KR20150081318A - Absorbent article - Google Patents

Abstract

Absorbent articles improve body exudate treatment. The absorbent article can minimize the amount of body exudates that contact the wearer ' s skin and minimize the extent to which body exudate leaks from the absorbent article.

Description

Absorbent article {ABSORBENT ARTICLE}

The present invention relates generally to absorbent articles that can improve the management of body exudates.

Cross-reference to related application

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 664,921, filed October 31, 2012, and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 665,812, filed October 31, 2012, Bar, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

The primary function of the personal hygiene absorbent article is to absorb and retain body exudates such as urine, secretions, blood, menstruation, as well as the desired additional attributes that cause the exudates to leak less from the absorbent article and make the wearer feel dry. To perform these tasks, the personal hygiene absorbent article generally comprises an absorbent core and a cover surrounding the absorbent core. In general, the cover penetrates the body-facing surface of the absorbent core and the fluid does not penetrate the garment-facing surface of the absorbent core. However, absorbent articles often do not prevent leakage of body exudates. Some body exudates, such as solid secretions and semisolid secretions and menstrual, are less likely to pass through the body facing material of the absorbent article as easily as low viscosity viscous secretions such as urine and tend to diffuse across the surface of the body facing material. Due to the diffusion of such body exudates, body exudates leak from the absorbent article.

Semi-solid secretions such as low viscosity secretions and menstrual fluids that are common in young children can be particularly difficult to include in absorbent articles. These exudates may migrate around the body facing material of the absorbent article due to gravity, movement, pressure by the wearer of the absorbent article. Exudates often move toward the periphery of the absorbent article, increasing the likelihood of staining and leakage of the wearer ' s skin, making skin cleansing difficult. Yet another challenge in containing semisolid secretions, menstrual fluids, as well as other body exudates, is that to efficiently distribute these exudates throughout the absorbent structure of the absorbent article, even if the exudates are minimally migrating over the body opposition material.

In the past, attempts were made to provide body-facing materials to absorbent articles that could solve the above-mentioned problems. One such approach was to use a variety of embossments to create a three-dimensional feature on the body facing surface of the absorbent article. This is somewhat effective, but requires a high basis weight to produce a considerable surface morphology. Also, it is inherent in the embossing process that the embossing loses its starting thickness due to the fact that it is a decaying and bonding process by its nature. Also, in order to "set" the embossing on the nonwoven fabric, it is common to fuse high density areas to create impervious weld points generally in the passageways of the body exudates. Whereby a portion of the area through which the body exudate passes through the material is lost. By "setting " the fabric, the material can also become rigid and robust to touch.

Another option is to form a fibrous web on the three-dimensional forming surface. The resultant structure typically has little elasticity at low basis weights (assuming soft fibers with the desired aesthetic properties are used), and when subjected to a subsequent conversion process with rolls, . This is partially solved by allowing the three-dimensional shape to be filled with fibers in the three-dimensional forming process. This, however, typically results in higher costs due to the use of more materials. This also leads to ductile loss, and as a result, the material becomes aesthetically less attractive in some applications.

Another option was to aperture the fibrous web. Depending on the process, this can produce a web with some three dimensions where a flat two-dimensional web or displaced fibers are pressed away from the plane of the initial web. Typically, the degree of three-dimensionality is limited, and under sufficient load, the displaced fibers can be pressed back to their initial position, so that the opening can be at least partially closed. The annealing process to "set" the fibers displaced out of the plane of the initial web also tends to deteriorate the ductility of the starting web. Another problem with the use of apertured materials is that when the apertured material is incorporated into the final product using an adhesive or the like, due to the open structure of the apertured material, Can easily penetrate from the face to the upper exposed surface, which can lead to unwanted situations such as accumulation of adhesive in the conversion process, or unintended bonding between the layers in the article.

There have also been attempts to assist in distributing body exudates throughout the absorbent structure using the acquisition layer and the fluid transfer layer located between the absorber and the body facing material. This acquisition layer and the fluid transfer layer may distribute some exudates to the body facing surface of the absorber in two dimension levels in the longitudinal and latitudinal directions, but this acquisition layer and the fluid transfer layer are distributed on the side of the absorber or on the garment facing surface There is little benefit to dhe.

There is a need for an absorbent article that can adequately reduce the occurrence of leakage of body exudates from the absorbent article. There is a need for an absorbent article that can improve body exudate management. There is a need for an absorbent article that can minimize the amount of body exudate that contacts the wearer ' s skin. There is a need for an absorbent article that can more effectively distribute body exudates throughout the absorbent structure. There is a need for an absorbent article that can provide physical and emotional comfort to the wearer of the absorbent article.

In one embodiment, the absorbent article may comprise a body facing material comprising a first major surface and a second major surface. The second major surface may be opposite to the first major surface. The absorbent article may comprise a liquid impermeable outer cover and an absorbent body. The absorbent body may include a body facing surface, a garment facing surface, a first longitudinal side edge, and a second longitudinal side edge. The second longitudinal side edge may be opposite the first longitudinal side edge. Wherein the body facing material is at least partially wrapped around the absorbent body such that the body facing material is located on at least a portion of the body facing surface of the absorbent body and is disposed around at least one of the first longitudinal side edge and the second longitudinal side edge of the absorbent body And extend under at least one of the garment facing surfaces of the absorbent body. At least a portion of the body facing material extending below the garment facing surface of the absorbent body may contact the body facing surface of the liquid impervious outer cover.

In another embodiment, the absorbent article may comprise a body facing material comprising a first major surface and a second major surface. The second major surface may be opposite to the first major surface and a plurality of protrusions may extend from one of the first major surface and the second major surface. The absorbent article may comprise a liquid impermeable outer cover and an absorbent body. The absorbent body may include a body facing surface, a garment facing surface, a first longitudinal side edge, and a second longitudinal side edge. The second longitudinal side edge may be opposite the first longitudinal side edge. Wherein the body facing material is at least partially wrapped around the absorbent body such that the body facing material is located on at least a portion of the body facing surface of the absorbent body and surrounds at least one of the first longitudinal side edge and the second longitudinal side edge of the absorbent body And extend under at least one of the garment facing surfaces of the absorbent body.

In another embodiment, the absorbent article can include a body facing material, a liquid impermeable outer cover, an absorbent body, and a first fluid transfer layer. The absorbent body may include a body facing surface, a garment facing surface, a first longitudinal side edge, and a second longitudinal side edge. The absorber may be disposed between the body facing material and the outer cover. The first fluid transfer layer may include a first major surface, a second major surface, and a plurality of protrusions extending from one of the first major surface and the second major surface. The first major surface may be opposite to the second major surface. The first fluid transfer layer at least partially packing the absorbent body such that the first fluid transfer layer is positioned over at least a first portion of a body facing surface of the absorbent body and extends about a first longitudinal side edge of the absorbent body May extend under at least a first portion of the garment facing surface of the absorbent body.

1 is a side view illustrating one embodiment of an absorbent article;
Figure 2 is a top view of an embodiment of an absorbent article that is cut in part to clarify;
3 is an exploded cross-sectional view of one embodiment of an absorbent article.
4 is an exploded cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the absorbent article.
5 is an exploded cross-sectional view of another embodiment of an absorbent article.
6 is an exploded cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the absorbent article.
7 is a perspective cross-sectional view of another embodiment of an absorbent article.
8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 8-8 in Fig.
Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 8, but showing an alternative embodiment.
10 is a perspective cross-sectional view of another embodiment of an absorbent article.
11 is an exploded cross-sectional view taken along the line 11-11 in Fig.
Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 11, but showing an alternative embodiment.
FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing an exemplary bonding of components of an absorbent article similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 12 wherein the absorbent article is hourglass shaped and the third fluid transfer layer is removed for clarity.
14A is an exploded perspective view showing an exemplary bonding of the components of an exemplary absorbent article similar to the absorbent article shown in FIG. 12, wherein the absorbent article includes a plurality of holes, The fluid transfer layer is removed.
14B is an exploded perspective view showing another exemplary bonding of the components of an exemplary absorbent article similar to the absorbent article shown in FIG. 14A, wherein the secondary liner includes a plurality of apertures, And the third fluid transfer layer is removed.
Figure 15 is an exploded perspective view showing an exemplary bonding of the components of the absorbent article similar to the exemplary embodiment shown in Figures 7 and 8 wherein the spacer layer faces the garment facing side of the absorbent article Is located.
16A is an exploded perspective view showing another exemplary bonding of the components of an exemplary absorbent article similar to the absorbent article shown in FIG.
16B is an exploded perspective view showing yet another exemplary connection of the components of an exemplary absorbent article similar to the absorbent article shown in FIG.
Figure 17 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a body facing material.
18 is a cross-sectional view of the body facing material of Fig. 17 taken along line 18-18. Fig.
FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the body facing material of FIG. 17 taken along line 18-18 of FIG. 17, showing the direction of movement of the fibers within the body facing material due to the fluid entangling process;
Figure 20 is a micrograph showing the fluid entangled body facing material at 45 degrees.
20A and 20B are photomicrographs showing cross sections of body facing materials.
21A is a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a protruding layer of body facing material in which the two protrusions are partially aligned with each other.
Figure 21B is a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a protruding layer of body facing material in which the two protrusions are completely aligned with each other.
Figure 21c is a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a protruding layer of body facing material in which the two protrusions are not aligned with each other at all.
Figure 22 is a schematic side view of an apparatus and process for forming a fluid entangled body facing material.
22A is an exploded view of a representative portion of a protruding portion forming surface;
23 is a schematic side view of an alternative embodiment of an apparatus and process for forming a fluid entangled body facing material.
24 is a schematic side view of an alternative embodiment of an apparatus and process for forming a fluid entangled body facing material. The apparatus and process illustrated in FIG. 24 are modifications of the apparatus and process illustrated in FIG. 23, as well as the subsequent FIGS. 25 and 27.
Figure 25 is a schematic side view of an alternative embodiment of an apparatus and process for forming a fluid entangled body facing material.
Figure 26 is a schematic side view of an alternative embodiment of an apparatus and process for forming a fluid entangled body facing material.
Figure 27 is a schematic side view of an alternative embodiment of an apparatus and process for forming a fluid entangled body facing material.
28 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an absorbent article.
29 is a plan view of one embodiment of an absorbent article.
Figure 30 is a perspective view illustrating the setting of the imaging system used to determine the percent open area.
31 is a perspective view showing an exemplary setting of the imaging system used to determine the projection height;
32 is a graph showing the fabric thickness as a function of the overfeed ratio of the protruding layer to the forming process.
Figure 33 is a graph showing the fabric elongation at 10 N load as a function of the excess feed rate of the protruding layer to the forming process for body facing material and unsupported protruding layer.
34 is a graph showing the Newton's load per 50 mm width as a function of percent elongation comparing the body facing material with the unsupported protrusion layer.
35 is a graph illustrating the Newton's load per 50 mm width as a function of percentage elongation for a series of body facing materials while varying the excess feed rate.
Figure 36 is a graph illustrating the Newton's load per 50 mm width as a function of percentage elongation for a series of 45 gsm protruding layers, varying the excess feed rate.
Figure 37 is a micrograph in plan view of a sample designated by code 3-6 in Table 1 of the specification.
Figure 37a is a micrograph of a sample taken at a 45 degree angle, designated as code 3-6 in Table 1 of the specification.
Figure 38 is a micrograph in plan view of the sample designated as code 5-3 in Table 1 of the specification.
38A is a micrograph of a sample taken at a 45 degree angle, designated as code 5-3 in Table 1 of the specification.
39 is a photomicrograph showing the juxtaposition of a portion of the body-facing material when the support layer supporting the protruding layer is treated simultaneously and untreated in the same device.
40 is a perspective view illustrating setting of a digital thickness gauge;
41 is a side view illustrating the setting of the injection device;
42 is a perspective view illustrating the setting of the injection device of FIG. 41;
FIG. 43 is a perspective view illustrating the setting of the image system; FIG.
44 is a plan view illustrating setting of a vacuum box;
Figure 45 is a side view illustrating the vacuum box of Figure 44;
FIG. 46 is a rear view illustrating the vacuum box of FIG. 44; FIG.
47 is a graph showing the diffusion area of a secretory simulant on various absorbent composites;
Figure 48 is a graph showing the diffusion area of the secretory mock material on the various absorbent composites.
49 is a graph showing the diffusion area of the secretory mock material on the various absorbent composites.
Figure 50 is a graph showing the residual amount of secretory material on various absorbent composites.
51 is a graph showing the residual amount of secretory material on various absorbent composites.
52 is a graph showing the residual amount of secretory material on various absorbent composites;
Figure 53 is a graph showing the residual amount of secretory material on various absorbent composites.
54 is a graph depicting the compressive stress versus thickness for protruding layer and two body facing materials not supported under one-cycle loading and unloading;
55 is a graph showing the load (N / 25 mm) versus percentage elongation for the unsupported protruding layer and two body facing materials.
56 is a plan view of one embodiment of a rate block;
56A is a cross-sectional view of the rate block of FIG. 56;

In one embodiment, the present invention is generally directed to an absorbent article that can improve the management of body exudates. In one embodiment, the present invention is generally directed to an absorbent article having a body-facing material that can have hollow protrusions extending from the surface of the body-facing material. Without being bound by theory, it is possible to obtain a number of attributes by providing hollow protrusions to the body facing material. First, by providing the hollow protrusions in the body facing material, the body facing material can have a greater degree of thickness while minimizing the amount of material used. By increasing the thickness of the body facing material, it is possible to improve the skin separation of the wearer from the absorbent article of the absorbent article, thereby improving the dry skin possibility. By providing the protrusions, it is possible to create between the protrusions surface regions that are able to absorb the body exudate by the absorbent article while temporarily separating the body exudates from the high points of the protrusions. Thus, by providing protrusions, skin contact with body exudates can be reduced and better skin benefits can be provided. Second, by providing the protrusions, the diffusion of body exudates on the body facing material of the absorbent article can be reduced, and the skin can be less exposed to contamination. Third, by reducing overall skin contact, body facing materials with protrusions can provide a softer feel to the contacted skin, thereby improving the contact aesthetics of the body facing material and the absorbent article. Fourth, when materials having protrusions are used as bodily-facing materials for the absorbent article, the bodily-facing material may also serve as a detergent aid when the absorbent article is removed from the wearer. In addition, in some embodiments, the body facing material extends below at least a portion of the garment facing surface of the absorbent body to improve dispensing of body exudates to the absorbent body.

Justice

The term "absorbent article" is used herein to refer to an article that can absorb and contain a variety of liquids, solids, and semi-solid discharges from the body that are placed against or proximate to (or adjacent to) . Such an absorbent article, as described herein, is not laundered for reuse or otherwise restored, but discarded after a limited period of use. The present invention includes feminine hygiene products, incontinence products, medical apparel, surgical pads and bandages, and other personal hygiene or health care apparel including diapers, training pants, youth pants, swimming panties, etc. without departing from the scope of the present invention It should be understood, however, that the invention is applicable to a variety of disposable absorbent articles, including but not limited to.

The term "acquisition layer" is used herein to refer to a liquid exudate of the body to slow down and diffuse the discharge or spillage of liquid exudates of the body, and subsequently to release liquid exudates of the body into other layers or layers of the absorbent article. Refers to a layer that can be accommodated and temporarily retained.

 The term "bonded " is used herein to denote bonding, bonding, bonding, attachment, etc. of two elements. The two elements are considered to be joined together if they are indirectly bonded together, such as when they are directly bonded, bonded, connected, adhered, etc., or when each is directly bonded to the intermediate elements.

"Carded web " refers herein to a web comprising natural or synthetic primary length fibers, typically having a fiber length of less than about 100 mm. The stack of primary fibers may be subjected to an opening process to separate the fibers and then these fibers may be separated and corbined to align the fibers in a machine direction and then the fibers may be carded ) Process. Such webs typically undergo some type of bonding process, such as thermal bonding using heat and / or pressure. Alternatively, or instead, the fibers may be subjected to a bonding process that bonds the fibers together using a powder adhesive or the like. Carded webs may undergo fluid entanglement, such as hydroentangling, to further tighten the fibers to improve the integrity of the carded web. The carded web, once bonded, typically has a machine direction strength that is greater than the cross-machine direction strength, due to fiber alignment in the machine direction.

 The term "film " refers herein to a thermoplastic film produced using an extrusion and / or molding process, such as a cast film or blown film extrusion process. The term includes apertured films, slit films, and other porous films that constitute liquid transfer films as well as films that do not transfer fluids including barrier films, filled films, breathable films, and orientation films, But are not limited to these examples.

The terms "fluid entangling " and" fluid entangled ", as used herein, are intended to encompass a wide variety of materials, materials, fibers, Thereby making separation of the individual fibers and / or layers more difficult as a result of entanglement. This is generally accomplished by supporting a fibrous nonwoven web on the carrier surface or with a given type of formation having at least a certain degree of permeability to the pressurized fluid to which it exerts an effect. The pressurized fluid stream (generally a plurality of streams) can then be directed to the surface of the nonwoven web opposite the support surface of the nonwoven web. The pressurized fluid is in contact with the fibers to direct some of the fibers in the direction of fluid flow, thereby displacing some or all of the plurality of fibers toward the support surface of the nonwoven web. As a result, the fibers become more entangled in the so-called Z direction of the web (thickness of the web) with respect to the X-Y plane, which is a plane dimension of the web. When two or more individual webs or other layers are placed adjacent to one another on a forming / carrier surface to undergo a pressurized fluid, the preferred result is that some of the fibers of at least one of the webs To cause fiber entanglement between the interfaces of the two surfaces, resulting in the joining or bonding of the webs / layers by increasing the entanglement of the fibers. The degree of splicing or entanglement depends on the type of fiber used, the fiber length, the pre-bonding or entanglement of the web or webs prior to the fluid entanglement process, the type of fluid used (liquids such as water, But not limited to, the number of parameters, including, for example, the pressure of the fluid, the pressure of the fluid, the number of fluid streams, the process rate, the residence time of the fluid and the porosity of the web or webs / . One of the most common fluid entangling processes is referred to as hydroentangling, a process known to those of ordinary skill in the nonwoven web. Examples of fluid entangling processes can be found in U.S. Patent No. 4,939,016 to Radwanski et al., U.S. Patent No. 3,485,706 to Evans et al., And U.S. Patent No. 4,970,104 to Radwanski et al., U.S. Patent 4,959,531, Which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The term "g / cc" refers herein to grams per cubic centimeter.

The term "gsm " refers herein to grams per square meter.

The term "hydrophilic " refers herein to the surface of a fiber or fiber that is wetted by an aqueous liquid in contact with the fiber. Thus, the degree of wetting of a material can be described in terms of the contact angle and surface tension of the associated liquid and material. Appropriate equipment and techniques for measuring the wettability of certain fibrous materials or mixtures of fibrous materials may be provided by a Cahn SFA-222 Surface Force Analyzer System or a substantially equivalent system. When measured by this system, fibers having a contact angle of less than 90 are designated as being "wettable" or hydrophilic, and fibers having a contact angle greater than 90 are designated as "non-wetting" or hydrophobic.

The term "liquid impermeable" as used herein refers to a layer in which liquid exudates of the body, such as urine, do not pass through the layer or laminate in the direction generally perpendicular to the plane of the layer or laminate Or a multi-layer laminate.

The term "liquid permeable" refers to any material that is not liquid impermeable herein.

The term "meltblown " refers to a thermoplastic material that melts through a plurality of fine, generally circular, die capillaries, as a thread or filament in this application, to reduce its diameter, which can be microfiber diameter Into a stream of converging fast heating gas (e. G., Air) that tapers the filaments of the molten thermoplastic material. The meltblown fibers are then conveyed by a high velocity gas stream and laminated on a collecting surface to form a web of randomly dispersed meltblown fibers. Such a process is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 3,849,241 to Butin et al., Which is incorporated herein by reference. Meltblown fibers are microfibers that can be continuous or discontinuous, generally less than about 0.6 denier, and may be sticky and self-bonding when laminated onto a collection surface.

The term "nonwoven " refers herein to a web of materials and materials formed without the aid of a textile weaving or knitting process. The web of materials and materials may have the structure of individual fibers, filaments, or yarns (collectively referred to as "fibers") that are not identifiable, such as in a knitted fabric, but may be interlaced. Nonwoven materials or webs can be formed from many processes, such as meltblown processes, spunbond processes, carded web processes, but are not limited to these examples.

The term "flexible " refers to a material that is compliant and easily conforms to the approximate shape and contours of the wearer's body.

The term "spunbond web " as used herein refers to fibers of small diameter formed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material from a plurality of microcapillaries of a spinnerette having a circular or other configuration as filaments The diameter of the extruded filaments is rapidly reduced by eductive drawing and conventional processes, examples of which are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,340,563 to Appel et al., U.S. Patent No. 3,692,618 to Dorschner et al. U.S. Patent No. 3,802,817 to Matsuki et al., U.S. Patent Nos. 3,338,992 and 3,341,394 to Kinney, U.S. Patent No. 3,502,763 to Hartman, U.S. Patent No. 3,502,538 to Peterson, and U.S. Patent No. 3,542,615 to Dobo et al. , Each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The spunbond fibers are generally continuous and often have an average denier greater than about 0.3, and in one embodiment, have a denier of about 0.6, 5, 10 to about 15, 20, 40. Spunbond fibers are generally non-sticky when deposited on a collecting surface.

The term "superabsorbent ", as used herein, refers to a material capable of absorbing at least about 15 times its weight, in one embodiment at least about 30 times its weight, in an aqueous solution containing 0.9 weight percent sodium chloride Refers to a water-swellable water-insoluble organic or inorganic material. Superabsorbent materials can be natural, synthetic, and modified natural polymers and materials. In addition, the superabsorbent material may be an inorganic compound such as silica gel or an organic compound such as a crosslinked polymer.

The term "thermoplastic" as used herein refers to a material to be ducted that can be molded upon exposure to heat and substantially return to a non-combustible state upon cooling.

Absorbent article:

Referring to Figure 1, the disposable absorbent article 10 of the present invention is illustrated in the form of a diaper. It should be understood that the present invention is suitable for use with various other personal hygiene absorbent articles such as, for example, feminine hygiene products, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Although the embodiments and examples described herein are generally applicable to absorbent articles made in the longitudinal direction of the article, hereinafter referred to as the machine direction manufacture of the article, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, It will be understood that the invention is applicable to absorbent articles produced in the cross direction of the product, hereinafter referred to as cross-directional manufacture of the product. The absorbent article 10 illustrated in Figure 1 includes a front waist region 12, a back waist region 14 and a crotch region 16 interconnecting the front waist region 12 and the back waist region 14 . The absorbent article 10 includes a pair of longitudinal side edges 18,20 (shown in Figure 2) and a pair of opposed waist edges 24,24 respectively designated by a front waist edge 22 and a back waist edge 24, Edge. The front waist region 12 may be continuous with the front waist edge 22 and the back waist region 14 may be continuous with the back waist edge 24. [

2, a partially cut away plan view is illustrated to illustrate a non-limiting example of an absorbent article 10, such as, for example, a diaper. The absorbent article 10 may include an outer cover 26 and a body facing material 28. In one embodiment, the body facing material 28 may be bonded to the outer cover 26 in an overlapping manner by any suitable means, such as adhesive, ultrasonic bonding, thermal bonding, pressure bonding, or other conventional techniques , But are not limited to examples of such means. The outer cover 26 may define a length, i.e., a longitudinal direction 30, and a width, i.e., a lateral direction 32, which may correspond to the length and width of the absorbent article 10 in the illustrated embodiment. The longitudinal direction 30 and the lateral direction 32 of the absorbent article 10 and the longitudinal and lateral directions of the materials forming the absorbent article 10 are in the XY plane of the absorbent article 10 and the absorbent article 10 forming the absorbent article 10 Lt; / RTI > plane of the materials. The absorbent article 10, and the material forming the absorbent article 10, may also have a Z-direction. Measurement under pressure in the Z direction of the material forming the absorbent article 10 can provide a thickness measurement of the material. The measurement under pressure of the absorbent article 10 in the Z direction can provide a measure of the bulk of the absorbent article 10. [

Referring to Figures 2-16, the absorbent body 40 may be disposed between the outer cover 26 and the body facing material 28. The absorbent body 40 can have longitudinal edges 42 and 44 that can each form portions of longitudinal side edges 18 and 20 of the absorbent article 10 in one embodiment, 48 that can form portions of the waist edges 22, 24 of the absorbent article 10 in the example, respectively. In one embodiment, the absorbent article 40 may have a length and width equal to or less than the length and width of the absorbent article 10. In one embodiment, there may be a pair of leak-barrier flaps 50, 52, which may prevent lateral flow of body exudates.

The front waist region 12 may include a portion of the absorbent article 10 that is at least partially positioned in front of the wearer when worn, while the back waist region 14 may include at least partially And may include a portion of the absorbent article 10 that is located. The crotch region 16 of the absorbent article 10 may include an absorbent article 10 positioned between the wearer's legs when worn and may partially cover the lower body of the wearer. The waist edges 22, 24 of the absorbent article 10 are configured to surround the waist of the wearer (as shown in Fig. 1) and to form a central waist hole 54 together. Some of the longitudinal side edges 18,20 in the crotch region 16 may form a leg hole 56 (as shown in Figure 1) when the absorbent article 10 is worn .

The absorbent article 10 may be configured to contain and / or absorb liquid, solid, and semi-solid body exudates discharged from the wearer. For example, the leak-barrier flaps 50, 52 may be configured to prevent lateral flow of body exudates. The flap elastic members 58, 60 may be operably connected to each leak-barrier flap 50, 52 in any suitable manner known in the art. The elasticized leak-barrier flaps 50, 52 form at least a partially unattached edge that can take an upright configuration in the crotch region 16 of the absorbent article 10 to form a seal against the wearer's body . The leakage preventing flaps 50 and 52 may be located along the longitudinal side edges 18 and 20 of the absorbent article 10 and may extend longitudinally along the entire length of the absorbent article 10 Or may extend partially along the length of the absorbent article 10. Suitable arrangements and arrangements for the leak-barrier flaps 50, 52 are generally known to those of ordinary skill in the art and are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,704,116, Enloe, issued November 3, 1987, U.S. Patent No. 5,562,650 to Everett, et al., Which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In various embodiments, the absorbent article 10 may include a secondary liner 34 (as illustrated in Figs. 4, 6, 11-14). In such embodiments, the secondary liner 34 may have a body facing surface 36 and a garment facing surface 38. In these embodiments, the body facing material 28 may be bonded to the body facing surface 36 of the secondary liner 34.

The absorbent article 10 may include a front waist elastic member 62, a rear waist elastic member 64, and a leg elastic member 62, as is known to those of ordinary skill in the art, to further enhance the containment and / And may suitably include members 66,68. Waist elastic members 62 and 64 may be attached to outer cover 26, body facing material 28, and / or secondary liner 34 along opposing waist edges 22 and 24, May extend over some or all of the waist edges 22,24. The leg elastic members 66 and 68 are configured to extend along the opposing longitudinal side edges 18,20 along an outer cover 26, body facing material 28, secondary liner 34, and / And may be located in the crotch region 16 of the absorbent article 10. The absorbent articles 10,

In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 has a thickness of about 2 newtons per 25 mm width at 10% extension in the machine direction when measured using the load-to- It may have an excessive load. In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 may have protrusions having a height of greater than about 1 mm when measured using the height determination test method of protrusions described herein. In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 may have an elasticity of greater than about 70% when measured using the percent elastic-one-cycle compression test method described herein. In various embodiments, the amount of remnant simulant remaining on the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 after excretion of the secretagogue material is measured using the residual remnant material material test method described herein , It can be less than about 2.5 grams. In various embodiments, the diffusion area of the secretory mock material remaining on the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 after excretion of the secretory mock material may be determined using the method of determining the free mock diffusion area of the secretory mock described herein When measured, it may be less than about 34 cm ² . In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 has less than about 1% open area in the selected area of the body facing material 28, when measured using the open area percent determination test method described herein And may have protrusions 90. In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 has an open area of greater than about 1% in the selected area of the body facing material 28, when measured using the open area percent determination test method described herein Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 116 < / RTI > In various embodiments, the inhalation time of the second inhalation through the bodily-facing material 28 on the absorbent article 10 after excretion of the menses simulant, when measured using the inhalation / rewet test method described herein, And may be less than commercially available absorbent articles. In various embodiments, the inhalation time of the second inhalation through the body facing material 28 on the absorbent article 10 is about 25 or 30% to about 50, 60% , Or 70%. In various embodiments, the inhalation time of the second inhalation through the bodily-facing material 28 on the absorbent article 10 can be determined by measuring the amount of excretion of the simulated mucus material when measured using the inhalation / rewet testing method described herein Then it can be less than about 30 seconds. In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 has a surface area 116 with an open area percent greater than the open area percent of the protrusions 90 when measured using the open area percent determination test method described herein ).

Additional details of each of these elements of the absorbent article 10 described herein may be found below with reference to the drawings.

Outer cover:

The outer cover 26 may have breathability and / or liquid impermeability. The outer cover 26 may be elastic, stretchable, or non-stretchable. The outer cover 26 may be a single layer, a plurality of layers, a laminate, a spunbond fabric, a meltblown fabric, an elastic netting, a microporous web, a bonded- Or may be composed of a foam provided by the material. In one embodiment, for example, the outer cover 26 may be composed of a microporous polymeric film such as polyethylene or polypropylene.

In one embodiment, the outer cover 26 is suitably stretchable, and more suitably elastic, at least in the lateral or circumferential direction 32 of the absorbent article 10. In one embodiment, the outer cover 26 is stretchable in both the lateral direction 32 and the longitudinal direction 30, and more suitably may have elasticity. In one embodiment, the outer cover 26 may be a single layer of liquid impervious material, such as the embodiments shown in Figs. 7-9. In one embodiment, the outer cover 26 may be a multi-layer laminate in which at least one of the multiple layers is liquid impermeable. In this embodiment as illustrated in Figures 3-6 and 10-12, the outer cover 26 includes an outer layer 70 material and an inner layer 72 that can be joined together by laminate adhesive or the like, Lt; / RTI > material. Suitable laminate adhesives may be applied continuously or intermittently, such as beads, sprays, parallel swirls, and the like. Suitable adhesives can be obtained from Bostik Findlay Adhesives, Inc. of Wauwatosa, Wis., USA The inner layer 72 can be bonded to the outer layer 70 using ultrasonic bonding, thermal bonding, Please understand that.

The outer layer 70 of the outer cover 26 can be any suitable material and can generally provide a garment-like texture or appearance to the wearer. An example of such a material may be a 100% polypropylene bonded-carded web having a diamond bonding pattern commercially available from Sandler A.G., Germany, such as 30 gsm Sawabond 4185® or equivalent. An example of another material suitable for use as the outer layer 70 of the outer cover 26 may be a 20 gsm spunbond polypropylene nonwoven web. The outer layer 70 may be composed of the same material that can constitute the secondary liner 34 as described herein.

The liquid impervious inner layer 72 of the outer cover 26 (or the liquid impervious outer cover 26 with the outer cover 26 in a single layer construction) may be gas permeable (i.e., "breathable & It may have transparency. The liquid impervious inner layer 72 (the liquid impervious outer cover 26 with the outer cover 26 in a single layer construction) can be made of a thin plastic film, but other liquid impervious materials may be used. The liquid impermeable inner layer 72 (the liquid impermeable outer cover 26 having a single layer construction of the outer cover 26) is intended to provide the wearer and caregiver as well as the absorbent article 10 and the wettability It is possible to prevent the liquid secretion of the body from leaking out of the article. One example of a liquid impermeable inner layer 72 (a liquid impervious outer cover 26 having a single layer construction of outer cover 26) is a printed 19 gsm Berry < (R) > Plastics XP-8695H film or equivalent.

If the outer cover 26 is a single layer construction, it may be embossed and / or matte surface treated to provide a more garment-like texture or appearance. The outer cover 26 allows gas to escape from the absorbent article 10 while preventing liquid from passing through the absorbent article. A suitable liquid impervious gas permeable material may be comprised of a microporous polymeric film or nonwoven material that is coated or otherwise treated to impart a desired level of liquid impermeability.

Absorber:

The absorbent body 40 can be suitably configured to absorb and retain liquid secretions of the body, generally compressible, conformable, and flexible, without irritating the skin of the wearer. The absorber 40 can be manufactured from a variety of materials in various sizes and shapes (e.g., rectangular, trapezoidal, T-shaped, I-shaped, hourglass shaped, etc.). The size and the absorbent capacity of the absorbent body 40 should be compatible with the liquid loading and the size of the wearer intended by the use of the absorbent article 10. In addition, the size and absorbent capacity of the absorbent article 40 can be varied to accommodate wearers ranging from infants to adults.

The absorber 40 may have a thickness of about 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 225, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, And may have a length in the range of about 350 mm to about 355, 360, 380, 385, 390, 395, 400, 410, 415, 420, 425, 440, 450, 460, 480, 500, 510, or 520 mm. The absorber 40 can be about 30, 40, 50, 55, 60, 65, or 70 mm to about 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, , 160, 170, or 180 mm. The width of the absorber 40 located in the front waist region 12 and / or the back waist region 14 of the absorbent article 10 may be about 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, or 95 mm to about 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125, or 130 mm. As mentioned herein, the absorbent article 40 may have a length and width that may be less than the length and width of the absorbent article 10. [

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may be a diaper having a length and width in the following range of the hourglass-shaped absorbent body 40, wherein the length range of the absorbent body 40 is about 170, 180, 190 , 200, 210, 220, 225, 240, or 250 mm to about 260, 280, 300, 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 355, 360, 380, 385, or 390 mm; The width of the absorbent body 40 in the crotch region 16 may be about 40, 50, 55, or 60 mm to about 65, 70, 75, or 80 mm, and the front waist region 12 and / The width of the absorber 40 in the absorbent core 14 may be about 80, 85, 90, or 95 mm to about 100, 105, or 110 mm.

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may be a training pant or a youth panty having a length and width range of the hourglass-shaped absorbent body 40, wherein the length range of the absorbent body 40 is about < And the width of the absorbent body 40 of the crotch region 16 may range from about 50, 55, or 60 mm to about 65 mm, such as about 400, 410, 420, 440, or 450 mm to about 460, 480, 500, 510, And the width range of the absorbent body 40 in the front waist region 12 and / or the back waist region 14 may be about 80, 85, 90, or 95 mm to about 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125, or 130 mm.

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may be an adult incontinence garment having a length and width of the following rectangular absorbent body 40, wherein the length range of the absorbent body 40 is about 400, 410, or 415 to about 425 or 450 mm and the width of the absorbent body 40 of the crotch region 16 may be about 90 or 95 mm to about 100, 105, or 110 mm. It should be noted that the absorbent article 40 of the adult incontinence garment may or may not extend into the front waist region 12 or the back waist region 14 of the absorbent article 10. [

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may be a feminine hygiene product having a length and width range of the following hourglass-shaped absorbent body 40, wherein the length range of the absorbent body 40 is about 150, 160, 170, or 180 mm to about 190, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, or 320 mm, and the width of the absorbent body of the crotch region 16 is about 30, 40, or 50 mm to about 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 mm.

The absorbent body 40 may have two surfaces 74 and 76 such as a wearer facing surface 74 (also referred to as body facing surface 74) and a garment facing surface 76. The edges of the longitudinal side edges 42,44 and the front and rear end edges 46,48 may connect the two faces 74,76. In one embodiment, for example, in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 14a and 14b, the absorbent body 40 extends from the body facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40 to the garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40 (Not shown).

In one embodiment, the absorbent body 40 can be made from a variety of materials including hydrophilic fibers, cellulose fibers (e.g., wood pulp fibers), natural fibers, synthetic fibers, woven or nonwoven fabric sheets, scrim knit or other stabilizing structures, Materials, surfactants, selected hydrophobic and hydrophilic materials, pigments, lotions, odor control agents, and the like, as well as combinations thereof. In one embodiment, absorber 40 may be a matrix of cellulose fluff and superabsorbent material.

In one embodiment, the absorber 40 can be composed of a single layer of materials, or it can consist of two or more layers of materials. In an embodiment in which the absorbent body 40 has two layers, the absorbent body 40 comprises a wearer facing layer suitably constructed of hydrophilic fibers, and a garment facing layer suitably constructed of at least a portion of a superabsorbent material commonly known as superabsorbent material Lt; / RTI > In this embodiment, the wearer facing layer of the absorbent body 40 may be suitably constructed of a cellulose flap, such as wood pulp fluff, and the garment facing layer of the absorbent body 40 may be constructed of a superabsorbent material, May be suitably constructed as a mixture of superabsorbent materials. As a result, the wearer facing layer may have a lower absorbent capacity per unit weight than the garment facing layer. Alternatively, the wearer facing layer may be formed so that the concentration of the superabsorbent material present in the wearer facing layer is greater than the concentration of the superabsorbent material present in the layer facing the wearer so that the wearer facing layer can have a lower absorbent capacity per unit weight than the garment facing layer As long as it is low, it may be composed of a mixture of hydrophilic fibers and superabsorbent material. It is also contemplated that the garment facing layer may consist solely of superabsorbent materials without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, in one embodiment, the absorbent capacity of the two superabsorbent materials can be different from each other and the wearer's facing layer and the garment facing layer can be provided to provide a lower absorbent capacity in the wearer facing layer, It can be considered that each can have superabsorbent material.

Various types of wettable hydrophilic fibers can be used in the absorber 40. Examples of suitable fibers include synthetic fibers composed of cellulose or cellulose derivatives such as natural fibers, cellulosic fibers, rayon fibers and the like; Inorganic fibers composed of an essentially wettable material such as glass fiber; There are synthetic fibers composed of non-wettable thermoplastic polymers, such as polyolefin fibers, which are made of an essentially wettable thermoplastic polymer, such as polyester or polyamide fibers, or hydrophilized by suitable means. Fibers may be fabricated, for example, by treatment with a surfactant, treatment with silica, treatment with a material that has hydrophilic moieties that are not readily removable from the fiber, or formation or formation of fibers after hydrophilic hydrophobic fibers ≪ / RTI > For example, one suitable fiber type is bleached superabsorbent sulphate wood pulp, which mainly contains conifer fibers. However, wood pulp can be exchanged with other fiber materials such as synthetic, polymeric, or meltblown fibers, or can be exchanged for a combination of meltblown fibers and natural fibers. In one embodiment, the cellulosic fluff may comprise a mixture of wood pulp fluffs. An example of a wood pulp fluff is a bleached southern softwood fibers containing superabsorbent sulfate wood pulp, Abitibi Bowater, Greenville, SC, USA may be water obtained from available "CoosAbsorb ^TM S Fluff Pulp" or equivalent.

The absorber 40 may be formed by a dry forming technique, an air forming technique, a wet forming technique, a foam forming technique, and the like, or a combination thereof. A coform nonwoven material may also be used. Methods and apparatus for implementing such techniques are known in the art.

Suitable superabsorbent materials can be selected from natural, synthetic, and modified natural polymers and materials. The superabsorbent material may be an inorganic compound such as silica gel or an organic compound such as a crosslinked polymer. The crosslinking may be a covalent bond, an ionic bond, a van der Waals bond, or a hydrogen bond. Typically, the superabsorbent material is capable of absorbing at least about 10 times its own weight into the liquid. In one embodiment, the superabsorbent material can absorb a weight greater than 24 times its own weight in liquid. Examples of superabsorbent materials include polymers and copolymers of polyacrylamide, polyvinyl alcohol, ethylene maleic anhydride copolymer, polyvinyl ether, hydroxypropylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, polyvinylmorpholinone, vinylsulfonic acid, Polyacrylate, polyacrylamide, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and the like. Additional polymers suitable for superabsorbent materials include hydrolyzed, acrylonitrile grafted starch, acrylic acid grafted starch, polyacrylates, and isobutylene maleic anhydride copolymers and mixtures thereof. The superabsorbent material can be in the form of discrete particles. The discrete particles can be of any desired shape, for example, spiral or semi-helix, cube, bar, polyhedral, and the like. For such use, shapes having maximum / minimum dimensional ratios of needles, flakes, fibers, etc. may be considered. A collection of particles of superabsorbent material may be used for the absorber 40. [

In one embodiment, the absorber 40 may be free of superabsorbent material. In one embodiment, the absorber 40 may have a weight of at least about 15% of the superabsorbent material. In one embodiment, the absorber 40 is at least about 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95 , 99, or 100% by weight. In one embodiment, the absorber 40 is formed of a superabsorbent material that is at least about 100, 99, 95, 90, 85, 80, 75, 70, 65, 60, 55, 50, 45, 40, 35, Can have less than 20%. In one embodiment, the absorber 40 is formed from a superabsorbent material that includes about 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, or 60% to about 65, 70, 75, 80, , 95, 99, or 100% by weight. Examples of superabsorbent materials include, but are not limited to, FAVOR SXM-9300 or equivalent, available from Evonik Industries, Greensboro, NC, USA, and HYSORB 8760 or equivalent, available from BASF Corporation, Charlotte, .

The absorbent body 40 can be overlaid on the inner layer 72 of the outer cover 26 that extends laterally between the leg elastic members 66 and 68 and is joined together using an adhesive, The inner layer 72 of FIG. It should be understood, however, that the absorber 40 may or may not be in contact with the outer cover 26 and may be within the scope of the present invention. In one embodiment, the outer cover 26 may be comprised of a single layer, and the absorber 40 may contact a single layer of the outer cover 26. In one embodiment, the layer, such as the fluid transfer layer 78, may be located between the absorber 40 and the outer cover 26, but is not limited to this example. Additionally or alternatively, a spacer layer 81 may be disposed between the absorber 40 and the outer cover 26, as shown in Figs. 7-14b.

Fluid Transfer Layer:

In various embodiments, as illustrated in the non-limiting example of FIG. 3, the absorbent article 10 may be configured without a fluid transfer layer 78. In various embodiments, as illustrated in the non-limiting examples of FIGS. 4 through 6 and 12 through 14B, the absorbent article 10 may have a fluid transfer layer 78. In one embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 is located on the body facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40 and does not extend below the garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40, , The surfaces of the fluid transfer layer 78 may be described as the wearer facing surface 80 and the garment facing surface 82. However, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the fluid transfer layer 78 is located on the body facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40 and is located around at least one of the longitudinal edges 42, 44 of the absorbent body 40 The fluid transfer layer 78 may extend between the first major surface 80 and the second major surface 80. In other embodiments, the fluid transfer layer 78 may extend between the first major surface 80 and the second major surface < RTI ID = 0.0 > 82). The first major surface 80 may face the body of the wearer at one location on the body facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40 but may be located at a location below the garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40, (Toward the wearer's garment) away from the body of the wearer.

In one embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may be in contact with the absorber 40. In one embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may be bonded to the absorber 40. The bonding of the fluid transfer layer 78 to the absorber 40 may occur through any means known to those of ordinary skill in the art such as adhesives, but is not limited to this example. In one embodiment, as illustrated by way of non-limiting example in FIG. 4, the fluid transfer layer 78 may be positioned between the body facing material 28 and the absorbent core 40. In one embodiment, as illustrated by way of non-limiting example in FIG. 5, the fluid transfer layer 78 may completely surround or wrap the absorbent body 40 and be sealed over itself. In one such embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 itself may be folded and sealed using, for example, heat and / or pressure. 6, the fluid transfer layer 78 may be used to partially or completely encapsulate the absorber 40 and may be a sealing means, such as an ultrasonic bonding or the like, May be composed of separate sheets (78a, 78b) of material that can be sealed together by thermochemical bonding means or using an adhesive.

In one embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may contact and / or abut the body facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40. In one embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may contact and / or abut the body facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40 and may include at least one of the edges 42, 44, 46, and / And / or < / RTI > In one embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may be in contact and / or abutment with the body facing surface 74 and may be in contact with and / or contacting at least one of the edges 42, 44, 46, and / And may be in contact with and / or abutted against the garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40. In one embodiment, the absorber 40 may be partially or completely surrounded by the fluid transfer layer 78.

12, the fluid transfer layer 78 includes a first sheet 78a (also referred to as a first fluid transfer layer 78a), a second sheet 78b (a second fluid transfer layer 78b) ), And a third sheet 78c (also referred to as a third fluid transfer layer 78c). The first fluid transfer layer 78a may include a first major surface 80 and a second major surface 82 opposite the first major surface 80. The first major surface 80, The second fluid transfer layer 78b may include a first major surface 80 and a second major surface 82 opposite the first major surface 80. [ The first fluid transfer layer 78a may at least partially package the absorbent body 40 as shown in FIG. The first fluid transfer layer 78a is positioned over at least a first portion 74a of the body facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40 and extends around the first longitudinal side edge 42 of the absorbent body 40, May extend under at least a portion 76a of the garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40. [ 5, the first fluid transfer layer 78a includes all of the body facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40, first and second longitudinal side edges 42 of the absorbent body 40 , 44, respectively, and the entire garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40 to completely wrap the absorbent body 40.

Also shown in FIG. 12 is a second fluid transfer layer 78b. When present, the second fluid transfer layer 78b may be configured in a manner similar to the first fluid transfer layer 78a. For example, the second fluid transfer layer 78b may at least partially package the absorber 40. [ The second fluid transfer layer 78b is positioned over at least a second portion 74b of the body facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40 and extends around the first longitudinal side edge 44 of the absorbent body 40, May extend under at least a portion 76b of the garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40. [

The fluid transfer layer 78 may also include a third sheet 78c that forms a third fluid transfer layer 78c. The third fluid transfer layer 78c includes a body facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40, longitudinal side edges 42 and 44 of the absorbent body 40, and a garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40 It can be placed in contact with a substantial part. The third fluid transfer layer 78c may be formed of a material different from the first fluid transfer layer 78a and / or the second fluid transfer layer 78b as shown in FIG.

Figs. 13, 14a, 14b illustrate a perspective exploded view of an embodiment of an absorbent article 10 similar to the absorbent article 10 illustrated in Fig. In some embodiments, an adhesive 83 may be used to bond the spacer layer 81, the first fluid transfer layer 78a, and the second fluid transfer layer 78b to the outer cover 26. For example, the adhesive 83 may be constructed in a slot-coating manner and may include six adhesive 83 lanes 83a, 83b, 83c, 83d, 83e, 83f as shown in Figures 13 and 14a, , Or five adhesive lanes 83a, 83b, 83c, 83d, 83e as shown in Fig. 14B. The lane 83a can bond the portion 33 of the first fluid transfer layer 78a to the outer cover 26 and the lane 83f can connect the portion 35 of the second fluid transfer layer 78b to the outside 13 and 14a) or the lane 83e can bond the portion 35 of the second fluid transfer layer 78b to the outer cover 26 (Fig. 14b) The lanes 83b-83e may bond the spacer layer 81 and / or the third fluid transfer layer 78c (not shown in Figure 13 for clarity) to the outer cover 26 (Figures 13 and 14a) Or the lanes 83b-83d may bond the spacer layer 81 and / or the third fluid transfer layer 78c to the outer cover 26. In embodiments where the spacer layer 81 extends over the first fluid transfer layer 78a and the second fluid transfer layer respectively toward the longitudinal side edges 18,20 of the absorbent article 10, the adhesive lane 83a And 83e or 83f may bond the first fluid transfer layer 78a and the second fluid transfer layer 78b to the spacer layer 81, respectively. As shown in FIG. 13, the adhesive 83 may extend from the front waist edge 22 to the back waist edge 24.

As an alternative to bonding the fluid transfer layer 78 to the outer cover 26 or the spacer layer 81 in a continuous and continuous manner over the length of the absorbent article 10, A central horizontal zone 89 having a reduced bonding surface area and / or a reduced amount of adhesive 83 relative to the outer cover 26 or spacer layer 81 relative to the junction area 85 and the back waist bonding zone 87, . ≪ / RTI > For example, in FIG. 13, the adhesive 83 may be applied with adhesive lanes 83a, 83b, 83c, 83d, 83e, 83f extending from the front waist edge 22 to the back waist edge 24 , But the amount of adhesive in each of the adhesive lanes 83a, 83b, 83c, 83d, 83e, 83f may be reduced in the central horizontal zone 89. In this embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 is bonded to the outer cover 26 or the spacer layer 82 in the central horizontal zone 89 with less adhesive 83 in the front waist region 85 or the back waist region 87, (Not shown).

Alternatively, the adhesive 83 does not extend from the front waist edge 22 to the back waist edge 24, as shown in FIG. 14A, so that no adhesive 83 is present in the central horizontal zone 89 . 14A, the adhesive 83 extends from the front waist edge 22 through the front waist region 85 and extends from the rear waist edge 24 through the back waist bonding region 87. 14A, the first fluid transfer layer 78a and the second fluid transfer layer 78b may each include a central horizontal zone 89, wherein the first fluid transfer layer 78a And the second fluid transfer layer 78b are not bonded to the outer cover 26. [ In addition, the spacer layer 81 and / or the third fluid transfer layer 78c (not shown in FIG. 14A for clarity) can also be bonded to the outer cover 26 in the central horizontal zone 89. The central horizontal zone 89 is defined by the overall width of the first fluid transfer layer 78a extending under the garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40 and / Or the entire width of the extending second fluid transfer layer 78b and / or the entire width of the spacer layer 81, and / or the third fluid transfer layer 78c. The front waist region 85 and the back waist region 87 each have a fluid transfer layer 78 that is larger in surface area than the surface area joining the fluid transfer layer 78 to the outer cover 26 in the central horizontal zone 89 To the outer cover 26, which may provide increased void volume in the central horizontal zone 89 and increased flexibility in the absorbent article 10. In the embodiment shown in Figure 14A the central horizontal zone 89 is formed by the spacer layer 81, the first fluid transfer layer 78a and the second fluid transfer layer 78b being bonded or not joined to the outer cover 26 The length of the absorbent article 10 in the longitudinal direction.

14B, the adhesive 83 is applied to the absorbent article 10 such that one or more adhesive lanes, e.g., adhesive liner 83c, extend from the front waist edge 22 to the back waist edge 24 of the absorbent article 10. In other embodiments, While the other adhesive lanes 83a, 83b, 83d and 83e can be configured not to extend from the front waist edge 22 to the back waist edge 24 of the absorbent article 10. [ In some embodiments, two adhesive lanes, e.g., 83c and 83d, extend from the front waist edge 22 to the back waist edge 24 of the absorbent article 10 while the other adhesive lanes 83a, 83b, But may be configured not to extend from the front waist edge 22 to the back waist edge 24 of the article 10. 14b, the adhesive lanes 83a, 83b, 83d and 83e each extend from the front waist edge 22 through a front waist bonding zone 85 and each have a back waist bonding zone 87, The adhesive lanes 83a, 83b, 83d, 83e do not extend through the central horizontal zone 89, although the adhesive lanes 83a, 83b, 83d, 83e extend from the rear waist edge 24 through the central horizontal zone 89. [ However, the adhesive lane 83c extends through the central horizontal section 89, so that the spacer layer 81 and / or the third fluid transfer layer 78c (not shown in Figure 14a for clarity) And can be joined to the outer cover 26 in the central horizontal zone 89. The adhesive lane 83c is configured to provide a portion of the fluid transfer layer 78 to the spacer layer 81 or outer cover 26 in the central horizontal zone 89. In some embodiments, ). ≪ / RTI > The adhesive liner 83c can be centered between the longitudinal side edges 18,20 of the absorbent article 10. 14A, the front waist region 85 and the back waist region 87 are connected to the outer cover 26 in the central horizontal zone 89, as shown in FIG. 14B, May include a surface area that couples the fluid transfer layer 78 to the outer cover 26 that is larger than the surface area to be joined, Thereby providing increased flexibility. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 14B, the fluid transfer layer 78 is spaced from the central horizontal section 89 by a smaller amount of adhesive 83 in the front waist region 85 or the back waist region 87, Layer 81 or the outer cover 26. As shown in Fig.

The fluid transfer layer 78 can be flexible and less hydrophilic than the absorbent body 40 and has sufficient porosity to allow liquid secretions in the body to pass through the fluid transfer layer 78 to reach the absorbent body 40 . In one embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may have sufficient structural integrity to withstand the wettability of the absorber 40 and the fluid transfer layer. In one embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 can be composed of a single layer of material, or it can be a laminate composed of two or more layers of material.

In one embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may be made of a natural and synthetic material such as polyester, polypropylene, acetate, nylon, polymeric material, wood pulp, cotton, rayon, viscose, cellulose materials, LYOCELL® from Lenzing Company of Austria Fibers, or mixtures of such fibers with other cellulosic fibers, and combinations thereof, but are not limited to these examples. Natural fibers may include, but are not limited to, wool, cotton, flax, hemp, and wood pulp. Wood pulp, but usually it can include a high-absorbent sulfate wood pulp, available from Bowater Abitibi, Greenville, SC, USA bleaching "CoosAbsorb ^TM S Fluff Pulp" containing southern softwood fibers, and the like.

In various embodiments, the fluid transfer layer 78 may comprise a cellulosic material. In various embodiments, the fluid transfer layer 78 may be a creped wadding or a high strength tissue. In various embodiments, the fluid transfer layer 78 may comprise a polymeric material. In one embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may comprise a spunbond material. In one embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may comprise a meltblown material. In one embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may be a laminate of meltblown nonwoven material having microfibers laminated to at least one layer of spunbond nonwoven material having coarse fibers. In one such embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may be a spunbond-meltblown ("SM ") material. In one embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may be a spunbond-meltblown-spunbond ("SMS") material. A non-limiting example of such a fluid transfer layer 78 may be a 10 gsm spunbond-meltblown-spunbond material. In various embodiments, the fluid transfer layer 78 may be composed of at least one material hydraulically entangled within the nonwoven substrate. In various embodiments, the fluid transfer layer 78 may be composed of at least two materials hydraulically entangled within the nonwoven substrate. In various embodiments, the fluid transfer layer 78 may have at least three materials hydraulically entangled within the nonwoven substrate. A non-limiting example of the fluid transfer layer 78 may be a hydraulically entangled 33 gsm substrate. In this example, the fluid transfer layer 78 is a hydrolytically entangled 33 gsm sheet composed of 12 gsm spunbond material, 10 gsm wood pulp material of about 0.6 cm to about 5.5 cm long, and 11 gsm of polyester short fiber material . To produce the fluid transfer layer 78 described above, a 12 gsm spunbond material may provide a base layer, while 10 gsm wood pulp and 11 gsm polyester short fiber material are homogeneously mixed and laminated onto the spunbond material, And hydraulics.

12 to 14B, some embodiments of the fluid transfer layer 78 may be constructed of similar materials and may be constructed in a manner similar to some embodiments of the body facing material 28, ≪ / RTI > 12, the first fluid transfer layer 78a and the second fluid transfer layer 78b may include a support layer 92 and a protrusion layer 94. [ The protruding layer 94 may include a plurality of protrusions 90 formed from a plurality of fibers in the protruding layer 94. Further details of the composition and fabrication of these embodiments of the fluid transfer layer 78 are described in greater detail below with respect to the body facing material 28.

In some embodiments in which the fluid transfer layer 78 includes protrusions 90, the fluid transfer layer 78 may provide advantages for the absorbent article 10. For example, the fluid transfer layer 78 may more efficiently distribute the body exudate to the absorber 40, resulting in damage to the gasketing effect of the leak-barrier flaps 52, It is possible to reduce the possibility of giving. This fluid transfer layer 78 may also provide more separation between the absorber 40 and the outer cover 26 to allow the outer cover 26 to continue to feel dry after excretion.

In various embodiments, a wet strength agent may be included in the fluid transfer layer 78. Non-limiting examples of wet strength agents include, of Kymene 6500 (557 LK), available from Ashland, KY, U.S.A. or equivalent. In various embodiments, a surfactant may be included in the fluid transfer layer 78. In various embodiments, the fluid transfer layer 78 may be hydrophilic. In various embodiments, the fluid transfer layer 78 can be hydrophobic and can be treated to be hydrophobic by any method known in the art.

In one embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may contact and / or abut the absorber 40 at least partially made of a particulate material such as a superabsorbent material. In embodiments where the fluid transfer layer 78 at least partially or completely encapsulates the absorber 40, the fluid transfer layer 78 may be excessively expanded or elongated because the particulate material may escape from the absorber 40 . In one embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 should have a respective elongation at peak load in the machine direction and cross direction, respectively, of less than 30 percent and 40 percent, respectively, in the dry state.

In one embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may have a major, or minor, longitudinal length equal to the longitudinal length of the absorbent body 40. The fluid transfer layer 78 may comprise one or more of the following materials: about 150, 160, 170, 180, 190,200, 210,220,225,230,240,250,260,270,280,290,300,310,320,330,340 , Or from 350 mm to about 355, 360, 380, 385, 390, 395, 400, 410, 415, 420, 425, 440, 450, 460, 480, 500, 510, .

Acquisition Layer:

For example, in various embodiments as illustrated in FIG. 5, the absorbent article 10 may have an acquisition layer 84. Acquisition layer 84 may help slow and spread the burst or spillage of liquid secretions in the body through body-facing material 28. In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 may be positioned between the body facing material 28 and the absorbent body 40 so that the absorbent body 40 absorbs body exudates. In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 may be positioned between the body facing material 28 and the fluid transfer layer 78 when the fluid transfer layer 78 is present. In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 may be located between the secondary liner 34 and the absorber 40, if a secondary liner is present.

The acquisition layer 84 may have a wearer facing surface 86 and a garment facing surface 88. In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 may contact and / or bond to the body facing material 28. In embodiments where acquisition layer 84 is bonded to body facing material 28, bonding acquisition layer 84 to body facing material 28 may occur through adhesive use and / or point fusion bonding. Point fusion bonding can be selected from, but not limited to, ultrasonic bonding, pressure bonding, thermal bonding, and combinations thereof. In one embodiment, point fusion bonding may be provided in any pattern as appropriate.

The acquisition layer 84 may have any lengthwise length dimension as appropriate. The longitudinal length dimension range of the acquisition layer 84 may range from about 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 225, 230, 240, 400, 410, 415, 420, 425, 440, 450, 460, 480, 500, 510, or 520 mm. In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 may have any length such that the acquisition layer 84 can circumferentially share the waist edges 22, 24 of the absorbent article 10.

In one embodiment, the longitudinal length of the acquisition layer 84 may be the same as the longitudinal length of the absorber 40. The middle point of the longitudinal length of the acquisition layer 84 may be approximately aligned with the middle point of the longitudinal length of the absorber 40. In one embodiment,

In one embodiment, the longitudinal length of the acquisition layer 84 may be shorter than the longitudinal length of the absorbent body 40. In one such embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 may be located at any desired location along the length of the absorber 40 in the longitudinal direction. In one example of such an embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may include a target area, which typically occurs in the absorbent article 10 where liquid spikes occur repeatedly. The specific location of the target area may vary depending on the age and sex of the wearer ' s wearer. For example, a male may tend to urinate towards a more forward region of the absorbent article 10, and the target region may be directed forward within the absorbent article 10. [ For example, the target area for a male wearer may be located about 2/4 of the longitudinal midpoint of the absorbent body 40 and may have a width of about "about and about ". The female target area may be located closer to the center of the crotch region 16 of the absorbent article 10. For example, the target area for a female wearer may be located about 1 "in front of the longitudinal midpoint of the absorbent body 40 and may have a width of about" about ". As a result, The relative longitudinal orientation of the acquisition layer 84 within the article 10 may be selected to best correspond to all categories of wearers or target zones of either category.

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may include a target area at the center in the crotch region 16 of the absorbent article 10, assuming that the absorbent article 10 is worn by a female wearer. The acquisition layer 84 may be positioned along the longitudinal length of the absorbent article 10 such that the acquisition layer 84 may be approximately aligned with the target area of the absorbent article 10 for a female wearer. Alternatively, the absorbent article 10 may include a target area located between the crotch region 16 and the front waist region 12 of the absorbent article 10 under the premise that the absorbent article 10 is worn by a male wearer . The acquisition layer 84 may be positioned along the longitudinal length of the absorbent article 10 such that the acquisition layer 84 may be approximately aligned with the target area of the absorbent article 10 for a male wearer.

In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 may have a size dimension that is the same as the size dimension of the target area of the absorbent article 10, or a size dimension that is larger than the size dimension of the target area of the absorbent article 10. In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 may contact and / or abut the body-facing material 28 at least partially within the target area of the absorbent article 10.

In various embodiments, the acquisition layer 84 may have a short, or long, longitudinal length equal to the length in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body 40. In an embodiment where the absorbent article 10 is a diaper, the acquisition layer 84 may be about 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, or 180 mm to about 200, 210, 220, 225, 240, 260, , 310, or 320 mm. The acquisition layer 84 may have a length in the longitudinal direction that is less than the length in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body 40 and may extend from the front end edge 46 of the absorbent body 40 to about 15, To about 30, 35, or 40 mm. In an embodiment in which the absorbent article 10 may be a training pant or a child panty, the acquisition layer 84 may be about 120, 130, 140, 150, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, , 270, 280, 290, 300, 340, 360, 400, 410, 420, 440, 450, 460, 480, 500, 510, or 520 mm. The acquisition layer 84 may have a length in the longitudinal direction that is less than the length in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent body 40 and may extend from the front end edge 46 of the absorbent body 40 at about 25, 30, 35, Or from 40 mm to about 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, or 85 mm. In embodiments where the absorbent article 10 is an adult incontinence garment, the acquisition layer 84 may be about 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, or 250 mm to about 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 320, 340, 360, 380, 400, 410, 415, 425, or 450 mm. The acquisition layer 84 may have a length in the longitudinal direction that is shorter than the longitudinal length of the absorbent body 40 and the acquisition layer 84 may extend from the front end edge 46 of the absorbent body 40 May be directed by a distance in the range of about 20, 25, 30, or 35 mm to about 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, or 75 mm.

The acquisition layer 84 may have any width if desired. The acquisition layer 84 may be formed of a material having a thickness of about 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, or 70 mm to about 80, 90, 100, 110, 115, 120, 130, 140, 160, 170, or 180 mm. The width of the acquisition layer 84 may vary depending on the size and shape of the absorbent article 10 on which the acquisition layer 84 is to be located. The acquisition layer 84 may have the same width, short width, or large width as the width of the absorber 40. In the crotch region 16 of the absorbent article 10, the acquisition layer 84 may have the same, short, or large width as the width of the absorbent body 40.

In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 is formed of a natural fiber, a synthetic fiber, a superabsorbent material, a woven material, a nonwoven fabric material, a wet-laid fiber web, a substantially unbonded airlaid, Fibrous webs, stabilized-airlaid fibrous webs that are operatively bonded, as well as combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 may be formed of a substantially hydrophobic material, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, and the like, and combinations thereof.

In various embodiments, the acquisition layer 84 may have fibers that can have a denier greater than about 5. In various embodiments, the acquisition layer 84 may have fibers that may have a denier less than about 5.

In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 comprises about 50% sheath / core bicomponent polyethylene / polypropylene fibers having a fiber diameter of 3 denier and about 50% sheath / core having a fiber diameter of 1.5 denier Through-air bonded-carded web, such as a 50 gsm through-air bonded-carded web composite having a homogeneous mixture of bicomponent polyethylene / polypropylene fibers. An example of such a composite is a composite having about 50% ES FiberVision 3 denier ESC-233 bicomponent fibers and about 50% ES FiberVision 1.5 denier ESC-215 two-component fibers, or ES FiberVision Corp. Duluth, GA, U.S.A.

In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 comprises about 50% rayon fibers having a fiber diameter of 3 denier and a homogeneous mixture of about 50% sheath / core bicomponent polyethylene / polypropylene fibers having a fiber diameter of 1.5 denier 0.0 > 50 gsm < / RTI > aeration-bonded-carded web composite having < RTI ID = 0.0 > An example of such a composite is a composite with about 50% Kelheim 3 denier rayon galaxy fibers and about 50% ES FiberVisions 1.5 denier ESC-215 bicomponent fibers, or a composite with ES fiber equivalent fibers available from ES FiberVisions Corp., Duluth, Complex.

In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 comprises about 40% hollow polypropylene fibers having a fiber diameter of 7 denier and a homogeneous distribution of about 60% sheath / core bicomponent polyethylene / polypropylene fibers having a fiber diameter of 17 denier Carded web, such as a 50 gsm aeration-bonded-carded web composite with a mixture. An example of such a composite is a composite having about 40% ES FiberVisions 7 denier T-118 hollow polypropylene fibers and about 60% ES FiberVisions 17 denierbode bicomponent fibers, or obtained from ES FiberVisions Corp., Duluth, GA, USA It is possible homogeneous complex.

In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 comprises about 35% cis / core bicomponent polyethylene / polypropylene fibers having a fiber diameter of 6 denier, about 35% sheath / core bicomponent polyethylene having a fiber diameter of 2 denier / RTI > fibers, and a 35 gsm vented bonded-carded web composite having a homogeneous mixture of about 30% polyester fibers having a fiber diameter of 6 denier. An example of such a composite is a composite having about 35% Huvis 180-N (PE / PP 6d), about 35% Huvis N-215 (PE / PP 2d), and about 30% Huvis SD- Company, Ltd, Korea.

In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 is a thermally bonded and stabilized-airlaid fibrous web available from Glatfelter, which has offices in York, PA, USA (e.g., concert product code DT200.100.D0001 ).

In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 may comprise a coform / foam material. In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 may comprise an elastic coform material. As used herein, the term "coform" refers to absorbent fibers, such as cellulose fibers, that can be formed by blowing air suspension fibers into the stream of meltblown fibers while simultaneously forming meltblown polymeric material into the air And mixtures of meltblown fibers. The coform material may also include other materials such as superabsorbent materials. The meltblown fibers and absorbent fibers (and other optional materials) can be collected on the forming surface as provided by the oleaginous belt. The forming surface may comprise a gas permeable material disposed on the forming surface. Coform materials are further disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,508,102 and 5,350,624 to Georger et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,100,324 to Anderson, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0053547 to Schroeder et al. Quot; is hereby incorporated by reference to the extent that the entire contents thereof do not conflict with one another. As used herein, the term "elastic coform " refers to an elastic coform nonwoven layer comprising a matrix of meltblown fibers and an absorbent material, wherein the meltblown fibers comprise from about 30 wt% to about 99 wt% And the absorbent material comprises from about 1 wt% to about 70 wt% of the web and the meltblown fibers comprise from about 60 mol% to about 99.5 mol% propylene content and from about 0.5 mol% to about 40 mol% Wherein the copolymer has a density of from about 0.86 to about 0.90 grams per cubic centimeter and the composition is formed from a thermoplastic composition containing at least one propylene / alpha-olefin copolymer having an alpha olefin content Although having a melt flow rate of about 120 to about 6000 grams per 10 minutes measured at 230 ^° C in accordance with Method D1238-E, actual considerations may reduce the high end melt flow rate range.

Acquisition layer 84 may have additional parameters, including basis weight and thickness. In one embodiment, the basis weight of acquisition layer 84 may be at least about 10 or 20 gsm. In one embodiment, the basis weight of acquisition layer 84 is about 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60 gsm to about 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 100, 110, 120, . In one embodiment, the basis weight of acquisition layer 84 may be less than about 130, 120, 110, 100, 90, 85, 80, 75, 70, 65, 60, or 50 gsm. In one embodiment, the acquisition layer 84 may have a thickness of less than about 1.5 mm as measured at 0.05 psi (.345 kPa). For example, in one embodiment, where the absorbent article 10 is a diaper, the acquisition layer 84 may have a thickness of less than about 1.5, 1.25, or 1.0 mm as measured at 0.05 psi (. 345 kPa). For example, in one embodiment, where the absorbent article is a feminine hygiene article, the acquisition layer 84 may have a thickness of less than about 1.5, 1.25, or 1.0 mm as measured at 0.2 psi (1.379 kPa).

Spacer Layer:

As shown, in various embodiments, for example, in Figures 7 to 16, the absorbent article 10 may include a spacer layer 81. [ The spacer layer 81 may act as a ventilation layer to cut off the outer cover 26 and reduce the dampness of the absorbent article 10 on the exterior facing side of the outer cover 26. The spacer layer 81 may be positioned between the absorber 40 and the outer cover 26. In some embodiments, the spacer layer 81 may be positioned in contact with substantially the entire garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40, as in Figures 9 and 12-16b. In some embodiments, the spacer layer 81 may be located at least partially between the body facing surface 28 and the outer cover 26, as illustrated in Figures 7, 8, 10,

The spacer layer 81 may be approximately the same width as the absorber 40 as shown in Figures 7 to 16 but the spacer layer 81 may be smaller in width than the absorber 40, . As an example, the spacer layer 81 may extend from one longitudinal side edge 18 of the absorbent article 10 to another longitudinal side edge 20. In some embodiments, the spacer layer 81 may extend from the front waist edge 22 to the back waist edge 24 of the absorbent article 10. In some embodiments, the spacer layer 81 may share a boundary with the outer cover 26.

The spacer layer 81 may be composed of various materials. In one embodiment, the spacer layer 81 may be a nonwoven material. In some embodiments, the spacer layer 81 may be a spunbond-meltblown-spunbond (" ". In some embodiments where the spacer layer 81 is an SMS material, the spunbond polymer may be a polypropylene, For example, ExxonMobil PP3155, available from ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Houston, Tex., And the meltblown polymer may also be a polypropylene such as Polypropylene 3962 available from Total Pethrochemicals USA, Inc., Houston, TX, The material may be Achieve ™ 6936G2, available from ExxonMobil Chemical Company. In some embodiments, spacer layer 81 may have a basis weight of 8-12 gsm.

Body opposing substances:

As illustrated in Figures 17-19, the body opposing material 28 includes a fluid entanglement layer (not shown) having protrusions 90 extending outwardly away from at least one intended outer surface of the fluid entangled laminate web Web. In one embodiment, the protrusions 90 may be hollow. The body facing material 28 may have two layers, such as a support layer 92 and a protruding layer 94. The support layer 92 may have a first surface 96 and a second surface 98 on the opposite side, and a thickness 100. The protruding layer 94 may have an inner surface 102 and an opposite outer surface 104, and a thickness 106. The interface 108 may be between the support layer 92 and the protruding layer 94. In one embodiment, the fibers of the protruding layer 94 may traverse the interface 108 to form a body-facing material 28, and may be entangled and secured with the support layer 92. In embodiments where the support layer 92 is a fibrous nonwoven web, the fibers of the support layer 92 may cross the interface 108 and entangled with the fibers of the protruding layer 94. As mentioned above, in some embodiments, the fluid transfer layer 78 may be constructed of a material similar to the body-facing material 28 and manufactured in a similar manner. As such, the description of the body facing material 28 herein is also applicable to some embodiments of the fluid transfer layer 78.

The body facing material 28 can be configured in a variety of ways in the absorbent article 10. For example, the body facing material 28 may be disposed in generally planar form in some embodiments, and may share a boundary with the outer cover 26 and extend from one longitudinal side edge 18 of the absorbent article 10 Can extend from the front waist edge 22 of the absorbent article 10 to the back waist edge 24 of the absorbent article 10 as shown in Figures 2,3 and 5, . In some embodiments, the body facing material 28 can be disposed generally in a planar form, and the body facing material 28 can be positioned within the absorbent article 10, as shown in Figures 4,6, To the longitudinal side edges 18,20 of the side walls 18,20. The body facing material 28 may have a first major surface 77 and a second major surface 79. 2 to 6 and 12 to 14B, the first major surface 77 may face the wearer ' s body and the second major surface < RTI ID = 0.0 > 79 & The wearer's clothes can be confronted to the wearer's body 77 as shown in Fig.

In other embodiments, the body facing material 28 may at least partially package the absorbent body 40 as shown in Figures 7-11 and 15-16b. 7 to 9, the body facing material 28 may be positioned over the entire body facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40 and may be positioned around the longitudinal side edges 42, 44 of the absorbent body 40 Lt; / RTI > 7 to 9, the body facing material 28 is also located below the first portion 76a of the garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40 and on the garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40 And extend under the second portion 76b. Embodiments in which body facing material 28 extends around just over one surface 74, 76 or longitudinal side edges 42, 44 of absorber 40 by at least partially packing absorber 40 The first major surface 77 of the body facing material 28 has a body opposition that can confront the body of the wearer at one location of the body facing material 28 on the body facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40. [ (Facing the wearer's garment) away from the wearer ' s body at one location of the body-facing material 28 below the garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40, have.

At least a portion of the body facing material 28 may be folded over itself. For example, FIG. 9 shows that bodily-facing material can be folded over itself as bodily-facing material 28 wrapped around one or both of longitudinal side edges 42, 44 of absorber 40 . A first portion 79a of the second major surface 79 of the body facing material 28 is formed on the first longitudinal side edge 42 of the absorbent body 40 on the second major surface & Is in contact with the second portion 79b. Similarly, a third portion 79c of the second major surface 79 of the body facing material 28 is disposed on the second longitudinal side edge 44 of the absorbent body 40, And is in contact with the fourth portion 79d of the two main surface 79. In some embodiments, the first portion 79a may be bonded to the second portion 79b and the third portion 79c may be bonded to the fourth portion 79d using an adhesive and / or point fusion bonding. . Portions 79a and 79b and 79c and 79d of the second major surface 79 that are in contact with each other may be of varying length and may be of different lengths between the first and second portions 79a and 79b of the body- The contact lengths may be the same as the contact lengths of the third and fourth portions 79c and 79d of the body facing material 28, ). ≪ / RTI > A configuration comprising a body facing material 28 that is folded up on itself provides additional leakage preventing properties for the body facing material 28, particularly in the context of low viscosity body exudates.

As shown in FIGS. 7-11, at least a portion of the body facing material 28 may be in contact with the liquid impermeable outer cover 26. For example, portions 29 and 31 of body facing material 28 in FIG. 8 may be configured such that body facing material 28 extends beyond spacer layer 81 toward longitudinal side edges 18 and 20 Impermeable outer cover 26 at a location where the liquid-impermeable outer cover 26 is exposed. The spacer layer 81 may be arranged to be positioned between the garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40 and the outer cover 26, as shown in Figs. In one embodiment, spacer layer 81 may be positioned between body facing material 28 and outer cover 26, as shown in Figures 7, 8, 10, 9, the spacer layer 81 may be positioned between the absorber 40 and the body facing material 28 located below the garment facing surface 76 of the absorber 40 . At least one portion 29, 31 of body facing material 28 may contact the liquid impervious outer cover 26, in one of the spacer layers 81 of these exemplary embodiments.

The body facing material 28 may also be bonded to the outer cover 26 and / or the spacer layer 81 through the use of adhesives and / or point fusion bonding. Point fusion bonding can be selected from, but not limited to, ultrasonic bonding, pressure bonding, thermal bonding, and combinations thereof. Exemplary bonding configurations of the body facing material 28 to the outer cover 26 using an adhesive are shown in Figures 15,16a and 16b wherein the outer cover 26 (in the slot coat adhesive lines 83a and 83e or 83f) The body facing material 28 is bonded. 15 shows that adhesive 83, and in particular adhesive lines 83a and 83f, extend from front waist edge 22 to back waist edge 24 and body facing material 28 to outer cover 26 . The adhesive lines 83b, 83c, 83d and 83e can bond the spacer layer 81 to the outer cover 26. [ As discussed above, the body facing material 28 may additionally be bonded to the spacer layer 81 and / or may be point fusion bonded. In embodiments where the spacer layer 81 extends laterally beyond the body facing material 28 toward the longitudinal edges 18,20 of the absorbent article 10, the adhesive lines 83a and 83e or 83f Can be used to bond the body facing material 28 to the spacer layer 81.

As an alternative to bonding the body facing material 28 to the outer cover 26 or the spacer layer 81 in a continuous and consistent manner throughout the length of the absorbent body 10, (69) with a reduced bonded surface area and / or a reduced amount of adhesive (83) for the outer cover (26) or spacer layer (81) can do. For example, the adhesive 83 in FIG. 15 may be applied to the adhesive lanes 83a, 83b, 83c, 83d, 83e, 83f extending from the front waist edge 22 to the back waist edge 24, The amount of each of the adhesive lanes 83a, 83b, 83c, 83d, 83e, and 83f may be reduced in the central horizontal zone 69. [ In this embodiment, the body facing material 28 has less bonding agent 83 in the front bonding region 65 or the rear bonding region 67, Layer 81 as shown in FIG.

Alternatively, the adhesive 83 does not extend from the front waist edge 22 to the back waist edge 24, as shown in Fig. 16A, so that the adhesive 83 is not present in the central horizontal zone 69 Lt; / RTI > 16A shows another configuration example of bonding the body facing material 28 to the outer cover 26. Fig. 16A, an adhesive 83 may extend from the front waist edge 22 through the front waist region 65 and from the back waist edge 24 through the back waist bonding region 67. However, the body facing material 28 may include a central horizontal section 69 where the body facing material 28 is not bonded to the outer cover 26. Specifically, the portions 29, 31 of the body facing material 28 extending past the spacer layer 81 are joined by adhesive lines 83a, 83f which do not extend into the central horizontal section 69 of the adhesive 83 It is not bonded to the outer cover 26. In an embodiment in which the spacer layer 81 extends laterally beyond the portions of the body facing material 28 (28a, 28b) towards the longitudinal edges 18,20 of the absorbent article 10, the adhesive line 83a And 83f likewise do not extend into the horizontal zone 69 such that the segments 28a and 28b are not bonded to the spacer layer 81 of the central horizontal zone 69. 16A, the central horizontal section 69 extends across the entire width of the body facing material 28 extending below the garment facing surface 76 of the absorber 40 and / or the spacer layer 81 Can be extended. The front waist region 65 and the back waist region 67 are connected to an outer cover 26 that is larger than the surface area of the body facing material 28 to the outer cover 26 in the central horizontal zone 69 Which may provide increased pore volume in the central horizontal zone 69 as well as increased flexibility of the absorbent article 10. In this case,

16b, the adhesive 83 is applied to the absorbent article 10 such that one or more adhesive lanes, e.g., adhesive liner 83c, extend from the front waist edge 22 to the back waist edge 24 of the absorbent article 10 Alternatively, the other adhesive lanes 83a, 83b, 83d, 83e may be configured such that they do not extend from the front waist edge 22 to the back waist edge 24 of the absorbent article 10. [ In some embodiments, two adhesive lanes, e.g., 83c and 83d, extend from the front waist edge 22 to the back waist edge 24 of the absorbent article 10 while other adhesive lanes, e.g., 83a, 83b, 83e May be configured not to extend from the front waist edge (22) to the back waist edge (24) of the absorbent article (10). 16b, the adhesive lanes 83a, 83b, 83d, 83e extend from the front waist edge 22 through the front waist region 65, respectively, and through the back waist bonding region 67, respectively, 83b, 83d, 83e extend from the rear waist edge 24, but do not extend through the central horizontal section 69. The adhesive lanes 83a, 83b, 83d, The adhesive lane 83c extends through the central horizontal section 69 and thus bonds the spacer layer 81 to the outer cover 26 in the central horizontal section 69. [ In some embodiments, which include body-facing material 28 having a different configuration, adhesive liner 83c may be provided on the spacer layer 81 or outer cover 26 in the central horizontal zone 69, Portions can be bonded. The adhesive liner 83c can be centered between the longitudinal side edges 18,20 of the absorbent article 10. 16A, the front waist region 65 and the back waist region 67 are connected to the outer cover 26 in the central horizontal zone 69, respectively, as shown in Fig. 16B, May include the surface area of the engagement of the body facing material 28 with respect to the outer cover 26 that is greater than the surface area of the engagement of the opposing material 28. In addition to the increased void volume in the central horizontal zone 69, 10). ≪ / RTI > In addition, the body opposing material 28 may be provided in the central horizontal section 69 with less adhesive 83 in the front waist region 65 and the back waist region 67 in the embodiment shown in Figure 16B, (26) or the spacer layer (81).

In another embodiment shown in Figures 10 and 11, the body facing material 28 may include a first portion 28a that is separate from the second portion 28b. The first portion 28a and the second portion 28b may be sheets of discrete material. 7 to 9, the first portion 28a and the second portion 28b of the body facing material 28 have a first major surface 77 and a second minor portion 28b, May include a surface (79). The first portion 28a of the body facing material 28 is positioned such that the first portion 28a is located at least above the first portion 74a of the body facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40, At least partially wrap the absorbent body 40 that extends around the longitudinal side edges 42 and is configured to extend under at least a portion 76a of the garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40. [ The second portion 28b of the body facing material 28 is positioned such that the second portion 28b is located at least above the second portion 74b of the body facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40, At least partially wrap the absorber 40 that extends about the longitudinal side edge 44 and is configured to extend under at least a portion 76b of the garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40. [ The first portion 28a and the second portion 28b of the body facing material 28 are bonded to the outer cover 26 and / or the spacer layer 28 in a similar manner as in the body facing material 28 shown in Figs. 15, 16a, (Not shown).

In one embodiment, the body facing material 28 may have a longitudinal length that is equal to, greater than, or less than the longitudinal length of the absorbent body 40. The body facing material 28 may be about 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 225, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, or 350 mm to about 355, 360, 380, 385, 390, 395, 400, 410, 415, 420, 425, 440, 450, 460, 480, 500, 510, have.

The configuration of the body facing material 28 that extends beyond the body facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40 and not only the body surface facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40 but also the larger surface area of the absorbent body 40 has an advantage in absorbing the absorbent article 10 and preventing leakage of body exudates to provide. For example, extend around a first longitudinal side edge 42 of the absorbent body 40 and / or extend around a second longitudinal side edge 44 of the absorbent body 40 and / The body facing material 28 extending below the garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40 may provide a more efficient dispensing of body exudates to the absorbent body 40. [ This configuration allows the body exudate to contact and penetrate the absorbent body 40 in a variety of directions, as opposed to the body facing surface 74 of the absorbent body 40. As a result, by distributing the body exudate more efficiently into the absorbent body 40, a smaller absorbent body 40 can be provided for use in the absorbent article 10, potentially saving money and providing a more flexible absorbent article 10 have.

More efficient dispensing of the body exudate to the absorber 40 also reduces the body exudate body excretion such as excretion on the body opposing material 28 and reduces the likelihood that the body exudate will diffuse and spread out of the leakage prevention flaps 52, And may reduce the possibility of damaging the gasket effect, thereby providing improved leakage preventing characteristics. This reduction in body exudates, such as secretions, may also provide improved skin condition of the wearer by reducing skin irritation. This body opposing material 28 may also make the outer cover 26 provide a more distance between the absorbent body 40 and the outer cover 26 so as to have a continued dry feeling after excretion.

Protrusions of body facing material / fluid transfer layer

In one embodiment, the protrusions 90 may be filled with fibers from the protruding layer 94 and / or the support layer 92. In one embodiment, the protrusions 90 may be hollow. The protrusions 90 may have closed ends 110 that may be free of openings. However, in some embodiments, the pressure and / or residence time of the fluid jets affecting the entangling process may be increased as described herein to create each one or more openings (not shown) of the projections 90 May be desirable. The aperture may also be formed in the body-facing material through a forming post (not shown), which may be located on a protruding portion forming surface 156 (such as the forming surface 156 of Figs. 22 and 22A). These openings may be formed in the closed ends 110 and / or sidewalls 112 of the protrusions 90. These openings should be distinguished from individual fiber to fiber spacing, which is the spacing between individual subsequent fibers.

In various embodiments, the protrusions 90 may be formed by a material that forms protrusions 90, such as, for example, fibrous material, in an open area where light can pass through the protrusions 90 without being disturbed ≪ / RTI > The percentage of the open area present in the protrusions 90 includes all the areas of the protrusions 90 through which the light can pass through the protrusions 90 unimpeded. Thus, for example, the percentage of the open area of the protrusions 90 may be less than the size of the protrusions 90 through openings, interfiber spacings, and any other spacing in the protrusions 90 that light can pass unimpeded. May include all open areas of the < RTI ID = 0.0 > In one embodiment, the protrusions 90 may be formed without apertures, and the open area may be due to inter-fiber spacing. 0.9, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, or less than 0.1%.

In some embodiments in which the body facing material 28 and / or the fluid transfer layer 78 includes the protrusions 90 and extends below at least a portion of the garment facing surface 76 of the absorbent body 40, Can provide the advantage of increased soft touch of the outer cover 26 of the absorbent article 10.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the non-limiting embodiment illustrated in Figure 20, the protrusions 90 may be formed on the top of the dome, the curved top, or the closed ends 110, as viewed in the cross-section shown in Figures 20a and 20b. It may be round when viewed. The actual shape of the protrusions 90 may vary depending on the shape of the formation surface on which the fibers from the protrusion layer 94 are directed. Thus, although not limiting, the shape of the protrusions 90 may be, for example, round, oval, square, rectangular, triangular, diamond-shaped or the like. Both the width and the height of the protrusions 90 can be varied as in the spacing and pattern of the protrusions 90. In one embodiment, various shapes, sizes, and spacings of protrusions 90 in the same protrusion layer 94 may be utilized. In one embodiment, protrusions 90 may have a height of greater than about 1 mm as measured according to the open area percent determination test method described herein. In one embodiment, the protrusions 90 may have a height of about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or more than 10 mm. In one embodiment, the protrusions 90 may have a height of about 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 mm to about 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 mm.

The protrusions 90 of the body facing material 28 can be located on the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94 and extend from the outer surface thereof. In one embodiment, the protrusions 90 may extend from the outer surface 104 of the protrusion layer 94 in a direction away from the support layer 92. In an embodiment where the protrusions 90 may be hollow, the protrusions may be positioned toward the inner surface 102 of the protrusion layer 94 and may be used from the protrusion layer 94 to form the protrusions 90 May have open ends 114 that can be covered by the second surface 98 of the support layer 92 or the inner surface 102 of the protruding layer 94 depending on the amount of fibers. The protrusions 90 may be surrounded by a surface area 116 that may be formed from the outer surface 104 of the protrusion layer 94, (92). The floor area 116 may be relatively flat and planar, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, or it may also impose photographic variability within the floor area 116. For example, in one embodiment, the surface area 116 may have a plurality of three-dimensional shapes formed in the surface area by forming a protruding layer 94 on the forming surface of the three-dimensional shape, For example, in U.S. Patent No. 4,741,941 to Engelbert et al., Assigned to Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. For example, in one embodiment, the surface area 116 may be provided with a recess 118 that may extend entirely or partially into the protruding layer 94 and / or the support layer 92. In addition, the floor area 116 may be embossed so that other functional attributes to the surface texture may be applied to the floor area 116. In one embodiment, an opening 120 is provided that can extend through the body facing material 28 such that the floor area 116 and the body facing material 28 are entirely (including liquid exuding body exudates, May facilitate the movement of fluids into and out of the body opposing material 28. These openings 120 should be distinguished from individual fiber to fiber spacing, which is the spacing between individual subsequent fibers.

In various embodiments, the floor areas 116 can be configured to allow light to pass through the floor areas 116 without being disturbed by the material forming the floor areas 116, such as, for example, And can have a percentage of the open area. The percentage of open areas present in the floor areas 116 includes all areas of the floor areas 116 where light can pass through the floor areas 116 without being interrupted. Thus, for example, the percentage of the open area of the floor area 116 may be greater than the percentage of the open areas of the floor areas 116 through the openings, interfiber spacings, and any other spacing in the floor areas 116 that light can pass unimpeded (Not shown). In various embodiments, the surface areas 116 may have greater than about 1% open area in the selected area of the body facing material 28 as measured according to the open area percent determination test method described herein. In one embodiment, the surface areas 116 may be formed without apertures, and the open areas may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the surface areas 116 may be about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 , 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or more than 20% open area. In various embodiments, the surface areas 116 may be about 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7 , 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10, 10.5, 11, 11.5, 12, 12.5, 13, 13.5,14,14.5,15,15.5,16,16.5,17,17.5,18,18.5,19,19.5 , Or 20% of the open area. In various embodiments, the surface areas 116 may have about 1, 2, or 3% to about 4 or 5% open areas in selected areas of body facing material. In various embodiments, the surface areas 116 may have an open area of about 5, 6, or 7% to about 8, 9, or 10% in the selected area of the body facing material 28. In various embodiments, the surface areas 116 can be about 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15% to about 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20 in a selected area of the body- % ≪ / RTI > open area. In various embodiments, the surface areas 116 may have an open area of greater than about 20% in the selected area of the body facing material 28.

The protrusions 90 of the body facing material 28 may be provided in any orientation as appropriate. In one embodiment, protrusions 90 of body-facing material 28 may be provided at random to body-facing material 28. In one embodiment, the protrusions 90 can be oriented linearly in the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article 10. In one embodiment, the protrusions 90 may be oriented linearly in the lateral direction 32 of the absorbent article 10. In one embodiment, the protrusions 90 can be oriented linearly in a direction that can be tilted with respect to the lateral direction 32 and / or the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article 10. The surface areas 116 of the body facing material 28 may be provided in any orientation as appropriate. In one embodiment, the surface areas 116 may be oriented linearly in the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article 10. In one embodiment, the surface areas 116 can be aligned linearly in the lateral direction 32 of the absorbent article 10. In one embodiment, the surface areas 116 can be aligned linearly in a direction that can be tilted with respect to the lateral direction 32 of the absorbent article 10 and / or the longitudinal direction 30.

In one embodiment, the protrusions 90 and / or the surface areas 116 are formed such that the protrusions 90 are located in the crotch region 16 of the absorbent article 10, And may be provided to be located at a combination position thereof. In one embodiment, the protrusions 90 may have varying heights in different regions of the absorbent article 10. In one such embodiment, for example, the protrusions 90 may have a first height in one region of the absorbent article 10 and a different height in another region of the absorbent article 10. In one embodiment, the protrusions 90 may have a varying diameter in different zones of the absorbent article 10. In one such embodiment, for example, the protrusions 90 may have a first diameter in one region of the absorbent article 10 and a different diameter in another region of the absorbent article 10. In one embodiment, the concentration of protrusions 90 can be varied in the absorbent article 10. In one such embodiment, the area of the absorbent article 10 may have a concentration of protrusions 90 that is higher than the concentration of the protrusions 90 in the second region of the absorbent article 10.

In one embodiment, protrusions 90 and / or surface areas 116 may be provided in a patterned orientation. Non-limiting examples of the patterned orientation include, but are not limited to, lines, circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, ovals, stars, and hexagons. In one embodiment, the patterned orientation can be provided such that the patterned orientation is parallel to the longitudinal direction 30 and / or the lateral direction 32 of the absorbent article 10. [ In one embodiment, the patterned orientation can be provided such that the patterned orientation is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction 30 and / or the lateral direction 32 of the absorbent article. In one embodiment, protrusions 90 of body facing material 28 can be at least partially aligned with other protrusions 90 of body facing material 28, such as, for example, adjacent protrusions 90 , Completely aligned, or not aligned at all. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that alignment (partial alignment, full alignment, or no alignment) of the protrusions 90 of the body facing material 28 with other protrusions 90, such as the adjacent protrusions 90 of the body facing material 28, The channels of the floor areas 116 that can prevent further diffusion of body exudates along the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 can occur and / Is capable of diffusing the body exudate toward the desired location of the body facing material 28 of the article 10.

By way of example, FIGS. 21A, 21B, and 21C illustrate an exemplary embodiment of partial alignment, complete alignment, and misalignment of two protrusions of adjacent lines of protrusions. 21A, the first lines 91 of the projections 90 may be arranged linearly in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article 10. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, in Fig. The protrusion 90 of the first line 91 of the protrusions 90 oriented in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article is oriented in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article, May be at least partially aligned with the protrusion 90 of the immediately adjacent second line 93 of the protrusions 90. The projection 90 of the first line 91 of the projections 90 oriented in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article 10 and the projection 90 of the first line 91 of the absorbent article 10 in the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article 10 The projections 90 of the immediately adjacent second lines 93 of the projections 90 oriented in the parallel direction are partially aligned so that the first lines 91 and the second lines 93 of the projections 90 A path of the imaginary line 95 may occur in a lateral direction 32 of the absorbent article 10 through each of the protrusions 90 of the absorbent article 10. The first line 91 of the protrusions 90 and the first line 91 of the protrusions 90 by the path of the virtual lines 95 through each of the protrusions 90 of the second line 93 And the intermediate point of each of the protrusions 90 of the second line 93 need not always occur. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, in Figure 21B, the first line 91 of the protrusions 90 may be arranged linearly in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article 10. [ The protrusion 90 of the first line 91 of the protrusions 90 oriented in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article 10 is in the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article 10. In this embodiment, Can be completely aligned with the protruding portion 90 of the immediately adjacent second line 93 of the protrusions 90 oriented in a direction parallel to the direction of the second line 93. The projection 90 of the first line 91 of the projections 90 oriented in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article 10 and the projection 90 of the first line 91 of the absorbent article 10 in the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article 10 The projections 90 of the directly adjacent second lines 93 of the projections 90 oriented in the parallel direction are completely aligned so that the first and second lines 91 and 93 of the projections 90 A path of the imaginary line 95 may occur in a lateral direction 32 of the absorbent article 10 through each of the protrusions 90 of the absorbent article 10. In such an embodiment, the imaginary line 95 may pass through the midpoint of each of the protrusions 90 of the first line 91 and the second line 93 of the protrusions 90. In an exemplary embodiment, for example, in Figure 21C, the first line 91 of the projections 90 may be arranged linearly in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article 10. [ The protrusion 90 of the first line 91 of the protrusions 90 oriented in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article 10 is in the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article 10. In this embodiment, May not be aligned at all with the protrusions 90 of the immediately adjacent second lines 93 of the protrusions 90 oriented in a direction parallel to the first line 93. [ The projection 90 of the first line 91 of the projections 90 oriented in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article 10 and the projection 90 of the first line 91 of the absorbent article 10 in the longitudinal direction 30 of the absorbent article 10 The protrusions 90 of the directly adjacent second lines 93 of the protrusions 90 oriented in the parallel direction are not aligned at all to prevent the first and second lines 91, The path of the imaginary line 95 in the lateral direction 32 of the absorbent article 10 can occur without either of the protrusions 90 of the absorbent article 93 or only one of the protrusions 90. [ It is to be appreciated that additional configurations of partial alignment, full alignment, and complete misalignment may be formed.

Although the density and fiber content of the protrusions 90 may vary, in one embodiment, the protrusions 90 may be hollow. 20A and 20B, it can be seen that, when the projections 90 are hollow, they may have a shell 122 formed from the fibers of the protruding layer 94. The shell 122 may form an internal space 124 that may have low density fibers compared to the shell 122 of the protrusions 90. Means the fiber count or content per unit of volume of the volume within the shell 122 of the protrusion 90 or a portion of the interior space 124. The term " density " The distance 103 from the surface facing the outside of the shell 122 to the inward facing surface of the shell 122 and the density of the shell 122 can vary within a specific or individual protrusion 90, And may be varied between different protrusions 90. In addition, the size and density of the hollow interior space 124 may vary within a particular or individual protrusion 90, and may also vary between different protrusions 90. The micrographs of FIGS. 20A and 20B show the low density or count of the fibers in the inner space 124, as compared to the shell 122 of the illustrated protrusions 90. FIG. As a result, if at least a portion of the internal space 124 of the protrusion 90 having a fiber density lower than at least a portion of at least a portion of the shell 122 of the same protrusion 90 is present, the protrusion is regarded as hollow. In this regard, in some circumstances, the cross-section of one of the protrusions may be sufficiently enlarged, at least a portion of the internal space 124 of the protrusion 90 Has a lower density than a portion of the shell 122 of the same protrusion 90 and regards the protrusion 90 as hollow. Also, if at least a portion of the protrusions 90 of the body facing material 28 are hollow, the body facing material 28 and the protrusion layer 94 may be regarded as "hollow" . In one embodiment, some of the hollow protrusions 90 may be about 50% or more of the protrusions 90 in the selected area of the body facing material 28. In one embodiment, about 70% or more of the protrusions 90 in the selected region of the body facing material 28 may be hollow. In one embodiment, about 90% or more of the projections 90 in the selected area of the body facing material 28 may be hollow.

The body facing material 28 is due to the movement of the fibers of the protruding layer 94 in one direction and sometimes in two or more directions, as will be more apparent with respect to the process description to be described below. 19, a forming surface (such as the forming surface 156 in Figs. 22 and 22A) in which the protruding layer 94 is located is used to form the protrusions 90 (Such as the sheet areas 172 of Figure 22A) corresponding to the sheet areas 116 of the protruding layer 94, as long as they are solid except for the forming holes The fibers adjacent to the inner surface 102 of the protruding layer 94 can move into the support layer 92 adjacent to the second surface 98 by the force of the fluid entangling stream that impacts and springs back. The movement of these fibers in the first direction can be represented by the arrow 126 shown in Fig. In order to form protrusions 90 that extend outwardly from the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94, the fibers must move in the second direction, as shown by arrow 128. It is this shift in the second direction that causes the fibers to move away from the outer surface 104 from the protruding layer 94 to form the protrusions 90.

In embodiments in which the support layer 92 can be a fibrous nonwoven web, depending on the strength and residence time of the fluid jets and the degree of web integrity, the fibers of the support layer 92 may be bonded to the projecting layer 94 ). ≪ / RTI > The end result of this fiber migration is that the layers 92 and 94 are laminated at the interface 108 of the layers and the integrity of the body is good thus allowing for further handling and handling of the body- Material 28 can be produced. As a result of the fluid entanglement process described herein, the fluid pressure used to form the protrusions 90 to force the fibers from the support layer 92 to the outer surface 104 of the protrusion layer 94 It is generally undesirable to have sufficient force.

The support layer of the body facing material and the protrusion layer / fluid transfer layer

As the name implies, the support layer 92 may support a protruding layer 94 that includes protrusions 90 and may have multiple structures if the supporting layer 92 can support the protruding layer 94 . The primary function of the support layer 92 is to protect the protruding layer 94 during the formation of the protrusions 90 and to bond or entangle with the protruding layer 94 and to prevent the protruding layer 94 and the resulting May be to assist in further processing of body facing material 28. Suitable materials for the support layer 92 may be selected from the group consisting of a subset of nonwoven fabrics or webs, scrim materials, knitted fabrics, nonwoven fabrics or webs and foam materials, Paper, cellulose, wood pulp based products that can be considered as a film, and combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the support layer 92 may be staple length fibers used, for example, in carded webs, airlaid webs, or the like, or may be staple length fibers used, for example, in a meltblown web or more continuous fibers found in a spunbond web A nonwoven web made of a plurality of randomly accumulated fibers. Because of the function that the support layer 92 has to perform, the support layer 92 can have a degree of integrity that is higher than the protrusion layer 94. [ In this regard, the support layer 92 may remain substantially intact when subjected to a fluid entangling process, described in more detail below. The integrity of the support layer 92 is such that the material forming the support layer 92 can be driven downward to resist filling the protrusions 90 of the protrusion layer 94. As a result, in embodiments where the support layer 92 is a fibrous nonwoven web, it should have a higher degree of interfiber bonding and / or fiber entanglement than the fibers of the projecting layer 94. Although it may be desirable to entangle fibers from the support layer 92 with the fibers of the protruding layer 94 adjacent the interface 108 between the support layer and the protruding layer, 90 so that the support layer 92 is not integrated or entangled with the protruding layer 94.

In one embodiment, the function of the support layer 92 may be to facilitate further processing of the protruding layer 94. In one embodiment, the fibers used to form the protruding layer 94 may be more expensive than the fibers used to form the support layer 92. As a result, in such an embodiment, it may be desirable to keep the basis weight of the protruding layer 94 low. However, in doing so, it may become difficult to treat the protruding layer 94 following the formation of the protruding layer. By attaching the protruding layer 94 to the base support layer 92, further processing, winding and unwinding, storage and other activities can be performed more effectively.

In one embodiment, the support layer 92 may have a degree of integrity that is higher than the protruding layer 94, in order to resist a higher degree of fiber movement, as described above. This high degree of integrity can be achieved in many ways. One approach is to use fibers that can be achieved by thermally or ultrasonic bonding the fibers together, with or without the use of pressure, as in aeration, point bonding, powder bonding, chemical bonding, adhesive bonding, embossing, calender bonding, Lt; / RTI > In addition, other materials such as adhesives and / or bicomponent fibers may be added to the fibrous mixture. Pre-entanglement of the fibrous nonwoven support layer 92 can also be utilized, for example, by subjecting the web to hydroentanglement, needle punching, etc., before the support layer 92 is connected to the protruding layer 94 . Combinations of the above schemes are possible. Other materials such as foam, scrim, knitting, etc. may have sufficient initial integrity so that no further treatment is required. The level of integrity can in many cases be observed visually, for example, by visual observation of techniques such as point bonding commonly used in fibrous nonwoven webs, such as spunbond webs and short fiber containing webs. Additional enlargement of the support layer 92 may also indicate the use of fluid entanglement to connect the fibers together or the use of thermal and / or adhesive bonding. Depending on whether samples of the individual layers 92 and 94 are available, a tensile test can be performed on either or both the machine direction and the cross machine direction to compare the integrity of the support layer 92 with respect to the protrusion layer 94 . See, for example, ASTM test D5035-11, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto in all respects.

The type, basis weight, tensile strength, and other characteristics of the support layer 92 may be selected and varied depending upon the particular end use of the formed body facing material 28. [ In general, when the body facing material 28 is used as part of an absorbent article such as a personal hygiene absorbent article, a towel, etc., the support layer 92 is fluid permeable, has good wet and dry strength, It may be desirable to be a layer that is capable of absorbing the fluid and retaining the fluid for a predetermined period of time and subsequently releasing the fluid to one or more underlying layers. In this regard, fibrous nonwoven fabrics, such as spunbond webs, meltblown webs, and carded webs, such as airlaid webs, bonded carded webs, and coform materials, are suitable as support layer 92 . Foam materials and scrim materials are also suitable. The support layer 92 is also commonly used to produce a layer combination of a spunbond web and a meltblown web and a spunbond web and a meltblown web so that the use of multiple layers or multi- Lt; / RTI > In forming such support layer 92, both natural and synthetic materials may be used alone or in combination to produce the materials. In various embodiments, the support layer 92 may have a basis weight ranging from about 5 to about 40 or 50 gsm.

The type, basis weight, and porosity of the support layer 92 can affect the process conditions necessary to form the protrusions 90 in the protrusion layer 94. The heavier the weight materials, the greater the force entangling the fluid stream required to form the protrusions 90 in the protruding layer 94. [ It has been found, however, that since the heavier basis support layers 92 are determined to be so stretchable that they can not maintain the shape of the projections 90 after the forming process, the support for the overhang layer 94 can be improved . The protruding layer 94 itself may be excessively stretched in the machine direction due to the mechanical force applied to the protruding layer and subsequent winding and conversion processes, and may eventually shrink and distort the protrusions. Also, in the absence of the support layer 92, the protrusions 90 of the protrusion layer 94 tend to collapse due to the winding pressure and compression weight experienced by the protrusion layer 94 in the winding process and subsequent transformations, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 94 < / RTI >

The support layer 92 may undergo further processing and / or addition to modify or improve the properties of the support layer. For example, surfactant and other chemicals may be added internally and externally together to components that form all or part of the support layer 92 to alter or improve the properties of the support layer. A compound commonly referred to as a hydrogel or superabsorbent that absorbs the corresponding weight several times as a liquid can be added to the support layer 92 in the form of fine particles and fibers.

The protruding layer 94 can be, for example, staple length fibers used in carded webs, airlaid webs, or the like, or can be staple lengths, which can be, for example, more continuous fibers in a meltblown web or spunbond web. Can be made of a plurality of randomly accumulated fibers which can be fibers. The fibers of the protruding layer 94 may be less interfiber bonding and / or fiber entanglement and may thus be less integrity relative to the integrity of the support layer 92 and may be less flexible in the embodiment where the support layer 92 is a fibrous nonwoven web Especially. In one embodiment, the fibers of the protruding layer 94 are bonded to the protrusions 90 as described in more detail below with respect to one or more of the embodiments of the process and apparatus for forming the body- And may not have an initial fiber-to-fiber bond to form. Alternatively, if both the support layer 92 and the protruding layer 94 can be fibrous nonwoven webs, the protruding layer 94 can be formed such that the protruding layer 94 has less interfiber bond, for example, 94 less prone to entangle or less adhesive, it may have less integrity than the support layer 92.

The protruding layer 94 is formed so that the fluid entangling process described below moves the first plurality of fibers of the plurality of fibers of the protruding layer 94 from the XY plane of the protruding layer 94 in the vertical or Z direction of the protruding layer 94 (As shown in FIG. 17) to form the protrusions 90 as shown in FIG. As mentioned herein, in various embodiments, the protrusions 90 may be hollow. As mentioned herein, in one embodiment, a second plurality of fibers of the plurality of fibers of the protruding layer 94 may be entangled with the support layer 92. If more continuous fiber structures are used, such as meltblown webs or spunbond webs, in one embodiment, there may be little or no prebonding of the protruding layer 94 prior to the fluid entangling process. If the fibers produced in the meltblown and spunbond processes (often referred to as continuous fibers to distinguish them from staple length fibers) are lengthened, they are typically less than about 100 mm and typically 10 to 60 mm Require more force than short staple length fibers with a range of fiber lengths. Conversely, short fiber webs, such as carded webs and airlaid webs, may have a pre-determined degree of pre-bonding or entanglement of the fibers due to their short length. These short fibers require less fluid force from the fluid entangled streams in moving the fibers in the Z direction to form the protrusions 90. As a result, too much material can be forced into the interior space 124 of the protrusions 90, without forming an opening in the surface areas 116 or protrusions 90, The fiber length, the degree of linear fiber bonding, the fluid force, the web speed, and the residence time so that the protrusions 90 can be created without making the protrusions 90 too hard.

In various embodiments, the protruding layer 94 may have a basis weight in the range of about 10 gsm to about 60 gsm. The spunbond webs can typically have a basis weight of from about 15 to about 50 gsm when used as the protruding layer 94. [ The fiber diameter may range from about 5 to about 20 micrometers. The fibers may be single component fibers formed from a single polymer composition and may be bicomponent or multicomponent fibers wherein one portion of the fibers is lower than the other components to enable interfiber bonding using heat and / It may have a melting point. Hollow fibers may also be used. The fibers may be formed of any polymer blend commonly used to form spunbonded webs. Examples of such polymers include polypropylene ("PP"), polyester ("PET"), polyamide ("PA"), polyethylene ("PE") and polylactic acid ("PLA" But is not limited to. Spunbonded webs can undergo post formation bond and entanglement techniques, if necessary, to improve processability of the web prior to undergoing protrusion formation processes.

The meltblown webs typically have a basis weight of from about 20 to about 50 gsm when used as the protruding layer 94. The fiber diameter may range from about 0.5 to about 5 microns. The fibers may be single component fibers formed of a single polymer composition or they may be bicomponent or multicomponent fibers where one portion of the fibers may be bonded to the other components to enable interfiber bonding using heat and / May have a lower melting point. The fibers may be formed of any polymer blend commonly used to form spunbonded webs. Examples of such polymers include, but are not limited to, PP, PET, PA, PE, and PLA.

Carded and airlaid webs can use short fibers, which can typically have a length of from about 10 to about 100 millimeters. The fiber denier range may be from about 0.5 to about 6 denier depending on the particular end use. The basis weight range may be from about 20 to about 60 gsm. The staple fibers may be made of, but not limited to, various polymers such as PP, PET, PA, PE, PLA, cotton, rayon, flax, wool, hemp, and regenerated cellulose such as viscose. Mixtures of fibers may be used, for example, a mixture of bicomponent fibers and monocomponent fibers, and a mixture of solid fibers and hollow fibers. If bonding is required, bonding can be achieved in many ways, including adhesive bonding, such as through-air bonding, calender bonding, point bonding, chemical bonding, and powder bonding. If necessary, the protruding layer 94 is subjected to a pre-entangling step so as to further improve the integrity and processability of the protruding layer 94 before the protruding portion forming process, It is possible to increase the fiber entanglement within the fibers. In this respect, hydraulic entanglement can be advantageous.

Although the nonwoven web types and forming processes described herein are suitable for use in connection with the protruding layer 94, it is anticipated that other webs and forming processes may be used if other webs can form the protrusions 90 .

Each of the support layer 92 and the protruding layer 94 may be manufactured in various basis weights, depending on the specific end application. For example, the body facing material 28 may have a total basis weight in the range of about 15, 20, or 25 to about 100, 110, or 120 gsm, and the support layer 92 may have a basis weight in the range of about 5 to about 40 or 50 gsm While the protruding layer 94 may have a basis weight in the range of about 15 or 20 to about 50 or 60 gsm. This basis weight range is possible due to the manner in which the body facing material 28 can be formed and the use of two different layers for the forming process. As a result, body facing material 28 can be manufactured in a commercial setting that was not previously considered feasible because the individual webs could not be processed to form the desired protrusions 90.

In one embodiment, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 may have a load of greater than about 2 Newtons per 25 mm width at 10% extension in the machine direction. In one embodiment, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 may have a load of greater than about 4 Newtons per 25 mm width at 10% extension in the machine direction. In one embodiment, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 may have a load of greater than about 6 Newtons per 25 mm width at 10% extension in the machine direction. In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 may have an elasticity of greater than about 70%. In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 may have an elasticity of greater than about 70, 73, 75, 77, 80, or 83%.

In various embodiments, the absorbent article 10 can be a diaper. In various embodiments, the amount of residual remnant material on the body opposing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 is about 2.5 < RTI ID = 0.0 > , 2.4, 2.3, 2.2, 2.1, 2.0, 1.9, 1.8, 1.7, 1.6, or 1.5 grams. In various embodiments, the diffusion area of the secretory mock material on the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 as the secretory mock material is discharged as measured by the diffusion area determination test method of the secretory mock material described herein , About 34, 33, 32, 31, 30, or 29 cm < ² >.

In various embodiments, the absorbent article 10 may be a feminine hygiene product. In various embodiments, the second inhalation time through the body facing material 28 on the absorbent article 10 after excretion of the menses simulant may be about 30, 20, Or less than 15 seconds. In various embodiments, the second inhalation time of the menses on the body facing material 28 on the absorbent article 10 may be measured after excretion of the menses simulant in the measurement using the inhalation / rewet testing method described herein From about 25 or 30% to about 50, 60, or 70% smaller than a commercial product. In various embodiments, the second inhalation time through bodily-facing material 28 on the absorbent article 10 is greater than the second inhalation time on the marketed product (as measured by the inhalation / rewet testing method described herein after excretion of the menses) 30, 31, 47, 49, 50, 54, 60, 64, 66, or 70% smaller.

In various embodiments, the second inhalation time through the body facing material 28 on the absorbent article 10 after excretion of the menses simulant may be increased by an increase in the rewet amount during the measurement using the inhalation / rewet testing method described herein Or less than about 30, 20, or 15 seconds. In various embodiments, the second inhalation time of the menses on body facing material 28 on the absorbent article 10 can be determined by measuring the amount of menses simulant material excreted during measurement using the inhalation / rewet testing method described herein Can be less than about 25 or 30% to about 50, 60, or 70% less than a commercial product without an increase in post-rewet amount. In various embodiments, the second inhalation time through the body facing material 28 on the absorbent article 10 after excretion of the menses simulant may be about 25, 30, 31, 47, 49, 50, 54, 60, 64, 66, or 70% smaller.

Process for making body facing material / fluid transfer layer

The fluid entangling process may be employed to form body facing material 28. [ As mentioned above, a similar or similar manufacturing process may be employed to form some embodiments of the fluid transfer layer 78. Any number of fluids may be used to couple the support layer 92 and the protruding layer 94 together, including the liquid and the gas. In this regard, the most common technique can be referred to as spunlace or hydraulic entanglement techniques using pressurized water as a fluid for entanglement.

22, an embodiment of a process and apparatus for forming a fluid entangled body facing material 28 having protrusions 90 is shown. The apparatus 150 includes a first conveyor belt 152, a conveyor belt drive roller 154, a protrusion forming surface 156, a fluid entangling device 158, an optional overfeed roller 160, and a vacuum or other conventional And a fluid removal system 162, such as an inhalation device. Such vacuum devices and other means are known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The conveyor belt 152 can transfer the protruding layer 94 into the apparatus 150. When carrying out any pre-entanglement of the protruding layer 94 upstream of the process illustrated in Fig. 22, the conveyor belt 152 may be porous. The conveyor belt 152 can move in a first direction (in the machine direction) as indicated by arrow 164 at a first speed or speed V1. The conveyor belt 152 may be driven by the conveyor belt drive roller 154 or other suitable means known to one of ordinary skill in the art.

As shown in Fig. 22, the protruding portion forming surface 156 is in the form of a texturizing drum, and Fig. 22 (a) is a partial exploded view of the surface thereof. The protrusion forming surface 156 moves in the machine direction as indicated by the arrow 166 at the speed V3. May be driven by any suitable drive means (not shown), such as an electric motor and gear, and controlled in speed, as is well known to those skilled in the art. The protruding portion forming surface 156 depicted in Figures 22 and 22A is formed by the forming surface 168 including the pattern of the forming holes 170 corresponding to the shape and the pattern of the desired protrusions 90 in the protruding layer 94. [ And the forming holes 170 are separated from the ground section 172. The molding holes 170 may have any shape and any pattern. As can be seen from the drawings depicting the body facing material 28 according to the present invention, although the molding hole 170 is circular, any number of shapes and combinations of shapes may be used according to the end use application . Examples of possible forming holes 170 include, but are not limited to elliptical, cross, square, rectangular, diamond, hexagon and other polygons. These shapes can be formed on the protruding surface 156 by casting, punching, stamping, laser cutting, and water-jet cutting. The spacing of the forming holes 170 and thus the extent of the surface area 172 may also vary according to the specific end application of the body facing material 28. [ In addition, the pattern of the forming holes 170 in the protuberance forming surface 156 may vary depending on the specific end application of the body facing material 28 and / or the fluid transfer layer 78.

The material forming the protuberance forming surface 156 may be any suitable material commonly used in such forming surfaces, including, but not limited to, sheet metal, plastic and other polymeric materials, rubber, and the like. The forming holes 170 may be formed in a sheet of material formed within the protruding portion forming surface 156 or the protruding portion forming surface 156 may be molded or cast from suitable materials, . The protrusion forming surface 156 is removably fit over and through the optional porous inner drum shell 174 such that different forming surfaces 168 can be used for different final product designs. The porous inner drum shell 174 is connected to a fluid removal system 162 that facilitates pulling the entangled fluid and fibers down into the forming holes 170 in the outer forming surface 168 to form a protrusion (90). The porous inner drum shell 174 also functions as a barrier to delay another fiber transfer into the fluid removal system 162 and other parts of the equipment, thereby reducing equipment contamination. Porous inner drum shell 174 rotates in the same direction and at the same speed as protrusion forming surface 156. Further, in order to further control the height of the protrusions 90, the distance between the inner drum shell 174 and the protrusion forming surface 156 can be varied. In one embodiment in which a porous inner drum shell is utilized, the spacing between the outer surface of the inner drum shell 174 and the inner forming surface of the protuberance forming surface 156 may range between about 0 and about 5 mm.

The cross-sectional dimensions of the forming holes 170 and their depth can affect the cross-section and height of the protrusions 90 formed in the protrusion layer 94. In one embodiment, the depth of the forming hole 170 of the protrusion forming surface 156 may correspond to the height of the protrusions 90. In one embodiment, the depth of the forming holes 170 in the protruding surface 156 may be about 1 mm or 3 mm to about 5 mm or 10 mm. In one embodiment, the cross-sectional dimensions of the molding holes 170 may be about 2 mm or 3 mm to about 6 mm or 10 mm as measured along the major axis. In one embodiment, the spacing of the center-to-center distance reference forming holes 170 may be about 3 mm or 4 mm to about 7 mm or 10 mm. The pattern of spacing between the molding holes 170 may vary or be selected according to a particular end use. Some examples of patterns include, but are not limited to, patterns of aligned rows and / or columns, oblique patterns, hexagonal patterns, wavy patterns and patterns depicting photographs, figures and objects. However, the depth, spacing, size, shape, and other variables of each of the forming holes 170 may vary independently of each other and may vary depending upon the particular end use of the body facing material 28 and / It should be noted that the present invention can be varied based on the above.

The surface areas 172 in the forming surface 168 of the protrusion forming surface 156 may be solid so as not to pass the entraining fluid 176 exiting the fluid entangling devices 158, It may be desirable to make surface areas 172 that are fluid permeable to further texture the surface. Alternatively, the selection regions of the forming surface 168 of the protruding portion forming surface 156 may be fluid permeable and the other regions are impermeable. For example, the central region (not shown) of the protuberance forming surface 156 is fluid permeable, while the lateral regions (not shown) on either side of the central region may be fluid impermeable. It is also contemplated that the surface areas 172 within the forming surface 168 may have elevated regions (not shown) formed therein or may be attached thereto to form protruding layer 94 and body facing material 28 and / Selective indentations 118 and / or selective apertures 120 are formed in the transmissive layer 78.

In the embodiment of the apparatus 150 shown in Fig. 22, the protruding portion forming surface 156 is shown in the form of a texturing drum. However, it should be understood that other means may be used to create protruding surface 156. For example, a foraminous belt or wire (not shown) may be used that includes forming holes 170 formed in a belt or wire at an appropriate location. Alternatively, a flexible rubberized belt (not shown) that is impermeable to the pressurized fluid-entrained streams may be used, except for the molding holes 170. Such belts and wires are well known to those skilled in the art as means for driving and controlling the speed of such belts and wires. In one embodiment, the texturizing drum is a smooth, jagged fluid 176 impermeable to the surface areas (not shown) that do not leave the wire pattern on the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94 172, it is further advantageous for the formation of the body facing material 28 and / or the fluid transfer layer 78 according to the present invention.

An alternative to the protrusion forming surface 156 having a hole-depth that defines the protrusion height may be a drum shell that is thinner than the desired protrusion height but may be spaced from the surface of the porous inner drum shell 174 to be packaged. The gap may preferably be achieved by any means that does not interfere with the process of forming the protrusions 90 and withdrawing entangled fluid from the equipment. For example, one means may be inserted between the protrusion forming surface 156 and the porous inner drum shell 174 as a spacer, or may be inserted between the inner porous drum < RTI ID = 0.0 > May be a rigid wire or filament that may be wrapped around the shell (174). A drum shell depth of less than 2 mm is sufficient to prevent fluid flow into the overhanging zone beneath the protruding surface 156 that can eventually distort the resulting body facing material 28 and / It is more difficult to remove the protruding layer 94 and the body facing material 28 from the protruding portion forming surface 156 because the material of the protruding layer 94 can be expanded or moved by the protruding portion forming surface 156. [

However, by using the support layer 92 with the protruding layer 94 as part of the molding process, the distortion of the resulting two-layer fluid entangled body facing material 28 and / or the fluid transfer layer 78 is significantly reduced And the support layer 92, which is dimensionally more stable, can be stretched less while the body facing material 28 and / or the fluid transfer layer 78 are removed from the protrusion forming surface 156, Thus facilitating more clean removal of body facing material 28 and / or fluid delivery layer 78. [ The higher the tension that can be applied to the support layer 92 relative to the single protruding layer 94 when the body facing material 28 and / or the fluid transfer layer 78 moves away from the protuberance forming surface 156, The protrusions 90 can exit the forming holes 170 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the forming surface 168 and in a coaxial manner with the forming holes 170 in the protruding forming surface 156 . Further, by using the support layer 92, the processing speed can be increased.

One or more fluid-entraining devices 158 are spaced above the protuberance formation surface 156 to form protrusions 90 in the protrusion layer 94 and to laminate the support layer 92 and the protrusion layer 94 together . In this regard, the most common technique can be referred to as spunlace or hydraulic entanglement techniques using pressurized water as a fluid for entanglement. Pressure fluid jets (not shown) from one or more fluid entangling devices 158 when the unfused or relatively unfused webs or webs forming the layers 92,94 can be dispensed on the protuberance forming surface 156 Not shown) move the fibers of the webs and fluid turbulence entangles the fibers. These fluid streams can cause the fibers to become more entangled within individual webs. The streams also cause fiber movement and entanglement at the interface of the two or more webs to cause the webs to bond together. Also, if the fibers in the same layer as the protruding layer 94 are loosely secured together, the fibers can be driven out of their X-Y plane and thus in the Z-direction to form protrusions 90. Depending on the level of entanglement required, one or more of these fluid entanglement devices 158 may be used.

22 shows a single fluid entanglement device 158 is shown, but in the subsequent figures where multiple devices are used in various areas of the device 150, a character designation 158a, 158b, 158c, 158d, and 158e It attaches. When multiple fluid entanglement devices 158 are used, the entangled fluid pressure in each subsequent fluid entanglement device 158 is generally higher than the preceding one, so that the energy applied to the web or webs increases, Thereby increasing fiber entanglement within or between them. This reduces the collapse of the overall uniformity of the areal density of the webs by the pressurized fluid jets while achieving bonding of the layers and formation of protrusions 90 as desired tangling levels are achieved. The entangling fluid 176 of the fluid entanglement devices 158 is typically a jet of fluid or jets of pressurized fluid jets having small apertures of 0.08 and 0.15 mm in diameter and spacing of about 0.5 mm in the cross- And may exit the syringe through strips (not shown). The pressure in the jets can be between about 5 bar and about 400 bar, but can typically be less than 200 bar, except when heavy fluid-entangled materials and fibrillation are required. Other jet sizes, spacing, number of jets, and jet pressure may be used depending on the specific end application. Such fluid entanglement devices 158 are well known to those skilled in the art and are readily available from manufacturers such as Fleissner of Germany and Andritz-Perfojet of France.

The fluid entanglement device 158 may be provided with conventional hydraulic entanglement jet strips. Typically, these jetting strips may be located or spaced between about 5 mm and about 10 mm or 20 mm from the protruding surface 156, but the actual spacing may vary depending on the fluid pressure, the number of individual jets used, The amount of vacuum used and the speed at which the equipment is being operated.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 22-27, fluid entanglement devices 158 are conventional hydraulic entanglement devices with well-known configurations and operations to those skilled in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,706 to Evans, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. In an article reprinted from the INSIGHT INTERNATIONAL ADVANCED FORMING / BONDING conference, entitled " Hydraulic Entanglement of Nonwovens ", which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes, Honeycomb Systems of Bydford, Refer to the description of the hydraulic entanglement equipment described by U.S. Pat.

22, the protruding layer 94 is delivered into the device 150 at a velocity V1 and the support layer 92 is delivered into the device 150 at a velocity V2, and the body facing material 28 is pressed against the protruding surface And exits the device 150 at V3, These velocities V1, V2, and V3 may be the same or vary from each other to change the process and characteristics of the resulting body facing material 28, as will be described in greater detail below. Propelling both the protruding layer 94 and the support layer 92 into the device 150 at the same speeds V1 and V2 can produce body facing material 28 with the desired protrusions 90. Further, when both the protruding layer 94 and the supporting layer 92 are transferred into the apparatus 150 at the same speed, which may be faster than the machine direction speed V3 of the protruding portion forming surface 156, the desired protruding portions 90 .

In addition, Fig. 22 shows an optional over feed roller 160 that can be driven at a speed Vf. The excess feed roller 160 may be operated at the same speed as the speed V1 of the protruding layer 94 or may be operated at a higher speed to speed up the protruding layer 94 at the upstream of the over feed roller 160, Lt; / RTI > Overfeeding can occur when one or both of the incoming layers 92 and 94 are fed onto the protuberance forming surface 156 at a rate greater than the speed V3 of the protuberance forming surface 156. [ It has been found that the improved protrusion formation in the protrusion layer 94 can be affected by delivering the protrusion layer 94 onto the protrusion forming surface 156 at a rate higher than the speed V2 at which the support layer 92 is drawn. The improved features and protrusion formation can also be achieved by varying the feed rate of the webs / layers 92,94 and by using the excess feed rollers 160 just upstream of the protrusion forming surface 156 By providing a greater amount of fiber through the protruding layer 94 for subsequent movement by the entangling fluid 176 into the forming holes 170 in the substrate 110. In this way, In particular, improved protrusion formation including increased protrusion height can be achieved by over-feeding protrusion layer 94 onto protrusion forming surface 156.

The protruding portion layer 94 is formed on the protruding portion forming surface 156 at a surface velocity V1 that is faster than the speed V3 at which the protruding portion forming surface 156 travels in order to maximize the height of the protruding portions 90 by supplying excess fibers. Lt; / RTI > 22, the protruding layer 94 is fed at the speed V1 onto the protruding portion forming surface 156 while the supporting layer 92 is fed at the speed V2 and the protruding portion forming surface 156 is fed at the speed V1, Runs at a speed V3 that is slower than V1 and may be equal to V2. The percentage of excess feed (OF), i. E., The rate at which the protruding layer 94 is fed onto the protuberance forming surface 156 is such that V ₁ is the input velocity of the protruding layer 94 and V ₃ is the body facing material 28 (V ₁ / V ₃ ) 1] x 100 in the case of the output speed of the protruding portion forming surface 156 and the speed of the protruding portion forming surface 156. (When the excess feed roller 160 is used to increase the speed of the material to be fed onto the protruding portion forming surface 156, the speed V1 of the material after the excess feed roller 160 is higher than that of the excess feed roller 160 The higher speed V1 should be used in calculating the excess feed rate.) A good formation of the protrusions 90 is that the excess feed rate is between about 10 and about 50% Was found to occur. This overfeeding technique and proportion is also such that the overburden layer 94 and the support layer 92 as well as the overburden layer 94 as well as the overburden layer 94 when the overburden layer 94 and the support layer 92 are synthetically dispensed on the overhang formation surface 156 92) may also be used.

The excess feed roller 160 is pressed against the protruding layer 94 to minimize the length of the protruding layer 94 supporting its own weight before passing through the entangling fluid 176 and avoiding creasing and folding of the protruding layer 94. [ To a location near the textured area 178 on the protruding surface 156 at a velocity V1. In the example shown in Fig. 22, the excess feeding roller 160 is driven by the conveying belt 152, but may be driven separately so as not to give excessive stress to the incoming protruding layer 94. The support layer 92 is formed of a material having a texture V2 at a velocity V2 that is greater than, equal to, or less than the velocity V3 of the protuberance formation surface 156 and greater than, equal to, or less than the velocity V1 of the protuberance layer 94, May be dispatched within the coverage area 178. The support layer 92 is drawn into the textured region 178 by frictional engagement with the protruding layer 94 located on the protruding portion forming surface 156 so that on the protruding portion forming surface 156, The support layer 92 may have a surface velocity close to the velocity V3 of the protuberance formation surface 156 or may be well delivered into the texturization zone 178 at a velocity close to the velocity V3 of the protuberance formation surface 156. The texturing process causes some shrinkage of the support layer 92 in the machine direction. Overfeeding of the support layer 92 or protruding layer 94 can be adjusted according to the specific materials and equipment and conditions used to use all the excess material dispensed into the textured area 178 so that the resulting body facing material Avoiding any unsightly wrinkles on the underside (28). As a result, both layers 92 and 94 will continue to be under some tension, despite the normal overfeeding process. The take-off speed of the body facing material 28 is arranged close to the speed V3 of the protruding surface 156 so that excessive tension is applied to the body opposing material 28 upon removal thereof from the protruding surface 156 It should not be authorized. This excessive tension will damage the sharpness and size of the protrusions 90.

An alternative embodiment of the process and apparatus according to the present invention is shown in Fig. 23, wherein like reference numerals are used for like elements. In this embodiment, the major differences compared to the process and apparatus shown in FIG. 22 are the provision of the protruding layer 94 to enhance its integrity prior to further processing through the pre-entangling fluid entangling device 158a - tangle; Lamination of the protruding layer 94 to the support layer 92 through the laminated fluid entangling device 158b; And the number of fluid entanglement devices 158 (referred to as protrusion fluid entanglement devices 158c, 158d, 158e) and consequently to the protrusion forming surface 156 in the protrusion forming portion of the process, 178).

The protruding layer 94 may be supplied to the device 150 via a conveyor belt 152. The protruding layer 94 is treated with the first fluid entangling device 158a to improve the integrity of the protruding layer 94 when the protruding layer 94 runs on the conveyor belt 152. [ This can be referred to as pre-entanglement of the protruding layer 94. As a result, the conveyor belt 152 may be fluid permeable to allow the entraining fluid 176 to pass through the protruding layer 94 and the conveyor belt 152. To remove the entangled fluids 176 delivered, a fluid removal system 162 may be used below the transport belt 152, as in FIG. The fluid pressure from the first fluid entangling device 158a is in the range of about 10 to about 50 bar.

The support layer 92 and the protruding layer 94 are fed to the lamination forming surface 180 and the first surface 96 of the supporting web or support layer 92 faces and contacts the lamination forming surface 180, 92 may contact the inner surface 102 of the protruding layer 94. In order to tangle the two layers 92,94 together, one or more fluid-entangled devices 158b may be used in conjunction with the laminate forming surface 180 to effect fiber entanglement between the two layers 92,94. The fluid removal system 162 may be used to remove the entangled fluid 176. In order to distinguish the device in this laminated portion of the overall process from the subsequent protruding portion in which the protrusions are formed, such equipment and process are referred to as lamination equipment in the sense of opposing protrusion forming equipment. Thus, this portion is referred to as laminate fluid entanglement device 158b and laminate forming surface 180, which use laminated fluid jets as opposed to protrusion forming jets. The lamination forming surface 180 should be transmissive to the entangling fluid that is movable in the machine direction of the device 150 at the lamination forming surface speed and is discharged from the laminated fluid jets disposed within the lamination fluid- The stacked fluid entanglement device 158b has a plurality of stacked fluid jets capable of discharging a plurality of pressurized stacked fluid streams of entangled fluid 176 in a direction toward the stacked formation surface 180. In the configuration of the drum, as shown in Fig. 23, the lamination forming surface 180 is also made of a conventional forming wire which is permeable to fluid or which can have a plurality of holes in its surface separated by surface areas . At this portion of the device 150, complete bonding of the two layers 92 and 94 is not required. The process parameters for this part of the equipment are similar to those of the equipment and process protrusions forming part and description in conjunction with Fig. Thus, the speed of the layers 92, 94 and surfaces in the laminating portion of the equipment and process can be varied as described above for the protrusion forming equipment and process described with respect to FIG.

For example, the protruding layer 94 can be fed into the lamination process and onto the support layer 92 at a rate that is faster than the rate at which the support layer 92 is fed onto the lamination forming surface 180. For entangled fluid pressures, lower entrained fluid jet pressures may be required in this portion of the apparatus since additional entanglement of the layers may occur during the protruding portion of the process. As a result, the lamination pressure from lamination entanglement device 158b will typically range between about 30 and about 100 bar.

When a plurality of laminated fluid streams 176 in a laminated fluid entanglement device 158b are directed in a direction from the outer surface 104 of the protruded layer 94 toward the laminated surface 180, At least a portion of the support layer 92 can be tangled with the support layer 92 to form a laminate web. Once the protruding layer 94 and support layer 92 are bonded to the laminate web, the laminate web may escape the laminating portion of the equipment and process (components 158b and 180) and the protruding portion of the equipment and process Components 156, 158c, 158d, 158e and optionally 160). 22, the laminate web may be fed to the protruding portion forming surface 156 at the same speed as when the protruding portion forming surface 156 is running, or may be fed to the protruding portion forming surface 156 by using the excess feed roller 160, Can be over-fed on the protruding portion forming surface 156 by causing the protruding portion forming surface 156 to travel at a speed V1 which is higher than the speed V3 of the protruding portion forming surface 156. [ As a result, the process parameters described above with respect to Fig. 22 can also be used in the equipment and process shown in Fig. Further, when the excess feeding roller 160 is used to increase the speed V1 of the web of the laminate when it comes into contact with the protruding portion forming surface 156, such as the apparatus and materials in Fig. 22, The speed V1 after the excessive feeding roller 160 to be used is faster. The same approach can be used in calculating the excess feed rate in the remaining embodiments shown in Figures 24-27 when an over feed of material is used.

A plurality of pressurized protruding fluid streams of entangling fluid 176 are directed from protruding fluid jets disposed within protruding fluid entangling devices 158c 158d and 158e to a first surface of support layer 92 96 are directed into the laminate web in a direction toward the protruding portion forming surface 156 so that the first plurality of fibers of the protruding portion layer 94 in the vicinity of the forming holes 170 disposed in the protruding portion forming surface 156 To form a plurality of protrusions 90 that extend outwardly from the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94 to be guided into the molding holes 170 and thereby form the body facing material 28 according to the present invention . As with other processes, the body facing material 28 may be removed from the protuberance forming surface 156 and, if desired, as described in the process and apparatus in Figure 22, such as drying or further joining or other steps Another treatment, the same or different, is performed as described to remove excess entanglement fluid. In the protruding portion of the apparatus and apparatus 150, the forming pressure from the protruding fluid entangling devices 158c, 158d and 158e may typically range between about 80 and about 200 bar.

Another modification of the process and apparatus 150 of FIG. 23 can be described in FIG. In FIG. 23, the fluid entangled body facing material 28 as well as the embodiments shown in FIGS. 25 and 27 are pre-laminated by the laminate forming surface 180 and the laminate fluid entangling device (s) 158b Can be implemented. In each of these configurations (Figures 23, 25, and 27), the material that is in direct contact with the deposition surface 180 is the first surface 96 of the support layer 92. However, the support layer 92 and the protruding layer 94 as shown in Fig. 24 may be reversed so that the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94 is in direct contact with the layer formation surface 180.

Another alternative embodiment of the process and apparatus is shown in Fig. This embodiment is similar to Fig. 23 except that only the protruding layer 94 can be pre-entangled using fluid entanglement devices 158a and 158b before the protruding layer 94 is fed into the protruding portion of the equipment. Lt; / RTI > The support layer 92 is also fed into the textured area 178 on the protruding surface 156 in the same manner as in Fig. 12, but the textured area 178 has a plurality of fluid entangled devices 158c, 158d and 158e ) Can be supplied.

Fig. 26 is a cross-sectional view of a protruding layer (not shown) for lamination processing in the laminating portion of the equipment and process using the lamination forming surface 180 (which is the same component as the conveying belt 152) and the lamination fluid entangling device 158b Another embodiment of the process and apparatus for bringing the substrate 94 and support layer 92 into contact with each other. Also in the textured region 178 of the protruding portion of the process and apparatus 150, a number of protruding fluid entangling devices 158c and 158d may be used, as in the embodiment of FIG.

Figure 27 depicts another embodiment of a process and apparatus 150 according to the present invention. The main difference is that before the second surface 98 of the support layer 92 is in contact with the inner surface 102 of the protruding layer 94 for fluid entanglement through the protruding fluid entangling device 158d, (94) is subjected to a first treatment with entangled fluid (176) through a protruding fluid entanglement device (158c) within the textured region (178). In this way, the initial formation of the protrusions 90 can be initiated without the support layer 92 in place. As a result, it may be desirable for protruding fluid entangling device 158c to operate at a lower pressure than fluid entangling device 158d. For example, the protruding fluid entanglement device 158d may be operated at a pressure range of about 140 to about 200 bar, while the protruding fluid entanglement device 158c may be operated at a pressure range of about 100 to about 140 bar have. Other combinations and ranges of pressures may be selected depending upon the operating conditions of the equipment and the type and basis weight of the materials used for the protruding layer 94 and the support layer 92.

The fibers in the protruding layer 94 are sufficiently separated and moveable within the protruding layer 94 so that the entangled fluid from the protruding fluid jets in the textured region 178 The mold 176 may move a sufficient number of fibers out of the XY plane of the protruding layer 94 in the vicinity of the forming holes 170 in the protruding portion forming surface 156 and force the fibers into the forming holes 170, Thereby forming protrusions 90 in the protruding layer 94 and / or the fluid transfer layer 78 of the body facing material 28. In addition, by feeding at least the protruding layer 94 into the textured region 178, improved protrusion formation can be achieved as shown in the following examples and in the micrographs.

Secondary liners:

The body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 may cover the absorbent body 40 and the outer cover 26 and may isolate the skin of the wearer from the liquid dirt retained by the absorbent body 40. [ . In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 may cover the secondary liner 34. In such embodiments, the secondary liner 34 may cover the absorbent body 40. [ In various embodiments, the fluid transfer layer 78 may be positioned between the secondary liner 34 and the absorber 40. In various embodiments, the acquisition layer 84 may be positioned between the secondary liner 34 and the absorber 40 or, if present, the fluid transfer layer 78. In various embodiments, the secondary liner 34 may be bonded to the acquisition layer 84 via an adhesive and / or by point fusion bonding, or to the fluid transfer layer 78 when the acquisition layer 84 is not present . In other embodiments, the secondary liner 34 may additionally and / or alternatively be bonded to the absorbent body 40 by adhesive and / or point fusion bonding. Point fusion bonding may be selected from ultrasonic, thermal, pressure bonding, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 14B, the secondary liner 34 may include a plurality of openings 27.

In one embodiment, the secondary liner 34 may extend beyond the absorber 40 and / or the fluid transfer layer 78, and / or the acquisition layer 84 to cover a portion of the outer cover 26, Is bonded to the outer cover 26 by any method that is considered appropriate such as for example adhesively bonded to the outer cover 26 to substantially contain the absorber 40 between the outer cover 26 and the secondary liner 34. [ . It will be appreciated that the secondary liner 34 may be narrower than the outer cover 26, but the secondary liner 34 and outer cover 26 may be of the same dimensions. It is also contemplated that the secondary liner 34 may not extend beyond the absorbent body 40 and / or may not be secured to the outer cover 26. The secondary liner 34 may be suitably flexible, soft in feel, non-irritating to the wearer ' s skin, and may be as hydrophilic as or less than the absorber 40 such that the body exudate can easily penetrate the absorber 40 And provide a relatively dry surface to the wearer.

The secondary liner 34 may be made from a variety of materials including synthetic fibers (e.g., polyester or polypropylene fibers), natural fibers (e.g., wood or cotton fibers), a combination of natural and synthetic fibers, porous foams, reticulated foams, Open plastic films, and the like. Examples of suitable materials include polyolefins such as rayon, wood, cotton, polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, or other thermally bondable fibers, copolymers of polypropylene and polyethylene such as, but not limited to, linear low density polyethylene, But are not limited to, lactic acid, microporous film webs, aliphatic esters such as net materials, and the like, as well as combinations thereof.

A variety of woven and nonwoven fabrics may be used for the secondary liner 34. Secondary liners 34 may include woven fabrics, nonwoven fabrics, polymer films, film-fabric laminates, and the like, as well as combinations thereof. Examples of nonwoven fabrics may include spunbond fabrics, meltblown fabrics, coform fabrics, carded webs, bonded carded webs, bicomponent spunbond fabrics, spun lace, etc., and combinations thereof.

For example, the secondary liner 34 may comprise a meltblown or spunbond web of polyolefin fibers. Alternatively, the secondary liner 34 can be a bonded carded web comprised of natural and / or synthetic fibers. The secondary liner 34 can be composed of a substantially hydrophobic material and the hydrophobic material can optionally be treated with a surfactant or otherwise treated to impart a desired level of wettability and hydrophilicity. Surfactants may be applied by any conventional means such as spraying, printing, brush coating, and the like. Surfactants may be applied to the entire secondary liner 34 or selectively applied to specific portions of the secondary liner 34. In one embodiment, the secondary liner 34 can be treated with a modifying agent that can increase the surface energy of the material surface or reduce the viscoelasticity of body exudates, such as menstrual flow.

In one embodiment, the secondary liner 34 may comprise a nonwoven bicomponent web. The nonwoven bicomponent web may be a spunbonded bicomponent web, or a bonded carded bicomponent web. Examples of bicomponent fibers include polyethylene / polypropylene bicomponent fibers. In these particular bicomponent fibers, the polypropylene forms the core and the polyethylene forms the sheath of the fibers. Other oriented fibers, such as multi-robe, side-by-side, and end-to-end, can be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. have. In one embodiment, the secondary liner 34 may be a spunbond substrate having a basis weight of about 10 or 12 to about 15 or 20 gsm. In one embodiment, the secondary liner 34 may be a 12 gsm spunbond-meltblown-spunbond substrate having a 10% meltblown content applied between two spunbond layers.

It is contemplated that outer cover 26 and secondary liner 34 may comprise elastomeric material, while outer cover 26 and secondary liner 34 may be comprised of materials that are generally non-elastomeric polymers. In one embodiment, the secondary liner 34 can be elastic, and more suitably elastic. In one embodiment, the secondary liner 34 may be suitably elastic, at least in the side or circumferential direction of the absorbent article 10, and more suitably elastic. In other aspects, the secondary liner 34 may be elastic in both side and longitudinal directions, and more preferably elastic.

Leakage prevention flaps:

In one embodiment, the leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52 are configured to provide the body opposing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 in a generally parallel and spaced relation to one another laterally inside the leg openings 56 and / And can be secured to the secondary liner 34, if present, to provide a barrier to the flow of body exudates to the leg perforations 56. In one embodiment, the leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52 extend longitudinally from the front waist region 12 of the absorbent article 10, through the crotch region 16 of the absorbent article 10, . The leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52 may be joined to the body-facing material 28 and / or to the secondary liner 34 by seaming of the adhesive 137 to prevent the leak-tight flaps 50 and 52, And defines a distal end 138.

The leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52 may be comprised of a fibrous material that may be similar to the material forming the body facing material 28 and / or the secondary liner 34, if present. Conventional materials such as polymer films may also be used. Each leak-proof flap 50 and 52 may have a movable distal end 136, which may each include flap elasticities such as flap elas- tics 58 and 60. Suitable elastomeric materials for the flap elastomers 58 and 60 may include sheets, strands or ribbons of natural rubber, synthetic rubber, or thermoplastic elastomeric materials.

As shown, the flap elas- tics 58 and 60 are made of elastomeric material extending lengthwise along the distal ends 136 of the leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52 in generally parallel, You can have two strands. The resilient strands are positioned within the leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52 while the resilient strands are in an elastically contractible condition such that contraction of the strands causes the distal end 136 of the leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52 to retract and shorten. . As a result, the resilient strands can bias the distal ends 136 of each leak-barrier flap 50 and 52 toward a location spaced from the proximal end 138 of the leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52, When the absorbent article 10 is fitted to the wearer, the leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52 are particularly suitable for absorbent article 10 in a generally upright orientation of the leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52 in the crotch region 16 of the absorbent article 10. [ May extend away from the counter-material 28 and / or the secondary liner 34. The distal end 136 of the leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52 may partially duplicate the leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52 material that is self-supporting by an amount that may be sufficient to surround the flap elastics 58 and 60 To the flap elastic bodies 58 and 60. It will be appreciated, however, that the leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52 may have any number of strands of elastomeric material and may be omitted from the absorbent article 10 without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In some embodiments, body facing material 28 may extend below the distal end 136 of the leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52. The configuration of such body facing material 28 assists the distal end 136 of the leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52 in an upright position when the absorbent article 10 is worn, It is possible not only to improve the gasket effect of the flaps 50 and 52 but also to increase the amount of void volume in the target fictive region included by the leakage preventing flaps 52. [ Additionally, in some embodiments in which the fluid transfer layer 78 includes protrusions 90 (as shown in FIG. 12), the fluid transfer layer 78 may be located at a distal end of the leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52 May extend below the distal end 136 and thus provide similar advantages for the absorbent article 10.

Leg elastomers:

The leg elastic members 66 and 68 are generally adjacent the lateral outer edges of the inner layer 72 of the outer cover 26 and are joined to the outer layers 26 of the outer cover 26, Can be secured between the outer layer 70 and the inner layer 72 of the outer cover 26 by adhering between the outer layer 70 and the inner layer 72. Alternatively, the leg elastic members 66 and 68 may be disposed between other layers of the absorbent article 10. 7 to 9, the leg elastic members 66 and 68 may be disposed between the outer cover 26 and the distal end 138 of the leak-barrier flaps 50 and 52, for example, have. A wide range of elastic materials may be used for the leg elastic members 66 and 68. Suitable resilient materials can include sheets, strands or ribbons of natural rubber, synthetic rubber, or thermoplastic elastomeric materials. The elastic materials can be stretched and fixed to the substrate, fixed to the corrugated substrate, or fixed to the substrate and then elasticized or shrunk, for example, by heat application, so that the elastic shrinkage force is imparted to the substrate.

Fastening system:

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may include a fastening mechanism system. The fastener system may include one or more rear fastening mechanisms 140 and one or more front fastening mechanisms 142. The fastener system portion may be included in both the front waist region 12, the back waist region 14, or both waist regions. The fastener system may be configured to secure the absorbent article 10 about the waist of the wearer and to maintain the absorbent article 10 in position when in use. In one embodiment, the rear fastening mechanism 140 may comprise a composite ear, as is known in the art, including one or more materials bonded together. For example, the composite fastening mechanism may comprise an extensible component 144, a nonwoven carrier or hook substrate 146, and a fastening component 148.

Waist elastic members:

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may have waist elastic members 62 and 64 that may be formed of any suitable elastic material. In such embodiments, suitable resilient materials can include, but are not limited to, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, or sheets, strands or ribbons of thermoplastic elastomeric polymers. The elastic material can be stretched and bonded to the base material, bonded to the corrugated base material, or bonded to the base material, and then, for example, can be elasticized or shrunk by heat application, so that the elastic contractile force is imparted to the base material. It will be appreciated, however, that the waist elastic members 62 and 64 may be omitted from the absorbent article 10 without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Side panels:

In an embodiment where the absorbent article 10 may be a training pant, a child pant, a diaper pant, or an adult incontinence pant, the absorbent article 10 includes front side panels 182, 184, and rear side panels 186 , 188). 28 provides a non-limiting illustrative example of an absorbent article 10 that may have side panels such as front side panels 182, 184 and rear side panels 186, 188. The front side panels 182 and 184 and the back side panels 186 and 188 of the absorbent article 10 can be joined to the absorbent article 10 in the respective front and back waist regions 12 and 14 , And extend outwardly beyond the longitudinal side edges 18,20 of the absorbent article 10. In one example, the front side panels 182, 184 are joined to the inner layer 72 of the outer cover 26, such as by adhesive bonding, by pressure bonding, by thermal bonding, or by ultrasonic bonding, . These front side panels 182 and 184 are also bonded to the outer layer 70 of the outer cover 26 such that they are bonded together by adhesive, by pressure bonding, by thermal bonding, or by ultrasonic bonding. . The rear side panels 186 and 188 are disposed on the outer and inner layers of the outer cover 26 in the back waist region 14 of the absorbent article 10 in substantially the same manner as the front side panels 182, 70 and 72, respectively. Alternatively, the front side panels 182, 184 and the back side panels 186, 188 may be attached to the outer cover 26 of the absorbent article 10, the body facing material 28, the secondary liner 34, May be integrally formed with the absorbent article 10, such as being integrally formed with the layers.

The front side panels 182 and 184 and the back side panels 186 and 188 are preferably spaced apart from each other by about 20 percent of the total length of the absorbent article 10 measured parallel to the longitudinal axis, Or more, and more suitably about 25% or more of the length of the absorbent article 10. For example, absorbent articles 10 having an overall length of about 54 cm, front side panels 182, 184 and rear side panels 186, 188 suitably have an average length of at least about 10 cm, Suitably has an average length of about 15 cm. Each of the front side panels 182, 184 and the rear side panels 186, 188 may be comprised of one or more individual distinct pieces of material. For example, each of the front panels 182, 184 and the rear side panels 186, 188 may have first and second sides (not shown) joined at a seam (not shown), having at least one of the portions comprising elastomeric material And a panel portion (not shown). Alternatively, each respective front side panel 182, 184 and rear side panel 186, 188 may be comprised of a single piece of material folded together along an intermediate ground line (not shown).

The front side panels 182 and 184 and the back side panels 186 and 188 each have an outer edge 190 laterally spaced from the fastening seam 192 and an outer edge 190 disposed towards the longitudinal center of the absorbent article 10 A leg end edge 194 and a waist end edge 196 disposed toward the longitudinal end of the absorbent article 10. [ The leg distal edge 194 and the waist end edge 196 may extend from the longitudinal side edges 18,20 of the absorbent article 10 to the outer edges 190. [ The leg end edges 194 of the front side panels 182 and 184 and the back side panels 186 and 188 can form part of the longitudinal side edges 18,20 of the absorbent article 10. [ have. The leg end edges 194 of the illustrated absorbent article 10 may be curved and / or beveled relative to the transverse axis to provide a better fit around the wearer's legs. However, without departing from the scope of the present invention, only one of the leg end edges 194, such as the leg end edge 194 of the back waist region 14, may be curved or beveled, or the leg end edges 194 ) All can not be curved or inclined. The waist end edges 196 may be parallel to the transverse axis. The waist end edges 196 of the front side panels 182 and 184 may form part of the front waist edge 22 of the absorbent article 10 and the waist ends 196 of the rear side panels 186 and 188 The edges 196 may form part of the back waist edge 24 of the absorbent article 10.

The front side panels 182, 184 and the rear side panels 186, 188 may include elastic materials that can laterally expand and contract. Suitable elastic materials as well as the described processes for incorporating elastic front side panels 182 and 184 and rear side panels 186 and 188 into the absorbent article 10 U.S. Patent No. 4,940,464 by Van Gompel et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,224,405 by Pohjola on July 6, 1993, U.S. Patent No. 5,104,116 by Pohjola on Apr. 14, 1992, and 1991 U.S. Patent No. 5,046,272 to Vogt et al., Issued September 10, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. By way of example, suitable elastic materials can be stretch-thermal laminate (STL), neck-bonded laminate (NBL), reversibly necked laminate, or stretch- (SBL) material. Methods of making such materials are well known to those skilled in the art and are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,663,220 to Wisneski et al., Issued May 5, 1987, U.S. Patent No. 4,663,220, Morman, issued July 13, 1993 And European Patent Application EP 0 217 032 published April 8, 1987 under the name Taylor et al., And PCT Application WO 01/88245, Welch et al., All of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Which is incorporated herein by reference. Other suitable materials are described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 12 / 649,508 to Welch et al. And U.S. Patent Application No. 12 / 023,447 to Lake et al., All of which are incorporated herein by reference. Alternatively, the front side panels 182 and 184 and the back side panels 186 and 188 may be made from other woven or nonwoven materials such as those described above as being suitable for the outer cover 26 or the secondary liner 34, Mechanically pre-strained composites, or stretchable but non-elastic materials.

Feminine Hygiene Products:

29 provides a non-limiting example of an absorbent article 10 in the form of a feminine hygiene product, such as a menstrual pad or incontinence product for a female adult. The absorbent article 10 includes a longitudinal direction 30 along a length that may extend along a designated x-axis of the absorbent article 10 and a lateral direction 30 that may extend along a designated y- 32). The absorbent article 10 can also include longitudinally opposed first and second ends 13,15 and an intermediate region 17 positioned between the ends 13,15. The absorbent article 10 may have first and second longitudinal side edges 18,20 that can be longitudinal sides of the elongated absorbent article 10. [ The longitudinal side edges 18,20 may have contours consistent with the shape of the absorbent article 10. [ The absorbent article 10 may have any desired shape, for example, a dog bone shape, a race track shape, an hourglass shape, or the like. In addition, the absorbent article 10 may be substantially symmetrical in the longitudinal direction, or asymmetric in the longitudinal direction as required.

As shown, the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article 10 may be relatively larger than the lateral dimension of the absorbent article 10. The configuration of the absorbent article 10 may include body facing material 28 and outer cover 26 as described herein. The absorbent body 40 as described herein may be positioned between the body facing material 28 and the outer cover 26. As is typically shown, for example, the interface between the body-facing material 28 and the outer cover 26 may substantially completely share a boundary, or the body-facing material 28 and the outer cover 26 May not partially or completely share the boundary. In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 can include a secondary liner 34 as described herein. In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may comprise a acquisition layer 84 as described herein. In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may comprise a fluid transfer layer 78 as described herein.

In an embodiment where the absorbent article 10 may be a feminine hygiene product, the absorbent article 10 may be attached to the side edges 18,20 of the absorbent article 10 in the middle region 17 of the absorbent article 10, And may include laterally extending wing portions 198 that may be integrally connected. For example, the wing portions 198 may be separately provided members that are subsequently attached or otherwise operably connected to the middle region 17 of the absorbent article 10. In other configurations, the wing portions 198 may be integrally formed with one or more components of the absorbent article 10. The wing portions 198 may be formed from a corresponding operable extension portion of body facing material 28, secondary liner 34, if present, outer cover 26, and combinations thereof.

The wing portions 198 may have a designated storage position (not shown) with the wing portions 198 generally oriented inward toward the longitudinally extending centerline 31. In various embodiments, the wing portions 198 connected to one lateral edge of the side edge 18, etc. have a sufficient cross-directional length to extend beyond the centerline 31 and to be continuous, As shown in FIG. The storage location of the wing portions 198 can generally indicate the portion that is observed when the absorbent article 10 is first removed from the wrapper or packaging. The wing portions 198 may be selectively disposed so that the absorbent article 10 such as a feminine hygiene product is placed on the body side of the undergarment prior to use so that the side edges 18, 20 in the lateral direction. After positioning the absorbent article 10 in the undergarment in a manner known in the art, the wing portions 198 are operatively wrapped around the side edges of the undergarment to secure the absorbent article 10 in position Can help to keep.

The wing portions 198 may have any operable configuration and may include a layer of any operable material. In addition, each wing portion 198 may comprise a composite material. For example, the wing portion 198 may be formed of a material selected from the group consisting of a spunbond fabric material, a bicomponent spunbond material, a neck spunbond material, a neck-stretch-bonded laminate (NBL) material, a meltblown fabric material, Carded webs, thermally bonded carded webs, vented bonded carded webs, and the like, and combinations thereof.

Each wing portion 198 may include a panel-fastening mechanism component (not shown) that may be operatively connected to the designated fastening surface of the associated wing portion 198. [ The panel-fastening mechanism component may include a system of interlocking mechanical fasteners, a system of adhesive fasteners, etc., and combinations thereof. In one embodiment, one or both of the wing portions 198 may comprise a panel-fastening mechanism system comprising an operable adhesive. The adhesive may be a solvent-based adhesive, a hot melt adhesive, a pressure-sensitive adhesive, and the like, or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, a garment attachment mechanism (not shown), such as a garment adhesive, may be provided on the garment side of the absorbent article 10. In one embodiment, the garment adhesive may be applied to the garment side of the absorbent article 10 of the outer cover 26, and one or more layers or sheets of the separation material may be removably disposed over the garment adhesive for storage prior to use . In one embodiment, the garment attachment mechanism may comprise an operable component of the mechanical fastening system. In one such embodiment, the garment attachment mechanism may include a hook-and-loop type operable component of the fastening system.

Decolorizing composition:

In one embodiment, a chemical treatment may be employed to change the color of the body exudate captured by the absorbent article 10. In one embodiment, for example, the treatment may be a decolorizing composition that agglutinates (aggregates) red blood cells in blood and menstrual secretions and limits the degree of redness of the menstrual discharge. One such composition comprises a surfactant as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,350,711 to Potts et al., Which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Non-limiting examples of such surfactants include Pluronic surfactants (triblock copolymer surfactants), polyvalent anions (e.g., divalent, trivalent), such as sulfate (SO ₄ ^2- ), phosphates ₄ ^3), carbonate (CO ₃ ^2-), oxide (O ^2-), and the like, and monovalent cations, such as sodium (Na ^+), potassium (K ^+), lithium (Li ^+), ammonium (NH ₄ ⁺ ), And the like. Alkali metal cations are also beneficial. Specific examples of salts formed from such ions include sodium sulfate (Na ₂ SO ₄ ), potassium sulfate (K ₂ SO ₄ ), sodium carbonate (Na ₂ CO ₃ ), potassium carbonate (K ₂ CO ₃ ), sodium dihydrogen phosphate (NaH ₂ PO ₄ ), disodium hydrogenphosphate (Na ₂ HPO ₄ ), potassium dihydrogenphosphate (KH ₂ PO ₄ ), potassium hydrogen phosphate (K ₂ HPO ₄ ), and the like. Mixtures of the salts described above may also be particularly effective in promoting physical separation of red blood cells. For example, a mixture of sodium sulfate (Na ₂ SO ₄ ) and potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH ₂ PO ₄ ) may be employed.

In addition to the coagulant, the decolorizing composition can change its color by altering the chemical structure of hemoglobin. Examples of such compositions are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0062764 by MacDonald et al., Which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In one embodiment, the composition may include an oxidizing agent that is capable of oxidizing hemoglobin or other substances, which is generally the cause of unwanted color of the body exudate. Some examples of oxidizing agents include peroxy bleach (e.g., hydrogen peroxide, percarbonate, persulfate, perborate, peroxy acid, alkyl hydroperoxide, peroxide, diacyl peroxide, Seed, oxo-ozonide, and peridodate); (E.g., tert-butyl hydroperoxide, cumyl hydroperoxide, 2,4,4-trimethylpentyl-2-hydroperoxide, di-isopropylbenzene-monohydroperoxide, Peroxide and 2,5-dimethyl-hexane-2,5-dihydroperoxide); Peroxides such as lithium peroxide, sodium peroxide, potassium peroxide, ammonium peroxide, calcium peroxide, rubidium peroxide, cesium peroxide, strontium peroxide, barium peroxide, magnesium peroxide, mercury peroxide , Silver peroxide, zirconium peroxide, hafnium peroxide, titanium peroxide, phosphorus peroxide, sulfur peroxide, ruthenium peroxide, iron peroxide, cobalt peroxide, and nickel peroxide; Perborates (e. G., Sodium perborate, potassium perborate, and ammonium perborate); But are not limited to, persulfates (e. G., Sodium persulfate, potassium diperphosphate and potassium < RTI ID = 0.0 > Other suitable oxidizing agents include omega-3 and -6 fatty acids such as linoleic acid, alpha-linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, eicosadienic acid, eicosatrienoic acid and the like , But is not limited thereto.

The decolorizing composition is applied to any liquid permeable layer of the absorbent article 10 that can contact a water soluble liquid discharged by the body, such as menses, for example, a body facing layer 28, a secondary liner 34, The acquisition layer 84, the fluid transfer layer 78, the absorber 40, the outer cover 26, and combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the decolorizing composition is applied to only a portion of the surface of the layer (s) so that the applied layer (s) can still maintain sufficient absorbency. In one embodiment, it may be desirable to position the decolorizing composition close to the absorber 40. In one embodiment, an additional layer (not shown) may be employed in the absorbent article 10 and applied with a decolorizable composition in contact with the absorbent body 40. The additional layers can be formed from a variety of different porous materials, such as perforated films, nonwoven webs (e.g., cellulosic webs, spunbonded webs, meltblown webs, etc.), foams, and the like. In one embodiment, the additional layer may be in the form of a folding hollow seal (e. G., Bag, bag, etc.) to partially or completely surround the absorbent body 40. The decolorizable composition may be placed in this enclosure to remain sealed prior to use.

Non-limiting examples of embodiments of absorbent articles:

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may have an outer cover 26, an absorbent body 40, and a body facing material 28. In one such embodiment, the body facing material 28 may have a support layer 92 and a protruding layer 94. The protruding layer 94 may have a plurality of hollow protrusions 90 that extend from the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94 and may have an inner surface 102 and an outer surface 104. In this embodiment, ). In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 comprises a floor area 116 having greater than about 1% open area in a selected area of the body facing material 28, , A plurality of fibers of the support layer 92 and the entangled protruding layer 94, about 2 Newton per 25 mm width at 10% extension in the machine direction, Protrusions 90 having a height of greater than about 1 mm, an elasticity of greater than about 70%, and combinations thereof. In various embodiments, the absorbent article 10 may further include a secondary liner 34 positioned between the body-facing material 28 and the absorbent body 40. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may be free of superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may have greater than about 15% superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, the open area of the protrusions 90 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the open area of the floor area 116 may be due to inter-fiber spacing.

The absorbent article 10 includes a secondary liner 34 positioned between the outer cover 26, the absorbent body 40, the body facing material 28 and the body facing material 28 and the absorbent body 40. In one embodiment, Lt; / RTI > In one such embodiment, the body facing material 28 may have a support layer 92 and a protruding layer 94. The protruding layer 94 may have a plurality of hollow protrusions 90 that extend from the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94 and may have an inner surface 102 and an outer surface 104. In this embodiment, ). In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 comprises a floor area 116 having greater than about 1% open area in a selected area of the body facing material 28, , A plurality of fibers of the support layer 92 and the entangled protruding layer 94, about 2 Newton per 25 mm width at 10% extension in the machine direction, Protrusions 90 having a height of greater than about 1 mm, an elasticity of greater than about 70%, and combinations thereof. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may be free of superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may have greater than about 15% superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, the open area of the protrusions 90 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the open area of the floor area 116 may be due to inter-fiber spacing.

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may have an outer cover 26, an absorbent body 40, and a body facing material 28. In one such embodiment, the body facing material 28 may have a support layer 92 and a protruding layer 94. The protruding layer 94 may have a plurality of hollow protrusions 90 that extend from the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94 and may have an inner surface 102 and an outer surface 104. In this embodiment, ). In one such embodiment, the body facing material 28 may have a load greater than about 2 Newtons per 25 mm width at 10% extension in the machine direction. In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 comprises a floor area 116 having greater than about 1% open area in a selected area of the body facing material 28, , A plurality of fibers of the support layer 92 and the entangled protruding layer 94, protrusions 90 having a height of greater than about 1 mm, Greater than about 70% elasticity, and combinations thereof. In various embodiments, the absorbent article 10 may further include a secondary liner 34 positioned between the body-facing material 28 and the absorbent body 40. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may be free of superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may have greater than about 15% superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, the open area of the protrusions 90 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the open area of the floor area 116 may be due to inter-fiber spacing.

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may have an outer cover 26, an absorbent body 40, and a body facing material 28. In one such embodiment, the body facing material 28 may have a support layer 92 and a protruding layer 94. The protruding layer 94 may have a plurality of hollow protrusions 90 that extend from the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94 and may have an inner surface 102 and an outer surface 104. In this embodiment, ). In one such embodiment, the body facing material 28 may have an elasticity of greater than about 70%. In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 comprises a floor area 116 having greater than about 1% open area in a selected area of the body facing material 28, , A plurality of fibers of the support layer 92 and the entangled protruding layer 94, about 2 Newton per 25 mm width at 10% extension in the machine direction, Overhangs, projections 90 having a height of greater than about 1 mm, and combinations thereof. In various embodiments, the absorbent article 10 may further include a secondary liner 34 positioned between the body-facing material 28 and the absorbent body 40. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may be free of superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may have greater than about 15% superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, the open area of the protrusions 90 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the open area of the floor area 116 may be due to inter-fiber spacing.

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may have an outer cover 26, an absorbent body 40, and a body facing material 28 that may have a support layer 92 and a protruding layer 94. The protruding layer 94 may have an inner surface 102 and an outer surface 104 and may have a plurality of hollow protrusions 90 extending from the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94. In one such embodiment, the body facing material 28 comprises a surface area 116 having an open area of greater than about 1% in a selected area of the body facing material 28, And may have protrusions 90 having an open area of less than about 1%. In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 includes a plurality of fibers of the tacked layer 94 that are tangent with the support layer 92, about 2 Newtons per 25 mm width per 10% Protrusions 90 having a height of greater than about 1 mm, an elasticity of greater than about 70%, and combinations thereof. In various embodiments, the absorbent article 10 may further include a secondary liner 34 positioned between the body-facing material 28 and the absorbent body 40. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may be free of superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may have greater than about 15% superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, the open area of the protrusions 90 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the open area of the floor area 116 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the amount of residual secretory mock material remaining on the body opposed material 28 after secretory mock material excretion is less than about 2.5 grams according to the test methods described herein.

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 includes an outer cover 26, an absorbent body 40, a body facing material 28, and a fluid transfer layer (not shown) positioned between the absorbent body 40 and the body facing material 28 78). In one such embodiment, the body facing material 28 may have a support layer 92 and a protruding layer 94. The protruding layer 94 may have a plurality of hollow protrusions 90 that extend from the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94 and may have an inner surface 102 and an outer surface 104. In this embodiment, ). In various embodiments, the fluid delivery layer may contain a polymeric material. In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 comprises a floor area 116 having greater than about 1% open area in a selected area of the body facing material 28, , A plurality of fibers of the support layer 92 and the entangled protruding layer 94, about 2 Newton per 25 mm width at 10% extension in the machine direction, Protrusions 90 having a height of greater than about 1 mm, an elasticity of greater than about 70%, and combinations thereof. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may be free of superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may have greater than about 15% superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, the open area of the protrusions 90 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the open area of the floor area 116 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the amount of residual secretory mock material remaining on the body opposed material 28 after secretory mock material excretion is less than about 2.5 grams according to the test methods described herein.

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 includes an outer cover 26, an absorbent body 40, a body facing material 28, a acquisition layer 84 positioned between the absorbent body 40 and the body facing material 28, And a fluid transfer layer 78 positioned between the acquisition layer 84 and the absorber 40. In one such embodiment, the body facing material 28 may have a support layer 92 and a protruding layer 94. The protruding layer 94 may have a plurality of hollow protrusions 90 that extend from the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94 and may have an inner surface 102 and an outer surface 104. In this embodiment, ). In various embodiments, the acquisition layer 84 may have fibers having a denier of less than about 5. In various embodiments, the fluid transfer layer 78 may contain a cellulosic material. In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 comprises a floor area 116 having greater than about 1% open area in a selected area of the body facing material 28, , A plurality of fibers of the support layer 92 and the entangled protruding layer 94, about 2 Newton per 25 mm width at 10% extension in the machine direction, Protrusions 90 having a height of greater than about 1 mm, an elasticity of greater than about 70%, and combinations thereof. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may be free of superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may have greater than about 15% superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, the open area of the protrusions 90 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the open area of the floor area 116 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the amount of residual secretory mock material remaining on the body opposed material 28 after secretory mock material excretion is less than about 2.5 grams according to the test methods described herein.

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 includes an outer cover 26, an absorbent body 40, a body facing material 28 that can have a support layer 92 and a protruding layer 94, And a fluid transfer layer 78 positioned between the body opposing material 28. The protruding layer 94 may have an inner surface 102 and an outer surface 104 and may have a plurality of hollow protrusions 90 extending from the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94. In one such embodiment, the body facing material 28 includes a surface area 116 that may have an open area of greater than about 10% within a selected area of the body facing material 28, and a selected area of the body facing material 28 Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 90% < / RTI > In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 includes a plurality of fibers of the tacked layer 94 that are tangent with the support layer 92, about 2 Newtons per 25 mm width per 10% Protrusions 90 having a height of greater than about 1 mm, an elasticity of greater than about 70%, and combinations thereof. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may be free of superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may have greater than about 15% superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, the open area of the protrusions 90 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the open area of the floor area 116 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the amount of residual secretory mock material remaining on the body opposed material 28 after secretory mock material excretion is less than about 2.5 grams according to the test methods described herein.

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 includes an outer cover 26, an absorbent body 40, a body facing material 28, a acquisition layer 84 positioned between the absorbent body 40 and the body facing material 28, And a fluid transfer layer 78 positioned between the acquisition layer 84 and the absorber 40. In one such embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may comprise a polymeric material. In one such embodiment, the body facing material 28 may have a support layer 92 and a protruding layer 94. The protruding layer 94 may have a plurality of hollow protrusions 90 that extend from the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94 and may have an inner surface 102 and an outer surface 104. In this embodiment, ). In various embodiments, acquisition layer 84 may have fibers having a denier greater than about 5. In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 comprises a floor area 116 having greater than about 1% open area in a selected area of the body facing material 28, , A plurality of fibers of the support layer 92 and the entangled protruding layer 94, about 2 Newton per 25 mm width at 10% extension in the machine direction, Protrusions 90 having a height of greater than about 1 mm, an elasticity of greater than about 70%, and combinations thereof. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may be free of superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may have greater than about 15% superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, the open area of the protrusions 90 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the open area of the floor area 116 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the diffusion area of the secretory mock material on the body-facing material 28 after the secretory mock material has been excreted according to the test methods described herein may be less than about 34 cm ² .

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 includes an outer cover 26, an absorbent body 40, a body having a floor area 116 having an open area of greater than about 5% within a selected area of the body facing material 28 The acquisition layer 84 located between the absorber 40 and the body facing material 28 and the fluid transfer layer 78 located between the acquisition layer 84 and the absorber 40 . In one such embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may contain a cellulosic material. In one such embodiment, the body facing material 28 may have a support layer 92 and a protruding layer 94. The protruding layer 94 may have a plurality of hollow protrusions 90 that extend from the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94 and may have an inner surface 102 and an outer surface 104. In this embodiment, , Wherein the protrusions have less than about 1% open area in a selected area of body facing material. In various embodiments, acquisition layer 84 may have fibers having a denier greater than about 5. In various embodiments, the acquisition layer 84 may have fibers having a denier of less than about 5. In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 includes a plurality of fibers of the tacked layer 94 that are tangent with the support layer 92, about 2 Newtons per 25 mm width per 10% Protrusions 90 having a height of greater than about 1 mm, an elasticity of greater than about 70%, and combinations thereof. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may be free of superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may have greater than about 15% superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, the open area of the protrusions 90 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the open area of the floor area 116 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the diffusion area of the secretory mock material on the body-facing material 28 after the secretory mock material has been excreted according to the test methods described herein may be less than about 34 cm ² .

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 includes an outer cover 26, an absorbent body 40, a body facing material 28, a acquisition layer 84 positioned between the absorbent body 40 and the body facing material 28, And a fluid transfer layer 78 positioned between the acquisition layer 84 and the absorber 40. In one such embodiment, the fluid transfer layer 78 may contain a cellulosic material. In one such embodiment, the body facing material 28 may have a support layer 92 and a protruding layer 94. The protruding layer 94 may have a plurality of hollow protrusions 90 that extend from the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94 and may have an inner surface 102 and an outer surface 104. In this embodiment, ). In various embodiments, acquisition layer 84 may have fibers having a denier greater than about 5. In various embodiments, the acquisition layer 84 may have fibers having a denier of less than about 5. In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 of the absorbent article 10 includes a plurality of fibers of the tacked layer 94 that are tangent with the support layer 92, about 2 Newtons per 25 mm width per 10% Protrusions 90 having a height of greater than about 1 mm, projections having less than about 1% open area in a selected area of body facing material 28, greater than about 70% elasticity, and combinations thereof As shown in FIG. The body facing material 28 may have a surface area 116 and the surface area 116 may be greater than about 1% of the open area of the body facing material 28, Area. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may be free of superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may have greater than about 15% superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, the open area of the protrusions 90 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the open area of the floor area 116 may be due to inter-fiber spacing. In various embodiments, the diffusion area of the secretory mock material on the body-facing material 28 after the secretory mock material has been excreted according to the test methods described herein may be less than about 34 cm ² .

In one embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may have an outer cover 26, an absorbent body 40, and a body facing material 28. In one such embodiment, the body facing material 28 may have a support layer 92 and a protruding layer 94. The protruding layer 94 may have a plurality of hollow protrusions 90 that extend from the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94 and may have an inner surface 102 and an outer surface 104. In this embodiment, ). In one such embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may be made of a material that is less than about 30 seconds after the menses are discharged, according to the inhalation / rewet testing method described herein, And may have a second inhalation time. In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 includes a floor area 116 having an open area of greater than about 1% in a selected area of the body facing material 28, a medicament within the selected area of the body facing material 28 A plurality of fibers of the support layer 92 and the entangled protruding layer 94, a load of greater than about 2 Newtons per 25 mm width at 10% extension in the machine direction, a height of less than about 1 mm Protrusions 90 having a height of more than about 70%, elasticity of more than about 70%, and combinations thereof. In various embodiments, the absorbent article 10 may further include a secondary liner 34 positioned between the body-facing material 28 and the absorbent body 40. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may be free of superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may have greater than about 15% superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, the open area of the floor area 116 may be due to inter-fiber spacing.

The absorbent article 10 includes an outer cover 26, an absorbent body 40, a body facing material 28 and a secondary liner 34 positioned between the body facing material 28 and the absorbent body 40. In one embodiment, ). In one such embodiment, the body facing material 28 may have a support layer 92 and a protruding layer 94. The protruding layer 94 may have a plurality of hollow protrusions 90 that extend from the outer surface 104 of the protruding layer 94 and may have an inner surface 102 and an outer surface 104. In this embodiment, ). In one such embodiment, the absorbent article 10 may be made of a material that is less than about 30 seconds after the menses are discharged, according to the inhalation / rewet testing method described herein, And may have a second inhalation time. In various embodiments, the body facing material 28 includes a floor area 116 having an open area of greater than about 1% in a selected area of the body facing material 28, a medicament within the selected area of the body facing material 28 A plurality of fibers of the support layer 92 and the entangled protruding layer 94, a load of greater than about 2 Newtons per 25 mm width at 10% extension in the machine direction, a height of less than about 1 mm Protrusions 90 having a height of more than about 70%, elasticity of more than about 70%, and combinations thereof. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may be free of superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, absorber 40 may have greater than about 15% superabsorbent material. In various embodiments, the open area of the floor area 116 may be due to inter-fiber spacing.

How to Determine Open Area Percent

The percentage of open area can be determined by using the image analysis measurement method described herein. In this context, open areas are considered to be regions within the material that directly pass through those areas where light transmitted from the light source is unobstructed to the material of interest. Generally, an image analysis method determines the numerical value of the open area percent for a material through specific image analysis measurement parameters such as area. The open area percentage method is performed by separately detecting open area areas in both the surface areas and the protrusions using conventional optical image analysis techniques and then calculating their respective percentages. In order to separate the surface areas and protrusions for subsequent detection and measurement, incident light is used with the image processing steps. An image analysis system controlled by an algorithm performs detection, image processing and measurement, and also digitally transmits data to a spreadsheet database. The calculated measurement data is used to determine the open area percentages of materials having surface areas and protrusions.

A method for determining the percent open area in both the surface areas and protrusions of a given material includes acquiring two distinct digital images of the material. An exemplary setup for acquiring an image is shown typically in Fig. Specifically, a CCD video camera 200 (e.g., a Leica DFC 310 FX, operating in grayscale mode and available from Leica Microsystems of Heerbrugg, Switzerland) is supplied to Polaroid Resource Center < RTI ID = 0.0 > Such as a Polaroid MP-4 Land Camera standard support or equivalent, available from EI du Pont de Nemours and Company. The standard support 202 is attached to a macro-viewer 204, such as a KREONITE macro-viewer, available from Dunning Photo Equipment, Inc., of Bixby, Okla. The auto-stage 208 is placed on the top surface 206 of the macro-viewer 204. The auto-stage 208 is used to automatically move the position of a given material for viewing by the camera 200. A suitable Auto Stage is the Model H112, available from Prior Scientific Inc. with an office in Rockland, Mass., USA.

The material with the surface areas and protrusions is disposed on the auto-stage 208 under the optical axis of a 60mm Nikon AF Micro Nikkor lens 210 with an f-stop setting of 4. The Nikon lens 210 is attached to the Leica DFC 310 FX camera 200 using a c-mount adapter. The distance D1 from the front surface 212 of the Nikon lens 210 to the material is 21 cm. The material is placed flat on the auto-stage 208 and gently stretched and / or tightened to the surface of the auto-stage 208 using a transparent adhesive tape at its outer edge to remove any wrinkles. The material is oriented to proceed in the horizontal direction of the image in which the machine direction (MD) is generated. An incident fluorescent light provided by a 16 inch diameter, 40 W, GE Circline fluorescent lamp 214 is irradiated to the material surface. Include the lamp 214 in a fixture positioned centrally over the material and below the video camera and positioned so that it is 3 inches (D2) above the surface of the material. The illumination of lamp 214 is controlled by a Variable Auto-transformer, type 3PN1010, available from Staco Energy Products Co. with offices in Dayton, Ohio. The transmitted light is also provided to the material from below the auto-stage 208 with five 20W fluorescent lights 218 that are covered with a diffuser plate 220 and are lined up. The diffuser plate 220 is inserted to form a top surface 206 that is a part of the macro viewer 204. The diffuser plate 220 is covered with a black mask 222 holding a 3in X 3in hole 224. Hole 224 is centered below the optical axis of the Leica camera and lens system. The distance D3 from the hole 224 to the surface of the auto-stage 208 is approximately 17 cm. The illumination of the fluorescent lights 218 is also controlled by a separate Variable Auto-transformer.

The image analysis software platform used to perform open area percent measurements is QWIN Pro (Version 3.5.1), available from Leica Microsystems, Inc., with an office in Heerbrugg, Switzerland. The system and images are also calibrated using QWIN software and a standardizer with scales of at least 1 mm. The correction is performed with the horizontal dimension of the video camera image. Use mm units per pixel for calibration.

A method for determining the percent open area of a given material includes performing several zone measurements from both incident and transmitted light images. Specifically, image analysis algorithms are used not only to perform measurements using the Quantitative User Interactive Programming System (QUIPS) language, but also to acquire and process images. The image analysis algorithm is reproduced below.

NAME =% Open Area - Land vs Projection Regions-1

PURPOSE = Measures% open area on 'land' and 'projection' regions via 'sandwich' lighting technique

DEFINE VARIABLES & OPEN FILES

 Open File (C: \ Data \ 39291 \% Open Area \ data.xls, channel # 1)

 MFLDIMAGE = 2

 TOTCOUNT = 0

TOTFIELDS = 0

 SAMPLE ID AND SET UP

 Configure (Image Store 1392 x 1040, Gray Images 81, Binaries 24)

 Enter Results Header

 File Results Header (channel # 1)

 File Line (channel # 1)

 Image Setup DC Twain [PAUSE] (Camera 1, AutoExposure Off, Gain 0.00,

  ExposureTime 34.23 msec, Brightness 0, Lamp 38.83)

 Measure frame (x 31, y 61, Width 1330, Height 978)

 Image frame (x 0, y 0, Width 1392, Height 1040)

- Calvalue = 0.0231 mm / px

 CALVALUE = 0.0231

 Calibrate (CALVALUE CALUNITS $ per pixel)

Clear Accepts

 For (SAMPLE = 1 to 1, step 1)

   Clear Accepts

   File ("Field No.", channel # 1, field width: 9, left justified)

   File ("Land Area", channel # 1, field width: 9, left justified)

   File ("LandOpen Area ", channel # 1, field width: 13, left justified)

   File ("% Open Land Area", channel # 1, field width: 15, left justified)

   File ("Proj. Area", channel # 1, field width: 9, left justified)

   File ("Proj. Open Area", channel # 1, field width: 13, left justified)

   File ("% Open Project Area", channel # 1, field width: 15, left justified)

   File ("Total% Open Area", channel # 1, field width: 14, left justified)

File Line (channel # 1)

   Stage (Define Origin)

Stage (Scan Pattern, 5 x 1 fields, size 82500.000000 x 82500.000000)

   IMAGE ACQUISITION I - Projection isolation

   For (FIELD = 1 to 5, step 1)

    Display (Image0 (on), frames (on, on), planes (off, off, off, off, off), lut 0, x0, y0,

    PauseText ("Ensure incident lighting is correct (WL = 0.88 - 0.94) and acquire image.")

    Image Setup DC Twain [PAUSE] (Camera 1, AutoExposure Off, Gain 0.00,

      ExposureTime 34.23 msec, Brightness 0, Lamp 38.83)

Acquire (into Image0)

     DETECT - Projections only

     PauseText ("Ensure that threshold is set to the right of the left gray-level

histogram peak which corresponds to the 'land' region. ")

Detect [PAUSE] (whiter than 127, from Image0 into Binary0 delineated)

   BINARY IMAGE PROCESSING

   Binary Amend (Close from Binary 0 to Binary 1, cycles 10, operator Disc, edge erode on)

   Binary Identify (FillHoles from Binary1 to Binary1)

   Binary Amend (Open from Binary1 to Binary2, cycles 20, operator Disc, edge erode on)

   Binary Amend (Close from Binary 2 to Binary 3, cycles 8, operator Disc, edge erode on)

   PauseText ("Toggle <control> and <b> keys to check bump detection and correct if necessary.")

    Binary Edit [PAUSE] (Draw from Binary 3 to Binary 3, nib Fill, width 2)

Binary Logical (copy Binary 3, inverted to Binary 4)

   IMAGE ACQUISITION 2 -% Open Area

   Display (Image0 (on), frames (on, on), planes (off, off, off, off, off), lut 0, x0, y0,

   PauseText ("Turn off incident light & secure transmitted lighting is correct (WL = 0.97) and acquire image.")

    Image Setup DC Twain [PAUSE] (Camera 1, Auto Exposure Off, Gain 0.00, Exposure Time 34.23 msec, Brightness 0, Lamp 38.83)

Acquire (into Image0)

     DETECT - Open areas only

Detect (whiter than 210, from Image0 into Binary10 delineated)

     BINARY IMAGE PROCESSING

     Binary Logical (C = A AND B: C Binary 11, A Binary 3, B Binary 10)

Binary Logical (C = A AND B: C Binary 12, A Binary 4, B Binary 10)

     MEASURE AREAS - Land, projections, open area within each

- Land Area

     MFLDIMAGE = 4

     Measure field (plane MFLDIMAGE, into FLDRESULTS (1), statistics into FLDSTATS (7,1)) Selected parameters: Area

     LANDAREA = FLDRESULTS (1)

- Projection Area

     MFLDIMAGE = 3

     Measure field (plane MFLDIMAGE, into FLDRESULTS (1), statistics into FLDSTATS (7,1)) Selected parameters: Area

     BUMPAREA = FLDRESULTS (1)

- Open Projection area

     MFLDIMAGE = 11

     Measure field (plane MFLDIMAGE, into FLDRESULTS (1), statistics into FLDSTATS (7,1)) Selected parameters: Area

     APBUMPAREA = FLDRESULTS (1)

- Open land area

     MFLDIMAGE = 12

     Measure field (plane MFLDIMAGE, into FLDRESULTS (1), statistics into FLDSTATS (7,1)) Selected parameters: Area

     APLANDAREA = FLDRESULTS (1)

- Total% open area

     MFLDIMAGE = 10

     Selected fields: Area (MFLDIMAGE, into FLDRESULTS (1), statistics into FLDSTATS

TOTPERCAPAREA = FLDRESULTS (1)

     CALCULATE AND OUTPUT AREAS

     PERCAPLANDAREA = APLANDAREA / LANDAREA * 100

     PERCAPBUMPAREA = APBUMPAREA / BUMPAREA * 100

     File (FIELD, channel # 1, 0 digits after '.')

     File (LANDAREA, channel # 1, 2 digits after '.')

     File (APLANDAREA, channel # 1, 2 digits after '.')

     File (PERCAPLANDAREA, channel # 1, 1 digit after '.')

     File (BUMPAREA, channel # 1, 2 digits after '.')

     File (APBUMPAREA, channel # 1, 4 digits after '.')

     File (PERCAPBUMPAREA, channel # 1, 5 digits after '.')

     File (TOTPERCAPAREA, channel # 1, 2 digits after '.')

File Line (channel # 1)

Stage (Step, Wait until stopped + 1100 msecs)

Next (FIELD)

   PauseText ("If no more samples, enter '0.'")

   Input (FINISH)

   If (FINISH = 0)

     Goto OUTPUT

Endif

   PauseText ("Place the next replicate specimen on the auto-stage, turn on incident light and turn-off and / or block sub-stage lighting.")

   Image Setup DC Twain [PAUSE] (Camera 1, Auto Exposure Off, Gain 0.00, Exposure Time 34.23 msec, Brightness 0, Lamp 38.83)

File Line (channel # 1)

Next (SAMPLE)

OUTPUT:

Close File (channel # 1)

END

The QUIPS algorithm is implemented using the QWIN Pro software platform. Initially, the analyst is prompted to enter material set information to be sent in an Excel file.

 Next, the analyzer is guided by a live image setup window on the computer monitor screen to place the material on the auto stage 208. Uniform and weak forces applied to the edges thereof must be applied to the material to remove any fine wrinkles that may be present. In addition, the image must be arranged so that the machine direction extends horizontally in the image. At the same time, the line-line fluorescent lamps 214 may be turned on to help position the material. Next, the analyzer directs the incident circle line fluorescent lamp 214 to adjust up to a white level reading of about 0.9 via a variable autotransformer. The sub-stage transmitted light bank 218 must be turned off or masked at the same time using one light blocking blackboard disposed above the opening 224 of 3 inches in size.

 The analyzer now uses the detection window displayed on the computer monitor screen to induce the detection threshold to be set to an appropriate level for detection of protrusions. Typically, the threshold is set using a white mode at approximately mid-point of the 8-bit grayscale range (e.g., 127). If desired, the threshold level can be adjusted up or down so as to optimally include the projected portions shown in the image obtained for the surrounding ground regions and their boundaries, the obtained detected binary numbers.

After the algorithm automatically performs some binary image processing steps on the detected binary numbers of protrusions, an opportunity will be given to the analyst to review the protrusion detection and correct any errors. The analysts can simultaneously toggle both the 'control' and 'b' keys simultaneously to review the detection of the protrusion for the acquired grayscale image of the base. If necessary, the analyst can select from a set of binary editing tools (eg, draw, skip, etc.) to make some adjustments. If care is taken to ensure proper illumination and detection in the above steps, at this point the correction should be seldom needed.

Next, the analyzer turns off the incident-circle-line fluorescent lamp 214, turns on the sub-stage transmission light bank, or induces the light blocking mask to be removed. The sub-stage transmitted light bank is adjusted by the variable autotransformer to a white brightness reading of about 0.97. At this point, the image focus can be optimized for the surface area of the material.

 After performing additional operations on the obtained separate binary images for the protrusions, floor areas and open areas, the algorithm will then automatically perform the measurements and output the data into the designated Excel spreadsheet file. The following measurement parameter data will be placed in the Excel file after measurement and data transfer has occurred:

 Floor area

 Ground open area

 Ground open area%

 Protruding section

 Protruding portion open area

 Protrusion opening area%

Total open area%

 After delivery of the data, the algorithm will direct the auto-stage 208 to move to the next clock, and will restart the process of turning on the incident-circle-line fluorescent lamp 214 and shutting off the sub-stage transmitted-light bank 218. This process will be repeated four times so that there are five sets of data from five separate field-of-view images per single material copy.

Multisample replication from a single material can be performed during a single run of the QUIPS algorithm. (Note: the sample for the next line in the algorithm needs to be adjusted to reflect the number of material copy assays to be performed per material). The mean diffusion value of the final material is generally based on the N = 5 analysis from five separate material sub-sample copies. Student T analysis at 90% confidence is used to perform comparisons between different samples.

How to determine the height of protrusions

 The height of the protrusions may be determined using the image analysis measurement method disclosed herein. The image analysis method comprises determining the numerical height value of the dimensions of the protrusions using specific image analysis measurements of both the protrusions having the ground regions and the ground region of the sample and then determining the height of the protrusions . The protrusion height method detects a fragment area of both the surface areas and the protrusion structures and then uses a conventional optical image analysis technique to measure the average linear height value for each case when viewed using a camera with incident illumination Lt; / RTI &gt; The obtained measurement data is used to compare protrusion height characteristics of different types of materials.

 Before performing image analysis measurements, the sample of interest should be prepared in a manner that allows visualization of a representative cross-section through the center of the projection. By securing a representative sample piece on at least one of the linear edges that lie in a machine direction on a flat and smooth surface with a single piece of tape, such as a 3/4 inch SCOTCH (R) Magic tape manufactured by 3M Company, cross-sectioning. The cross-sectional measurements are then performed using a new, single-edged carbon steel blue blade (PAL) that has not been previously used, carefully cut away in a direction perpendicular to it, away from the fixed edge, and preferably through the center of the at least one protrusion Is carried out by careful cutting through the center of the more protrusions when the protrusions are arranged in the column direction leading to the machine direction. The residual heat of any protrusions located on the back of the cross-sectional surface of the protrusions must be cut or removed prior to mounting so that only the cross-sectional protrusions of interest are present. Such blades for cross-sectional survey can be obtained from Electron Microscopy Sciences (Cat. # 71974), Hatfield, PA. Cross-sectional measurements are performed in the machine direction of the sample, and a new blade that was not previously used must be used for each new section cut. The cross-sectional surface can now be mounted with the protrusions facing upward from the plate using an adhesive, such as a double-sided tape, so as to be observed using a video camera with an optical lens. Any arbitrary background behind the plate itself and the sample to be observed by the camera must be made dark by using an antireflection black tape and a black cardboard 317 (shown in FIG. 21), respectively. For a typical sample, sufficient cross sections are cut, individually mounted, from which a total of six height values are determined.

 An exemplary configuration for obtaining images is exemplarily illustrated in FIG. Specifically, a CCD video camera 300 (e.g., a Leica DFC 310 FX video camera operating in grayscale mode, available from Leica Microsystems, Herbruch, Switzerland) is available from the Polaroid Resource Center, Cambridge, Mass. Such as a Polaroid MP-4 land camera standard support or equivalent. The standard support 302 is attached to a macro-viewer 304, such as the KREONITE macro-viewer, available from Dunning Photo Equipment, Inc., which has an office in Bixby, Oklahoma. The auto-stage 306 is disposed on the upper surface of the macro-viewer 304. The auto-stage 306 is used to move the position of a predetermined sample for observation by the camera 300. [ A suitable auto-stage 306 is available from Prior Scientific Inc. with an office in Rockland, Mass., As Model H112.

 A darkened sample pedestal 308 with exposed sample surface surfaces with surface areas and protrusions is placed on the auto stage 306 under the optical axis of a 50 mm Nikon lens 310 with an f-stop setting of 2.8 . The Nikon lens 310 is attached to the Leica DFC 310 FX camera 300 using a 30 mm extension tube 312 and a c-mount adapter. The sample pedestal 308 is oriented such that the sample cross-section extends in the horizontal direction of the obtained image with coplanar faces with respect to the camera 300 and with projections directed upward from the plate. The cross-sectional surface is illuminated with incident incandescent lamps 316 provided by two 150 watt GE Reflector Flood lamps. The two Flood lamps are arranged to provide more illumination to the cross-sectional surface than to the underlying sample holder 308 in the image. Flood lamps 316 will be positioned at about 30 degrees and 150 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane that runs through the camera 300 when viewed from directly above the top of the camera 300 and the base section of the cross-sectional sample pedestal 308. [ In this regard, the camera support will be at a 90 degree position. The lamp illumination is controlled using a variable autotransformer (type: 3PN1010) available from Staco Energy Products Co. with offices in Dayton, Ohio.

  The image analysis software platform used to perform the measurements is QWIN Pro (version: 3.5.1), available from Leica Microsystems, which has an office in Herzlia, Switzerland. The system and images are also calibrated using QWIN software and a standardizer with scales of at least 1 mm. The correction is performed with the horizontal dimension of the video camera image. Use mm units per pixel for calibration.

Thus, a method for determining the projected height of a given sample includes performing some dimensional measurements. Specifically, image analysis algorithms are used not only to perform measurements using the Quantitative User Interactive Programming System (QUIPS) language, but also to acquire and process images. The image analysis algorithm is reproduced below.

NAME = Height - Projection vs Land Regions - 1

PURPOSE = Measures height of projection and land regions

DEFINE VARIABLES & OPEN FILES

 - The following line is set to designate where the measurement data will be stored.

Open File (C: \ Data \ 39291 \ Height \ data.xls, channel # 1)

FIELDS = 6

SAMPLE ID AND SET UP

Enter Results Header

File Results Header (channel # 1)

File Line (channel # 1)

Measure frame (x 31, y 61, Width 1330, Height 978)

Image frame (x 0, y 0, Width 1392, Height 1040)

 - Calvalue = 0.0083 mm / pixel

CALVALUE = 0.0083

Calibrate (CALVALUE CALUNITS $ per pixel)

For (REPLICATE = 1 to FIELDS, step 1)

  Clear Feature Histogram # 1

  Clear Feature Histogram # 2

Clear Accepts

  IMAGE ACQUISITION AND DETECTION

  PauseText ("Position sample, focus image and set white level to 0.95.")

  Image Setup DC Twain [PAUSE] (Camera 1, AutoExposure Off, Gain 0.00, ExposureTime 200.00 msec, Brightness 0, Lamp 49.99)

  Acquire (into Image0)

   ACQOUTPUT = 0

    - The following line can be set up for saving specific files.

   ACQFILE $ = "C: \ Images \ 39291 - for Height \ Text.

    2H _ "+ STR $ (REPLICATE) +" s.jpg "

   Write image (from ACQOUTPUT into file ACQFILE $)

Detect (whiter than 104, from Image0 into Binary0 delineated)

   IMAGE PROCESSING

   Binary Amend (Close from Binary0 to Binary1, cycles4, operator Disc, edge erode on)

   Binary Amend (Open from Binary 1 to Binary 2, cycles 4, operator Disc, edge erode on)

   Binary Identify (FillHoles from Binary2 to Binary3)

   Binary Amend (Close from Binary 3 to Binary 4, cycles 15, operator Disc, edge erode on)

   Binary Amend (Open from Binary 4 to Binary 5, cycles 20, operator Disc, edge erode on)

   PauseText ("Fill in projection & land regions that are included, and reject over detected regions.")

   Binary Edit [PAUSE] (Draw from Binary 5 to Binary 6, nib Fill, width 2)

   PauseText ("Select 'Land' region for measurement.")

   Binary Edit [PAUSE] (Accept from Binary 6 to Binary 7, nib Fill, width 2)

   PauseText ("Select 'Projection' region for measurement.")

   Binary Edit [PAUSE] (Accept from Binary 6 to Binary 8, nib Fill, width 2)

   - Combine land and projection regions with measurement grid.

   Graphics (Grid, 30 x 0 Lines, Grid Size 1334 x 964, Origin 21 x 21, Thickness 2,

   Orientation 0.000000, to Binary15 Cleared)

   Binary Logical (C = A AND B: C Binary 10, A Binary 7, B Binary 15)

Binary Logical (C = A AND B: C Binary 11, A Binary 8, B Binary 15)

   MEASURE HEIGHTS

   - Land region only

   Measure feature (plane Binary10, 8 ferets, minimum area: 8, gray image: Image0)

       Selected parameters: X FCP, Y FCP, Feret90

   Feature Histogram # 1 (Y Param Number, X Param Feret 90, from 0.0100 to 5., logarithmic, 20 bins)

   Display Feature Histogram Results (# 1, horizontal, differential, bins + graph, Y axis linear, statistics) Data Window (1278, 412, 323, 371)

   - Projection regions only (includes any underlying land material)

   Measure feature (plane Binary11, 8 ferets, minimum area: 8, gray image: Image0)

       Selected parameters: X FCP, Y FCP, Feret90

   Feature Histogram # 2 (Y Param Number, X Param Feret 90, from 0.0100 to 10., logarithmic, 20 bins)

Display Feature Histogram Results (# 2, horizontal, differential, bins + graph, Y axis linear, statistics) Data Window (1305, 801, 297, 371)

   OUTPUT DATA

   File ("Land Height (mm)", channel # 1)

   File Line (channel # 1)

   File Feature Histogram Results (# 1, differential, statistics, bin details, channel # 1)

   File Line (channel # 1)

   File Line (channel # 1)

   File ("Projection + Land Height (mm)", channel # 1)

   File Line (channel # 1)

   File Feature Histogram Results (# 2, differential, statistics, bin details, channel # 1)

   File Line (channel # 1)

   File Line (channel # 1)

File Line (channel # 1)

Next (REPLICATE)

Close File (channel # 1)

END

The QUIPS algorithm is implemented using the QWIN Pro software platform. Initially, the analyzer is guided to enter sample identification information, which is also sent to the designated Excel file to which the measurement data is also subsequently transmitted.

 The analyzer is then placed in an autostage that includes a darkened background so that the cross-sectional surface is flush with the upwardly directed protrusions, and a camera 300 with a width extending horizontally in the live image displayed on the video monitor screen (306). &Lt; / RTI &gt; Next, the analyzer adjusts the video camera 300 and the lens 310 to a vertical position to optimize the focus of the cross-sectional surface. Illumination is also adjusted by the analyst to a white brightness reading of about 0.95 via a variable autotransformer.

 Once the analyst completes the steps and continues executing the instructions, the image will be automatically acquired, detected, and processed by the QUIPS algorithm. The analyzer may use a computer mouse to not only reject any of the detected regions beyond the boundary of the cross-sectional structure shown in the base grayscale image, but also to reject any Will be induced to fill the detected binary image of the protrusions and / or surface areas. To aid in this editing process, the analyst can simultaneously toggle the controls and keys on the keyboard to turn on or off the overlaid binary image to assess how closely the binary numbers match the boundaries of the sample shown in the cross- can do. If the initial cross-sectional survey sample preparation is well performed, manual editing should be required, but little required.

The analyst is now instructed to use the computer mouse to select the ground area for the measurement. This selection carefully draws a straight line downward through one side of a single floor area located between or adjacent to the protrusions and then moves the cursor underneath the floor area to the opposite side with the left mouse button still pressed And then drawing another straight line up. Once this happens, release the left mouse button and fill the green area with the area to be measured. If the obtained vertical edges of the selected area are deflected in any way, the analyzer can reset to the initially detected binary number by clicking the cancel button located in the Binary Edit window, The selection process is started until the immediately preceding vertical edge is obtained.

Similarly, the analyst will then be prompted to "select the &quot; projection &quot; region for measurement. The upper portion of the protruding area, which is now attached to the previously selected surface area, is selected in the same manner previously described for surface area selection.

 The algorithm will then automatically perform measurements on both selected areas and output the data into an Excel spreadsheet file designated in a bar graph format. In the Excel file, the bar graphs for the paper and projection areas will be labeled as "paper height (mm)" and "overhang + paper height (mm) A separate set of bar graphs will be generated for each selection of a pair of paper and projection areas.

 The analyzer will then be redirected to start the process of placing the sample and selecting different ground and protruding regions. At this point, the analyzer can move the same cross-section to the new subsampling position using the auto-stage joystick, and an entirely different mounted cross-section obtained from the same sample can be placed on the auto- . The process for locating the sample and selecting the ground and projection regions for measurement will be done six times for each run of the QUIPS algorithm.

The single projected height value is then determined by estimating the numerical difference between the average values of the bar graphs of the separate ground and projection regions for each single measurement pair. The QUIPS algorithm will provide six sets of radiation measurements for both the ground and protruding areas for a single sample to produce six protrusion height values per sample. The final sample mean diffusion value is typically based on the N = 6 analysis from six separate sub-sample measurements. Comparisons between different samples can be performed using Student T analysis at a confidence level of 90%.

Example:

To demonstrate the process, apparatus, and materials of the present invention, a series of body facing materials 28 as well as protruding layer 94 without support layer 92 were prepared. The samples were tested in a similar manner to that shown in Figure 25 in the Figure except that only one protrusion fluid-entrapment device 158c was used to form the protrusions 90 in the textured area 178, Was produced on a spunlace production line at Textor Technologies PTY LTD of Tullamarine, Tex. In addition, the protruding layer 94 is pre-wetted in the process upstream as shown in Fig. 25 and wetted in front of the pre-entangled fluid-entraining device 158a using conventional equipment. In this case, preliminary settling was achieved through the use of a single injector set at a pressure of 8 bar. The pre-entanglement fluid-entanglement device 158a is set to 45 bar and the laminate fluid-entanglement device 158b is set to 60 bar while the pressure of the single protrusion fluid-entanglement device 158c is set to be in the following Tables 1 and 2 The pressure was changed to 140 bar, 160 bar and 180 bar according to the specific sample operated as listed.

In the conveyor belt 152 of Fig. 25, the pre-entrainment fluid-entrainer device 158a was set at a height of 10 mm on top of the conveyor belt 152. In the lamination forming surface 180, the laminated fluid-entraining device 158b was set at a height of 12 mm above the surface 180, such as in the protrusion fluid-entraining device 158c, .

The protrusion forming surface 156 is a steel textured drum having a diameter of 520 mm, a drum thickness of 3 mm, and a width of 1.3 m, and is formed of 4 mm circular molding holes 170 having a hexagonal dense pattern, Respectively. The porous inner drum shell 174 is a fabric stainless steel mesh wire of 100 mesh size (100 wires per inch in both directions / 39 wires per cm in both directions). The separation or gap between the exterior of the shell 174 and the interior of the drum 156 was 1.5 mm.

The process parameters that have been changed include the abovementioned entanglement fluid pressures (140 bar, 160 bar and 180 bar), and degrees of overfeed (0%, 11%, 25% and 43%), Where V1 is the input velocity of the protruding layer 94 and V3 is the output velocity of the obtained body facing material 28. The ratio OF = [(V ₁ / V ₃ ) 1]

All samples were run at an exit line or exit speed (V3) of about 25 meters per minute (m / min). V1 is recorded in Tables 1 and 2 for the samples listed therein. V2 remained constant for all samples in Table 1 and Table 2 at the same rate as V3, or at a rate of 25 meters per minute. The finished samples are sent through a line dryer to remove excess water as is customary in the hydroentanglement process. The samples were collected after the dryer and then labeled with a code corresponding to the process conditions used (see Table 1 and Table 2).

In contrast to the materials prepared as described in Tables 1 and 2 below, some of the materials were produced by the support layer 92, other materials were produced without the support layer, and when the support layer 92 was used, , A spun lace web, and a breathable bonded carded web (TABCW). The spunbond backing layer 92 is made of polypropylene spunbond fibers that are subsequently point bonded at a total bonded area of 17.5% per unit area, manufactured by Kimberly-Clark Australia of Milsens Point, Australia, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt; polypropylene &lt; / RTI &gt; A spunbond material was fed and introduced into the process as a roll with a roll width of about 130 cm. The spunlace support layer 92 was a 52 gsm spunlaced material using a homogeneous mixture of viscose short staple fibers of 1.5 denier and 40 mm length with 70 wt% and short staple (PET) staple fibers of 1.4 denier and 38 mm length of 30 wt% , Which is manufactured by Textor Technologies PTY LTD of Tullamarine, Australia. The spunlaced material was preformed, provided in roll form, and had a roll width of about 140 cm. The TABCW support layer 92 had a basis weight of 40 gsm and consisted of 40% by weight of 6 denier and 51 mm long PET staple fibers and 60% by weight 3.8 denier and 51 mm length of polyethylene sheath / polypropylene core 2-component staple fibers , Which is manufactured by Textor Technologies PTY LTD of Tullamarine, Australia. In the following data (see Tables 1 and 2) under the heading "Support Layer ", the spunbond layer was identified as" SB ", the spunlaced layer identified as" SL "and the TABCW layer identified as" S ". When no supporting layer 92 is used, the term &quot; no &quot; The basis weight used in the examples should not be considered as a limitation on usable basis weight since the basis weight for the support layer 92 may vary depending on the final application.

In all cases, the protruding layer 94 was a carded monofilament web made from 100% 1.2 denier and 38 mm long polyester short fibers available from Huvis Corporation, Daejeon, Korea. Protruding Layer 94 The carded web was manufactured in a process by a hydraulic entangling process by Textor Technologies PTY LTD of Tullamarine, Australia and had a width of about 140 cm. The basis weights varying as shown in Tables 1 and 2 and ranging between 28 gsm and 49.5 gsm can be used according to the final application through different basis weights and ranges. The protruding layer 94 was identified as a card web in the data in Table 1 and Table 2 below.

The thicknesses of the materials disclosed in Table 1 and Table 2 below as well as in Figure 32 of the drawings were measured using a Mitutoyo Model No. ID-C1025B thickness gauge having an atmospheric pressure of 345 Pa (0.05 psi). Measurements were made at room temperature (about 20 degrees Celsius) and recorded in mm using a round foot having a diameter of 76.2 mm (3 inches). The thickness for the samples selected with or without support layer (average 3 samples) is shown in Fig. 32 of the drawing.

The tensile strength of the material, defined as the maximum load achieved during the test, was measured using an Intron Series IX software module Rev. IX equipped with a load cell of +/- 1 kN. (MD) and machine direction (CMD) using an Intron Model 3343 tensile tester operating 1.16. The initial jaw separation distance ("measurement length") was set at 75 mm, and the crosshead speed was set at 300 mm per minute. Samples were cut in MD to a size of 50 mm x 300 mm (width x length), and each tensile strength test result was recorded with an average of two samples per cord. Samples were evaluated at room temperature (about 20 degrees Celsius). Excess material was allowed to omit the ends and sides of the device. The CMD strength and elongation were also measured, and generally the CMD strength was about one-half to one-fifth of the MD strength, and the CMD extension at maximum load was about two to three times higher than in the MD direction. (CMD samples were cut to long dimensions as indicated in the CMD). MD strength was recorded as N / 50mm of material. (The results are shown in Table 1 and Table 2). The MD extension for the material at maximum load was recorded as the ratio of the initial measurement length (initial jaw separation).

Extension measurements were also made and recorded as MD in a load of 10 Newtons (N). (See Tables 1 and 2 below, and Fig. 23). Tables 1 and 2 show data based on the support layer used, the degree of excess feed used, and when changing the change in hydraulic pressure from a water entangled water injector.

As an example of the outcome of various process parameters, high overfeeding requires jetting pressure sufficient to drive the overburden layer 94 into the protruding forming surface 156, and therefore, excessive overloading into the textured area 178 Of the material. If sufficient jet energy can not be used to overcome the material's resistance to texturing, the material will itself fold or overlap and in the worst case overlap the rollers before the textured area 178, As a result, the process needs to be stopped. If the experiment is carried out at a linear velocity (V3) of 25 m / min, this means that equipment containing similar materials is operated at linear speeds in the range of 10 to 70 m / min, and rates outside this range may be used depending on the material being operated It should not be considered as a limitation on the linear velocity.

The following tables (Tables 1 and 2) summarize the materials, process parameters and test results. In the samples shown in Table 1, the samples were prepared with or without the support layer 92. Codes 1.1 to 3.6 used the spunbond support layer 92 described above. Codes 4.1 to 5.7 did not have support layer 92. The jet pressures for each of the samples are listed in Tables 1 and 2.

Experimental parameters and test results, no support layer 92 and support layer 92, codes 1 to 5 code Support layer Card web (gsm) Overloading Card web speed (V _One ) (m / min) Pressure (bar)
The laminate *
Weight (gsm)
The laminate ^*
Thickness (mm) The laminate ^*
MD strength (N / 50mm)
At full load The laminate ^*
 MD extension (%) At 10N The laminate ^*
MD extension (%) 1.1 SB 28 43% 35.8 180 51 2.22 75.6 85.0 5.0 1.2 SB 28 43% 35.8 160 52.2 2.33 65.8 82.1 3.5 1.3 SB 28 43% 35.8 140 51.1 2.34 61.3 86.1 3.4 1.4 SB 28 11% 27.8 140 46.3 1.47 95.5 53.0 4.9 1.5 SB 28 11% 27.8 160 45.5 1.52 91.9 46.7 4.7 1.6 SB 28 11% 27.8 180 46.7 1.61 109.1 49.8 5.0 1.7 SB 28 25% 31.3 180 50.5 2.02 94.4 63.7 3.7 1.8 SB 28 25% 31.3 160 50.7 1.97 82.1 62.2 5.6 1.9 SB 28 25% 31.3 140 49.7 1.99 74.9 62.8 4.2 1.10 SB 28 0% 25.0 140 42.9 1.08 104.4 35.8 3.0 1.11 SB 28 0% 25.0 160 43.6 1.15 102.8 35.2 3.7 1.12 SB 28 0% 25.0 180 44.1 1.17 97.5 35.7 5.0 2.1 SB 20 11% 27.8 140 36.8 1.27 53.1 44.2 2.4 2.2 SB 20 11% 27.8 160 36.2 1.27 52.5 62.1 2.9 2.3 SB 20 11% 27.8 180 37.4 1.31 57.8 44.3 2.7 2.4 SB 20 25% 31.3 180 39 1.55 53.4 56.6 2.4 2.5 SB 20 25% 31.3 160 38 1.48 46.6 63.4 2.8 2.6 SB 20 25% 31.3 140 38.8 1.46 39.7 30.4 2.3 2.7 SB 20 43% 35.8 140 40.9 1.78 32.3 53.0 2.6 2.8 SB 20 43% 35.8 160 41.4 1.82 35.7 77.2 2.7 2.9 SB 20 43% 35.8 180 41.7 1.83 47.5 87.5 3.4 3.1 SB 38 25% 31.3 180 62.2 2.52 97.3 64.8 2.2 3.2 SB 38 25% 31.3 160 61 2.47 93.5 63.5 2.3 3.3 SB 38 25% 31.3 140 60 2.32 83.9 68.2 2.4 3.4 SB 38 43% 35.8 140 66.2 2.81 63.0 92.8 2.4 3.5 SB 38 43% 35.8 160 65.4 2.81 78.6 86.5 2.3 3.6 SB 38 43% 35.8 180 67.4 2.88 86.0 82.0 2.4 4.1 radish 31.5 43% 35.8 140 32.5 1.57 46.6 77.0 31.5 4.2 radish 31.5 43% 35.8 160 38.1 1.93 53.4 79.8 32.9 4.3 radish 31.5 43% 35.8 180 35.9 2.04 46.4 69.3 31.1 4.4 radish 36.0 25% 31.3 180 35.8 1.47 57.4 53.8 19.0 4.5 radish 36.0 25% 31.3 160 36.3 1.58 56.1 49.7 17.1 4.6 radish 36.0 25% 31.3 140 35.9 2.03 60.6 54.0 18.4 4.7 radish 40.5 11% 27.8 140 38.8 1.3 69.0 41.3 15.1 4.8 radish 40.5 11% 27.8 160 38.2 1.33 72.4 41.4 9.9 4.9 radish 40.5 11% 27.8 180 37.6 1.31 72.3 36.6 8.4 5.1 radish 38.5 43% 35.8 140 43.2 2.16 51.7 72.1 28.7 5.2 radish 38.5 43% 35.8 160 44.1 2.2 54.2 76.1 26.0 5.3 radish 38.5 43% 35.8 180 43.2 2.3 50.4 74.2 24.1 5.4 radish 46.0 25% 31.3 180 40.5 1.77 67.5 51.8 13.6 5.5 radish 46.0 25% 31.3 160 46.5 2.02 60.0 58.2 16.5 5.6 radish 46.0 25% 31.3 140 45.8 1.99 61.1 54.8 20.2 5.7 radish 49.5 11% 27.8 140 43.6 1.52 74.0 36.8 9.2 5.8 radish 49.5 11% 27.8 160 45 1.54 75.6 35.9 8.4 5.9 radish 49.5 11% 27.8 180 47 1.71 70.8 39.1 8.9

* Note: In Codes 4.1 to 5.9, the laminate had a single-layer structure with no supporting layer 92 present.

In Table 2, Samples 6SL.1 to 6SL.6 were run on the same equipment under the same conditions as the samples of Table 1 with the spunlaced support layer 92 described above, while Samples 6S.1 to 6S. 4 was provided with the breathable bond-carded web support layer 92 described above. The protruding layers 94 ("card webs") were made in the same manner as those used in Table 1.

Experimental parameters and test results, code 6, alternative support layer 92, code Support layer Card web (gsm) Overloading Card web speed (V _One ) (m / min) Textured  Jet pressure (bar) The laminate
Weight (gsm) The laminate
Thickness (mm) The laminate
MD strength (N / 50mm)  At full load The laminate
 MD extension (%) At 10N The laminate
MD extension (%) 6SL.1 SL 28 25% 31.3 180 82.6 2.19 107.5 23.6 1.9 6SL.2 SL 28 25% 31.3 160 80 2.11 103.6 23.6 1.9 6SL.3 SL 28 25% 31.3 140 81.1 2.07 101.5 20.2 1.8 6SL.4 SL 28 43% 35.8 140 85.4 2.16 86.7 20.2 1.7 6SL.5 SL 28 43% 35.8 160 84.2 2.53 93.4 20.8 1.6 6SL.6 SL 28 43% 35.8 180 83.7 2.55 103.3 22.4 1.4 6S.1 S 28 25% 31.3 180 68.2 2.56 89 56 4.2 6S.2 S 28 25% 31.3 160 70 2.57 70 56.7 2.2 6S.3 S 28 25% 31.3 140 72.5 2.71 67.7 62 2.8 6S.4 S 28 43% 35.8 140 78 2.63 48.5 57.8 2.8

As can be seen in Tables 1 and 2, the main quality parameter of the fiber thickness, which is a measure of the height of the protrusions, as indicated by the thickness value, is the amount of excess feed of the protruding layer 94 into the textured region 178 Mainly depends on. For the data shown in Table 2, it can be seen that the high excess feed rate resulted in an increase in thickness. In addition, at the same excess feed rate, higher fluid pressures resulted in higher thickness values, resulting in increased height of the protrusions 90. Table 2 shows the test results of the samples made using alternative support layers 92. Code 6S uses a 40 gsm breathable bond carded web and code 6SL uses a 52 gsm spun lace material. These samples were well performed and had good stability and appearance compared to unsupported samples without support layer 92.

32 of the drawings shows the ratio of the overhang layer 94 overhang to the body facing material 28 (denoted as almond) for two samples (indicated by squares and triangles) without the support layer 92 The sample thickness (unit: mm) is shown. All of the recorded values are the average of three samples. As can be seen from the data in FIG. 32, the thickness of the sample also increased with the increase in overfeeding, demonstrating the importance and benefits of overfeeding.

33 of the drawing is a graph showing the sample extension ratio at a load of 10 Newtons versus the overflow amount of the overburden layer 94 for the material from Table 1. As can be seen from the data in Figure 33, there was a dramatic increase in the machine direction extensibility of the resulting sample as the excess feed rate of the material into the textured region 178 increased, in the absence of the support layer 92 . In contrast, the sample with the spunbond support layer 92 did not experience a substantial increase in its extension ratio as the excess feed rate increased. This, in turn, resulted in a protruding layer 94 with protrusions 90 that are more stable and can maintain their shape and height more easily during subsequent processing.

As can be seen from the above data and graphs, the higher overfeed, and hence the greater projected height, also reduced the MD tensile strength and increased the MD elongation at maximum load. This is because increased texturing provides more material (among the protrusions) that are resistant to prolongation and do not contribute instantaneously to creating the load, and allow greater extension before reaching the maximum load.

The main advantage of the laminate with both the protruding layer 94 and the supporting layer 92 compared to the single layer protruding layer 94 without the supporting layer 92 is that the supporting layer 92 draws the fibrous structure, It is possible to reduce excessive extension during subsequent machining and transformation which can reduce the height. Unless the support layer 92 is incorporated into the protrusion forming process, protrusions which act on the web and which can be continuously processed without the force and tension that adversely affect the integrity of the protrusions, It is very difficult to form the web provided. Other means can be used to stabilize the material, such as thermal or adhesive bonding, or increased entanglement, but they tend to result in an increase in cost as well as loss of fiber flexibility and increased rigidity. The fluid entangled body facing material 28 and / or the fluid transfer layer 78 according to the present invention can simultaneously provide both ductility and stability. The difference between the supported textured material and the unsupported textured material is illustrated and illustrated in the last column of Table 1, which shows the extension of the sample at a load of 10 N for comparison. The data is also shown in Figure 33 of the drawings. It can be seen that the sample supported by the spunbond support layer 92 extended at a very small rate in the application load of 10 Newton (N), and the extension is largely dependent on overfeeding. In contrast, the unsupported protrusion layer 94 has been extended by up to 30% at a load of 10 Newtons, and the extension at 10 N strongly depends on the excess feed used to texture the sample. A small extension at 10 N can be achieved for unsupported webs, but can be achieved with only low overfeeding, which results in a low protrusion height, i.e., a small amount of texturing of the web.

Figure 34 of the drawings shows examples of load-extension curves obtained in the tensile test of samples in the machine direction (MD), the direction in which the material is wound and then most likely to experience the highest load during further processing and conversion. All of the samples shown were produced using an excess feed rate of 43% and had approximately the same areal density (45 gsm). It can be seen that the sample containing the spunbond support layer 92 has a very high initial modulus and that the beginning of the curve is steep compared to the single unsupported protruding layer 94 by itself. A more steep initial portion of the curve for the sample could also be retrieved as the sample had elasticity up to the point where the slope began to decrease. The unsupported sample had a very low coefficient and exhibited permanent deformation and tissue loss even at lower loads. Figure 34 of the drawings shows the load-extension curve for both supported and unsupported fabrics. Note the relative steepness of the initial portion of the curve for the supported fiber / laminate according to the present invention. This means that unsupported samples are relatively easy to elongate and high elongation is required to produce any tensile therein compared to the supported sample. Although stretching is often required due to stability in subsequent processing and change, unsupported samples are more likely to undergo permanent deformation and tissue loss as a result of the high elongation required to maintain tension.

35 and 36 of the drawing show a set of curves for a wider range of conditions. Samples with low levels of texturing from low overfeeding are stricter and stronger (albeit slightly lighter), but the absence of the tissue provided to them is not useful in this context. All of the supported laminate samples according to the present invention had a higher initial tilt than the unsupported samples.

The level of improvement in the overall quality of the body facing material 28 and / or the fluid transfer layer 78 relative to the protruding layer 94 without the support layer 92 is shown in Figures 37, 37A, 38, It can be seen by comparing pictures of materials. 37 and 37A are photographs of the samples labeled with codes 3-6 in Table 1; Figures 38 and 38a are photographs of the samples labeled with codes 5-3 in Table 1. These codes use both the highest excess feed rate (43%) and the jet pressure (180 bar) using the highest potential for forming significant protrusion layer 94 weights (38 gms and 38.5 gms, respectively) It was chosen as having all. As can be seen from the comparison of the two codes and the attached photographs, the supported web / stack formed a much stronger, visually recognizable protrusions and uniform material than the same protruding layer without the support layer. It also had better properties as shown by the data in Table 1. As a result, the supported laminate is much more suitable for use in subsequent treatments and products such as, for example, personal hygiene absorbent articles.

39 is a photograph at the interface of the protruding layer 94 with or without the support layer 92. Fig. As can be seen from these pictures, the supported protruding layer 94 has a much higher integrity level. This is particularly important where the material must be used in end applications such as personal hygiene absorbent articles (often using adhesives) to attach the protruding layer 94 to the bottom layer of the article. Adhesive bleed through by unsupported protrusion layers is a much greater threat. Such penetration can lead to contamination of processing equipment and undesirable adhesive layers, which can result in excessive downtime in manufacturing equipment. In use, the unsupported protruding layer 94 has the potential to cause the absorbing fluid (e.g., blood, urine, feces and menstruation) received by the absorbent article to reflux or "rewet" the top surface of the material Resulting in defective products.

Another advantage that is evident from the visual observation of the sample (not shown) is that the support layer 92, as compared to the inner surface 102 of the protruding layer 94 operated through the same device 150 without the support layer 92, And thereby the coverage and flatness of the back surface of the body facing material 28 and / or the first surface 96 on the outside of the fluid transfer layer 78 obtained in the forming process. The outer surface of the protruding layer 94 opposite the protrusions 90 is not flat and relatively non-planar, as long as there is no support layer 92. In contrast, the same outer surface of the body facing material 28 with the support layer 92 and / or the fluid transfer layer 78 is smoother and flatter. Providing such a flat surface improves the ability of body facing material 28 and / or fluid transfer layer 78 to adhere to other materials in subsequent transformations. As shown in the exemplary product embodiments described below, when the body facing material 28 and / or the fluid transfer layer 78 according to the present invention is used in items such as personal hygiene absorbent articles, Having a connecting flat surface is important in the context that the body facing material 28 and / or the fluid transfer layer 78 adhere to the other surface to allow rapid passage of fluid through the various layers of the article. If there is no good interfacial contact between the layers, fluid transfer between adjacent layers can be compromised.

Examples 2-11

In Examples 2-11 described herein, the following table of material descriptions applies: &lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt;

Material Description Material Code Material Description A Body Opposing Materials: 1) 17 gsm polypropylene dot bond made with subsequent point bonded 1.8 denier polypropylene spunbond fibers with a total bond area per unit area of 17.5%, manufactured by Kimberly-Clark Australia, Milsons Point, Australia A fluid entangled body of a double layer having a protruding layer of a 38 gsm carded short fiber web made of 100% 1.2 denier length 38 mm polyester short fibers available from Huvis Corporation in Daejeon, Republic of Korea, Lt; / RTI &gt; The protruding layer has about 4.4% open area in the surface area and less than about 0.2% open area in the protrusions. The protruding layer has a protruding diameter of about 4 mm. The web is prepared with a maximum of about 0.3% of the 50: 50 ratio of Ahcovel / SF-19 on the bottom of the support layer and a wettability of up to about 0.12% of the arch on the overhang layer. The web has a thickness of 2.4 mm under a pressure of 0.345 kPa. The web has a total basis weight of 55 gsm. The web is available from Textor Technologies PTY LTD of Tullamarine, Australia. B Body-facing material: 1) 10 gsm polypropylene dot bond made of posterior-point bonded 1.8 denier polypropylene spunbond fibers with a total bond area per unit area of 17.5%, manufactured by Kimberly-Clark Australia, Milsons Point, Australia A fluid entangled body of a double layer having a protruding layer of a 38 gsm carded short fiber web made of 100% 1.2 denier length 38 mm polyester short fibers available from Huvis Corporation in Daejeon, Republic of Korea, Lt; / RTI &gt; The protruding layer has about 8.4% open area in the surface area and less than about 0.1% open area in the protrusions. The protruding layer has a protruding diameter of about 4 mm. The web is made to have a maximum of about 0.3% of the 50: 50 ratio of Acobel / SF-19 on the bottom of the support layer and a wettability of up to about 0.12% of the acocument on top of the protrusion layer. The web has a thickness of 2.4 mm under a pressure of 0.345 kPa. The web has a total basis weight of 48 gsm. The web is available from Textor Technologies PTY LTD of Tullamarine, Australia. C Body-facing material: 1) 10 gsm polypropylene dot bond made of posterior-point bonded 1.8 denier polypropylene spunbond fibers with a total bond area per unit area of 17.5%, manufactured by Kimberly-Clark Australia, Milsons Point, Australia A fluid entangled body of a double layer having a protruding layer of a 38 gsm carded short fiber web made of 100% 1.2 denier length 38 mm polyester short fibers available from Huvis Corporation in Daejeon, Republic of Korea, Lt; / RTI &gt; The protruding layer has about 18.5% open area in the surface area and less than about 0.5% open area in the protrusions. The protruding layer has a protruding diameter of about 4 mm. The web is made to have a maximum of about 0.3% of the 50: 50 ratio of Acobel / SF-19 on the bottom of the support layer and a wettability of up to about 0.12% of the acocument on top of the protrusion layer. The web has a thickness of 2.3 mm under a pressure of 0.345 kPa. The web has a total basis weight of 48 gsm. The web is available from Textor Technologies PTY LTD of Tullamarine, Australia. D Body-facing material: 1) 10 gsm polypropylene dot bond made of posterior-point bonded 1.8 denier polypropylene spunbond fibers with a total bond area per unit area of 17.5%, manufactured by Kimberly-Clark Australia, Milsons Point, Australia A fluid entangled body of a double layer having a protruding layer of a 38 gsm carded short fiber web made of 100% 1.2 denier length 38 mm polyester short fibers available from Huvis Corporation in Daejeon, Republic of Korea, Lt; / RTI &gt; The protruding layer has about 20% open area in the surface area and less than about 1% in the protrusions. The protruding layer has a protruding diameter of about 4 mm. The web is made to have a maximum of about 0.3% of the 50: 50 ratio of Acobel / SF-19 on the bottom of the support layer and a wettability of up to about 0.12% of the acocument on top of the protrusion layer. The web has a thickness of 2.1 mm under a pressure of 0.345 kPa. The web has a total basis weight of 48 gsm. The web is available from Textor Technologies PTY LTD of Tullamarine, Australia. E Secondary liner: 13.5 gsm white wettable spunbond web consisting of randomly placed continuous polypropylene round filaments. The web is made to have a wettability of up to about 0.5% of a 52: 18: 30 ratio of Accord / Glucopon / SF-19 using a foaming system. F Acquisition Layer: 40% ES FiberVision 7 denier T-118 hollow polypropylene fibers and 60% ES FiberVision 3 denier ESC-233 50gsm aeration bonded carded web consisting of homogeneous blend of bicomponent fibers. The web has a thickness of 1.15 mm when measured under a pressure of 0.345 kPa. The fibers are available from ES FiberVisions Corp., Duluth, Ga., USA. G Acquisition layer: 40% ES FiberVision 7 denier T-118 hollow polypropylene fibers and 60% ES FiberVision 17 denier Varde 50gsm aeration bonded carded web consisting of homogeneous blend of bicomponent fibers. The web had a thickness of 1.09 mm when measured under a pressure of 0.345 kPa. The fibers are available from ES FiberVisions Corp., Duluth, Ga., USA. H Acquisition layer: 50% ES FiberVision 3 denier 50 cm ESC-233 bicomponent fibers and 50% ES fiberVision 1.5 denier ESC-215 50 gms aeration bonded-carded web consisting of homogeneous blend of bicomponent fibers. The web has a thickness of 2.27 mm when measured under a pressure of 0.345 kPa. The fibers are available from ES FiberVisions Corp., Duluth, Ga., USA. I Acquisition Layer: 50% Kelheim 3-Denier Rayon Galaxy 50-gigabit aisle-carded web consisting of homogeneous blends of bicomponent fibers and 50% ES FiberVision 1.5 denier ESC-215 bicomponent fibers. The web has a thickness of 0.57 mm when measured under a pressure of 0.345 kPa. Kelheim fibers are available from Kelheim Fibers GmbH, Regensburger StraBe 109, 93309 Kelheim, Germany. ES FiberVision fibers are available from ES FiberVisions Corp., Duluth, GA, U.S.A. J Fluid transfer layer: 16.6 gsm white without chlorine 100% element, 1 layer, low porosity crepe bunch, hydraulic cutting machine. This material is available from Cellu Tissue, Natural Dam, Gouverneur, N.Y., U.S.A. K Fluid Transfer Layer: 10 gsm white wettable spunbond-meltblown-spunbond web with spunbond layers consisting of 10 gsm randomly placed continuous polypropylene round filaments and a meltblown layer composed of 10.4% meltblown fibers. The web is made to have a wettability of up to 0.5% at a 52: 18: 30 ratio of the Accord / Glucophone / SF-19 using a foaming system. L Fluid transfer layer: a 15 gsm spunbond polypropylene layer and about 48% Radiata Pine pulp supplied by J. Carter Holt Harvey Pulp and about 52% 6d polyester fibers supplied by Huvis (on the spunbond material) A 45 gsm layered spun lace material consisting of a homogeneous 30 gsm hydraulic entanglement layer. This material has a thickness of 0.32 mm when measured under a pressure of 0.345 kPa. M Fluid Transfer Layer: Scott Towels Select-A-Size available from Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Neenah, WI. N Absorber: a pulp fluff / superabsorbent material homogeneous mixture having a uniform thickness, density, and basis weight on a 12 gsm white spunbond-meltblown-spunbond backed sheet having a pad length of 287 mm and a pad width of 102 mm (Curt Joa ., Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085) on a commercially available equipment. The absorber is a 50% superabsorbent material (SanDia SANWET KC990L available from San-Dia Polymers, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) and 50% pulp fluff (Weyerhaeuser 7.5% moisture CF available from Weyerhaeuser Company, Geneva, -416 Southern Softwood Kraft fluff pulp). O Absorber: a pulp fluff / superabsorbent material homogeneous mixture having a uniform thickness, density, and basis weight on a 12 gsm white spunbond-meltblown-spunbond backed sheet having a pad length of 287 mm and a pad width of 102 mm (Curt Joa ., Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085). &Lt; / RTI &gt; The absorber is a Weyerhaeuser &lt; (R) &gt; material available from Weyerhaeuser Company of Geneva, Switzerland, and 70% superabsorbent material (EVONIK SXM-9500 available from Evonik Stockhausen Inc., GmbH, Greensboro, 7.5% moisture CF-416 Southern Softwood Kraft fluff pulp). P Body-facing material: A single-layer fluid entangled body-facing material with a total basis weight of 44 gsm consisting of carded staple fibers made from 100% 1.2 denier 38 mm long polyester staple fibers available from Huvis Corporation of Daejeon, Korea and having no supporting layer. The monolayer material has protrusions with protruding diameters of about 4 mm on a single side of the material. The monolayer material has an open area of about 17.8% in the surface area and an open area of less than about 2.0% in the protrusions. The web has a thickness of 2.2 mm when measured under a pressure of 0.345 kPa. The web is available from Textor Technologies PTY LTD of Tullamarine, Australia. Q Kotex Natural Balance Ultra Thin Regular With Wings, a feminine hygiene product manufactured and marketed by Kimberly-Clark Corporation. R AlwaysUltra Thin Long, a product manufactured and sold by Procter & Gamble Company of Cincinnati, OH, without super wings. S Acquisition layer: 125 gsm air-raid with 16% PP / PE binder fibers and 84% Southern Softwood Kraft pulp. T Absorbent: 200 gsm airlaid with 16% PP / PE binder fibers and 84% Southern Softwood Kraft pulp and 15% superabsorbent material. U Body-facing material: 1) 10 gsm polypropylene dot bond made of posterior-point bonded 1.8 denier polypropylene spunbond fibers with a total bond area per unit area of 17.5%, manufactured by Kimberly-Clark Australia, Milsons Point, Australia A fluid entangled body of a double layer having a protruding layer of a 38 gsm carded short fiber web made of 100% 1.2 denier length 38 mm polyester short fibers available from Huvis Corporation in Daejeon, Republic of Korea, Lt; / RTI &gt; The protruding layer has about 16.5% open area in the surface area and less than about 0.25% open area in the protrusions. The protruding layer has a protruding diameter of about 4 mm. The web is made to have a maximum of about 0.3% of the 50: 50 ratio of Acobel / SF-19 on the bottom of the support layer and a wettability of up to about 0.12% of the acocument on top of the protrusion layer. The web has a thickness of 2.5 mm under a pressure of 0.345 kPa. The web has a total basis weight of 48 gsm. The web is available from Textor Technologies PTY LTD of Tullamarine, Australia.

Secretory material:

Hereinafter, secretory materials used in some of the embodiments described herein will be described.

Secretory substance material composition:

● DannonAll Natural Lowfat Yogurt (1.5% breastfeeding grade A) in a 32 ounce container, vanilla with other natural flavors

● McCormick Ground Turmeric

● Great Value® 100% liquid egg white

● Knox® Original Gelatin powder not added

● DAWN® Ultra Concentrated Dishwashing liquid for dishwashing

● Distilled water

Note: All secretory material ingredients can be purchased at Wal-Mart® or online at retail stores. Some of the secretory material ingredients are perishable foods and should be included in the secretory material at least two weeks prior to the shelf life.

Secretion material simulation equipment:

Laboratory scales with an accuracy of 0.01gram

● 500mL beaker

● Small wrap spatula

● Stopwatch

IKA®-WERKE Eurostar Power Control-Visc with R 1312 Turbine stirrer, available from IKA® Works, Inc., Wilmington, NC, USA

Secretion Simulated Material Mixing Procedure:

1. By adding the secretory material ingredients (at room temperature) at 21 ^o C to 25 ^o C to the beaker in the order of 57% yogurt, 3% turmeric, 39.6% egg white, and 0.4% gelatin, It is produced at room temperature. For example, for a total mixture weight of 200.0 g, the mixture has 114.0 g of yoghurt, 6.0 g of turmeric, 79.2 g of egg whites, and 0.8 g of gelatin using a laboratory balance.

2. Homogenize the 4-part mixture using an IKA®-WERKE Eurostar stirrer set at a speed of 50 RPM. The uniformity (in the case of using a stop watch) is reached after about 5 minutes. The beaker position can be adjusted during agitation so that the entire mixture is evenly stirred. When any of the mixture materials adheres to the inner wall of the beaker, the mixture material is scraped from the inner wall using a small scoop and placed in the center portion of the beaker.

3. Prepare a 1.3% DAWN solution by adding 1.3 grams of DAWN Ultra Concentrated to 98.7grams of distilled water. Mix the solution for 5 minutes at a speed of 50 RPM using an IKA®-WERKE Eurostarand the R 1312 Turbine stirrer.

4. Add 2.0 grams of 1.3% DAWN solution to 200 grams of the 4-part mixture obtained in Step 2 for a total binding weight of 202 grams of secretory material. Using an IKA®-WERKE Eurostar stirrer, 2.0 grams of 1.3% DAWN solution is carefully stirred in a homogeneous four-part mixture (for about 2 minutes) at a speed of 50 RPM for homogeneity. The final viscosity of the final secretory simulant is 390 ± 40 cP (centipoise) at a temperature of 37 ^° C and a shear rate of 10 s ^-1 .

5. The secretory material can be equilibrated in the refrigerator at 7 ^o C for about 24 hours. This simulated material can be stored in a hermetically sealed container with a lid and can be refrigerated for up to 5 days at about 7 ^° C. Before use, the secretory material should reach equilibrium at room temperature. It should be noted that a plurality of bulk secretion simulants of similar viscosity can be combined together. For example, five batches of simulated material with similar viscosity and 200 g each can be combined into one common container with a total capacity of 1000 cc. It takes about an hour for the 1000cc secretory material to find equilibrium at room temperature.

How to Determine the Viscosity of Secreted Mocking Materials:

The viscosity of the secretory material is determined using a Brookfield flow meter. The final viscosity of the secretory material is 390 ± 40 cP (centipoise) at a shear rate of 37 ^° C and 10 s ^-1 .

Equipment:

● LV-Model of Brookfield DV-III Ultra Flow Meter with Spindle # SCA-28

Rheocalc software provided by Brookefield

Way:

1. Carefully flip the container (by hand 2 to 3 times with gentle shaking for about 5 seconds) before loading the cartridge into the cartridge to reduce the accumulation of particles on the bottom of the sealed container of secretory material.

2. According to the instructions in the Operator's Manual for the flow meter, add 17 mL of secretory material to the cartridge via the syringe and place it in a Thermosel maintained at a constant temperature of 37 ^° C.

3. Rheocalc was started at 0.01 RPM and then proceeded to 0.03, 0.07, 0.10, 0.50, 1.00, 3.00, 7.00, 10.0, 20.0, 50.0, 100.0, and 200.0 and 100.0, 50.0, 20.0, 7.00, 3.00, 1.00, 0.50, 0.0 &gt; 0.10, &lt; / RTI &gt; 0.07, 0.03, and 0.01 RPM (rotation per minute).

4. Viscosity as a function of shear rate curve can be established from Rheocalc data. From that curve, the viscosity at a shear rate of 10 / s can be determined.

5. Repeat the test three times using three different days and secretory mock-ups to establish the viscosity range for the simulated material at 10 / s.

Experimental absorbent composite:

Some examples described herein employ experimental absorbent composites. What follows is how to prepare the experimental absorbent composite.

matter:

o Outer cover: Berry Plastics XP-8695H Inner Cover Film available from Berry Plastics in Evansville, IN, USA.

o As described herein, the body facing material, secondary liner, absorber, acquisition layer, and fluid transfer layer are unique for each sample, and specific materials are mentioned for each example.

Structure glue: H2525A available from Bostik Inc., U.S.A.

o Structure Glue Gun Nozzle: A single spray nozzle with a 0.012 inch orifice diameter, available as part number 152168, manufactured by Nordson Corp., U.S.A.

Material preparation:

1. Body facing material (if present in composite): cut to a minimum size of 16 inches wide by 6.5 inches long.

2. Secondary liner (if present in composite): cut to a minimum size of 16 inches wide by 6.5 inches wide.

3. Acquisition layer (if present in composite): cut to size of 6 inches wide by 4 inches wide.

4. Fluid transfer layer (if present in composite): cut to a size of 11.3 inches wide by 4 inches wide.

5. External cover: cut to a minimum size of 16 inches wide and 6.5 inches wide.

Assembly instructions for an experimental absorbent composite having a body facing material, an absorbent body, and an outer cover:

1. Using a 15 gsm structural adhesive to attach the backing sheet of the absorber to the outer cover, the absorber centered in both the longitudinal and transverse directions is attached to the outer cover.

2. Apply 17.5 gsm of structural adhesive to the entire exposed surface of the absorptive composite that has been constructed so far, including the exposed outer cover and the absorber.

3. Attach body-facing material, centered in both the longitudinal and transverse directions, to the absorbent composite comprising the outer cover and the absorbent body.

4. Smooth any wrinkles of the body-facing material and firmly fix the body-facing material to the adhesive.

5. Ensure that all materials present in the composite are attached in place by pressing firmly around the 1.5-inch.

6. Cut the assembled absorbent composite. The finished size should be 6 inches wide by 15.5 inches long.

7. Using a permanent marker, mark the exit zone at 6 inches from the back end of the absorber by a small single dot. The dots should be located in the middle of the intersection of the absorbers.

Assembly instructions for an experimental absorbent composite having a body facing material, a fluid delivery layer, an absorbent body, and an outer cover:

1. Using a 15 gsm structural adhesive to attach the backing sheet of the absorber to the outer cover, the absorber centered in both the longitudinal and transverse directions is attached to the outer cover.

2. Attach the fluid transfer layer to the absorber using a structural adhesive of 11 gsm. The middle line of the width of the fluid transfer layer should be aligned with the middle line of the width of the absorbent body.

3. Apply 17.5 gsm of structural adhesive to the entire exposed surface of the so far absorbent composite comprising the exposed outer cover, the absorber component, and the fluid transfer layer.

4. Attach body-facing material, centered in both the longitudinal and transverse directions, to the absorbent composite comprising the outer cover, the absorbent body, and the fluid transfer layer.

5. Follow Steps 4 through 7 above for an experimental absorbent composite with body facing material, absorber, and outer cover.

Assembly instructions for an experimental absorbent composite with body facing material, acquisition layer, absorber, and outer cover:

1. Using a 15 gsm structural adhesive to attach the backing sheet of the absorber to the outer cover, the absorber centered in both the longitudinal and transverse directions is attached to the outer cover.

2. Apply 17.5 gsm of structural adhesive to the entire exposed surface of the absorptive composite that has been constructed so far, including the exposed outer cover and the absorber.

3. Use a structural adhesive to bond the acquisition layer to the body facing material. The acquisition layer and the body facing material must be aligned on the middle line of the width of the body facing material.

4. Attach the body facing material and acquisition layer to an absorbent composite comprising an outer cover and an absorbent body.

5. Follow Steps 4 through 7 above for an experimental absorbent composite with body facing material, absorber, and outer cover.

Assembly instructions for an experimental absorbent composite having a body facing material, a acquisition layer, a fluid delivery layer, an absorbent body, and an outer cover:

1. Using a 15 gsm structural adhesive to attach the backing sheet of the absorber to the outer cover, the absorber centered in both the longitudinal and transverse directions is attached to the outer cover.

2. Attach the fluid transfer layer to the absorber using a structural adhesive of 11 gsm. The middle line of the width of the fluid transfer layer should be aligned with the middle line of the width of the absorbent body.

3. Apply 17.5 gsm of the structural adhesive to the entire exposed surface of the absorptive composite thus constructed, including the exposed outer cover, the absorber component, and the fluid transfer layer.

4. Attach the acquisition layer to the body facing material using a structural adhesive. The acquisition layer and the body facing material must be aligned on the middle line of the width of the body facing material.

5. Attach body facing material and acquisition layer to an absorbent composite comprising an outer cover, an absorbent body, and a fluid transfer layer. The acquisition layer and the fluid transfer layer should be aligned on the middle line of the width of the absorbent composite.

6. Follow steps 4 through 7 above for an experimental absorbent composite with body facing material, absorber, and outer cover.

Assembly instructions for an experimental absorbent composite with body facing material, secondary liner, acquisition layer, fluid transfer layer, absorber, and outer cover:

1. Using a 15 gsm structural adhesive to attach the backing sheet of the absorber to the outer cover, the absorber centered in both the longitudinal and transverse directions is attached to the outer cover.

2. Attach the fluid transfer layer to the absorber using a structural adhesive of 11 gsm. The middle line of the width of the fluid transfer layer should be aligned with the middle line of the width of the absorbent body.

3. Apply 17.5 gsm of the structural adhesive to the entire exposed surface of the absorptive composite thus constructed, including the exposed outer cover, the absorber component, and the fluid transfer layer.

4. Use a structural adhesive to bond the secondary liner to the body facing material. The secondary liner should be aligned on the middle line of the width of the body opposing material.

5. Attach the acquisition layer to the secondary liner using a structural adhesive. The acquisition layer, body facing material, and secondary liner should be aligned on the middle line of the width of the body facing material.

6. Attach body facing material, secondary liner, and acquisition layer to an absorbent composite comprising an outer cover, an absorbent body, and a fluid transfer layer. The acquisition layer and the fluid transfer layer should be aligned on the middle line of the width of the absorbent composite.

7. Follow steps 4 to 7 above for the experimental absorbent composite with body facing material, absorber, and outer cover.

Assembly instructions for an experimental absorbent composite having a secondary liner, acquisition layer, fluid delivery layer, absorbent body, and outer cover:

1. Using a 15 gsm structural adhesive to attach the backing sheet of the absorber to the outer cover, the absorber centered in both the longitudinal and transverse directions is attached to the outer cover.

2. Attach the fluid transfer layer to the absorber using a structural adhesive of 11 gsm. The middle line of the width of the fluid transfer layer should be aligned with the middle line of the width of the absorbent body.

3. Apply 17.5 gsm of the structural adhesive to the entire exposed surface of the absorptive composite thus constructed, including the exposed outer cover, the absorber component, and the fluid transfer layer.

4. Attach the acquisition layer to the secondary liner using a structural adhesive. The acquisition layer and the secondary liner should be aligned on the middle line of the width of the secondary liner.

5. Attach the secondary liner and acquisition layer to an absorbent composite comprising an outer cover, an absorbent body, and a fluid transfer layer. The acquisition layer and the fluid transfer layer should be aligned on the middle line of the width of the absorbent composite.

6. Smooth any wrinkles of the secondary liner and ensure that the secondary liner is securely fastened to any adhesive not covered by the acquisition layer.

7. Follow steps 5 to 7 above for the experimental absorbent composite with body facing material, absorber, and outer cover.

Secretion simulated material surface diffusion and secretion simulated material surface residue:

Test equipment and supplies:

● Injection device (the exemplary setting is shown in Figures 41 and 42)

● Balance with an accuracy of 0.01

● Electronic digital caliper (VWR international model 62379-531)

Digital thickness gauge (Mitutoyo Type IDF-1050E, exemplary setting shown in Figure 40)

● vacuum box (the exemplary setting is shown in Figures 44-46)

● Digital Cooking Timer readable in 1 second

● Digital camera (example setting is shown in Figure 43)

● Ruler

As described herein, the secretory material used at room temperature

● Scott® Paper Towel (Mega Roll Choose A Size)

The absorbent composite for each absorbent composite test cord as described herein

Equipment Setup:

1. A single paper towel to be used to wipe the intermediate plate 244 of the injection device 240 is metered in advance so that there is no secretory material, as described below.

2. As described below, four sheets of paper towels to be placed on top of the absorbent composite are metered in advance when the absorbent composite is transported to a vacuum box.

3. Referring to FIG. 40, a digital thickness gauge is set to obtain a bulk measurement of the absorbent composite. The digital thickness gauge includes a granite base 232 with an upper surface 233 of the granite base 232 having a flat and smooth clamp shaft 231. A suitable granite base 232 is a Starret Granite Base, model 653G or equivalent (available from L. S. Starrett Company, which is based in Athol, Mass., USA). The clamp arm 235 is fixed to the clamp shaft 231 at one end 236 of the clamp arm 235 and the digital thickness gauge 230 is fixed to the clamp arm 235 at the opposite end 237. [ do. The vertically movable plunger 238 extends downward from the digital thickness gauge 230. Attached to the distal end 239 of the plunger 238 is a circular platen 234 with a diameter of 76.2 mm. The platen 234 is constructed of acrylic and is at least flat and smooth at the lower surface. The thickness and weight of the platen 234 is configured such that the digital thickness gauge 230 provides a pressure of 0.05 psi (. 345 kPa). The platen 234 and the plunger 238 are brought into contact with the granite surface 233 so that there is no debris on the granite surface 233 and the lower surface of the platen 234 directly contacts the granite surface 233 Position. After zeroing the digital thickness gauge 230, the platen 234 is lifted and the absorbent composite is inserted between the platen 234 and the granite surface 233. The absorbent composite should have a size dimension of at least 90 mm x 102 mm. As illustrated in Figure 40, platen 234 and plunger 238 are lowered such that the lower surface of platen 234 directly contacts the surface of the absorbent composite. When the platen 234 is lowered, a pressure of 0.05 psi (0.345 kPa) is applied to the absorbent composite. Measure and record the bulk of the five absorbent composites for each absorbent composite test code. The average bulk for the absorbent composite test code is calculated by averaging the bulk of the five absorbent composites measured per each absorbent composite test cord.

4. Referring to FIG. 41 and FIG. 42, the injection device 240 is set to inject 10 cc of the secretory material at a rate of 15 cc per second. The injection device 240 includes a top plate 242, an intermediate plate 244, and a bottom plate 246. The top plate 242 has a height H1 of 12.42 mm, the middle plate 244 has a height H2 of 12.2 mm, and the bottom plate has a height H3 of 12.2. Each of the upper plate 242 and the lower plate 246 has a length L1 of 305 mm and a width W1 of 165 mm. The top plate 242 is formed by four threading rods including plastic thumb knobs 248 positioned near the respective corners of the top plate 242 and the bottom plate 246, ), Aligned with the bottom plate, and connected to the bottom plate. Between the top plate 242 and the bottom plate 246 is located an intermediate plate 244 having a length L2 of 152 mm and a width W2 of 102 mm which is located in the vicinity of the corner of the intermediate plate 244, 250 from the center of the top plate 242. The injection device 240 has a secretory material injection tube 252 located above the top plate 242 and positioned perpendicular to the top plate. The secretory material injection tube 252 has a length of 7 inches and an inner diameter of 6.4 mm. The tube is made of Norprene® to deliver the secretory material through the tubing onto the absorbent composite. The secretory material injection tube 252 is connected to the top plate 242 through a hose barbed fitting 243 having a diameter of 0.25 inches. The hose barb fitting portion 243 is adapted to receive the secretory material through the intermediate plate 244 through the cut hole and into the top plate 242 to transfer the secretory material to the absorbent composite disposed on the surface of the bottom plate 246 And penetrates through the top plate 242 through the cut hole and extends to the intermediate plate 244. The hose barb fitting portion 243 is threaded to the intermediate plate 244 to form a seal. The hole cut through the intermediate plate 244 has an opening shaped like a cone 245 of 0.88 inch diameter. The hose barb fitting is manufactured by Parker, Serial No. 125HB-3-4, available from MSC Industrial Supply Company. The secretory simulated material injection tube 252 may be a solenoid pinch valve 255 that can be opened to allow the secretory material to pass through the tube 252 and to prevent the secretory material from passing through the tube 252 (Not shown) on the top plate 242 of the injector device 240 having a valve clamp block 254 that includes a valve block 254 that includes a valve block 254. The solenoid pinch valve is a normally closed bi-directional valve with 24 VDC. The solenoid pinch valve is part number 648P012 and is available from NResearch, Inc.

5. Referring to FIG. 43, the digital camera 260 operating in the color mode is set to visually record the appearance of the absorbent composite after delivery of the secretory material. The digital camera 260 is a Pixelink (Model: PL-A742) that has a 1280 x 1024 pixel array and operates at 10.2 Hertz frame rate in color mode. The Pentax TV lens 262 (model: C6Z1218M3-2) is attached to the Pixelink camera 260 using a c-mount adapter. The Pentax lens 262 system allows the focus of the lens 262 to be adjusted by loading software into the system computer. The camera / lens 262 system is connected to the computer via IEEE 1394 firmware (not shown). The camera 260 and lens 262 are attached to the VP-400 Bencher camera support 264. The Pentax lens surface 268 is located at a distance 94 cm above the base 266 of the VP-Bencher camera support 264. The illuminated absorbent composite well 270 is located at a distance 16 cm below the base 266 of the VP-400 mount post 264. The distance D7 from the front of the Pantex lens 262 to the absorbent composite is 110 cm. The absorbent composite well 270 is illuminated on all four sides 272 with a series of 18 Sylvania GE miniature fluorescences with an output of 8 watts per bulb. A 1/8 "thick frosted glass diffuser plate 271 is located between the bulbs and the complex well 270. The camera 260 is designed to remove the same Distance and configuration of the absorptive composite well 270. The absorber is placed in the absorbent composite well 270 and is also captured as a digital image of the absorbent composite for subsequent spatial correction reference in determining the diffusion size of the secretory mock material on the absorbent composite. Images are acquired in JPEG format.

6. Referring to Figs. 44 to 46, a vacuum device 320 is provided. The vacuum device 320 includes a vacuum chamber 322 supported on four leg members 324. The vacuum chamber 322 includes a front wall member 326, a rear wall member 328, and two side wall members 330, 332. The wall members are sufficiently thick to withstand the anticipated vacuum pressure (5 inches of water) and have an outer dimension of 23.5 inches (59.7 cm) in length, 14 inches (35.6 cm) wide, and 8 inches (203 cm) As shown in FIG. A vacuum pump (not shown) is operatively connected to the vacuum chamber 322 through a suitable vacuum line conduit and vacuum valve 334. Further, an appropriate air bleed line is connected to the vacuum chamber 322 via an air bleed valve 336. [ The hanger assembly 338 is suitably mounted on the rear wall 328 and has a convenient seating position for supporting the latex dam sheet 340 at a convenient location away from the top of the vacuum device 320 Curved end to provide an &lt; / RTI &gt; A suitable hanger assembly 338 may be constructed of 0.25 inch (0.64 cm) diameter stainless steel rods. The latex dam sheet 340 is looped around the dowel member 342 to facilitate gripping and for convenient movement and positioning of the latex dam sheet 340. In the illustrated position, the dowel member 342 is shown supported by the hanger assembly 338 to position the latex dam sheet 340 in an open position away from the top of the vacuum chamber 322. The lower edge of the latex dam sheet 340 is clamped to the rear edge support member 344 by suitable fastening means such as a toggle clamp 346. [ The toggle clamp 346 is mounted on the rear wall member 328 by suitable spacers 348 that provide for proper orientation and alignment of the toggle clamp 346 for desired operation. The two support shafts 350 are 1.5 inches in diameter and are removably mounted within the vacuum chamber 322 by support brackets 352. The support brackets 352 are generally evenly spaced along the front wall member 326 and the rear wall member 328 and are arranged in cooperating pairs. The support brackets 352 are also configured and arranged to properly position the uppermost portion of the support shaft 350 that is flush with the front wall, rear wall, and top portions of the side wall members of the vacuum chamber 322. Thus, the support shafts 350 are positioned approximately parallel to one another and generally aligned with the side wall members 330, 332. In addition to the rear edge support member 344, the vacuum device 320 includes a front support member 354 and two side support members 356, 358. Each side support member is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide and about 1.25 inches (3.2 cm) in height. The length of the support member is configured to suitably surround the open upper edge of the vacuum chamber 322 and is positioned to project over the upper edge of the vacuum chamber members by a distance of about 0.5 inches. A layer 360 of egg crating-type material is located at the upper edge of the wall members of the vacuum chamber 322 and above the support shafts 350. The lattice-shard type material extends over a rectangular area, typically measured at 23.5 inches (59.7 cm) by 14 inches (35.6 cm), and has a depth measured at about 0.38 inches (1.0 cm). The individual cells of the lattice-shingle type structure are squares, measured at about 0.5 inches, and the thin sheet material comprising the lattice overlays consists of a suitable material, e.g., polystyrene. For example, the lattice shaper material is available from McMaster-Carr Supply Catalog No. (available from McMaster-Carr Supply Company, a business located in Atlanta, GA, USA). 1624K14 translucent diffuser panel material. (0.24 inch) mesh TEFLON coating screening layer (available from Eagle Supply and Plastics, Inc., located in Appleton, WI, USA), measured at 23.5 inches (59.7 cm) x 14 inches (35.6 cm) 362 are disposed on top of lattice shaper material 360. [ A suitable drain line and drain valve 364 are connected to the lower plate member 366 of the vacuum chamber 322 to provide a convenient mechanism for draining liquid from the vacuum chamber 322. The various wall members and support members of the vacuum device 320 may be comprised of a corrosion resistant moisture resistant material such as polycarbonate plastic. The various assembly joints can be secured by solvent welding and / or fastening mechanisms, and the finished assembly of vacuum device 320 is constructed to be waterproof. Vacuum gauge 368 is operatively connected to vacuum chamber 322 through conduit 370. A suitable vacuum gauge 368 is available from Dwyer Instrument Incorporated (located in Michigan City, Ind., USA). It is a Magnahelic differential gauge capable of measuring a vacuum of 0 to 50 inches of water, such as a 2050C gauge.

Delivery of secretory material and determination of residual secretory material

1. Using a height adjustable screw 248 to raise and lower the top plate 242 of the infusion set 240, the top plate 242 of the infusion set 240 to the bottom plate 246 of the infusion set 240, (242). The top plate 242 of the injection device 240 should be raised and lowered for each absorbent composite test code based on the average bulk of each absorbent composite test code. Since the intermediate plate 244 is attached to the upper plate 242, the intermediate plate 244 is also raised and lowered by raising and lowering the upper plate 242. The top plate 242 of the infusion set 240 is positioned such that the distance D8 between the bottom surface 256 of the middle plate 244 and the top surface 258 of the bottom plate 246 is the average bulk of the absorbent composite test cord Should be raised and lowered for each absorbent composite test code to be equivalent to the absorbent composite test code. After adjusting the position of the top plate 242 to adjust the distance D8, the level should be located on the top plate 242 such that the top plate 242 is flat. If the top plate 242 is not flat, the height adjustable screw 248 should be adjusted to level the top plate 242 while maintaining the distance D8.

2. Place the absorbent composite of the absorbent composite test cord between the middle plate 244 and the bottom plate 246 of the injector device 240. And aligns the discharge zone of the absorbent composite below the secretory material injection tube 252.

3. Zero the digital cooking thermometer.

4. 10 cc of secretory material is injected through the secretory material injection tube 252 at a rate of 15 cc / sec to deliver the secretory mock material to the evacuation zone of the absorbent composite.

5. When the secretory material is transferred to the discharge zone of the absorbent composite, a digital cooking timer is initiated and the absorbent composite is left unobstructed for 2 minutes.

6. After 2 minutes have elapsed, the top plate 242 and the middle plate 244 of the injection device 240 are lifted to carefully remove the absorbent composite from the injection device 240 to keep the absorbent composite flat Thereby preventing further contact with the surfaces of the intermediate plate 244 and the top plate 242. The absorbent composite holding the secretory material under the optical axis of the Pentax lens 262 is placed in the illuminated absorbent composite well 270.

7. The absorbent composite is of a flat construction and any macroscopic wrinkles are removed by smooth manual manipulation by the analyst. The absorbent composite is oriented so as to extend in the horizontal direction of the image in which the machine direction MD is formed. The absorbent composite is illuminated with fluorescence. Fluorescence is connected to a standard 110 volt energy source and is fully illuminated. Aligns the ruler with the absorbent composite and takes a picture of the absorbent composite located within the absorbent composite well 270 using the digital camera 260. Is arranged to be displayed directly below the absorbent composite in the image (longitudinally in the machine direction). The digital image of the absorbent composite is used to determine the diffusion area of the secretory mock material, as described below.

8. Place four sheets of pre-weighed paper towels on the mesh TEFLON coated screen and lattice shard material of the vacuum system. Place four sheets with the graphics pointing down toward the vacuum chamber. Subsequently, the four sheets are folded in half and folded again in half. The absorbent composite is then placed upside down on four sheets of paper towel. The latex dam sheet is then placed on a TEFLON coated screen with four sheets of absorbent composite and paper towel and a total lattice shing material so that the latex dam sheet creates a seal when vacuum is created with the vacuum system.

9. Apply vacuum pressure of 5 inches of water (0.18 psi) per minute to the combination of the four sheets of absorbent composite and pre-weighed paper towel.

10. After 1 minute, remove the latex dam sheet and remove the 4 sheets of absorbent composite and pre-weighed paper towel from the vacuum system. Remove the four sheets of pre-weighed paper towels from the absorbent composite, and weigh four sheets of pre-weighed paper towel again. The amount of simulated secretion delivered to the four sheets of pre-metered paper towels is determined by subtracting the weight of the four sheets of pre-metered paper towel from the weight of the four sheets of paper towel again.

11. Using one pre-metered paper towel, remove any simulated secretory material remaining in the middle plate 244 of the injection device 240. The intermediate plate 244 is wiped with the pre-weighed paper towel to remove any residual secretory material and weigh the single paper towel again. The amount of secretory material remaining in the intermediate plate 244 is determined by subtracting the weight of the sheet of the pre-metered single paper towel from the weight of the re-weighed single paper towel.

12. By adding the amount of secretion delivered to the four sheets of the pre-weighed paternose towel with the amount of secretory material remaining on the middle plate 244 of the injector device 240, the total amount of residual secretory material .

13. Wash the intermediate plate (244) of the infusion device between each injection of secretory material.

14. Repeat the procedure described above for each absorbent composite of each absorbent composite test cord.

Determine the diffusion area of secretory material:

 The diffusion area of the secretory mock material stain on any combination of absorbent article components can be determined using the image analysis measurement method described herein. Generally, an image analysis measurement method determines the dimension value of a zone for a secretory material stain through a combination of specific image analysis measurement parameters. The diffusion area is determined by using conventional optical image analysis techniques to detect areas of stain when looking at the camera using incident light and to measure parameters such as zones. An algorithmically controlled image analysis system can detect and measure various other dimensional characteristics of the secretory material stain. The resulting measurement data can be used to compare the efficacy of different combinations of absorbent article layers against limiting and minimizing the diffusion area of the secretory mock material.

The method of determining the diffusion area of the secretory mock material on a given absorbent composite includes, for example, acquiring a digital image of the absorbent composite according to the excretion of the secretory mock material as described above ). Following acquisition of the digital image of the absorbent composite, determining the diffusion area of the secretory fugitive material on a given absorbent composite comprises performing a number of dimensional measurements. The image analysis software platform used to perform dimensional measurements is QWIN Pro (Version 3.5.1), available from Leica Microsystems, a business located in Heerbrugg, Switzerland. By using QWIN software and a standardizer with metric markings that are at least 1 mm smaller than the sample placed during image acquisition, the system and image are also accurately corrected. The correction is performed with the horizontal dimension of the video camera image. Use centimeter units per pixel for correction. Specifically, image analysis algorithms are used to perform measurements and process digital images using the QUIPS (Quantum User Interactive Programming System) language. The image analysis algorithm is reproduced below.

NAME = Coverage-Size - BM on Diapers - 2a

PURPOSE = Measures the coverage and size of BM on body-side liner of absorbent product

ENTER SAMPLE ID & OPEN DATA FILE

 PauseText ("Enter EXCEL data file name now.")

 Input (FILENAME $)

 OPENFILE $ = "C: \ Data \ 36775 \" + FILENAME $ + ". Xls"

 Open File (OPENFILE $, channel #CHAN)

 CALIBRATE IMAGE

   - Calvalue = 0.0258 cm / px

 CALVALUE = 0.0258

 Calibrate (CALVALUE CALUNITS $ per pixel)

 Enter Results Header

 File Results Header (channel # 1)

File Line (channel # 1)

 REPLICATE = 0

 SAMPLE = 0

ACQOUTPUT = 0

SET-UP

Image frame (x 0, y 0, Width 1280, Height 1024)

Measure frame (x 31, y 61, Width 1218, Height 962)

For (SAMPLE = 1 to 156, step 1)

  PauseText ("Enter complete image file title.")

  Input (TITLE $)

  File (TITLE $, channel # 1)

File Line (channel # 1)

  ACQUIRE IMAGE

ACQOUTPUT = 0

 - Comment: The following line should be set to read from the directory where images are located.

Read image [PAUSE] (from file C: \ Images \ 36775 \ area

   Set \ codeA3full1.jpg into Colour0)

  Color Transform (RGB to HSI, from Colour0 to Colour0)

Image Window (Auto Size, Auto Color, No Auto Lut, Fit Image to Window, No Warning Before Image Overwrite, Do Not Load and Save Annotation with Image, Do Not Save Microscope Data with Image, Do Not Load and Save with Reference Data with Image )

 DETECTION AND IMAGE PROCESSING

   PauseText ("Select optimal color detection")

   Color Detect [PAUSE] (HSI +: 134-183, 140-255, 88-255, from Colour0 into Binary0)

   Binary Identify (EdgeFeat from Binary0 to Binary0)

   Binary Amend (Close from Binary 0 to Binary 1, cycles 8, operator Disc, edge erode on)

   Binary Identify (FillHoles from Binary1 to Binary2)

   Binary Amend (Open from Binary 2 to Binary 3, cycles 8, operator Disc, edge erode on)

   PauseText ("Edit and select only those regions that should be measured.")

Binary Edit [PAUSE] (Accept from Binary3 to Binary4, nib Fill, width2)

 MEASURE FEATURE PARAMETERS

  Measure feature (plane Binary4, 32 ferets, minimum area: 75, gray image: Colour0)

       Selected parameters: Area, X FCP, Y FCP

  File Line (channel # 1)

File Feature Results (channel # 1)

  File Line (channel # 1)

File Line (channel # 1)

Next (SAMPLE)

Close File (channel # 1)

END

The QUIPS algorithm is implemented using the QWIN Pro software platform. The analyst is initially prompted to enter the EXCEL output data filename. It is then urged to enter absorbent composite test code information to be transferred to the EXCEL file.

 Now, the analyst is urged to enter a complete digital image file title that can be obtained from the host computer directory listing the digital images to be analyzed. The directory containing the images is typically on the host computer's hard drive and can be accessed on the desktop screen via MS Windows. The image file title information is now automatically transferred to the EXCEL file. Next, the same digital image file title may be pasted to the Read Image window prompt. This causes the QWIN software display digital image to be read from the directory. The digital images colorize the absorptive composite and any secretory simulated material speckles. Note that the line of code in the algorithm associated with digital image reading must be pre-set to read from the designated host computer hard drive directory containing the files to be analyzed prior to algorithm execution.

Now, the analyst is urged to "select optimal color detection" by adjusting the detection threshold, if necessary, to obtain the best possible detection. The hue-saturation-intensity color detection mode is used in the Coverage-Size-BM on Diapers-2a algorithm. Typically, only saturation and / or intensity levels require some adjustment to optimize detection. The detection settings for the algorithm may be predetermined before analyzing the set of images using the QWIN and hue-saturation-intensity color detection modes in the QUIPS algorithm for a representative pair of images. The setting can be regarded as optimal if the detection binaries overlapping the outer boundary and the area covered by the boundary cover the blob. The degree of coincidence between overlapping binary and smear images can be confirmed during optimization by toggling the binary on and off using the "control" key and the "B" key.

After detection and a series of automatic digital image processing steps, the analyzer is required to "edit and select only the areas to be measured ". This is done by manually selecting the secretory mock material speckle area to be measured using a simple computer mouse. The user can toggle the "control" key and the "B" key on the keyboard simultaneously to turn on and off duplicate binary images. The alignment between the binary image and the secretory mock material stain is considered to be good when the binary image is very consistent with the secretory mock material stain for the boundary and the area within the boundary.

 The algorithm then automatically performs the measurements and outputs the data to the specified EXCEL spreadsheet file. The following main measurement parameter data are located in the EXCEL file after measurement and data transfer has occurred:

 Area

Multiple digital image replications from single or multiple absorbent composites can be performed during a single run of the QUIPS algorithm. The final sample mean diffusion value is generally based on N = 5 analysis from five separate absorbent composites of the absorbent composite test code. Student T analysis at 90% confidence is used to perform comparisons between different samples.

The diffusion area of the secretory material on the water absorbent composite can be measured. This measurement makes it possible to understand how well a given absorbent composite design can minimize surface diffusion of secretions across the body-facing side of the absorbent composite. cm &lt; ² &gt; can be determined after 10 cc drainage of the secretory material at 15 cc / sec, as described herein.

In this example, eight different experimental absorbent composite test codes were evaluated for the diffusion area of the secretory mock material on the body-facing side of the absorbent composite test cord. Using the corresponding material descriptions described in the material description of Table 3, five absorbent composites were assembled by hand for each absorbent composite test cord according to Table 4 below: Material Description As described above, each absorbent composite has a density of 15 cc / sec, as described herein, and each absorbent composite of each absorbent composite test cord was analyzed according to the diffusion area of the secretory material test method described herein.

Experimental absorbent composites Test Code: Absorbent composite
Exam Code Body-facing substance Secondary liner Acquisition layer Acquired bed basis weight (gsm) The fluid delivery layer Absorber One A N / A G 50 K O 2 B N / A G 50 K O 3 C N / A G 50 K O 4 D N / A G 50 K O 5 A N / A N / A N / A K O 6 B N / A N / A N / A K O 7 C N / A N / A N / A K O 8 D N / A N / A N / A K O

Note that "N / A" means that the particular material is not present in the absorbent composite test code of interest. Thus, for example, in the absorbent composite test code 1, the assembled absorbent composite may comprise a body-facing material (as shown in Table 3) adhesively bonded to the acquisition layer "G " ) "A", without an additional layer of material between these two components. It is to be understood that the body opposing substance "A" is the side of the absorbent composite test cord 1 that is in contact with the body. Further, as an example, the absorbent composite test code 5 can be assembled with a body facing material "A " (as shown in Table 3) adhesively bonded to a fluid transfer layer" K & , Absent any additional layers between these two components. It is to be understood that the body opposing substance "A " is the face of the absorbent composite test cord 5 in contact with the body.

With respect to the assembled absorbent composite, the body facing material is adhesively bonded to the body facing surface of the fluid delivery layer or to the body facing surface of the acquisition layer, according to the absorbent composite test code. The garment facing surface of the acquisition layer, if present, is bonded to the fluid transfer layer with an adhesive. The fluid transfer layer is bonded to the absorber with an adhesive. The absorber is bonded to the outer cover with an adhesive (as shown in Table 3). The absorbent composite did not have any waist or leg elastics and did not have any leak-barrier flaps.

As illustrated in FIG. 47, the design of the absorbent composite affects the amount of diffusion area of the secretory material of the absorbent composite test cord. As illustrated in Figure 47, the absorbent composite test code with the acquisition layer as part of its design had a diffusion area of the secretory simulated material smaller than the absorbent composite test code without the acquisition layer present as part of the design. As illustrated in Figure 47, with respect to the absorbent composite test code containing the acquisition layer, the absorbent composite test code having a body facing material 28 with surface areas having an open area of from about 5% to about 10% The diffusion area of the secretory mock material was reduced to a greater extent than the remaining absorbent composite test codes also containing the acquisition layer as part of the design.

The diffusion area of the secretory material on the water absorbent composite can be measured. This measurement makes it possible to understand how well a given absorbent composite design can minimize surface diffusion of secretions across the body-facing side of the absorbent composite. cm &lt; ² &gt; can be determined after 10 cc of the secretory material is discharged at 15 cc / sec, as described herein.

In this example, 20 different experimental absorbent composite test codes were evaluated for the diffusion area of the secretory simulated material on the surface in contact with the body of the absorbent composite test cord. Using the corresponding material descriptions given in the material description in Table 3, five absorbent composites for each absorbent composite test code were manually assembled according to Table 5 below: Material description as above For each absorbent composite, 15 cc / sec , 10 cc of a secretory mock material was discharged and each absorbent composite of each absorbent composite test cord was analyzed according to the diffusion area of the secretory mock material test method described herein.

Experimental Absorbent Composite Test Code Absorbent composite
Exam Code Body-facing substance Secondary liner Acquisition layer Acquired bed basis weight (gsm) The fluid delivery layer Absorber One A N / A F 50 J N 2 A N / A F / F 100 J N 3 C N / A F 50 J N 4 C N / A F / F 100 J N 5 N / A E F 50 J N 6 A N / A G 50 J N 7 A N / A G / G 100 J N 8 C N / A G 50 J N 9 C N / A G / G 100 J N 10 N / A E G 50 J N 11 A N / A F 50 J O 12 A N / A F / F 100 J O 13 C N / A F 50 J O 14 C N / A F / F 100 J O 15 N / A E F 50 J O 16 A N / A G 50 J O 17 A N / A G / G 100 J O 18 C N / A G 50 J O 19 C N / A G / G 100 J O 20 N / A E G 50 J O

Note that "N / A" means that the particular material is not present in the absorbent composite test code of interest. Thus, for example, in the absorbent composite test code 1, the assembled absorbent composite is formed from a body facing material (as shown in Table 3) adhesively bonded to the acquisition layer "F " ) "A", without an additional layer of material between these two components. It is to be understood that the body opposing substance "A" is the side of the absorbent composite test cord 1 that is in contact with the body. Further, for example, the absorbent composite test code 5 may be assembled with a body facing material "A " (as shown in Table 3) adhesively bonded to a fluid transfer layer" F & Absorbent composite. It should be understood that the liner "E" is the side of the absorbent composite test cord 5 that is in contact with the body. It should also be noted that some absorbent composite test codes contained a double layer of acquisition layers as described in Table 5.

With respect to the assembled absorbent composite, the body facing material or secondary liner is adhesively bonded to the body facing surface of the acquisition layer, according to the absorbent composite test code. The garment facing surface of the acquisition layer is bonded to the fluid transmission layer with an adhesive, and the fluid transmission layer is bonded to the absorption body with an adhesive. The absorber is glued to the outer cover (as described in Table 3). The absorbent composite did not have any waist or leg elastics and did not have any leak-barrier flaps.

As illustrated in Figure 48, the design of the absorbent composite affects the amount of diffusion area of the secretory material of the absorbent composite test cord. As illustrated in Figure 48, the absorbent composite test codes (material codes "A" and "C") having bodily-facing materials as body facing surfaces comprise absorbent composite test codes Code "E"). &Lt; / RTI &gt;

The diffusion area of the secretory material on the water absorbent composite can be measured. This measurement makes it possible to understand how well a given absorbent composite design can minimize surface diffusion of secretions across the body-facing side of the absorbent composite. cm &lt; ² &gt; can be determined after 10 cc of the secretory material is discharged at 15 cc / sec, as described herein.

In this example, six different experimental absorbent composite test codes were evaluated for the diffusion area of the secretory mock material on the surface in contact with the body of the absorbent composite test cord. Using the corresponding material descriptions given in Table 3: Material description, the five absorbent composites of each absorbent composite test cord were manually evaluated according to Table 6 below. 10 cc of secretory material simulant was dispensed at 15 cc / sec, as described herein, to each of the material description absorbent composites described above, and the absorbance of each absorbent composite test cord according to the diffusion area of the secretory material test method described herein Each absorbent composite was analyzed.

Experimental absorbent composites Test Code: Absorbent composite
Exam Code Body-facing substance Secondary liner Acquisition layer Acquired bed basis weight (gsm) The fluid delivery layer Absorber One A N / A I 50 J N 2 C N / A I 50 J N 3 N / A E I 50 J N 4 A N / A H 50 J N 5 C N / A H 50 J N 6 N / A E H 50 J N

Note that "N / A" means that the particular material is not present in the absorbent composite test code of interest. Thus, for example, in the absorbent composite test code 1, the assembled absorbent composite is formed from a body facing material adhesively bonded to the acquisition layer " I " (as shown in Table 3) ) "A", without an additional layer of material between these two components. It is to be understood that the body opposing substance "A" is the side of the absorbent composite test cord 1 that is in contact with the body. In addition, in one example, the absorbent composite test code 3 is an absorbent composite that is assembled with a liner "E" (as shown in Table 3) adhesively bonded to acquisition layer "I " to be. It should be understood that the liner "E" is the side of the absorbent composite test cord 3 that is in contact with the body.

With respect to the assembled absorbent composite, the body facing material or secondary liner is adhesively bonded to the body facing surface of the acquisition layer, according to the absorbent composite test code. The garment facing surface of the acquisition layer is bonded to the fluid transmission layer with an adhesive, and the fluid transmission layer is bonded to the absorption body with an adhesive. The absorber is glued to the outer cover (as described in Table 3). The absorbent composite did not have any waist or leg elastics and did not have any leak-barrier flaps.

As illustrated in FIG. 49, the design of the absorbent composite affects the amount of diffusion area of the secretory material of the absorbent composite test cord. 49, absorbent composite test codes (material codes "A" and "C") having bodily- Code "E"). &Lt; / RTI &gt;

The amount of residual secretions on the surface of the absorbent composite that is in contact with the body can be measured. This measurement makes it possible to understand how well the absorbent composite design can minimize the amount of residual secretions on the surface of the body in contact with the body. The amount of residual secretion can be determined by measuring in grams the weight of the secretory material that can be removed from the side of the absorbent composite that is in contact with the body after two minutes, as described herein.

In this example, eight different experimental absorbent composite test codes were evaluated for the amount of residual secretory material on the surface of the absorbent composite test cord in contact with the body. Table 3: Using the corresponding material descriptions given in the material description, the five absorbent composites of each absorbent composite test cord were manually evaluated according to Table 7 below. Describe the material as above. In each absorbent composite, 10 cc of a secretory material was discharged at 15 cc / sec, as described herein, and each absorbent composite of each absorbent composite test cord was analyzed according to the secretory material surface residue test method described herein Respectively.

Experimental absorbent composites Test Code: Absorbent composite
Exam Code Body-facing substance Secondary liner Acquisition layer Acquired bed basis weight (gsm) The fluid delivery layer Absorber One A N / A G 50 K O 2 B N / A G 50 K O 3 C N / A G 50 K O 4 D N / A G 50 K O 5 A N / A N / A N / A K O 6 B N / A N / A N / A K O 7 C N / A N / A N / A K O 8 D N / A N / A N / A K O

Note that "N / A" means that the particular material is not present in the absorbent composite test code of interest. Thus, for example, in the absorbent composite test code 1, the assembled absorbent composite may comprise a body-facing material (as shown in Table 3) adhesively bonded to the acquisition layer "G " ) "A", without an additional layer of material between these two components. It is to be understood that the body opposing substance "A" is the side of the absorbent composite test cord 1 that is in contact with the body. Further, as an example, the absorbent composite test code 5 can be assembled with a body facing material "A " (as shown in Table 3) adhesively bonded to a fluid transfer layer" K & , Absent any additional layers between these two components. It is to be understood that the body opposing substance "A " is the face of the absorbent composite test cord 5 in contact with the body.

With respect to the assembled absorbent composite, the body facing material is adhesively bonded to the body facing surface of the fluid delivery layer or to the body facing surface of the acquisition layer, according to the absorbent composite test code. The garment facing surface of the acquisition layer, if present, is bonded to the fluid transfer layer with an adhesive. The fluid transfer layer is bonded to the absorber with an adhesive. The absorber is glued to the outer cover (as described in Table 3). The absorbent composite did not have any waist or leg elastics and did not have any leak-barrier flaps.

As illustrated in Figure 50, the design of the absorbent composite affects the amount of diffusion area of the relief material on the surface of the absorbent composite test cord. As illustrated in Figure 50, an absorbent composite test code having a acquisition layer as part of its design is a test sample of residual remnant material on the surface of the surface of the absorbent composite that is in contact with the body of the absorbent composite, Of the total.

The amount of residual secretions on the surface of the absorbent composite that is in contact with the body can be measured. This measurement makes it possible to understand how well the absorbent composite design can minimize the amount of residual secretions on the surface of the body in contact with the body. The amount of residual secretion can be determined by measuring in grams the weight of the secretory material that can be removed from the side of the absorbent composite that is in contact with the body after two minutes, as described herein.

In this example, twelve experimental absorbent composite test codes were evaluated for the amount of residual secretory material on the surface of the absorbent composite test cord in contact with the body. Using the corresponding material descriptions given in Table 3: Material Description, the five absorbent composites of each absorbent composite test cord were manually evaluated according to Table 8 below. 10 cc of secretory material simulant was dispensed at 15 cc / sec, as described herein, to each of the material description absorbent composites described above, and the amount of each absorbent composite test cord was determined according to the secretory material surface residue test method described herein Each absorbent composite was analyzed.

Experimental absorbent composites Test Code: Absorbent composite
Exam Code Body-facing substance Secondary liner Acquisition layer The fluid delivery layer Absorber One B N / A N / A K O 2 C N / A N / A K O 3 D N / A N / A K O 4 B N / A N / A K N 5 C N / A N / A K N 6 D N / A N / A K N 7 B N / A N / A N / A O 8 C N / A N / A N / A O 9 D N / A N / A N / A O 10 B N / A N / A N / A N 11 C N / A N / A N / A N 12 D N / A N / A N / A N

Note that "N / A" means that the particular material is not present in the absorbent composite test code of interest. Thus, for example, in the absorbent composite test code 1, the assembled absorbent composite is formed from a bodily-facing material adhesively bonded to the fluid transfer layer "K " (as shown in Table 3) Like "B", without an additional layer of material between these two components. It is to be understood that the body opposing substance "B" is the face of the absorbent composite test cord 1 in contact with the body. In addition, in one example, the absorbent composite test code 7 may be prepared by assembling a body-facing material "B" (as shown in Table 3) adhesively bonded to an absorbent "M" And absent any additional layers between these two components. It is to be understood that the body opposition substance "B" is the side of the absorbent composite test cord 7 that is in contact with the body.

With respect to the assembled absorbent composite, the body facing material is adhesively bonded to the body facing surface of the absorbent body or the body facing surface of the fluid delivery layer, according to the absorbent composite test code. The fluid transfer layer, if present, is glued to the absorber. The absorber is glued to the outer cover (as described in Table 3). The absorbent composite did not have any waist or leg elastics and did not have any leak-barrier flaps.

As illustrated in Figure 51, the design of the absorbent composite affects the amount of residual secretory material on the surface of the absorbent composite test cord. As illustrated in Figure 51, the absorbent composite test code, which does not contain the acquisition layer and the fluid transfer layer as part of the design, has a water absorbent composite test code that has a fluid transfer layer that does not have an acquisition layer but is present as part of the design The amount of residual secretory mock material on the surface of the absorbent composite in contact with the body was small.

The amount of residual secretions on the surface of the absorbent composite that is in contact with the body can be measured. This measurement makes it possible to understand how well the absorbent composite design can minimize the amount of residual secretions on the surface of the body in contact with the body. The amount of residual secretion can be determined by measuring in grams the weight of the secretory material that can be removed from the side of the absorbent composite that is in contact with the body after two minutes, as described herein.

In this example, four different experimental absorbent composite test codes were evaluated for the amount of residual secretory material on the surface of the absorbent composite test cord in contact with the body. Using the corresponding material descriptions given in Table 3: Materials description, the five absorbent composites of each absorbent composite test cord were manually evaluated according to Table 9 below. 10 cc of secretory material simulant was dispensed at 15 cc / sec, as described herein, to each of the material description absorbent composites described above, and the amount of each absorbent composite test cord was determined according to the secretory material surface residue test method described herein Each absorbent composite was analyzed.

Experimental absorbent composites Test Code: Absorbent composite
Exam Code Body-facing substance Secondary liner Acquisition layer The fluid delivery layer Absorber One D N / A N / A J O 2 D N / A N / A L O 3 D N / A N / A M O 4 D N / A N / A K O

Note that "N / A" means that the particular material is not present in the absorbent composite test code of interest. Thus, for example, in the absorbent composite test cord 1, the assembled absorbent composite is formed from a body facing material (as shown in Table 3) adhesively bonded to the fluid transfer layer "J " Like "D", without an additional layer of material between these two components. It is to be understood that the body opposing substance "D" is the side of the absorbent composite test cord 1 that is in contact with the body. Further, in one example, the absorbent composite test code 3 may be assembled with a body facing material "D" (as shown in Table 3) adhesively bonded to a fluid transfer layer "M " , Absent any additional layers between these two components. It is to be understood that the body opposing substance "D" is the side of the absorbent composite test cord 3 that is in contact with the body.

With respect to the assembled absorbent composite, the body facing material is adhesively bonded to the body facing surface of the fluid delivery layer. The fluid transfer layer is bonded to the absorber with an adhesive. The absorber is glued to the outer cover (as described in Table 3). The absorbent composite did not have any waist or leg elastics and did not have any leak-barrier flaps.

As illustrated in Figure 52, the design of the absorbent composite affects the amount of residue remnant material on the surface of the absorbent composite test cord. As illustrated in Figure 52, an absorbent composite test cord having a fluid delivery layer composed of a tissue material or a hydroentangled material as part of its design may be used as a material having a polymeric material as a fluid transfer layer as part of its design, Less amount of residual secretory material on the surface of the surface of the absorbent composite that is in contact with the body than the composite test cord.

The amount of residual secretions on the surface of the absorbent composite that is in contact with the body can be measured. This measurement makes it possible to understand how well the absorbent composite design can minimize the amount of residual secretions on the surface of the body in contact with the body. The amount of residual secretion can be determined by measuring in grams the weight of the secretory material that can be removed from the side of the absorbent composite that is in contact with the body after two minutes, as described herein.

In this example, six experimental absorbent composite test codes were evaluated for the amount of residual secretory material on the side of the body of the absorbent composite test cord. Using the corresponding material descriptions given in Table 3: Material Description, the five absorbent composites of each absorbent composite test cord were manually evaluated according to Table 10 below. 10 cc of secretory material simulant was dispensed at 15 cc / sec, as described herein, to each of the material description absorbent composites described above, and the absorbance of each absorbent composite test cord according to the diffusion area test method of the secretory mock material described herein Each absorbent composite was analyzed.

Experimental absorbent composites Test Code: Absorbent composite
Exam Code Body-facing substance Secondary liner Acquisition layer Acquired bed basis weight (gsm) The fluid delivery layer Absorber One A N / A I 50 J N 2 C N / A I 50 J N 3 N / A E I 50 J N 4 A N / A H 50 J N 5 C N / A H 50 J N 6 N / A E H 50 J N

Note that "N / A" means that the particular material is not present in the absorbent composite test code of interest. Thus, for example, in the absorbent composite test code 1, the assembled absorbent composite is formed from a body facing material adhesively bonded to the acquisition layer " I " (as shown in Table 3) ) "A", without an additional layer of material between these two components. It is to be understood that the body opposing substance "A" is the side of the absorbent composite test cord 1 that is in contact with the body. In addition, in one example, the absorbent composite test code 3 is an absorbent composite that is assembled with a liner "E" (as shown in Table 3) adhesively bonded to acquisition layer "I " to be. It should be understood that the liner "E" is the side of the absorbent composite test cord 3 that is in contact with the body.

With respect to the assembled absorbent composite, the body facing material or secondary liner is adhesively bonded to the body facing surface of the acquisition layer, according to the absorbent composite test code. The garment facing surface of the acquisition layer is bonded to the fluid transmission layer with an adhesive, and the fluid transmission layer is bonded to the absorption body with an adhesive. The absorber is glued to the outer cover (as described in Table 3). The absorbent composite did not have any waist or leg elastics and did not have any leak-barrier flaps.

As illustrated in Figure 53, the design of the absorbent composite affects the amount of residue remnant material on the surface of the absorbent composite test cord. As illustrated in Figure 53, the absorbent composite test codes (material codes "A" and "C") having bodily-facing materials as the surfaces in contact with the body include absorbent composite test codes with secondary liner material Material code "E"). &Lt; / RTI &gt; From the information collected in Example 2, it can be expected that the absorbent composite test codes 1, 2, 4, and 5 would also have more residual remnant mock material on the surface of the absorbent composite test cord surface contacting the body. However, as illustrated in FIG. 53, the absorbent composite test codes 1, 2, 4, and 5, each having the acquisition layer present at the time of design, show the amount of residual remnant simulated material on the surface of the absorbent composite test cord- Still less. As exemplified in Figs. 50 and 53, when the acquisition layer is present in the design of the absorbent composite, the composition of the acquisition layer affects the amount of the remnant secretory material on the surface in contact with the body of the absorbent composite. As illustrated in Fig. 53, the acquisition layer having a smaller fiber denier has less residual simulated material on the surface in contact with the body of the absorbent composite than the absorbent composite containing the acquisition layer having a larger fiber denier Lt; / RTI &gt;

One-cycle compression testing can be performed to measure the compressive elasticity of bodily opposed materials in a double layer with a single layer of protruding layers and a supporting layer and a protruding layer. Percent elasticity can be determined by using the measurement of the thickness of the body opposing material of the unbonded protruding layer and the double layer during loading and unloading.

In this example, after removing the unsupported protruding layer and two different body facing materials from the absorbent composite, the percentage elasticity of the body opposing materials of the unsupported protruding layer and the bi-layer was evaluated. Using the corresponding material descriptions given in Table 3: Material description, each absorbent composite was manually assembled according to Table 11 below. Material Identification As described above, the unpaired protruding layer and the body facing material of each double layer were analyzed according to the percent elastic-one cycle compression test method described herein.

Experimental absorbent composites Test Code: Absorbent composite test code Laboratory liner Absorber One A O 2 C O 3 P O

With respect to the assembled absorbent composite, the test liner is adhesively bonded to the body facing surface of the absorbent body. The garment facing surface of the absorber is bonded to the outer cover with an adhesive. The absorbent composite does not have any waist or leg elastic and does not have any leak-barrier flaps.

Figure 54 shows the compressive stress versus liner thickness curves under one-cycle loading and unloading for the unsupported protruding layer under test and two body facing materials tested.

Percent elasticity is calculated according to the following equation:

% Elasticity = [(thickness at 0.483 kPa unloading time) / (thickness at 0.483 kPa loading time)] x 100%

Table 12 provides a percent elasticity for the unsupported protruding layer under test and two body facing materials to be tested and an overview of the liner thickness at 0.483 kPa during loading and unloading.

Percent elasticity and body facing material thickness (mm) under 0.47 kPa (0.07 psi) during loading and unloading Liner P A C During loading (mm) 1.56 1.44 1.91 During unloading (mm) 1.08 1.19 1.47 % Shout 69 83 77

As shown in Table 12 and as illustrated in FIG. 54, the percent elasticity of the single layer unsupported protrusion layer is about 69%. As further described in Table 12 and further illustrated in FIG. 54, the percent elasticity of the liner, such as the protruding layer with protrusions, can be improved by bonding the protruding layer to the support layer to create a body facing material.

Percent Elastic One Cycle Compression Test Method

1. Using a freeze off spray, carefully remove the body facing material with unsupported protruding layer or protrusions from the absorbent composite.

2. Cut 38 mm x 25 mm test sample from unsupported protruding layer or body facing material.

3. The upper platen lower platen made of stainless steel is attached to a tensile tester (Model: Alliance RT / 1, manufactured by MTS System Corporation, located in Eden Prairie, Minn., U.S.A.).

4. The upper platen has a diameter of 57 mm while the lower platen has a diameter of 89 mm. The upper platen is connected to the 100N load cell while the lower platen is attached to the base of the tensile tester.

5. Using the TestWorks Version 4 software program provided by MTS, control the movement of the upper platen and record the distance and load between these two platens.

6. Start the upper platen slowly and move it downward and contact the lower platen until the compressive load reaches about 5000 g. At this time, the distance between the two platens is zero.

7. Then, move the upper platen (in the direction away from the lower platen) until the distance between the two platens reaches 15 mm.

8. Set the crosshead readings shown on the TestWorks Version 4 software program to zero.

9. Place the test sample in the center of the lower platen, with the protrusions facing the upper platen.

10. Start the upper platen and lower it towards the lower platen and compress the test sample at a rate of 25 mm / min. The distance over which the upper platen moves is indicated by the crosshead readings. This is the loading process.

11. When the 345 gram force (approx. 3.5 kPa) is reached, the upper platen stops moving downward and returns to its initial position with a distance of 15 m between the platens at a speed of 25 mm / min. This is the unloading process.

12. During loading and unloading, the compressive load and the corresponding distance between the two platens are recorded on the computer by the TestWorks Version 4 software program provided by MTS.

13. Converts the compressive load to compressive stress by dividing the compressive force by the area of the test sample.

14. The distance between two platens at a given compressive stress represents the thickness under such specific compressive stress.

15. Test a total of three test samples for each test sample code to obtain representative loading and unloading curves for each test sample code.

Percent extension of the unsupported protruding layer and the bi-layer body facing material under various loads can be measured to measure the resistance to elongation of the protrusions and the associated collapse.

In this example, the unsupported protruding layer and two different bi-layer body facing materials were removed from the absorbent composite and then evaluated for percent elongation under various loads of unsupported protruding layer and body facing material. Using the corresponding material descriptions given in Table 3: Material Descriptions, each absorbent composite was manually assembled according to Table 13 below. Describe the material as above. Each unsupported protruding layer and body opposing material was analyzed according to the load versus percent elongation test method described herein.

Experimental absorbent composites Test Code: Absorbent composite test code Body-facing substance Absorber One A O 2 C O 3 P O

With respect to the assembled absorbent composite, the unsupported raised layer or body facing material is adhesively bonded to the body facing surface of the absorbent body. The garment facing surface of the absorber is bonded to the outer cover with an adhesive. The absorbent composite does not have any waist or leg elastics and does not have any leak-barrier flaps.

Figure 55 shows the load (N / 25 mm) vs. percent extension for the unsupported protruding layer under test and two body facing materials tested.

Table 14 provides an overview of the load versus percent extension for the unsupported overhang layer tested and the two body facing materials tested.

Load (N / 25mm) vs.% Extension at various loads weight
(Newton / 25mm width) % extension P A C 0 0 0 0 2.0 14 1.9 5.4 4.0 23 3.2 8.8 6.0 28 4.7 13

As illustrated in FIG. 55 and summarized in Table 14, at a given load, the percent extension of the body facing material of the double layer is less than the percentage extension of the unsupported projection layer of the single layer. This is to demonstrate the benefits of incorporating the support layer into the body facing material to support the protruding layer of the body facing material. The bi-layer biocompatible material can improve the retention of the height of the protrusions of the body facing material and the resistance to stretching.

Tensile Strength Percent Tensile Strain Test Method

1. Using a "freeze-off" spray, carefully remove body-facing materials with unsupported protruding layers or protrusions from the absorbent composite.

2. Once the unsupported protruding layer or body facing material has been removed from the absorbent composite, cut a 25 mm wide by 150 mm long test sample from the unsupported protruding layer or body facing material. The longitudinal direction of the test sample is the machine direction of the unsupported protruding layer or body facing material and the absorbent composite.

3. Clamp the test sample between two sets of jaws of load-to-percent extension test equipment (model: Alliance RT / 1 manufactured by MTS System Corporation, located in Eden Prairie, Minn., U.S.A.). The initial separation between the two tanks is 125 mm.

4. Start the upper tank and move it away from the lower tank at a rate of 3.75 cm / min.

5. Move upper bar about 38mm before upper bar stops.

6. Using the TestWorks Version 4 software program provided by MTS, record the percentage extension load curve on the computer.

7. Test a total of three samples for each test sample to obtain an average curve.

 Using menses simulants, the feminine hygiene absorbent composites and the inhalation and rewet of a commercial product can be evaluated as described herein.

In this example, three different body opposing substances and two commercially available feminine hygiene products were evaluated for their inhalation and rewet ability. Using the corresponding material descriptions given in Table 3: Material Descriptions, each experimental female pad absorbent composite was manually assembled according to Table 15 below. Material description as described above Using the moxibustion material as described herein, each body-facing material and the absorbent composite were analyzed according to the inhalation / rewetting test method described herein. With respect to the assembled absorbent composite, the body facing material is adhesively bonded to the body facing surface of the acquisition layer. The adhesive is applied to the backing of the body facing material (i.e., the non-protruding side of the body facing material) in a 1.5 to 2 inch width with respect to the central portion of the body facing material. The garment facing surface of the acquisition layer is bonded to the absorber with an adhesive.

Experimental Female Pad Absorbent Composite Test Code: Exam Code Body-facing substance Acquisition layer Absorber One B S T 2 C S T 3 U S T

Test codes 4 and 5 are material codes Q and R, respectively, as described in Table 3: Material description. Materials Description As described above, each of the commercially available products was analyzed using a menses simulated material as described herein in accordance with the inhalation / rewet test method described herein.

Table 16 provides an overview of the inhalation and rewet values of the three body-facing substances tested and the two products being tested on the market.

Inhalation / rewet values: Exam Code One 2 3 4 5 Inhalation 1 Average 7.59 7.08 7.68 11.09 8.56 Standard 0.3 0.34 0.34 0.67 0.59 Inhalation 2 Average 14.46 10.79 11.22 31.4 21.07 Standard 1.25 0.61 0.99 3.69 3.28 Re-wetting Average 1.65 1.56 1.63 1.66 1.95 Standard 0.07 0.08 0.06 0.05 0.06

As summarized in Table 16, the second inhalation time is less than that on the market and thus is quicker. This indicates that body facing materials can capture fluids more quickly and reduce the likelihood of leakage caused by slow fluid capture by a commercial product. Typically, the inhalation time is improved by sacrificing the rewet amount. In this case, the second inhalation time is faster for bodily-facing materials and does not increase the rewet amount compared to commercial products.

 Preparation of menstrual mock materials:

As described in IP.com as IPCOM000198395D on Aug. 6, 2010, mock-up simulations were prepared using pig blood and egg whites according to the following protocol. This procedure is a batch process capable of producing 2.5L to 4.0L of fluid. Menses are available for purchase at Cocalico Biologicals in Reamstown PA.

One. Device:

1.1. Stirrer and stand

1.2. Stir bar with flat blade of diameter 3 "

1.3. 3L reaction vessel

1.4. Plastic filter

1.5. Centrifugal separator

1.6. Hematocrit centrifuge

1.7. Motorized pipette

2. Materials and supplies:

2.1 Fresh jumbo chicken egg

2.2 Decalcified pig blood

2.3 Decalcified pig plasma

2.4 Parafilm

2.5 Micro-hematocrit capillary

2.6 Critoseal sealant (Oxford Labware)

3. protocol

3.1. Collection, separation, and processing of thick egg whites

3.1.1. Using fresh jumbo chicken eggs one at a time, the eggs are removed from the shell and placed in a set of yolk-separators fastened to the edge of a 250 mL beaker. Allow the egg whites to pass through a yolk-separator into a 250 mL beaker and discard the yolk. Using a round soup spoon, remove any whiskers from the egg whites, and transfer the egg whites to a 600 mL beaker. This process is continued until 12 eggs are processed and collected in a 600 mL beaker.

3.1.2. Transfer the egg whites from the 12 eggs to the plastic filter / collection bowl and allow the thin egg whites to drain through the filter into the collection bowl for 10 minutes. During this process, the filter balls are tilted every 3 to 4 minutes to facilitate the discharge of thin egg whites. Discard thin egg whites.

3.1.3. A clean collection bowl is placed under the filter ball containing thick egg whites being retained and the back of the soup spoon is used to press the thick egg whites through the openings of the filter balls into the collection balls.

3.1.4. The processed thick egg whites are placed in 1.5 or 2L beakers.

3.1.5. Repeat the treatment of 12 eggs until a sufficiently thick egg white is collected.

3.2. Pig plasma preparation

3.2.1. Pour the pig blood into a 750 mL plastic centrifuge bucket (up to 500 mL for each bucket) and place the buckets in the carriers. Centrifuge buckets must be filled in pairs.

3.2.2. By transferring blood from one bucket to another bucket, the pairs of buckets are carefully balanced in their carriers on the beam balance. The buckets and carriers are then placed in a centrifuge.

3.2.3. Centrifuge the balanced buckets at 3500 rpm for 60 minutes at room temperature.

3.2.4. Carefully remove plasma from each bucket using a 10 mL pipette and pipette motor and place in a 1 L beaker. Keep the tip of the pipette at least 5 mm above the packed red cell layer to avoid red blood cell inhalation and plasma contamination.

3.2.5. Alternatively, defibrinated pig plasma may be purchased from Cocalico Biologicals, Inc.

3.2.5.1. If purchased plasma is used, place the plasma in 750 mL centrifuge buckets as described above and balance the buckets.

3.2.5.2. Plasma is centrifuged at 3500 rpm for 30 minutes at room temperature. This procedure separates plasma from any precipitate that may be present.

3.2.5.3. Carefully pour the fluid into the 1 L beaker and transfer the clarified plasma.

Preparation of packed pig red blood cells

3.2.6. Follow the procedure described above to prepare pig plasma.

3.2.7. 4.2.4. The remaining plasma supernatant is removed from each bucket containing a thin layer of plasma and packed red blood cells using a 10 mL pipette as described above in section.

3.2.8. A thin buff-colored layer of white blood cells (known as a "buffy coat") remains on top of the packed red blood cell layer. This layer is removed by aspirating the tip of the pipette into the 3 mL plastic paste pipette while pulling across the surface of the red blood cell layer.

3.2.9. Transfer the contents of the centrifuge buckets to a 1L beaker and mix gently with a rubber spatula.

3.2.10. As described in Section 5 below, small aliquots of mixed packed red blood cells are removed and hematocrit is measured three times.

3.3. Blend of processed egg whites and plasma

3.3.1. The volume of the thick egg whites processed is poured into a 3L-reaction vessel. This volume may be from 1000 mL to 1600 mL.

3.3.2. The volume of porcine plasma is poured into a 3L-reaction vessel. This volume should be equal to 75% of the volume of thick egg whites.

3.3.3. Stir briefly (10-20 seconds) with a large rubber spatula.

3.3.4. A 3 "diameter flat SS stirring disk is lowered into the mixture. The stirring disk should be located 5 inches below the surface of the mixture at the center of the reaction vessel.

3.3.5. The stirrer is turned on, the stirrer speed is adjusted to 1000 rpm, and the mixture is stirred for 1 hour.

3.3.6. Stop the stirrer and remove the stir bar and disc.

3.3.7. A rubber spatula is used to remove any foam that may have formed on the surface of the mixture during agitation.

3.3.8. Transfer the mixture to a 3-4 L beaker.

3.4. Addition and mixing of packed red blood cells

3.4.1. Measure the hematocrit of the packed red blood cells using the procedure described in Section 5 below.

3.4.2. One of the following formulas is used to calculate the amount of packed red blood cells to be added to the egg whites / plasma mixture.

3.4.2.1. When packed red blood cells are added by volume, the following formula is used to calculate the volume volume:

3.4.2.2. When packed red blood cells are added by the weight, the following formula is used to calculate the weight:

3.4.3. Add the calculated amount of packed red blood cells to the egg whites / plasma mixture and stir with a spatula for 1 minute.

3.5. Fenwal storage bag filling

3.5.1. Cut the access tube on the penwelling storage bag to a length of about 24 inches.

3.5.2. Attach the cut end of the storage bag tube to the outlet of a wide plastic beaker.

3.5.3. Pour the required fluid volume into the funnel and allow the fluid to fill the bag by gravity flow.

3.5.4. Using a large syringe, remove all air bubbles from the bag.

3.5.5. Use the procedure described in Section 5 below to measure the hematocrit of the contents of the bag.

3.5.6. The double handle of the tube is tied about 2 to 3 inches from the bag to seal the bag, or a Fenwal metal tube clip is used and the advanced tube section is cut.

4. Hematocrit test:

4.1. Make sure the blood or simulated material to be tested is at room temperature and well mixed.

4.2. A small fraction of the fluid to be tested (0.1 to 0.2 mL) is placed on a parafilm or in a small cup.

4.3. The fluid is transferred into the hematocrit tube, leaving about 15 mm of air in the top of the tube.

4.4. The tube is sealed by holding the top of the hematocrit tube with your fingers (to prevent fluid from flowing out of the tube) and placing the bottom of the tube in a Hemoseal stand.

4.5. The filled and sealed tube is placed in a hematocrit centrifuge so that the sealed end is away from the center of the centrifuge.

4.6. The tube is centrifuged for 3 minutes.

4.7. The hematocrit of each tube is read using a built-in hematocrit reader.

 Inhalation / rewet testing method

The prepared absorbent composite is placed flat on the test surface. Subsequently, the upper part of the absorbent composite was discharged with a first 2 mL injection (24 mL / min) of a room temperature menses simulant, followed by a 2 minute 55 second pause, then 3 mL trickle (0.3 mL / min) 2 mL spout (24 mL / min) is performed. The menses are administered through the cannula 404 of the rate block 400 located in the central crotch portion of the test article. The rate block 400 is made of a noncontact material called Ertalyte. This material can cause the simulated material to pass along the surface of the material without attracting the simulated material. The hole 402 is egg-shaped and measures length 60 mm (L3) x width 13 mm (W3) at the end portions 404, which are made of a semicircle of 4 mm diameter. 56 and 56A, the cannula 404 can be sloped relative to the egg-shaped hole 402 and fluid can be applied through the center of the egg-shaped hole 402 of the rate block 400 The cannula 404 is inserted through a small central hole 406 offset at the top of the rate block 400. [

The first and second inhalation values are measured with a stopwatch during the first and second 2 mL bursts, respectively. When the ejection is started, the stopwatch is started, and the stopwatch is stopped when the fluid from the ejection is completely absorbed by the absorbent composite. The rewet value is determined after complete passage of the second 2 mL spout. The measured rewet values, two blotting papers (very good grade, white, 300 g / m ² , 48.26 x 60.96 cm stock, 250 sheets per ream, Georgia-Pacific Corp. part number 411-01-12, or equivalent) is disposed to cover the discharged absorbent composite. The foot covering the absorbent composite is lowered against the blotter paper to produce a pressure load of 1.0 psi for 3 minutes and the amount of fluid delivered to the blotting paper is determined by gravimetry. The pressure used in this test is known to correlate well with the pressure exerted on the feminine hygiene pad during use.

 For the sake of brevity and conciseness, any range of values set forth in the present invention should be construed to encompass any and all subranges within the range of values . By way of example, the disclosure ranges from 1 to 5: 1 to 5; 1 to 4; 1 to 3; 1 to 2; 2 to 5; 2 to 4; 2 to 3; 3 to 5; 3 to 4; And any of the ranges 4 to 5.

 It should be understood that the dimensions and values disclosed herein are not strictly limited to the exact numerical values mentioned. Instead, unless expressly stated otherwise, each of these dimensions is intended to mean both the stated value and a functionally equivalent range including this value. For example, the dimension disclosed as "40 mm " is intended to mean about 40 mm.

 All documents cited in the Detailed Description are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and should not be construed as an admission that any such citations are prior art to the present invention. The meaning or definition assigned to a term herein depends on any meaning or definition of the term to the extent that it conflicts with any meaning or definition of the term in the document cited in the reference.

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

Claims (22)

A first major surface and a second major surface, the second major surface comprising a body facing material opposite the first major surface;
Liquid impermeable outer cover; And
And a second longitudinal side edge, the second longitudinal side edge comprising an absorbent facing the first longitudinal side edge, and the second longitudinal side edge comprises an absorbent facing the first longitudinal side edge, wherein the body longitudinally opposite side, the garment facing side, the first longitudinal side edge, The body facing material may be at least partially wrapped around the absorbent body such that the body facing material is located on at least a portion of the body facing surface of the absorbent body and is positioned around at least one of the first longitudinal side edge and the second longitudinal side edge of the absorbent body Wherein at least a portion of the body-facing material extending below at least one of the garment facing surfaces of the absorbent body and extending below the garment facing surface of the absorbent body is in contact with the body-facing surface of the liquid- goods. A first major surface and a second major surface, the second major surface opposing the first major surface, and a plurality of projections extending from one of the first major surface and the second major surface, matter;
Liquid impermeable outer cover; And
And a second longitudinal side edge, the second longitudinal side edge comprising an absorbent facing the first longitudinal side edge, and the second longitudinal side edge comprises an absorbent facing the first longitudinal side edge, wherein the body longitudinally opposite side, the garment facing side, the first longitudinal side edge, The body facing material may be at least partially wrapped around the absorbent body such that the body facing material is located on at least a portion of the body facing surface of the absorbent body and is positioned around at least one of the first longitudinal side edge and the second longitudinal side edge of the absorbent body And extends under at least one of the garment facing surfaces of the absorbent body. 3. The absorbent article of claim 1 or 2, wherein the body facing material comprises a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being separate from the second portion. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the body facing material is folded over itself onto at least one of the longitudinal side edges of the absorbent body such that a first portion of the second major surface of the body facing material And a second portion of the second major surface. 3. The absorbent article of claim 1 or 2, wherein the body facing material is bonded to the liquid impervious outer cover. 3. The absorbent article of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a spacer layer positioned between the garment facing surface of the absorbent body and the liquid impermeable outer cover. 7. The absorbent article of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the spacer layer is positioned between the body-opaque material extending below the garment facing side of the absorbent body and the liquid impervious outer cover. 2. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the body facing material comprises a plurality of protrusions extending from one of the first major surface and the second major surface. 9. The absorbent article of claim 2 or 8, wherein at least some of the plurality of projections are hollow. 10. The article of claim 9, wherein the body facing material further comprises a support layer and a protruding layer, wherein the support layer comprises an opposing first surface and a second surface, the protruding layer comprising a plurality of fibers and opposing inner surfaces, Wherein the second surface of the support layer is in contact with the inner surface of the protruding layer; Wherein the plurality of protrusions are formed from a first plurality of fibers of the protrusion layer and the plurality of protrusions extend from an outer surface of the protrusion layer in a direction away from the support layer. 9. The method of claim 2 or 8, wherein the body facing material further comprises a plurality of protrusions having less than about 1% open area and greater than about 1% open area within a selected area of the body facing material goods. 9. The method of claim 2 or claim 8, further comprising a first leak-barrier flap and a second leak-barrier flap, wherein at least a portion of the body-facing material has a distal end of the first leak- Wherein at least a portion of the body facing material extends below the distal end of the flap, wherein at least a portion of the body facing material extends below the distal end of the first leak-barrier flap and the second leak-barrier flap including at least a portion of the plurality of protrusions, . 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the body facing material comprises a front waist region, a back waist region, and a central horizontal region, wherein the front waist region and the back waist region are located in the central horizontal region Impermeable outer cover greater than the surface area of the bond of said body opponent material to said liquid impervious outer cover at said liquid impervious outer cover. 4. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the body facing material comprises a front waist region, a back waist region, and a central horizontal region, wherein the central horizontal region is defined by the front waist region and the back waist region And less adhesive to bond said body facing material to said outer cover. Body-facing substances;
Liquid impermeable outer cover;
An absorbent body including a body facing surface, a garment facing surface, a first longitudinal side edge, and a second longitudinal side edge, the absorbent body disposed between the body facing material and the outer cover; And
And a first fluid transfer layer comprising a first major surface and a second major surface and a plurality of protrusions extending from one of the first major surface and the second major surface, Wherein the first fluid transfer layer is at least partially packaged with the absorbent body such that the first fluid transfer layer is positioned over at least a first portion of a body facing surface of the absorbent body, And extends under at least a first portion of the garment facing surface of the absorbent article. 16. The method of claim 15,
And a second fluid transfer layer comprising a third major surface and a fourth major surface, wherein the third major surface is opposite the fourth major surface, and the second fluid transfer layer comprises at least partially Wherein said second fluid transfer layer is positioned over at least a second portion of a body facing surface of said absorbent body and extends around a second longitudinal side edge of said absorbent body and under at least a second portion of said garment facing surface of said absorbent body And the second fluid transfer layer comprises a plurality of protrusions extending from one of the third major surface and the fourth major surface. 16. The absorbent article of claim 15, wherein at least some of the plurality of projections are hollow. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first fluid transfer layer further comprises a support layer and a protruding layer, wherein the support layer comprises an opposing first surface and a second surface, the protruding layer comprising a plurality of fibers and an opposing inner surface And a second surface of the support layer is in contact with an inner surface of the protrusion layer and the plurality of protrusions extend from an outer surface of the protrusion layer in a direction away from the support layer, Wherein the absorbent article is formed from a first plurality of fibers in the layer. 16. The method of claim 15,
Further comprising a secondary liner positioned between the body facing material and the absorbent body. 16. The absorbent article of claim 15, wherein the first fluid transfer layer is positioned over substantially all of the body-facing surface of the absorbent body and extends around a second longitudinal side edge of the absorbent body. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first fluid transfer layer comprises a front waist region, a back waist region, and a central horizontal region, wherein the front waist region and the back waist region are each located in the central horizontal region And a surface area of engagement of the first fluid transfer layer with respect to the liquid impermeable outer cover greater than a surface area of engagement of the first fluid transfer layer with respect to the liquid impervious outer cover. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first fluid transfer layer comprises a front waist region, a back waist region, and a central horizontal region, wherein the central horizontal region is greater in the front waist region and the back waist region than in the front waist region and the back waist region, And less adhesive to bond the first fluid transfer layer to the outer cover.

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