JP6313421B2 - Product packaging - Google Patents

Description

  The present disclosure generally relates to packages and packaging materials that include one or more nonwoven substrates for use in packaging products.

  In some cases, polymeric packages are used for commercial packaging and packaging materials. Films provide high resistance to fluid and air flow and are therefore ideal packaging materials for commercial products. However, films are very expensive and are not as aesthetically pleasing as nonwoven substrates. Thus, manufacturers of merchandise that use films as packaging materials typically strive to reduce the amount of film required for those packaging materials and / or to obtain better aesthetic films. What is needed is a nonwoven substrate that can function like a film or substantially like a film and is aesthetically pleasing but can be manufactured at a much lower cost than conventional polymeric films. A package and packaging material containing one or more.

  In one form, the present disclosure is directed, in part, to a product package. The package includes a nonwoven substrate that includes one or more layers of fibers. Each of the plurality of fibers includes a plurality of fibrils that extend outward from the surface of the fiber at one third of the longitudinal center of the fiber. The plurality of fibrils includes an ester lipid having a melting point greater than 35 ° C. The plurality of fibers do not contain ester lipid droplets.

  In another form, the present disclosure is directed, in part, to a package that includes a commodity and a nonwoven substrate that includes one or more layers of fibers. The fiber layer includes a plurality of bonds. Each bond includes a bond region. The plurality of fibrils extend outward from the surface of the at least one binding region.

  In another form, the present disclosure is directed, in part, to commercial packaging materials. The packaging material includes a nonwoven substrate that includes one or more layers of fibers. The plurality of fibers include fibrils that extend outward therefrom only after a certain time. The certain time is longer than about 24 hours after the formation of the post nonwoven substrate under atmospheric conditions.

The above and other features and advantages of the present disclosure, as well as the manner of achieving them, will become more apparent with reference to the following description of non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, The disclosure itself will be better understood.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of an absorbent article (laid flat without elastic contraction) with the garment facing surface facing the viewer, according to a non-limiting embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the absorbent article of FIG. 1 with the elastic material in a relaxed / contracted state, according to a non-limiting embodiment. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the absorbent article of FIG. 1 taken along line 3-3, according to a non-limiting embodiment. 1 is a schematic view of a molding machine used to produce a nonwoven substrate, according to a non-limiting embodiment. FIG. 1 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a three-layer nonwoven substrate according to a non-limiting embodiment. FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the nonwoven substrate of FIG. 5 with various portions of the nonwoven layer cut away to show the composition of each nonwoven layer, according to a non-limiting embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the nonwoven fabric base material of 4 layers structure by non-limiting embodiment. 8 is a perspective view of the nonwoven substrate of FIG. 7 with various portions of the nonwoven layer cut away to show the composition of each nonwoven layer, according to a non-limiting embodiment. FIG. 1 is a top view of an absorbent article that is a sanitary napkin that may include a nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure, according to a non-limiting embodiment. FIG. 2 is a scanning electron microscope (“SEM”) photograph of a nonwoven substrate having fibrils in its spunbond layer, according to various non-limiting embodiments. 2 is a scanning electron microscope (“SEM”) photograph of a nonwoven substrate having fibrils in its spunbond layer, according to various non-limiting embodiments. 2 is a scanning electron microscope (“SEM”) photograph of a nonwoven substrate having fibrils in its spunbond layer, according to various non-limiting embodiments. 3 is an additional SEM photograph of a nonwoven substrate having fibrils in its spunbond layer, according to various non-limiting embodiments. 3 is an additional SEM photograph of a nonwoven substrate having fibrils in its spunbond layer, according to various non-limiting embodiments. 3 is an additional SEM photograph of a nonwoven substrate having fibrils in its spunbond layer, according to various non-limiting embodiments. 2 is an SEM photograph of a cross-sectional view of a portion of a nonwoven substrate having fibrils in its spunbond layer, according to various non-limiting embodiments. 2 is an SEM photograph of a cross-sectional view of a portion of a nonwoven substrate having fibrils in its spunbond layer, according to various non-limiting embodiments. 2 is an SEM photograph of a cross-sectional view of a portion of a nonwoven substrate having fibrils in its spunbond layer, according to various non-limiting embodiments. 3 is a SEM photograph of a portion of a binding site having a binding region where a plurality of fibrils extend, according to a non-limiting embodiment. 2 is an SEM photograph of a cross-sectional view of a portion of a bonding site of a nonwoven substrate having a bonding region in which a plurality of fibrils are stretched, according to various non-limiting embodiments. 2 is an SEM photograph of a cross-sectional view of a portion of a bonding site of a nonwoven substrate having a bonding region in which a plurality of fibrils are stretched, according to various non-limiting embodiments. 2 is an SEM photograph of a cross-sectional view of a portion of a bonding site of a nonwoven substrate having a bonding region in which a plurality of fibrils are stretched, according to various non-limiting embodiments. Illustrates the effect of glycerol tristearate, a melt additive, on the specific surface area of a nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure compared to the specific surface area of a conventional nonwoven substrate that does not contain glycerol tristearate, according to a non-limiting embodiment. It is a graph. FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating the ratio (seconds / gsm) of low surface tension liquid breakthrough time (seconds) to basis weight (gsm) to the amount of glycerol tristearate (gsm) in a nonwoven substrate, according to a non-limiting embodiment. is there. 6 is a graph illustrating the post-nonwoven substrate or nonwoven layer formation for a nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure versus time (hours) of specific surface area (m ² / g) according to a non-limiting embodiment. 4 is an exemplary bar graph of low surface tension liquid breakthrough time (seconds) for various nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure compared to a conventional SMN 13 gsm nonwoven substrate, according to a non-limiting embodiment. 6 is a graph illustrating low surface tension liquid breakthrough time (seconds) based on the ratio of glycerol tristearate to the weight of the composition used to form the fiber, according to a non-limiting embodiment. 6 is a graph illustrating low surface tension liquid breakthrough time (seconds) based on the ratio of glycerol tristearate to the weight of the composition used to form the fiber, according to a non-limiting embodiment. The bottom line represents a 19 gsm spunbond nonwoven substrate. The middle line represents a 16 gsm spunbond nonwoven substrate. The top line represents a 13 gsm spunbond nonwoven substrate. 6 is a graph illustrating low surface tension liquid breakthrough time (seconds) based on fiber diameter (μm), according to a non-limiting embodiment. 4 is an exemplary graph illustrating low surface tension liquid breakthrough time (seconds) based on the amount of glycerol tristearate (gsm) in various nonwoven substrates, according to non-limiting embodiments. 1 is a perspective view of a wiping or cleaning substrate that may include a nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure, according to a non-limiting embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a commodity package, part of which may include a nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure, according to a non-limiting embodiment. FIG. 2 is an SEM photograph of a cross-sectional view of a nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure in which ester lipids in spunbond fibers have been dissolved using a weight reduction method, according to a non-limiting embodiment. FIG. 34 is a SEM photograph of a cross-sectional view of the spunbond fiber of FIG. 33, according to a non-limiting embodiment. 4 is an exemplary graph of specific surface area (Y axis) versus mass average fiber diameter (X axis), according to a non-limiting embodiment. It is a figure of the opening part used for the low surface tension liquid penetration time test described in this specification.

  In the following, various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in order to provide an overall understanding of the principles of the structure, function, manufacture, and use of the package for goods disclosed herein. One or more examples of these non-limiting embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the packaging for merchandise, which is specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, is a non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be understood that the scope is defined only by the claims. Features shown or described in connection with one non-limiting embodiment may be combined with features of other non-limiting embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

Definition of terms:
In this specification, the following terms have the following meanings:

  The term “absorbent article” refers to the wearer's body or an innate opening of the body to absorb and contain various exudates (eg, urine, BM, menstrual blood) discharged from the body. Refers to disposable devices such as diapers or incontinence products for infants, children or adults, training pants, sanitary napkins, tampons, etc. Certain absorbent articles may include a topsheet or liquid permeable layer, a backsheet or liquid impermeable layer, and an absorbent core located at least partially between the topsheet and the backsheet. The article may also include a capture system (which may consist of one or more layers) and typically other components. Exemplary absorbent articles of the present disclosure are further described in the following description and drawings in the form of tape diapers and sanitary napkins. Nothing in this description should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims based on the example absorbent article shown and described. Accordingly, the present disclosure applies to any suitable form of absorbent article (eg, training pants, adult incontinence products, sanitary napkins, etc.). In order to avoid doubt, the absorbent article does not include wipes. Wiping articles are defined below and these are also within the scope of this disclosure.

  The term “atmospheric conditions” is defined as typical post nonwoven substrate and / or absorbent article manufacturing conditions, nonwoven substrate and / or absorbent article storage conditions, specifically 20 ° C. + / −. It has a relative humidity of 50% + / − 30% at 7 ° C.

  The term “commodity” includes any product such as an absorbent article, a wipe (wet or dry), a cleaning or dusting substrate, a filter, a filter media, a toothbrush, or a battery.

The term “basis weight” is defined by the basis weight test described below. Basis weight is described in grams / m ² (gsm).

  The term “binding region” refers to the region of an individual binding site.

  The term “transverse direction” refers to a direction substantially perpendicular to the machine direction.

  The term “diameter” when referring to a fiber is defined by the fiber diameter and the denier test described below. The fiber diameter is described in micrometer.

  The term “elastic strand” or “elastic member” refers to a ribbon or strand (which is the larger of the width and height or cross-sectional diameter, which may be part of the internal or external cuff gather component of the article. Length).

  The term “fiber”, whether continuous or discontinuous, is produced through a spinning process, a meltblowing process, a melt fibrillation or film fibrillation process, or an electrospun production process, or any other suitable process. Refers to any type of chemical fiber, filament, or fibril.

  The term “film” refers to a polymeric material having a skin-like structure and does not include individually distinguishable fibers. Thus, “film” does not include non-woven materials. For purposes herein, a skin-like material can be pierced, porous, or microporous and still be considered a “film”.

  The term “fibril” refers to a protrusion, elongated protrusion, or bump that extends radially outward from the surface of the fiber, or generally outward from the outer surface. In some cases, the protrusions, elongated protrusions, or bumps may extend radially outward with respect to the longitudinal axis of the fiber. Radially outward means within 1 to 89 ° with respect to the longitudinal axis. In still other cases, the protrusions, elongated protrusions, or bumps may extend radially outward from the surface of the fiber, at least in the middle third of the fiber in the longitudinal direction. The protrusions, elongated protrusions, or bumps comprise, or consist essentially of, a melt additive such as an ester lipid (eg, 51% -100%, or 51%- 99%). Protrusions, elongated protrusions, or bumps grow from fibers post-nonwoven substrate formation only after a certain period of time (eg, 6-100 hours) under fiber, ambient conditions. . Fibrils can be viewed using a SEM at a magnification of at least 1,000 times.

  The term “hydrophobic” refers to a material having a contact angle of 90 ° or more, according to The American Chemical Society “Contact Angle, Wetability, and Adhesion” (Robert F. Gold edited, 1964). Point to. In some embodiments, the hydrophobic surface may exhibit a contact angle greater than 120 °, greater than 140 °, or even greater than 150 °. Hydrophobic liquid compositions are generally immiscible with water. The term “hydrophobic melt additive” refers to a hydrophobic composition that is added as an additive to a hot melt composition (ie, incorporated into a thermoplastic melt) and then (eg, spunbonded) Fibers and / or substrates) (by melt-blowing, melt fibrillation or extrusion).

  The term “hydrophobic surface coating” refers to a composition applied to a surface to make the surface hydrophobic or more hydrophobic. “Hydrophobic surface coating composition” means a composition that is applied to the surface of a substrate, such as a nonwoven substrate, to provide a hydrophobic surface coating.

  As used herein, the terms “joined” or “bonded” or “attached” are used to directly attach an element to another element by attaching the element directly to another element. It includes configurations and configurations that indirectly attach the element to the other element by attaching the element to the intermediate member and attaching the intermediate member to the other element as well.

  The term “low surface tension fluid” refers to a fluid having a surface tension of 32 mN / m +/− 1.0 mN / m.

  The term “low surface tension fluid strike through time” is defined by the low surface tension fluid strike through time test described below. The low surface tension fluid strike through time is described in seconds.

  The term “machine direction” (MD) refers to the direction in which material flows during the process.

  The terms "calender bond" or "thermal bond" are used so that the polymer fibers in the bond melt or fuse together to form a compressed flat region that can be a continuous film-like material. It means the bond formed between the fibers of the nonwoven fabric by pressure and temperature. The term “calendar bond” does not include a bond formed using an adhesive or a bond formed using only pressure as defined by the following mechanical bond. The term “thermal bond” or “calendar bond” refers to the process used to create the thermal bond.

  The term “mechanical bond” refers to a bond formed between two materials by pressure, ultrasonic attachment, and / or other mechanical bonding processes without intentional heat application. The term “mechanical bond” does not include a bond formed using an adhesive.

  The term “layer” refers to a single sheet or ply of nonwoven or other material.

  The term “substrate” refers to a sheet-like structure of one or more layers, such as a nonwoven substrate.

  The term “titer” refers to the longitudinal density measured in mass per unit length of fiber.

  The term “denier” refers to a unit of fiber fineness equal to the weight (grams) per 9000 m of fiber.

  The term “mass average diameter” refers to the mass weighted arithmetic mean diameter of the fiber, calculated from the fiber diameter described below and the fiber diameter measured by the denier test. The mass average diameter of the fiber is calculated by the fiber diameter calculation described below. The mass average diameter of the fiber is described in units of micrometers.

  The term “number average diameter” or “average diameter” refers to the arithmetic average diameter of a fiber, calculated from the fiber diameter and the fiber diameter as measured by the denier test described below. The number average diameter of the fiber is calculated by the fiber diameter calculation described below. The number average diameter of the fiber is described in micrometers.

  Nonwoven substrates that have consistent properties that are identical to or close to some film properties are desired. One film property that may be advantageous in nonwoven materials is the ability of the film to be fluid impermeable or substantially fluid impermeable. Films are typically less breathable, less comfortable, and generally noisy during operation, unless the film is made more nonwoven by expensive manufacturing methods. Thus, non-woven materials with fluid-permeable properties that are film-like or close to film-like are desired because they provide significant cost savings and greater comfort for the users involved. In embodiments, the present disclosure provides a nonwoven substrate with increased fluid barrier properties. In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a nonwoven substrate having one or more layers of fibers, wherein the nonwoven substrate has a specific surface area that is higher than the specific surface area of conventional nonwoven substrates. In embodiments, the nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure may include one or more layers of fibers, wherein the plurality of fibrils in the one or more fiber layers are at least some outwardly or radially outward. You may extend | stretch from the surface of such a fiber. Fibrils can lead to a decrease in fluid (ie, liquid or gas), particularly liquid permeability, in the fiber layer and nonwoven substrate as a whole. The nonwoven substrate may include fibers that all contain fibrils, or fewer than all layers may have fibers that contain fibrils. In other words, some layers may have fibers without fibrils, while other layers may have fibers with fibrils. Some layers may have fibers with fibrils and fibers without fibrils. The specific surface area of the nonwoven substrate and fibers with fibrils will be described in more detail below after a more general description of the absorbent articles of the examples used with the nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure. Wipes, packages, and packaging materials that use the nonwoven substrates described herein are also within the scope of this disclosure. These are also described in more detail below.

  Nonwoven substrates may include sheets of fibers, filaments, or individual nonwoven layers that combine fibers and filaments that are bonded together using a mechanical, thermal, or chemical bonding process. Nonwoven substrates are relatively flat porous sheets made directly from individual fibers, including staple fibers (short fibers), directly from molten plastic, plastic films, and / or some combination of the above May be formed. Some nonwoven substrates may be reinforced or reinforced, for example, with a backing sheet. The nonwoven substrate may be a engineered fabric having a limited lifetime, a single use fabric, or a very durable, reusable fabric. In various embodiments, the nonwoven substrate provides a specific function such as, for example, absorbency, liquid repellency, elasticity, stretchability, opacity flexibility, and / or strength. These properties are often combined to create a nonwoven substrate suitable for a particular application while achieving a good balance between the useful life and cost of the product. For example, a detailed list of nonwoven manufacturing processes can be found in S.A. J. et al. “The Handbook of Nonwovens” (ISBN: 978-0-8493-2596-0) published by Woodell Publishing Limited and CRC Press LLC, edited by Russell.

Direct polymer to wet nonwoven materials Continuous and discontinuous fiber spinning techniques for molten materials and typically thermoplastics are commonly referred to as melt spinning or spun melt techniques. Spunmelt technology may include both meltblowing and spunbond processes. The spunbond process involves feeding molten polymer and then extruding through a die under pressure through a number of openings in a plate known as a spinneret. The resulting continuous fiber is quenched and drawn by any of a number of methods such as, for example, a slot drawing system, a finer gun, or a drawing roll (godet). In the spun raid or spunbond process, continuous fibers are collected as a loose web on a stoma surface, eg, a moving stoma surface such as a wire mesh conveyor belt. When two or more spinnerets are used in a row to form a multilayer nonwoven substrate, subsequent nonwoven layers are collected on the outermost surface of the previously formed nonwoven layer. Spunlaid or spunbond nonwoven substrates are multicomponent (eg, core and sheath, or segmented pie or sea-island type), multicomponent (ie, a mixture of multiple chemicals in one component). In addition to a spherical shape or a circular shape, it may have various other cross sections such as a trilobal (trilobal) shape, an elliptical shape, or a hollow shape. Examples of making such a wide range of spunlaid layers or fabrics are US Pat. No. 3,502,763 to Hartmann et al., US Pat. No. 3,692,618 to Dorschner et al., US Pat. No. 338,992, No. 4,820,142 to Bulk, No. 5,460,500 to Geus et al., No. 6,932,590 to Geus et al., No. 5 to Pike et al. No. 7,382,400, No. 7,320,581 to Allen et al., And No. 7,476,350 to Allen.

  Melt blowing is related to a spun laying or spunbonding process that forms a layer of nonwoven substrate, where the molten polymer passes through openings in the spinneret or mold, typically in the mold. Extruded from a single row of small openings. A high flow rate of high temperature and high velocity gas impacts the fiber as it exits the mold, causing the fiber to thin and rapidly stretch to fine fibers of about 1-10 micrometers in diameter and indefinite length. This is different from the spunbond method, where fiber continuity is generally maintained. The fibers are then sprayed and deposited on a collector, conveyor, or other web with high velocity air.

  A meltblown nonwoven layer is often added to a spunlaid nonwoven layer to combine S and M nonwoven structural attributes, such as a spunbond meltblown ("SM") nonwoven substrate that combines a strong nonwoven substrate with some barrier properties Alternatively, a spunbond, meltblown, spunbond (“SMS”) nonwoven substrate is formed. Descriptions for producing such meltblown fibers, layers, and nonwoven substrates are described, for example, in Van A. et al. Wente, “Superfine Thermoplastic Fibers”, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 48 (8) 1956, pp. 1342-46, or US Pat. No. 3,849,241 to Buntin et al. And US Pat. No. 5,098,636 to Bulk.

  Other methods of producing finer fibers, including fibers having an average diameter of less than 1 micron or 1000 nanometers ("N fibers") include melt fibrillation, advanced meltblowing techniques, or electrospinning. Advanced meltblowing techniques are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,464 to Lau, 5,114,631 to Nyssen et al., 5,620,785 to Watt et al., And Bodaghi. No. 7,501,085. Melt film fibrillation technology as an example of melt fibrillation is a common type of fiber manufacturing where one or more polymers are melted and many possible configurations (eg, film hollow tubes, film sheets, Coextruded, homogeneous or bicomponent film or filament) and then fibrillated or fiberized into filaments. Examples of such processes are US Pat. No. 4,536,361 to Torobin, US Pat. No. 6,110,588 to Perez et al., US Pat. No. 7,666,343 to Johnson et al., Gerking No. 6,800,226. Electrospinning processes useful for producing fine fibers are described in US Pat. No. 1,975,504 to Formhals et al., 7,585,437 to Jirsak et al., And to Chu et al. No. 6,713,011, No. 8,257,641 to Qi et al. Greiner and J.M. Wendorff's “Electrospinning”, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007, 46 (30), 5670-5703.

  Spunlaid or spunbond fibers typically have an average diameter in the range of about 8 microns to about 30 microns, or a fiber titer in the range of 0.5 to 10 denier. Meltblown fibers typically have an average diameter in the range of 0.5 to 10 microns, or 0.001 to 0.5 denier, and greater than about 0.1 to 10 microns. Have. Fine fibers have an average or median diameter in the range of 0.1 microns to 2 microns, with some fine fibers having a number average diameter of less than about 1 micron, a mass average diameter of less than about 1.5 microns, and about It has a ratio of mass average diameter to number average diameter of less than 2.

  A meltblown nonwoven layer ("M") is often added to a spunlaid nonwoven layer ("S") to provide attributes of S and M nonwoven structures, for example, a strong nonwoven substrate with some fluid barrier properties. Combined to form a spunbond meltblown (“SM”) nonwoven substrate, spunbond meltblown spunbond (“SMS”) nonwoven substrate, SSMMS nonwoven substrate, SSMMSS nonwoven substrate, or other nonwoven substrate To do. The same can be done with fine fibers and fine fiber layers, referred to as “N”, as SN, MN, SMN, SMNS, SMNMS, SNMN, SSMNS, SSMNS, or any other suitable layer combination. Manufactured.

Dry and wet non-woven substrates In addition to non-woven substrates made from melt-spun fiber spinning technology, non-woven substrates are made from pre-formed fibers (including natural fibers) and other such as dry or wet technology It may be manufactured by means. Dry techniques include carding and air laying. These techniques may be combined with each other to form a multilayer functional nonwoven substrate such as dry and meltspun.

  The carding process uses fibers cut into individual lengths called staple fibers (short fibers). The type of fiber and the properties of the desired final product determine the length and denier of the fiber. Typical staple fibers have a length in the range of 20 mm to 200 mm and a linear density in the range of 1 dpf to 50 dpf (denier per fiber), but staple fibers beyond this range are also used for carding. Carding technology processes these staple fibers into a formed substrate. Staple fibers are typically sold as compressed bales that need to be opened to produce a uniform nonwoven substrate. This unpacking process can be performed by a combination of bale opening, coarse opening, fine opening, or similar methods. Staple fibers are often blended to mix different fiber types and / or improve uniformity. The fibers may be mixed by blending fiber hoppers, bale openers, blending boxes, or similar methods. The unpacked and blended fibers to produce a nonwoven substrate with the desired basis weight uniformity are conveyed to a chute where fibers are deposited across the width of the card at a practically uniform density. The card comprises a series of parallel rollers and / or a fixed plate covered with a specific geometric metal cloth, a hard serrated wire, between which the staple fibers are processed. Carding occurs when a fiber tuft is carried between two surface contacts having differential surface velocities and opposing angular directions on a metal cloth. The card may have a single main cylinder or multiple cylinders for carding. The card may have a single doffer or multiple doffers to remove carded fibers, and the card reduces the isotropic orientation of individual fibers in the web. May include a randomizing roller or a condenser roller. The carding process may include a single card or a plurality of cards aligned with each other, where the fibers of the subsequent card are deposited on the fibers from the previous card, for example, Multiple layers of different fiber compositions can be formed. The orientation of these cards may be parallel to downstream operations or perpendicular to downstream operations by turning or cross-lapping.

  The airlaid process also uses discrete lengths of fibers, which are often shorter than the staple fibers used in carding. The length of the fiber used for air laying is typically in the range of 2 mm to 20 mm, although lengths beyond this range can also be used. The particles may also be deposited on the fibrous structure during the air laying process. Some fibers for air laying may be prepared in the same way as carding, ie unpacking and blending. Other fibers, such as pulp, can use a crusher such as a hammer mill or disk mill to individualize the fibers. Various fibers may be blended to improve the uniformity of the properties of the finished nonwoven substrate. The air-laying forming device mixes outside air and fibers and / or particles, and entrains the fibers and / or particles in the airflow. After entrainment, the fibers and / or particles are collected as a loose web on a moving perforated surface, such as a wire mesh conveyor belt. The air laying process may include a single air laying forming device or a plurality of air laying forming devices aligned with each other, wherein the fibers and / or particles of a subsequent air laying forming device are those of the preceding air laying forming device. Deposited on the fibers and / or particles, thereby allowing the production of multilayer nonwoven substrates.

  Wet nonwovens are manufactured with a modified papermaking process and typically use fibers in the range of 2 mm to 20 mm, although lengths beyond this range are also used. Some fibers for wetlaying may be prepared in the same way as carding, ie unpacking and blending as described above. Other fibers, such as pulp, can use a crusher such as a hammer mill or disk mill to individualize the fibers. The fibers are suspended in water, possibly together with other additives such as binders, and this slurry is typically added to the headbox from which it flows to the wet forming apparatus and flows into the material. Form a sheet. After the initial water removal, the web is combined and dried.

Bonding The nonwoven substrate may be bonded (linked) by thermal, mechanical, or chemical methods. In a nonwoven fabric substrate made of a cellulosic material, the nonwoven fabric substrate may be hydrogen bonded. Bonding is typically done along the molding process, but may be done off-line as well. Thermal bonding includes calender bonding with flat and / or typed rolls and thru-air bonding with flat belt and / or drum surfaces. Mechanical bonding includes needlepunching, stitchbonding, and hydroentangling (also known as spunlacing). Chemical bonding involves the application of adhesive, latex, and / or solvent to the fiber by spraying, printing, foaming or saturation, followed by drying to produce a useful nonwoven substrate with sufficient integrity. . Other post-processes such as printing or coating may also be performed next. The nonwoven substrate is then rolled into rolls, cut / unwound, packaged, shipped for further processing, and / or converted into a final product.

Fiber and Filament Composition In various embodiments, the nonwoven structured synthetic fibers include, for example, polyesters including PET, PTT, PBT, and polylactic acid (PLA), and alkyd resins, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), And polyolefins including polybutylene (PB), olefin copolymers derived from ethylene and propylene, thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) and styrene block copolymers (linear and radial diblock and triblock copolymers by various types of Kraton) , Polystyrene, polyamide, PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) and, for example, PHB (polyhydroxybutyrate), and starch-based compositions including thermoplastic starch Good. The components of the fiber may be derived from biological sources such as plant bodies such as PLA or “Bio PE”. The aforementioned polymers may be used as homopolymers, copolymers, blends, and alloys thereof. In various embodiments, non-woven structured natural fibers include, but are not limited to, hardwood (derived from deciduous trees) or cotton, esparto grass, including digested cellulose fibers from softwood (derived from softwood), rayon and cotton. It may consist of bagasse, kemp, flax, jute, kenaf, sisal and other fibers from lignaceous and cellulose fiber sources. The fibers may include other components for color, strength, stability over time, odor control, or other purposes, such as titanium dioxide, which reduces gloss and improves opacity.

  A wide variety of mass-produced absorbent articles and merchandise employ nonwoven substrates such as SMS substrates in their manufacture. One of the largest users of these nonwoven substrates is the disposable diaper industry, the wipes industry, the cleaning substrate industry, and the feminine care products industry.

  The following description generally describes a suitable absorbent core, topsheet or liquid permeable layer, and backsheet or liquid impervious that can be used in an absorbent article. The absorbent core may be located at least partially or completely in between the liquid permeable layer and the liquid impermeable layer. Other products such as sanitary napkins, cleaning substrates, and wipes are also within the scope of the present disclosure as described below.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of an absorbent article 10 that may have the nonwoven fabric substrate of the present disclosure as its component. The absorbent article 10 is in a flat, unshrinked state (ie, its elastically incorporated shrinkage has been removed for illustration) and to more clearly show the configuration of the absorbent article 10. A part of is cut out and illustrated. In FIG. 1, a portion of the absorbent article 10 that does not face the wearer (ie, the garment facing surface) is oriented toward the viewer. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the absorbent article 10 of FIG. 1 in a partially contracted state. As shown in FIG. 1, the absorbent article 10 includes a liquid permeable top sheet 20, a liquid impermeable back sheet 30 joined to the top sheet 20, and at least partially between the top sheet 20 and the back sheet 30. Or it may include an absorbent core 40 positioned generally. The absorbent core 40 has an outer surface (or a garment-facing surface) 42, an inner surface (or a wearer-facing surface) 44, a side edge 46, and a waist edge 48. In the embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may include a gasketing barrier cuff 50 and a longitudinal barrier cuff 51. In some embodiments, the longitudinal barrier cuff 51 may extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal central axis 59. For example, the longitudinal barrier cuff 51 may extend substantially between the two end edges 57. Absorbent article 10 may include an elastic waist mechanism labeled multiple times as 60, and a fastening system generally labeled multiple times as 70.

  In an embodiment, the absorbent article 10 includes an outer surface 52 (a garment facing surface), an inner surface 54 (a surface facing the wearer) opposite the outer surface 52, a first waist region 56, a second waist region. 58 and a perimeter 53 defined by the longitudinal edge 55 and the edge 57. (Those skilled in the art understand that an absorbent article such as a diaper is usually described in this application in terms of having a pair of waist regions and a crotch region between the waist regions for brevity of terminology. While the absorbent article 10 is described as having only a waist region with a portion of the absorbent article typically represented as part of the crotch region). The inner surface 54 of the absorbent article 10 includes that portion of the absorbent article 10 that is positioned adjacent to the wearer's body during use (ie, the inner surface 54 is generally joined to the topsheet 20 and the topsheet 20). Formed by at least some of the other components that can be). The outer surface 52 comprises that portion of the absorbent article 10 that is positioned away from the wearer's body (ie, the outer surface 52 is generally at least a portion of the backsheet 30 and other components that can be joined to the backsheet 30. Formed by). The first waist region 56 and the second waist region 58 each extend from the end edge 57 of the periphery 53 to the lateral center line (cross-sectional line 3-3) of the absorbent article 10.

  FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an absorbent article 10 (having a deflated elastic band) including a pair of longitudinal barrier cuffs 51 according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view along line 3-3 in FIG.

  In embodiments, the absorbent core 40 may take any size or shape that is compatible with the absorbent article 10. In embodiments, portions of absorbent core 40 may be made from one or more nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the absorbent article 10 has an asymmetrically deformed T-shaped absorbent that has a narrowed portion at the side edge 46 in the first waist region 56 but maintains a substantially rectangular shape in the second waist region 58. May have an adhesive core assembly 40. The absorbent core may also have any other suitable shape, such as a rectangle. A wide variety of absorbent core configurations are generally well known in the art. The absorbent core 40 includes a core cover 41 (shown in FIG. 3 and described in more detail below), and a nonwoven dusting layer 41 ′ disposed between the absorbent core 40 and the backsheet 30. May also be included. In embodiments, the core cover 41 and the nonwoven dusting layer 41 'may be manufactured from one or more nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure.

  The core 40 may be a C-shaped core or other suitable core configuration. In a core surrounded by a C shape, the core cover 41 may at least partially wrap around the dusting layer 41 'and vice versa, thereby enclosing the core 40 and soaking in body fluids Prevents, or at least prevents, the contents from exiting the core 40 after being done. In embodiments, the core may comprise at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95% or 100% by weight of the superabsorbent polymer.

  In an embodiment, the topsheet 20 of the absorbent article 10 may include a hydrophilic material that facilitates rapid movement of fluid (eg, urine, menstrual blood, and / or liquid feces) through the topsheet 20. Good. The topsheet 20 is supple and soft to the touch and can be non-irritating to the wearer's skin. Furthermore, the topsheet 20 can be fluid permeable, allowing fluid (eg, menstrual blood, urine, and / or liquid feces) to easily penetrate its thickness. In embodiments, the topsheet 20 can be made of a hydrophilic material, or at least the top surface of the topsheet can move more quickly through the topsheet and enter the absorbent core 40, such that It can be treated to be hydrophilic. This reduces the possibility that bodily excretion or fluid will flow out of the topsheet 20 without being drawn through the topsheet 20 and absorbed by the absorbent core 40. The topsheet 20 can be made hydrophilic, for example, by treating it with a surfactant. In embodiments, the topsheet 20 may be manufactured from one or more nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure.

  In embodiments, the backsheet 30 may be impermeable or at least partially impermeable to fluids, or low surface tension fluids (eg, menstrual blood, urine and / or liquid feces). . The backsheet 30 may be made from a thin plastic film, although other flexible fluid-impermeable materials may be used. The backsheet 30 prevents body exudates absorbed and contained in the absorbent core 40 from wetting articles that contact the absorbent article 10 such as bed sheets, clothing, pajamas, and underwear, or at least Can be blocked. The backsheet 30 may comprise a woven or nonwoven substrate, a polymer film such as a polyethylene or polypropylene thermoplastic film, and / or a composite material such as a film-coated nonwoven material or a film-coated nonwoven laminate. In an embodiment, the backsheet 30 may be a polyethylene film having a thickness of 0.012 mm (0.5 mil) to 0.051 mm (2.0 mils). An exemplary polyethylene film is manufactured under the designation P18-1401 from Clopay Corporation (Cincinnati, Ohio) and under the designation XP-39385 from Tredegar Film Products (Terre Haute, Ind.). The backsheet 30 may be embossed and / or matte finished to provide a more cloth-like appearance. Further, the backsheet 30 allows vapor to escape from the absorbent core of the absorbent article 40 (ie, the backsheet 30 is breathable and has sufficient air permeability) while body exudates are still present in the backsheet 30. Or at least prevent it from passing through. The dimensions of the backsheet 30 can be determined by the dimensions of the absorbent core 40 and the precise absorbent article design selected. In embodiments, the backsheet 30 may be manufactured from one or more nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure.

  Other optional elements of the absorbent article 10 may include a fastening system 70, a stretchable side 82, and a waist mechanism 60. The fastening system 70 is configured to overlap so that the lateral tension is retained around the absorbent article 10 and holds the absorbent article 10 at the wearer, the second waist section 58 of the first waist section 56. Allows bonding to. An exemplary fastening system 70 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,815 issued to Scriptps on July 11, 1989 and 4,894,060 issued on January 16, 1990 to Nestgard. No. 4,946,527 issued to Battrell on August 7, 1990, No. 3,848,594 issued to Buell on November 19, 1974, May 5, 1987 No. 4,662,875 issued to Hirotsu et al. And No. 5,151,092 issued to Buell et al. In certain embodiments, the fastening system 70 may be omitted. In such embodiments, the waist regions 56 and 58 can be joined by the manufacturer of the absorbent article (ie, the end) to form a pant-type diaper having a pre-formed waist opening and leg openings. It is not necessary for the user to operate the diaper to form the waist opening and the leg opening). Pants-type diapers are also commonly called “sealed diapers”, “pre-fastened diapers”, “pull-on diapers”, “training pants”, and “diaper pants”. Suitable pant-type diapers are US Pat. No. 5,246,433, Hasse et al., Issued September 21, 1993, and 5,569,234, Buell et al., Issued October 29, 1996. No. 6, Ashton's 6,120,487 issued September 19, 2000, Johnson et al.'S 6,120,489 issued September 19, 2000, July 10, 1990 No. 4,940,464 issued to Van Gompel et al., Issued on the same day, and No. 5,092,861 issued to Nomura et al. Issued March 3, 1992. In general, the waist regions 56 and 58 may be joined by a permanent or refastenable coupling method.

  In an embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may include one or more longitudinal barrier cuffs 51 that may provide improved containment of fluids and other body exudates. The longitudinal barrier cuff 51 may include one or more nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure. Longitudinal barrier cuff 51 may also be referred to as a leg cuff, barrier leg cuff, longitudinal leg cuff, leg band, side flap, elastic cuff, or “rise” elastic flap. Elasticity may be imparted to the longitudinal barrier cuff 51 by one or more elastic members 63. The elastic member 63 may provide elasticity to the longitudinal barrier cuff 51 and may help maintain the longitudinal barrier cuff 51 in a “rise” position. US Pat. No. 3,860,003 issued to Buell on July 14, 1975, discloses a retractable leg having side flaps and one or more elastic members to provide an elastic leg cuff. A disposable diaper that provides a partial opening is described. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,808,178 and 4,909,803, issued to Aziz et al. On February 28, 1989 and March 20, 1990, respectively, describe the leg region of absorbent article 10. Describes absorbent articles, including “rise” elastic flaps that improve containment. In addition, in some embodiments, one or more longitudinal barrier cuffs 51 can be integral with one or more gasket cuffs 50. Similar to the longitudinal barrier cuff 51, the gasketing cuff 50 may include one or more elastic members 62. The gasketing cuff 50 may include one or more nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure.

  FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the absorbent article 10 of FIG. 1 along line 3-3. FIG. 3 represents one cuff configuration. However, modifications can be made to the cuff configuration without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Although both a gasket cuff 50 and a barrier cuff 51 are shown in FIG. 3, a single cuff configuration can also be implemented. FIG. 3 illustrates a gasket cuff 50 and longitudinal barrier cuff 51 configuration according to one non-limiting embodiment. Both cuffs 50, 51 may share a common nonwoven substrate 65 such as, for example, an SMS nonwoven substrate, an SNS nonwoven substrate, or an SMNS nonwoven substrate. The longitudinal barrier cuff 51 is shown in a single layer configuration and includes a single ply of nonwoven substrate 65 over a substantial portion of the transverse width of the longitudinal barrier cuff 51. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the precise configuration of the nonwoven substrate may be varied in various embodiments.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in certain embodiments of the absorbent article 10, a core cover 41 can be included to provide structural integrity to the absorbent core 40. The core cover 41 can wrap the absorbent core 40 components such as cellulosic materials and absorbent gel materials or superabsorbent polymers, both of which migrate, move or float if there is no physical barrier. There can be a trend. As shown in FIG. 3, the core cover 41 may completely wrap the core 40 or may partially cover the absorbent core 40.

  In certain embodiments, the absorbent article 10 may include an outer cover 31. The outer cover 31 may cover all or substantially all of the outer surface of the absorbent article 10. In some embodiments, the outer cover 31 may be adjacent to the backsheet 30. The outer cover 31 may be bonded to a part of the back sheet 30 to form a laminated structure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a molding machine 1110 used to manufacture the nonwoven substrate 112 of the present disclosure. To make the nonwoven substrate, the molding machine 1110 generates a first beam 1120 for generating first coarse fibers 135 (eg, spunbond fibers), an intermediate fiber 127 (eg, meltblown fibers). An optional second beam 121, a third beam 122 for generating fine fibers 131 (eg, N-fibers), and a fourth beam 123 for generating second coarse fibers 1124 (eg, spunbond fibers). Shown as having. Molding machine 1110, so as to be driven in the direction indicated by the forming belt 1114 Gaya indicia may comprise an endless forming belt 1114 to move around the rollers 1116, 1118. In various embodiments, if an optional second beam 121 is utilized, it can be positioned, for example, intermediate the first beam 1120 and the third beam 122 (as shown), or For example, it can be positioned between the third beam 122 and the fourth beam 123 . To form a nonwoven substrate, the rolls 138 and 140 may form a nip to bond or calendar the fibers in multiple layers. Element 1136 may be a layer of spunbond fibers. Element 128 may be a layer of intermediate fibers, spunbond fibers, or fine fibers. Element 1132 may be a layer of intermediate fibers, spunbond fibers, or fine fibers. Element 1125 may be a layer of spunbond fibers. Each of the fiber layers may be formed such that fibrils extending outward therefrom grow after a predetermined period of time under atmospheric conditions, as described in more detail below.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an SNS nonwoven substrate or SMS nonwoven substrate at a calendar binding site 168, according to an embodiment. Fibrils can grow out of the calendar binding site 168 after a period of time under atmospheric conditions, as described below. Spunbond, intermediate, and fine fibers may be single component or bicomponent or polymer blend types.

  In an embodiment, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the nonwoven substrate 112 may include a first nonwoven layer 125, a second nonwoven layer 132, and a third nonwoven layer 136. The binding site 168 may have a binding region. The second nonwoven fabric layer 132 may be disposed between the first nonwoven fabric layer 125 and the third nonwoven fabric layer 136. Also, the first nonwoven layer 125, the second nonwoven layer 132, and the third nonwoven layer 136 can be intermittently bonded together using any suitable bonding process, such as, for example, a calendaring bonding process. In embodiments, the nonwoven substrate 112 does not include a film. In various embodiments, the nonwoven substrate 112 includes a spunbond layer that can correspond to the first nonwoven layer 125, an N fiber layer or intermediate layer that can correspond to the second nonwoven layer 132, and a third nonwoven layer 136. A second spunbond layer may be included.

  In the embodiment, referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the nonwoven fabric substrate 212 may include a first nonwoven fabric layer 225, a second nonwoven fabric layer 232, a third nonwoven fabric layer 236, and a fourth nonwoven fabric layer 228. A bonding site 268, such as a calendar binding site, is illustrated in the nonwoven substrate 212. The binding site 268 has a binding region. The first non-woven fabric constituent layer 225, the second non-woven fabric constituent layer 232, the third non-woven fabric 236, and the fourth non-woven fabric layer 228 are intermittently bonded to each other using any suitable bonding process such as, for example, a calendering bonding process. Can be done. In an embodiment, the nonwoven substrate 212 does not include a film. In various embodiments, the nonwoven substrate 212 may include a spunbond layer that may correspond to the first nonwoven layer 225, a meltblown layer or fine fiber layer that may correspond to the fourth nonwoven layer 228, and the second nonwoven component layer 232. A fine or N fiber layer or meltblown layer that may correspond and a second spunbond layer that may correspond to the third nonwoven component layer 236 may be included. Other configurations of nonwoven substrates, such as one or more spunbond layers, one or more meltblown or intermediate layers, and / or one or more fine or N fiber layers, are recognized. Are within the scope of this disclosure.

  In embodiments, the nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, SMS, SMMS, SSMMS, SMMSS, SMN, SNS, SMNMS, SMMMNS, SSMMNS, SSNNSS, SSSNSSS, SMSMNNSS, SSMMNNNMS, and other suitable variations. May be formed from a plurality of nonwoven layers composed of various combinations and permutations of a plurality of spunbond, meltblown, and N fiber layers.

  In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 9, the absorbent article may be a sanitary napkin 110. The surface facing the wearer faces the observer in FIG. The sanitary napkin 110 is a liquid permeable topsheet 114, a liquid impermeable or substantially liquid impermeable backsheet 116, and an absorbent disposed at least partially between the topsheet 114 and the backsheet 116. A sex core 118 may be included. The sanitary napkin 110 may also include a wing 120 that extends outwardly with respect to the longitudinal axis 180 of the sanitary napkin 110. The sanitary napkin 110 may also include a transverse axis 190. The blades 120 may be joined to the top sheet 114, the back sheet 116, and / or the absorbent core 118. The sanitary napkin 110 also has a leading edge 122, a trailing edge 124 that faces the leading edge 122 in the longitudinal direction, a first side edge 126, and a second side that faces the first side edge 126 in the longitudinal direction. It may have an edge 128. The longitudinal axis 180 may extend from the midpoint of the leading edge 122 to the midpoint of the trailing edge 124. The lateral axis 190 may extend from the midpoint of the first side edge 126 to the midpoint of the second side edge 128. The sanitary napkin 110 is also provided with any additional features commonly found in sanitary napkins well known in the art, such as a backsheet adhesive for attaching sanitary napkins to underwear. Also good. The nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure may form one or more portions of the sanitary napkin 110, such as the topsheet 114, the backsheet 116, the absorbent core 118, and / or the wings 120.

  In embodiments, the nonwoven substrate may include one or more layers of spunbond fibers “S”, meltblown fibers “M”, and / or fine fibers “N”. The one or more nonwoven layers may comprise fibers, and at least a plurality of fibers, or all or most of the fibers, extend outwardly from the surface or radially outer surface of the fibers or almost outwardly in the radial direction. Including fibrils. In embodiments, the fibrils are from one layer of the nonwoven substrate (in all or some of its fibers), all layers of the nonwoven substrate (in all or some of its fibers), or all of the nonwoven substrates. It may be present in a few layers (all or some of its fibers). In one example, at least one layer of the nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure may have a plurality of or all of the fibers thereof free of fibrils or substantially free of fibrils.

  Scanning electron micrographs of nonwoven substrates having spunbond fibers containing fibrils extending from the surface outwardly or radially outwardly are illustrated in FIGS. FIGS. 10-12 are 22 gsm SMMS nonwoven substrates in which the nonwoven substrate spunbond fibers are formed from a composition comprising about 10% ester lipid glycerol tristearate, based on the weight of the composition. The spunbond layers of the nonwoven substrate each have a basis weight of 10 gsm, while the meltblown layers each have a basis weight of 1 gsm. Although the meltblown layer in FIGS. 10-12 does not have fibers containing fibrils, meltblown fibers (and fine fibers) with fibrils are within the scope of this disclosure. 11 and 12 are further enlarged views of the nonwoven fabric substrate of FIG. FIGS. 13-15 are 14 gsm SM nonwoven substrates in which the nonwoven substrate spunbond fibers are formed from a composition comprising about 10% ester lipid glycerol tristearate, based on the weight of the composition. 14 and 15 are enlarged views of the nonwoven fabric substrate of FIG. The spunbond layer of the nonwoven substrate has a basis weight of 13 gsm and the meltblown layer has a basis weight of 1 gsm. Although the meltblown layers of FIGS. 13-15 do not have fibers containing fibrils, meltblown fibers (and fine fibers) with fibrils are within the scope of this disclosure.

  FIGS. 16-1 FIG. 8 illustrate SEM photographs of cross-sectional views of a SMNS nonwoven substrate in which at least some of the spunbond fibers comprise fibrils. The nonwoven substrate has a total basis weight of 18 gsm. Spunbond fibers containing fibrils are formed from a composition containing 10% glycerol tristearate relative to the weight of the composition. In FIGS. 16-18, the meltblown layer and fine fiber layer do not have fibers containing fibrils, but meltblown and fine fibers with fibrils are within the scope of this disclosure.

Listed below are some exemplary configurations of nonwoven substrates in which multiple fibers include fibrils, or all fibers have one or more layers that include fibrils. The “ ^* ” after the letter indicates that the layer has fibers, where at least some or all of the fibers have fibrils. Some exemplary configurations are as follows: S ^* MS ^* , SM ^* S, S ^* M ^* S, SM ^* S ^* , S ^* M ^* S ^* , S ^* M ^* NS, S ^* M ^* NS ^* , S ^* M ^* N ^* S ^* , SM ^* N ^* S, S ^* MNS ^* , SMN ^* S, S ^* SMNS, S ^* S ^* MNS, S ^* S ^* MNS ^* , S ^* S ^* M ^* NS ^* , S ^* S ^* M ^* N ^* S ^* , S ^* SM ^* NS ^* , S ^* MNMS ^* , S ^* M ^* NMS ^* , SSM ^* N ^* MS, S ^* S ^* M ^* MS, S ^* SM ^* MS and / or S ^* MM ^* S. Any other suitable layer configuration with or without fibrils is also within the scope of this disclosure.

  In some embodiments, it may be desirable for one or more layers comprising fibers comprising fibrils to be disposed on a particular side of the nonwoven substrate or at a particular location within the nonwoven substrate. In an example, the fiber-containing layer comprising the fibrils may be located on the absorbent article wearer-facing side, the garment-facing side, or both, while the nonwoven substrate intermediate layer comprises fibrils. It may or may not contain fibers. In other embodiments, the layer comprising fibers comprising fibrils may be disposed in the intermediate layer of the nonwoven substrate. In still other embodiments, the fibril-containing layers may be alternated through the nonwoven substrate (eg, fibril-containing layers, fibril-free layers, fibrils A layer having fibers comprising). In other embodiments, the layers having fibers containing fibrils may be arranged so that they are in surface contact with each other. The arrangement of the layer comprising fibers containing fibrils may be specific to a particular application. For wipes, the layer or layers of fibers containing the fibrils may be placed on the side of the wipe that comes into contact with the surface or body part to be cleaned, wiped, scraped, or scrubbed. It may be arranged at other positions.

  While the fibrils extend outwardly from the surface of the individual fibers, the fibrils can also be other fibers in the same layer or another layer of the nonwoven substrate, and / or in the same layer or another layer of the nonwoven substrate. The fibers may be drawn (ie, contacted) to the fibrils that are drawn from the inner fibers. An example of this feature is described in FIGS. As the fibrils are stretched between the fibers and / or other fibrils, the nonwoven substrate becomes liquid permeable (e.g., when the fibrils close voids or holes in the nonwoven substrate as they engage other fibers or fibrils). Greater resistance to low surface tension liquid breakthrough). In other words, fibrils that stretch between fibers and / or other fibrils reduce the open area of the nonwoven substrate, thereby increasing liquid barrier properties. In some cases, longer fibrils may contact other fibrils and / or fibers than shorter fibrils.

  In various embodiments, the fibrils are about 0.2 μm to about 40 μm, about 0.5 μm to about 20 μm, about 1 μm to about 15 μm, about 1 μm to about 10 μm, about 1 μm to about 5 μm, about 2.5 μm to about 5 μm. , About 2 μm to about 4 μm, about 2.5 μm to about 3.5 μm, or about 3 μm, specifically, every 0.1 μm step within the range specified above, and specified above All ranges formed by or within the ranges specified above, from the outer surface of the fiber, or from the radially outer surface, to the free end of the fibril (ie, the fibril farthest from the outer surface of the fiber) It may have a length up to the end). The fibrils of the various fibers in one or more nonwoven layers can be the same length or the same length range, substantially the same length or the same length range, or different lengths or different lengths. You may have the range. In an embodiment, the fibers in a layer of a nonwoven substrate such as a spunbond layer may have fibers with fibrils having a first length or length range, and another spunbond layer, meltblown layer Alternatively, the fibers in the second layer of the nonwoven substrate, such as the fine fiber layer, may have fibers having fibrils having a second length or length range. The fibril first and second lengths and / or length ranges may be the same, substantially the same, or different. In embodiments, the first and second lengths and / or length ranges of the fibrils may be smaller or larger in the meltblown layer or fine fiber layer than in the spunbond layer. Further, the first and second lengths and / or length ranges of the fibrils may be smaller or larger in the fine fiber layer as compared to those in the meltblown layer. The fibrils may have a uniform thickness or a variable thickness and may have any suitable cross-sectional shape. One important factor that determines fibril length, thickness, and / or cross-sectional shape is the weight of the composition added to the composition used to form the fibers, as described in more detail below. It is thought that it is the quantity of molten additives such as ester lipids. Equally important is the selection of the bulk polymer composition from which the melt additive is inserted and from which the fibrils exit, and more specifically, the hardness, density, and crystallinity of the bulk polymer matrix in the fiber are factors It is. Another factor is, for example, the composition of molten additives that can continue to grow as fibrils from the surface of certain types of ester lipids and fibers that can more or less easily diffuse through the bulk polymer matrix. Other factors that affect fibril length, thickness, and / or cross-sectional shape are environmental conditions, particularly conditions that are significantly higher or lower than atmospheric conditions. The length of the fibril is measured according to the fibril length measurement test described below.

In various embodiments, the fibrils may have a non-circular cross-sectional shape and may instead be generally oval or nearly rectangular in shape. Therefore, it is useful to describe the cross-sectional size (“thickness” or “width”) of the fibril in terms of the hydraulic diameter. The hydraulic diameter is determined by calculating the cross-sectional area (adopting one-third of the center of the fibril length), multiplying by 4, and dividing by the perimeter of the cross-sectional shape. Hydraulic diameter D _H = 4 ^* area / perimeter length. For fibrils with a circular cross section, the hydraulic diameter is equal to the diameter of the fibrils, and for fibrils with a rectangular cross section, the hydraulic diameter is D _H = 4 ^* L ^* W / (2 ^* L + 2 ^* W), L And W are the rectangular sides of the cross section, and fibrils having cross-sectional dimensions of 300 nm (W) and 1500 nm (L) have a hydraulic diameter of 500 nm. The approximate value of the circumference of other cross-sectional shapes can be calculated by a well-known mathematical formula.

  In various embodiments, the fibrils have an average hydraulic diameter (ie, cross-sectional thickness) of about 50 nm to about 1100 nm, about 100 nm to about 800 nm, about 200 nm to about 800 nm, about 300 nm to about 800 nm, about 500 nm to about 800 nm. , In the range of about 100 nm to about 500 nm, or about 600 nm, specifically every 1 nm step within the range specified above, and within the range specified above or by the range specified above It may be within the entire range formed. The hydraulic diameter of individual fibrils may be constant, substantially constant or variable with respect to the length of the fibrils. In an embodiment, the fibril hydraulic diameter may decrease with respect to the fibril length (from the beginning of the fibril to its most distal end). In embodiments, the fibers in a layer of nonwoven substrate such as a spunbond layer may comprise fibers having fibrils having a first average hydraulic diameter or a range of average hydraulic diameters, such as a meltblown layer or a fine fiber layer. The fibers in the second layer of the nonwoven substrate such as may have fibers with fibrils having a second average hydraulic diameter or a range of average hydraulic diameters. The fibril first and second average hydraulic diameters and / or ranges of average hydraulic diameters may be the same, substantially the same, or different. In embodiments, the first and second average hydraulic diameter and / or range of average hydraulic diameter of the fibrils is less in the meltblown layer or fine fiber layer than in the one or more spunbond layers. It may be large or the same. Further, the first and second average hydraulic diameter and / or range of average hydraulic diameter of the fibrils may be smaller, larger or the same in the fine fiber layer as compared to that in the meltblown layer.

  In embodiments, the nonwoven substrate may have binding sites such as the binding sites 168, 268 described above with reference to FIGS. Each binding site may have a binding region. FIG. 19 illustrates a SEM photograph at 200 × magnification of fibrils grown from a portion of the bond sites in the bond region after the bond sites were created in the nonwoven substrate. This photograph was taken at least 100 hours after the binding site (eg, calendar binding) was formed in the nonwoven substrate. The nonwoven substrate of FIG. 19 was an SM nonwoven substrate, and the spunbond fibers of the nonwoven substrate were formed from a composition containing 10% ester lipid glycerol tristearate, based on the weight of the composition. Although the meltblown layer in FIG. 19 does not include fibers with fibrils, meltblown fibers (and fine fibers) with fibrils are within the scope of this disclosure. The spunbond layer is 13 gsm while the meltblown layer is 1 gsm. The fibrils may extend outward from the surface of the binding site. In such embodiments, the nonwoven substrate fiber layers are formed and then calendered or otherwise (eg, using rolls 138 and 140 of FIG. 4) followed by Fibrils grew outward from the surface of the binding site from the fibers in one or more layers of the nonwoven substrate. The packages, wrapping materials, and wipes of the present disclosure also include a nonwoven substrate that includes a layer of fibers that includes a bonding site, each bonding site including a bonding region, and the plurality of fibrils outwardly from the surface of the bonding region. Stretch to.

  20-22 are SEM photographs of cross-sectional images taken around a portion of the bonding site of the SMNS nonwoven fabric substrate having a basis weight of 18 gsm. Nonwoven-based spunbond fibers are formed from a composition comprising 10% glycerol tristearate relative to the weight of the composition. At least some of the spunbond fibers contain fibrils. 20-22, the meltblown layer and the fine fiber layer do not have fibers containing fibrils, but meltblown and fine fibers with fibrils are within the scope of the present disclosure.

  In certain embodiments, the composition used to produce a layer of fibers comprising fibrils from which at least some or all fibers extend outwardly is one such as a polyolefin and an ester lipid melt additive. Any of the materials described herein for fiber compositions with the above melt additives or melt additives may be included. The polyolefin may include, for example, polypropylene, polyethylene, or other polyolefins such as polybutylene or polyisobutylene. The melt additive or ester lipid is 2% to 45%, 11% to 35%, 11% to 30%, 11% to 25%, 11% to 20%, 11% to 18% by weight of the composition. %, 11% -15%, 11% -15%, 3%, 5%, 10%, 11%, 12%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, or 40%, Specifically present in the composition in all 0.5% increments within the range specified above, and in all ranges formed by or within the range specified above. It may be. A melt additive suitable for the present disclosure may be a hydrophobic melt additive. Thus, the melt additive can increase the hydrophobicity of the fibers in the fiber layer, especially as the fibrils grow out of the fibers. This is because the layer of fibers in the nonwoven substrate and / or the nonwoven substrate itself, as compared to a nonwoven substrate that does not have at least one layer formed from a composition comprising one or more melt additives On the other hand, it provides an increased low surface tension liquid breakthrough time and higher hydrophobicity. This can also result in better filtration and / or specific capture characteristics when compared to conventional nonwoven substrates.

  The melt additives of the present disclosure, i.e. ester lipids, are 30C to 160C, 40C to 150C, 50C to 140C, 50C to 120C, 50C to 100C, 60C to 80C, 60C. ˜70 ° C., about 60 ° C., about 65 ° C., or about 70 ° C., specifically in every 1 ° C. step within the range specified above, and within the range specified above or specified above. The melting point of the entire range formed by the range. In various embodiments, the melt additive of the present disclosure may have a melting temperature above 30 ° C, above 40 ° C, or above 50 ° C, but below 200 ° C or below 150 ° C. .

  The melt additive used in the composition is a fatty acid derivative such as a fatty acid ester, typically an ester formed from an alcohol having two or more hydroxyl groups and one or more at least 8 carbon atoms, at least 12 It may contain carbon atoms or fatty acids having at least 14 carbon atoms, and there may be groups derived from different fatty acids within one ester compound (referred to herein as fatty acid esters) .

  The fatty acid ester compound may be an ester of an alcohol having two or more or three or more functional hydroxyl groups per alcohol molecule, and all hydroxyl groups form ester bonds with fatty acids (of fatty acids or mixtures thereof). either).

  In embodiments, the alcohol may have three functional hydroxyl groups.

  In embodiments, the one or more melt additives may comprise monoglyceride esters and / or diglyceride esters, and / or triglyceride esters (having groups derived from 1, 2, or 3 fatty acids).

  The fatty acids used to form the ester compound include fatty acid derivatives for the purposes of this disclosure. A mono fatty acid ester, or for example an ammonoglyceride, contains for example a single fatty acid connected to glycerol, a di fatty acid ester, or for example a diglyceride, for example contains two fatty acids connected to glycerol, a tri fatty acid ester, Or, for example, triglycerides include, for example, three fatty acids connected to glycerol. In embodiments, the melt additive may include at least triglyceride esters of fatty acids (ie, the same or different fatty acids).

  The triglyceride ester may have an ester-type glycerol backbone having no non-hydrogen substituent in the glycerol backbone, but the glycerol backbone may also contain other components.

  In an embodiment, the glycerol backbone of the glycerol ester must contain only hydrogen. The glyceride ester may also include polymerized (eg, tri) glyceride esters such as polymerized saturated glyceride esters.

  In fatty acid esters having two or more ester bonds, such as diglycerides or triglycerides, the groups derived from fatty acids may be the same or two or three different fatty acid derived groups.

  The melt additive comprises a mixture of mono, di, and / or tri fatty acid esters (eg, mono, di, and / or triglycerides) esters having the same fatty acid derivative group and / or different fatty acid derivative groups per molecule. You may go out.

  Fatty acids may be derived from plants, animals, and / or synthetic sources. Some fatty acids range from C8 fatty acids to C30 fatty acids, or C12 fatty acids to C22 fatty acids. Suitable vegetable fatty acids typically include unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid. The fatty acid can be arachidecic acid, stearic acid, palmitic acid, myristic acid, myristoleic acid, oleic acid, limoleic acid, linolenic acid, and / or arachidonic acid.

  In another embodiment, a substantially saturated fatty acid may be used, particularly when saturation occurs as a result of hydrogenation of the fatty acid precursor. In embodiments, C18 fatty acids, or octadecanoic acid, or more commonly referred to as stearic acid, may be used to form ester bonds of the fatty acid esters herein. Stearic acid may be derived from several vegetable oils in addition to animal fats and oils. Stearic acid may also be prepared by hydrogenation of vegetable oils such as cottonseed oil. The fatty acid esters herein may include mixed hardened vegetable oil fatty acids, such as those having CAS Registry Number 68334-28-1.

  For the melt additive herein, at least one stearic acid, at least two, or three stearic acids are connected to glycerol to form glycerol tristearate. The melt additive herein can include at least glycerol tristearate.

  In an embodiment, the melt additive may include glycerol tristearate (CAS number 555-43-1), also known as a name such as tristearin or 1,2,3-trioctadecanoyl glycerol. (In the following, the name of glycerol tristearate is used, and in case of doubt the CAS number should be regarded as the primary identifier).

  In embodiments, the fatty acid ester of the melt additive is 500-2000, 650-1200, or 750-1000, specifically all integer increments within the range specified above, and the range specified above. It may have a number average molecular weight of all ranges formed within or by the ranges specified above.

  The melt additive may contain little or no halogen atoms. For example, the melt additive may contain less than 5% by weight (based on the weight of the melt additive), or less than 1% by weight, or less than 0.1% by weight of the melt additive. The melt additive can be substantially halogen free.

  In embodiments, the melt additive may be or include an ester lipid or glycerol tristearate. In various embodiments, the fibrils comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of a melt additive (ie 51% -100%, 51% -99%, 60% -99%, 70% % -95%, 75% -95%, 80% -95%, specifically including all 0.1% increments within the specified range and all of the ranges formed thereby).

  The masterbatch added to the composition from which the fibers of the present disclosure are formed may be the masterbatch disclosed in US Pat. No. 8,026,188 to Mor.

  When the melt additive and polyolefin composition is used to form a fiber layer, the fiber layer may be incorporated into a nonwoven substrate as disclosed in the example of FIG. A nonwoven substrate having one or more layers of fibers having a plurality of fibers from which the fibrils are drawn depends on the concentration of the melt additive in the composition used to form the fibers and how many layers of the fibers of the nonwoven substrate are Depending on whether the fiber containing the melt additive is included, the melt additive may be included in the range of 1% to 35% with respect to the weight of the nonwoven fabric substrate. Other possible melting additives range from 2% to 35%, 5% to 25%, 11% to 35%, 11% to 25%, 11% to 20%, 11% relative to the weight of the nonwoven substrate. ~ 18%, 11% -15%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 15%, or 18%, specifically within the range specified in this paragraph and all ranges formed therein or by it The range may include all 0.5% increments.

  In embodiments, the fibrils may grow out of the fibers under atmospheric conditions after the formation of the post nonwoven substrate (ie, after the process illustrated in FIG. 4). Fibrils may become recognizable using SEM after about 6 hours under atmospheric conditions after forming the post nonwoven substrate. The fibril growth may reach the flat portion after about 50 hours, 75 hours, 100 hours, 200 hours, or 300 hours under atmospheric conditions after the formation of the post nonwoven substrate. The time range of significant fibril growth after the formation of the post nonwoven substrate is 5 hours to 300 hours, 6 hours to 200 hours, 6 hours to 100 hours, 6 hours to 24 hours, 6 hours to 48 hours under atmospheric conditions. Or 6 to 72 hours, specifically formed by every minute within the range specified above, and within the range specified above or by the range specified above. May be in the full range. The time enabling complete fibril growth after the formation of the post-nonwoven base material may be, for example, 12 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, 60 hours, 72 hours, 100 hours, or 200 hours under atmospheric conditions. Good.

  A method of forming an absorbent article having one or more nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure is also provided. The absorbent articles described in the method may be, for example, diapers, training pants, adult incontinence products, and / or sanitary tissue products.

  In an embodiment, a method of forming an absorbent article may include providing one or more nonwoven substrates each including one or more layers of fibers, and a plurality of fibers in one or more layers. Or all fibers include a plurality of fibrils that extend outwardly or radially outwardly from the body and / or surface of the fiber. The fibrils extend outward from at least one third of the longitudinal center of the fiber. Fibrils are composed solely of, or consist essentially of, one or more melt additives such as ester lipids or glycerol tristearate. The method further includes incorporating one or more nonwoven substrates into the absorbent article. In certain embodiments, incorporating includes forming at least a portion of the filmless liquid-impermeable material or backsheet of the absorbent article. In other embodiments, incorporating includes forming at least part of a filmless liquid permeable material or topsheet of the absorbent article. In yet another embodiment, incorporating includes forming a part of the barrier leg cuff or gasket cuff of the absorbent article, or another part of the absorbent article such as a core cover or dusting layer.

  In an embodiment, a method of forming an absorbent article, package, or commodity component or portion thereof may include forming a fiber that is used to produce a first layer of a nonwoven substrate. Often, the fibers in the first layer are produced from a composition comprising a thermoplastic polymer and an ester lipid such as glycerol tristearate. The method may include forming a fiber that is used to produce a second layer of a nonwoven substrate. The fibers of the second layer may or may not be formed from a composition comprising an ester lipid such as glycerol tristearate, but may comprise at least a thermoplastic polymer. In embodiments, the first layer may include spunbond fibers or meltblown fibers and the second layer may include spunbond fibers, meltblown fibers, or fine fibers. The method further combines the first and second layers to allow the fibrils to grow from at least some of the fibers after a predetermined time (eg, 6 hours to 100 hours or 24 hours to 300 hours) under atmospheric conditions. Forming a nonwoven substrate may be included. Fibrils can grow at least outside the middle third of the longitudinal length of the fiber. The growth fibril process can occur before or after the bonding process. The bond may be a calendar bond, a mechanical bond, a thermal bond, and / or other bond types well known to those skilled in the art. The method may include forming fibers that are used to produce at least a third layer (ie, a fourth layer, a fifth layer, etc.) of the nonwoven substrate. The fibers of the third layer may or may not be formed from a composition comprising an ester lipid such as glycerol tristearate, but may comprise at least a thermoplastic polymer. The bonding step includes bonding the first, second, and at least third layers to form a nonwoven substrate. The third, fourth, fifth, etc. layers may comprise spunbond fibers, meltblown fibers, and / or fine fibers.

  In another embodiment, a method of forming a component of an absorbent article provides one or more nonwoven substrates each including one or more layers of fibers, and the plurality of fibrils form a post nonwoven substrate formation. It may include allowing the fibers to grow out of at least some or all of the fibers under post-atmospheric conditions and incorporating the nonwoven substrate into one or more components of the absorbent article. The incorporating step can be performed before or after the enabling step. The component may be one or more of a barrier leg cuff, gasket cuff, topsheet or liquid permeable material, backsheet or liquid impermeable material, wing, core cover, dusting layer, or other component. Good. The component may be filmless or may be combined with a film. The time of fibril growth after post nonwoven substrate formation or fiber formation may be at least 12 hours, at least 24 hours, at least 50 hours, at least 75 hours, at least 100 hours, or at least 200 hours.

  In other embodiments, a method of forming an absorbent article includes providing one or more nonwoven substrates comprising one or more layers of fibers and forming the nonwoven substrate after forming the post nonwoven substrate under atmospheric conditions. Specific surface area of at least 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 100%, 200% or more, but less than 400%, 350%, or 300%, and 10% -350%, or 20% -200% , Specifically increasing in all 1% increments within the range specified above, and in all ranges formed by or within the range specified above Enabling fibrils to grow out of one or more of the layers after formation of the post nonwoven substrate under atmospheric conditions; incorporating the nonwoven substrate into part of the absorbent article; May be included. The incorporating step can be performed either before or after the enabling step, or both. The fibers having fibrils may be spunbond fibers, meltblown fibers, and / or fine fibers. The increase in specific surface area after formation of the post nonwoven substrate under atmospheric conditions is at least 6 hours, at least 24 hours, at least 48 hours, at least 60 hours, at least 100 hours, at least 200 hours, but less than 300 hours Specifically, it may be every 1 minute increment within the range specified above.

  In yet another embodiment, a method of forming an absorbent article includes providing one or more nonwoven substrates each including one or more layers of fibers and one specific surface area of the one or more nonwoven substrates. A step allowing at least 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 100%, 200% or 300% increase after post fiber formation under atmospheric conditions of the above fiber layer, A step of incorporating it into the absorbent article. The incorporating step can occur before or after the enabling step.

In embodiments, the nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure may include one or more layers of fibers that include fibrils. The nonwoven substrate of post-fibril growth in an atmosphere ^{conditions, 0.3m 2 / g~7m 2 /g,0.5m 2} / g~5m 2 /g,0.6m 2 /g~3.5m 2 / ^{g, 0.7m 2 / g~3m 2 /g,0.7m} 2 /g~1.5m 2 /g,0.84m 2 /g~3.5m 2 / g, or from 1.15 m ² / g High range specific surface area, specifically all 0.1 m ² / g increments within the range specified above, and all formed within or by the range specified above You may have a specific surface area containing the range of these.

  FIG. 23 shows a conventional nonwoven substrate (various SM and SMN samples without the disclosed ester lipid melt additive compared to the specific surface area of the same nonwoven substrate with the ester lipid melt additive according to the present disclosure. ) Is a graph of specific surface area. The X axis in the drawing represents the specific surface area without fibrils, and the Y axis in the drawing represents the specific surface area with fibrils. The nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure of FIG. 23 is formed from a composition comprising 10% (triangle in the drawing) or 15% (circular in the drawing) of glycerol tristearate relative to the weight of the composition in the spunbond layer of the sample. A conventional nonwoven substrate (diamonds in the drawing) does not contain glycerol tristearate in its fiber composition. A dotted line represents the specific surface area of the conventional nonwoven fabric base material. The calculated specific surface area of a conventional nonwoven substrate without glycerol tristearate is illustrated as a hollow rectangle in the drawing. As can be seen, the specific surface area of the nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure comprising fibers formed from a composition having 10% or 15% glycerol tristearate relative to the weight of the composition of the spunlaid fiber is determined by the composition of the fiber. It is much higher than the specific surface area of conventional nonwoven substrates that do not have glycerol tristearate. The asterisks in the drawing are 13 gsm (lower values in the chart) with 10% to 15% glycerol tristearate relative to the weight of the composition used to form the spunbond fibers, with 1 gsm M and 1 gsm N, respectively. , About 0.67) or 19 gsm (higher values in the chart) of spunbond layers. These samples were not made without the disclosed melt additives of the present invention and are within the expected and predicted specific surface area range of 20% to 100% higher than samples without melt additives. It is shown that there is.

  In an embodiment, the nonwoven fabric substrate of the present disclosure has a ratio of low surface tension liquid breakthrough time (by the following low surface tension liquid breakthrough time test) to basis weight (by the following basis weight test) of 0.35 s. / Gsm to 5.0 s / gsm, 0.37 s / gsm to 5.0 s / gsm, 0.4 s / gsm to 4 s / gsm, 0.35 s / gsm to 15 s / gsm, 0.5 s / gsm to 15 s / gsm 1 s / gsm to 10 s / gsm, 2 s / gsm to 4 s / gsm, greater than 0.37 s / gsm, greater than 0.38 s / gsm, or greater than 0.4 s / gsm, specifically specified above May be all 0.1s / gsm increments within the range and all ranges formed by or within the range specified above. This ratio can be higher when more ester lipid melt additive is present in the nonwoven substrate and lower when there is less ester lipid melt additive in the nonwoven substrate.

  FIG. 24 illustrates a graph of the ratio (seconds / gsm) of low surface tension liquid breakthrough time (seconds) to basis weight (gsm) compared to the basis weight (gsm) of glycerol tristearate in a nonwoven substrate. . The diamonds represent SM or SMS nonwoven substrates, and the rectangles represent SMNS and SMN nonwoven substrates. The samples indicated by the diamonds have the same basis weight for both SM and SMS nonwoven substrate samples. The sample indicated by the rectangle has the same basis weight for both the SMNS and SMS nonwoven substrate samples. The X axis in the figure represents the basis weight of glycerol tristearate in the nonwoven substrate being tested. The Y axis in the drawing represents the ratio (seconds / gsm) of the low surface tension liquid breakthrough time (seconds) to the basis weight (gsm) of the nonwoven substrate being tested. For every 0.5 gsm of glycerol tristearate in the nonwoven substrate, there is a change of at least 30% in the ratio of strikethrough to basis weight. In some cases, there is a change of about 100% in the ratio of the strikethrough basis weight per gsm of glycerol tristearate in the nonwoven substrate.

  In embodiments, the absorbent article may include a nonwoven substrate that includes one or more fiber layers. The fibers may or may not contain fibrils that extend outward from the surface of the fibers. The nonwoven substrate is at least 5%, at least 10%, at least 15%, at least 20%, at least 25%, at least 50%, at least 100% over a predetermined time period after formation of the post nonwoven substrate under atmospheric conditions, A range of at least 200%, at least 300%, or 10% to 300%, 10% to 250%, or 20% to 200%, specifically all 0.5 within the range specified above. The specific surface area may increase in% increments and in all ranges formed by or within the range specified above. The predetermined time period may be greater than 6 hours and less than 200 hours, or greater than 12 hours and less than 120 hours. The predetermined time period after the formation of the post-nonwoven fabric substrate may also be the same as described herein.

While not intending to be bound by any particular theory, FIG. 25 shows the ratio of the nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure having 15% glycerol tristearate relative to the weight of the composition used to produce the spunbond fibers. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary graph of surface area (m ² / g) versus increase in time. In this example, there is no glycerol tristearate in the meltblown or fine fiber. The nonwoven substrate illustrated in FIG. 25 is a 13 gsm SMN nonwoven substrate. Specific surface area increases with post fiber formation and / or post nonwoven substrate formation under atmospheric conditions.

  Referring to FIG. 26, low surface tension fluid liquid strike through time (seconds) is graphed for various nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure. All of the nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure are 13 gsm SMN nonwoven substrates. An asterisk indicates a layer with GTS in the layer. The asterisk following the S layer indicates that spunbond fibers with fibrils are formed from a composition containing about 10% GTS relative to the weight of the composition, while the asterisk following the N layer is nano FIG. 5 shows that the fibers are formed from a composition containing about 1% GTS based on the weight of the composition. As can be seen from FIG. 26, the more glycerol tristearate, and thereby the fibril-containing layer, the longer the low surface tension breakthrough time. For comparison, the strike through time of a conventional 13 gsm SMN nonwoven substrate is also illustrated in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 27, as the ratio of glycerol tristearate to the weight of the composition used to form the fibers increases, the low surface tension liquid breakthrough time in seconds (Y axis) of the nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure. ) Will increase. The sample in FIG. 27 is a 50 gsm spunbond substrate with about 20 micrometers of fibers.

  Referring to FIG. 28, the ratio of glycerol tristearate to the weight of the composition used to form the fibers (X-axis), and the basis weight of the nonwoven substrate, in seconds in the nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure Low surface tension liquid breakthrough time (Y axis) at The sample of FIG. 28 has a spunbond nonwoven substrate having a basis weight of 13 gsm (bottom line in the drawing), a spunbond nonwoven substrate having a basis weight of 16 gsm (middle line in the drawing), and a basis weight of 19 gsm. 1 illustrates a spunbond nonwoven substrate (upper line in the drawing). As can be seen in the graph of FIG. 28, the strike through time increases significantly as the ratio of glycerol tristearate to the weight of the composition used to form the fibers increases and the basis weight of the nonwoven substrate increases.

  Referring to FIG. 29, as the fiber diameter increases, the low surface tension liquid breakthrough time (Y axis) in seconds of the nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure decreases. All samples have 15% glycerol tristearate relative to the weight of the composition used to form the fiber. The sample in FIG. 29 is a 50 gsm spunbond substrate.

  Referring to FIG. 30, when more fine fibers are added to the nonwoven substrate and / or the basis weight of glycerol tristearate in the nonwoven substrate is increased (X axis), the seconds of the nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure Low surface tension liquid breakthrough time (Y-axis) in units increases. The upper line in the graph is a nonwoven substrate with spunbond / meltblown fibers formed from a composition having 10% glycerol tristearate relative to the weight of the composition and 1 gsm fine fibers without glycerol tristearate (SMN) line. The bottom line in the graph is from a non-woven (SM) nonwoven substrate with spunbond / meltblown fibers formed from a composition having 10% glycerol tristearate relative to the weight of the composition. is there. The top line has 1 gsm more basis weight than the bottom line due to the addition of 1 gsm of fine fibers.

  In embodiments, the nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure each include one or more layers comprising a plurality of fibers, and at least some or all of the fibers extend outwardly or radially outwardly from the surface. Including fibrils. The nonwoven substrate may be used in a receiving component in an absorbent article fastening system. The receiving part may be configured to receive a fastening tab of the fastening system 70 or another fastening tab or member. In embodiments, the nonwoven substrate may form all or part of the nonwoven landing area for one or more fastening tabs or members. The fastening tab or member may have a hook (eg, one of a hook and loop fastener) that engages the nonwoven substrate. Due to the increased specific surface area in the nonwoven substrate after the formation of the post nonwoven substrate compared to conventional nonwoven substrates, and due to fibrils, the nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure provides better hook adhesion to the nonwoven substrate. May be. A review of exemplary suitable nonwoven landing area bonding patterns and other nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure can be found in U.S. Patent No. 7,895,718 to Horn et al., 7,789,870 to Horn et al. And US Patent Application No. 13 / 538,140 to Ashraf et al., 13 / 538,177 to Ashraf et al., And 13 / 538,178 to Rane et al.

  When used as a liquid permeable layer (eg, a topsheet), the nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure tend to retain less liquid, liquid BM, or menstrual blood than conventional nonwoven substrates. And thus completely drained into the absorbent core below it, leaving a topsheet that looks and feels more beautiful. Exemplary nonwoven substrates that can be used as the liquid permeable layer may be, for example, a low-density structure without pores, such as a spunlaid structure having a relatively high thickness and porosity, or a porous nonwoven substrate.

  The nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure having at least one layer comprising fibers containing fibrils is softer, harder or has the same softness as a conventional nonwoven substrate and / or It may be configured to be coarser, smoother, or have the same haptic characteristics. The softness, hardness, and / or tactile properties of the nonwoven substrate may vary depending on, for example, the type and amount of ester lipid present in the composition used to form the fiber, and the length of the fibril Good. Softness, hardness, and / or texture can also vary depending on where in the nonwoven substrate one or more layers of fibers with fibrils are placed.

  In certain embodiments, one or more of the nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure are used as a filtration medium, filter, or part thereof for various fluids (ie, liquid (eg, water) or gas (eg, air)). May be. The increased surface area of the fibrils and thereby the fibers may allow better and / or more efficient fluid filtration by filtering out more particulates or undesirable material into the fluid. This can increase the useful life of the filter and / or filtration media. The concentration of ester lipid relative to the weight of the composition used to produce the fibers may be increased to further promote the more efficient filtration and / or filter and / or filter media life.

  In embodiments, the fibrils may have a different color than the growing fiber. Stated another way, the fibrils may have a first color and the growing fiber may have a second color in the non-fibrillar region of the fiber. The first color may be different from the second color (eg, the fibers in the non-fibril region may be white and the fibrils may be blue, or the fibers in the non-fibril region may be light blue and the fibrils will be dark blue. May be) This color variation can be realized by adding a colorant, such as a pigment or dye, to the ester lipid before being mixed into the composition used to form the fiber. As ester lipids grow from the fibers, they have a different color than the growing fibers, thus creating a color contrast between the fibrils and the growing fibers. In an embodiment, a layer of nonwoven substrate comprising fibers comprising fibrils becomes a fibril contrasting color with respect to the original fibers over time (ie, the time period during which the fibrils grow or a portion thereof). It may appear that the color changes due to this. Different layers of fibers may have differently colored fibrils and / or fibers within the same nonwoven substrate. In embodiments, the colorant added to the ester lipid may be soluble in urine, menstrual blood, liquid BM, other body fluids, or other fluids (eg, water). In various embodiments, the dissolved colorant in the fibrils may be used, for example, as a wetness indicator in an absorbent article. The fibers having a different color from the fibrils may be used in any part of a commodity such as a wipe or an absorbent article.

  The nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure may be used to form at least some or all of any suitable commodity. Examples of exemplary products include wet wipes, infant wet wipes, dry wipes, facial wipes, make-up / applied wipes, medical wipes, bandages and bandages , Scrubbing wipes, shop towels, towels, cleaning wipes, sanitary wipes, cleaning substrates such as Swiffer®, and any other wipes and substrates (matched herein) (Referred to as “wiping supplies”). An exemplary wipe 200 is illustrated in FIG. The wipes may be contained in at least one layer of fibers of the nonwoven substrate, for example, as a result of fibrils, with better absorbency, scrubbing ability, particulate capture, particulate retention, dirt attraction, dirt retention, and / or application capacity, etc. Can benefit from fibrils. Fibrils may be formed from ester lipids or other melt additives that may have a waxy feel or texture that can help attract dirt particles or other materials.

  The wipe or one or more nonwoven substrates having the fibrils of the wipe may comprise a composition. The composition may be applied to the fibers of the nonwoven substrate and / or at least partially contained in or applied to the fibrils. The composition may include water, fragrances, soaps, cosmetics, skin care compositions, lotions, polishes, cleaning compositions, other suitable compositions, and / or combinations thereof. The composition may be liquid, semi-liquid, pasty, or solid when applied on and / or to the fibril. When the composition includes moisture, such as water, the wipe has a weight of water relative to the dry weight of the wipe or from 100% to the dry weight of the nonwoven substrate within the wipe. 600%, 150% to 550%, or 200% to 500%, specifically in every 1% increment within the range specified above, and within the range specified above or specified above You may have in all the ranges formed by the range. The nonwoven substrate wipe is at least 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 75% relative to the total weight of the wipe or relative to the total weight of the nonwoven substrate. , 100%, 150%, 200%, 300% or more of the composition weight. Without intending to be bound by any theory, a nonwoven substrate having one or more layers of fibers containing fibrils has better affinity for the composition and / or the ability to retain the composition more than the nonwoven substrate. It is thought to have. Thus, fibrils and non-woven fabric layers containing fibrils are believed to absorb and stably hold higher amounts of the composition as compared to conventional non-woven substrates having no fibrils. In addition, fibrils can better prevent stratification in the stack of multiple wipes during storage and prior to use than conventional nonwoven substrates without fibrils (ie, the top of the stack). Preventing drying of the wipe and wetting of the wipe at the bottom of the deposit).

  In embodiments, at least some fibrils comprising the composition may be removable or separable from the fibers when the wipe is rubbed against a surface such as a surface to be cleaned or a body surface. Fibrils may be separated from the fibers so that the composition can be applied to the surface. Such separation can occur when moved over the surface due to frictional forces applied to the wipe. In an exemplary embodiment, the fibrils containing the composition may be formed into a wipe for applying lotion. When the user moves the wipe over the body surface, the fibrils may separate from the fibers and apply lotion to the body surface. Other examples are also included within this disclosure.

  In embodiments, a nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure that includes one or more layers that include fibers comprising fibrils may improve the acoustic relaxation properties of the nonwoven substrate as compared to conventional nonwoven substrates. This is because fibrils increase their scattering as sound waves pass through the nonwoven substrate. Furthermore, the nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure may have better masking or opacity characteristics than conventional nonwoven substrates. This is because fibrils cause light wave scattering when light waves pass through the nonwoven fabric substrate.

  The nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure may be used as a packaging material or may be used to form at least a portion or all of a package. The package may take any suitable configuration, such as one or more items in the package or other configurations. As used herein, a packaging material is a release liner that covers an adhesive on a sanitary napkin or absorbent article, or is mounted on or attached to a consumer product prior to sale or use. Any other components that are formed together are included even if the components do not form the outer portion of the package. In embodiments, the nonwoven substrate may be used to form at least the outer portion, the inner portion, or other portion of the package. Referring to FIG. 32, the package 300 includes one or more items 302 and may be at least partially formed by the nonwoven substrate 304 of the present disclosure. The product 302 may also have a packaging material formed from the nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure. To illustrate an exemplary item 302 within the package 300, a portion of the package 300 has been cut away in FIG. The hydrophobic nature and low surface tension fluid strike through time of the nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure provide good resistance to moisture lubrication into the package, and therefore the product is dry or substantially dry Provides breathability of the package while keeping Nonwoven substrates may also be combined with other materials such as films to form a package or packaging material. One typical commercial packaging material is a film. The nonwoven substrates of the present disclosure may use no film or less film, thus reducing costs. Nonwoven substrates may also provide softer packaging materials than films.

  In embodiments, the ester lipids in the fibers having the fibrils of the nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure may not include ester lipid droplets. “Esterlipid droplet free” means that the ester lipid (eg, GTS) is substantially homogeneously or homogeneously formed throughout the composition used to form the fibers, and thus from the composition. It is distributed throughout the formed fiber with very fine particles (ie less than 300 nm, less than 200 nm, or less than 100 nm), meaning that it does not form pockets of ester lipids in the fiber. In the cross-sectional view of the fiber containing the ester lipid of the present disclosure, no droplets were seen at a magnification of 8000 using SEM (see, for example, FIG. 34 at a magnification of 8,000). As used herein, a droplet has a minimum dimension of at least 300 nm and, if present, is visible in the SEMS cross section of the fiber at a magnification of 8,000. Furthermore, when the ester lipid is dissolved using the weight loss test described below, the fiber does not leave void volume therein. The void volume, as used herein, has a minimum dimension of 300 nm and can be viewed using a SEM at a magnification of 8,000 times the fiber. The fibers of the present disclosure do not have such droplets and therefore no void volume is formed in the fibers after the weight loss test.

  33 and 34 show cross-sectional views after the fiber weight reduction test is performed (for example, after ester lipids such as GTS are melted in the fiber). The fibers in FIGS. 33 and 34 are 18 gsm SMNS material with about 10% glycerol tristearate, based on the weight of the composition used to form the S layer, and when the N layer is added to the M layer , Having a basis weight of 2 gsm after the GTS is dissolved. As shown, there is no void volume in the fiber due to the substantially uniform or even distribution of the ester lipid within the fiber. The void volume would have been formed in the fiber if there were droplets of ester lipid in the fiber. Since the fibers of the present disclosure are droplet free, there is no void volume in the fibers after the weight loss test.

  Absorbent articles, packages, and commodity components described herein are issued in US Patent Application No. 2007 / 0219521A1, issued Jun. 16, 2011 to Hird et al. US Patent Application No. 2011 / 0139658A1 to Hird et al., US Patent Application No. 2011 / 0139657A1 to Hird et al., Issued June 16, 2011, Hird et al. US Patent Application No. 2011 / 0152812A1 to US Patent Application No. 2011 / 0139662A1 to Hilld et al., Issued June 16, 2011, and US to Hird et al., Issued June 16, 2011 Biologically derived components, as described in patent application 2011 / 0139659A1, at least partially It may comprise. These components include: top sheet nonwoven fabric, back sheet film, back sheet nonwoven fabric, side panel nonwoven fabric, barrier leg cuff nonwoven fabric, superabsorbent material, nonwoven fabric capture layer, core wrap nonwoven fabric, adhesive, fastener hook, and fastener Examples include, but are not limited to, landing zone nonwovens and film bases.

  In embodiments, the disposable absorbent article component, merchandise component, or packaging component separates a biological system content value from about 10% to about 100% using ASTM D6866-10, Method B. In embodiments, ASTM D6866-10, Method B is used to comprise about 25% to about 75%, and in yet another embodiment, about 50% to about 60%.

  To apply the ASTM D6866-10 methodology for quantifying the biological components of any absorbent article component, package component, or product component, the absorbent article component, package component, product component A representative sample must be obtained for testing. In an embodiment, the absorbent article component, package component, or commodity component is crushed into fine particles of less than about 20 mesh using known pulverization methods (eg, Wiley® pulverizer) and randomly A representative sample of suitable mass obtained from the mixed particles.

FIG. 35 is an exemplary graph of mass average fiber diameter (X axis) versus specific surface area (Y axis). The triangles represent the calculated theoretical specific surface areas of various S, SM, SMS, SMNS, and M nonwoven substrate samples without GTS in the fiber. “X” represents the calculated theoretical specific surface area of the nonwoven substrate sample in triangles plus the calculated 20% increment in specific surface area. A 20% increment in this specific surface area indicates that the spunbond fibers are formed from a composition comprising about 10% to about 15% GTS based on the weight of the composition. If the fibers have a mass average fiber diameter of less than 5, these samples do not have a spunbond layer, so about 10% to about 15% GTS is added to the meltblown layer. The diamonds represent samples of various SMN nonwoven substrates with fibers, where some fibers are formed from a composition comprising GTS. The S layer is formed from a composition comprising about 10% to about 15% GTS based on the weight of the composition, and one of the M or N layers is a composition comprising 1% GTS based on the weight of the composition. Formed from things. The squares represent various samples of SMN nonwoven substrates that do not contain any GTS in any fiber. The mass average fiber diameter is described in μm and the specific surface area is described in m ² / g. For mass average fiber diameters greater than 8 um, the specific surface area is about 1.6 m ² / g or more. For mass average fiber diameters greater than 10 um, the specific surface area is about 1.2 m ² / g or greater. For mass average fiber diameters greater than 12 um, the specific surface area is about 0.8 m ² / g or more. In various embodiments, the specific surface area of the fibers of the present disclosure is about 0.5 m ² / g to about 10.0 m ² / g, about 0.7 m ² / g to about 8.0 m ² / g, or even about 0 of .8m ² / g~ about 6.0 m ² / g, even within the range for specifically cite 0.1 m ² / g increment in all ranges formed by the inside or the specific range and Good.

In embodiments, the absorbent article, packaging material, and / or wiping article comprises one or more nonwoven substrates each comprising a plurality of fibers, at least some fibers having a mass average fiber diameter greater than 8 μm and at least one. It may have a specific surface area of .6 m ² / g. In embodiments, the absorbent article, packaging material, and / or wiping article comprises one or more nonwoven substrates each comprising a plurality of fibers, wherein at least some fibers have a mass average fiber diameter greater than 10 μm and at least one. It may have a specific surface area of ² m ² / g. In embodiments, the absorbent article, packaging material, and / or wiping article comprises one or more nonwoven substrates each comprising a plurality of fibers, at least some fibers having a mass average fiber diameter greater than 12 μm and at least 0. It may have a specific surface area of .8 m ² / g. The absorbent article may include a liquid permeable material, a liquid impermeable material, and an absorbent core disposed at least partially between the liquid permeable material and the liquid impermeable material.

  In an embodiment, a product package may include a nonwoven substrate including a layer of fibers. Each of the plurality of fibers may include a plurality of fibrils that extend outward from the surface of the fiber at one-third of the longitudinal center of the fiber. The plurality of fibrils may comprise an ester lipid having a melting point above 35 ° C or above 40 ° C. The plurality of fibers may not contain ester lipid droplets. The nonwoven fabric substrate may not contain a film. The nonwoven substrate may form the outer portion of the package. The plurality of fibrils may consist essentially of ester lipids. The plurality of fibers may be formed from a composition comprising a polyolefin and an ester lipid. The composition may comprise 11% to 35% ester lipids relative to the weight of the composition. The average fibril length from the fiber surface to the free end of the fibril may be in the range of 0.5 μm to 20 μm. The layer of fibers may include spunbond fibers, meltblown fibers, and / or fine fibers. The fibrils may have a first color. The fiber may have a second color in its non-fibrillar region. The first color may be the same as or different from the second color. The fiber layer may include a plurality of bonds, each bond including a bond region. At least some of the fibrils may extend outward from at least one surface of the binding region. The plurality of fibrils may contain glycerol tristearate. The nonwoven fabric substrate may surround a part of the product. The average hydraulic diameter of the fibrils may be in the range of 100 nm to 800 nm. The nonwoven substrate may include a second fiber layer. The fibers of the second fiber layer may be substantially free of fibrils or may contain fibrils. The fiber layer may include spunbond fibers or meltblown fibers, and the second fiber layer may include meltblown fibers or fine fibers.

Test Liquid Surface Tension The liquid surface tension is determined by measuring the force exerted on the platinum Wilhelmy plate at the air-liquid interface. Use a Kruss tensiometer K11 or equivalent (available from Kruss USA (www.kruss.de)). The test is performed in a laboratory environment at 23 ± 2 ° C. and 50 ± 5% relative humidity. The test liquid is placed in the manufacturer's container and the surface tension is recorded with the instrument and its software.

Basis weight test 9.00 cm ² , that is, a piece of a large nonwoven substrate with a width of 1.0 cm and a length of 9.0 cm. Samples may be cut from consumer products such as wipes or absorbent articles, or packaging materials thereof. The sample must be dry and free of other materials such as glue or dust. The sample is conditioned at 23 ° C. (± 2 ° C.), relative humidity of about 50% (± 5%) for 2 hours until equilibrium is reached. The mass of the cut non-woven fabric substrate piece is measured with a scale with an accuracy of up to 0.0001 g. Divide the resulting mass by the sample area to obtain the result in g / m ² (gsm) units. The same procedure is repeated for at least 20 samples from 20 identical consumer products or their packaging materials. If the consumer product or its packaging material is sufficiently large, two or more samples may be obtained from each. An example of a sample is a part of the top sheet of an absorbent article. These same samples and data are used to calculate and record the average basis weight when a local basis weight variation test is performed.

Fiber Diameter and Denier Test Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and image analysis software are used to determine the fiber diameter in a sample of nonwoven substrate. A magnification of 500 to 10,000 times is selected so that the fibers are properly expanded for measurement. The sample is sputtered with gold or palladium compounds to avoid fiber charging and vibration in the electron beam. The fiber diameter is measured manually. Using the mouse and cursor tools, find the edge of a randomly selected fiber and then measure to its other edge across its width (ie, perpendicular to the fiber direction at that point). For non-circular fibers, the cross-sectional area is measured using image analysis software. The effective diameter is then calculated by calculating the diameter as if the measurement area was a circle. A calibrated calibrated image analysis tool provides scaling to obtain actual readings in micrometers (μm). Thus, some fibers are randomly selected across a sample of nonwoven substrate using SEM. At least two samples from the nonwoven substrate are thus cut and tested. For statistical analysis, such measurements are made at least 100 times and then all data is recorded. The recorded data is used to calculate the average (average) fiber diameter, the standard deviation of the fiber diameter, and the median fiber diameter. Another useful statistic is the calculation of the amount of a population of fibers below a certain upper limit. To determine this statistic, the software was programmed to count how many results of fiber diameter were below the upper limit, and that count (divided by the total number of data and multiplied by 100%) Report as a percentage, for example, as a percentage less than 1 micrometer in diameter or less than the upper limit, such as% submicrometer.

When reporting results in denier, the following calculation is performed.
Fiber diameter in denier units = cross-sectional area (m ² units) × density (kg / m ³ units) × 9000 m × 1000 g / kg.

Cross-sectional area, [pi ^* a diameter ^2/4. The density of polypropylene may be taken, for example, at 910 kg / m ³ .

Given the fiber diameter in denier units, the physical circular fiber diameter in meters (or micrometers) is calculated from these relationships. The reverse is also true. Diameter measured individual circular fibers (micrometers) represented by d _i.

  If the fiber has a non-circular cross-section, the fiber diameter measurement is determined as, and set equal to, the hydraulic diameter, as described above.

Low surface tension fluid strike-through time test Using a low surface tension fluid strike-through time test, a sample of a nonwoven substrate where a predetermined amount of low surface tension fluid discharged at a specified rate is placed on a reference absorbent pad Determine the time for complete penetration. By default, this is also referred to as the 32 mN / m low surface tension fluid strikethrough test for reasons of the surface tension of the test fluid, and each test is simply performed on a nonwoven substrate sample placed on top of each other. Perform on two layers.

  In this test, the reference absorbent pad is 5 layers of Ahlstrom grade 989 filter paper (10 cm × 10 cm) and the test fluid is a 32 mN / m low surface tension fluid.

Scope This test is intended to provide a barrier to low surface tension fluids, such as urine and stool combinations or loose stool, for example, to determine the low surface tension fluid breakthrough time performance (in seconds) of a nonwoven substrate. Designed to characterize.

Equipment Lister strike-through tester: This tester is similar to that described in chapter 6 of EDANA ERT 153.0-02, with the following exceptions: The strike-through plate has a length of 10.0 mm and It has a narrow slot with a slot width of 1.2 mm and a star opening of 3 slots with an angle of 60 °. The opening 2000 is illustrated in FIG. This instrument is available from Lenzing Instruments (Austria) and W.C. Available from Fritz Metzger Corp (USA). The unit needs to be set not to time out after 100 seconds.

  Reference absorbent pad: Ahlstrom grade 989 filter paper is used at 10 cm x 10 cm area. The average strike-through time is 3.3 + 0.5 seconds in 5 layers of filter paper using 32 mN / m test fluid and no web sample. Filter paper was purchased from the Empirical Manufacturing Company, Inc. (EMC) (7616 Reinhold Drive Cincinnati, OH 45237).

  Test fluid: 32 mN / m surface tension fluid is prepared with distilled water and 0.42 +/− 0.001 g / L Triton-X 100. Keep all fluids at ambient conditions.

  Electrode-Rinse Solution: 0.9% sodium chloride (CAS 7647-14-5) aqueous solution (9 g NaCl / 1 L distilled water) is used.

Test Procedure—Verify that the surface tension is 32 mN / m +/− 1 mN / m according to the surface tension of the liquid test described herein. Otherwise, recreate the test fluid.
-0.9% NaCl aqueous electrode rinse liquid is prepared.
Confirm that the strikethrough target (3.3 +/− 0.5 seconds) of the reference absorbent pad is met by testing 5 layers with 32 mN / m test fluid as follows:
-Cleanly stack the 5-ply reference absorbent pad on the base plate of the back-through tester.
-Place the back-through plate on 5 plies and make sure the center of the plate is on the center of the paper. Center this assembly under the distribution funnel.
-Make sure that the upper assembly of the strike-through test device is lowered to a preset stop point.
-Make sure the electrode is connected to the timer.
-Turn on the strike-through test device and set the timer to zero.
Use a 5 mL fixed volume pipette and tip to dispense 5 mL of 32 mN / m test fluid into the funnel.
-Open the funnel magnetic valve (eg, by pressing a button on the unit) and drain 5 mL of test fluid. The initial flow of fluid completes the electrical circuit and starts a timer. The timer stops when fluid penetrates the reference absorbent pad and decreases below the level of the through plate electrode.
-Record the time indicated on the electronic timer.
-Remove the test assembly and discard the used reference absorbent pad. Rinse the electrodes with 0.9% NaCl aqueous solution and “prepare” them for the next test. Dry the recess above the electrode and the back of the back-through plate and wipe the lower plate or table surface where the outlet orifice of the distributor and the filter paper are placed.
-Repeat this test procedure at least three times to ensure that the strikethrough target of the reference absorbent pad is met. If the target is not met, it may be out of specs for the reference absorbent pad and should not be used.
-After the reference absorbent pad performance has been verified, the nonwoven substrate sample can be tested.
Cut out the required number of nonwoven substrate samples. For a nonwoven substrate sampled from a roll, the sample is cut into a square sample of size 10 cm × 10 cm. For a nonwoven substrate sampled from a consumer product, the sample is cut into a 15 x 15 mm square sample. The fluid flows from the back-through plate onto the nonwoven substrate sample. Touch only the edge of the nonwoven substrate sample.
-Cleanly stack the 5-ply reference absorbent pad on the base plate of the back-through tester.
-Place the nonwoven substrate sample on 5 layers of filter paper. In this test method, a two-layer nonwoven substrate sample is used. If the nonwoven substrate sample is side-faced (ie, has a different layer configuration based on which side faces in a particular direction), the side towards the wearer (relative to the absorbent product) Look upwards.
-Place the back-through plate on the nonwoven substrate sample and verify that the center of the back-through plate is placed on the center of the nonwoven substrate sample. Center this assembly under the distribution funnel.
-Make sure that the upper assembly of the strike-through test device is lowered to a preset stop point.
-Make sure the electrode is connected to the timer. Turn on the strike-through test device and set the timer to zero.
Start up as described above.
-Repeat this procedure for the required number of nonwoven substrate samples. A minimum of 5 different nonwoven substrate sample samples are required. The average value is 32 mN / m low surface tension breakthrough time in seconds.

Specific surface area The specific surface area of the nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure is determined by continuous saturated vapor pressure (Po) method (according to ASTM D-6556-10) by krypton gas adsorption using Micromeritic ASAP 2420 or equivalent equipment. Determined with Kr-BET gas absorption method including automatic degassing and thermal correction according to Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller principles and calculations. It should be noted that the sample should not be degassed at 300 ° C. as recommended by the method, but instead should be degassed at room temperature. The specific surface area should be reported in m ² / g.

Obtaining a sample of the nonwoven substrate Each surface area measurement is taken from a total of 1 g of the nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure. To obtain 1 g of material, multiple samples from one or more absorbent articles, one or more packages, or one or more wipes, depending on whether the absorbent article, package, or wipe is being tested. You may take The wet wipe sample is dried for 2 hours at 40 ° C. or under light pressure until no fluid leaks from the sample. The sample has no or substantially no adhesive from the absorbent article, package, or wipe (depending on whether the absorbent article, package, or wipe is being tested) Cut from area using scissors. The adhesive then shines under ultraviolet light, so an ultraviolet fluorescence analysis cabinet is used on the sample to detect the presence of the adhesive. Other methods of detecting the presence of adhesive may also be used. In order to keep the sample free of adhesive, the area of the sample that indicates the presence of adhesive is excised from the sample. This allows the sample to be tested using the specific surface area method described above.

Obtaining a sample of a nonwoven barrier cuff Each surface area measurement is generated from a sample of a nonwoven barrier cuff (eg, 50, 51) obtained from an absorbent article to reach a total sample mass of 1 g. The sample is cut with scissors from a barrier cuff in a region that does not directly bond to the absorbent article (eg, region 11 in FIG. 3). Next, since the adhesive shines under ultraviolet light, the presence of the adhesive is detected using an ultraviolet fluorescence analysis cabinet. Other methods of detecting the presence of adhesive may also be used. The area of the sample that indicates the presence of adhesive is excised from the sample so that the sample does not contain adhesive. This allows the sample to be tested using the specific surface area method described above.

Fibril Length Measurement Test 1) Using a software program such as Image J software, calculate the number of pixels within the legend length of the SEM image of the nonwoven substrate using a straight line (ie, length and thick). Measured using a line having no thickness. Record the length of the line and the number of microns corresponding to the legend.
2) Choose a fibril and measure the length from its free end to the end (as far as you can see) that begins to extend from the fiber. Record the length of the line.
3) Obtain the length of the fibrils in microns by dividing this length by the length of the legend in pixels and then multiplying by the length in microns of the legend.

  If the fibril is long and curved, the length of such a fibril is obtained by broken line approximation.

Mass average diameter The mass average diameter of the fiber is calculated as follows.

式中、
サンプル中の繊維は、円形／円筒形であると仮定され、
ｄ_ｉ＝サンプル中のｉ番目の繊維の測定された直径、
∂ｘ＝その直径が測定される繊維の極微長手方向区間、サンプル中の全ての繊維において同一、
ｍ_ｉ＝試料中のｉ番目の繊維の質量、
ｎ＝その直径が測定されるサンプル中の繊維の数、
ρ＝サンプル中の繊維の密度、サンプル中の全ての繊維において同一、
Ｖ_ｉ＝試料中のｉ番目の繊維の体積。

Where
The fibers in the sample are assumed to be circular / cylindrical,
d _i = measured diameter of the i th fiber in the sample,
∂x = microscopic longitudinal section of the fiber whose diameter is measured, the same for all fibers in the sample,
m _i = mass of the i-th fiber in the sample,
n = number of fibers in the sample whose diameter is measured,
ρ = density of fibers in the sample, same for all fibers in the sample,
V _i = volume of the i th fiber in the sample.

  The mass average fiber diameter should be reported in μm.

Weight Loss Test The weight loss test is used to measure the amount of ester lipid (eg, GTS) in the nonwoven substrate of the present disclosure. One or more samples of the nonwoven substrate having the narrowest sample dimension of 1 mm or less are placed in acetone using a reflux flask system at a ratio of 1 g nonwoven substrate sample to 100 g acetone. First, the sample is weighed before being placed in the reflux flask, and then the sample and acetone mixture is heated to 60 ° C. for 20 hours. The sample is then removed and air dried for 60 minutes and the final weight of the sample is measured. The formula for calculating the weight percentage of ester lipid in the sample is as follows:
Weight% ester lipid = ([initial mass of sample−final mass of sample] / [initial mass of sample]) × 100%.

  The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Rather, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm”.

  All documents cited herein, including any patents or patent application documents that are cross-referenced or related, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, unless expressly excluded or limited. Citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention as disclosed herein or described in the claims. No admission is made to teach, suggest or disclose such invention in any combination with any other reference (s). Further, if the meaning or definition of any term in this document contradicts the meaning or definition of any of the same terms in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition given to that term in this document Shall prevail.

  While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, those skilled in the art will recognize that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.

Claims (14)

Comprising a nonwoven substrate comprising a layer of fibers,
Each of the plurality of fibers includes a plurality of fibrils extending outward from the surface of the fiber at the center third in the longitudinal direction of the fiber,
The plurality of fibrils includes an ester lipid;
The ester lipid has a melting point exceeding 35 ° C.
The plurality of fibers do not include droplets of the ester lipid ,
The fibril has a first color;
The fibers from which the fibrils stretch have a second color in the non-fibrillar region;
The first color is a product package different from the second color . The nonwoven substrate does not include a film,
The package of claim 1, wherein the nonwoven substrate forms an outer portion of the package.   The package of claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of fibrils consists essentially of the ester lipid. The plurality of fibers are formed from a composition containing polyolefin and the ester lipid,
The package according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the composition contains 11% to 35% of the ester lipid with respect to the weight of the composition.   The package according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an average length of the fibril from a surface of the fiber to a free end of the fibril is in a range of 0.5 µm to 20 µm.   The package according to claim 1, wherein the fiber layer includes spunbond fibers.   The package according to claim 1, wherein the fiber layer comprises meltblown fibers.   The package according to claim 1, wherein the fiber layer includes fine fibers. The layer of fibers includes a plurality of bonds, each bond including a bond region;
At least some are at least one surface of the coupling region extends outwardly package according to any one of claims 1-8 of the fibrils. The plurality of fibrils comprises glycerol tristearate;
The package according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , wherein the nonwoven fabric substrate surrounds a part of a product. The average hydraulic diameter of the fibrils is in the range of 100Nm～800nm, package of any one of claims 1-10. The nonwoven substrate includes a second fiber layer;
The package according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , wherein the fibers of the second fiber layer are substantially free of fibrils. The nonwoven substrate includes a second fiber layer;
Wherein the fibers of the second fiber layer comprises fibrils, package of any one of claims 1 to 11. The fiber layer comprises spunbond fibers;
14. The package of claim 12 or 13 , wherein the second fiber layer comprises meltblown fibers or fine fibers.

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