. The responder comprises a compressed material held in a vacuum press in a bag, at least a portion of which is soluble (eg, in water). A threshold level signal liquid (eg, water) delivered by the liquid transport member is
When dissolving a portion of the water-soluble region and discontinuously releasing the vacuum, the compressed material expands to form a three-dimensional structure. For example, the compression material may be an elastic plastic foam having a shaped void of sufficient volume to capture body excrement. Alternatively, the compressed material may be an absorbent material that functions as a pump by drawing liquid into its body as it expands (eg, may function as a liquid sink, as described below).

[0106] Liquid transport can occur along a single transport path or along multiple paths. These may be broken or recombined in the transport member.

In general, a transport path defines a transport direction, which defines a transport cross-plane perpendicular to said path. The inner / bulk region shape then combines the various transport paths to define the transport cross-section.

For irregularly shaped transport members and their respective regions, one or more transport paths may be made using incremental approximations, or derivative approximations, also well known from geometric calculations. It may be necessary to average the transport cross section for the length of

[0109] It is believed that there is a transport member in which the inner area and the port area are easily separable and identifiable. In other cases, more effort will be required to identify and / or separate different regions.

Thus, when the requirements for some regions are set forth, it should be understood that they apply to some materials within those regions. This allows one area to:
It may be composed of one homogeneous material, or one region may be provided with such a homogeneous material. Similarly, a material may have various properties and / or parameters, and thus comprise one or more regions. The following description focuses on describing the properties and parameters for a functionally defined area. DESCRIPTION OF THE GENERAL FUNCTION OF A TRANSPORT MEMBER As described briefly above, the present invention relates to a liquid transport member. this is,
It is based on direct suction rather than capillary. Here, liquid is transported through an area, into which substantially no air (or other gas) should enter (no or at least no significant amount). The driving force for the liquid flowing through such a member can be created by a liquid sink and / or liquid source, externally or internally, in liquid communication with the transport member.

Direct suction is maintained during transport by ensuring that substantially no air or gas enters the liquid transport member. This means that the wall area, including the port area, should be substantially air impermeable up to a certain pressure, the bubble point pressure which will be discussed in more detail below.

The liquid transport member must therefore have some liquid permeability (described below). Higher liquid permeability gives lower flow resistance, which is therefore preferred in this respect.

Furthermore, the liquid transport member should be substantially impermeable to air or gas during liquid transport.

However, in the case of conventional porous liquid transport materials, especially in those materials that function based on capillary transport mechanisms, liquid transport is generally controlled by the interaction between pore size and permeability, and therefore highly A permeable open structure is generally one that is composed of relatively large pores. These large pores result in a highly permeable structure. However, these structures have a very limited wicking height for a given set of respective surface energies, ie, for a given type of combination of materials and liquids. Pore size can also affect liquid retention under normal use conditions.

In contrast to such conventional capillary-governed mechanisms, in the present invention these usual limitations have been overcome. This is because it has surprisingly been found that a material having a relatively low permeability is combined with a material having a relatively high permeability and this combination produces a significant synergistic effect.

In particular, highly liquid permeable materials having large pores filled with liquid are:
This combined liquid transport member when surrounded by a material that is essentially air permeable up to a certain pressure, the bubble point pressure already referred to, but also has a relatively low liquid permeability Has high liquid permeability and high bubble point pressure at the same time, thus allowing very fast liquid transport even to external pressure.

Thus, the liquid transport member has an inner region with a relatively high liquid permeability to produce a maximum liquid transport rate. The permeability of the port region, which may be part of the wall region surrounding the bulk region, is substantially lower. This is done by a port area with membrane function designed for the intended use conditions. This membrane is permeable to liquids, but not to gases or vapors. Such properties are generally described by the bubble point pressure parameter. This is simply defined as the pressure up to which the gas or air does not penetrate through the wet membrane.

As will be discussed in more detail later, property requirements must be met during liquid transport. However, these requirements may be created or adjusted, for example, by activating the transport member before use. This is the case without such activation, or rather than fulfilling these requirements before such activation, but rather after activation. For example, one member may be elastically compressed or collapsed, expand when wet, and then create a structure with the required properties.

In general, in order to consider how fast and how much liquid can be transported at a certain height (ie for a certain hydrostatic pressure), capillary flow transport depends on the surface energy action mechanism and It is governed by the pore structure. This is determined by the number of pores, and the shape, size, and also pore size distribution.

If, for example, in a conventional capillary flow system or component based on capillary pressure as a driving force, the liquid is removed at one end of the capillary system, for example by means of suction, the liquid is closest to the suction device Desorbed from the capillaries, then they are at least partially filled with air, then refilled by capillary pressure with liquid from the adjacent capillary, then filled with liquid from the next adjacent capillary, and so on.

Thus, liquid transport through conventional capillary flow structures is based on individual pore absorption-desorption and resorption cycles.

This flow or flux is determined by the average permeability along the path and the suction at the end of the transport path. Such local suction will generally also depend on the local saturation of the material. That is, the flow / flux would be higher if the suction device could reduce saturation in the near area.

However, even if the suction at the end of the transport channel is higher than the capillary pressure inside the capillary structure, the internal driving force for the liquid is provided by the capillary pressure, thus limiting the liquid transport speed. Furthermore, such capillary flow structures cannot transport liquid against gravity at a height greater than the capillary pressure, independent of external suction.

A particular ideal embodiment of such a porous liquid transport member is a so-called “capillary”, which has an internal tube diameter that defines the overall degree of openness (or porosity) of the system. It can be described as a parallel pipe having a wall thickness. Such a system would have a relatively large flux for a certain height if they were "monoporous", i.e., if these pores had the same optimal pore size. Would. This flow is then determined by the pore structure, the surface energy relationship, and the cross-sectional area of the porous system and can be evaluated by well-known approximations.

Realistic porous structures, such as fibrous or foam-type structures, do not transport as well as the ideal structure of capillaries. Realistic porous structures have unaligned, ie, non-linear, pores. This is because capillaries and pore sizes are also not uniform. Either of these effects often reduces the transport efficiency of such capillary systems.

However, in one aspect of the invention, there are at least two regions within the transport member having different pore sizes. That is, one or more of the port regions has a relatively small pore size (which would result in a very low flow rate in a typical system) and the inner region would be substantially relatively small. It has a large pore size (this would result in a very low transport height achievable in conventional systems).

However, in the case of the present invention, the overall flow and transport height through the transport member is due to the high permeability of the inner region (and thus may be relatively long while having a small cross-sectional area). And a relatively high bubble point pressure in the port region, which may have a sufficiently large surface area and / or a small thickness, to improve synergistically. In this aspect of the invention, the high bubble point pressure in the port region is obtained by the capillary pressure of the small pores in said port region. This prevents air or gas from entering the transport element once wet.

Thus, very high liquid transport rates are obtained through a relatively small cross-sectional area of the transport member.

In another aspect, the present invention relates to liquid transport members, once activated and / or wet, such that they are selective with respect to the liquid they transport. The port area of the transport member is closed to the surrounding gas (e.g., air) but to a limited extent as may be indicated by the bubble point pressure, but the transported liquid (e.g., water).
Relatively open to the public.

The port area does not require a specific directivity of these properties. That is, the materials used herein can be used in either orientation of the liquid flow therethrough. These membranes have various properties (for some parts or elements of the liquid),
It is not a necessary condition to have transparency, for example. This is US-A-5,1
In contrast to the membrane as described for the osmotic absorbent packet in 08,383 (White et al.). Here, these membranes must have low permeability to promoter materials such as salts or salt ions. Bulk Regions The following sections describe requirements for "inner regions" or "bulk regions" as well as specific embodiments.

An important requirement for the bulk region is to have a low average flow resistance, which is for example at least 10 ⁻¹¹ m ² , preferably greater than 10 ⁻⁸ m ² , more preferably 10 ⁻⁷ m ² m ² greater than, and most preferably represented by having a greater permeability k than ¹⁰ -5 ^{m 2.}

One important means of obtaining such a high permeability for the inner region can be obtained by using a material that produces a relatively high porosity.

Such a porosity, which is usually defined as the ratio of the volume of the material making up the porous material to the total volume of the porous material and can be measured by commonly known density measurements, is at least 50% , Preferably at least 80%, more preferably at least 90%, or even more than 98% or even 99%. In the extreme case of the inner region, which consists essentially of single-pore porosity, this porosity is close to 100% and can even reach 100%. Porosity is one more
It can be determined by one parameter, namely the material density. This density corresponds to the so-called dry density measured on a material or region that is not filled with a fluid, such as a liquid or a gas, and is measured under low pressure, for example under 0.02 psi. If the bulk region is a porous material rather than a gap, such materials have a density greater than about 0.001 g / m ^2.

The inner region may have pores with a diameter of about 200 μm, 500 μm, larger than 1 mm, or even larger than 9 mm. For some applications, such as irrigation or oil separation, for example, when the inner region is a void tube,
This inner region may have pores as large as 10 cm.

[0135] Such pores may be smaller prior to liquid transport, and thus the inner region may have a smaller volume, expanding just before or upon contact with the liquid. Preferably, if such pores are compressed or collapsed, they should be able to expand by at least a volume expansion coefficient of preferably 5, and more than 10. Such expansion can be achieved by a material having a modulus of elasticity greater than the external pressure. However, it must be less than the bubble point pressure.

[0136] High porosity is obtained with some materials that are well known in the art. For example, a fibrous member can easily achieve such a porosity value. Non-limiting examples of such fibrous materials that can be provided in the bulk region include high loft nonwovens made from polyolefin or polyester fibers used in the field of sanitary products, or the automotive industry, or upholstery, or the HVAC industry. It is. Other examples include fiber webs made of cellulosic fibers.

[0137] Such porosity can be further obtained by a porous open-cell foam structure. For example, but not limited to, polyurethane reticulated foam, cellulose sponge, or open-cell foam (HIPE foam) produced by a high internal phase emulsion polymerization process. All of these are well known from a variety of industrial applications, such as filtration technology, upholstery, sanitary applications, and the like.

[0138] Such porosity can be obtained by a wall region surrounding the void defining the inner region (for example, described in more detail below), such as a pipe. Alternatively, several smaller pipes may be bundled.

[0139] Such porosity can further be obtained by "space holders" such as springs, spacers, particulate material, corrugated structures and the like.

The inner region pore size or permeability may be uniform or uneven throughout the inner region.

The high porosity of the inner region does not need to be maintained during all steps between the manufacture and use of the liquid transport member, and the voids in the inner region are slightly before its intended use. Or it may be made during use.

For example, a bellows-like structure joined by suitable means can be activated by the user, during its inflation, liquid penetrates through the port area into the inflating inner area, Fills the transport member completely or at least to a degree that does not impede the liquid flow.

Alternatively, for example, (US-A-5,563,179 or US-A-5)
, 387,207) have a tendency to collapse when water is removed and the ability to re-expand when wet again. Thus, such foams are transported from the manufacturing floor to the user in a relatively dry, and therefore thin (or low volume) state, and increase their volume only when in contact with a liquid source to increase the void permeability. Can meet the requirements.

[0144] The inner region may have various forms or shapes. The inner region may be cylindrical, elliptical, sheet-like, stripe-like, or have any irregular shape.

The inner region may have a constant cross-sectional area and may have a constant or varying cross-sectional shape, for example, a rectangle, triangle, circle, ellipse, or irregular shape.
The cross-sectional area, for use herein, is defined as the cross-section of the inner area before addition of the source liquid, as measured in a plane perpendicular to the flow path of the transport liquid, which is defined as:
It is used to determine the average inner region cross-section by averaging the individual cross-sections across the flow path.

The absolute size of the inner region should be chosen to suit the geometric requirements of the intended application. Generally, it will be desirable to have the smallest dimensions for the intended application. An advantage of the design according to the invention is that it allows a much smaller cross-sectional area than ordinary materials. The dimensions of the inner area are determined by the permeability of said inner area. This can be very high as large pores are possible. The reason is that the inner region does not have to be designed under the contradictory requirements of high flux (ie large pores) and high vertical liquid transport (ie small pores). Such high permeability allows for much smaller cross-sections, which allows for a great variety of designs.

Similarly, the length of the inner region may be significantly larger than in a normal system. This is also because, for this parameter, the new transport member can bridge to longer distances and higher vertical liquid transport heights.

[0148] The inner region may be essentially non-deformable. That is, it maintains its shape, form, and volume under normal conditions for the intended use. However, in many applications, it will be desirable for this inner region to keep the finished part soft and flexible.

The inner region can change its shape, for example, under the deforming force or pressure during use, or under the influence of the liquid itself. Its deformability or its absence
This can be done by selecting one or more materials for the inner region (eg, fibrous member). Alternatively, it can be determined essentially by the surrounding area, for example by the wall area of the transport element. One such method is to use an elastomeric material as the wall material.

The void in the inner region may be limited only by the wall region, or the inner region may have an internal partition therein.

If, for example, the inner region is made of parallel pipes with impermeable cylindrical walls, they are considered to be such internal partitions, whereby they are integral with the inner hollow opening of the pipe. Fine pores can be created, and other pores can be created by the interstitial space between the pipes. As another example, if the inner region comprises a fibrous structure, the fibrous material can be considered to form such an internal partition.

The inner partition of the inner region may have a surface energy suitable for the transported liquid. These partitions or portions may be hydrophilic, for example, to facilitate the transport of wet and / or aqueous liquids. Thus, in some embodiments relating to the transport of aqueous liquids, it is preferred that the partition of the inner region be wettable by such liquids, greater than 65 mN / m, more preferably 70 mN / m.
It is even more preferred to have an adhesive tension greater than N / m. If the transported liquid is oil-based, these partitions and portions may be lipophilic or lipophilic.

The closed partition of the inner region may further comprise a material that changes its properties significantly when wet, or even dissolves when wet. Thus, the inner region may comprise an open-cell foam material having relatively small pores, made at least in part from a soluble material, such as polyvinyl alcohol. The small pores can initially draw the liquid in the liquid transport phase, dissolve quickly, and then leave the large voids filled with liquid.

Alternatively, such materials can completely or partially fill relatively large pores. For example, the inner region may comprise a soluble material, such as poly (vinyl) alcohol, or poly (vinyl) acetate. Such a material may fill the voids before the member comes into contact with the liquid or may support the collapsed state of these voids. When in contact with a liquid, for example water, these materials dissolve, which can result in empty or expanded cavities.

[0155] In one embodiment, the voids in the inner region, which make up an essentially complete inner region, are essentially completely filled with an essentially incompressible liquid.

The term “essentially completely” refers to a situation in which a sufficient void volume of the inner region is filled with liquid such that a continuous flow path can be established.

Preferably, the majority of the void volume, preferably greater than 90%, more preferably greater than 95%, even more preferably greater than 99%, 10%
Including 0%, is filled with liquid. The inner region may be designed to enhance the accumulation of gas or other liquid in those parts of the region where this is less harmful. The remainder of these voids may then be filled with other liquids, such as residual gas or vapor, or an immiscible liquid such as oil in an inner region filled with an aqueous liquid, or a solid, For example, fine particles, fibers, and films may be used.

The liquid contained in the inner area may be of the same type as the liquid intended to be transported.

When, for example, a water-based liquid is the intended transport medium, the inner region of the transport element may be filled with water or oil is the intended transport liquid. If so, the inner region may be filled with oil.

The liquid in the inner region may also be different. In this case these differences may be relatively very small (eg, when the intended transport liquid is water, the liquid in the inner region may be an aqueous solution and vice versa). . Alternatively, the intended transport liquid may be quite different in its properties when compared to the liquid pre-filled in the inner region, for example when the source liquid is oil. It is initially transported through a pipe filled with water and closed by suitable inlets and outlets, whereby water leaves this member from the appropriate outlet port area and oil flows into the appropriate inlet port area. Enter this member from the position. In this particular embodiment, the total amount of liquid to be transported is such that the outlet port area with a material having properties compatible with these liquids, such as one or both of the liquids, can function. If not, it is limited by the amount received in the member or the amount of liquid exchanged.

The liquid in the inner region and the liquid to be transported may be mutually soluble, for example as a salt solution in water. For example, if the liquid transport member is for transporting blood or menstrual secretions, the inner region may be filled with water.

In another embodiment, the inner region contains a vacuum or gas or vapor below the corresponding equilibrium ambient or external pressure under respective temperature and volume conditions. When in contact with the transported liquid, the liquid will pass through the permeable port area (
(Described below) into the inner region, and then the voids in the inner region can be filled to the extent required. Thereafter, the inner region filled here functions like a “pre-filled” region as described above.

The functional requirements and structural embodiments of the inner region can be met by some suitable structures. While not limited to creating a structure that fits into the appropriate inner region, the scope of the preferred embodiment will now be described.

A simple but very illustrative example for the inner region has already been discussed,
An empty tube defined by an impermeable or semi-permeable wall, as shown in FIG. The diameter of such a tube may be relatively large compared to the diameter normally used for transport in a capillary system. Of course, this diameter will often depend on the particular system and intended use.

For sanitary applications, such as diapers, pore sizes of 2-9 mm or more have been found to perform satisfactory functions.

Similarly, from other engineering design principles, such as for example heat exchange systems (in principle)
As is known, a combination of parallel tubes of appropriate diameter of about 0.2 mm to several cm is suitable for a tube bundle.

[0167] For some applications, glass tube products provide the appropriate function. However, for some applications, such structures may have some mechanical strength constraints. Suitable tubes may also be made of silicone, rubber, PVC, and the like. For example, Barnant Inc. of Barrington, 60010, Illinois, USA
Masterflex by Norton, sold by nt Company, Barrington, Illinois.
erflex) 6404-17.

[0168] Yet another embodiment is found in the combination of mechanically expandable elements. A void can be opened in this structure, for example a spring, or if the expansion direction is oriented such that the appropriate pore size is oriented along the flow path direction.

Such materials are well known in the art and are disclosed, for example, in the following patents: That is, US-A-5,563,1 regarding HIPE foam material.
No. 79, US-A-5,387,207, US-A-5,632,737
US Pat. No. 5,674,917 for absorbent foams or EP-A-0,340,763 for highly porous fibrous structures or sheets made for example of PET fibers. is there.

Other materials may be appropriate, even if not all of the above requirements are met at the same time, provided that this defect is compensated by other design elements.

Other materials having relatively large pores include high loft nonwovens, filter materials, such as open-cell foams from Recticel, Brussels, Belgium, such as Bulpren, Filtren.
ltren) (Filtren TM10 Blue, Filtoren TM20 Blue, Filtoren TM30 Blue, Filtoren Fillend 10 Black, Filtoren Fillend 30 Black, Filtoren HC20 Gray, Filtoren Fillend HC30 Grex, Bullprene S10 Black, Bluprene S20 Black, Bullprene S30 Black ).

Another material having relatively large pores, even if the porosity is not very high, is sand having particles larger than 1 mm, especially sand having particles larger than 5 mm. Such fibrous or other materials can be very useful, for example, by being corrugated. However, excessive compression should be avoided.
Excessive compression can result in a non-uniform pore size distribution. this is,
It has small pores in the inner material and poorly open pores between corrugations.

Another embodiment showing an example of a material with two pore size regions is found in PCT Application No. US97 / 20840 for a woven loop structure.

The inner region may comprise an absorbent material, such as a superabsorbent gelling material, or other materials described below as suitable as the liquid sink material shown below. In addition, membrane permeable packet (MOP) promoter materials such as those disclosed in US-A-5,082,723 (White, Allied Signal) may be suitable for use in the inner region.

The inner region may furthermore be composed of several materials, ie for example a combination of the above.

The inner region may also comprise stripes, particulates or other heterogeneous structures that create large voids between themselves and act as space holders.

As described in more detail for the port area, the fluid in the inner area
Do not prevent these port areas from being filled with the transport liquid.

Thus, for example, the degree of vacuum, or the degree of miscibility or immiscibility, is such that liquid from the port area is drawn into the inner area without the port area being refilled with the transport liquid. Not be. Wall Region The liquid transport element according to the invention comprises, in addition to the inner region, a wall region surrounding this inner region, as defined geometrically above. This wall area must have at least one port area as described below. This wall region may further comprise a material as described below. These materials are essentially impervious to liquids and / or gases, thereby not interfering with the liquid handling function of the port area, as well as allowing ambient gases or vapors to penetrate into the liquid transport member To prevent

Such walls may be of any structure or shape and may represent an important structural element of the liquid transport member. Such a wall region may be in the form of a straight or bent pipe, a flexible pipe, or a cube shape or the like. These walls may be thin flexible films surrounding the inner area. Such walls may be permanent by deformation, elastically by an elastomeric film, or expandable when activated.

The wall area is an essential element for the present invention per se, but particularly applies to the port area provided in such an area, as described below. The properties of the rest of the wall area can be important for overall structure, elasticity, and other structural effects. Port Area The port area can generally be described as comprising materials having different permeability to different fluids. That is, they are permeable to the transport liquid, otherwise under the same conditions (eg, temperature, or pressure, etc.) and if they are wetted / filled with the transport liquid or a liquid of similar function, Surrounding gas (
(E.g., air) should be non-permeable.

In many cases, such materials are described as membranes with each characteristic parameter.

In the context of the present invention, a membrane is generally defined as a region that is permeable to a liquid, a gas, or a suspension of particles in a liquid or a gas. The membrane may include, for example, microporous regions that provide liquid permeability through the capillary. In another embodiment, the membrane may comprise an integral region with a block copolymer in which the liquid is transported by dispersion.

For a certain set of conditions, the membrane often has selective transport properties for liquids, gases, or suspensions, depending on the type of medium being transported. Accordingly, they are widely used for filtering fine particles from suspensions (eg, liquid filtration, air filtration). Other types of membranes exhibit selective transport for various types of ions or molecules, and thus find use in biological systems (eg, cell membranes, molecular sieves) or chemical engineering (eg, reverse osmosis).

[0184] Microporous hydrophobic membranes are generally gas permeable, while water-based liquids have a driving pressure below a critical pressure, commonly referred to as the "leakage" or "crosslinking" pressure. Is not transported through the membrane.

In contrast, hydrophilic microporous membranes transport liquids based on water. However, once wet, the gas (eg, air) has a driving pressure of "bubble point pressure".
When the pressure is below the limit pressure, which is usually called, the membrane essentially does not pass through.

[0186] Hydrophilic monolithic films are generally permeable to water vapor, while gas is not rapidly transported through the membrane.

Similarly, membranes can also be used for non-water based liquids, such as oils.
For example, most hydrophobic materials are actually lipophilic. Therefore, the hydrophobic microporous membrane
While oil is permeable, water is not permeable and can be used to transport oil or alternatively to separate oil and water.

The membranes are often manufactured as thin sheets, which can be used alone or in combination with a support layer (eg, a nonwoven) or as a support element (eg, a helical holder). Other forms of membrane include, but are not limited to, a thin polymer layer coated directly on another material, bag, or corrugated sheet.

Other known membranes may alter these properties after activation or in response to a stimulus “
An "activatable" or "switchable" membrane. This change in properties may be permanent or reversible, depending on the particular application. For example, the hydrophobic microporous layer may be coated with a thin dissolvable layer, for example, made of poly (vinyl) alcohol. Such a double layer system is gas impermeable. However, once wet and the poly (vinyl) alcohol film is dissolved, the system
It is permeable to gases but still impermeable to aqueous liquids.

Conversely, if the hydrophilic membrane is coated with such a soluble layer, it will be activated when in contact with the liquid, allowing the liquid to pass but not the gas.

[0191] In another embodiment, the hydrophilic microporous membrane is initially dry. In this state the membrane is air permeable. Once this membrane is wet, the haze is not air permeable. Another example of reversible switching of a membrane in response to a stimulus is a microporous membrane coated with a surfactant that changes its hydrophilicity according to temperature. For example, the membrane is then hydrophilic for warm liquids and hydrophobic for cold liquids. As a result, warm liquids pass through this membrane, but cold liquids do not. Other examples include, but are not limited to, microporous membranes made of stimulus activated gels whose dimensions change in response to pH, temperature, electric field, irradiation, and the like. Port Area Properties Port areas can be described by number or property and parameter.

An important aspect of the port area is transparency.

The transport properties of a membrane can generally be described by a permeability function, using Darcy's law applicable to all porous systems: q = 1 / A × dV / dt = k / η × Δp / L The volume flow dV / dt through the membrane is thus caused by the external pressure difference Δp (driving pressure) and the permeability function k is determined by the type of medium to be transported (eg liquid or gas), the limiting pressure and the stimulus Or by activation. Other relevant parameters affecting the liquid transport are the cross section A, the volume V, or their change over time, and the length L of the transport zone, and the viscosity η of the transported liquid.

In the case of porous membranes, the macroscopic transport properties are mainly due to pore size distribution, porosity, torsion, and surface properties such as hydrophilicity.

If considered alone, the permeability of the port area should be high so that large flux rates can pass through it. However, permeability is inherently linked to other properties and parameters, with typical permeability values for the port area or port material being about 6 × 10 ⁻²⁰ m ^{2 to} 7 × 10 ⁻¹⁸ m ² , or It may be up to 3 × 10 ⁻¹⁴ m ² , 1.2 × 10 ⁻¹⁰ m ² or more.

Another parameter associated with the port area and each material is the bubble point pressure, which can be measured according to the method described below.

The appropriate bubble point pressure value depends on the type of application under consideration. The following table lists the range of port area bubble point pressures (bpp) suitable for some applications, as measured for each typical liquid. Applications bpp (kPa) Wide range Typical range Diapers 4.5 to 35 4.5 to 8 Menstrual products 1 to 35 1 to 5 Irrigation <2 to> 508 8 to 50 Grease absorption 1 to 201 1 to 5 Oil separation < 1 to about 50 In a more general manner, it has been found useful to determine the bpp for one material using a standardized test solution, as described in the following test method. . Port Thickness and Size The port area of the liquid transport member is defined as the portion of the wall that has the highest permeability. This port area is also defined as having the lowest relative permeability when viewed along the path from the bulk area to a point outside the transport member.

The port area can be composed of a material that can be easily identified, and then both the thickness and the size can be easily determined. However, the port region may have a gradual transition of its properties to other impermeable portions of the wall region or to the bulk region. The determination of thickness and size can then be performed as described below. When looking at one segment of the wall region, it has a surface defined by corner points ABCD, for example as shown in FIG. It is directed towards the inner or bulk region and the surface EFGH is directed towards the outside of this member. Thus, the thickness dimension is oriented along the lines AE, BF, etc. That is, they are oriented along the z direction when using Cartesian coordinates. Similarly, the wall region has major extensions along two vertical directions, x and y.

The thickness of the port area can then be determined as follows: a) In the case of a property of the port area that is essentially homogeneous, at least in the direction through the thickness of this area, this is It is the thickness of the material with homogeneous permeability (for example in the case of a membrane film).

B) If it is combined with a carrier (whether inside or outside the membrane), this is the thickness of the membrane. That is, it refers to the discontinuity / step change function of the property along this path.

C) For a material having a (determinable) continuous gradient permeability in every segment as in FIG. 5, the following steps can be performed until a determinable thickness is reached (FIG. 6) (A)).

C0) First, the transmission profile is determined along the z-axis and the curve k [local]
The pair r is plotted. For some components, the porosity or pore size curves can also be used for this determination with appropriate changes in subsequent procedures.

C1) The point of lowest transmission (k [minimum]) is then determined, and a corresponding length reading (r [minimum]) is obtained.

C2) As a third step, the “transparency of the upper port region” is 1 (k)
It is determined to be zero.

C3) Since this curve has a minimum value at k [minimum], two corresponding r
There are [inside] and r [outside], which define the inner and outer limits, respectively, of the port area.

C4) The distance between the two limits defines the thickness, across which the average k [port,
Average] is determined.

If this method does not work due to an indeterminable gradient of permeability, porosity, or pore size, set the thickness of this port region to 1 μm.

As mentioned above, in many cases, it will be desirable to minimize the thickness of the port region, or the film material contained therein. A typical thickness value is 100
It is in the sub-μm range, often less than 50 μm, 10 μm, or even less than 5 μm.

In exactly the same way, the xy extension of the port area can be determined. In some liquid transport member designs, it will be readily apparent which portion of the wall area is the port area. In other designs, for properties that change gradually in the wall region, a local permeability curve along the x and y directions of the wall region can be determined, as shown in FIG. 6B. Can be plotted in the same manner as in FIG. However, in this case, the maximum transmission in the wall area defines the port area, which determines the maximum value, and the area having a transmission not less than 1/10 of the maximum transmission around this maximum value Defined as an area.

Yet another parameter that can be used to describe aspects of the port area useful in the present invention is the ratio of permeability to thickness, which in the context of the present invention is also referred to as “membrane conductivity”. Called.

This means that for a certain driving force, the amount of liquid permeating through one material, for example a membrane, is on the one hand proportional to the permeability of the material, ie the higher the permeability, the more It reflects the fact that liquid penetrates, on the other hand, is inversely proportional to the thickness of the material.

[0212] This proves that a material with a lower permeability compared to the same material with a smaller thickness can compensate for this lack of permeability (see this high rate , A).

This parameter can therefore be very useful in designing the port area material used.

The appropriate conductivity k / d depends on the type of application envisaged. The following table lists typical k / d ranges for some application examples. Applications k / d ( ^10-9 m) Wide range Typical range Diapers ^{10-6 to} 1000 150 to 300 Protecting women ... 100 to 500 Irrigation ... 1 to 300 Grease absorption ... 100 to 500 Oil separation 1 to 500 Naturally, the port area must be wettable by the transport liquid, and the hydrophilicity or lipophilicity is determined by using a hydrophilic membrane when transporting an aqueous liquid, for example. Or by using lipophilic membranes in the case of lipophilic or oily liquids.

The surface properties in the port area may be permanent, or they may change over time or with use conditions.

The receiving contact angle for liquid transport is less than 70 °, more preferably 50 °
It is preferably less than 20 °, even more preferably less than 20 °, or even less than 10 °. Furthermore, in many cases, it is preferred that the material does not negatively affect the surface tension of the transported liquid.

For example, the lipophilic membrane may be made of a lipophilic polymer, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, and such a membrane will remain lipophilic during use.

Another example is a hydrophilic material that transports an aqueous liquid. If a polymer such as polyethylene or polypropylene is to be used, for example, by adding a hydrophilic polymer to the surface of the material or by a surfactant added to the bulk polymer, for example, prior to forming the port material By
It must be made hydrophilic. In either case, the imparted hydrophilicity may or may not be permanent, for example it will be washed away with the transport liquid passing therethrough. However, even without the hydrophilizing agent, this is not significant once the port area is wet, since it is an important aspect of the present invention that the port area remain wet to prevent gas passage. Disappears. Maintain liquid filling of the membrane Once the porous membrane is wet (permeable to liquids, impermeable to air)
To be functional, at least one continuous layer of the pores of the membrane must always be filled with liquid, not gas or air. Thus, it may be desirable in some applications to minimize evaporation of liquid from the membrane pores, either by reducing the vapor pressure in the liquid or by increasing the vapor pressure in the air.
The ways in which this can be done include, but are not limited to:

Sealing the membrane with impermeable wrap to avoid evaporation between production and use. Use of a strong desiccant in the pores (eg CaCl ₂ ) or of a liquid with a low vapor pressure in the pores mixed with the transported liquid, eg glycerin.

Alternatively, the port region may be a soluble polymer such as polyvinyl alcohol,
Alternatively, it may be sealed with polyvinyl acetate. These dissolve when contacted with a liquid, thereby activating the function of the transport member.

Apart from the requirements for liquid treatment, the port area should fulfill some mechanical requirements.

First, the port area should not have a negative effect on the intended use conditions. For example, when such components are intended for sanitary absorbers, they must not negatively affect comfort and safety.

Therefore, it is often desirable for the port area to be soft and flexible, but this need not always be the case. However, the port area should be strong enough to withstand the actual service stresses, such as tearing or puncturing stresses.

In some designs, it may be desirable for the port area material to be extensible, collapsed, or bendable.

A single hole in the membrane (eg, caused by perforation during use), a break in the membrane sealing (eg, due to production), or a tear in the membrane (eg, due to applied in-use pressure) Can cause a failure of the liquid transport mechanism under various conditions. This can be used as a destructive test method to determine whether a material or film functions according to the invention, but this is undesirable during its intended use. If air or another gas penetrates the inner region, this may occlude the liquid flow path in this region, or this will also break the liquid connection between the bulk region and the port region Sometimes.

If the individual components can be made more robust, in some parts of the inner area remote from the main liquid flow path, the following pockets are provided. Air entering the system is a pocket that can accumulate without rendering the system non-functional.

Another way to address this problem is to have several liquid transport members in a parallel (functionally or geometrically) arrangement instead of a single liquid transport member. If one of these members fails, the other members will maintain the function of the "liquid transport members".

The functional requirements of the port area are met by a wide range of materials or structures described by the following structural properties or parameters.

The pore structure of this region or of the material therein is an important parameter that affects properties such as permeability and bubble point pressure.

[0230] Two important aspects of the pore structure are pore size and pore size distribution.
A suitable method for characterizing these parameters, at least on the surface of this region, is by optical analysis. Another suitable method for characterizing these properties is the use of a capillary flow porosimeter as described below.

As discussed above in the case of permeability, permeability is affected by the pore size and the thickness of these areas, or the portion of the thickness that predominantly determines permeability. Can be

Thus, it has been found that typical average pore size values for the port region, for example in the case of aqueous systems, are in the range 0.5 μm to 500 μm. Thus, these pores are preferably less than 100 μm, preferably less than 50 μm, more preferably less than 1 μm.
It has an average size of less than 0 μm, or even less than 5 μm. Typically, these pores are not smaller than 1 μm.

It is an important feature of, for example, bubble point pressure, that this is due to the largest pores in this region in the connecting arrangement. For example, having one relatively large pore embedded in a small pore does not necessarily harm this performance, while a "cluster" of relatively large pores may be so.

Thus, it would be desirable to have a narrow pore size distribution range.

Another aspect relates to the pore wall, for example the thickness of the pore wall, which may be a balance between openness and strength requirements. Similarly, these pores should be well connected to each other along the direction of flow to facilitate the passage of liquid.

As some of the preferred port region materials may be thin film materials, they may themselves have relatively low mechanical properties. Thus, such a membrane may be combined with a supporting structure, for example, a relatively coarse mesh, thread or filament, nonwoven, apertured film, and the like.

[0237] Such a support structure could be combined with the membrane to be positioned towards the inner / bulk region or towards the outside of the member. Port Area Size / Surface Area The size of this port area is critical to the overall performance of the transport member and is determined in combination with the "permeability to thickness" (k / d) ratio of the port area. There is a need.

This size must be adapted to the intended use in order to fulfill the requirements of the liquid treatment. In general, it will be desirable to adapt the liquid handling capabilities of the inner / bulk and port regions, and neither is a significant limiting factor on liquid transport as compared to the other. For a certain driving force, the flux in the port region (i.e., the flow through the unit area) is generally lower than the flux through the inner region, so in addition to reducing the thickness of the port region,
Alternatively, it may be preferable to design a port area that is larger in size (surface area) than the cross section of the inner area.

Thus, the exact design and shape of the port area may vary over a wide range.

For example, if the function of the transport member is to trigger or signal from one port area to another, the port area may be relatively small, for example, traversing the generally inner area. It may be the size of the surface and thus a substantially smaller transport member results.

Alternatively, when liquid is to be quickly captured and transported, dispensed or stored, the member can be, for example, a dog bone with a relatively large port area at either end of the transport member. It may be in the form of a shape, or alternatively, these port regions may be spoon-shaped to increase the receiving area.

Alternatively, the port area may not be flat, for example, corrugated or folded to produce a relatively large surface area to volume ratio, as is well known in the filter arts, for example. Or have other shapes.

The inlet and outlet ports can be designed to meet the same basic requirements, and thus can be, but need not be, identical materials. Inlet and outlet ports may differ with respect to one or more materials or performance parameters. The different port regions can be easily identified, for example, by being represented by different materials and / or being separated by other materials. Alternatively, these port regions may be different due to characteristics or gradients of parameters. This may be continuous or stepwise.

One essentially continuous material may be along the surface of the material and / or in the thickness dimension, or both, so as to represent several inlet / outlet ports / wall areas. , May have a characteristic gradient.

The characteristics of these port regions may be constant over time, or they may change over time, for example, before and during use.

For example, the port area may have properties that are not suitable for function in the component according to the invention until the point of use. These port areas may be activated, for example, by manual activation, by intervention of a person using the element, or by automatic activation means, for example, by wetting the transport element. Other alternative mechanisms for activation of the port area may include, for example, a temperature change from ambient temperature to the body temperature of the wearer, or, for example, the pH of the transport liquid, or electrical or mechanical stimulation.

As discussed in the case of the permeable packet material above, the membranes useful in the present invention do not have certain requirements for certain salt impermeable properties.

Although the port areas and suitable materials have been described in terms of their properties or descriptive parameters, the following describes some of the materials that meet these various requirements, thereby providing an aqueous liquid Focus on transportation.

Suitable materials may be open-cell foams, for example high internal phase emulsion foams, cellulose nitrate membranes, cellulose acetate membranes, polyvinyl difluoride films, nonwovens, woven materials, such as metal mesh, or It may be a polymer, for example a polyamide or a polyester. Other suitable materials may be apertured films, such as vacuum formed, hydro-apertured, mechanically or laser apertured films, or films that have been treated with an electron, ion, or heavy ion beam.

Specific materials are described, for example, also in US Pat. No. 5,108,383 (Whit
e, a cellulose acetate membrane as disclosed in Allied Signal Inc.)
For example, CNJ-10 (Lot # F030328) and CNJ-20 (Lot #F
No. 024248), Advanced Microdevices (PVT) of Ambala Kant, India
(PVT) LTD, Ambala Cant. Nitrocellulose membranes, cellulose acetate membranes, cellulose nitrate membranes, such as those available from INDIA)
PTFE film, polyamide film, Göttingen, G
Polyester membranes available from Sartorius, Inc. (Ermany) and Millipore, Bedford USA, which are very suitable. Similarly microporous film, including, for example, PET film disclosed in No. EP-A-0,451,797, a PE / PP film filled with CaCO ₃ particles, or filler.

Another embodiment for such a port area material may be an ion beam apertured polymer film, for example, Wiegeg, Wiesbaden, Germany, 1990, Wiesbaden, Germany.
Published by R. Spohr and K.W. Edited by Bethge
Ion Tracks and Microtechnology-Basic Principles and Applications (Ion Tracks
and Microtechnology-Basic Principle
s and Applications).

Other suitable materials are woven polymer meshes, such as Geldern, Germany
Fairzaird of Geldern-Waldbeck (
Verseidag) or Ruschlikon, Switzerland
A polyamide or polyethylene mesh available from SEFAR of Switzerland. Other materials that may be suitable for use in the present invention are hydrophilicized woven fabrics, such as Newa, 19711, Delaware, USA
rk) DRYLOF from Goretex
T) (registered trademark).

In addition, some nonwoven materials are suitable. For example, the BBA in Paine, Germany
It is available from Corobin, Inc. (BBA Corovin, Peine, Germany) under the name CoroGard®.
That is, such webs are specially designed to obtain a relatively narrow pore size distribution, for example, by providing a meltblown web.

For applications where the flexibility of these components is hardly a requirement, or for applications where some stiffness may even be desired, a metal filter mesh of appropriate pore size is appropriate. This is, for example, HIGHFLOW from Haver & Bocker, Oelde, Germany. Additional Elements The definitions of the bulk area, wall area, and exterior are described above in relation to the function of each of these areas, but in some cases the following elements may be added to the materials that make up these areas: May be done. These may extend into neighboring areas without extending the liquid handling function, but rather have other properties, such as mechanical strength, or the tactile or visual properties of the material or finished structure comprising these areas. It is an element that can improve the strategic aspect. For example, one support structure may be added outside the wall area or port area. Since this structure is very open, it does not affect the liquid handling properties and therefore may itself be considered functionally belonging to the outer part. When such an open support element extends from the wall region into the inner or bulk region,
This functionally follows the bulk region. If there is a gradual transition between these materials and / or elements, the definition made for each function will allow a clear distinction between the area forming material and the additional elements.

Additionally, there may be elements bonded to or integral with the liquid transport member to assist in its incorporation into the product with the absorption system or liquid transport member. Function of the Transport Member During absorption, both the liquid transport member according to the invention and some conventional materials draw air into their respective structures for conventional materials, fibrous materials, or conventional foam. Instead, liquid drawn into the structure causes air to move within the structure. However, conventional porous materials, such as fibrous structures, typically do not draw air into itself during desorption, and do so when liquid is drawn from the structure. The liquid transport member according to the present invention does not draw air into the structure under normal use conditions. The property that determines when air enters the system is referred to herein as the bubble point pressure. Due to the membrane function of the material in the port area, no air enters the transport member until the bubble point pressure (bpp) is reached.

Thus, once liquid enters the member, the liquid will not be displaced by air until the bpp of the member.

[0257] Another function of the member relates to the ability of the member to reversibly expand and collapse. Thus, when using special foams and / or other structures, such as structures having the ability to reversibly receive and discharge liquids, for example bellows, and thus thin membranes can expand upon receiving liquid, and Due to the reduced liquid transport through, a larger volume and / or a larger cross-sectional area is created. When the liquid is removed from the member, such a structure collapses and can regain these thin features as before or close to the former. The expansion / collapse cycle can be repeated when more liquids have been received, such as one or more discharges to the absorber. A suitable method for assessing collapse / expansion behavior is the reversible inflation test as described below. Preferably, the liquid transport member has a shrinkage factor of less than 0.8 after the first test cycle and at least one shrinkage after the first test cycle.
. Expansion coefficient of 2. Permeability Another property of the liquid transport member is the permeability k (liquid transport member) as the average permeability along the flow path of the transported liquid.

A liquid transport member according to the present invention has a higher permeability than a capillary system with equal liquid transport capacity. This property is called "critical permeability". The critical permeability of the liquid transport member of the present invention is preferably at least twice as high as a capillary system, more preferably at least 4 times higher, and most preferably at least 10 times higher than a capillary system having equal vertical liquid permeability. Has equal vertical liquid transport capacity.

For capillaries, the permeability k {crit} can be determined by the adhesion tension derived from Darcy's law as follows: k {crit} = (ε {liquid transport member} / 2) × (σ × cos (Θ)) ² / (
bpp {liquid permeable member} ² ) where k {crit} is the critical permeability in [m ² ] units, ε {liquid transport member} is the average porosity [−] of the liquid transport member, σ {liqu} is the surface energy of the liquid in [cP], σ × cos (Θ) defines the adhesive tension in [cP] with receding contact angle Θ, and bpp {liquid transport member} Is the bubble point pressure of the liquid transport member, expressed in [kPa], as discussed in.

The maximum value that can be reached for such a system can be estimated by assuming a maximum value for the term cos (θ). That is, 1.

K {crit, max} = (ε {liquid transport member} / 2) × σ {liquid} ² / (b
pp {liquid permeable member}) ² .

Rearranging this equation yields a criterion for designing liquid transport components. Thus, the product of the permeability of the bulk region and the square of the bubble point pressure should be greater than or equal to half the average porosity of the liquid transport member times the square of the liquid's adhesive tension. Preferably, the first product is greater than the second product by a factor m, where m is at least 1, preferably at least 10, and even more preferably at least 100.

Another way of expressing bpp ² × k _b > m (ε / 2) × γ ² k {crit} is that the member is at least a certain height h and a hydrostatic pressure corresponding to the gravitational constant g. This is due to the ability to transport liquid vertically.

K {crit, max} = (ε {liquid transport member} / 2) × σ {liquid} ² / (ρ
{Liquid} × g × h) ² .

The permeability of a material or a transport member can be determined using various methods, for example, using a liquid transport test or a permeability test (both described below) and then calculated from the above equation Compared to the determined critical permeability.

Although the bpp properties have already been discussed in the case of the port area, the finished transport element can also be described here. Thus, the suitable bpp for this component will depend on the intended application, and while appropriate, typical values and ranges will be essentially the same for this component as for the port area.

A liquid transport member according to the present invention can also be described as being substantially air impermeable up to a certain bpp. This allows the liquid transport member of the present invention to have an overall permeability higher than that for certain materials having a homogeneous pore size distribution and equivalent bpp.

Yet another method for describing the function of a liquid transport member is the bulk region /
A method of using an average bubble point pressure of the liquid permeable k _b and the member of the inner region.

The liquid transport member according to the present invention has a relatively high bpp {liquid transport member} and high k
It should have the liquid transport member｝ at the same time. This is bb in the double logarithmic chart.
It can be represented graphically when plotting k {liquid transport member} versus p (in FIG. 7, bbp is indicated by "water column height cm", which can then be easily converted to pressure) ).

Here, in the case of a certain combination of the surface energies of the liquid and the member material, a correlation is seen from the upper left to the lower right. The member according to the invention has a separation line (L
) Has properties in the upper right (I), while the properties of ordinary materials are
Much more at the lower left corner of this region (II), log-lo
g Has limitations of the pure transport capillary transport mechanism, as indicated schematically by the straight line in the diagram.

Yet another way to describe the function of the liquid transport member is to consider the effect of liquid transport as a function of driving force.

On the other hand, for the liquid transport member according to the invention, the flow resistance is independent of the driving force as long as the differential pressure is smaller than the bpp of the transport member. Thus, the flux is proportional to the drive pressure (up to bpp).

A liquid transport member according to the present invention can be further described as having a high fluence when calculated based on the cross-sectional area of the inner region. Thus this member, when tested with a liquid transport test in height H _0, which is described next, with an average flux rate of the additional suction pressure differential to H _0, such as: 0.9KPa. That is, this is at least 0.1 g / s / cm ² , preferably at least 1 g / cm ² / sec, more preferably at least 5 g / cm ² / sec, even more preferably at least 10 g / cm ² / sec, or even at least 20 g. / Cm ² / sec, and most preferably at least 50 g / cm ² / sec.

In addition to the above requirements, the liquid transport member should have some mechanical resistance to external pressure or force.

For some embodiments, the mechanical resistance to external pressure or force may be relatively high to prevent squeezing of liquid from the transport member. This can be obtained, for example, by using a rigid / non-deformable material in the inner region.

For some other embodiments, this resistance may be in a moderate range, thus allowing the use of external pressure or force on the transport member to create “pumping” .

To further illustrate a structure suitable for a liquid transport member, consider the simple example of a hollow tube having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet and outlet are covered by a membrane, ie, closed. I do. This type of structure may alternatively include a further support structure, for example, an open mesh bonded to the membrane in the port region towards the inner region.

Here, the requirement for permeability can be met by the membrane itself. That is, if the support structure is sufficiently open that it does not negatively affect the overall permeability or its liquid handling properties, it can be filled without considering the effect of the support structure. Therefore, the thickness of the port region refers to the thickness of the film only. That is, it does not include the thickness of the support structure. For example, if such a support structure
If it should be seen as an element of the port area that has no significant effect on the properties of the port area, or for example if the support structure has a significant thickness,
Therefore, if it affects the permeability of the liquid after penetrating this port area, it will be clear in certain circumstances whether the support structure should be considered as part of the inner area. If, for example, the support structure is further extended in thickness, while still connected to the membrane, this means that, for example, the permeability of the composite "support-inner cavity" was significantly affected by the permeability of the support structure Sometimes it can be functionally considered to belong to the inner area.

Thus, this principle should be taken into account for each of the respective sides, for example when looking at the port area, the bulk area, or the completed transport member.

Next, it will be described how various elements can be combined in order to create an appropriate structure as a liquid transport member. It should be noted that due to the large number of design choices, it may not always be possible to distinguish between the structures with all of the above characteristics. However, even designing more options according to the general teachings in combination with more specific embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. If the permeability of both the relative permeability inner region / bulk region and the port region can be measured independently, one or both of these port regions will have a lower liquid permeability than the inner region. It is preferred to have.

Thus, the liquid transport member should preferably have a bulk area to port area transmittance ratio of at least 10: 1, more preferably at least 100: 1, and even more preferably at least 1000: 1. Even a ratio of 1 may be appropriate. Relative arrangement of regions Depending on the particular embodiment, there may be various combinations of inner regions, wall regions, and port regions.

[0282] At least a portion of these port areas are adapted to allow liquid to be transferred thereto.
There must be a liquid flow relationship with the inner area.

The inner / bulk region should have larger pores than the wall region. The pore size ratio of internal pores to port area pores is preferably at least 3: 1 or 10
: 1, more preferably at least 30: 1, even more preferably at least 1
00: 1, most preferably at least 350: 1.

The area of the port region is generally as large or larger than the cross-section of the inner region, so that each region, ie, the inlet port or outlet port, if any, is connected. Consider together. In most cases, the port area is twice as large, often four times as large, or even ten times as large as the inner area cross section. Structural Relationships of Regions The various regions may have similar structural characteristics or may have different, possibly complementary, structural characteristics, such as strength, flexibility, and the like.

For example, all regions may be provided with a flexible material designed to deform in concert, so that the inner region expands when in contact with the transported liquid, a material that is thin to wet, And the port area has a flexible membrane,
These walls may be made of a liquid impermeable flexible film.

[0286] The liquid transport member may be made from a variety of materials, whereby each region may comprise one or more materials.

For example, the inner region may comprise a porous material, the wall region may comprise a film material, and the port region may comprise a membrane material.

Alternatively, the transport member may consist essentially of a single material with different properties in different areas. For example, a foam having very large pores to provide the function of the inner region and relatively small pores with a membrane function surrounding them to serve as the port material.

One way to look at the liquid transport member is to look at the inner area surrounded by at least one wall area and / or port area. A very simple example of this is the tube filled with liquid and closed at both ends with a membrane, as shown in FIG.

Such a member is a “closed dispensing member” because the inner region (703) is “enclosed” by the wall region (702) with the port regions (706, 707).
Can be considered. It is a feature of such a system that once the transport member has been activated or equilibrated, perforation of the wall region may disrupt the transport mechanism. The transport mechanism can be maintained as long as a small amount of air enters the system. This small amount of air can accumulate in the area of the inner area. Here, this is not detrimental to the liquid transport mechanism.

In the example of a hollow tube having at least one open port, perforation of the wall results in an immediate interruption of liquid transport and fluid loss.

This mechanism can be used to define the “closed system test” described below. This is a "sufficient but not necessary" condition for a liquid transport member according to the present invention (ie, all transport members that pass this test can be considered to work within the principles of the present invention, Not all transport components that do not pass this test deviate from this principle).

In another embodiment, described in FIG. 9, the liquid transport member may include a number of inlet ports and / or a number of outlet ports. This may, for example, connect several tubes (802) to each other, with an inlet 806 and an outlet 807
Or "split" by which liquid is transported simultaneously to one or more locations (one or more outlets) by closing some end openings with This is because it can be implemented by surrounding the system. Alternatively, transport to various locations may be optional (e.g., voids in the transport material on the way to one port may be filled with a water-soluble material, and on the way to the second port). The voids in the transport material in the above may be filled with an oil-soluble material, and similarly the transport medium may be hydrophilic and / or lipophilic to further enhance selectivity.) In yet another embodiment, as shown in (A)-(D), the inner region (903) may be divided into one or more regions. For example, this may be any suitable securing means (909) and inner separating means (908) surrounded by a wall area (902) with port areas (906, 907).
One can imagine seeing parallel tube bundles, which are held in place by. Similarly, at least some of the membrane material is located inside the inner region / bulk region,
It is also believed that the membrane material can even form the walls of the tube.

In yet another embodiment (FIG. 11), the outer wall area includes an inlet port (
1006) and an outlet port (1007). That is, the inner region (1003) is not surrounded at all by the impermeable region. The inlet port and the outlet port may have the same permeability, or may have varying degrees of permeability. Similarly, the port region and the inner region may be connected by a gradual transition so that the transport member looks like a unitary material with various properties.

In another embodiment (FIG. 12), the liquid transport member may have one inlet port and one outlet port (1106 or 1107), the membrane receiving and / or discharging liquid. It may be designed to do so. To do this,
Some portions of the wall region (1102) may be deformable, so that the entire member may be further filled to accommodate a liquid volume to be received, or to contain the originally contained liquid (which in turn reduces the port region). The inner region (1103) can be increased in volume to accommodate the same. In these components, the liquid sink or source may be integrally associated with the liquid transport component. This can be accomplished by a liquid sink or liquid source that is integrated into this member, as shown by element (1111) in FIG.

Another embodiment is a highly absorbent material, such as a superabsorbent material, or 19
On March 13, 1998, T.S. It may comprise other highly absorbent materials described in more detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/042429, filed by DesMarais et al. And incorporated herein by reference. This is combined with a port area made of a suitable membrane and a flexible inflatable wall to allow for an increase in the volume of the storage member. Another embodiment of such a system with a liquid sink integral with the liquid transport member is a "wet thin" material combined with a suitable membrane. Such materials are well known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,383, which is an open-cell porous hydrophilic foam material produced, for example, by a high internal phase emulsion process. Pore size, polymer strength (glass transition temperature T _g ), and hydrophilic properties are designed so that these pores are dehydrated, collapse when at least partially dried, and expand when wet. A special embodiment is to expand the caliper when absorbing liquid and to remove
Again) a collapsible foam layer.

In yet another embodiment, the inner region may be free of liquid at the beginning of the liquid transport process (ie, contains gas at a pressure lower than the ambient pressure surrounding the liquid transport member). ). In such a case, the liquid supplied by the liquid source can permeate through the inlet port area and first fill the voids of the membrane and then the inner area. This wetting then initiates the transport mechanism according to the invention, thereby wetting and penetrating the exit port area. In such a case, the inner region may not be completely filled with the transport liquid, but some residual gas or vapor may be retained. If the gas or vapor is soluble in the transported liquid, it is also possible that after some liquid has passed through this member, substantially all of the gas or vapor originally present is removed and the inner region May be substantially free of voids. Of course, if there is some residual gas or vapor present in the inner region, this will result in a port region (1206) surrounding the inner region (1203), as shown in FIGS. 13 (A) and (B). And 1207) in the wall area (1202) and the area for accumulating gas (1210) may reduce the effective effective cross-section of the liquid member unless special measures are taken.

In yet another embodiment, various types of liquids can be used. For example, the member may be filled with an aqueous-based liquid, and the transport mechanism is such that non-aqueous and possibly immiscible liquids (eg, oil) enter the liquid transport member via the inlet, while the aqueous liquid Exits this member via the outlet.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, one or more of the above embodiments may be combined. Liquid Transport System A suitable arrangement of such a liquid transport member to create a suitable liquid transport system (LTS) according to the present invention will now be described.

[0300] A liquid transport system within the scope of the present invention comprises a combination of at least one liquid transport member and at least one other liquid sink or source in liquid flow relation with the member. Have. A system may further comprise a number of sinks or sources, as well as a number of liquid transport members, for example, functioning in parallel. The latter can compensate to ensure the functioning of the system, even if the transport element breaks.

[0301] The liquid source may be any form of free liquid or a loosely coupled liquid so as to be easily received by the transport member.

For example, a liquid pool, or a free flowing liquid volume, or an open porous structure filled with liquid.

[0303] The sink may be any form of liquid receiver. In some embodiments, it is preferable to have the liquid more tightly coupled than the liquid in the liquid source. The sink may also be an element or area containing free liquid, so that the liquid may flow freely or will be gravity driven away from this member. Alternatively, the sink may comprise an absorbent or superabsorbent material, absorbent foam, expandable foam, or alternatively it may be made of a spring activated bellows system, or may function osmotically May be included, or a combination thereof.

[0304] The relationship in which the liquid flows in this case refers to the ability of the liquid to move or to be moved from the sink or source to the member. For example, this is easily obtained by contacting these elements or by joining them very closely together so that they can bridge into the remaining gaps.

Such a liquid transport system comprises a liquid transport member according to the preceding description plus at least one
With two liquid sinks or sources. The term applies at least to systems in which the liquid transport member itself can store or release liquid. Accordingly, the liquid transport system comprises: a sink and a liquid discharging liquid transport member; or a source and a liquid receiving liquid transport member; or a sink and a source and liquid transport member.

In each of these options, the liquid transport member may have liquid release or receiving characteristics in addition to a sink or source outside the member.

At least a portion of these port regions must be in liquid flow relation with the liquid source and, where applicable, with the sink material. One method is such that the port material forms the outer surface of the liquid transport member, i.e., part or all of the outer surface, such that liquid, e.g., liquid from a liquid source or sink, can easily contact the port area. It is to make it. The size of the effective port area can be determined by the size of the portion in which the liquid flows with the sink or source, respectively. For example, the entire port area may be in contact with the sink or source, or only a portion thereof. Alternatively, for example, when there is one homogeneous port area, this may be distinguished between a separate effective inlet port area and an effective outlet port area. Here, this port area is in contact with a liquid sink and / or source.

The sink must be able to receive liquid from this member (or from each port area, if applicable), and the source will be able to transfer liquid to this member (and if applicable). It should be clear that the は must be able to release (to each port area).

Thus, the liquid source of the liquid transport member according to the invention may be a freely flowing liquid, for example urine or an open reservoir released by the wearer.

[0310] The liquid source may also be an intermediate reservoir, for example a liquid receiving member in an absorber.

Similarly, the liquid sink may be a free flow path or an inflatable reservoir, for example a mechanical inflation or spacer means, for example a bellows element in combination with a spring.

The liquid sink (1303) may also be the final liquid storage element of an absorbent member that can be used, for example, for an absorber.

[0313] The two or more liquid transport systems according to the present invention also include a wall region (1302).
), A port area (1307), and a liquid sink material (1311) in a "cascade design" (FIGS. 14A, 14B, and 14C).
). Here the overall liquid flow path passes through the liquid transport system one after the other. This allows the inlet port area of the next liquid transport system to take over the sink function of the preceding system, for example, when the inlet port area and the outlet port area are in liquid flow relationship with each other. Such a fluid flow relationship may be direct contact or via an intermediate material.

A particular embodiment of such a “cascade” can be seen when connecting two or more “membrane permeable packets” with membranes of appropriate properties, thereby providing a osmotic suction force Increase with subsequent packets. Each of these packets may then be considered a liquid transport member, and the connection between the packets defines an inlet port area and an outlet port area for each packet or member. Thereby, these packets may be surrounded by one material (eg one kind of flexible membrane), or even some packets may have integral membrane elements.

In a preferred embodiment, the liquid delivery system is based on the weight of the liquid delivery system, as measured in a demand absorption test as described below.
It has an absorbency of at least 5 g / g, preferably at least 10 g / g, more preferably at least 50 g / g, most preferably at least 75 g / g.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the liquid transport system has at least 10 g / g, preferably at least 10 g / g, based on the weight of the sink material, as measured in a tea bag centrifugation capability test as described below. Is at least 20g
/ G, more preferably a sink with an absorbent material having an absorption capacity of at least 50 g / g.

In a further preferred embodiment, the liquid transport system, when subjected to the capillary absorption test described herein, has a capillary suction corresponding to the bubble point pressure of this member of at least 4 kPa, preferably at least 10 kPa. , At least 5 g / g, preferably at least 10 g / g, more preferably at least 50 g
/ G, or most preferably at least 75 g / g. Such a material is preferably above the bubble point pressure, for example 4 k
Low capacity in capillary absorption tests above Pa or 10 kPa, ie 5
It exhibits a capacity of less than g / g, preferably less than 2 g / g, more preferably less than 1 g / g, most preferably less than 0.2 g / g.

In some specific embodiments, the liquid transport member also includes a superabsorbent material or foam made according to a high internal phase emulsion polymerization, for example, as described in PCT Application No. US98 / 05044. . This patent is incorporated herein by reference. Generally, the suction of the liquid sink material is no more than the bubble point pressure in the port area. Applications There is a wide field for using liquid transport components or systems according to the present invention. The following should not be considered as limiting in any way, but rather as indicative of examples of fields in which such components or systems may be used.

Other suitable uses find for bandages or other health care absorbent systems. In another aspect, the product may be a water transport system or component, possibly linking transport and filtration functions, for example, by purifying transported water. This element can likewise be used for cleaning operations, for example by removing liquid or by discharging liquid in a controlled manner. The liquid transport member according to the present invention may be an oil or grease absorber.

[0320] One particular use can be found in self-regulating irrigation systems for plants.
Thus, the inlet can be submerged in the reservoir and the transport member can be in the form of a long tube. Known irrigation systems (eg, Poke Box 5370, Mount Crested Butt, 81225, Colorado, Jade, National Guild, PO Box 537)
0, known as BLUMAT, which is available from Mt Crested Butte, CO 81225), the system according to the invention does not lose its function when the reservoir dries and the reservoir is refilled. Will remain functional until and after being satisfied.

[0321] Yet another use is found in air conditioning systems and has similar advantages as described for irrigation systems. Similarly, due to the small pore size of the port area, the system will be easier to clean than conventional wetting aids, such as porous clay structures, or blotter-type elements.

Yet another use is in the replacement of miniature pumps. For example, this can be considered in biological systems, or even in the medical field.

[0324] Yet another use is found in the selective transport of liquids. This is the case, for example, when the purpose is to transport oil separately from an oil / water mixture. For example, when oil spills on water, a liquid transport member can be used to transfer the oil into another reservoir. Alternatively, the oil can be transported into a liquid transport member having a sink function for the oil therein.

In yet another use, a liquid transport member according to the present invention is used as a signal transmitter. In such applications, the total volume of liquid transported need not be very large, but rather the transport time should be short. This can be done by having the transport member filled with liquid. This releases liquid almost immediately at the outlet, even when receiving a small amount of liquid at the inlet. This liquid can then be used to stimulate further reactions, such as a signal, or to activate the response. Melting the seal to release stored mechanical energy, for example to create a three-dimensional change in shape or structure.

[0325] Yet another use takes advantage of the very short response time of liquid transport and the almost immediate response time.

Particularly useful uses for such liquid transport members are found in the field of absorbents, such as disposable hygiene articles, such as disposable absorbent articles such as baby diapers. Absorbents-General Description Absorbents generally comprise:-an absorbent core or core structure (which may comprise an improved liquid transport member according to the present invention, comprising additional substructures; Liquid-permeable topsheet; substantially liquid-impermeable backsheet; possibly other components, such as closure elements or elasticizers.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of an example of the embodiment of the absorber of the present invention, which is a diaper.

The diaper 1420 is shown in FIG. 15 as being flattened and in an uncontracted state (ie, the elastically induced contraction is stretched apart from the side panels, where the elastic Portions are relaxed), some parts of the structure are cut away to more clearly show the configuration of the diaper 1420 and the diaper 1420 is oriented away from the wearer. The portion, outer surface 1452, faces the viewer. As shown in FIG. 15, the diaper 1420 preferably comprises a liquid-permeable topsheet 1424, a topsheet 14
24, a liquid impermeable backsheet 1426 joined to the topsheet 142;
Containment assembly 1422 with an absorbent core 1428 disposed between the backsheet 1426 and the backsheet 1426; elasticized side panels 1430; elasticized leg cuffs 1
432; an elastic waist member 1434; and a closure device with a double tension fastener device, generally indicated as 1436. The double tension fastener device 1436 is preferably a main fastener device 1438 and a waist closure device 1440
And The main fastener device 1438 is preferably a pair of securing members 1442.
And a landing member 1444. The waist closing device 1440 is preferably a pair of first adhesive element 1446 and second adhesive element 1448 in FIG.
Are shown. The diaper 1420 also preferably includes a deployment patch 1450 each below the first adhesive element 1446.

The diaper 1420 in FIG. 15 includes an outer surface 1452 (pointed toward the viewer in FIG. 15), an inner surface 1454 opposite the outer surface 1452, a first waist 1456, a first waist. 2nd waist part 1 on the opposite side of part 1456
458 and a perimeter 1460 defined by the outer edge of the diaper 1420. At this periphery, the longitudinal edge is shown as 1462,
The edge is shown as 1464. The inner surface 1454 of the diaper 1420 includes a portion of the diaper 1420 that is in use adjacent the wearer's body (ie, the inner surface 1454 generally includes at least a portion of the topsheet 1424 and the topsheet 1424). And other elements joined together)
. Outer surface 1452 includes a portion of diaper 1420 that is remote from the wearer's body (ie, outer surface 1452 generally includes at least a portion of backsheet 1426 and other joined backsheet 1426). Element). The first waist portion 1456 and the second waist portion 1458 extend from an edge 1464 of the peripheral portion 1460 to a lateral centerline 1466 of the diaper 1420, respectively. The waist portions each include a central portion 1468 and a pair of side panels, generally having outer lateral portions of the waist portions. The side panel located at the first waist 1456 is shown as 1470, while the side panel at the second waist 1458 is shown as 1472. The side panel pairs or each side panel need not be identical, but they are preferably mirror images of one another. Side panel 1472 located at second waist 1458
May have elastic stretchability in the lateral direction (ie, elasticized side panels 14).
30). (The side direction (x direction or width) is the side direction center line 14 of the diaper 1420.
66, the longitudinal direction (y-direction or length) is defined as the direction parallel to the longitudinal centerline 1467, and the axial direction (Z-direction or thickness) defines the thickness of the diaper 1420. Defined as the direction through which it extends).

FIG. 15 shows a specific example of a diaper 1420 where the topsheet 1424 and the backsheet 1426 have a length and width that are generally greater than those of the absorbent core 1428. Topsheet 1424 and backsheet 1426 extend beyond the edges of absorbent core 1428, thereby forming a perimeter 1460 of diaper 1420. The peripheral portion 1460 is an outer peripheral portion, in other words, the diaper 14.
It defines 20 edges. Perimeter 1460 includes a longitudinal edge 1462 and an edge 146.
4 is provided.

Each elasticized leg cuff 1432 may be a leg band, a side flap, a barrier cuff, or any similar shape to any of the elastic cuffs, but each elasticized leg cuff 1432 may be similar to the aforementioned US Pat. Preferably, at least one inner barrier cuff 1484 with barrier flaps 1485 and spaced elastic members 1486 is provided, as described in U.S. Pat.
In a preferred embodiment, the elasticized leg cuff 1432 further comprises a barrier cuff 14 as described in the aforementioned US Patent No. 4,695,278.
An elastic gasket cuff 14104 having one or more elastic strands 14105 disposed outside of 84.

[0332] The diaper 1420 may further include an elastic waist member 1434 that provides improved fit and containment. An elastic waist member 1434 extends longitudinally outward from at least one of the waist edges 1483 of the absorbent core 1428 at least in a central portion 1468 and generally has an edge 1464 of the diaper 1420.
At least a portion of Accordingly, the elastic waist member 1434 extends at least from the waist edge 1483 of the absorbent core 1428 to the edge 1464 of the diaper 1420.
It has a diaper portion that extends to and is located adjacent to the wearer's waist. Disposable diapers are generally configured to have two elastic waist members, one located at a first waist and one located at a second waist.

The elasticized waistband 1435 of the elastic waist member 1434 may be a portion of the topsheet 1424, preferably a mechanically stretched backsheet 14
26, an elastomeric member 1476 located between the topsheet 1424 and the backsheet 1426, the backsheet 1426 and the elastomeric member 1
476 with a resilient member 1477 positioned between them.

This and other elements of the diaper are shown in more detail in WO 93/16669, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Absorbent core Absorbent core is generally compressible, conforms easily, does not irritate the wearer's skin, and can absorb and retain liquids such as urine and some other bodily excretions Should be something. As shown in FIG. 15, the absorbent core has a garment side surface, a body side surface, side edges, and a waist edge. The absorbent core may comprise, in addition to the liquid transport member according to the present invention, a wide variety of liquid absorbent or liquid treatment materials commonly used in disposable diapers and other absorbent articles. For example, but not limited to, finely ground wood pulp, commonly referred to as airfelt; meltblown polymers, including coforms; chemically stiffened, modified, or crosslinked cellulosic fibers; tissue, including tissue wraps and tissue laminates It is.

General examples of absorbing structures are described in the following patents: That is, the title of the invention, issued to Weisman et al. On September 9, 1986, is "High Density Absorbing Structure (Hig).
US Patent No. 4,610,678 entitled "h-Density Absorbent Structures"; issued to Weisman et al. on June 16, 1987, and entitled "Absorbent A with Double Layer Core."
U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,402, entitled "Rics with Dual-Layered Cores"; Angstadt on Dec. 19, 1989.
The title of the invention issued to the company was "Absorptive core having a dusting layer (Absorb).
ent Core Having A Dusting Layer), U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,231; Bewick-Sontag et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,622 (Berg et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,597 (Roe et al.); And U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,207.
No. (Dyer et al.). Such and similar structures can be tailored to meet the requirements outlined below for use as absorbent cores.

The absorbent core may be a unitary core structure, or it may be a combination of several absorbent structures, which itself consists of one or more substructures. You may. Each of these structures and sub-structures may have an essentially two-dimensional extension (ie, one layer) or have a three-dimensional shape.

[0337] A liquid transport member according to the present invention may include at least one inlet port area. This is better located in the loading zone of this product. This port area is
It may be made from a flexible membrane material that meets the requirements described herein. This may be connected to a high resiliency open fibrous structure forming the inner area, wrapped in a flexible impermeable film to form the wall area, and all edges except the port area May be closed with an adhesive.
To allow for good overall sealing, the impermeable film may somewhat overlap the port area so as to also allow adhesive bonding between them.

FIG. 16 illustrates a specific embodiment of the product as shown in FIG.
With similar reference numbers, FIG. 17A shows a partially exploded simplified cross-sectional view along AA of FIG. 16, which also has similar numbers. Here, the absorbent core (1528/1628) is made of a suitable liquid treatment member, which comprises a wall area (1502, 1602), a port area (1506, 1507).
, 1606) and inner regions (1503, 1603). This member may be connected to a liquid sink (1511, 1611), possibly with a topsheet (1524, 1624) bonded thereto. Sink (151
1, 1611) may comprise the final storage material, for example a superabsorbent material or a highly absorbent porous material.

The inner region may be filled with a liquid, such as water, so that liquid can be transported therethrough immediately after receiving the liquid at the inlet. Alternatively, the inner region may be under a vacuum, which may draw liquid through the inlet, such as when a barrier film, such as a polyvinyl alcohol film, which can dissolve when wet, is activated. Can be. Once the inner area is filled with liquid, and thus the outlet port area is wetted with liquid, a transport mechanism for the pre-filled system occurs.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 17B differs from that of FIG. 17A in the following points. That is, the inner region has a final liquid storage material therein, such as a superabsorbent material or a highly absorbent porous material. Similarly,
Osmotic liquid storage mechanisms, such as the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,
No. 383 (White, Allied Signal) may be in the inner region. In this case, until the transport liquid is accepted
It may be preferable to not at least predominantly fill the inner region with the transport liquid, but rather to keep the inner region under vacuum.

The absorbent core may be designed such that no other liquid treatment elements are required.

For example, the area of the inlet port area is determined by the port area discharging liquid (gush r).
ate) can be adapted to its permeability and caliper so that it can be immediately received, and the inner area is adjusted by permeability and cross-sectional area to immediately send the liquid to the final reservoir Can be.

Alternatively, the absorbent core may include other liquid treatment elements, such as a receiving part, or a temporary storage part. Similarly, "cascade liquid transport member" or "M
The “OP” may be any suitable element in the core configuration. Manufacturing method of liquid transport member The liquid transport member according to the present invention can be manufactured by various methods. These methods must have in common the essential steps of combining the bulk or inner region with the wall region provided with the port region, with the respective properties described above being appropriately chosen. This can be done by starting from a homogeneous material and providing various properties therein. For example, if one component is a polymer foam material, it can be made from one monomer having various pore sizes, which are then polymerized to form a suitable component.

This can also be done by starting from a variety of essentially homogeneous materials and combining them into one piece. In this embodiment, a wall material may be provided which may have homogeneous or varying properties, a bulk material which may be an open porous material may be provided, or the voids may be bulk It may be defined as representing a region. These two materials can be combined by any suitable technique, for example by wrapping or covering, as is well known in the art, so that the wall material completely surrounds the bulk region or bulk region material .

To allow liquid transport, the bulk region may be filled with a liquid, or may be subjected to a vacuum, or create a vacuum or other aid to fill the liquid. May be provided.

A method for forming a member according to the invention, optionally, comprises the step of adding an activating means, which may be of mechanical type, for example as a removable release element, for example as a release paper for covering the adhesive. The member can be sealed by supplying a well-known one or until use, whereby such a packaging seal is removed in use or by providing a packaging design that is opened. A step may be included. The activation means also reacts when transporting the liquid,
For example, a material that dissolves may be provided. Such a material may be added to the port area, for example, to open the port area during use, or such a material may be added to the bulk area, for example, to allow for expansion of these areas when wet. May be added.

The production of the component according to the invention can be carried out essentially continuously, for example by supplying the various materials in roll form and then unwinding and processing. Any of these materials may be provided in discrete form, for example, as foam pieces or particulates.

Examples The following sections provide suitable specific examples of liquid transport members and systems according to the present invention.
This starts by describing various samples suitable for use in some areas of these components or systems. Samples suitable for the S-1 port area: S-1.1: Hafar und Becker, Elde, Germany
&Lt; 20 &gt; Boecker, Oelde, Germany) woven filter mesh high flow (HIFLO) type 20 made of stainless steel, 61% porosity, 0.09 mm caliper, designed to filter from 19 [mu] m to 20 [mu] m. Stuff.

S-1.2a: Geldern-Waldbeck, Germany
Verseidag, Idbeck, Germany
Polyamide Mesh Monodur MON P Available from
A20N.

S-1.2b: Polyamide mesh monodur type MON PA 42.5N, available from Fairsaid AG of Geldern-Waldbeck, Germany.

S-1.3a: Ruschlikon, Switzerland
polyester mesh from SEFAR (Zerland) eg 0
7-20 / 13.

S-1.3b: Polyamide mesh 03-15 / 10 from Zephyr, Lusch Rikon, Switzerland.

S-1.3c: Polyamide mesh 03-20 / 14 from Zephyr, Lusch Rikon, Switzerland.

S-1.3d: Polyamide mesh 03-1 / 1 from Zephyr, Lusch Rikon, Switzerland.

S-1.3e: Polyamide mesh 03-5 / 1 from Zephyr, Lusch Rikon, Switzerland.

S-1.3f: Polyamide mesh 03-10 / 2 from Zephyr, Lusch Rikon, Switzerland.

S-1.3 g: Polyamide mesh 03-11 / 6 from Zephyr, Lusch Rikon, Switzerland.

S-1.4: Cellulose acetate membrane described in US Pat. No. 5,108,383 (White, Allied Signal).

S-1.5: T.M. Filed by DesMarais et al. And entitled "High Suction Polymer Foam (High Sect)
ionic Polymer Foam), US patent application Ser.
HIPE foam manufactured according to the teachings of No. 42429. The disclosure of this patent is incorporated herein by reference.

S-1.6: 1.5 den nylon stockings commercially available from, for example, Hudson, Germany. S-2 Sample suitable for wall area not showing port area S-2.1: Alkor, Gr.
afelfing, Germany), a flexible adhesive-coated film available under the trade name "dc-fix".

S-2.2: Fisher Scientific, Nidderau, Germany
Plastic funnel catalog # 62561720.

S-2.3: Barnant, Barrington, 60010, Illinois, USA
ant Company, Barrington, Illinois 60010
U. S. A. A flexible tube (about 8 mm inner diameter), such as Norton's Masterflex 6404-17, sold by J.D.

S-2.4: Clopay C, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
orp. Ordinary polyethylene film used as a backsheet material for disposable diapers, available as code DH-227 from Cincinnati, Ohio, US).

S-2.5: Nuova Pansac, Inc., Milan, Italy (Nuova Pa
Conventional polyethylene film used as a backsheet material for disposable diapers, available from nsac SpA) as code BS code 441118.

S-2.6: Flexible PVC tubing from Fisher Scientific, Nidderau, Germany, eg catalog # 62085384.

S-2.7: PTFE tube from Fisher Scientific, Nidderau, Germany, eg catalog # 62045668. S-3 Sample suitable for inner area S-3.1: Void created by any rigid wall / port area.

S-3.2: Available from Federnfabrik Dietz of Neustadt, Germany, under the name “Federn” product # DD / 100, when power is applied. 4m diameter
m, metal spring about 6cm long.

S-3.3: Recticel, Brussels, Belgium
Open cell foams such as Filtren TM10 Blue, Filtren TM20 Blue, Filtren TM30 Blue, Filtren ™
Filend 10 Black, Filtren Fillend 30 Black, Filtren HC20 Gray, Filtren Fillend HC30 Grex
, Bulpren S10 Black, Bulpren S20 Black,
Bullprene S30 Black.

S-3.4: T. Mar. 13, 1998. The title of the invention, filed by DesMarais et al., Is "absorbent material for distributing aqueous liquids (Absorbe).
nt Materials For Distributing Aqueou
LIQUIDs) and HIPE foams made according to the teachings of US patent application Ser. No. 09/042418. The disclosure of each of these patents is incorporated herein by reference.

S-3.5: Fine particle pieces of S-3.4 or S-3.3. S-4 Sample of means for creating a pressure gradient S-4.1: Osmotic gradient material according to the teachings of US-A-5,108,383 (White, Allied Signal).

S-4.2: Height difference between inlet and outlet, creating a pressure difference for hydrostatic height generation.

S-4.3: Various partially saturated porous materials (absorbent foams, superabsorbent materials, particles, sand, earth) that generate capillary pressure differences.

S-4.4: Difference in air pressure at inlet and outlet, such as is generated at the outlet by a vacuum pump (hermetic seal). Example A for Transport Member Combination of a wall area with a port area and a liquid-filled inner area: A-1) An approximately 20 cm long tube (S-2.6) is placed in a plastic funnel (S-2.6). -2.
Airtightly connect to 2). Sealing is Parafilm M
(Available as Catalog No. 61780002 from Fisher Scientific, Nidderau, Germany). A circular piece of port material (S-1.1) slightly larger than the funnel hole area is hermetically sealed with the funnel. The sealing can be carried out with a suitable adhesive, for example Henkel, Germany.
(Kel KGA) Patex ™.

Optionally, a port material (S-1.1) may be connected to the lower end of the tube,
It may be hermetically sealed. The device is filled with a liquid, such as water, by placing it under a liquid and removing the air in the device with a vacuum pump firmly connected to the port area. The lower end does not need to be sealed in the port area to prove the function of the member, but the lower end must be in contact with the liquid or keep air out of the system. In turn, this needs to be the bottom part of the device.

A-2) The material of the two circular (eg, about 1.2 cm diameter) port areas as in S-1.1 is applied to a 2 m long tube of about 1 m, such as that of S-2.3. Sealing hermetically at one end (e.g. by heating the area intended to be a port area and pressing the end of S-2.3 against these areas. The plastic material of S-2.3 therefore melts. , Which results in good ligation). One end of the tube is dropped into a liquid, eg, water, and the other end is connected to a vacuum pump that produces an air pressure substantially below atmospheric pressure. The vacuum pump draws air from the tube until practically all the air has been removed from the tube and replaced by liquid. The pump is then disconnected from the port, and the components are made in this way.

A-3) About 10 of the foam material (S-3.3, Filtoren TM10 Blue)
cm × 10 cm rectangular sheet, on the other hand, S-2 with dimensions of about 12 cm × 12 cm
. 5 and, on the other hand, S-1.
It is "sandwiched" by a port material such as 3a. Wall material S-2
. 5 and port material S-1.3a are glued together, for example with the Patex® adhesive available from Henkel, Germany, and sealed to each other in the overlapping area in a convenient airtight manner. Is done. The device is immersed in a liquid, such as water, and the device is squeezed to force air out. While holding this under the liquid, the squeezing pressure is released from the device and the inner region is filled with liquid. In some cases (if necessary), the vacuum pump can suck air remaining in the device through the port area while the device is underwater.

A-4) FIGS. 18A and 18B schematically show a distribution member suitable for an example of an absorbent body, for example, a disposable diaper.

The inlet port area (1706) is made of a port area material, for example, S-1.3a, and the outlet port area (1705) is made of a port area material, for example, S-1.3.
c. Combined with an impermeable film material (1702), for example, S-2.3 or S2.4, each of the port areas forms a pouch, each having an inlet port area of about 10 cm × 15 cm, an outlet port. The area is 20cm x 15
cm. The pouch port material is the crotch (17
Overlapping at 90), the tube (1760) is located therein.

The inner area in the pouch (1740, 1750) may be S-3.3 (Filtren TM10 Blue) and the enclosed inlet and outlet ports or inner area may be approximately Tubes such as S-2.6 with an inner diameter of 8 mm (17
60).

The wall and port material (1702, 1707, 1706) must be sufficiently large than the inner material to allow for hermetic sealing of the wall material to the port material. Sealing is performed by overlapping about 1.5 cm wide stripes of wall and port material, which may be performed in any convenient airtight manner, for example, using the Patex® adhesive. Can be. Sealing of the tube to the inner regions (1740 and 1750)
This is not necessary if) is glued to the wall areas (1702, 1706, 1705). Thus, the distance between the tube (1760) and the inner region is such that a gap is maintained therebetween during use. The rest of the operation to create a functional liquid distribution member is similar to A-3. In some cases, the device may be filled with other liquids in a similar manner.

A5) In FIGS. 19 (A), (B), and (C), a liquid dispensing member (1810) also useful for the construction of disposable absorbers, for example diapers, is schematically shown, , Such as adhesives, are omitted.

Here, an inlet port area (1806) having dimensions of about 8 cm × 12 cm
) And the exit port area (1807) are made of a sheet of port material S-1.2a, and the other wall areas are made of wall material S-2.1. Inner material (1
840) is a material S-3. Having dimensions of about 0.5 cm × 0.5 cm × 10 cm.
3 (Buruprene S10 Black), which are approximately 1
cm, and an inlet port and an outlet port (1806, respectively)
1807) and a spacer spring S-3.2 (1812) is in the remaining area. The individual layers (wall and port material) are sealed,
-3. In some cases, the device may be filled with other liquids in a similar manner.

A6) A spring made of a spacer material, for example, S-3.2 was set to 10 cm × 5
It is located between the upper and lower sheets of port material S-1.2b having dimensions of 0 cm, so that these springs are equally distributed over an area in the area of about 7 cm × 47 cm and do not include springs. A 1.5 cm outer rim is left, with about 2 mm spacing between individual springs. The upper and lower port materials are overlapped by about 1.5 cm and sealed by gluing, for example with the Patex® adhesive, and sealing in a convenient airtight manner. The device is immersed in the test liquid and air is forced out of the device by squeezing the device. The squeezing pressure is released while immersing, and this member is filled with liquid. In some cases (if necessary) a vacuum pump can draw in the remaining air from inside the member through the port area while the device is in liquid. Example B of the transport system (ie components and (source and / or sink)) B-1) As a first embodiment of a liquid transport system, the liquid transport member according to A-1) is made of a finely particulate superabsorbent. Materials, for example, HULS-Stockhausen GmbH, Marl, Germany
ny) under the name W80232. Coarse particles are removed by sieving through a 300 μm metal sieve. 7.5 g of this material is sprinkled evenly over the exit port area of A-1, which creates a liquid sink.

B-2) Each having a thickness of about 2 mm and a corresponding basis weight of about 120 g / m ² to illustrate examples of the use of absorbent foam materials to make absorbent systems.
The three-layer HIPE foam sheet produced for S-1.4 is placed on the outlet of the liquid transport member according to A-1. The sheets were cut into circles about 6 cm in diameter and about 10 ° segments were cut to produce a better fit to the port surface. In some cases, a weight corresponding to a pressure of about 0.2 psi may be added to enhance liquid contact between the outflow material and the sink material.

B-3) The liquid transport member according to A-1 was combined with a circular cut section of about 6 cm diameter taken from a commercially available diaper core. The diaper core is made of a superabsorbent material, such as CHEMDAL Corp., UK.
) Consists of an essentially homogenous blend of ASAP 2300, commercially available from Co., Ltd., and conventional airfelt at a superabsorbent concentration of 60% by weight and a superabsorbent basis weight of about 400 g / m ² . This cutout is placed in a liquid flow relationship with the outlet port area of A-1 to create a liquid transport system.

B-4) To further illustrate an example of the use of the liquid transport system, the liquid transport member of A-2 was placed between the liquid source tank and the flowerpot. Thus, a portion of the inlet port area is immersed in the liquid reservoir and the outlet is placed in the potted soil. The relative height of the reservoir and the flowerpot is not directly related to this length of the member and will not result in a member length of about 50 cm.

B-5) Another use of a liquid transport system with an integral liquid sink, which can be made by constructing a liquid transport member as in A-3, Is filled with oil (instead of water). When the member was squeezed (to create an inflatable void inside the member) and immediately thereafter brought into contact with cooking oil (to simulate a kitchen skillet), the system Quickly absorb the oil in the frying pan.

B-6) Binding the liquid transport member according to A-4 or A-5 to a liquid sink such as that used for B-1 or B-2, and possibly enclosing the sink material in a containment layer, for example When covered by a nonwoven web, this structure can function as an absorbent pad whereby urine released by the wearer is seen to create a source of liquid.

Method Activation The properties related to the liquid handling capacity of the liquid transport member according to the invention are taken into account during the liquid transport, and some of these materials or designs are, for example, in the manufacture and in the manufacture of this member. To facilitate transport or other processing between its intended use,
Such components may also be better activated before they are subjected to the test, as they may have different properties.

The term “activate” means that the member is put into use, for example, by establishing liquid communication along the flow path, or, for example, by initiating a drive differential pressure, This can be performed by mechanical activation simulating the user's pre-use activation (e.g. removal of restraining means, e.g. clamps or release paper strips with e.g. adhesive, or removal of packaging seals, e.g. (In some cases, creating a vacuum in this member to allow for mechanical expansion)
.

Activation can be further performed by another stimulus transmitted to the member, such as a change in pH or temperature, irradiation, and the like. Activation can also be performed by interaction with a liquid. It can also be carried out, for example, by having some soluble properties or by varying the concentration or by including an activating component such as an enzyme. This can also be performed by the transport liquid itself. In such a case, it is better to immerse the member in a test liquid representing a transport liquid, remove air in some cases by a vacuum pump, and equilibrate for 30 minutes.
The member is then removed from the liquid and placed on a coarse mesh (eg, a 14 mesh sieve) to drip excess liquid. Closed System Test Principle: This test provides an easy-to-implement instrument to evaluate whether a transport material or component complies with the principles of the present invention. It should be noted that this test is not useful for excluding materials or components. That is, if the material or member does not pass this closed system test, it may or may not be a liquid transport member according to the present invention. Implementation: The test specimen is first activated as described above, while the weight is monitored. The test specimen is then suspended or supported in place such that the longest extension of the sample is essentially aligned with the gravity vector. For example, the sample may be supported by a support board or mesh arranged at an angle close to 90 ° to the horizontal, or the sample may be suspended in a vertical position by a strap or band.

As a next step, the wall area is opened at the top and bottom parts of the sample. That is, if the sample has opposing corners, then open at those corners, if the sample has a curved or rounded perimeter, then open at the top and bottom of the sample.
The size of this opening must allow liquid to pass through the lower opening and air to pass through the upper opening without the application of pressure or throttling. Generally, openings having an inscribed circular diameter of at least 2 mm are suitable.

[0393] The opening may be provided by any suitable means, such as scissors, clip pins.
ing tongue, a needle, a sharp knife, a scalpel, or the like. If a slit is added to the sample, it may be implemented such that the sides of the slit are separated from each other, creating a two-dimensional opening. Alternatively, a portion of the wall material can be removed by cutting, thus creating an opening.

Care should be taken that no additional weight is added or that no pressure or restriction is applied to the sample. Similarly, if this cannot be taken into account accurately when calculating the weight difference, care should be taken that liquid is not removed by the opening means.

Monitor the weight of this (eg, by receiving the liquid in a Petri dish placed on a scale). Alternatively, the weight of the material or member can be measured after 10 minutes and compared to the original weight.

Care should be taken to avoid excessive evaporation. If this occurs, it can be measured by monitoring the weight loss of the sample that has not been opened during the test time and then correcting the results.

If the weight dripped is 3% or more of the initial liquid weight, then the test material or component passes the test, which is a liquid transport member according to the present invention. .

If the weight dripped is initially less than 3% of the total weight, then it cannot be evaluated by this test whether this material is a liquid transport member according to the invention. . Bubble Point Pressure (Port Area) The following procedure is used when it is desired to evaluate the bubble point pressure of the port area or the material available for the port area.

First, the port area or port area material is connected to the funnel and tube described in Example A-1. This keeps the lower end of the tube open. That is, it is not covered by the material in the port area. The tube should be of sufficient length. That is, a length of up to 10 m will be required.

If the test material is very thin or brittle, it is appropriate to support it with a very open support structure (eg, a layer of open pore nonwoven material) before connecting it to the funnel and tube. There will be. If the test specimen is not of sufficient size, the funnel may be replaced with a smaller one (for example, Catalog # 62556102 from Fisher Scientific, Nidderau, Germany). If the test specimen is too large, a representative piece may be cut out and fitted to the funnel.

The test liquid may be a transported liquid, but for ease of comparison, the test liquid was distilled water or deionized water in Merck, Darmstadt, Germany (MER
CK KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany).
Solution 0.03% TRITON X-10, available as 08603
It is better to be 0, thus resulting in a surface tension of 33 mN / m when measured according to the surface tension method described hereinafter.

The device is immersed in a sufficiently sized reservoir filled with test liquid,
Fill with test liquid by removing residual air with a vacuum pump.

The portion of the funnel with the port area is removed from the liquid while holding the (open) lower end of the funnel in the liquid in the reservoir. Where appropriate, the funnel with the port material should remain horizontally aligned, but need not be.

Monitor the height while continuing to slowly raise the port material above the reservoir to determine if air bubbles begin to enter the funnel through the material, either through the funnel or through the port material itself ( Observe carefully (possibly assisted by appropriate lighting). At this point, the height above the reservoir is recorded as the bubble point height.

From this height H, the bubble point pressure bbp is calculated as follows: BPP = ρ · g · H, where ρ is the liquid density and g is the gravitational constant (g is approximately 9 .
81m ^{/ s} 2).

[0406] Particularly for bubble point pressures above about 50 kPa, another measurement method can be used as is commonly used to assess bubble point pressure for membranes used in filtration systems.

Here, the wet membrane separates the two gas-filled chambers. At this time, one is set under high gas pressure (e.g., air pressure) and the point at which the first bubble "breaks through" is recorded. Alternatively,
As described in the following test method section, the PMI penetrator (perm
Eater) or a porometer can be used for bubble point pressure measurement. Bubble Point Pressure (Liquid Transport Member) To measure the bubble point of the liquid transport member (instead of the port area or port area material), the following procedure may be followed.

First, this member is activated as described above. The test liquid may be a transported liquid, but for ease of comparison, the test liquid may be in distilled or deionized water.
The solution 0.03% Triton X-100, available from Merck GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany, as catalog number 1.08603, is better, so that
A surface tension of 33 mN / m is measured when measured according to the surface tension method described hereinafter.

A portion of the port area being evaluated is connected to a vacuum pump connected by a tightly sealed (eg, with the Patex® adhesive described above) tube / pipe.

[0410] Only part of this port area is connected and another one of the areas next to the tube covered part
Care must be taken that two parts remain uncovered and come into contact with the surrounding air.

A vacuum pump should be able to set various pressures P [various] increasing from atmospheric pressure P [atmospheric pressure] to about 100 kPa. This assembly (often integral with the pump) results in a differential pressure (Δp
= P [atmospheric pressure] -P [various]) and the differential pressure of the gas flow.

The pump is then started to create a light vacuum, which is increased in steps during the test. The amount of pressure increase depends on the desired accuracy,
Typical values of kPa give acceptable results.

At each level, this flow is monitored over time, but this flow increases immediately after the increase in Δp, primarily because gas is removed from the tubing between the pump and the membrane. However, this flow levels off fairly soon and when the equilibrium Δp is established, this flow essentially stops. Generally this is reached after about 3 minutes.

This stepwise increase continues until a breakthrough point, which does not decrease after a step change in pressure, but remains after reaching an essentially constant equilibrium level over time. It can be observed as a flow.

[0415] The pressure Δp before one step in this situation is the bpp of the liquid transport member.

For materials having a bubble point pressure greater than about 90 kPa, it may be desirable or necessary to increase the ambient pressure around the test specimen by a constant and monitored degree. This is in addition to the monitored Δp. Surface Tension Test Method Surface tension measurement is well known to those skilled in the art, for example, using a surface tensiometer K10T manufactured by Kruss GmbH, Hamburg, Germany, which describes the apparatus. As described in the textbook, the DuNouy ring method is used. After washing with glassware with isopropanol and deionized water, it is dried at 105 ° C. Heat the platinum ring to redness with a Bunsen burner. A first control measurement is performed to check the accuracy of the tensiometer. Perform an appropriate number of repetitive tests to ensure data consistency. The surface tension of the resulting liquid is expressed in mN / m and can be used to determine the adhesion tension value and surface energy parameters for each liquid / solid / gas system. Distilled water is generally 72 mN / m
, And a 0.03% X-100 solution in water shows a value of 33 mN / m. Liquid transport tests The following tests can be applied to liquid transport components. These members have defined inlet and outlet port areas and have a transport path length Ho between the inlet and outlet port areas. For example, in the case of components in which the respective port areas cannot be determined because they are made of one homogeneous material, these areas can be defined taking into account the intended use, and thus the respective A port area is defined.

Prior to performing this test, the liquid transport member should be activated, if necessary, as described above.

The test specimen is placed in a vertical position above the liquid reservoir, for example by hanging from a holder, whereby the inlet remains completely immersed in the liquid of this reservoir. The outlet is connected to a vacuum pump, for example via a flexible tube of 6 mm outside diameter (in this case optionally using a separator flask connected between the sample and the pump), and the bubbling of the liquid transport member Seal tightly as described in Point Pressure Method. The vacuum suction differential pressure can be monitored and adjusted.

The bottom point of the outlet is adjusted to be at a height Ho above the liquid level of the reservoir.

The differential pressure is slowly increased until the pressure Po = 0.9 kPa + ρgHo. ρ is the liquid density and g is the gravitational constant g (g is approximately 9.81 m / s ² ).

After this differential pressure has been reached, preferably by placing the reservoir on a scale that measures the weight of the reservoir and connecting the scale to a computing device,
Monitor the loss of liquid weight in the reservoir. After the initial unstable decrease (generally, it takes only about one minute at most), the weight loss of the reservoir is constant (ie, a straight line is shown in the graphical data display). This constant weight loss over time is due to the suction of 0.9 kPa and the flow rate (g
/ S).

The corresponding flux rate of the liquid transport member at a suction of 0.9 kPa and a height of Ho is calculated from this flow rate by dividing the flow rate by the average cross-sectional area of the liquid transport member along the flow path, g / S / cm ² .

Care should be taken that this reservoir is large enough so that the liquid level in the reservoir does not change more than 1 mm.

Further, the effective permeability of the liquid transport member can be calculated by dividing the fluence by the average length along the flow path and the driving differential pressure (0.9 kPa). Liquid Permeability Test Generally, this test is performed using a suitable test liquid representative of the transport liquid, for example, Jayco Pharmaceuticals, Inc. of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.
Jayco Shinyualin (Jayco), available from ls Company
SynUrine), about 23 +/- 2 ° C, 50 + /
Operation can be performed in controlled laboratory conditions at -10% relative humidity. However, in the case of the present application, in particular when using polymer foam materials, US-A-5
It is more useful to carry out the test at a high temperature of 31 ° C. and using deionized water as the test liquid, as disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,563,179 or US Pat. No. 5,387,207. It was discovered.

The present permeability test gives a measure of permeability for two special conditions. That is, permeability is proportional to the caliper for a wide range of porous materials at 100% saturation (eg, nonwoven fabrics made of synthetic fibers or cellulosic structures) or without being filled with air (or external vapor phase). Measurements can be made on materials that reach varying degrees of saturation with change, such as collapsed polymer foam. For these foams, the permeability at various degrees of saturation can be easily measured at various thicknesses.

In principle, this test is based on Darcy's law. According to this law, the volumetric flow rate of a liquid through any porous medium is proportional to the pressure gradient. This proportionality constant is related to permeability.

Q / A = (k / η) × (ΔP / L) where: Q = volume flow rate [cm ³ / s]; A = cross-sectional area [cm ² ]; k = permeability (cm ² ) ( 1 Darcy corresponds to 9.869 × 10 ⁻¹³ m ² ); η = viscosity (Poise) [Pa × s]; ΔP / L = pressure gradient [Pa / m]; L = caliper of sample [cm] .

This allows the permeability to be calculated by measuring the pressure drop and the volumetric flow through the sample for the cross-sectional area of a fixed or fixed sample and the viscosity of the test liquid: k = (Q / A) × (L / ΔP) × η This test can be performed in two modified tests. The first modification test relates to transplanar permeability (ie, the flow direction is essentially along the thickness dimension of the material) and the second modification test relates to in-plane permeability. (Ie, the flow direction is in the xy direction of this material).

The test setup for the permeability test through a plane can be seen in FIG. This is a schematic view of the entire device, with a partially exploded cross-sectional view as an inset, but not to scale the drawing of the sample cell.

The assembly of this test was performed using a generally circular or cylindrical sample cell (19120).
, Which has an upper portion (19112) and a lower portion (19122). The distance of these parts can be measured and thus adjusted by caliper gauges (19145) and adjusting screws (19140), each arranged on three circumferences. In addition, the device also includes a height adjuster (19170) for the inflow reservoir.
), As well as tubes (19180), quick release fittings (19189) for connecting the sample cell to the rest of the device, and other valves (19182). , 1918
4, 19186, 19188). Differential pressure transducer (191
97) is connected via a pipe (19180) to an upper pressure detection point (19194) and a lower pressure detection point (19196). The computer device for control of the valve (19190) is further connected to a differential pressure transducer (19197), a temperature probe (19192), and a weight scale load cell (19198) via a connector (19199).

A circular sample (19110) having a diameter of 1 inch (about 2.54 cm) was
It is placed between two porous screens (19135) inside the sample cell (19120). The sample cell is made up of two 1 inch (about 2.54 cm) inner diameter cylindrical parts (1911, 19122), which are connected to the inlet coupler (
19132) to the inlet reservoir (19150) and to the outlet coupler (191).
33) a flexible tube (19180) to the outflow reservoir (19154),
For example, it is bonded by a Tygon tube. Closed cell foam gasket (19
115) provides protection from leakage around the side of the sample. The test sample (19110) is compressed to a caliper corresponding to the desired wet compression, which is set to 0.2 psi (about 1.4 kPa) unless otherwise noted. Liquid is flowed through the sample (19110) to obtain a steady state flow.
Once steady state flow through the sample (19110) has been established, the volume flow and pressure drop are reduced by the load cell (19198) and differential pressure transducer (1).
9197) as a function of time. This experiment can be performed with any pressure head (about 7.8 kPa) up to 80 cm of water. this is,
The height can be adjusted by a height adjusting device (19170). From these measurements, the flow rate at the differential pressure of the sample can be determined.

This device is available from Porous Materials, Ithaca, NY, USA
ow Materials, Inc, Ithaca, New York, US
) To PMI Liquid Permeameter (Liquid Permeameter)
er) is available as a liquid permeation meter supplied under the name. This is described in further detail in the 2/97 User's Manual and has been modified in accordance with the present specification. This device uses a porous screen (19135).
) Includes two stainless steel frits, also identified in the booklet. This device comprises a sample cell (19120), an inflow reservoir (1
9150), spill reservoir (19154), and waste reservoir (19156)
And each fill and discharge valve and coupler, electronic scale, and computer monitor valve controller (19190).

The gasket material (19115) is a closed cell neoprene sponge SNC-1 (soft) supplied by the Netherlands Rubber Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. One set of materials having varying thicknesses in steps of 1/16 inch (about 0.159 cm) provides a thickness range of 1/16 inch to 1/2 inch (about 0.159 cm to about 1.27 cm). It is better to be effective to cover.

In addition, operating each valve requires a pressurized air supply of at least 60 psi (4.1 bar).

This test is then performed in the following steps: 1) Test sample preparation: In a preparatory test, it is determined whether one or more layers of the test sample are needed. The tests outlined here below are performed at the lowest and highest pressures. Then, during the test, 0.5 cm ³ /
The number of layers is adjusted to maintain a flow rate between seconds and 15 cm ³ / sec at maximum pressure drop. The flow rate for the sample should be lower than the flow rate for the blank at the same pressure drop. If the sample flow is higher than that of the blank for a certain pressure drop, more layers should be added to reduce the flow.

Sample Size: Samples were prepared, for example, from McMaster-Carr Supply Co., Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
mpany, Cleveland, OH, US) using an arch punch to cut to 1 inch diameter. If the sample has too little internal strength or integrity to maintain its structure during the required operations,
Conventional low basis weight support means such as PET scrims or nets may be added.

Thus, at least two samples (if required, each made of the required number of layers) are pre-cut. One of these is then saturated in deionized water at the temperature at which the experiment is performed (70 ° F. (31 ° C.), unless otherwise noted).

The caliper of the wet sample is measured under the desired compression pressure (after a stabilization time of 30 seconds if necessary). At this pressure, the experiment was performed using a conventional caliper gauge with a 1/8 inch pressure foot diameter (eg, AMES, Waltham, Mass., Waltham, Mass., USA).
S, US). This would apply 0.2 psi (about 1.4 kPa) to the sample (19110) unless otherwise desired.

An appropriate combination of gasket materials is selected such that the overall thickness of the gasket foam (19115) is between 150% and 200% of the wet sample thickness (to obtain the desired overall thickness). Requires a combination of gasket materials of various thicknesses). The gasket material (19115) is cut into a circular size 3 inches in diameter and is cut using an arch punch around a 1 inch (about 2.54 cm) hole.

If the sample dimensions change when wet, the sample should be cut so that the required diameter is selected at the wet stage. This can also be evaluated in this preparatory test while monitoring the respective dimensions. If gaps are formed or they change to form wrinkles that prevent the sample from making smooth contact with the porous screen or frit, the cut diameter may be adjusted accordingly. Good.

The test sample (19110) is placed in the hole in the gasket foam (19115) and the composite is placed on the bottom half of the sample cell, ensuring that the sample is flat and smooth with the screen (19135) Make good contact and no gaps are formed on both sides.

The upper part (19112) of the test cell was placed on the laboratory bench (
(Or another horizontal plane) and zero all three caliper gauges mounted thereon.

The top (19121) of the test cell is then placed on the bottom (19122) such that the gasket material (19115) with the test sample (19110) is between the two parts. The top and bottom are then tightened with fixing screws (19140). Thus, the three caliper gauges are adjusted to the same values as measured for the wet sample under each of the aforementioned pressures.

2) To prepare for the experiment, the program of the computer device (19190) is started, and identification of a sample, each pressure, etc. are input.

3) The test performs several pressure cycles on one sample (19110). The initial pressure is the lowest pressure. The results of the individual pressure tests are entered into various result files by the computer device (19190). Data is taken from each of these files for calculations such as: (It is better to use a different sample for subsequent testing of the material.) 4) Move the incoming liquid reservoir (19150) to the desired height. The test is started by the computer device (19190).

5) The sample cell (19120) was then replaced with the quick cut fitting (19189).
) In a transmission meter equipped with

6) The sample cell (19120) is filled by opening the vent valve (19188) and the bottom fill valves (19184, 19186). Care must be taken during this step to remove all air bubbles from the device. This can be done by rotating the sample cell vertically and forcing air bubbles, if any, from the permeometer through the drain.

When the sample cell is filled up to the Tygon tubing glued to the top of the chamber (19112), air bubbles are removed from this tubing into the waste reservoir (19156).

7) After carefully removing air bubbles, bottom filling valves (19184, 19186)
And open the top fill valve (19182) to fill the top and also carefully remove all air bubbles.

8) Fill the liquid reservoir up to the filling line (19152) with test liquid.

The computer device (19190) is then turned on to start the flow through the sample.

The experiment can be started as soon as the temperature of the sample chamber has reached the required value.

When the experiment was started via the computer device (19190), the liquid effluent was automatically diverted from the waste reservoir (19156) to the effluent reservoir (19154) and the pressure drop and temperature were reduced to Monitored for several minutes as a function of time.

Upon completion of the program, the computing device produces the recorded data (in numerical and / or graphical form).

If desired, the same test sample can be used to measure permeability in various pressure heads, but this will increase the pressure from test to test.

The device washes every two weeks and calibrates the frit, load cell, and thermocouples and pressure transducers at least once a week (calibra).
te) is better, but in this case follow the instructions of the equipment supplier.

The differential pressure is measured at the pressure probe measurement points (1919) at the top and bottom of the sample cell.
4, 19196). Each experiment must be corrected by a blank test, as there may be other flow resistances on the pressure recorded in the chamber. Blank test is 10 daily
, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 cm at the required pressure. The permeometer also outputs the average test pressure and also the average flow rate for each experiment.

For the pressure at which the sample is to be tested, the flow rate is calculated by a computer system (19190).
) Is recorded as the blank correction pressure. The device further corrects the average test pressure (actual pressure) at the differential pressure recorded at each level, resulting in a corrected pressure. This modified pressure is the DP used in the permeability equation below.

The permeability can then be calculated at each required pressure, and all the permeability should be averaged to determine k for the material being tested.

Preferably, three measurements are taken for each sample at each head, the results averaged and the standard deviation calculated. However, it is better to use the same sample, measure the permeability at each head, and then perform a second and third replicate using a new sample.

The measurement of the in-plane transmission under the same conditions as the transmission through the above-mentioned plane is shown in FIG.
) And FIG. 21B can be modified and implemented. Although these drawings are partially exploded, only the drawings of the sample cells are not drawn to scale. Equivalent elements are shown as equivalent, so the sample cells of FIGS. 21A and 21B are referenced by the reference numerals (19
110), (20210), and so on. Thus, the simplified sample cell (19120) passing through the plane of FIG.
220). It is designed to allow liquid to flow in only one direction (either vertically or horizontally, depending on how the sample is placed in the cell). Care should be taken to minimize the introduction of liquid along the wall (wall effect). This is because it can erroneously result in high transparency readings. Then a test procedure very similar to the test through a plane is performed.

The sample cell (20220) is designed to be placed in an apparatus essentially as described for the sample cell (20120) in a test through the plane. However, the filling tube is located at the bottom of the cell (20220).
20232). FIG. 21A shows a partial exploded view of the sample cell, and FIG. 21B shows a cross-sectional view passing through the sample level.

The test cell (20220) is composed of the following two parts. That is, a bottom part (20225), such as a rectangular box with a flange, and a top part (2) that fits inside the bottom part (20225), which also has a flange.
0223). A test sample is 2 inches × 2 inches (about 5.1 cm × 5.
1 cm) and cut into the bottom part. The top part (20223) of the sample chamber is then placed in the bottom part (20225), which is placed on the test sample (20210). Incompressible neoprene rubber seal (2
0224) to the upper part (20223) creates a tight seal. The test liquid is supplied from the inflow reservoir to the sample space from the Tygon tube and the inflow coupler (2
0232) and further through the outflow coupler (20233) to the outflow reservoir. In the performance of this test, the sample was heated by a heating device (2
0226) to maintain the desired test temperature, whereby the thermostat water is pumped through the heating chamber (20227). The gap in the test cell is a caliper corresponding to the desired wet compression, typically 0.2 psi (
It is set to about 1.4 kPa). Shims (20216) in the size range of 0.1 mm to 20.0 mm are used to set the correct caliper, and in some cases a combination of several shims.

At the start of the experiment, the test cell (20220) is rotated 90 ° (the sample is vertical) so that the test liquid slowly enters from the bottom. It is necessary to ensure that all air is expelled from the sample and inlet / outlet coupler (20232/20233). Next, in order to level the sample (20210), the test cell (20220) is rotated back to its original position. The next procedure is the same as previously described for transmissivity through a plane. That is, the inlet reservoir is placed at the desired height, the flow is balanced, and the flow rate and pressure drop are measured. Permeability is calculated using Darcy's law. This procedure is repeated for higher pressures.

For samples with very low permeability, the drive pressure may need to be increased, for example, by increasing the height or by applying additional air pressure to the reservoir to obtain a measurable flow rate. There will be. In-plane transmission can be measured independently in the vertical and horizontal directions depending on how the sample is placed in the test cell. Measurement of Pore Size Optical measurement of pore size is particularly used for thin layers of porous systems using standard image analysis procedures known to those skilled in the art.

The principle of this method consists of the following steps: 1) A thin layer of sample material
Thick samples are sliced into thinner sheets, or if the sample itself is thin, it is prepared directly. The term "thin" refers to obtaining a sample caliper low enough to obtain a clean cross-sectional image under a microscope. Typical sample calipers are less than 200 μm. 2) Microscopic images are obtained with a video microscope using the appropriate magnification. Best results are obtained when about 10-100 pores are seen on the image. The images are then digitized by a standard image analysis package, for example, OPTIMAS by BioScan Corp. This is implemented in Windows 95 of a general IBM compatible PC. It is better to use a frame grabber with sufficient pixel resolution (preferably at least 1024 × 1024 pixels) for good results. 3) Convert the image to a binary image using the appropriate threshold level, so that the pores visible on the image are marked as white target areas and the rest remains black. An automatic threshold setting procedure available as Optimus can be used. 4) Measure the area of each pore (target). Optimus provides a fully automatic measurement of these areas. 5)
The equivalent radius for each pore is measured by a circle having the same area as the pore. If A is the area of the pore, then the equivalent radius is given by r = (A / π) ² . The average pore size can then be determined from the pore size distribution using standard statistical rules. For materials having a less uniform pore size, it is recommended to use at least three samples for this measurement.

Another instrument that can be used to measure pore size is a commercially available porosimeter or permeometer test, such as the PMI liquid permeometer model number CFP-1200AEXI by Porous Materials, Ithaca, NY, USA. It is a permeation meter supplied under the name. This is further described, for example, in the 2/97 user manual. Tea Bag Centrifuge Capability Test (TCC Test) The TCC test was developed specifically for superabsorbent materials, but it can be easily applied to other absorbent materials.

The tea bag centrifuge capacity test measures tea bag centrifuge capacity values, which are measures of liquid retention in the absorbent material.

The absorbent material is placed in a “tea bag”, immersed in a 0.9% by weight sodium chloride solution for 20 minutes, and then centrifuged for 3 minutes. The ratio of the retained liquid weight to the initial weight of the dry material is the absorbency of the absorbent material.

2 liters of 0.9% by weight sodium chloride in distilled water was added to 24 cm × 30 cm ×
Pour into trays with dimensions of 5 cm. The liquid filling height may be about 3 cm.

The tea bag pouch has dimensions of 6.5 cm × 6.5 cm and is made of Tecanne (Dusseldorf, Germany).
(Teekane). The pouch can be heat sealed in a standard kitchen plastic bag sealing device (e.g., VACUPACK2 PLUS, manufactured by Krups, Germany).

[0472] The tea bag is carefully cut open in part and then weighed. About 0.200 g of a sample of absorbent material is accurately weighed to +/- 0.005 g and placed in a tea bag. Then close the tea bag with a heat sealer. This is called a sample tea bag. Seal the empty tea bag and use as a blank.

The sample tea bag and the blank tea bag are then placed on the surface of the saline solution and submerged for about 5 seconds using a spatula to completely wet (the tea bag is
Floats on the surface of the salt solution, but then gets completely wet). Start the timer immediately.

After soaking for 20 minutes, the sample tea bag and the blank tea bag were removed from the saline solution, and then washed with Bauknecht WS130, Bosch (
Bosch) 772NZK096 or equivalent centrifuge (230 mm diameter), so that each bag adheres to the outer wall of the centrifuge basket. Close the centrifuge lid, start centrifugation and quickly increase the speed to 1,400 rpm. Once the centrifuge has stabilized at 1,400 rpm, start the timer. After 3 minutes, stop the centrifuge.

Remove the sample tea bag and blank tea bag and weigh them separately.

The tea bag centrifugation capacity (TCC) for a sample of absorbent material is calculated as follows: TCC = [(sample tea bag weight after centrifugation) − (blank tea bag after centrifugation) )-(Weight of dry absorbent material)] ÷ (weight of dry absorbent material)
.

Similarly, special parts of these structures or the entire absorber can be measured. For example, a “section by section” cutout, ie, looking at some part of the structure or the entire absorber. This makes a cut across the entire width of the product at a given point on the longitudinal axis of the product. In particular, the “crotch ability” can be determined by the definition of the “crotch part” as described above. Other cutouts can be used to determine "base capability" (ie, the amount of capability included in a unit area of a particular area of the product). Depending on the size of the unit area (preferably 2 cm x
2 cm), what averaging occurs. Of course, the smaller the size, the smaller the average. Reversible Expansion Test The purpose of this test is to measure the expansion of the liquid treatment member and the subsequent contraction of the liquid treatment member during a series of liquid receiving and discharging cycles. This test is suitable for a liquid treatment member according to the present invention. This test can equally be used for a device for treating liquid from the body according to the invention.

This test specimen is a liquid processing member according to the present invention. This liquid processing member is
The shape should be as similar as possible to the shape used. If the liquid treatment member is part of a device for treating liquid from the body, those parts of the device that do not contribute to the performance of the liquid treatment member may be removed before testing the liquid treatment member. . However, it is also possible to test an entire device for treating liquid from the body.

At the beginning of the test, the total absorbency of the specimen is measured by the required absorbency test as defined herein. The specimen, now filled with liquid to its total absorbency, is placed on a glass frit for a capillary absorption test as defined herein. It is set at 0 cm head.

The experimental setup of this test comprises the setup for the capillary absorption test defined here in combination with a volumetric device. The instrument is mounted so that the dimensions of the sample can be measured when the sample is placed on a glass frit of a capillary absorption experiment assembly.

For the purpose of this test, a Cartesian coordinate system is defined as follows. The z direction is
The direction perpendicular to the upper main surface of the glass frit. This is also called the approximate capillary direction. Thus, the x and y directions are parallel to the upper major surface of the glass frit. The x-direction is defined as the direction of the most efficient liquid transport within the test specimen. For example, if the test specimen has a first part for liquid reception and a second area for liquid drainage or storage, the x-direction points from the first area to the second area.

For example, the volume measuring device can detect two directions (x and y) parallel to the surface of the glass frit.
Caliper (z-direction) measuring device combined with two devices for measuring the expansion of the test specimen in the (direction). Since the two major surfaces of the glass frit in the capillary absorption experimental setup are oriented horizontally, the caliper measurement device in this test measures the vertical expansion of the test specimen while the other two
One measuring device measures the horizontal expansion of the test specimen. For example, if the test specimen is substantially rectangular, the dimensions of the test specimen can be measured using simple mechanical devices for manual measurement of length. If the geometry of the test specimen is more complex, the stretch of the test specimen may be recorded, for example, on videotape, which allows for an accurate analysis of the stretch of the test specimen during the test. Suitable methods for measuring each of these dimensions are well known in the art. In this way, if the test specimen needs to be placed under closing pressure, the closing pressure should be chosen low enough so that each dimension of the test specimen remains substantially unchanged. It is. Furthermore, it is important that the dimensions of the test specimen be measured on a surface area that is at least 20 percent of the respective surface area of the test specimen so that the measurement is representative of the dimensions.

During the first step of this test, the total absorbency of the test specimen is measured by the required absorbency test specified herein. The test specimen, now filled with liquid to its total absorbency, is placed on the glass frit of the capillary absorption test defined here.
It is set at 0 cm head. On the glass frit, the test specimen is oriented such that its area for liquid reception is directed towards the upper surface of the glass frit.

During the second step of this test, capillary suction is continuously increased until half of the liquid originally stored in the liquid treatment member is removed from the liquid treatment member or device, respectively. At the beginning of this step and at the end of this step, the dimensions of the liquid treatment member or device are recorded. The shrinkage factor for each dimension is determined at the end of the test phase by dividing each dimension of the test specimen by the respective dimension at the beginning of the test phase. Therefore, the value of each contraction coefficient is 0 to 1. The volume shrinkage coefficient is determined by dividing the volume at the end of the process by the volume at the beginning of the process. For example, for a substantially rectangular test specimen, the volume can be obtained by multiplying the x, y, and z dimensions of the test specimen.

During the third step of this test, the capillary suction is reduced to zero pressure, so that the test specimen reabsorbs liquid until it is filled to its full capacity. At the beginning of this test phase and at the end of this test phase, the dimensions of the liquid handling element or device are recorded. The expansion coefficient for each dimension is determined by dividing each dimension of the test specimen at the end of the test phase by its respective dimension at the beginning of the test phase. In many cases, the value of each expansion coefficient will be at least one. The volume expansion coefficient is determined by dividing the volume at the end of this test phase by the volume at the beginning of this test phase. In addition, the liquid volume at the end of the cycle is divided by the total absorbency of the test specimen as determined by the absorbency demand test prior to this test to obtain a volume reduction factor.

The measurement cycle of the second step and the third step may be repeated to check the long-term behavior of the test specimen. The respective shrinkage, expansion, and volume reduction coefficients are then indicated along with the number of these respective test cycles. Required Absorbency Test The required absorbency test is for measuring the liquid volume of the liquid treatment member and for measuring the rate of absorption of the liquid treatment member for zero hydrostatic pressure. This test can also be performed on devices for managing liquids from the body, including liquid handling members.

The device used to perform this test consisted of a square basket of sufficient size to hold the liquid handling member suspended from the frame. At least the lower plane of the square basket consists of an open mesh that allows liquid to penetrate into the basket without substantial flow resistance to liquid intake. For example, a stainless steel open wire mesh having a pore area of at least 70%, a wire diameter of 1 mm, and an open mesh size of about 6 mm is suitable for the assembly of this test. Furthermore, the open mesh should exhibit sufficient stability so that the test specimen does not substantially deform under the load of the test specimen when filled to its full capacity.

A liquid reservoir is provided below the basket. The height of the basket can be adjusted so that the test specimen placed in the basket is brought into contact with the surface of the liquid in the liquid reservoir. The liquid reservoir is placed on an electronic balance connected to a computer and the weight of the liquid is read out approximately every 0.01 second during the measurement. The dimensions of the device are chosen such that the liquid treatment member to be tested fits in the basket and that the intended liquid receiving zone of the liquid treatment member contacts the lower plane of the basket. The dimensions of the liquid reservoir are chosen such that the level of the liquid surface in the reservoir does not change substantially during the measurement. A typical reservoir that can be used to test a liquid handling member has a size of at least 320 mm x 370 mm and can hold at least about 4500 g of liquid.

Before the test, the liquid reservoir is filled with synthetic urine. The amount of synthetic urine and the size of the liquid reservoir should be sufficient so that the liquid volume of the liquid treatment member to be tested does not change when the liquid volume of the reservoir is withdrawn from the reservoir.

The temperature of the liquid and the environment of the test should reflect the in-use conditions of the component. Typical temperatures for use in baby diapers are 3 for the environment
2 ° C, 37 ° C for synthetic urine. This test may be performed at room temperature if the absorption characteristics of the component being tested are not significantly dependent on temperature.

This test is assembled by lowering the empty basket until the mesh is just completely immersed in the synthetic urine in the reservoir. The basket is then raised again by about 0.5-1 mm to establish a near-zero hydrostatic suction,
Care should be taken to keep the liquid in contact with the mesh. If necessary, the mesh needs to be brought into contact with the liquid again and the zero level is readjusted.

The test starts with the following: 1. Start measuring on electronic balance; 2. Place the liquid treatment member on the mesh such that the receiving zone of the member is in contact with the liquid; To obtain better contact between the member and the mesh, a low weight is immediately applied on the member to generate a pressure of 165 Pa.

During the test, the liquid uptake by the liquid treatment member is recorded by measuring the weight loss of the liquid in the liquid reservoir. The test is stopped after 30 minutes.

At the end of the test, the total liquid uptake of the liquid handling member is recorded. In addition, the time after the liquid handling member has absorbed 80% of its total liquid uptake is recorded. Zero time is defined as the time at which absorption of this member begins. The initial absorption rate of the liquid treatment member is obtained from the initial linear slope of the weight versus time measurement curve.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional open siphon.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a liquid transport member according to the present invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show a conventional siphon system and a liquid transport member according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view through a liquid transport member.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for measuring the thickness of the port region, together with FIGS. 6A and 6B.

6 (A) and 6 (B) are schematic diagrams together with FIG. 5 for measuring the thickness of a port region.

FIG. 7 is a correlation between permeability and bubble point pressure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of one of various embodiments of a liquid transport member according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of one of various embodiments of a liquid transport member according to the present invention.

FIG. 10A is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of various embodiments of a liquid transport member according to the present invention; FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of FIG. FIG. 10 (C) is a cross-sectional view along line CC of FIG. 10 (A); and FIG. 10 (D) is a cross-sectional view along line CC of FIG. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of one of various embodiments of a liquid transport member according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of one of various embodiments of a liquid transport member according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 (A) is a schematic cross-sectional view of one of various embodiments of a liquid transport member according to the present invention; and FIG. 13 (B) is according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of one of the various embodiments of a liquid transport member.

14 (A) is a liquid transport system according to the present invention; FIG. 14 (B) is a liquid transport system according to the present invention; and FIG. 14 (C) is a liquid transport system according to the present invention. Liquid transport system.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of an absorber.

FIG. 16 is an absorber provided with a liquid transport member.

17 (A) is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 16; and FIG. 17 (B) is an illustration of an absorber provided with the liquid transport member of FIG. FIG. 18 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 17A of an absorber provided with another liquid transport member.

18 (A) is a specific embodiment of a liquid transport member; and FIG. 18 (B) is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 18 (A). .

19A is a specific embodiment of a liquid transport member; FIG. 19B is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 19A; 19C is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 19A.

FIG. 20 is a liquid permeability test.

FIGS. 21A and 21B are liquid permeability tests.

FIGS. 22A and 22B are capillary absorption tests.

FIGS. 23A and 23B are capillary absorption tests.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (81) Designated country EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE ), OA (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, GM, KE, LS, MW, SD, SL, SZ, UG, ZW), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AE, AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR , BY, CA, CH, CN, CU, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS , JP, KE, KG, KP, KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LV, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ, TM, TR, TT, UA, UG, US, UZ, VN, YU, ZA, ZW (71) Applicant ONE PROCTER & GANBLE PLAZA, CINCINNATI, OHIO, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (72) Inventor Schmidt, Matthias Germany, Day 65510 Idsutstein, Altkonigbeek 3 (72) Inventor Desai, Fred, Naval United States, Ohio 45014, Fairfield James Fieldfield Court, 6383 (72) Inventor Lafon, Gary, Dean Country, Day 61440 Oberhausel, Erich Orenhauer Strasse 36 Day (72) Inventor Young, Gerald, Alfred United States, 45231, Ohio 45231, Cincinnati, Hearthstone Drive 1101 (72) Inventor Schumann, Carl, Michael Federal Republic of Germany, Day 65812 Bart Sooden, Robert-Stoltz-Schuttlese 30 (72) Inventor Law, Donald, Carroll 45069, Ohio, USA, West Chester, Emberwood Coat 6324 F-term ( 3B029 BA12 BA14 BA16 4C003 AA06 AA22 BA03 4C098 AA09 CC02 CC03 CC14 DD05 DD06 DD08 DD13 DD16 DD17 DD20 DD21 DD24 DD26 DD28 4F100 AB01A AG00A AJ04A AJ04B AJ06A AK01A AK01B AK03A01 AK05A01 AK05BAKA AK05A DG12B DJ01A DJ01B GB72 JA20A JB05B JB20B YY00A YY00B

Claims (56)

[Claims] 1. A liquid transport member comprising at least one bulk region and a wall region completely surrounding said bulk region, wherein said wall region further comprises at least one port region. bulk region has an average fluid permeability k _b, have the member bubble point pressure _{^{P, P 2 × k b>}} m × (ε
/ 2) is characterized by a × gamma ^2, the surface tension of the liquid gamma is transported herein, epsilon is the volume porosity of the member, m is at least 1, preferably at least 10, most A liquid transport member, preferably at least 100. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first region of the member comprises a first material, and the member further comprises an additional element in contact with the first material of the first region, the first region being adjacent the liquid transport member. The liquid transport member according to claim 1, wherein the liquid transport member extends into the two regions. 3. The additional element is in contact with the wall area and extends into an adjacent second area and has a capillary pressure for absorbing liquid below the bubble point pressure of the member. The liquid transport member according to claim 2. 4. The liquid transport member according to claim 2, wherein the additional element comprises a flexible layer. 5. The ratio of the permeability of the bulk region to the permeability of the port region is at least 10, preferably at least 100, more preferably at least 1000,
The liquid transport member according to any of the preceding claims, wherein even more preferably it is at least 100,000. 6. The member is at least 1 kPa, preferably at least 2 kPa, more preferably at least 4.5 kPa, even more preferably 8 kPa, most preferably when measured with a test liquid having a surface tension of 72 mN / m. The liquid transport member according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the member has a bubble point pressure of 50 kPa. 7. The port area, when measured with a test liquid having a surface tension of 72 mN / m, at least 1 kPa, preferably at least 2 kP.
a, more preferably at least 4.5 kPa, even more preferably 8 kPa,
7. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, having a bubble point pressure of 50 kPa most preferably.
Item 6. The liquid transport member according to Item 1. 8. The port area is at least 0.67 kPa, preferably at least 1.3 kPa, more preferably at least 3.0 kPa, and even more, when measured with a test liquid having a surface tension of 33 mN / m. A liquid transport member according to any one of the preceding claims, having a bubble point pressure of preferably 5.3 kPa, most preferably 33 kPa. 9. The liquid transport member according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the member initially loses at least 3% of the liquid in a closed system test. 10. The bulk region preferably has a ratio of the average pore size of the bulk region to the average pore size of the port region of at least 10, preferably at least 50, more preferably at least 100, even more preferably. 10. A liquid transport member according to any one of the preceding claims, having an average pore size larger than the port area, such that it is at least 500, most preferably at least 1000. 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bulk region has an average pore size of at least 200 μm, preferably at least 500 μm, more preferably at least 1000 μm, most preferably at least 5000 μm. Liquid transport components. 12. The bulk region has a porosity of at least 50%, preferably at least 80%, more preferably at least 90%, even more preferably at least 98%, most preferably at least 99%. Or 1
2. The liquid transport member according to any one of the above items 1. 13. The bulk region has an average density of at least 0.001 g / cm ³ when measured on pores not filled with liquid.
13. The liquid transport member according to any one of 1 to 12. 14. The port area is at least 10%, preferably at least 20%, more preferably at least 30%, most preferably at least 50%.
The liquid transport member according to any one of claims 1 to 13, having a porosity of 0.1%. 15. The port area according to claim 1, wherein said port area does not exceed 100 μm.
Not more than 0 μm, more preferably not more than 10 μm, most preferably 5 μm
15. The liquid transport member according to any one of claims 1 to 14, having an average pore size of not more than. 16. A liquid transport member according to claim 1, wherein the port region has a pore size of at least 1 μm, preferably at least 3 μm. 17. The device according to claim 17, wherein the port area does not exceed 100 μm, preferably 5 μm.
Not more than 0 μm, more preferably not more than 10 μm, most preferably 5 μm
The liquid transport member according to any one of claims 1 to 16, having an average thickness not exceeding. 18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bulk region and the wall region have a volume ratio of at least 10, preferably at least 100, more preferably at least 1000, even more preferably at least 10,000. Or 1
Item 6. The liquid transport member according to Item 1. 19. The port region is hydrophilic by preferably having a contact angle with the liquid to be transported of less than 70 °, preferably less than 50 °, more preferably less than 20 °, and even more preferably less than 10 °. 19. The method according to claim 1, wherein
The liquid transport member according to any one of the above. 20. The liquid transport member according to claim 19, wherein these port regions do not substantially reduce the liquid surface tension of the liquid being transported. 21. The port area preferably has a contact angle with the liquid to be transported of less than 70 °, preferably less than 50 °, more preferably less than 20 °, even more preferably less than 10 °. 21. The method according to claim 1, wherein
The liquid transport member according to any one of the above. 22. The liquid transport member according to claim 1, wherein the bulk region is deformable and expands during liquid transport. 23. The liquid treatment member, according to the reversible volume expansion test defined herein, has a shrinkage coefficient of less than 0.8 after the first test cycle and at least 1.2 after the first test cycle. The liquid transport member according to claim 22, having an expansion coefficient of: 24. A sheet-like or cylindrical-like shape.
24. The liquid transport member according to any one of 1 to 23. 25. The cross-sectional area of this member along the direction of liquid transport is not constant,
A liquid transport member according to any one of claims 1 to 24. 26. These port regions have an area which is preferably at least a factor 2, preferably a factor 10, most preferably a factor 100, greater than the average cross section of the member along the direction of liquid transport. 26. The liquid transport member according to 25. 27. The bulk region comprises a material selected from the group consisting of fibers, particulates, foams, spirals, films, corrugated sheets, or tubes.
The liquid transport member according to any one of claims 1 to 26. 28. The wall region is selected from the group consisting of fibers, particulates, foams, spirals, films, corrugated sheets, tubes, woven webs, woven fiber mesh, apertured films, or monolithic films. The liquid transport member according to any one of claims 1 to 27, wherein the liquid transport member includes another material. 29. The liquid transport member according to claim 27, wherein the foam is an open-cell reticulated foam, preferably selected from the group consisting of cellulose sponge, polyurethane foam, HIPE foam. 30. The liquid transport member according to claim 27, wherein the fibers are formed of polyolefin, polyester, polyamide, polyether, polyacryl, polyurethane, metal, glass, cellulose, or a cellulose derivative. 31. A liquid transport member according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the member is formed by a porous bulk region surrounded by another wall region. 32. The liquid transport member according to claim 1, further comprising a water-soluble material. 33. At least one of the port regions comprises a water-soluble material.
A liquid transport member according to claim 32. 34. The method according to claim 1, wherein the member is initially filled with a liquid.
4. The liquid transport member according to any one of 3. 35. The liquid transport member according to claim 1, wherein the member is initially under a vacuum. 36. The liquid transport member according to claim 1, for transporting a water-based liquid or a viscoelastic liquid. 37. The liquid transport member according to claim 36, for transporting bodily discharges such as urine, menstrual blood, sweat, or stool. 38. A liquid transport member according to any one of the preceding claims, for transporting oil, grease or other liquids not based on water. 39. The liquid transport member according to claim 39, for selective transport of oil or grease, but not for transport of liquids based on water. 40. Activation of any of the properties or parameters of the component prior to or during liquid treatment, preferably by contact with liquid, pH, temperature, enzymes, chemical reactions, salt concentration, or mechanical activity. 40. Any one of claims 1 to 39, established by
Item 6. The liquid transport member according to Item 1. 41. A liquid transport member according to any one of claims 1 to 40,
A liquid transport system comprising a liquid source outside the liquid transport member, or a liquid pool outside the liquid transport member, or both a liquid source and a liquid pool outside the liquid transport member. 42. When subjected to a required absorption test, it has an absorbency of at least 5 g / g, preferably at least 10 g / g, more preferably at least 50 g / g, based on the weight of the liquid transport system. 42. The liquid transport system according to 41. 43. At least 10 g / g, preferably at least 20 g / g, based on the weight of the pool material, when subjected to the tea bag centrifugation capability test.
43. The liquid transport system according to claim 41 or 42, comprising a puddle material having an absorption capacity of g, more preferably at least 50 g / g. 44. At least 5 g / g, preferably at least 10 g / g when the pressure rising to the bubble point pressure in the port area is measured in a capillary suction test.
g / g, more preferably at least 50 g / g,
When the pressure above the bubble point pressure in this region is measured in a capillary suction test, it is less than 5 g / g, preferably less than 2 g / g, more preferably less than 1 g / g, most preferably less than 0.2 g / g. The liquid transport system according to any one of claims 41 to 43, comprising a pool material having an absorbing power. 45. The liquid transport system according to any one of claims 41 to 44, comprising an open cell foam of the superabsorbent material or high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) type. 46. A product comprising the liquid transport member according to any one of claims 1 to 40 or the liquid transport system according to any one of claims 41 to 45. 47. The product of claim 46 for use as a sanitary absorbent. 48. The product of claim 47, which is disposed after a single use. 49. The product of claim 48 or 49, wherein the product is a baby or adult incontinence diaper, a female protective pad, a panty liner, or toilet training pants. 50. The product of claim 46, which is a grease absorber. 51. The product of claim 46, which is a water transport member. 52. Providing a bulk or interior material; providing a wall material with a port region; completely surrounding the bulk region material with the wall material; d1) vacuum; d2) liquid filling; d3) providing a means for enabling transport selected from: an inflatable elastic portion / spring. 53. Providing an activation means: 1) a liquid dissolution port area; e2) a liquid dissolving expandable elasticizer / spring; e3) a removable release element; e4) a removable sealing package. 53. The method of claim 52, comprising. 54) a) encapsulating the highly porous bulk material with another wall material including at least one permeable port region; b) completely sealing the wall region; and c) the member. A method for producing a liquid transport member, comprising the step of essentially exhausting air from the device. 55. The method of claim 54, wherein said member is filled with a liquid. 56. The article of claim 52 or 54, wherein the member is sealed with a liquid dissolving layer at least in the port area.