JP5198892B2 - Underwrap tape - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an underwrap tape used as a base material such as a taping tape and a Gibbs bandage, and a method for manufacturing the same.

  Traditionally, in the medical and sports fields, fixing devices (or coverings) such as taping tape, gibbs, supporters, braces, and sprints are used to moderately compress, fix, and protect the application sites such as limbs and affected areas. Supplies). All of these fixtures are directly worn on the skin of the human body, but an adhesive is usually applied to the taping tape, and the medical fixture is hard. Therefore, when wearing these fixtures, an underwrap tape is worn as a base material in order to protect the skin from adhesives and hard members. Underwrap tape absorbs sweat and sweat, which is especially required for wear on joints, etc., as well as cushioning and flexibility required for the function to protect the skin and hypoallergenicity to the skin. Or breathability to prevent stuffiness of the skin is required. As such an underwrap tape, a foamed urethane tape having stretchability and air permeability is commercially available. However, foamed urethane tape has low air permeability and is easily steamed. Furthermore, since urethane foam has low self-adhesiveness, it is difficult to wear, and an adhesive may be used for fixing.

  Therefore, in JP-A-8-787 (Patent Document 1), the surface of the skin where the taping tape is to be applied is covered with a cloth-like material such as a knitted fabric, a woven fabric or a non-woven fabric having stretchability and air permeability. A taping underlap formed in a cylindrical shape so as to be able to be made has been proposed. In this underlap, it is possible to easily wear it on the joint portion without a complicated winding operation by adopting a cylindrical shape.

  However, this underwrap is composed of stretch yarns covered with polyester yarns, nylon yarns, cotton yarns, suf yarns, etc., around the polyurethane yarns, so that the breathability and water absorption are low and it is easy to get steamed.

  Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-271861 (Patent Document 2) proposes an underwrap mainly made of loop-shaped crimped short fibers having a number of crimps of 30 to 80 / inch integrated by an interlacing process. In this document, a single fiber web made of latently crimpable polyester fiber or polyamide fiber is needle punched, and then heat treated at 110 to 180 ° C. and entangled to produce an underlap.

However, in this underwrap, the crimps of the fibers are not uniform inside, so that the entanglement is insufficient, and the recoverability and flexibility at the time of extension are not sufficient. For this reason, even if the joint part is wound and fixed, it is easy to loosen or unwind. Furthermore, since the cushioning property is low, the protective effect on the skin is small.
JP-A-8-787 (Claim 1, paragraphs [0008] and [0016], Examples) JP-A-2-271186 (Claim 1, page 2, lower right column, lines 2-6, page 3, upper right column, lines 13-18, example)

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an underwrap tape having excellent stretchability and air permeability and a method for producing the same.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an underwrap tape capable of stably fixing a wound portion for a long period of time and a method for manufacturing the same.

  Still another object of the present invention is to provide an underwrap tape that is easy to wear, has good touch and has reduced skin irritation, and a method for producing the same.

  As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have successfully obtained a nonwoven fabric obtained by entanglement of a fiber having latent heat crimpability by causing three-dimensional crimping with high-temperature steam. The present invention was completed by finding that it has stretchability and breathability.

That is, the underwrap tape of the present invention is an underwrap tape composed of a nonwoven fabric including a composite fiber in which a plurality of resins having different thermal shrinkage rates form a phase separation structure, and the composite fiber is in the surface direction of the nonwoven fabric. And is crimped substantially uniformly in the thickness direction with an average curvature radius of 20 to 200 μm. The composite fiber is composed of a polyalkylene arylate resin and a modified polyalkylene arylate resin, and may have a parallel type or an eccentric core-sheath type structure. The ratio of the composite fiber may be 80% by mass or more. The underlap tape of the present invention may have a breaking strength of 5 to 20 N / 50 mm, a breaking elongation of 80% or more, and a recovery rate after 50% elongation of 80% or more in at least one direction. . Further, in the cross section in the thickness direction, the fiber curvature rate in each region divided in three in the thickness direction is 1.5 or more, and the ratio of the minimum value to the maximum value of the fiber curvature rate in each region (minimum value) / Maximum value) may be 75% or more. Further, the breaking strength in the length direction may be about 1.5 to 50 times the breaking strength in the width direction. The basis weight of the underwrap tape of the present invention may be about 30 to 180 g / m ² and the thickness may be about 0.2 to 1.5 mm. The underwrap tape of the present invention has a process of forming a fiber including a composite fiber in which a plurality of resins having different thermal shrinkage rates form a phase separation structure, and an average curvature radius of 20 to 200 μm by heating the fiber web with high-temperature steam. It may be an underwrap tape obtained by a method including a step of crimping.

  According to the present invention, there is provided the underwrap tape including a step of forming a fiber including a composite fiber in which a plurality of resins having different thermal shrinkage rates forms a phase separation structure, and a step of heating and crimping the fiber web. A manufacturing method is also included. This manufacturing method may be a manufacturing method in which a part of the fibers of the fiber web is slightly entangled and then treated with high-temperature steam to be crimped.

  Since the underwrap tape of the present invention has a non-woven structure in which a composite fiber having a substantially coiled (spiral or helical spring) steric crimp is appropriately entangled, it has excellent stretchability and breathability. And have. In particular, since the composite fiber is entangled by crimping substantially uniformly in the thickness direction of the tape, the recovery property at the time of elongation is excellent. Therefore, the wound portion can be stably fixed over a long period of time. Moreover, since it has self-adhesiveness and hand cutting property due to the substantially coil-shaped crimp, it is easy to wear. That is, it is possible to easily and surely attach itself by overlapping the end portions without using an adhesive, and it can be easily cut by hand in the width direction and easily fixed to the extremity or the affected part. Furthermore, since it is soft and has an appropriate cushioning property, it has a good touch, is mechanically entangled, and does not contain an adhesive (binder component), thereby reducing skin irritation.

[Underlap tape]
The underwrap tape of the present invention is a base tape for a body fixing device (or covering article) such as a taping tape or a Gibbs bandage, and a phase separation structure is formed of a plurality of resins having different thermal shrinkage rates (or thermal expansion rates). This composite fiber is mainly oriented in the plane direction and is crimped along the orientation axis with a mean curvature radius of 20 to 200 μm. As will be described in detail later, this nonwoven fabric causes high temperature (overheated or heated) water vapor to act on the web containing the composite fiber so as to cause crimping of the composite fiber without fusing the fibers together (mechanical). ) Obtained by entanglement.

(Nonwoven fabric material)
A composite fiber is a fiber (latently crimped fiber) having an asymmetric or layered (so-called bimetal) structure that causes crimping by heating due to the difference in thermal shrinkage rate (or thermal expansion rate) of a plurality of resins. A plurality of resins usually have different softening points or melting points. The plurality of resins include, for example, polyolefin resins (low density, medium density or high density polyethylene, poly C _2-4 olefin resins such as polypropylene), acrylic resins (acrylonitrile units such as acrylonitrile-vinyl chloride copolymer) Acrylonitrile-based resin, etc.), polyvinyl acetal resin (polyvinyl acetal resin, etc.), polyvinyl chloride resin (polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, vinyl chloride-acrylonitrile copolymer, etc.), polychlorinated Vinylidene resins (vinylidene chloride-vinyl chloride copolymer, vinylidene chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, etc.), styrene resins (heat-resistant polystyrene, etc.), polyester resins (polyethylene terephthalate resin, polytrimethylene terephthalate resin, polybutylene) Poly C _2-4 alkylene arylate resins such as terephthalate resin and polyethylene naphthalate resin), polyamide resins (polyamide 6, polyamide 66, polyamide 11, polyamide 12, polyamide 610, polyamide 612, etc. aliphatic polyamide resins) , Semi-aromatic polyamide resins, polyphenylene isophthalamide, polyhexamethylene terephthalamide, poly-p-phenylene terephthalamide and other aromatic polyamide resins), polycarbonate resins (bisphenol A type polycarbonate, etc.), poly p-phenylene benzo You may select from thermoplastic resins, such as a bisoxazole resin, a polyphenylene sulfide resin, a polyurethane-type resin, and a cellulose resin (cellulose ester etc.). Further, each of these thermoplastic resins may contain other copolymerizable units.

  Among these resins, in the present invention, a non-wet heat adhesive resin (or heat-resistant hydrophobic resin having a softening point or melting point of 100 ° C. or higher is not melted or softened even when heat-treated with high-temperature steam and the fibers are not fused. Resin or non-aqueous resin), for example, polypropylene resin, polyester resin, and polyamide resin are preferable. In particular, aromatic polyester resin and polyamide resin are preferable from the viewpoint of excellent balance of heat resistance and fiber forming property. preferable. In the present invention, the resin exposed on the surface of the composite fiber is preferably a non-wet heat adhesive fiber so that the fibers constituting the nonwoven fabric are not fused even if they are treated with high-temperature steam.

  The plurality of resins constituting the composite fiber may have different heat shrinkage rates, and may be a combination of resins of the same system or a combination of different resins.

  In this invention, it is preferable that it is comprised with the combination of resin of the same type | system | group from the point of adhesiveness. In the case of a combination of resins of the same system, a combination of a component (A) that forms a homopolymer (essential component) and a component (B) that forms a modified polymer (copolymer) is usually used. In other words, the homopolymer that is an essential component is crystallized more than the homopolymer by, for example, copolymerizing and modifying a copolymerizable monomer that lowers the crystallinity, melting point, or softening point. The melting point or the softening point may be lowered as compared with the homopolymer. Thus, a difference may be provided in the thermal shrinkage rate by changing the crystallinity, melting point or softening point. The difference in melting point or softening point may be, for example, about 5 to 150 ° C, preferably about 50 to 130 ° C, and more preferably about 70 to 120 ° C. The ratio of the copolymerizable monomer used for the modification is, for example, 1 to 50 mol%, preferably 2 to 40 mol%, more preferably 3 to 30 mol% (particularly 5 to 5 mol%) with respect to all monomers. 20 mol%). The composite ratio (mass ratio) of the component forming the homopolymer and the component forming the modified polymer can be selected according to the structure of the fiber. For example, the homopolymer component (A) / modified polymer component (B) = 90/10 to 10/90, preferably 70/30 to 30/70, more preferably about 60/40 to 40/60.

In the present invention, the composite fiber is a combination of an aromatic polyester resin, particularly a polyalkylene arylate resin (a) and a modified polyalkylene arylate resin (b) because it is easy to produce latent crimpable conjugate fibers. It may be a combination. The polyalkylene arylate resin (a) is composed of an aromatic dicarboxylic acid (such as symmetric aromatic dicarboxylic acid such as terephthalic acid or naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylic acid) and an alkanediol component (such as ethylene glycol or butylene glycol such as C _{2- 6} alkanediol etc.) and a homopolymer. Specifically, poly C _2-4 alkylene terephthalate resins such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) are used, and generally a general PET having an intrinsic viscosity of about 0.6 to 0.7. PET used for fibers is used.

On the other hand, in the modified polyalkylene arylate resin (b), the melting point or softening point of the polyalkylene arylate resin (A), which is an essential component, is a copolymer component that lowers the crystallinity, such as an asymmetric aromatic dicarboxylic acid. Further, a dicarboxylic acid component such as alicyclic dicarboxylic acid or aliphatic dicarboxylic acid, an alkanediol component having a chain length longer than the alkanediol of the polyalkylene arylate resin (a) and / or an ether bond-containing diol component can be used. These copolymerization components can be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among these components, as dicarboxylic acid components, asymmetric aromatic carboxylic acids (isophthalic acid, phthalic acid, 5-sodium sulfoisophthalic acid, etc.), aliphatic dicarboxylic acids (C _6-12 aliphatic dicarboxylic acids such as adipic acid, etc.) ) such as is commonly, as the diol component, alkane diol (1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, etc. C _3-6 alkanediol such as neopentyl glycol), (poly) Oxyalkylene glycol (polyoxy C _2-4 alkylene glycol such as diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polytetramethylene glycol, etc.) is widely used. Among these, asymmetric aromatic dicarboxylic acids such as isophthalic acid, polyoxy C _2-4 alkylene glycol such as diethylene glycol, and the like are preferable. Further, the modified polyalkylene arylate resin (b) may be an elastomer having a C _2-4 alkylene arylate (ethylene terephthalate, butylene terephthalate, etc.) as a hard segment and (poly) oxyalkylene glycol as a soft segment. .

  In the modified polyalkylene arylate resin (b), as the dicarboxylic acid component, the ratio of the dicarboxylic acid component (for example, isophthalic acid) for lowering the melting point or the softening point is, for example, relative to the total amount of the dicarboxylic acid component, It is 1-50 mol%, Preferably it is 5-50 mol%, More preferably, it is about 15-40 mol%. The ratio of the diol component (for example, diethylene glycol) for reducing the melting point or the softening point as the diol component is, for example, 30 mol% or less, preferably 10 mol% or less (for example, 0 mol%) with respect to the total amount of the diol component. .About 1 to 10 mol%). When the proportion of the copolymer component is too low, sufficient crimps are not expressed, and the form stability and stretchability of the nonwoven fabric after crimps are reduced. On the other hand, if the proportion of the copolymer component is too high, the crimping performance will be high, but it will be difficult to spin stably.

  Modified polyalkylene arylate resin (b) is used in combination with polyvalent carboxylic acid components such as trimellitic acid and pyromellitic acid, and polyol components such as glycerin, trimethylolpropane, trimethylolethane, and pentaerythritol as necessary. And may be branched.

  The cross-sectional shape of the composite fiber (cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the length direction of the fiber) is a general solid cross-sectional shape such as a round cross-section or an irregular cross-section [flat shape, elliptical shape, polygonal shape, 3-14 leaf shape, It is not limited to T-shape, H-shape, V-shape, dogbone (I-shape), etc.], and may be a hollow cross-section, but is usually a round cross-section.

  As the cross-sectional structure of the composite fiber, a phase separation structure formed in a plurality of resins, for example, a core-sheath type, a sea-island type, a blend type, a parallel type (side-by-side type or multilayer bonding type), a radial type (radial bonding) Type), hollow radiation type, block type, random composite type and the like. Among these cross-sectional structures, the structure in which the phase portions are adjacent (so-called bimetal structure), or the structure in which the phase structure is asymmetrical, for example, an eccentric core-sheath type, in parallel, because it is easy to develop spontaneous crimping by heating. A mold structure is preferred.

  If the composite fiber has a core-sheath type structure such as an eccentric core-sheath type, the core portion is not damaged if it has a heat shrinkage difference with the non-wet heat adhesive resin of the sheath portion located on the surface. Consists of wet heat adhesive resin (for example, vinyl alcohol polymers such as ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer and polyvinyl alcohol) and thermoplastic resin having a low melting point or softening point (for example, polystyrene, low density polyethylene, etc.) May be.

  The average fineness of the composite fiber can be selected from a range of, for example, about 0.1 to 50 dtex, preferably 0.5 to 10 dtex, and more preferably 1 to 5 dtex (particularly 1.5 to 3 dtex). If the fineness is too thin, it is difficult to produce the fiber itself, and it is difficult to secure the fiber strength. Moreover, it becomes difficult to express a beautiful coiled crimp in the step of expressing crimp. On the other hand, if the fineness is too thick, the fiber becomes stiff and it is difficult to express sufficient crimp.

  The average fiber length of the composite fiber can be selected from a range of, for example, about 10 to 100 mm, preferably 20 to 80 mm, and more preferably about 25 to 75 mm (particularly 40 to 60 mm). If the fiber length is too short, it becomes difficult to form a fiber web, and in addition, in the step of developing crimps, entanglement between fibers becomes insufficient, and it becomes difficult to ensure strength and stretchability. In addition, if the fiber length is too long, it becomes difficult to form a fiber web with a uniform basis weight, and a lot of fibers are entangled at the time of web formation, which interferes with each other when crimping occurs. This makes it difficult to develop stretchability. Furthermore, in the present invention, when the fiber length is in the above range, some of the fibers crimped on the nonwoven fabric surface are appropriately exposed on the nonwoven fabric surface, so that the self-adhesiveness of the nonwoven fabric described later can be improved.

  By applying heat treatment to this composite fiber, crimp is developed (appears) and becomes a fiber having a substantially coiled (spiral or helical spring-shaped) three-dimensional crimp.

  The number of crimps before heating (mechanical crimp number) is, for example, about 0 to 30 pieces / 25 mm, preferably about 1 to 25 pieces / 25 mm, and more preferably about 5 to 20 pieces / 25 mm. The number of crimps after heating is, for example, 30 pieces / 25 mm or more (for example, 30 to 200 pieces / 25 mm), preferably about 35 to 150 pieces / 25 mm, and more preferably about 40 to 120 pieces / 25 mm. It may be about 45 to 120 pieces / 25 mm (especially 50 to 100 pieces / 25 mm).

  In the underwrap tape of the present invention, the latent crimpable conjugate fiber constituting the nonwoven fabric is crimped by heating with high-temperature steam, so that the crimp of the conjugate fiber oriented substantially parallel to the surface direction is substantially in the thickness direction. It has the feature of being expressed uniformly. Specifically, in the cross section in the thickness direction, the number of fibers forming one or more coil crimps in the central portion (inner layer) of each region divided in three in the thickness direction is, for example, 5 ~ 50 / 5mm (length in the surface direction) · 0.2mm (thickness), preferably 10-50 pieces / 5mm (length in the surface direction) · 0.2mm (thickness), more preferably 20 ~ It is about 50 / 5mm (length in the surface direction) · 0.2mm (thickness). In the present invention, since most crimped fiber axes are oriented in the plane direction and the number of crimps is uniform in the thickness direction (from the vicinity of the nonwoven fabric surface to the center), it does not contain rubber or elastomer. However, it has high stretchability and has practical strength even if it does not contain an adhesive. In addition, in this-application specification, "the area | region divided into three equal to the thickness direction" means each area | region which sliced in the direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of a nonwoven fabric, and was divided into three equal parts.

  Furthermore, in the underwrap tape of the present invention, the fact that the crimps are uniform in the thickness direction can be evaluated by the uniform fiber curvature. The fiber curvature is a ratio (L2 / L1) of the fiber length (L2) to the distance (L1) between both ends of the fiber (crimped fiber), and the fiber curvature (particularly in the central region in the thickness direction). The fiber curvature ratio is, for example, about 1.3 or more (for example, 1.35 to 5), preferably 1.4 to 4, more preferably about 1.6 to 3.5 (particularly 1.8 to 3). is there. In addition, in this invention, in order to measure a fiber curvature based on the electron micrograph of a nonwoven fabric cross section so that it may mention later, the said fiber length (L2) stretches | stretches the fiber crimped three-dimensionally and is linear. It does not mean the actual fiber length (actual length), but refers to a fiber length (fiber length on the photograph) obtained by stretching the two-dimensionally crimped fibers shown in the photograph into a straight line. That is, the fiber length (fiber length on the photograph) in the present invention is measured shorter than the actual fiber length.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, since the crimp is expressed substantially uniformly in the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric, the fiber curvature is uniform in the thickness direction. In the present invention, the uniformity of the fiber curvature rate can be evaluated by comparing the fiber curvature rates in the respective layers that are divided into three equal parts in the thickness direction in the cross section in the thickness direction. That is, in the cross section in the thickness direction, the fiber curvature rate in each region divided into three equal parts in the thickness direction is in the above range, and the ratio of the minimum value to the maximum value of the fiber curvature rate in each region (minimum value / maximum value) ) (Ratio of the minimum region to the region with the maximum fiber curvature) is, for example, 75% or more (for example, 75 to 100%), preferably 80 to 99%, more preferably 82 to 98% (especially 85 to 98%). 97%).

  As a specific method for measuring the fiber curvature and its uniformity, a method is used in which a cross section of the nonwoven fabric is taken with an electron micrograph and the fiber curvature is measured for a region selected from each region divided into three equal parts in the thickness direction. It is done. The area to be measured is measured in an area of 2 mm or more in the length direction for each of the surface layer (surface area), inner layer (center area), and back layer (back area) divided into three. Further, the thickness direction of each measurement region is set so that each measurement region has the same thickness width in the vicinity of the center of each layer. Furthermore, each measurement region includes 100 or more (preferably about 300 or more, more preferably about 500 to 1000) fiber pieces that are parallel in the thickness direction and capable of measuring the fiber curvature in each measurement region. Set as follows. After setting each of these measurement regions, after measuring the fiber curvature rate of all the fibers in the region, calculating the average value for each measurement region, the region showing the maximum average value and the minimum average value The uniformity of the fiber curvature is calculated by comparison with the region shown.

  As described above, the crimped fiber constituting the nonwoven fabric has a substantially coil-shaped crimp after the crimp is developed. The average curvature radius of a circle formed by the coil of crimped fibers can be selected from a range of about 10 to 250 μm, for example, for example, 20 to 200 μm (for example, 50 to 200 μm), preferably 50 to 160 μm (for example, 60 to 150 μm), more preferably about 70 to 130 μm. Here, the average radius of curvature is an index representing the average size of the circle formed by the coil of crimped fibers, and when this value is large, the formed coil has a loose shape, in other words It means having a shape with a small number of crimps. Further, when the number of crimps is small, the entanglement between the fibers is also reduced, which is disadvantageous for exhibiting sufficient stretch performance. Conversely, when a coiled crimp having an average radius of curvature that is too small is manifested, the fibers are not sufficiently entangled, making it difficult to ensure web strength, and also exhibiting such a crimp. Production of latent crimped fibers is also very difficult.

  In the composite fiber crimped into a coil shape, the average pitch of the coil is, for example, about 0.03 to 0.5 mm, preferably about 0.03 to 0.3 mm, and more preferably about 0.05 to 0.2 mm.

  The nonwoven fabric (fiber web) may contain other fibers (non-composite fibers) in addition to the composite fibers. Non-composite fibers include, for example, the above-described non-wet heat-adhesive resin or wet heat-adhesive resin, cellulosic fibers [for example, natural fibers (cotton, wool, silk, hemp, etc.), semi-synthetic fibers. (Acetate fiber such as triacetate fiber), regenerated fiber (rayon, polynosic, cupra, lyocell (eg, registered trademark name: “Tencel” etc.), etc.)], inorganic fiber (eg, carbon fiber, glass fiber, metal fiber, etc.) Etc.). The average fineness and average fiber length of the non-composite fibers are the same as those of the composite fibers. These non-conjugated fibers can be used alone or in combination of two or more. Of these non-composite fibers, recycled fibers such as rayon, semi-synthetic fibers such as acetate, polyolefin fibers such as polypropylene and polyethylene, polyester fibers, and polyamide fibers are preferable. In particular, from the viewpoint of blendability and the like, it may be the same type of fiber as the composite fiber. For example, when the composite fiber is a polyester fiber, the non-composite fiber may also be a polyester fiber.

  The ratio (mass ratio) between the conjugate fiber and the non-conjugated fiber is, for example, conjugate fiber / non-conjugated fiber = 80/20 to 100/0 (for example, 80/20 to 99/1), preferably 90/10 to 100. / 0, more preferably about 95/5 to 100/0. By blending non-composite fibers, the balance between strength and hand cutting properties of the nonwoven fabric can be adjusted. However, if the proportion of the composite fiber (latently crimped fiber) is too small, the crimped fiber expands and contracts after the onset of crimping, and the non-composite fiber becomes a resistance to the contraction particularly when contracted after the expansion. It is difficult to ensure stress.

  Nonwoven fabrics (fiber webs) are further made of conventional additives such as stabilizers (heat stabilizers such as copper compounds, UV absorbers, light stabilizers, antioxidants, etc.), antibacterial agents, deodorants, perfumes, It may contain a colorant (such as a dye / pigment), a filler, an antistatic agent, a flame retardant, a plasticizer, a lubricant, and a crystallization rate retarder. These additives can be used alone or in combination of two or more. These additives may be carried on the surface of the fiber or may be contained in the fiber.

(Characteristics of underwrap tape)
In the underwrap tape of the present invention, the fibers constituting the nonwoven fabric are not substantially fused, and the fibers are entangled with each other mainly due to crimping of the composite fiber and changing the shape into a coil shape. It has a constrained or hooked structure. The external shape is usually a rectangular sheet shape such as a tape shape or a belt shape.

  In the underwrap tape of the present invention, most (most) fibers constituting the nonwoven fabric (axial core direction of the coiled crimped fiber) are oriented substantially parallel to the nonwoven fabric surface (sheet surface). desirable. In the present specification, “orientated substantially parallel to the surface direction” means, for example, a large number of fibers locally (axial direction of the coiled crimped fibers), such as entanglement by a needle punch. Means a state where portions oriented along the thickness direction do not exist repeatedly. When the nonwoven fabric is entangled with the needle punch, the ratio of the fibers along the thickness direction increases, so that it becomes difficult to deform the nonwoven fabric in the surface direction, and when the nonwoven fabric is deformed by applying a large load, it does not return to its original shape. Therefore, from the viewpoint of arranging the fibers in parallel, it is preferable that the degree of entanglement of the fibers by the needle punch is reduced or not entangled.

  The underwrap tape of the present invention is composed of a composite fiber crimped into a coil shape oriented mainly in the longitudinal direction in the surface direction of the nonwoven fabric, and adjacent or intersecting composite fibers are entangled with each other at the crimped coil portion. doing. This entangled state is present in the width direction, although less frequently than in the longitudinal direction. Moreover, the composite fiber is slightly entangled even in the thickness direction (or oblique direction) of the nonwoven fabric. In particular, in the present invention, in the composite fiber web, the composite fiber is entangled in the process of contracting into a coil shape, and the fiber is restrained by the entangled coil portion. For this reason, the nonwoven fabric is greatly extended in the plane direction (mainly in the longitudinal direction) by the entangled coil portion rather than in the width direction or the thickness direction. Moreover, since the crimp coil part is easily entangled by crimping, it has self-adhesiveness. Furthermore, since it is oriented in the surface direction and the longitudinal direction, when a tension is applied in the longitudinal direction, the entangled coil portion is extended and finally unraveled, so that cutting is easy. Thus, the underwrap tape of the present invention is provided with a good balance of stretchability, hand cutting properties, and self-adhesiveness. Furthermore, also in the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric, the entangled coil portions exhibit cushioning properties and flexibility in the thickness direction.

  On the other hand, when there are many fibers oriented in the thickness direction (perpendicular to the sheet surface) without substantially fusing the fibers constituting the nonwoven fabric, these fibers also form a coiled crimp. Therefore, the fibers are entangled with each other extremely complicatedly. As a result, other fibers are restrained or fixed more than necessary, and further the expansion and contraction of the coil constituting the fibers is inhibited, so that the stretchability of the nonwoven fabric is reduced. Therefore, it is desirable to orient the fibers as parallel as possible to the sheet surface.

  Thus, in the underwrap tape of the present invention, since the coiled fibers are oriented substantially parallel to the surface direction, the nonwoven fabric has elasticity in the surface direction. On the other hand, when the fiber is stretched in the thickness direction, the fiber is easily unwound, and thus does not exhibit stretchability (shrinkage) as seen in the surface direction. Such fiber orientation can be easily confirmed by such stretchability observation even when the fibers are dense and it is difficult to visually observe the orientation.

Density of the nonwoven fabric (bulk density) is, for example, can be selected from 0.01 to 0.5 g / cm ³ in the range of about, for example, 0.03~0.4g / cm ^3, preferably 0.05~0.3g / Cm ³ , more preferably about 0.06 to 0.25 / cm ³ (particularly 0.07 to 0.2 g / cm ³ ).

  In the present invention, in particular, in the plane direction (or longitudinal direction), it is preferable that a plurality of low density portions and a plurality of high density portions are arranged, and it is preferable that they are alternately oriented periodically. By providing such a density difference that may be regular, the underwrap tape of the present invention can have stretchability while having hand cutting properties. The structure of the low-density portion and the high-density portion is not particularly limited as long as it is alternately formed periodically, but may be a stripe pattern formed alternately along the length direction of the tape-shaped nonwoven fabric. A structure formed alternately in a mesh shape or a lattice shape (staggered shape) is preferable. In the case of a network or lattice structure, the area ratio of the low density portion and the high density portion may be different, for example, low density portion / high density portion = 90/10 to 10/90, preferably 70/30. It can be selected from a range of about 30/70, and the area ratio may be approximately the same. The average width of each part is, for example, about 0.1 to 10 mm, preferably about 0.5 to 5 mm, and more preferably about 1 to 3 mm.

  The underwrap tape of the present invention may have one or more holes in the surface direction (or longitudinal direction) from the viewpoint of further improving air permeability. In the case of having a plurality of holes, the holes may be arranged or oriented periodically or regularly. The area occupied by the pores is, for example, 50% or less (for example, 1 to 50%), preferably 3 to 40%, and more preferably about 5 to 30% with respect to the total area of the nonwoven fabric surface. If the area of the hole is too large, the stretchability and strength as an underlap tape may not be exhibited.

  Since the underwrap tape of the present invention is a base material for winding a fixing tool such as a taping tape on the underwrap tape, it is preferable that the thickness is small in order to enhance the effect of the fixing tool such as taping. For example, in the case of taping, if the thickness is large, the underlap tape moves together with the taping tape due to the movement of the body, and the taping effect tends to decrease. In the present invention, in order to keep the thickness of the underwrap tape as low as possible, it is preferable that the basis weight is low.

The basis weight of the nonwoven fabric (fiber web) before heating is, for example, about 10 to 150 g / m ² , preferably about ²⁰ to 100 g / m ² . If the basis weight of the fiber web is too small, sufficient physical properties cannot be obtained. On the other hand, if it is too large, uniform crimps may not be exhibited.

The basis weight of the underwrap tape (nonwoven fabric after heating) of the present invention can be selected from a range of, for example, about 10 to 250 g / m ² , preferably 20 to 200 g / m ² , more preferably about 30 to 180 g / m ^2. It is. The thickness of the underwrap tape is, for example, about 0.1 to 2 mm, preferably about 0.2 to 1.5 mm, and more preferably about 0.3 to 1 mm. When the basis weight and the thickness are within this range, the balance between the stretchability and the cutting property of the underwrap tape is improved.

  The underwrap tape of the present invention may have a breaking elongation of at least 50% or more, preferably 60% or more in at least one direction (for example, the length direction) in the surface direction (length direction and width direction). (For example, 60 to 300%), more preferably about 80% or more (for example, 80 to 250%). When the elongation at break is within this range, the stretchability of the underlap tape is high.

  The underwrap tape of the present invention may have a recovery rate after 50% elongation (50% elongation recovery rate) of 70% or more (about 70 to 100%) in at least one direction, for example, 80 to 100%. , Preferably 85 to 100%, more preferably about 90 to 100% (particularly 95 to 100%). When the stretch recovery rate is within this range, the followability to stretch is improved. For example, the stretch recovery rate sufficiently follows the shape of the place of use, and can be appropriately fixed and tightened by friction between the stacked tapes. In particular, when several tapes are wound and wound, the fixing force due to friction corresponds to the recovery stress as a whole, and shows a behavior similar to that of increasing the basis weight. That is, when the elongation recovery rate is small, if the use location has a complicated shape or moves during use, the tape cannot follow the movement, and the location that has been deformed by the movement of the body is the original. It does not return to, and the fixing of the wound part becomes weak.

  The underlap tape of the present invention has a 25% elongation stress [elongation stress (X)] in the initial 50% elongation behavior and a return behavior after 50% elongation in 50% elongation recovery behavior in at least one direction. The ratio (Y / X) to the return stress [recovery stress (Y)] during elongation may be 0.10 or more, for example, 0.15 or more, preferably 0.3 or more, more preferably 0. .4 or more (particularly 0.5 to 1.0). If this ratio is high, the return stress after stretching the tape can be kept high, so that when the tape is moved with taping using the underlap tape of the present invention, the tape is not displaced and is good. A fixed state can be maintained. When this ratio is low, the return stress is low and the fixing force is reduced.

  The underwrap tape of the present invention is characterized by excellent self-adhesiveness (characteristic that can be bound or entangled by contact or entanglement by contact between nonwoven fabrics without using an adhesive or the like). In an underwrap tape having an adhesive, even if the adhesive is less irritating to the skin, the adhesive is in close contact with the skin, which obstructs metabolism such as skin respiration and sweating. Further, when the underwrap tape is peeled off from the skin after use, there is a high risk of peeling of the skin and body hair, and this also places a burden on the skin. In addition, underwrap tapes that do not have an adhesive are also known, but many of them require that an adhesive spray be applied to the skin during use, resulting in similar problems. Furthermore, in order to express the stretchability of the tape and the locking property between the tapes, a tactile sheet with a sticky surface using an elastomer or the like is also known, but breathability, wearing feeling, touch, etc. Is bad.

  Since the underwrap tape of the present invention is composed of a nonwoven fabric, it is highly breathable, and if the fiber is composed of a polyalkylene arylate resin widely used in clothing applications, it is more preferable from the viewpoints of wearing feeling, touch, etc. . Moreover, the underwrap tape of this invention can fix a tape to a body, without using an adhesive. In other words, during use, it is firmly fixed to the body due to stretchability, and the overlapping portions of the wound underlap tape generate sufficient frictional forces with each other, so even if the body is moved, the underlap tape slips and slips, Loosening is suppressed. Specifically, for example, once the tape is wound around a human body such as a foot or an arm, the end portions are overlapped (or torn and stacked), and the wound nonwoven fabrics are pressed against each other by being stretched. Bonded and fixed, expresses self-adhesion. In this case, it is ideal that the nonwoven fabrics at the joint are joined with a strength equal to or greater than the breaking strength of the nonwoven fabric. However, in practice, the winding method is often changed according to the state of the wound part, and when the winding method is changed, the fixing force is improved by improving the frictional force, etc. Even if is smaller than the breaking strength, the tape can be practically fixed. It is also difficult to actually measure the strength of the joint. Therefore, in the present invention, “curved surface sliding stress” is used as a method for evaluating the self-adhesiveness. In order to have a predetermined self-adhesiveness as an underwrap tape and be usable to the extent that there is no practical problem, the curved surface sliding stress is preferably 0.5 N / 50 mm or more, more preferably 1.0 N / It is 50 mm or more (particularly 3.0 N / 50 mm or more). This stress is greatly related to the self-adhesiveness of the underlap tape, and the greater the stress is, the stronger the tape can be fixed after being wound around the target place and tearing. Therefore, if the stress is too small, the tape cannot be fixed sufficiently and is gradually unwound from the end. In addition, curved surface sliding stress is measured by the method as described in the Example mentioned later using a tensile tester.

Furthermore, the presence of a large number of coils or loop-like fibers formed in a partially free state on the surface of the nonwoven fabric, when these nonwoven fabrics are stacked, the surface fibers are entangled with each other to fix the Will improve. Furthermore, when the tape is cut after being wrapped around an object (such as a body such as a foot or an arm), the free fiber at the cutting location (the free fiber exposed by cutting or having an end formed thereon) is overlapped. Since it becomes possible to make more free entanglement with the coil or loop-like fiber on the surface of the nonwoven fabric, a particularly excellent self-adhesive property is expressed. The number of coils or loop-like fibers present on the surface of the underwrap tape is, for example, 7 or more per 1 cm ² , preferably 8 to 50, and more preferably 9 to 45 (particularly 10 to 40). In the present invention, the specific method for measuring the number of coils or looped fibers uses the measurement method described in the examples.

  Furthermore, the underlap tape of the present invention has a breaking strength of 3 to 30 N / mm (for example, 5 to 20 N / 50 mm) in at least one direction (for example, the longitudinal direction) in the surface direction (length direction and width direction), Preferably it is 6-18N / 50mm, More preferably, it is 6.5-17N / 50mm (especially about 7-15N / 50mm. Breaking strength is related greatly with hand tearability, and the underwrap tape of the present invention is a hand. The feature is that it can be easily cut, but it is also necessary to retain a “stickiness” against tearing, which means that when a breakage that triggers tearing occurs during use, In other words, the final hand tearability depends on the strength of the break because it easily shifts to break when tearing begins. It said. Therefore, when the breaking strength is too large, is to cut the tape becomes difficult with one hand during use. In addition, too small, and easily broken by insufficient strength of the tape, the handling property is lowered.

  In particular, it is necessary to wrap the underwrap tape along its length while winding the required amount around the joints, etc., and then cut and fix the cut end. It is preferable to satisfy the range of the breaking strength in the vertical direction.

  Moreover, when manufacturing the underwrap tape of the present invention, it is necessary to process the nonwoven fabric in accordance with the width and length required for the tape, but this process is usually easily performed using a slitter rewinder. it can. Therefore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the breaking strength is in the above range in the length direction of the tape from the viewpoint of securing good productivity.

  On the other hand, the breaking strength in the width direction may be lower than that in the longitudinal (length) direction, for example, 0.05 to 15 N / 50 mm, preferably 0.1 to 10 N / 50 mm, more preferably 0.5 to 8 N / 50 mm. It may be about (especially 1 to 7 N / 50 mm).

  As described above, the underwrap tape of the present invention is not only anisotropic in the plane direction and thickness direction, but is usually anisotropic between the flow direction (MD) and the width direction (CD direction) in the manufacturing process. have. That is, the underwrap tape of the present invention is not limited to the coiled crimped fiber oriented not only in the axial direction of the coiled crimped fiber, but also in the process of manufacturing. The axial direction tends to be substantially parallel to the flow direction. As a result, when a rectangular nonwoven fabric is produced, the stretch properties and breaking properties, particularly the breaking strength, have anisotropy between the flow direction and the width direction in the nonwoven fabric production. In this invention, it becomes possible to obtain the underwrap tape which has the range of the said breaking strength by using a flow direction toward the length direction of a tape. Specifically, regarding the breaking strength, the breaking strength in the length direction (flow direction) is, for example, 1.5 to 50 times, preferably 2 to 40 times, preferably 3 to 30 times the breaking strength in the width direction. It is about twice. Moreover, when the breaking strength in the length direction is 1, the breaking strength in the width direction is, for example, 0.01 to 1, preferably 0.03 to 0.8, and more preferably 0.05 to 0.6 ( In particular, it is about 0.1 to 0.5).

  The underwrap tape of the present invention preferably has water repellency from the viewpoint that water can be prevented from adhering and penetrating to the skin. The expression of water repellency is that the fibers are exposed to water or water vapor in the manufacturing process described later, so that hydrophilic substances attached to the fibers are washed away, and the original properties of the resin are expressed on the surface of the fibers. by. Specifically, the water repellency is preferably 3 points or more (preferably 3 to 5 points, more preferably 4 to 5 points) in the JIS L1092 spray test.

  Furthermore, the skin irritation of the underwrap tape of the present invention is also reduced by washing away the fiber oil adhering to the fiber due to the cleaning effect of water and water vapor.

Air permeability of the underlap tape is a breathable degree of Frazier method 0.1 cm ³ / cm ² · sec or more, for example, 1~500cm ³ / cm ² · sec, ^2-preferably 5~300cm ³ / cm Second, more preferably about 10 to ²⁰⁰ cm ³ / cm ² · sec. Since the underwrap tape of the present invention has a high air permeability, the stuffiness of the skin at the wound portion is suppressed.

[Manufacturing method of underwrap tape]
The manufacturing method of the underwrap tape of this invention includes the process of making the fiber containing the said composite fiber into a web, and the process of heating and crimping a composite fiber web with high temperature steam.

(Web conversion process)
First, in the step of forming a fiber into a web, the fiber containing the composite fiber is formed into a web. As a method for forming the web, a conventional method, for example, a direct method such as a spun bond method or a melt blow method, a card method using melt blow fibers or staple fibers, a dry method such as an air array method, or the like can be used. Among these methods, a card method using melt blown fibers or staple fibers, particularly a card method using staple fibers is widely used. Examples of the web obtained using staple fibers include a random web, a semi-random web, a parallel web, and a cross-wrap web.

(Entanglement process)
Next, the obtained fiber web is subjected to a step of crimping by heating with high-temperature steam, so that the composite fibers are oriented substantially parallel to the plane direction and have a specific curvature radius in the thickness direction. A uniformly crimped nonwoven fabric can be obtained, but in the present invention, in the step of crimping by heating with high-temperature steam, some fibers of the resulting fiber web are suppressed from the point of suppressing the scattering of the fibers. It is preferable to go through a process of slightly entanglement. In such an entanglement step, the entanglement method may be a method of mechanically entanglement, but a method of entanglement by spraying or spraying (spraying) low-pressure water is preferable. The method of spraying low-pressure water in the present invention is not a method for securing the strength of the web by strongly entangling the fibers by the water flow as in the case of a normal water-entangled nonwoven fabric, but makes the fiber web wet. In this way, the fiber is gently fixed to make it difficult to move. In such an entanglement method using low-pressure water, spraying of water on the fiber web may be continuous, but it is preferable to spray intermittently or periodically. By spraying low pressure water intermittently or periodically onto the fibrous web, a plurality of low density portions and a plurality of high density portions can be alternately formed periodically. When such a fiber distribution bias is generated with respect to the fiber web, some fibers can be slightly entangled mainly in a portion where the fiber density is high, which is caused by spraying high-temperature and high-pressure steam used in the next step. Fiber scattering can be suppressed. On the other hand, there is almost no fiber entanglement due to the small amount of fiber in the low fiber density part, and the resistance due to contact between the fibers is very low, so that each fiber has a high degree of freedom and secures high fiber shrinkage. Work effectively to do.

  That is, the water ejection pressure in this step is desirably as low as possible so that the fiber entanglement is light, for example, 0.1 to 1.5 MPa, preferably 0.3 to 1.2 MPa, and more preferably 0. About 6 to 1.0 MPa. In addition, the temperature of water is 5-50 degreeC, for example, Preferably it is 10-40 degreeC, for example, is 15-35 degreeC (normal temperature) grade.

  The method for spraying water intermittently or periodically is not particularly limited as long as it is a method that can alternately and alternately form a density gradient on the fiber web, but it is formed with a plurality of holes from the viewpoint of simplicity. A method of spraying water by spraying or the like through a plate-like material (such as a perforated plate) having a regular spraying area or spraying pattern is preferable.

  Specifically, the fiber web obtained in the fiber web forming step is sent to the next step by a belt conveyor and then placed on the conveyor belt, and is a drum composed of a perforated plate (perforated plate drum). And between the belt and the belt. The conveyor belt may be water permeable, and when the fiber web passes between the perforated plate drum and the belt, the water is sprayed to pass through the web from the inside of the drum and the conveyor belt. Can be erupted. By spraying such water on the web, the fibers constituting the web on the belt can be moved to a non-spraying region that does not correspond to the holes of the perforated plate, and the amount of fibers at the site corresponding to the holes can be reduced. At this stage, it is also possible to cause the deviation of the fibers by causing the web holes to occur in the portion (spray zone) corresponding to the drum holes.

  The arrangement or arrangement structure of the holes in the perforated plate is not particularly limited. For example, a structure in which the holes are alternately arranged in a mesh shape or a lattice shape (staggered shape) may be used. The hole diameter of each hole is usually formed in the same size, for example, about 1 to 10 mm, preferably about 1.5 to 5 mm. The pitch of adjacent holes is also usually the same length, for example, about 1 to 5 mm, preferably about 1.5 to 3 mm.

  If the pore diameter is too small, the amount of flowing water is reduced, and thus the fibers of the fiber web may not be moved. On the other hand, if the hole diameter is too large, it is necessary to widen the pitch in order to secure the form of the drum, resulting in a portion where the web does not come into contact with water, resulting in uneven quality or difficulty in uniform processing. . On the other hand, if the pitch of the holes is too small, it is inevitably necessary to reduce the hole diameter, and the amount of water cannot be secured. On the contrary, if the pitch is too wide, a portion where water does not come into contact with the web is formed, resulting in uneven quality.

  The belt conveyor to be used is not particularly limited as long as it can be conveyed without disturbing the form of the fiber web used for processing, but an endless conveyor is preferably used. In addition, a general independent belt conveyor may be sufficient, and if necessary, another belt conveyor may be combined and conveyed by sandwiching the fiber web between both belts. In particular, in the subsequent crimping step of fixing to the final form of the fiber web, the fiber web may be sandwiched using a set of belts to adjust the density of the fiber web. By conveying in this way, when processing a fiber web, it can suppress that the form of the conveyed web deform | transforms by external forces, such as the water used for a process, high temperature steam, and the vibration of a conveyor.

  The endless belt used for the conveyor is not particularly limited as long as it does not hinder the conveyance of the web or the high-temperature steam treatment. However, if it is a net, a net roughly coarser than 90 mesh (for example, a net of about 10 to 50 mesh) is preferable. . A finer mesh net than this has low air permeability and makes it difficult for water vapor to pass through. The belt is made of metal, heat-treated polyester resin, polyphenylene sulfide resin, polyarylate resin (fully aromatic polyester resin), aromatic polyamide resin, etc. The heat resistant resin is preferable. The belt used for the conveyor may be the same in the entanglement process using water flow and the crimping process using high-temperature steam. However, since adjustment is required for each process, a separate conveyor is usually used. The

(Crimping process)
Finally, the fiber web in which some of the fibers are slightly entangled is sent to the next process by a belt conveyor, and is heated and crimped with high-temperature steam. In the method of treating with high-temperature steam, the fiber web sent by the belt conveyor is exposed to a high-temperature or heated steam (high-pressure steam) flow, and crimps are developed in the composite fiber (latent crimped fiber) to thereby produce the present invention. Underwrap tape is obtained. In other words, in the present invention, the composite fiber moves while changing its shape into a coil shape due to the expression of the crimp, and the three-dimensional entanglement between the fibers is expressed. Furthermore, uniform crimps can be expressed from the surface to the inside of the fiber web by using a method of treating with high-temperature steam. In particular, since the fiber web in the present invention has air permeability, high temperature water vapor penetrates into the inside, and a nonwoven fabric having a substantially uniform structure can be obtained.

  Usually, in the process of manufacturing nonwoven fabrics using composite fibers, the fiber fixing process (entanglement process) and the heating process for developing latent crimps are separate processes. In the fiber entanglement process by the first needle punch or water entanglement, after ensuring the process passability to the next process and a stable form, it is necessary to develop crimps in the dry heat treatment process. For this reason, in the conventional manufacturing method, the knot strength between the fibers after the heat treatment becomes too large, the elongation stress in the length direction becomes high, and it is difficult to easily cut by hand. In the present invention, the fiber web subjected to the minimum fiber entanglement is subjected to high-temperature steam treatment, so that the crimping and entanglement of the fibers are simultaneously expressed, thereby realizing easy cutting.

  Specifically, the fiber web treated with low-pressure water is subjected to high-temperature steam treatment on a belt conveyor, but the fiber web shrinks simultaneously with the high-temperature steam treatment. Therefore, it is desirable that the fiber web to be supplied is over-feed according to the size of the target nonwoven fabric immediately before being exposed to high-temperature steam. The ratio of overfeed is about 110 to 300%, preferably about 120 to 250%, with respect to the length of the target nonwoven fabric.

  In order to supply water vapor to the fiber web, a conventional water vapor jet apparatus is used. As this steam spraying device, a device capable of spraying steam substantially uniformly over the entire width of the web at a desired pressure and amount is preferable. When two belt conveyors are combined, a water vapor spraying device is mounted in one of the conveyors, and water vapor is supplied to the web through a water-permeable conveyor belt or a conveyor net placed on the conveyor. A suction box may be attached to the other conveyor. Excess water vapor that has passed through the fiber web may be sucked and discharged by the suction box, but in order to cause the water vapor to adhere sufficiently to the fiber web and to more efficiently express the fiber crimp that is generated by this heat. Since it is necessary to keep the web as free as possible, it is preferable to supply water vapor without suction and discharge by a suction box. Further, in order to subject the front and back of the fiber web to water vapor treatment at a time, further on the opposite side of the conveyor to which the water vapor spraying device is mounted, the downstream portion from the portion where the water vapor spraying device is mounted Another steam spraying device may be installed in the conveyor. In the case where there is no downstream steam injection device, when it is desired to steam-treat the front and back of the nonwoven fabric, the front and back of the fiber web that has been treated once may be reversed and passed through the treatment device again.

  Since the high-temperature steam sprayed from the steam spraying device is an air stream, unlike the hydroentanglement process or the needle punch process, the fibers in the fiber web that is the object to be processed enter the inside of the fiber web without largely moving. . It is considered that the water vapor flow effectively covers the surface of each fiber existing in the fiber web and allows uniform heat crimping by the invasion action of the water vapor flow into the fiber web. In addition, since the heat can be sufficiently conducted to the inside of the fiber as compared with the dry heat treatment, the degree of crimp in the surface and the thickness direction becomes substantially uniform.

  The nozzle for injecting the high-temperature steam may be a plate or a die in which predetermined orifices are continuously arranged in the width direction, and may be arranged so that the orifices are arranged in the width direction of the fiber web to be supplied. There may be one or more orifice rows, and a plurality of rows may be arranged in parallel. A plurality of nozzle dies having a single orifice array may be installed in parallel.

  In the case of using a nozzle with an orifice in the plate, the thickness of the plate may be about 0.5 to 1.0 mm. The orifice diameter and pitch are not particularly limited as long as the target crimp expression and the fiber entanglement associated with this expression can be efficiently realized, but the orifice diameter is usually 0.05 to 2 mm, Preferably it is 0.1-1 mm, More preferably, it is about 0.2-0.5 mm. The pitch of the orifices is usually 0.5 to 3 mm, preferably 1 to 2.5 mm, more preferably about 1 to 1.5 mm. If the orifice diameter is too small, the processing accuracy of the nozzle becomes low and the processing becomes difficult, and the operational problem that clogging is likely to occur easily occurs. On the other hand, if it is too large, it will be difficult to obtain a sufficient water vapor injection force. On the other hand, if the pitch is too small, the nozzle holes become too dense and the strength of the nozzle itself is reduced. On the other hand, if the pitch is too large, there are cases where high-temperature steam does not sufficiently hit the fiber web, making it difficult to ensure strength.

  The high-temperature steam to be used is not particularly limited as long as the desired fiber crimp expression and appropriate fiber entanglement can be realized, and may be set depending on the material and form of the fiber to be used. It is about 0.1 to 2 MPa, preferably about 0.2 to 1.5 MPa, and more preferably about 0.3 to 1 MPa. If the water vapor pressure is too high or too strong, the fibers forming the web may move more than necessary, resulting in turbulence, or the fibers may be entangled more than necessary. In extreme cases, the fibers are fused together, making it difficult to ensure the desired stretchability. In addition, when the pressure is too weak, it becomes impossible to impart the amount of heat necessary for expressing the crimp of the fiber to the web that is the object to be processed, or water vapor cannot penetrate the fiber web, and the expression of the crimp of the fiber in the thickness direction is exhibited. It tends to be uneven. In addition, it is difficult to control the uniform ejection of water vapor from the nozzle.

  The temperature of the high-temperature steam is, for example, about 70 to 150 ° C, preferably about 80 to 120 ° C, and more preferably about 90 to 110 ° C. The processing speed of the high temperature steam is, for example, 200 m / min or less, preferably 0.1 to 100 m / min, and more preferably about 1 to 50 m / min.

  After the crimping of the composite fiber in the fiber web is expressed in this way, moisture may remain in the nonwoven fabric, and the nonwoven fabric may be dried as necessary. As for drying, it is necessary that the fibers on the surface of the non-woven fabric in contact with the heating element for drying do not adhere to the heat of drying to reduce the stretchability, and a conventional method can be used as long as the stretchability can be maintained. For example, a large dryer such as a cylinder dryer or tenter used for drying nonwoven fabrics may be used, but the remaining moisture is very small and can be dried by a relatively light drying means. Therefore, a non-contact method such as far-infrared irradiation, microwave irradiation, electron beam irradiation, or a method of blowing or passing hot air is preferable.

  The nonwoven fabric thus obtained is usually plate-shaped or sheet-shaped, but is processed by cutting or the like according to the desired length or width of the underwrap tape. The cut underwrap tape may be wound around the core material in a roll shape.

  The underwrap tape of the present invention is wetted with water in the production process and exposed to a high-temperature steam atmosphere. That is, the underwrap tape of the present invention is subjected to the same treatment as that of washing, so that the adhering matter to the fibers such as the spinning oil is washed. Therefore, the underwrap tape of the present invention is hygienic and exhibits high water repellency.

  Since the underwrap tape of the present invention has excellent stretchability and breathability, in the fields of medical care and sports, the body (eg, ankle joint, etc.), arm (elbow joint, etc.), finger, neck, torso, etc. It can be used as a tape to wrap around a part. In particular, it is useful as a base tape (bottom winding tape) for body fixing devices (or covering articles) such as taping, gibbs, gibbs bandages, supporters, braces, and sprints.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples. Each physical property value in the examples was measured by the following method. In the examples, “parts” and “%” are based on mass unless otherwise specified.

(1) Number of crimps Evaluated according to JIS L1015 “Testing method for chemical fiber staples” (8.12.1).

(2) Average curvature radius Using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a photograph in which the cross section of the nonwoven fabric was magnified 100 times was taken. Among the fibers shown in the photograph of the cross-section of the nonwoven fabric, for the fibers forming one or more spirals (coils), the radius of the circle when drawing a circle along the spirals (from the coil axis direction) The radius of the circle when the contracted fiber was observed was determined, and this was defined as the radius of curvature. In addition, when the fiber has drawn the spiral in the ellipse shape, 1/2 of the sum of the major axis and the minor axis of the ellipse was used as the radius of curvature. However, in order to exclude the case where the crimped fiber does not exhibit sufficient coil crimping or the case where the spiral shape of the fiber is reflected as an ellipse, the major axis and minor axis of the ellipse Only the ellipses whose ratio (major axis / minor axis) falls within the range of 1.2 or less were measured. In addition, the measurement was performed with respect to an SEM image taken for an arbitrary cross section, and was shown as an average value of n number = 100.

(3) Weight per unit (g / m ² )
Measured according to JIS L1913 “Testing method for general short fiber nonwoven fabric”.

(4) Thickness (mm) and density (g / cm ³ )
The thickness was measured according to JIS L1913 “Test method for general short fiber nonwoven fabric”, and the density was calculated from this value and the basis weight measured by the method (4).

(5) Breaking strength and breaking elongation It measured according to JIS L1913 "General short fiber nonwoven fabric test method". The breaking strength and breaking elongation were measured in the flow (MD) direction and the width (CD) direction of the nonwoven fabric.

(6) 50% elongation recovery rate Measured according to JIS L1096 “General Textile Testing Method”. However, in the evaluation in the present invention, the recovery rate was uniformly 50%, and after extending 50%, after returning to the original position, the next operation was started without waiting time. In addition, the measurement was performed about the flow (MD) direction and the width (CD) direction of the nonwoven fabric.

(7) Elongation stress and recovery stress In the initial elongation process in the elongation recovery rate measurement of (6), the elongation stress when the elongation is 25% is defined as elongation stress (X), and 25% in the return process after 50% elongation. The return stress when returning to the elongation was taken as the recovery stress (Y). Y / X was calculated from the measurement results. In addition, the measurement was performed about the flow (MD) direction and the width (CD) direction of the nonwoven fabric.

(8) Curved surface sliding stress It measured by the method shown below.

  First, the nonwoven fabric to be measured was cut into a size of 50 mm width × 600 mm length so that the MD direction was the length direction, and Sample 1 was obtained. Next, as shown in FIG. 1 (1), one end of the sample 1 is fixed to the core 3 (polypropylene resin pipe roll having an outer diameter of 30 mm × length of 150 mm) with a cellophane tape 2, and then the sample. Use the alligator clip 4 (grip width 50 mm, 0.5 mm thick rubber sheet fixed to the inside of the mouth part with double-sided tape for use) at the other end of 1 to be uniform over the entire width of sample 1 A 150 g weight 5 was attached so as to apply a load.

  In a state where the core (pipe roll) 3 to which the sample 1 is fixed is lifted so that the sample 1 and the weight 5 are suspended, the pipe roll 3 is rotated five times so that the weight 5 is not greatly shaken, and the sample 1 is wound up. The weight 5 was lifted (see FIG. 1 (2)). In this state, the contact between the cylindrical portion in the outermost peripheral portion of the sample 1 wound around the pipe roll 3 and the planar portion of the sample 1 not wound around the pipe roll 3 (the portion of the sample 1 wound around the pipe roll 3) And the boundary line with the portion of the sample 1 that is vertical due to the gravity of the weight 5) as a base point 6, and slowly move the alligator clip 4 and the weight 5 so that the base point 6 does not move and shift. Removed. Next, the outermost peripheral portion of the sample 1 was cut with a razor blade at a point 7 where the pipe roll was half-turned (180 °) from the base point 6 so as not to damage the inner layer sample, and a cut 8 was provided (FIG. 2). reference).

  The curved surface sliding stress between the outermost layer portion in Sample 1 and the inner layer portion wound around the pipe roll 3 below (inner layer) was measured. For this measurement, a tensile tester (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation, “Autograph”) was used. The pipe roll 3 is fixed to the jig 9 installed on the fixed side chuck base of the tensile tester (see FIG. 3), and the end portion of the sample 1 (the end portion to which the alligator clip 2 is attached) is attached to the chuck 10 on the load cell side. Then, the sample was pulled at a pulling speed of 200 mm / min, and the measured value (tensile strength) when the sample 1 was detached (separated) at the cut 8 was defined as the curved surface sliding stress. In addition, when the curved surface sliding stress was too strong to exceed the breaking strength and the sample 1 was broken before it was detached, it was described as “breaking”.

(9) Water repellency evaluated in accordance with JIS L1092 “Test method for waterproofness of textile products” (6.2 spray test).

(10) Fiber curvature and uniformity thereof An electron micrograph (magnification: 100 times) of the cross section of the nonwoven fabric was taken, and in the projected portion of the taken fiber, the surface layer, inner layer, and back layer 3 in the thickness direction. The measurement area was set so as to be divided into three equal parts, and in the vicinity of the center of each layer, the length direction was 2 mm or more and 500 or more measurable fiber pieces were included. For these regions, the end-to-end distance (shortest distance) between one end of the fiber and the other end was measured, and the fiber length of the fiber (fiber length on the photograph) was measured. That is, when the end portion of the fiber is exposed on the nonwoven fabric surface, the end portion is used as it is as an end portion for measuring the distance between the end portions, and when the end portion is embedded in the nonwoven fabric, The boundary part (end part on the photograph) buried in was used as an end part for measuring the distance between the end parts. At this time, among the photographed fibers, a fiber image that cannot be confirmed to be continuous over 100 μm or more was excluded from measurement. And fiber curvature was computed from ratio (L2 / L1) of the fiber length (L2) of the fiber with respect to the distance (L1) between edge parts. In addition, the measurement of fiber curvature calculated the average value for every surface layer, inner layer, and back layer divided into three equal to the thickness direction. Furthermore, the uniformity in the thickness direction of the fiber curvature was calculated from the ratio between the maximum value and the minimum value of each layer.

  In FIG. 4, the schematic diagram about the measuring method of the image | photographed fiber is shown. FIG. 4A shows a fiber in which one end is exposed on the surface and the other end is buried inside the nonwoven fabric. In the case of this fiber, the distance L1 between the ends is from the end of the fiber to the inside of the nonwoven fabric. It becomes the distance to the boundary part buried in. On the other hand, the fiber length L2 is a length obtained by two-dimensionally stretching the fiber of the portion where the fiber can be observed (the portion from the end of the fiber until it is buried in the nonwoven fabric) on the photograph.

  FIG. 4B shows a fiber in which both ends are buried in the nonwoven fabric, and in the case of this fiber, the distance L1 between the ends is the distance between both ends (both ends on the photograph) in the portion exposed on the nonwoven fabric surface. Become. On the other hand, the fiber length L2 is a length obtained by two-dimensionally stretching the fiber exposed on the nonwoven fabric surface on the photograph.

(11) Ratio of loop (or coil) -like fibers on the fiber surface An electron micrograph (magnification x 100 times) on the surface of the nonwoven fabric was photographed, and the fibers formed on the nonwoven fabric surface per 1 cm ^{2 of the} photographed fiber surface The number of loops (fibers swirled one or more times in a loop) or coil-shaped fibers was counted. That is, only fibers that formed continuous loops with clear single fibers were measured as loop-like fibers. Such measurement was performed at five arbitrary locations, the average was obtained, and the fractions after the decimal point were rounded off to obtain the ratio of the looped fibers.

(12) Underlap tape characteristics After bending the elbow (joint part of the arm) at an angle of about 120 degrees and winding the underlap tape for 5 laps in the range of about 20cm centered on the elbow, it is torn off and cut into pieces. The properties were confirmed and evaluated according to the following criteria. The self-adhesiveness of the underwrap tape at this time was also evaluated according to the following criteria. In addition, about the tape whose self-adhesion evaluation is (triangle | delta) or less, the underlap tapes were bonded together and fixed with the adhesive tape. Moreover, irritation | stimulation at the time of use was evaluated from the touch of the worn underwrap tape on the following references | standards.

  Furthermore, with the elbow bent at an angle of about 120 degrees from the top of the worn underlap tape, one on the inside and one on the outside along the arm, a highly adhesive type taping tape (manufactured by Nichiban Co., Ltd., Taping was performed with Cerapore tape (width: 75 mm), and the golf club was used for 50 consecutive swings. After a 10-minute break, the swings were also performed for 50 consecutive times. At this time, the resistance and stuffiness in wearing of the taping tape and the underlap tape were confirmed, and evaluated according to the following criteria. In addition, the displacement and looseness of the taping tape after exercise were confirmed, and the taping retention was evaluated according to the following criteria. Thereafter, the irritation felt on the skin when peeling the taping tape and the underwrap tape (irritation on peeling) was evaluated according to the following criteria.

  The evaluation of each characteristic was performed by 10 panelists, and the relative evaluation was performed by the number of people who felt “good” for each characteristic as follows.

Hand cutting: “Good” if it can be easily cut
Self-adhesive: “Good” if fixed easily
Irritant during use: “good” if the skin is not irritated during use
Resistance: “Good” if there is no resistance during exercise
Muddy feeling: “Good” if there is no unpleasant sensation at the end of exercise and at the end
Taping retention: “Good” if there is no gap or looseness during exercise
Peeling irritation: “Good” if the skin is not irritated when peeled.

(Standard for each characteristic)
◎: 9 or more out of 10 evaluated as “good” ○: 6-8 out of 10 evaluated as “good” △: 4-5 out of 10 evaluated as “good” ×: 3 out of 10 Evaluated as “good” by people below.

Example 1
Side-by-side composed of polyethylene terephthalate resin (component A) having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.65 and a modified polyethylene terephthalate resin (component B) copolymerized with 20 mol% isophthalic acid and 5 mol% diethylene glycol as latent crimpable fibers Type composite staple fiber (manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd., “PN-780”, 1.7 dtex × 51 mm length, mechanical crimp number 12 pieces / 25 mm, 130 ° C. × 62 minutes after heat treatment for 1 minute, 62 pieces / 25 mm) Got ready. A card web having a basis weight of 32.1 g / m ^{2 was} obtained by the card method using 100% by mass of the side-by-side type composite staple fiber.

  This card web is moved on a conveyor net, passed between a perforated plate drum with holes (circular shape) in a zigzag pattern with a diameter of 2 mmφ and a pitch of 2 mm, and from the inside of the perforated plate drum toward the web and the conveyor net. Then, the water flow was sprayed out at 0.8 MPa, so that the fibers did not substantially entangle, and were wet enough to move the fibers slightly.

  The card web was transferred to a belt conveyor equipped with a 30 mesh, 500 mm wide resin endless belt. At this time, the web was overfeeded to about 200% so as not to inhibit the shrinkage in the next water vapor treatment step. In addition, the same belt was equipped in the upper part of the belt of this belt conveyor, each rotated in the same direction at the same speed, and the belt conveyor which can adjust the space | interval of these both belts arbitrarily was used.

  Next, the card web is introduced into a water vapor jetting device provided on the belt conveyor, and 0.4 MPa of water vapor is jetted perpendicularly to the card web from the water vapor jetting device to perform the water vapor treatment, so that a coil of latent crimped fibers is obtained. While producing crimps, the fibers were entangled to obtain a nonwoven fabric. In this steam spraying device, a nozzle was installed in one conveyor so as to spray steam toward the web via a conveyor belt, and a suction device was installed in the other conveyor. However, this suction was not activated. In addition, the hole diameter of the steam spray nozzle is 0.3 mm, and an apparatus in which the nozzles are arranged in a line at a pitch of 2 mm along the conveyor width direction was used. The processing speed was 10 m / min, and the distance between the nozzle and the conveyor belt on the suction side was 10 mm.

The obtained nonwoven fabric had a basis weight of 75.5 g / m ² . The nonwoven fabric stretched and contracted well in both the MD and CD directions, and after lightly stretching by hand to such an extent that it did not break, it immediately returned to its original shape when the stress was released. The results are shown in Table 1. The nonwoven fabric was slit in the length direction with a width of 5 cm so that the MD direction was the length direction, and rolled up into a roll shape to obtain the underwrap tape of the present invention.

  The result of having photographed the surface of the obtained underlap tape with the electron microscope (100 times) is shown in FIG. Furthermore, the result of having photographed the cross section of the thickness direction with the electron microscope (100 times) is shown in FIG. In addition, all the scale bars in the photograph show a length of 200 μm.

  As is apparent from the results of FIGS. 5 and 6, the underwrap tape obtained in Example 1 has each fiber crimped uniformly in a substantially coil shape in the thickness direction, and with respect to the surface direction of the nonwoven fabric. It was observed that the films were oriented almost in parallel. The evaluation result of the obtained underwrap tape is shown in Tables 1-4.

Example 2
The card web used in Example 1 is the same as Example 1 except that the water pressure of the water spray sprayed when passing between the perforated plate drum and the net is 1.5 MPa as in Example 1. The nonwoven fabric was obtained by the method. The obtained non-woven fabric has a basis weight of 67.6 g / m ² , and this non-woven fabric also stretches well in the MD and CD directions and stretches by hand to such an extent that it does not break, and then immediately returns to its original shape when the stress is released. I'm back. The results are shown in Table 1. The nonwoven fabric was slit in the length direction with a width of 5 cm and wound into a roll to obtain the underwrap tape of the present invention.

  As a result of observing the obtained underwrap tape with an electron microscope, the underwrap tape obtained in Example 2 also crimps each fiber uniformly in a substantially coil shape in the thickness direction, and with respect to the surface direction of the nonwoven fabric. It was observed that the films were oriented almost in parallel. The evaluation result of the obtained underwrap tape is shown in Tables 1-4.

Example 3
90% by mass of the side-by-side type composite staple fiber used in Example 1 and 10% by mass of polyethylene terephthalate fiber (1.6 dtex × 51 mm length, 15 mechanical crimps / 25 mm) are mixed, and the basis weight is 38. The card web was 1 g / m ² . When this web was transferred to a belt conveyor, a nonwoven fabric was obtained by processing in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the web was overfeeded to about 120%.

The obtained non-woven fabric has a basis weight of 59.3 g / m ² due to shrinkage, stretches well in the MD and CD directions, stretches by hand to the extent that it does not break, and immediately returns to its original shape when the stress is released. Returned to. The results are shown in Table 1. This non-woven fabric was slit in the length direction with a width of 5 cm, and was wound up into a roll shape to obtain the underwrap tape of the present invention.

  As a result of observing the obtained underwrap tape with an electron microscope, the nonwoven fabric obtained in Example 3 was also crimped in a substantially coil shape uniformly in the thickness direction, and substantially in the surface direction of the nonwoven fabric. It was observed that they were oriented in parallel. The evaluation result of the obtained underwrap tape is shown in Tables 1-4.

Example 4
Side-by-side type composed of polyethylene terephthalate resin (component A) with intrinsic viscosity of 0.65 and modified polyethylene terephthalate resin (component B) copolymerized with 25 mol% isophthalic acid and 7 mol% diethylene glycol as latent crimped fibers A composite staple fiber (1.7 dtex × 51 mm length, mechanical crimp number 12/25 mm, 130 ° C. × 74 minutes crimped after 1 minute heat treatment 74 mass / 25 mm) was used in an amount of 33% in the same manner as in Example 1. A card web of 0.7 g / m ² was produced. A nonwoven fabric was obtained by processing this web in the same manner as in Example 1.

The obtained nonwoven fabric had a basis weight of 102.7 g / m ² . This nonwoven fabric stretched and contracted well in both the MD and CD directions, and after stretching by hand to such an extent that it did not break, it immediately returned to its original shape when the stress was released. The results are shown in Table 1. This non-woven fabric was slit in the length direction with a width of 5 cm, and was wound up into a roll shape to obtain the underwrap tape of the present invention.

  As a result of observing the obtained underwrap tape with an electron microscope, the underwrap tape obtained in Example 4 also has each fiber crimped uniformly in a substantially coil shape in the thickness direction, and with respect to the surface direction of the nonwoven fabric. It was observed that the films were oriented almost in parallel. The evaluation result of the obtained underwrap tape is shown in Tables 1-4.

Example 5
Side-by-side type composite staple fiber (1) composed of a polyethylene terephthalate resin (component A) having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.65 and a modified polyethylene terephthalate resin (component B) copolymerized with 15 mol% of isophthalic acid as latent crimped fibers. .7 dtex × 51 mm length, mechanical crimp number 12/25 mm, 130 ° C. × 48 min crimp number after heat treatment for 1 minute (100 mm%) and using a mass of 36.2 g / m ^{2 in the same} manner as in Example 1. A card web was prepared. A nonwoven fabric was obtained by processing this web in the same manner as in Example 1.

The obtained nonwoven fabric had a basis weight of 56.9 g / m ² . This nonwoven fabric stretched and contracted well in both the MD direction and the CD direction, and after stretching by hand to such an extent that it did not break, it immediately returned to its original shape when the stress was released. The results are shown in Table 1. This nonwoven fabric was slit in the length direction with a width of 5 cm and wound up into a roll shape to obtain an underwrap tape of the present invention.

  As a result of observing the obtained underwrap tape with an electron microscope, the underwrap tape obtained in Example 5 also crimps each fiber uniformly in a substantially coil shape in the thickness direction, and with respect to the surface direction of the nonwoven fabric. It was observed that the films were oriented almost in parallel. The evaluation result of the obtained underwrap tape is shown in Tables 1-4.

Example 6
A nonwoven fabric was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 100% by mass of the side-by-side type composite staple fiber used in Example 1 was used to obtain a card web having a basis weight of 18.8 g / m ² by the card method. The obtained nonwoven fabric had a basis weight of 41.3 g / m ² . This nonwoven fabric stretched and contracted well in both the MD direction and the CD direction, and after stretching by hand to such an extent that it did not break, it immediately returned to its original shape when the stress was released. The results are shown in Table 1. This non-woven fabric was slit in the length direction with a width of 5 cm, and was wound up into a roll shape to obtain the underwrap tape of the present invention.

  As a result of observing the obtained underwrap tape with an electron microscope, the underwrap tape obtained in Example 6 also crimps each fiber uniformly in a substantially coil shape in the thickness direction, and in the surface direction of the nonwoven fabric. On the other hand, it was observed that the films were oriented substantially in parallel. The evaluation result of the obtained underwrap tape is shown in Tables 1-4.

Example 7
A nonwoven fabric was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 100% by mass of the side-by-side type composite staple fiber used in Example 1 was used to obtain a card web having a basis weight of 75.9 g / m ² by the card method. The obtained nonwoven fabric had a basis weight of 146.7 g / m ² . This nonwoven fabric stretched and contracted well in both the MD and CD directions, and after stretching by hand to such an extent that it did not break, it immediately returned to its original shape when the stress was released. The results are shown in Table 1. This non-woven fabric was slit in the length direction with a width of 5 cm, and was wound up into a roll shape to obtain the underwrap tape of the present invention.

  As a result of observing the obtained underwrap tape with an electron microscope, the underwrap tape obtained in Example 7 also has each fiber crimped uniformly in a substantially coil shape in the thickness direction, and with respect to the surface direction of the nonwoven fabric. It was observed that the films were oriented almost in parallel. The evaluation result of the obtained underwrap tape is shown in Tables 1-4.

Example 8
A nonwoven fabric was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the water vapor injection pressure was 1.2 MPa. The obtained nonwoven fabric had a basis weight of 78.8 g / m ² . This nonwoven fabric stretched and contracted well in both the MD and CD directions, and after stretching by hand to such an extent that it did not break, it immediately returned to its original shape when the stress was released. The results are shown in Table 1. This non-woven fabric was slit in the length direction with a width of 5 cm, and was wound up into a roll shape to obtain the underwrap tape of the present invention.

  As a result of observing the obtained underwrap tape with an electron microscope, the underwrap tape obtained in Example 8 also crimps each fiber uniformly in a substantially coil shape in the thickness direction, and with respect to the surface direction of the nonwoven fabric. It was observed that the films were oriented almost in parallel. The evaluation result of the obtained underwrap tape is shown in Tables 1-4.

Comparative Example 1
Example 1 was used except that a card web having a basis weight of 32.3 g / m ² composed of 100% by mass of polyethylene terephthalate fiber (1.6 dtex × 51 mm length, 15 mechanical crimps / 25 mm) was used. However, even when exposed to water vapor, fiber shrinkage did not occur, the web was almost in the state of a web, and the nonwoven fabric could not be obtained so that it could be easily transported alone.

Comparative Example 2
The card web used in Example 1 was hydroentangled on one side using a nozzle having a hole diameter of φ0.1 mm under conditions of a first hydraulic pressure of 2.9 MPa and a second hydraulic pressure of 3.9 MPa (general conditions for hydroentanglement). After the combined treatment, the web was heat-treated in a hot air dryer at 130 ° C. to develop crimps, thereby obtaining a nonwoven fabric. The obtained nonwoven fabric had stretchability but obviously had low return stress. This nonwoven fabric was slit in the length direction with a width of 5 cm, and was rolled up into a roll to obtain an underwrap tape.

  As a result of observing the obtained underlap tape with an electron microscope, the underlap tape obtained in Comparative Example 2 was heat-treated with hot air, so that each fiber was coiled in the central region in the thickness direction. It was observed that the degree of crimping was low and the degree of crimping of the fibers in the thickness direction was also uneven. It was also observed that many fibers were oriented perpendicular to the plane direction. The evaluation result of the obtained underwrap tape is shown in Tables 1-4.

Comparative Example 3
The card web used in Example 1 was hydroentangled on one side using a nozzle having a hole diameter of φ0.1 mm under conditions of a first hydraulic pressure of 2.9 MPa and a second hydraulic pressure of 3.9 MPa (general conditions for hydroentanglement). After the combined treatment, as in Example 1, this web was introduced into a steam spraying device provided in the belt conveyor while being overfed so as not to inhibit the shrinkage in the next steaming process. 4 MPa of water vapor was spouted perpendicularly to the card web and subjected to water vapor treatment to develop coiled crimps of latent crimped fibers and entangle the fibers to obtain a nonwoven fabric. The water vapor spray nozzle, the processing speed, and the distance between the nozzle and the conveyor belt on the suction side were also set to the same conditions as in Example 1. The obtained nonwoven fabric was slit in the length direction with a width of 5 cm, and rolled up into a roll to obtain an underwrap tape.

  The result of having image | photographed the cross section of the thickness direction of the obtained underwrap tape with the electron microscope (100 time) is shown in FIG. As is clear from the results of FIG. 7, it was observed that the fibers of the underwrap tape obtained in Comparative Example 3 were crimped uniformly in a substantially coil shape in the thickness direction. However, it was observed that many fibers were oriented perpendicular to the plane direction because they were entangled under general hydroentanglement conditions. The evaluation result of the obtained underwrap tape is shown in Tables 1-4.

Comparative Example 4
Side-by-side type composite staple fiber (1) composed of a polyethylene terephthalate resin (component A) having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.65 and a modified polyethylene terephthalate resin (component B) copolymerized with 10 mol% of isophthalic acid as latent crimped fibers. .7 dtex × 51 mm length, mechanical crimp number of 12 pieces / 25 mm, 130 ° C. × 26 minutes of crimp number after heat treatment for 1 minute (100% by weight), and a card web having a basis weight of 30.7 g / m ² Except for the above, a nonwoven fabric was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1.

The obtained nonwoven fabric had a basis weight of 43.7 g / m ² . The obtained non-woven fabric was clearly low in stretch recovery even when touched by hand. The obtained non-woven fabric was slit in the length direction with a width of 5 cm and wound up into a roll to obtain an underwrap tape.

  As a result of observing the obtained underwrap tape with an electron microscope, the underwrap tape obtained in Comparative Example 4 is that each fiber is crimped uniformly in the thickness direction and substantially parallel to the surface direction of the nonwoven fabric. It could be observed that it was oriented. However, it was observed that the degree of coiled crimp was small and the crimp radius was large. The evaluation result of the obtained underwrap tape is shown in Tables 1-4.

Reference Example A commercially available underwrap tape (manufactured by Nichiban Co., Ltd., trade name “Underwrap Tape U70F”) was prepared, and stretchability and self-adhesiveness were measured by the same method as in the present invention. In the measurement, the length direction of the underwrap tape was defined as the flow (MD) direction. Moreover, although this product was a non-adhesive type, when it was actually worn, there was a slimy feeling peculiar to urethane. The evaluation results are shown in Tables 1 to 4.

  From the results of Tables 1 to 4, it can be seen that the underwrap tape of the present invention is excellent in stretchability and hand cutting properties and has the same self-adhesiveness as an underwrap tape using a conventional adhesive.

Comparative Example 5
The card web used in Example 1 was heat-treated in a hot air dryer at 130 ° C. for 3 minutes to develop coiled crimps. When the surface of the nonwoven fabric in which crimps were expressed by this method was observed, a high density portion and a low density portion of the fiber were formed as sea islands. In addition, unlike the density gradient formed by using the perforated plate drum in this embodiment, the formation spot has a high density portion or a low density portion having a diameter of approximately 10 mmφ or more, and these portions are not suitable. It was distributed regularly and the appearance was very poor. The nonwoven fabric was wound around the elbow for about 5 turns in the same manner as in Example 1 and then stretched strongly. The non-woven fabric was fixed on the fracture surface, but the fixing force and the feeling of tightening were weak. When the arm was moved slowly, it not only fell off the arm, but also the fixed part was peeled off.

  Such a phenomenon causes the fibers to be crimped by using hot air with low thermal conductivity and a high degree of freedom, so that the fibers are strongly entangled during crimping, while crimping while gathering, It can be presumed that the portion where the fiber entanglement before the start of crimping is weak is caused by the separation of the fibers in the portion where the entanglement is strong due to the force pulling to the opposite side due to crimping.

  On the other hand, when the high temperature steam is used as in the embodiment, the nonwoven fabric shrinks while being pressed and fixed by the high temperature steam. In addition, high-temperature steam has a higher thermal conductivity than hot air, so that even when the fiber is fixed, it shrinks firmly and evenly shrinks compared to hot air. It can be estimated that the occurrence of such clear formations is suppressed.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a method for preparing a sample for measuring curved slip stress in the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a sample for measuring curved slip stress in the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a method for measuring curved slip stress in the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a method for measuring the fiber curvature in the present invention. FIG. 5 is an electron micrograph (100 times) of the surface of the underlap tape obtained in Example 1. 6 is an electron micrograph (100 times) of a cross section in the thickness direction of the underlap tape obtained in Example 1. FIG. FIG. 7 is an electron micrograph (100 times) of the cross section in the thickness direction of the underlap tape obtained in Comparative Example 3.

Claims (10)

A plurality of resins having different thermal shrinkage rates are underwrap tapes composed of a nonwoven fabric including a composite fiber in which a phase separation structure is formed,
In the cross section in the thickness direction, the ratio of the minimum value to the maximum value of the fiber curvature in each region divided in three in the thickness direction is 75% or more,
It said composite fibers are oriented substantially parallel to the surface direction of the nonwoven fabric, and underlap tape that crimped Te thickness direction odor evenly one average radius of curvature 20 to 200 [mu] m.   The underwrap tape according to claim 1, wherein the composite fiber is composed of a polyalkylene arylate resin and a modified polyalkylene arylate resin, and has a parallel type or an eccentric core-sheath type structure.   The underwrap tape according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ratio of the composite fiber is 80% by mass or more.   The breaking strength is 5 to 20 N / 50 mm in at least one direction, the breaking elongation is 80% or more, and the recovery rate after 50% elongation is 80% or more. Underwrap tape. In the cross section in the thickness direction, the fiber curvature in each region divided into three equal parts in the thickness direction is 1.5 or more, and the ratio of the minimum value to the maximum value of the fiber curvature in each region is 80 to 99%. The underwrap tape according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The underlap tape according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the breaking strength in the length direction is 1.5 to 50 times the breaking strength in the width direction. The underwrap tape according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the basis weight is 30 to 180 g / m ² and the thickness is 0.2 to 1.5 mm.   A step of forming a fiber including a composite fiber in which a plurality of resins having different heat shrinkage rates form a phase separation structure; and a step of heating the fiber web with high-temperature steam to crimp to an average curvature radius of 20 to 200 μm. The underwrap tape according to claim 1, which is obtained by a method.   9. The method according to claim 1, comprising a step of forming a fiber including a composite fiber in which a plurality of resins having different thermal shrinkage rates form a phase separation structure, and a step of crimping the fiber web by heating with high-temperature steam. A method for producing the underwrap tape according to claim 1.   The production method according to claim 9, wherein after undergoing a step of slightly entanglement of some fibers of the fiber web, the fiber web is crimped by treatment with high-temperature steam.