MXPA06007291A - Composite structures containing tissue webs and other nonwovens - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a disposable scrubbing product (30) for use in household cleaning or personal care applications. In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a cleaning tool including a handle (210) and a rigid base (220) to which the scrubbing product (30) of the present invention may be attached to form a convenient cleaning tool. The scrubbing product (30) of the invention is a multi-layer laminate product and generally includes at least two distinct layers, an abrasive layer and an absorbent fibrous layer such as a tissue layer made from papermaking fibers. The abrasive layer is formed primarily of polymeric fibers in a disordered or random distribution as is typical of fibers deposited in meltblown or spunbond processes so as to form an open, porous structure. In one embodiment, an anchoring agent, such as synthetic fibers, are incorporated into the tissue layer that form a bond with the abrasive layer when forming a laminate in accordance with the present invention.

Description

COMPOSITE STRUCTURES CONTAINING TISSUE AND OTHER NON-WOVEN FABRICS Background of the Invention Scouring pads are commonly used for many cleaning and personal care practices. In general, scouring pads include a natural or manufactured occurrence abrasive material. Examples of typical materials include pumice, loofah, metal fiber, and a wide variety of plastic materials. A nonabsorbent abrasive material is often combined with a backing material of the absorbent sponge type in these products. For example, the abrasive material often forms a layer on a multilayer product that also includes an absorbent layer of natural sponge, regenerated cellulose, or some other type of foamy absorbent product.

These scrubbing pads tend to be expensive, making them unsuitable for a single-use or disposable product. Due to the nature of the product's use, however, the products can become dirty with dirt, grease, bacteria, and other contaminants after only one or two uses. As a result, consumers must replace these expensive pads to scrub frequently in order to feel sure to know that they are using an uncontaminated cleaning pad.

Examples of abrasive cleaning articles have been described in the past. See, for example, the published international application number WO 02/41748, the patent of the United States of America number 5,213,588 and the patent of the United States of America number 6,013,349.

The present invention addresses these and other problems encountered with scrubbing pads in the past and is directed to disposable scrub pads and related cleaning products that can provide a wide variety of abrasion levels, can be thin, comfortable and easy. of holding, may have good absorbency, and may provide benefits not previously supplied in the abrasive cleaning articles of the past.

Synthesis of the Invention The present invention is directed to a disposable scouring product for use in household cleaning or in personal care applications, as well as in industrial cleaning and other applications.

The scouring product of the invention is a multi-layered product and generally includes at least two various layers, an abrasive layer and an absorbent fibrous layer such as a tissue layer made of papermaking fibers, a coform layer of a fabric placed by air, or combinations of the same or other known cellulose fabrics. The abrasive layer is formed mainly of rough polymeric fibers in a random or random distribution as is typical of fibers deposited in meltblown or spunbond processes.

The abrasive layer may comprise, for example, aggregated multi-filament fibers formed by the partial melting of a plurality of polymer strands (e.g., individual fibers produced by the process) during a meltblowing process or other forming process. of fiber to form an integral structure of the generally non-circular fiber type in which the substantially parallel polymeric filaments are joined along their sides. Such multi-filament aggregates can have a much larger effective diameter than the individual yarns normally obtained in meltblowing or spin-jointing processes, and a complex shape of a cross-section more suitable for providing abrasion than can be achieved with Conventional circular fibers, and can contribute to effective cleaning and abrasion.

In an embodiment of the present invention, for example, the scrubbing product or the product for cleaning includes a tissue of tissue that is attached to a spunbonded fabric such as a meltblown fabric or a spunbond fabric. The tissue of tissue may have a first side and a second and opposite side and may contain pulp fibers and synthetic fibers. The yarn-bonded fabric is attached to the first side of the tissue and comprises polymer fibers. According to the present invention, the spunbond fabric and the tissue tissue are combined together in a manner that causes the polymeric fibers of the spunbond fabric to bond with the synthetic fibers of the tissue tissue. Therefore, by incorporating the synthetic fibers into the tissue tissue, a composite material is formed which has good structural stability even when wet. In particular, the synthetic fibers allow the tissue of the tissue to attach more firmly to the spun and melted tissue.

In one embodiment, the synthetic fibers can be more easily bonded to the meltblown fibers than can the synthetic fibers of the tissue tissue, and in related embodiments, they can remain attached even when wet. Both the melt blown fabric and the synthetic fibers may comprise polymer that share common properties not shared with the cellulosic fibers, such as having a melting point below 200 ° C or below 150 ° C or being hydrophobic or comprising at least one common monomer such as a vinyl or ethylene group or a maleic acid derivative. In an incorporation, both the melt blown fabric and the synthetic fibers comprise a common polymer such as polyethylene, polypropylene, a polyester and the like. In another embodiment, both the meltblown fabric and the synthetic fibers comprise a polymer of a common category selected from the following categories: polyamides, styrene copolymers, polyesters, polyolefins, vinyl acetate copolymers, EVA polymers, polymers derived from butadiene, polyurethanes, and silicone polymers. Common polymers or polymers of a common category may be present in both the melt blown fabric and the synthetic fibers at a level of about 5% or more by weight or about 10% or more by weight, or around 20% or more by weight. In another embodiment, both, the melt blown fabric and the synthetic fibers may comprise an elastomer, which may be present at a level of about 5% or more by weight or about 10% or more by weight in both the fibers Synthetic and blown fabric with fusion.

In this embodiment, the tissue tissue may comprise, for example, a fabric through non-creped air. Synthetic fibers may be present in the fabric in an amount of less than about 10% by weight. Alternatively, the synthetic fibers may be present in the fabric in an amount of about 50% or less by weight, or about 30% or less by weight. Synthetic fibers can be mixed homogeneously with the fibers of pulp. In an alternate embodiment, the tissue can be made from a stratified fiber supply including a first outer layer forming the first side of the fabric and a second outer layer forming the second side of the fabric. The synthetic fibers can be incorporated into the first outer layer in order to be available for bonding with the melt spun fabric. The tissue of tissue may have a basis weight, for example, from about 15 grams per square meter to about 150 grams per square meter, or from about 35 grams per square meter to about 120 grams per square meter. The pulp fibers present in the tissue tissue may comprise meltblown fibers. The tissue of tissue can have an essentially uniform basis weight and other properties, or it can have a basis weight and other characteristics that vary from region to region, such as tissues with multiple regions that differ in one or more intensive properties as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,443,691 issued August 22, 1995 to Phan.

As described above, the melt spun fabric can be a meltblown fabric or a yarn bonded fabric. The melted spun fabric can have a basis weight of from about 30 grams per square meter to about 200 grams per square meter.

In one embodiment, synthetic fibers contained in the tissue tissue are thermally bonded with the polymer fibers contained in the melt spun fabric. The fibers may be thermally bonded together, for example, by fastening the melt spun fabric to the tissue tissue while the melt spun fabric is in a melted state. Spun fabric with melted and tissue tissue can also be etched together under heat, be knitted together thermally, or by using any other suitable process. In an alternate embodiment, the two tissues can be joined together ultrasonically. In another embodiment, the heated air is passed through the fabric after the meltblown is attached to the tissue tissue to thermally bond a portion of the synthetic fibers in the tissue tissue to the meltblown fabric. Another form of heating may be applied, such as infrared radiation, microwaves or other radiofrequency energy, inductive heat, steam heating and the like.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the melt spun fabric and tissue tissue can be combined together in a manner that produces mechanical bonds between the synthetic fibers and the polymer fibers. For example, the ripple can be used in order to cause fiber entanglement.

Several different materials can be used to form the polymer fibers of the melted spun fabric and the synthetic fibers of the tissue tissue. In one embodiment, for example, polymer fibers and synthetic fibers can be made of polyolefin polymers, which includes polyethylenes, polypropylenes, copolymers thereof, terpolymers thereof, polymer blends, and the like. In particular examples, the polymer fibers may comprise polyester fibers and the synthetic fibers may comprise nylon fibers. In another embodiment, the polymer fibers may comprise polypropylene fibers and the synthetic fibers may comprise bicomponent fibers, such as polyethylene / polyester fibers, polyethylene / polypropylene fibers, polypropylene / polyethylene fibers and the like in a sheath / core arrangement .

In one embodiment, for either monocomponent, bicomponent or other multicomponent fibers, at least one polymer in at least one of the types of synthetic fiber present in the tissue has a melting point of less than about 100%. 150 ° C, such as a melting point around any of the following points or less: 130 ° C, 110 ° C, 105 ° C, 100 ° C, 95 ° C, 90 ° C, 85 and 80 ° C , such as from about 50 ° C to about 150 ° C, or from about 60 ° C to about 105 ° C. For example, synthetic fibers may comprise the EVA-based polymer selected from BYNEL® 1100 Series resins from DuPont (from Wilmington, Delaware), typically having melting points of from about 70 ° C to about 95 ° C.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the fabric. The tissue may contain a different anchoring agent for bonding with the melt spun fabric. The anchoring agent may comprise a latex polymer that has been impregnated in the fabric. The latex polymer is then used to bond with the fibers of the bonded and melted fabric. In this embodiment, the melt spun fabric can comprise polymer fibers formed from a block copolymer. The block copolymer can be, for example, a styrene-butadiene block copolymer.

The scrubbing product of the present invention can be useful in very different applications. For example, a scouring pad may be useful as a tack cloth, a scouring pad, a sponge, a polishing pad, a sanding pad, or a personal cleansing pad, such as an exfoliation pad. In addition, the scrubbing product can be part of a cleaning tool useful for cleaning floors, walls, windows, toilets, and the like. In certain embodiments, the product of the present invention may include the abrasive layer alone, without any absorbent layer. For example, a meltblown or spunbonded layer alone can be used as a scouring pad, a scouring pad, polishing, a sanding pad, or a personal cleansing pad such as an exfoliating pad, for example, with or without the absorbent layer attached.

Definitions As used herein, the term "coform fabric" refers to a material produced by combining separate additive and polymer streams in a single deposit stream in the formation of a non-woven fabric. Such a process is taught, for example, by the United States of America patent number 4,100,324 granted to Anderson et al. Which is incorporated by reference.

As used herein, the term "meltblown fibers" means the fibers or micro-fibers formed by the extrusion of a molten thermoplastic material through a plurality of thin and usually circular capillary matrix vessels with strands or filaments fused to the inside. of gas jets heated at high speed (for example, air) and converging that attenuate the filaments of molten thermoplastic material to reduce its diameter. After this, the meltblown fibers are carried by the high speed gas jet and are deposited on a collecting surface to form a randomly dispersed meltblown fabric. Fusible blown fibers can be continuous or discontinuous and are generally sticky when are deposited on a collecting surface. In some embodiments, however, low or minimum airflow is used to reduce the attenuation of the fiber and, in some embodiments, to allow neighboring filaments of molten polymer to melt (e.g., to adhere along the the respective sides of the strands), being joined at least in part along the proximal sides of the neighboring strands to form fibers that are elongated fibers of multiple strands (eg, an aggregate fiber formed of two or more polymer strands also defined here).

As used herein, the term "high performance pulp fibers" are those papermaking fibers produced by pulping processes that provide a production of about 65 percent or more, more specifically about 75 percent or greater , and even more specifically from around 75 to around 95 percent. Production is the resulting quantity of processed fiber expressed as a percentage of the initial mass of wood. Such pulping processes include bleached quimotermomechanical pulp (BCTMP), quimotermomechanical pulp (CTMP), pressure / pressure thermomechanical pulp (PTMP), thermomechanical pulp (TMP), thermomechanical chemical pulp (TMCP), high production sulfide pulps, and high production kraft pulp, all of which leave the resulting fibers with high lignin levels. High production fibers are well known for their stiffness (in both dry and wet states) in relation to typical fibers made pulp chemically. The cell wall of kraft fibers or other fibers of non-high production tend to be more flexible because the lignin, the "mortar", or "glue" on or in part of the cell wall has been greatly removed. Lignin is also not able to swell in water and is hydrophobic, and resists the softening effect of water on the fiber, maintaining the stiffness of the cell wall in high production wet fibers in relation to kraft fibers. Preferred high production pulp fibers can also be characterized as being comprised of comparatively whole, relatively undamaged, high freedom fibers (250 Canadian Standard Freedom (CSF) or higher, more specifically 350 Canadian Standard Freedom (CSF) or higher, and even more specifically from 400 Canadian Standard Freedom (CSF) or higher, such as from about 500 to 750 Canadian Standard Freedom (CSF)), a content of low finesse (less than 25 percent, more specifically less than 20 percent). percent, even more specifically less than 15 percent, and even more specifically less than 10 percent for the Britt jar test). In addition to the common papermaking fibers listed above, high production pulp fibers also include other natural fibers such as milkweed fluff, abaca, jute, cotton, and the like.

As used herein, the term "cellulose" means including any material that has cellulose as a significant constituent, and especially comprising about 20 percent or more by weight of cellulose or cellulose derivatives, and more specifically of about 50 percent or more by weight of cellulose or cellulose derivatives. Therefore, the term includes cotton, typical wood pulps, non-woody cellulose fibers, cellulose acetate, cellulose triacetate, rayon, viscous fibers, thermomechanical wood pulp, chemical wood pulp, deagglomerated chemical wood pulp, lyocell and other fibers formed from cellulose solutions in NMMO, algondoncillo, or bacterial cellulose, lyocell, and can be viscose, rayon, and the like. The fibers that have not been spun or regenerated from the solution can be used exclusively, if desired, or at least about 80% of the fabric can be free of spun fibers or fibers generated from a cellulose solution. Examples of cellulose fabrics may include known tissue material or fibrous related tissue, such as wet creped tissue, uncropped tissue placed wet, patterned or patterned tissue such as Bounty® paper towels or Charmin® toilet paper made by Procter &; Gamble (from Cincinnati, Ohio), facial tissue, toilet paper, dry-laid cellulose fabrics, such as air-laid fabrics comprising binder fibers, coform fabrics comprising at least 20% paper fibers or at least 50% of fibers for paper making, tissue formed by foam, cleaning cloths for home and industrial use, hydroentangled fabrics such as fabrics joined with hydroentangled yarn with fibers for making paper, exemplified by the fabrics of U.S. Patent No. 5,284,703, issued February 8, 1994 to Everhart et al., and U.S. Patent No. 4,808,467, issued February 28, 1989 to Suskind and others, and similar. In one embodiment, the cellulose fabric can be a reinforced cellulose fabric comprising a synthetic polymer network such as a spunbonded fabric to which the papermaking fibers are added by lamination, adhesive bonding, or hydroentanglement, or which adhesive such as latex has been impregnated into the fabric (eg, by engraved printing or other known means, exemplified by the VIVA® paper towel from Kimberly-Clark Corp. of Dallas, Texas) to provide tensile strength High humidity or dry to the tissue. The reinforced polymer (including the adhesive) may comprise about 1% or more of the cellulose tissue mass, or any of the following: about 5% or greater, about 10% or greater, about 20% or greater, about 30% or greater, or about 40% or greater, of the cellulose tissue mass, such as from about 1% to about 50% or from about 3% to about 35% of the cellulose tissue mass.

As used herein, the term "synthetic fibers" refers to man-made polymeric fibers which may comprise one or more polymers, each of which may have been generated from one or more monomers. The materials polymeric in synthetic fibers can independently be thermoplastic, thermosetted, elastomeric, non-elastomeric, crimped, essentially uncolored, colored, uncolored, filled with filling or unfilled, birefringent, circular in cross section, multi-lobed or otherwise way not circular in cross section and others. The synthetic fibers can be produced by any known technique. The synthetic fibers may be monocomponent fibers such as filament polyesters, polyolefins, or other thermoplastic materials or may be bicomponent or multicomponent fibers. When more than one polymer is present in a fiber, the polymers can be mixed, segregated into microscopic or macroscopic phases, be present in side-by-side or sheath / core structures, or distributed in any manner common in the art.

Synthetic bicomponent fibers suitable for use in connection with this invention and their manufacturing methods are well known in the polymer field, such as fibers with polyester cores and polyolefin sheaths useful as heat activated binder fibers. For example, U.S. Patent No. 3,547,763 issued December 15, 1979 to Hoffman, Jr., describes a bicomponent fiber having a modified helical crimp; U.S. Patent No. 3,418,199 issued December 24, 1968 to Antón et al. Describes a bicomponent nylon filament that can be crimped; U.S. Patent No. 3,454,460 issued July 8, 1969 to Bosely describes a bicomponent polyester textile fiber; U.S. Patent No. 4,552,603 issued November 12, 1985 to Harris et al. discloses a method for making bicomponent fibers that comprise a latent adhesive component to form interfilamentary bonds with the application of heat and subsequent cooling; and U.S. Patent No. 4,278,634 issued July 18, 1980 to Zwick et al. discloses a method of melt spinning to make bicomponent fibers. All of these patents are incorporated herein by reference. The principles of the incorporation of the synthetic fibers into a wet tissue are described in the United States of America patent number 5, 019,211, "Tissue Fabrics Containing Temperature-sensitive and Curly Bicomponent Synthetic Fibers", issued May 28, 1991 to Saber, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and United States of America patent number 6,328,850, " Layered Tissue Having Improved Functional Properties ", granted on December 11, 2001 to Van Phan, incorporated herein by reference to the extent that it is not contradictory to the present.

As used here, the "vacuum volume" refers to the volume of space occupied by a sample that does not It comprises solid matter. When expressed as a percentage, it refers to the percentage of the total volume occupied by the sample that does not comprise solid matter.

The "Total Surface Depth" is a measure of the topography of a surface, indicative of a different characteristic height between elevated and depressed parts of the surface. The optical technique used to measure the Total Surface Depth is described here after.

Brief Description of the Figures A complete and authoritative description of the present invention, including the best mode thereof for one of ordinary skill in the art, is pointed out more particularly in the remainder of the specification, including references to the accompanying figures in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a process line for making the abrasive layer of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a diagram of an embodiment of a process for forming non-creped continuous dried paper webs as may be used in the present invention.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an incorporation of a process line to make the construction of the compound of the present invention.

Figure 4 is an embodiment of a process for combining the layers of the construction of the compound of the present invention.

Figure 5 is another embodiment of a process for combining the layers of the construction of the compound of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a scouring pad of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the scouring pad of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the scouring pad of the present invention.

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the scouring pad of the present invention.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a cleaning pad of the present invention wherein the scrubbing pad is held on a rigid gripper.

Figure 11 depicts cross sections of a fiber formed from a single polymer strand and a multi-strand aggregate formed of six melted strands.

Figure 12 describes a cut part of a meltblown matrix.

Figure 13 shows a starting point for an abrasive index test; Y Figure 14 shows a representative topographic profile for illustrating the material line concepts.

The repeated use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the present invention.

Detailed Description of Preferred Additions Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are indicated below. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, is not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For example, the features illustrated or described as part of an embodiment may be used in another embodiment to produce still further incorporation. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention cover such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

In general, the present invention is directed to disposable scouring pads that are suitable for use in a wide variety of applications, including home cleaning and personal care applications. For example, the scouring products of the present invention may be suitable for use as a kitchen cloth, an all-purpose cleaning cloth, a scouring pad or a polishing pad, or a personal care product, such as a pad of exfoliate, for example. In certain embodiments, the scouring products of this invention can be used to remove the layers of a surface, for example in a sanding or polishing application.

The scouring pads of the present invention are generally of a multilayer construction and include a non-woven abrasive layer secured to an absorbent layer that includes one or more layers of a non-woven fabric. For example, the abrasive layer may be a porous, flexible, meltblown fabric and may be attached to one or more layers of a high volume absorbent paper fabric, such as a continuously dried, non-creped paper fabric ( UCTAD).

The two different layers of scouring pad compound can offer cleaning advantages beyond those known in other scouring compounds, and can do so at much lower cost. Other advantages are also obtained by the disposable scrubbing pads.

For example, the soft paper fabric and pad flexibility can make the article much more comfortable to hold during cleaning than previously known scouring compound articles. Additionally, the pads can be formed to be dockable for either heavy or light scrubbing, as desired by the user. For example, a cleaning tool capable of holding the scrubbing product of the present invention can be used to clean floors, walls, windows, lavatories, ceiling fans, and the like. as well as to clean surfaces by polishing or sanding a surface.

If desired, scouring pads may optionally include various additives, such as cleaning or medication agents, which can improve the performance of the pads.

The nonwoven abrasive layer can be secured to the absorbent layer using various techniques and methods. In a particular embodiment, for example, an anchoring agent may be incorporated in the absorbent layer to bond with the abrasive layer. The anchoring agent can serve to increase the structural stability of the composite product, especially when the product is wet and in use.

The anchoring agent incorporated in the absorbent layer may be, for example, a latex polymer impregnated in the absorbent layer, or alternatively, synthetic fibers present in the supply of fibers used to form the absorbent layer. The anchoring agent forms a bond with the polymeric fibers contained in the abrasive layer. The joint can be a thermal bond, a chemical bond or a mechanical bond. The mechanical joints can be formed by the entanglement of fibers between the polymeric bonds of the abrasive layer and the anchoring agent of the absorbent layer.

Several examples of cleaning products and scouring products made in accordance with the present invention are given below. Specifically, a first discussion of the example abrasive layers is included followed by a discussion of the example absorbent layers. After describing the abrasive layers and the absorbent layers, the use of the anchoring agents to secure the layers together is discussed in greater detail.

In general, the abrasive layer of the scouring pads of the present invention may include a material which is formed into a porous and open structure and has sufficient strength and hardness to form a rough surface on the pad. Such materials are plentiful and can be either natural or synthetic materials. Possible example materials can include any known abrasive material formed in the desired open structure. The synthetic materials may be polymeric materials such as for example meltblown nonwoven fabrics formed of a melted or uncured polymer which may then be cured to form the desired abrasive layer.

The materials and processes used to form the abrasive layer of the scouring pad can be chosen and designed having in mind the desired purpose of use of the product. For example, a scouring pad designed as A personal care product, such as a face wash pad, may include an abrasive layer that is softer and less abrasive than a scrub pad for use in home cleaning applications. Therefore, the raw materials, additives, diameter of the fiber, density and stiffness of the layer, etc., can all vary depending on the desired characteristics of the final product.

In one embodiment, the abrasive layer of the scouring pad may include a spunbond fabric, such as may be formed using a thermoplastic polymer material. Generally, any suitable thermoplastic polymer that can be used to form the nonwoven melt blown fabrics can be used for the abrasive layer of the scrub pads. A non-exhaustive list of possible thermoplastic polymers suitable for use includes polymers or copolymers of polyolefins, polyester, polypropylene, high density polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, nylon, polytetrafluoroethylene, polycarbonate, poly) methyl) acrylates, polyoxymethylene , polyesters, ABS, polyether ester, or polyamides, polycaprolactane, thermoplastic starch, polyvinyl alcohol, polylactic acid, such as, for example, polyesteramide (optionally with glycerin as a plasticizer), polyphenylsulfide (PPS), polyether ketone (PEEK), polyvinylidenes, polyurethane, and polyurea. For example, in one embodiment, the abrasive layer may include nonwoven meltblown fabrics formed with a polyethylene or a polymer thermoplastic polypropylene. The polymer alloys can also be used in the abrasive layer, such as polypropylene alloy fibers and other polymers such as polyester (PET) The compatibilizers may be needed for some polymer combinations to provide an effective blend.

In one embodiment, the abrasive polymer is substantially free of halogenated compounds. In another embodiment, the abrasive polymer is not a polyolefin, but comprises a material that is more abrasive than say, polypropylene or polyethylene (for example, having flexible modules of about 1200 megapascal (MPa) and greater, or a hardness Shore D of 85 or greater).

In addition to being harsh, the fibers of the abrasive layer may have a high elastic modulus, such as an elastic modulus scarcely equal to or greater than that of the polypropylene, such as about 1,000 megapascal (MPa) or greater, specifically about 2,000. megapascals (MPa) or greater, more specifically around 3,000 megapascals (MPa) or greater, and more specifically around 5,000 megapascals (MPa) or greater. As an example, phenol plastics can have elastic moduli of around 8,000 megapascals (MPa), and a reinforced polyamide (nylon 6, 6) with 15% fiberglass has a reported elastic modulus of around 4,400 megapascals ( MPa) (while the elastic modulus is around 1,800 megapascals (MPa) without the glass reinforcement).

The fibers of the abrasive layers may be elastomeric or non-elastomeric, as desired (eg, crystalline or semi-crystalline). In addition, the abrasive layer may comprise a mixture of elastomeric fibers and non-elastomeric fibers.

For some polymer groups, an increased melting point can be correlated with improved abrasive characteristics. Thus, in one embodiment, the abrasive layers may have a melting point greater than 120 degrees centigrade, such as about 140 degrees centigrade or greater, of about 160 degrees centigrade or greater, of about 170 degrees centigrade or greater , about 180 degrees centigrade or greater, or about 200 degrees centigrade or greater, exemplified by the following ranges: from around 120 degrees centigrade to around 350 degrees centigrade, from around 150 degrees centigrade to around 250 degrees centigrade, or from around 160 degrees Celsius to around 210 degrees Celsius.

In some embodiments, polymers with relatively high viscosity or low melt flow rates may be useful in producing rough fabrics for effective cleaning. The melt flow rate of the polymer is measured in accordance with the test of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D-1238. While polymers typically used in meltblowing operations may have melt flow rates of about 1000 grams per 10 minutes or greater and may also be considered in some embodiments of the present invention, in some embodiments the polymers used to produce the layer abrasive may have a melt flow rate in accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D-1238 test, of less than about 3000 grams per 10 minutes or 2000 grams per 10 minutes, such as less about 1000 grams per 10 minutes or less than about 500 grams per 10 minutes, specifically less than 200 grams per 10 minutes, more specifically less than about 100 grams per 10 minutes, and more specifically less than about 80 grams per 10 minutes, such as from about 15 grams per 10 minutes to about 250 grams per 10 minutes, or from about 20 grams s for 10 minutes at around 400 grams per 10 minutes.

Another measure that can be indicative of good abrasive properties is the Shore D Hardness, as measured by the standard test method of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D 1706. In general, a suitable polymeric material of the layer abrasive may have a Shore D Hardness of about 50 or greater, such as about 65 or greater, or more specifically, about 70 or greater, or more specifically about 80 or greater. He polypropylene, for example, typically has Shore D hardness values from about 70 to about 80.

In one embodiment, the polymeric material in the abrasive layer may have a flexural modulus of about 500 megapascals (MPa) or greater and a Shore D hardness of about 50 or greater. In an alternative embodiment, the polymeric material may have a flexural modulus of about 800 megapascals (MPa) or greater and a Shore D hardness of about 50 or greater.

In one embodiment, the polymer fibers of the abrasive layer are substantially free of plasticizers, or may have 33 percent by weight of plasticizer or less, more specifically about 20 percent by weight of plasticizer or less, more specifically about 3 percent by weight or less. The dominant polymer in the polymer fibers may have a molecular weight of any of the following: about 100,000 or greater, about 500,000 or greater, about 1,000,000 or greater, about 3,000,000 or greater, and about 5,000,000 or more. higher.

The abrasive layer may comprise fibers of any suitable cross section. For example, the fibers of the abrasive layer may include rough fibers with circular or non-circular cross sections. In addition, the fibers of the noncircular cross section may include fibers with slots or multi-lobed fibers, such as, for example, "4DG" fibers (especially, deep-groove polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers, with an eight-legged cross-sectional shape). Additionally, the fibers can be single-component fibers, formed from a single polymer or copolymer, or can be multi-component fibers.

In an effort to produce an abrasive layer having desirable combinations of physical properties, in an embodiment, non-woven polymer fabrics made of filaments and multicomponent or bicomponent fibers can be used. The bicomponent or multi-component polymer fibers or filaments include two or more polymeric components that remain distinct. The various components of the multi-component filaments are arranged in substantially different areas across the cross section of the filaments and extend continuously along the length of the filaments. For example, the bicomponent filaments may have a side-by-side or sheath and core arrangement. Typically, one component exhibits different properties than another in such a way that the filaments exhibit properties of two components. For example, one component may be polypropylene which is relatively strong and the other component may be polyethylene which is relatively soft. The final result is a strong yet non-woven fabric.

In one embodiment, the abrasive layer comprises metallocene polypropylene or "single-site" polyolefins for improved strength and abrasion. Single-site material copies are available from H.B. Fuller Company, from Vadnais Heights, Minnesota.

In another embodiment, the abrasive layer includes a precursor fabric comprising a planar non-woven substrate having a distribution of attenuated thermoplastic fibers capable of melting such as the polypropylene fibers therein. The precursor fabric can be heated to cause the thermoplastic fibers to shrink and form remnants of nodulated fiber imparting an abrasive character to the resulting woven material. The remains of the nodulated fiber may comprise between about 10% and about 50% by weight of the total fiber content of the fabric and may have an average particle size of about 100 micro meters or greater. In addition to the fibers that are used to form nodular moieties, the precursor fabric may contain cellulose fibers and synthetic fibers having at least one component with a higher melting point than polypropylene to provide strength. The precursor tissue can be placed wet, placed by air, or made by other methods. In one embodiment, the precursor fabric is substantially free of papermaking fibers. For example, the precursor fabric may be a fibrous nylon fabric containing polypropylene fibers (e.g., a carded and bonded fabric). comprising both nylon fibers and polypropylene fibers).

The material used to form the abrasive layer may also contain various additives as desired. For example, various stabilizers may be added to a polymer, such as light stabilizers, heat stabilizers, processing aids, and additives that increase the thermal stability of polymer aging. In addition, auxiliary wetting agents, such as hexanol, antistatic agents such as potassium alkyl phosphate, and alcohol repellents such as various fluoro polymers (eg, the DuPont 9356H repellent) may also be present. Desirable additives may be included in the abrasive layer either through the inclusion of the additive to a polymer in the matrix or alternatively through the addition to the abrasive layer after its formation, such as through a spraying process.

For example purposes, an embodiment of a system for forming a nonwoven meltblown fabric as may be used in the abrasive layer of the scrub pad is illustrated in Figure 1. As shown, the system includes a forming machine generally 110 that can be used to produce a meltblown fabric 32 in accordance with the present invention. Particularly, the training machine 110 includes an endless band of training foraminous 114 wrapped around the rollers 116 and 118 such that the web 114 is driven in the direction shown by the arrows. The weave can then pass over a guide roller 140 before further processing.

The forming web 114 may be any suitable forming web and, if desired, may provide additional three dimensional texture to the meltblown layer. Added texture can affect the abrasion of the layer. For example, a high degree of surface texture in the melt blown layer can be achieved by the formation of a meltblown layer on a high dimension forming fabric, such as those available from Lindsay Wire Company.

If the melt blown fibers are melted or partially melted when they strike the wire, the texture of the wire can be imparted to the fabric, particularly with the assistance of hydraulic pressure through the wire for further pressure of the blown fibers with melting against the wire before they completely solidify. Improved molding of the blown fibers with melting against the wire can be achieved by using a suitable high polymer temperature or air jet temperature, and / or by adjusting the distance between the meltblown matrix and the conveyor wire. The conveyor wire can have a repeated series of depressions that can correspond to high regions on the wounded blown with useful melting for cleaning. A three-dimensional conveyor wire can impart high meltblown structures that raise about 0.2 millimeters or greater of the blown fabric with surrounding melt, more specifically about 0.4 millimeters or greater, depending on the desired level of abrasion. A spectrum of pads can be produced for scrubbing from medium abrasion to aggressive abrasion.

The repeated structures can be represented as the minimum characteristic of the unit cell of the conveyor wire, and the unit cell can have a minimum length scale in plane (for example, for the unit cell which is a parallelogram, the length of the side shorter, or for more complex shapes such as a hexagon, smaller than the width in the machine direction and width in the transverse direction) of about 1 millimeter or greater, such as about 2 millimeters or greater, or it may have an area of about 5 square millimeters or greater (for example, a unit cell of dimensions of 1 millimeter by 5 millimeters) or of about 20 millimeters square or larger. A carrier wire can be treated with a release agent such as a silicon liquid or coated with Teflon® or other release agents to improve the removal of the blown tissue with texturized melting of the transport wire.

Figure 8 is a cross section of an embodiment of the present invention illustrating a highly textured meltblown layer 32 as it can be formed on a highly textured fabric. The blown layer with highly textured fusion can then be coupled to an absorbent layer 34 in the formation of the scrub pad of the present invention.

The forming machine system of Figure 1 may also include a matrix 120 which is used to form fibers 126. The flow rate of the matrix 120 is specified in pounds of polymer melt per inch of the width of the matrix per hour (PIH) . As the thermoplastic polymer leaves the matrix 120, high pressure fluid, usually air, attenuates and distributes the polymer jet to form the fibers 126. The fibers 126 can be randomly deposited on the forming web 114 and form the layer blown with fusion 32.

In the manufacture of conventional meltblown materials, high velocity air is usually used to attenuate the polymeric strands to create thin, fine fibers. In the present invention, by adjusting the air flow system, such as increasing the air flow area or otherwise decreasing the velocity of the air jet immediately adjacent to the molten polymer strands as they emerge from the head of the blown with fusion, possible for prevent substantial attenuation of the fiber diameter (or reduce the degree of attenuation of the fiber). Limiting the attenuation of the diameter of the fiber can increase the roughness of the fiber, which can increase the abrasion of the layer formed by the fibers.

Additionally, the air flow near the outlet of the matrix can be used to agitate and distribute the polymer fibers in a manner that can be highly non-uniform in the forming web. The high degree of non-uniformity of the placement of blown fibers with rough fusing on the web may manifest itself in a fabric that may exhibit variations in thickness and variations in the basis weight across the surface of the fabric, for example, an uneven surface It can be created in the fabric, which can increase the abrasion capacity of the layer formed by the fibers.

In addition, the non-uniform distribution of the fibers during tissue formation can create a tissue that increases the vacuum space within the tissue. For example, an open network of fibers can be formed that can have voids that occupy a substantial part of the layer. For example, the vacuum volume of the abrasive layer may be greater than about 10%, particularly greater than about 50%, and more particularly greater than about 60% of the volume of the abrasive layer. material . These open vacuum materials can inherently have good scrubbing properties.

The abrasive layer may also have a relatively open structure that provides high permeability, allowing the gas or liquid to readily pass through the abrasive layer. The permeability can be expressed in terms of Air Permeability measured with the FX 3300 Air Permeability device manufactured by Textest AG (from Zurich, Switzerland), set at a pressure of 125 Pascals (Pa) (0.5 inches of water) with the opening normal of 7 centimeters in diameter (38 square centimeters), operating under environmental conditions of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) (73 degrees Fahrenheit, 505 relative humidity). The abrasive layer may have an Air Permeability of any of the following: about 100 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, of about 200 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, of about 300 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, of around 500 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, of around 700 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, such as from about 250 cubic feet per minute (CFM) to about 1,500 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, or from around 150 cubic feet per minute (CFM) to around 1000 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or from around 100 cubic feet per minute (CFM) to around 1000 cubic feet per minute (CFM), or from around 100 cubic feet per minute (CFM) to around 800 cubic feet per minute (CFM), or from around 100 cubic feet per minute (CFM) to around 500 cubic feet per minute (CFM).

Alternatively, the Air Permeability of the abrasive layer can be less than about 400 cubic feet per minute (CFM). In cases where the abrasive layer has a basis weight of less than 150 grams per square meter (gsm), multiple layers of the abrasive layer having a combined basis weight of at least 150 may exhibit an Air Permeability of about 70 cubic feet. per minute (CFM) or greater, or any of the aforementioned values or ranges given for a single abrasive layer.

In general, the thermoplastic polymer fibers in the abrasive layer can be larger than about 30 microns in average diameter. More specifically, the thermoplastic fibers may be between about 40 microns and about 800 microns in average diameter, such as from about 50 microns to about 400 microns, more specifically from about 60 microns around. 300 microns, and more specifically from around 70 microns to around 250 microns. Such fibers are substantially rougher than the fibers of conventional melt blown fabrics, and the added roughness is generally useful in increasing the abrasive characteristics of the fabric.

The fibers that form the meltblown fabric may be long enough to support the open network of the layer. For example, the fibers can have a fiber length of at least about one centimeter. More specifically, the fibers may have a characteristic fiber length of greater than about 2 centimeters.

If desired, the fibers may optionally be formed to include improved abrasion characteristics, such as the inclusion of filler particles, e.g., microspheres, pumice or metal granules, meltblown "injection" treatment, and the like. .

The microspheres can be from about 10 microns to about 1 millimeter in diameter and typically have a carapace thickness from about 1 to about 5 microns, while the macro-spheres (which can also be used in some embodiments) They can have diameters greater than about 1 millimeter. Such materials may include micro-drops of metal, glass, carbon, mica, quartz, or other minerals, plastic such as acrylic or phenolic, including acrylic microspheres known as PM 6545 available from PQ Corporation, of Pennsylvania, and micro- hollow spheres such as the cross-linked acrylate SunSpheres ™ from ISP Corporation (of Wayne, New Jersey) and similar hollow spheres as well as expansive spheres such as Expance® microspheres (from Expancel, Stockviksverken, Sweden, a division of Akzo Nobel, The Netherlands), and the like.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the abrasive layer can be made of a non-woven fused spun fabric, such as a melt blown fabric treated with a melt blown "shot". The meltblown injection is a rough non-uniform layer applied in a melt blown process deliberately operated to generate random beads of the polymer (typically polypropylene or other thermoplastic) interconnected with yarns. If desired, the injection can be distinctively colored to make the abrasive element readily visible.

Optionally, the abrasive layer of the present invention can be formed of two or more different types of fiber. For example, the abrasive layer can be formed of different fiber types formed from different polymers or from different polymer combinations. Additionally, the abrasive layer may be formed of fibers of different types including fibers of different orientations, for example, crimped or straight fibers, or fibers having different lengths or diameters of the cross section of each. For example, the matrix 120 can be a multi-section matrix and includes different polymer material in different sections that can be delivered through the matrix 120 and from distinctly different fibers that can then mixed and heterogeneously distributed over the forming web 114. Alternatively, two or more different melt blown sub-layers can be formed and joined together to form an abrasive layer with a homogeneous, fairly uniform distribution or of different fiber types.

In one embodiment, the abrasive layer of the present invention may include multi-filament aggregates of individual polymeric yarns.

As used herein, the term "multi-strand aggregate" refers to a meltblown fiber that is cutly an aggregate of two or more polymer strands formed by at least the partial melting (adhesion) of adjacent extruded molten polymer strands. of adjacent holes on a meltblown matrix, which can be achieved, for example, under circumstances in which turbulence created by air jets is substantially lower than normal meltblowing operation, thus allowing two or more yarns adjacent ones come into contact and join together along at least a part of the length of the threads. For example, individual strands that form the aggregate fiber of multiple strands, can be joined side by side by a distance greater than about 5 millimeters, along the length of the fiber. As such, bicomponent fibers, multi-lobed fibers, and the like, which are extruded as a single fiber with multiple polymers or complex shapes should not be confused with the fibers of the multi-filament aggregate of the present invention, which includes adjacent polymer strands extruded or expelled from adjacent holes in the meltblown matrix and only adhered together after leaving the matrix.

The holes of the meltblown matrix can be in one or more rows. When more than one row of holes are present in the matrix, the holes may alternate or align, or be distributed in other modes known in the art. The holes of the matrix can be of any desired shape so as to form individual threads of a desired shape of the cross section. Even after bonding together, the individual substantially circular polymer strands may retain elements of their individual circular cross sections.

The multi-filament aggregates may be substantially of the ribbon-in-character type, particularly when three or more threads of adjacent meltblown holes aligned in one line adhere to each other in a substantially parallel array (eg, parallel to each other with the line formed by the connection of the center points of the consecutive threads being in an approximately straight line). For example, Figure 11 illustrates an aggregate of multiple filaments formed of six individual polymer strands adhered in a substantially parallel. The width of the aggregate of multiple filaments can be about as large as the number of yarns in the aggregates of multiple filaments multiplied by the diameter of a single yarn, even though due to the fusion of the parts of the joined yarns and due to the alternation of the threads in some cases, the width is usually a fraction of the product of the number of threads and only the diameter of the thread (or average diameter of a single thread). This fraction can be formed from about 0.2 to about 0.99, specifically from about 0.4 to about 0.97, more specifically from about 0.6 to about 0.95, and more specifically from about 0.7 to about 0.95. In one embodiment, the main axis of the non-circular multi-strand aggregate fiber of the cross-section may be greater than about 30 microns.

The number of threads in the aggregate of multiple filaments can be in the range from 2 to around 50, specifically from 2 to around 30, more specifically from 2 to around 20, and more specifically from about 3 to about 12 The multi-filament aggregates can have a count of average weight threads numbered 3 or more, 4 or more, 5 or more, or 6 or more. A meltblown fabric comprising multi-filament aggregates can have multi-filament aggregates comprising 5% or more of the mass of the fabric (such as multi-filament aggregates with three or more threads). they comprise 5% or more of the mass of the tissue). For example, the mass fraction of the fabric consisting of multi-filament aggregates can be about 10% or more, about 20% or more, about 30% or more, about 40% or more, about 50% or greater, about 60% or greater, about 70% or greater, about 80% or greater, about 90% or greater, or substantially 100%. These ranges can apply to aggregates of multiple filaments in general, or to aggregates of multiple filaments that have at least 3 strands, 4 strands, 5 strands, or 6 strands.

Figure 11 depicts cross sections of a polymer fiber 126 formed from a single polymeric yarn 238 in an operation such as meltblowing, and by comparison discloses a cross section of a multi-filament aggregate 240 formed by the partial melt of six yarns 238 to produce a structure of the tape type. The region where two wires 238 are joined together may comprise a cusp 243.

The smallest rectangle 241 that can completely enclose the cross section of the multi-filament aggregate 240 has a width W and a height H. The width W is the width of the aggregate of multiple filaments and the height H is the height of the aggregate of multiple filaments. For many applications, the width can be from around 50 microns to around 800 microns. In other embodiments, however, other widths may be achieved such as widths of about 100 microns or greater, of about 200 microns or greater, of about 400 microns or greater, of about 600 microns or greater, and around 800 micras or more.

The aspect ratio of the multi-filament aggregate is the W / H ratio. The aspect ratio of multi-filament aggregates in the present invention may be about 2 or greater, about 3 or greater, about 4 or greater, about 5 or greater, or about 6 or more. greater, such as from about 3 to about 12.

The strands 238 of the multi-filament aggregate 240 may remain substantially parallel along the entire length of the fiber (a multi-strand aggregate 240), or they may persist for a distance and then be divided into two or more groups of smaller aggregates of multiple strands. or individual threads 238. The threads 238 of the multi-filament aggregate 240 can remain attached to one another along their sides by a distance of about 1 millimeter or greater, 5 millimeters or greater, 10 millimeters or greater, 20 millimeters or greater, or 50 millimeters or greater.

Referring again to Figure 1, the forming web 114 may be any suitable forming web and, if desired, may provide texture to the meltblown layer, which may affect the abrasion of the layer. For example, a high degree of surface texture in the meltblown layer can be achieved by the formation of the meltblown layer on a high dimension fabric, such as that available from Lindsay Wire Company. In another embodiment, the abrasive layer can be formed directly on the fibrous absorbent fabric (not shown), such as a textured tissue or other cellulose fabric, which can be carried on a fabric. Figure 8 is a cross-section of an embodiment of the present invention with a highly texturized melt-blown layer 32 coupled to a relatively flat absorbent layer 34. Alternatively, the forming web 114 may be relatively flat and produces a melt blown layer. flat 32, as illustrated in Figure 7.

The abrasive layer may have a suitable fiber basis weight and the formation as to provide good scrubbing characteristics to the structure of the composite pad while remaining flexible. For example, a meltblown fabric that forms the abrasive layer may have a basis weight greater than about 10 grams per square meter. More specifically, the meltblown fabric can have a basis weight of between about 25 grams per square meter (gsm) and about 400 grams per square meter (gsm), more specifically between about 30 grams per square meter (gsm) and about 200 grams per square meter (gsm), and more specifically between about 40 grams per square meter (gsm) and 160 grams per square meter (gsm). The meltblown fabric can have a density in the range from either about 0.02 grams per cubic centimeter, 0.4 grams per cubic centimeter, 0.06 grams per cubic centimeter, 0.1 grams per cubic centimeter, 0.2 grams per cubic centimeter, 0.4 grams per cubic centimeter, 0.4 grams per cubic centimeter, 0.4 grams per cubic centimeter, 0.4 grams per cubic centimeter, 0.4 grams per cubic centimeter, 0.4 grams per cubic centimeter, 0.4 grams per cubic centimeter, 0.4 grams per cubic centimeter cubic centimeter, 0.6 grams per cubic centimeter, and 0.8 grams per cubic centimeter to any of about 0.1 grams per cubic centimeter, 0.3 grams per cubic centimeter, 0.5 grams per cubic centimeter, and 1 gram per cubic centimeter (other values and known ranges in the art they may also be within the scope of the present invention). In one embodiment, the abrasive layer can be formed in such a way that when the pad is put under pressure, as when a surface is being scrubbed by contact with the abrasive layer, the surface can be substantially in contact with only the melt blown layer. of the pad.

As previously described, the fabric can be formed with variations in the thickness and basis weight through the fabric such as to produce a fabric with a more abrasive, uneven surface. Thickness variations across the tissue surface can be measured with a platen of 0.6 inches in diameter that is pressed against the sample with a load of 7.3 pounds per square inch (applied pressure of 50 kPa), as it resides on a solid surface, where the displacement of the stage relative to the solid surface indicates the local thickness of the sample. Repeated measurements at different locations in the sample can be used to obtain a distribution of local thickness measurements from which a standard deviation can be calculated. The abrasive layers of the present invention may have a standard deviation in this thickness measurement of at least about 0.2 millimeters, specifically at least about 0.6 millimeters, more specifically at least about 0.8 millimeters, and more specifically at least 1.0 mm. Expressed on a percentage basis, the standard deviation of the basis weight for data points averaged over square 5-millimeter sections may be around 5% or more, more specifically about 10% or more, more specifically around 20% or greater, and more specifically about 30% or greater, such as from about 8% to about 60%, or from about 12% to about 50%.

The abrasion capacity of the abrasive layer can also be improved by the topography of the abrasive layer. For example, the abrasive layer may have a plurality of raised and depressed regions due to non-uniform basis weight, non-uniform thickness, or due to the topography of three dimensions of an underlying fibrous tissue such as a tissue of wet laid textured tissue. The raised and depressed regions may be spaced apart substantially periodically in at least one direction such as machine direction or transverse direction with a characteristic wavelength of about 2 millimeters or greater, more specifically about 4 millimeters or greater, and having a characteristic height difference between the high and low regions of at least 0.3 millimeters or greater, more specifically of about 0.6 millimeters or greater, more specifically of about 1 millimeter or greater, and more specifically of about 1.2 millimeters or older.

In another embodiment, the abrasive layer may include a precursor fabric comprising a planar nonwoven substrate, having a distribution of melt-capable attenuated thermoplastic fibers, such as polypropylene fibers therein. The precursor fabric can be heated to cause the thermoplastic fibers to shrink and form remnants of fiber in nodules to impart an abrasive character to the resulting fabric material. The fiber remnants in the nodule may comprise between about 10% and about 50% by weight of the total fiber content of the weave and may have an average particle size of about 100 microns or more. In addition to the fibers that are used to form remnants in nodules, the precursor tissue may contain cellulose fibers and synthetic fibers having at least one component with a higher melting point than polypropylene to provide strength. The precursor tissue can be placed wet, placed by air, or made by other methods. In one embodiment, the precursor fabric is substantially free of papermaking fibers. For example, the precursor may be a fibrous nylon fabric containing polypropylene fibers (for example, a bonded and carded fabric comprising both nylon fibers and polypropylene fibers).

The abrasive layer can also be perforated to improve fluid access to the absorbent layer of the article. Perforated melt-blown fabrics, for example, may have increased abrasion capacity due to the presence of openings.

In accordance with the present invention, an abrasive layer can be secured to one or more absorbent layers, such as those formed by a nonwoven paper fabric, to form a disposable scouring pad. When the laminates according to the present invention are used for scrubbing or other demanding tasks, the durability of the product can be surprisingly high. At least part of the excellent performance may be due to a synergy in the properties of the laminate material, which may be higher than what one can expect based on the properties of the laminate. material of the individual components. For example, the tensile strength and drawing properties of an abrasive laminate comprise a meltblown layer bonded to a tissue of tissue that may have a substantially higher tensile strength than a non-bonded combination of the same meltblown layer and the tissue tissue together.

The paper fabric of the absorbent layer is generally a fabric that contains high volume levels. In addition, the fabric can have a substantial amount of wet strength and wet flexibility for use in wet environments. The tissue paper, if desired, can also be highly textured and have a three dimensional structure, similar to the abrasive layer, as previously described. For example, the paper web can have a Total Surface Depth greater than about 0.2 millimeters, and particularly greater than about 0.4 millimeters. In one embodiment, the paper web may be a commercial paper towel, such as SCOTT® Towel or a VIVA® towel, for example. The SCOTT® Towel, for example, has a wet ratio: tensile strength (ratio of wet tensile strength to dry tensile strength, taken in the cross direction) typically greater than 30% (for example, a set of measurements give a value of 38%), and a VIVA® towel has a wet ratio: dry tensile strength typically greater than 60% (for example, a set of measurements gives a value of 71%). The wet proportions: Dry tensile strength can also be greater than 10%, 20%, 40%, or 50%.

In one embodiment, the paper fabric can be a textured fabric that has been dried in a three dimensional state such that the hydrogen bonding fibers were substantially formed while the fabric is not in a planar, flat state . For example, the fabric may be formed while the fabric is on a highly textured continuous drying fabric or other three dimensional substrate.

In general, the non-creped continuous dried paper web may have a basis weight greater than about 25 grams per square meter. Specifically, the paper web can have a basis weight greater than 40 grams per square meter, more specifically greater than about 50 grams per square meter. If desired, the fabric may include a wet strength agent and / or at least about five percent by weight of high production pulp fibers, such as thermomechanical pulp. In addition to high production pulp fibers, the fabric may contain papermaking fibers, such as softwood fibers and / or hardwood fibers. In one embodiment, the fabric is made entirely of high production pulp fibers and soft wood fibers. The softwood fibers may be present in an amount from about 95% to about 70% by weight.

With reference to Figure 2, a method is shown to make continuously dried sheets of paper in accordance with this invention. (For simplicity, the various tension rolls used to define the various cloth runs are shown but not numbered It will be appreciated that variations of the apparatus and method illustrated in Figure 2 can be made without departing from the scope of the invention). A double wire former is shown having a main box for making paper in layers 10 which injects or deposits a jet 11 of an aqueous suspension of fibers for making paper in the forming fabric 13 which serves to support and transport the newly formed fabric down in the process as the fabric is partially dewatered to a consistency of about 10 percent by dry weight. A second wire 12 can lead towards the forming fabric 13 to form a twin wire section 15 for controlled formation of the wet fabric. Further dewatering of the wet fabric can be performed, such as by vacuum suction, while the wet fabric is supported by the forming fabric.

The wet fabric is then transferred from a forming fabric to a transfer fabric 17 which moves at a slower speed than the forming fabric in order to impart increased stretch in the fabric. This is commonly referred to as a "hasty" transfer. Preferably the transfer fabric can have a volume to the vacuum that is equal to or less than that of the formation fabric. The relative speed difference between the two fabrics can be from 0-60 percent, more specifically from about 10-40 percent. The transfer is preferably carried out with the assistance of a vacuum shoe 18 in such a way that the forming fabric and the transfer fabric simultaneously converge and diverge at the leading edge of the vacuum slot.

The fabric is then transferred from a transfer fabric to the drying cloth in a continuous fashion 19 with the aid of a vacuum transfer roller 20 or a vacuum transfer shoe, optionally again using a fixed aperture transfer as previously described. he described. The continuous drying fabric can be moved at about the same speed or at different speeds relative to the transfer fabric. If desired, the continuous drying fabric can run at a slower speed for a further enhanced stretch. The transfer is preferably performed with vacuum assistance to ensure the deformation of the sheet to conform to the drying fabric continuously, thus producing the desired volume and appearance.

In one embodiment, the continuous drying fabric contains high and long print knuckles. For example, the drying cloth in continuous form may have about 5 to about 300 printing knuckles per square inch that are raised at least about 0.005 inches above the plane of the fabric. During drying, the fabric is microscopically arranged to conform to the surface of the drying fabric continuously.

The level of vacuum used for tissue transfer can be from about 3 to about 15 inches of mercury (75 to about 380 millimeters of mercury), preferably about 5 inches (125 millimeters) of mercury. The vacuum shoe (negative pressure) can be replaced or replaced by the use of positive pressure from the opposite side of the fabric to blow the fabric into the next fabric in addition to or as a replacement to suck it into the next vacuum fabric. Also, a vacuum roller or rollers can be used to replace the shoe under vacuum.

While supported by the drying fabric continuously, the fabric is finally dried to a consistency of about 94 percent or greater by the dryer in continuous form 21 and then transferred to a transport fabric 22. The dried base sheet 34 is conveyed to the spool 24 using a transport fabric 22 and an optional transport fabric 25. An optional pressurized tumbling roller 26 can be used to facilitate the transfer of the fabric from the transport fabric 22 to the fabric 25. Suitable transport fabrics For this purpose they are Albano Internacional 84M or 94M and Asten 959 or 937, all of which are relatively soft fabrics that have a fine pattern. Even when not shown, the calender roll or the subsequent off-line calendering can be used to improve the softness and smoothness of the base sheet 34.

In order to improve wet flexibility, the paper fabric may contain wet flexible fibers, such as high production fibers, as described above. High production fibers include, for example, thermomechanical pulp, such as bleached chromo-thermo-mechanical pulp (BCT &P). The amount of high production pulp fibers present in the sheet may vary depending on the particular application. For example, high production fibers may be present in an amount of about 5 percent by weight or greater, or specifically about 15 percent by weight or greater, and even more specifically from about 15 to about 30. %. In other embodiments, the percentage of high production fibers in the fabric may be greater than any of the following: about 30%, about 50%, about 60%, about 70%, and about 90%.

In one embodiment, the non-creped continuous dried fabric can be formed from multiple layers of a fiber supply. Both the resistance and the softness are achieved through the layering of the fabrics, such as those produced in stratified main boxes wherein at least one layer supplied by the main box comprises soft wood fibers while another layer comprises fibers of another type or hard wood. Layered structures produced by any means known in the art are within the scope of the present invention.

In one embodiment, for example, a layered or layered fabric is formed containing pulp fibers of high production in the center. Because high production pulp fibers are generally less smooth than other papermaking fibers, in some applications it is advantageous to incorporate them into half the tissue of the paper, such as being placed in the center of a sheet in three layers . The outer layers of the sheet can then be made of soft wood fibers and / or hardwood fibers.

In addition to containing high production fibers, the paper web may also contain a wet strength agent to improve wet flexibility. In fact, the combination of non-compressible drying for molding a three-dimensional tissue paper, coupled with wet strength additives and applying wet flexible fibers produce fabrics that maintain a usually high volume when wet, even after being compressed.

"Wet strength agents" are materials used to immobilize the bonds between the fibers and the wet state. Any material that when added to a paper or sheet fabric results in providing the sheet with either tensile strength ratio of wet geometric medium to dry geometric tensile strength in excess of 0.1 (the ratio of wet to dry traction) , or a dry traction wet traction ratio in the transverse direction in excess of 0.1 (wet to dry ratio in the transverse direction), for purposes of this invention, will be referred to as a wet strength agent. Typically, these materials are referred to either as permanent wet strength agents or as "temporary" wet strength agents. For the purposes of temporary wet strength differences, the permanent will be defined as those resins that, when incorporated into tissue or paper products, will provide a product that retains more than 50% of its original wet strength after exposure to water for a period of at least five minutes. Temporary wet strength agents are those that show less than 50% of their original wet strength after being saturated with water for five minutes. Both kinds of material find application in the present invention, even when permanent wet strength agents are believed to offer advantages when a pad of the present invention will be used in a wet state for a prolonged period of time.

The amount of wet strength agent added to the pulp fibers can be at least about 0.1 percent by dry weight, more specifically about 0.2 percent by dry weight or greater, and even more specifically from about 0.1 percent by dry weight. about 3 percent by dry weight based on the dry weight of the fibers.

Permanent wet strength agents will provide a more or less long term wet flexibility to the structure. In contrast, temporary wet strength agents can provide structures that have low density and high flexibility, but may not provide a structure that has long term resistance to water exposure. The mechanism by which the wet strength is generated has little influence on the products of this invention while the essential property of generating the water resistant bond at the fiber / fiber bonding points is obtained.

Suitable wet strength permanent agents are typically water-soluble cationic oligomeric or polymeric resins, which are capable of either crosslinking themselves (homo-crosslinked) or with cellulose or other constituent of wood fiber . The most widely used materials for this purpose are the class of polymer known as resins of the polyamide-polyamine-epichlorohydrin (PAE) type. Examples of these materials have been sold by Hercules, Inc., of Wilmington, Delaware, as KYMENE 557H. Related materials are marketed by Henkel Chemical Co., of Charlotte, North Carolina and by Georgia-Pacific Resins, Inc., of Atlanta, Georgia.

Polyamide-epichlorohydrin resins are also useful as binder resins in this invention. Materials developed by Monsanto and sold under the SANTO RES label are activated base polyamide-epichlorohydrin resins that can be used in the present invention. Although not commonly used in consumer products, polyethylene imine resins are also suitable for immobilizing binding sites in the products of this invention. Another class of wet strength agents of the permanent type is exemplified by the aminoplast resins obtained by the reaction of formaldehyde with melamine or urea.

Suitable temporary wet strength resins include, but are not limited to, those resins that have been developed by American Cyanamid and are sold under the name of PAREZ 631 NC (now available from Cytec Industries, West Paterson, New Jersey). Other temporary wet strength agents that may find application in this invention include modified starches such as those available from National Starch and sold as CO-BOND 1000. With respect to the classes and types of wet strength resins listed, it should be understood that this list is merely to provide examples and that this does not mean excluding other types of wet strength resins, nor does it mean limit the scope of this invention.

Although wet strength agents as described above find particular advantage to use in connection with this invention, other types of binding agents can also be used to provide the necessary wet flexibility. They can be applied to the wet end of the manufacturing process of the base sheet or applied by spraying or printing, etc., after the base sheet is formed or after drying.

Wet and dry tensile strengths of the absorbent layer can be measured with a universal testing machine device such as an Instron apparatus, and use a crosshead speed of 10 inches per minute with a length of 4 inches in gauge and a width of 3 inches of jaw under the standard conditions of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) (samples conditioned 4 hours at 50% relative humidity and 73 degrees Fahrenheit). The dry tensile strength (taken either in the machine direction, the transverse direction, or the geometrical medium of the directions to the machine and transverse) of the absorbent layer can be any of the following: 500 grams per 3 inches or greater, about 1000 grams per 3 inches or greater, about 1500 grams per 3 inches or greater, about 2000 grams per 3 inches or greater , about 2500 grams per 3 inches or greater, and about 3000 grams per 3 inches or greater, such as from about 800 grams per 3 inches to about 3000 grams per 3 inches. The wet tensile strength (taken either in the machine direction, the transverse direction, or the geometric means of the directions to the machine and transverse) of the absorbent layer can be any of the following: about 200 grams per 3 inches or greater, about 500 grams per 3 inches or greater, about 700 grams per 3 inches or greater, about 800 grams per 3 inches or greater, about 1000 grams per 3 inches or greater, about 1500 grams per 3 inches inches or greater, and about 2000 grams per 3 inches or greater, such as from about 500 grams per 3 inches to about 2500 grams per 3 inches. Optionally, the absorbent layer of the present invention may include a multilayer paper web, formed of two or more similar or different paper layers. It may be necessary, however, when a multi-layer absorbent layer is formed, to provide a secure coupling between the layers to ensure good performance of the product under expected conditions. For example, an adhesive such as a hot melt adhesive or other known means of Safe coupling can be used to securely bind the separated layers together to form the absorbent layer of the scrub pad. Hot melt adhesive examples may include, without limitation, hot melts of ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) (for example, ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymers), hot melt polyolefin, hot melt polyamide, melted hot pressure sensitive, styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) copolymers, styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) copolymers, ethylene-ethyl acrylate (EEA) copolymers; hot melts of reactive polyurethane (PUR), and the like. In one embodiment, poly (alkyloxazoline) hot melt compounds can be used. Isocyanates, epoxies, and other known adhesives can also be used. Specific examples of adhesives that may be suitable for some embodiments of the present invention include SUNOCO CP-1500 (an isotactic polypropylene) from Sunoco Chemicals (of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania); Eastman CIO, Eastman C18, and Eastman P1010 (an amorphous polypropylene) from Eastman Chemical (of Longview, Texas); Findley H1296 and Findley H2525A from Elf Atochem North America (from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania); HM-0727, HM-2835Y, and 8151-XZP from H.B. Fuller Company (of St. Paul, Minnesota); and National Starch 34-1214 and other adhesives from the National Starch series 34, made from National Starch & Chemical Corp., (of Bridgewater, Connecticut). Useful adhesives comprising EVA can include, by way of example, hot EVA melts HYSOL® DE Henkel Loctite Corporation (from Rocky Hill, Connecticut), including 232 EVA HYSOL®, 236 EVA HYSOL®, 1942 EVA HYSOL®, 0420 EVA HYSOL®, SPRAYPAC®, 0437 EVA HYSOL®, SPRAYPAC®, CoolMelt EVA HYSOL ®, QuickPac EVA HYSOL®, SuperPac EVA HYSOL®, and WaxPac EVA HYSOL®. EVA-based adhesives can be modified through the addition of glutinizers and other conditioners such as the Wingtack 86 glutinating retina manufactured by Goodyear Corporation (of Akron, Ohio).

In one embodiment, the adhesive material may be a bicomponent fiber disposed between two adjacent layers such as a bicomponent sheath and core fiber. In addition to conventional bicomponent binding fibers, a fiber comprising two different varieties of polylactic acid can be used, so that the polylactic acid can have melting points in the range from about 120 degrees centigrade to 175 degrees centigrade, allowing a form with a High point cast to serve as a core with a variety of low melted point that serves as the sheath.

The latex materials can also serve as the adhesive joining two layers in the product of the present invention. Examples of latex adhesives include the latex 8085 from Findley Adhesives. In some embodiments, the product is substantially latex free or may have less of 10 percent by weight of latex, more specifically less than 5 percent by weight of latex, and more specifically of about 2 percent by weight of latex or less. The latex referred to for any purpose in the present specification can be any latex, synthetic latex (for example, a cationic or anionic latex), or natural latex or derivatives thereof.

When hot melt is used as a binder material to join adjacent layers of the material, any known device for hot melt application can be used, including blown blow devices, ink jet printheads, spray nozzles, and holes Pressurized The dry absorbent layer can have an Air Permeability value greater than 30 cubic feet per minute (CFM), such as around 40 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, of around 60 cubic feet per minute (CFM). or greater, and around 80 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater. Alternatively, the absorbent layer may have an Air Permeability of between about 15 and 30 cubic feet per minute (CFM), or from about 20 cubic feet per minute (CFM) to about 80 cubic feet per minute (CFM). Higher values are also possible. For example, the Air Permeability of the absorbent layer can be about 150 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, 200 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, 300 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, or 400 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater. By way of example, the tissue continuously dried by uncreped air comprising high production fibers has been measured to be 615 cubic feet per minute (CFM), in a fabric of 20 grams per square meter; a sample of the Scott® towel (from Kimberly-Clark Corp., of Dallas, Texas) was measured to have a permeability of 140 cubic feet per minute (CFM); A sample of the VIVA® paper towel (from Kimberly-Clark Corp., of Dallas, Texas was measured having a permeability of 113 cubic feet per minute (CFM).

A dry scouring product comprising an abrasive structure and an absorbent layer need not be substantially permeable to gas, but nevertheless may have an Air Permeability of any of the following: about 10 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, about 50 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, around 80 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, around 100 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, or around 200 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, around 300 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, and around 350 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or greater, such as from about 10 cubic feet per minute (CFM) to around 500 cubic feet per minute (CFM), or from around 20 cubic feet per minute (CFM) to around 350 cubic feet per minute (CFM), or from about 30 cubic feet per minute (CFM) to about 250 cubic feet per minute (CFM), or from around 40 cubic feet per minute (CFM) to about 400 cubic feet per minute per minute (CFM).

The abrasive layer and the absorbent layer can be combined to form the scouring pad of the present invention by any suitable method. In general, the abrasive layer and the absorbent layer are combined in a manner that provides integrity to the final product not only in a dry state but also in a wet state. For example, melt spun layers deposited on tissue tissues, for example, can easily attach to each other when dry, but when wet they may have a tendency to delaminate.

In relation to this, various methods can be used in order to fasten the abrasive layer to the absorbent layer. For example, the bond between the layers can be achieved by applying an adhesive, thermal bonding, ultrasonic bonding, hot pressing, crimping, engraving and combinations thereof.

In a particular embodiment, in order to better adhere or bond a spun and melted layer to a tissue of tissue, various anchoring agents may be incorporated into the tissue of the tissue to bond them to the polymeric material used for the tissue. form the spinning fabric with melted. In general, the anchoring agent can be any suitable material that is compatible with the polymeric material used to form the spun fibers with melt. For example, in one embodiment, the anchoring agent may comprise synthetic fibers that are incorporated into the tissue of the tissue. Synthetic fibers can be incorporated into the tissue of tissue in an amount of less than about 10% by weight, such as an amount of from about 3% to about 6% by weight. When present, the synthetic fibers bonded to the fibers spun with melt while remaining buried in the fabric help anchor the spun-woven fabric to the tissue tissue. Synthetic fibers may comprise, for example, polyolefin fibers, such as polyethylene fibers and / or polypropylene fibers, polyester fibers, nylon fibers and the like. The synthetic fibers may be made of a copolymer or terpolymer of any of the aforementioned polymers or they may comprise a mixture of polymers. The synthetic fibers can also comprise multi-component fibers such as bicomponent sheath and core fibers. Such bicomponent fibers may include, for example, polyethylene / polypropylene fibers, polypropylene / polyethylene fibers, or polyethylene / polyester fibers.

The synthetic fibers may have any suitable fiber length that allows the fibers to be incorporated into the tissue of the tissue. Therefore, the length of Fiber can be dependent on how the fabric is formed, such as if the fabric is formed in a wet-laying process or in an air-forming process. In general, longer fiber lengths can increase the ability of synthetic fibers to anchor the abrasive layer to the absorbent layer. In one embodiment, for example, the synthetic fibers can have a length of up to about 50 millimeters, such as from about 1 millimeter to about 25 millimeters. For example, in one embodiment, the fibers can have a length of from about 3 millimeters to about 10 millimeters.

In order to make the anchoring agent available to the melted spinning fibers, the anchoring agent can also be incorporated into the tissue of tissue, to be present in larger amounts on at least one surface of the fabric. For example, in one embodiment, a stratified fiber supply can be used to form tissue tissue. The stratified fiber supply may include at least one outer layer containing the anchoring agent, such as synthetic fibers.

Once present in the tissue tissue, the anchoring agent can be attached to the spunbond fabric in different shapes depending on the chosen anchoring agent and the material used to form the abrasive layer. For example, in one embodiment, synthetic fibers may be present in the tissue of tissue which are normally thermally bonded to the fibers in a melt spun fabric. In this embodiment, the melt spun fabric can be deposited on the tissue tissue in a melted state causing fiber bonding to occur. In fact, in one embodiment, the tissue tissue can be similarly pre-heated prior to contact with the melt spun fabric in order to place the synthetic fibers in a melted state.

In addition to thermal bonding, however, it should be understood that several other bonds can be formed. For example, in an alternate embodiment, the anchoring agents form a mechanical bond with the abrasive layer. In this embodiment, the anchoring agent may comprise synthetic fibers having a relatively long length that are entangled with the fibers contained in the abrasive layer which cause the mechanical bonds to be formed.

In yet another embodiment, a chemical bond can be formed between the anchoring agent and the abrasive layer. The chemical linkage can be, for example, a covalent or ionic linkage.

Figure 3 illustrates a possible method of combining the layers wherein the melt blowing layer 32 is formed directly on the paper fabric 34 in the machine 110. In this embodiment, an anchoring agent such as synthetic fibers can be incorporated into the paper fabric 34. The synthetic fibers can then be thermally bonded to the melt blown layer 32 upon solidification of the melt blowing layer on the tissue.

In an embodiment such as that illustrated in Figure 3, it may be desirable to maintain a high meltblown temperature as it hits the tissue such that the meltblown material can bond with the fibers of the tissue layer. Without wishing to be bound by a theory, it is believed that for good adhesion of the meltblown layer to the tissue during use, for example, when the laminate is wet and subjected to the scrubbing action, a part of the meltblown material may be bound and / or entangled with the tissue tissue fibers or may have penetrated within the porous matrix of the tissue tissue sufficiently to prevent delamination of the blown layer with fusion of the tissue when the tissue is moistened. Achieving such results can be done through the use of heated air to blow the melt from the meltblowing spinners to the tissue, and / or using the vacuum under the tissue to pull a portion of the material viscous blown with fusion in the porous matrix of the tissue of the tissue. For example, the vacuum can be applied in the forming zone to help pull the polymer fibers into the fabric for better bonding with the synthetic fibers and a possible entanglement with the fibers of cellulose When the vacuum is used, however, care must be taken to prevent excessive airflow in the vicinity of the tissue which may solidify the meltblown fibers before contacting the tissue. Narrow vacuum boxes, controlled rates of airflow, pulsed vacuum, and other means, optionally coupled with radiant heating or other means of temperature control of materials or fluids (eg, air), can be used by those skilled in the art to optimize the bond between the abrasive layer and the absorbent layer.

In one embodiment, the cellulose fabric may be preheated or heated as the polymer fibers are deposited therein (either with meltblowing or spinning directly on the cellulose fabric), or by binding to a previously formed layer of polymeric fibers to the cellulose fabric). For example, an infrared lamp or other heating source can be used to heat the cellulose fabric in the vicinity where the polymer fibers contact the cellulose fabric. By heating the surface of the cellulose fabric, a better bond between the synthetic fibers in the cellulose fabric and the polymer fibers can be achieved, especially when the fibers are freshly melted and cooled meltblown fibers. A combination of heating and suctioning down the cellulose fabric can be useful.

In addition to the above techniques, if desired, an adhesive may be applied between the paper web 34 and the meltblown layer 32. The adhesive may also bond the layers together in addition to the bond that is formed between the synthetic fibers. and the fibers blown with fusion. In addition, heat and / or pressure can be applied to the composite product to melt the layers together by a thermal bonding process. The pressure can be applied using a mechanical press. For example, point bonding, roll pressing and embossing can be used to further ensure that the polymer fibers of the meltblown layer 32 are bonded to the synthetic fibers contained within the paper web 34.

Alternatively, the paper web and the abrasive layer of the scrubbing pad can be separately formed, and then coupled after, after forming. For example, as illustrated in Figure 4, the paper web 34 and the meltblown fabric 32 can be guided together with guide rollers 102 and 104, and brought into contact between the roller 100 and the roller 80.

When an abrasive layer containing thermoplastic has been previously formed and is no longer sufficiently hot to readily join the synthetic fibers of the absorbent layer, heat can be applied to cause bonding of the abrasive layer with the absorbent layer as the two are put in contact or after the two are contacted. For example, the absorbent layer may be sufficiently preheated to cause partial melting of the abrasive layer as it touches the tissue paper, optionally with the assistance of mechanical compression. Alternatively, the heat can be applied to the tissue and / or the abrasive layer after the two have been brought into contact to cause at least partial melting of the blown layer with melt with the absorbent layer. The heat can be applied conductively, such as by contacting the tissue layer against the heated surface which heats the tissue sufficiently to cause fusing of the parts of the abrasive layer in contact with the tissue, preferably without much heating of the polymeric layer . Radioactive heating, heated by radio frequency (for example heated by microwave), heated inductive, heated convector with heated air, jet, or other fluids, and the like, can be applied to heat the tissue layer and the polymer layer while it is in contact one another, or to independently heat either layer before joining the other.

Ultrasonic bonding and pattern bonding can also be applied. For example, a rotating horn activated by ultrasonic energy can compress parts of the abrasive layer against tissue tissue and cause the melting of the synthetic fibers and the polymer fibers of the spinning layer with melting due to the effect of welded driven by ultrasound. Likewise, a heated pattern plate or drum can compress parts of the abrasive layer in contact with the tissue in the compressed portions, so that a good coupling of the compressed parts to the tissue tissue can be achieved.

In an alternate embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the layers of the present invention can be put together after forming, using thermal bonding in combination with an adhesive 82. The adhesive 82 can be applied to one or both layers of the pad before contact with each other. In this embodiment, the paper fabric 34 and the meltblown fabric 32 are brought into contact with each other between the roll 100 and the roll 80. At least one of the rolls 100 or 80 is heated to cause the binding to occur. thermal between the meltblown fabric 32 and the synthetic fibers contained within the paper fabric 34. As shown in Figure 5, an adhesive applicator 82 sprays an adhesive between the layers prior to the calendering or hot-stamping process.

An adhesive may be applied to one or both of the scrub pad layers by any method. For example, in addition to a spray method, as illustrated in Figure 5, an adhesive may be applied through any known method of printing, coating or other suitable transfer method. In addition, the adhesive can be any suitable adhesive which can firmly join the pad layers together. The basis weight of the adhesive may be about 5 grams per square meter or greater, such as from about 10 grams per square meter to about 50 grams per square meter, more specifically to about 15 grams per square meter to about of 40 grams per square meter. Alternatively, the basis weight of the aggregate adhesive may be less than about 5 grams per square meter.

As described above, in addition to the synthetic fibers, the anchoring agent of the present invention may comprise other suitable materials. For example, in one embodiment, instead of incorporating the synthetic fibers in the tissue of tissue, a polymer latex can be impregnated into the tissue that is compatible with the material used to form the abrasive layer. The latex polymer impregnated in the tissue tissue can be, for example, a hot melt material. Such materials include, but are not limited to, anionic styrene-butadiene copolymers, polyvinyl acetate homopolymers, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers, vinyl acetate acrylic copolymers, vinyl chloride-ethylene copolymers, vinyl terpolymers acetate. vinyl chloride-ethylene, acrylic polyvinyl chloride polymers, acrylic polymers, nitrile polymers and any other suitable anionic latex polymers known in the art. The charge (for example anionic or nonionic) of the hot melted polymers described above can easily be varied as is known in the art, by using a stabilizing agent having a desired filler during the latex preparation. Other examples of suitable latexes may be described in U.S. Patent No. 3,844,880 issued to Meisel, Jr., et al., Which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

Particular examples of polymeric materials that can be used in accordance with the present invention include ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers and ethylene vinyl alcohol polymers.

The above latex polymers can be incorporated into the tissue of tissue using any suitable method. For example, the polymers can be sprayed onto the tissue tissue or printed onto the tissue using a flexographic printer, an ink jet printer or a retrogravure printer.

The above latex polymers are particularly well suited for bonding with melt spun yarns made of block copolymers. The block copolymers can be, for example, styrene-butadiene block copolymers such as those of styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS), styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) and the like. The block copolymers can also be polyether block copolymers (for example PEBAX), copolyester copolymers, polyester / polyether block polymers and the like.

The most suitable method for joining the layers of the pad to scrubbing together may depend at least in part on the textures of the layers. As previously described, the melt blown layer and / or the paper fabric can be formed on relatively smooth forming surfaces and thus exhibit little three dimensional surface texture, or alternatively, one or both of the layers can be formed on surfaces highly textured. For example, Figure 7 illustrates the cross section of a scouring pad 30 formed of an abrasive layer 32 attached to a paper web 34, both of which have relatively smooth surface textures. In such incorporation, any of a number of methods can be used to join the layers together including methods involving adhesives, heat, pressure, or any combination thereof.

In an alternative embodiment, one or both of the layers may exhibit a high degree of surface texture. For example, as illustrated in Figure 8, the meltblown layer 32 may be a highly textured meltblown layer and a paper web 34 may be relatively flat. In such incorporation, a method for joining at point it may be preferred to firmly join the layers to those points where the meltblown layer 32 and the paper fabric 34 contact while maintaining the texture of the meltblown layer 32. Any of a variety of known knit-bonding methods they can be used, including those methods involving various heats and optionally adhesives and / or heat, without subjecting the composite structure to excessive pressure which can damage the texture of the meltblown layer 34. Of course, the scrubbing pad can optionally be formed of a highly textured paper tissue attached to a relatively flat abrasive layer. Alternatively, both layers can be highly textured, and may have the same or different texturing patterns.

Figure 9 illustrates another embodiment of the scouring pad wherein both the absorbent layer 34 and the abrasive layer 32 exhibit a high degree of three dimensional texture. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 9, both layers have the same nested textured pattern. Alternatively, the layers may have different texturing patterns. As with the other embodiments, the only limitation in the method of joining the two layers together is that the desired surface texture of a layer is not destroyed in the fastening method. For example, when the two layers They exhibit different overlapping texturing patterns, a point joining method may be preferred.

In an embodiment, such as that illustrated in Figure 9, the texture of the surface in one of the layers can be formed when the two layers are coupled together. For example, the absorbent layer 34 can be a highly textured fibrous cellulose fabric such as a non-creped continuous dried paper web, and the abrasive layer 32 can be formed on or bonded to the absorbent layer and can conform to the textured pattern. of the absorbent layer while the two layers are combined. For example, heat can be applied to the composite article as a part of the bonding process. This can cause the abrasive layer to soften and take on the textured pattern of the absorbent layer, and the absorbent layer can continue to exhibit the same textured pattern as the absorbent layer after the layers are coupled together.

Increasing the surface texture of the abrasive layer in such a way can increase the total abrasion capacity of the composite product. Thus, a synergy can exist between the two layers, and the total abrasion of the scouring article on the abrasive surface can be greater than the abrasion capacity of any layer before clamping.

Further, in these embodiments where the absorbent layer of the fabric can exhibit a high degree of wet strength, the added texture of the abrasive layer can withstand, even after the scrubbing article has been saturated with water or some other fluid from the fabric. cleaning.

The composite scouring pad can exhibit a synergy between the layers of other modes as well. For example, the fibers of the two layers can be physically entangled or fused together in the coupling process, such that there is a fairly strong bond between the layers. In such an embodiment, the tensile strength of the composite product may be greater than the sum of the tensile strengths of the two layers before the coupling, or, alternatively, greater than the tensile strength measured when the two layers are coextensively arranged adjacent to one another. to the other but not joined together, and tested together by combined tensile strength.

The composite scouring pads of the present invention can exhibit desired cleaning characteristics, such as good abrasion capacity and wet flexibility, for example, while requiring fewer raw materials and having good flexibility for easy handling. For example, in one embodiment, the scouring pads of the present invention may have a total basis weight of less than 150 grams per square meter. Scrubbing pads of the present invention may also be less than about 7 millimeters thick. More particularly, the scrubbing pads can be less than about 4 millimeters thick. The abrasive layer may have a thickness of about 0.5 millimeters or greater, as measured with the equipment used in the Thickness Variation test, or the thickness may be any of the following values: about 1 millimeter or greater, about 2 millimeters or greater, of about 3 millimeters or greater, of about 4 millimeters or greater, of about 5 millimeters or greater, such as from about 0.5 millimeters to 10 millimeters, or from about 1 millimeter to 5 millimeters. Alternatively, the thickness of the abrasive layer can be less than 3 millimeters.

Additional layers may also be included in the scouring pad of the present invention, if desired. For example, the scouring pad of the present invention can include two abrasive layers on opposite surfaces of the pad, both coupled to one or more absorbent layers that are interspersed in the middle of the pad.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a barrier layer formed of a barrier material or sizing agent may be included on or on each side of the absorbent layer. This can be useful when small amounts of a cleaning compound are used (for example, a polish) for furniture, a window washer, or a rough agent such as an oven cleaning agent), where the wetting of the entire pad is undesirable. For example, a barrier layer can be placed on the absorbent layer, opposite the abrasive layer. In one embodiment, the barrier material may be removable. For example, in an embodiment of the present invention, a barrier layer may include a waterproof barrier material on the outer surface of the absorbent layer which may allow the hand to remain dry during use.

The barrier material, in one embodiment, can be a hydrophobic film. It should be understood, however, that any suitable waterproof material can be used. For example, suitable wet barrier materials include films, fabrics, nonwovens, laminates or the like. The barrier material may be a liquid impervious fabric or a sheet of plastic film such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride or a similar material. In addition, the barrier material may occupy only a part of the surface area of the paper web or may substantially cover an entire surface of the paper web.

In addition to the paper fabric and the abrasive layer, the scouring pad of the present invention may also contain additional materials within any layer as well as in additional functional layers or components. For example, a part of the pad may provide soap, detergent, waxes or polishing agents such as furniture polish, metal cleaners, leather or vinyl cleaners or restorative agents, stain removers for washing clothes, treatment solutions prior to washing, enzymatic solutions to improve fabric cleaning or conditioning, odor control agents such as active ingredients of Fabreze® odor-removing compound (Procter &Gamble, Cincinnati, Ohio), waterproof compounds, polish of shoes, dyes, glass cleaners, antimicrobial compounds, wound care agents, lotions and emollients, and the like. Other possible additives that can be added to the scrub pad include buffering agents, antimicrobials, skin care agents, such as lotions, medications (eg, anti-acne medications), or hydrophobic skin barriers, control agents of odor, surfactants, mineral oil, glycerin, and the like.

The active ingredients may be present in a solution on the cleaning cloth as it is packaged or in a solution that is added to the cleaning cloth before use. The active ingredients may also be present as a dry powder coupled to the fibers in the cleaning cloth, or as a dry compound impregnated in the fibers or in the hollow spaces between the fibers of the cleaning cloth or encapsulated in water-soluble capsules, encapsulated in wax shells or rich in lipids to allow escape with mechanical or sheath compression, or in a container coupled to or cooperatively associated with the cleaning cloth that can be opened during use or Before its use.

The application of the additives can be by any suitable method, such as: • Direct addition to a fibrous slurry before the formation of paper tissue. • A spray applied to a layer or to the composite pad. For example, spray nozzles can be mounted on the moving paper tissue or meltblown fabric to apply a desired dose of a solution to the layer that can be wet or substantially dry. • Printing on the fabric, such as by offset printing, engraved printing, flexographic printing, inkjet printing, digital printing of any kind, and the like. • Coating on one or both surfaces, such as knife coating, air knife coating, short stay coating, mold coating, and the like. • Extrusion from a matrix head of an agent in the form of a solution, a dispersion or emulsion, or a viscous mixture such as one comprising a wax, softener, binder, oil, polysiloxane compound, or other silicon agent, an emollient, a lotion, an ink, or other additive. • Application to individualized fibers. For example, before depositing on the forming surface, the melt blown fibers can be dragged in a jet of air combined with an aerosol or spray of the compound to treat the individual fibers before incorporation into the meltblown layer. • Impregnate wet or dry paper tissue 20 with a solution or slurry, wherein the composite penetrates a significant distance in the thickness of the fabric, such as more than 20% of the thickness of the fabric, more specifically of at least about 30% 25 and more specifically of at least about 70% of the thickness of the fabric, including Completely penetrate the woven completely to the full extent of its thickness. • Apply foam of an additive to a layer (for example, foam finishing), either by topical application or by impregnation of the additive in the paper tissue under the influence of a differential pressure (for example, vacuum assisted impregnation). the foam) . • Replenishment of a chemical agent in solution in an existing fibrous tissue. • Supply of fluid in a roller of the additive for application to the fabric. • Application of the agent by spraying or other means to a moving web or cloth that in turn contacts the layer to apply the chemical to the layer.

The level of application of an additive can generally be from about 0.1 percent by weight to about 10 percent by weight of solids relative to the dry mass of the layer to which it is applied. More specifically, the level of application can be from about 0.1 percent by weight to about 4%, or from about 0.2 percent by weight to about 2 percent. hundred. Higher or lower application levels may also be within the scope of the present invention. In some embodiments, for example, application levels from 5% to 50% or greater can be considered. i Printing, coating, spraying, or otherwise transferring a chemical agent or compound onto one or more sides of the pad, or any layer or material in the pad can be done uniformly or hetereously, as in a standard, using any known agent or compound (for example, a silicon agent, an ammonium quaternary compound, an emollient, a skin welfare agent, such as aloe vera extract, an antimicrobial agent, such as citric acid, an odor control agent, a pH control agent, a size sorting agent, a polysaccharide derivative, a wet strength agent, a dye, a fragrance, and the like). Any known method can be used for the application of such additives.

In one embodiment, the scrub pad can be provided and the desired additive compound can be maintained in a separate container or dispenser. In this embodiment, the additive can be applied to the pad by the consumer in the desired amount at the time of use.

The scrub pad layers of the present invention can be combined to form a product of any desired size or shape and suitable for any particular purpose. For example, Figure 6 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention wherein a melt blown layer 32 substantially covers the surface of a paper web 34 to form a rectangular scrub pad as it can be held in the hand during use. In such an embodiment, the scrub pad can be inverted to provide both abrasive and non-abrasive type cleaning.

Alternatively, the meltblown layer can only partially cover the surface of the paper web, creating a single scrubbing surface on the scrub pad which may have both a rough abrasive region and a soft absorbent region. Therefore, the user can control the abrasion ability of the cleaning action during cleaning by, for example, adjusting the angle of the pad or the region of the pad to which the pressure is applied and can have different levels of action of scrubbing on the same side of a single scrubbing pad.

The scouring pads of the present invention can be provided in any form or orientation. For example, the pads can be square, circular, rectangular, or similar. They can be formed into gloves, such as hand-held gloves for hand scrubbing or foot-shaped covers for the feet. The pads can be packaged and sold in either the wet or dry form, and can optionally be formed to be attached to a handle or handle to form a convenient cleaning tool such as a cleaning cloth with a rinse, a mop, a cleaning tool for cleaning toilet, a dishwashing cleansing cloth, a scrub pad, a scrubbing tool for cleaning metal, ceramic, or concrete surfaces, a polishing or sanding tool, and the like.

For example, an embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in Figure 10, shows the scouring pad of the present invention 30 shaped to engage a base 220 of a rigid gripping device. The base 220 is coupled to a handle 210 formed to comfortably hold it by a user, such as it is on a mop or a smaller hand-scrubbing device. The scrub pad 30 can be held on the base 220 by any method that can firmly hold the pad, however, in one embodiment, it can release the pad to replace it quickly and easily. For example, the pad 30 can be supported on the base 220 in the gripping slots 225. In another embodiment, the pad scrub 30 may be permanently coupled to base 220, and all cleaning tool 10 may be disposable.

The cleaning tool of the present invention can be used to clean or scrub very different surfaces, and can be designed for a specific use. For example, the cleaning tool may have a handle that includes a long stick and be used to clean floors, walls, ceilings, ceiling fans, light bulbs, windows and the like. In certain embodiments, such as when the cleaning tool is used to clean windows, for example, the cleaning tool may have a rinse aid, such as a rinse rubber material coupled to the surface as is generally known in the art. . In other embodiments, the abrasive layer on the cleaning tool can be used to sand or polish a surface to be cleaned.

Test Methods "Gurley stiffness" refers to measurements of the stiffness of a fabric made with a Gurleyarca bending resistance tester, model 4171-D (Precision Instruments, Troy, New York). The tests are made with the samples conditioned for at least four under TAPPI conditions (50% relative humidity at 23 ° C). An appropriate method to determine the Gurley stiffness values follows as set in TAPPI 543 OM-94 standard T-test, but modified to use 1.5-inch sample lengths instead of two inches, and 1.0-inch sample widths instead of 2 inches. Using a 1-inch-wide sample that is 1.5 inches long, the formula for converting the Gurley reading to a Gurley stiffness with milligram units is: Rigidity = Gurley reading * 11.1 mg * (inches from center / 1 inch) * (weight / 5 g).

Therefore, a Gurley reading of 8 taken when a weight of 25 grams 2 inches was used from the center would be converted to a stiffness of 8 * 11.1 mg * 2 * (25 g / 5 g) = 888 mg.

The abrasive layers of the present invention and / or the laminates of the present invention and / or the laminates of the present invention may have a Gurley stiffness of about 2500 mg or less, specifically about 1500 mg or less, more specifically about 800 mg or less, more specifically still about 400 mg or less, and more specifically about 200 mg or less, such as from about 40 mg to 350 mg or from about 80 mg to about of 400 mg. These stiffness values can be a maximum value obtained by the measurements in any direction of the woven product (the maximum stiffness) or in the machine direction or in the transverse direction (respectively MD or CD stiffness).

The "variation in thickness" refers to the non-uniformity of the thickness of an abrasive layer. Measurement involves taking spaced and separated measurements of sample thicknesses with a TMI model 49-62 precision micrometer (Testing Machines, Inc., of Amityville, New York) having a foot of 0.63 inches in diameter that applies a pressure of 7.3 pounds per square inch (50 kPa). The test is done after the instrument was heated for one hour and is done under the standard TAPPI conditions. The strips of material to be tested are measured at points on 1-inch centers to provide multiple measurements per strip. At least three strips of material are used and at least 9 readings per strip are taken. The thickness variation is a standard deviation of the thickness results, reported in millimeters.

"Wet opacity" and "dry opacity" refers to measurements of the optical opacity of a sample in the dry or wet state, respectively using a Technibritemarca Micro TB-1C device (from Technidyne Corporation, New Albany, Indiana), according to the manufacturer's instructions for ISO opacity, with the test made for samples with the abrasive layer facing up. The test is done under standard TAPPI conditions. The Wet opacity is then measured at an opacity of a sample that has been wetted by immersing it and saturating the sample for one minute in water demonized at 23 ° C. The sample is then removed from the water, holding it at a corner to allow drainage of water. Excess water to drain for three seconds. The sample is then placed on a dry blotting paper for 20 seconds, then turned over and placed on another dry blotter and allowed to settle for another 20 seconds, and then immediately tested for opacity.

In some embodiments, the articles of the present invention may have a relatively low wet opacity, so that the user may observe the presence of dots or other objects through the wet article during cleaning. Conventional sponges and other cleaning items tend to be essentially opaque, but the translucent nature of the articles in some embodiments of the present invention may be of use in some cleaning situations. Thus, the articles of the present invention may have a lower wet opacity of around any of the following: 95%, 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, and 40%, with each of the example ranges from 30% to 95%, or from 50% to 90% or from 40% to 80%. The dry opacity may be greater than 96%, such as about 100%, or it may be less than 96%, such as from 80% to about 95%, or from 50% to 90%, or from 40% to 85%.

In one embodiment, the difference between the dry opacity and the wet opacity of the article can be at least about 10%.

The "global surface depth". A woven or three-dimensional base sheet is a leaf with a significant variation in surface elevation due to the intrinsic structure of the leaf itself. As used here, this elevation difference is expressed as the "overall surface depth". The base sheets useful for this invention may possess three dimensionality and may have an overall surface depth of about 0.1 millimeter, or greater, more specifically about 0.3 millimeter or greater, even more specifically about 0.4 millimeter or greater, yet more specifically from about 0.5 millimeters or greater, and even more specifically from about 0.4 to about 0.8 millimeters. However, products made essentially of flat tissue are within the scope of certain embodiments of the present invention as well.

The three-dimensional structure of a very flat sheet can be described in terms of surface topography. Rather than presenting an almost flat surface, as is typical of conventional paper, the three-dimensional sheets useful in producing the present invention can have significant topographic structures in a manner which, in one embodiment, can be driven in part from the use of sculpted continuous drying fabrics such as those mentioned by Chiu et al. in U.S. Patent No. 5,429,686, previously incorporated by reference. The resulting base sheet surface topography typically comprises a regular repeat unit cell that is typically a parallelogram with sides of about 2 and 20 millimeters in length. For wet laid materials, these three-dimensional base sheet structures can be created by wet sheet molding or they can be created before drying rather than by creping or engraving other operations after the sheet has dried. In this way, the three-dimensional base sheet structure is more feasible to be retained with wetting, helping to provide a high wet elasticity and to promote a good permeability in plane. For the base sheets placed by air, the structure can be imparted by the thermal etching of a fibrous mat with binder fibers that are activated by heat. For example, in a fibrous mat placed by air containing hot melt or thermoplastic binder fibers it can be heated and then etched before the structure is cooled to permanently give the sheet a three-dimensional structure.

In addition to the regular geometric structure imparted by sculpted fabrics and other fabrics used for create a base sheet, an additional fine structure with a flat length scale of less than about 1 millimeter, may be present in the base sheet. Such fine structure can be derived from micro-beams created during the transfer of differential speed of the fabric from one fabric or wire to another before drying. Some of the materials of the present invention, for example, appear to have a fine structure with a fine surface depth of 0.1 millimeters or more, and sometimes 0.2 millimeters or more, when the height profiles are measured using a system of commercial moire interferometer. These fine peaks have a typical average width of less than 1 millimeter. The fine structure of the differential velocity transfer and other measurements can be useful to provide additional smoothness, flexibility and volume. The measurement of the surface structures is described below.

A particularly suitable method for measuring the overall surface depth is moire interferometry, which allows accurate measurements without surface deformation. For reference to the materials of the present invention, the surface topography should be measured using a computer controlled white light switched field moire interferometer with around a 38 millimeter field of view. The principles of a useful implementation of such a system are described by Bieman et al. (L. Bieman, K. Harding and A. Boehnlein, "Absolute Measurement Using Moire of Changed Field ", procedures of the SPIE optical conference, volume 1614, pages 259-264, 1991. A commercial instrument suitable for moire interferometry is the CADEYES® interferometer produced by Medar Inc., (of Farmington Hills, Michigan) , built for a nominal 35 millimeter field of vision, but with a real field of view of 38 millimeters (a field of vision within the range of 37 to 39.5 millimeters is adequate.) The CADEYES® system uses white light which is projected through a grid to project fine black lines on the surface of the sample.The surface is seen through a similar grid, creating moiré edges that are seen by a CCD camera.The suitable lenses and the stepping motor adjust the optical configuration for the field change (a technique described below) A video processor sends the captured edge images to a PC computer for processing leaving the details of the height a of surface to be calculated back from the fringe patterns seen by the video camera.

In the CADAYES moiré interferometry system, each pixel in the CCD video image is said to belong to a moiré band that is associated with a particular height range. The method of field change, as described by Bieman et al. (L. Bieman, K. Harding and A. Boehnlein, "Absolute Measurement Using the Changed Field Moiré", Proceedings of the SPIE Optical Conference, volume 1614, pages 259 -264, 1991) and as it was originally patented by Boehnlein (U.S. Patent No. 5,069,548 incorporated herein by reference) is used to identify the strip number for each point in the video image (indicating to which band a point belongs). The strip number is necessary to determine the absolute height at the measurement point in relation to a reference plane. A field change technique (sometimes called a phase change in art) is also used for sub-strip analysis (an accurate determination of the height of the measurement point within the high range occupied by its fringe). of field change coupled with a camera-based interferometry approach allows a fast and accurate absolute height measurement, allowing the measurement to be made despite possible height discontinuities on the surface. The technique allows an absolute height of each of the approximately 250,000 discrete points (pixels) on the sample surface that has been obtained, if appropriate optics, video equipment, data acquisition equipment and software that incorporates the principles of moire interferometry with field change. Each measured point has a resolution of approximately 1.5 microns in its height measurement.

The computerized interferometry system is used to acquire topographic data and then generate a gray scale image of the topographic data, said image hereinafter called "the height map". The map of Height is displayed on a computer monitor, typically in 256 shades of gray and is based quantitatively on the topographic data obtained for the sample being measured. The resulting height map for the measurement area of 38 square millimeters can contain approximately 250,000 data points corresponding to approximately 500 pixels in both horizontal and vertical directions of the height map displayed. The pixel dimensions of the height map are based on a 512 x 512 CCD camera which provides images of moire patterns on the sample which can be analyzed by the computer software. Each pixel in the height map represents a height measurement at the corresponding x- and y- location on the sample. In the recommended system, each pixel has a width of approximately 70 microns, for example it represents a region on the sample surface of about 70 microns long in both directions in an orthogonal plane. This level of resolution prevents the singular fibers projecting above the surface from having a significant effect on the measurement of surface height. The height measurement in the z-direction must have a nominal accuracy of less than 2 microns and a range in the z-direction of at least 1.5 millimeters (for an additional background on the measurement method, see the CADEYES product guide, comprehensive vision (formerly Medar, Inc.), of Farmington Hills, Michigan, 1994, or other CADEYES manuals and publications of Medar, Inc.).

The CADEYES system can measure up to 8 moiré fringes, with each fringe being divided into 256 depth counts (sub-fringe height increases, the smallest resolvable height difference). There will be 2,048 height accounts over the measurement range. This determines the range in the z-direction at which is approximately 3 millimeters in the 38-millimeter field of view instrument. If the variation of height in the field of vision covers more than 8 strips, a wrap around effect occurs, in which the ninth strip is labeled as if it were the first strip and the tenth stripe is labeled as the second, etc. In other words, the measured height will be changed by 2,048 depth counts. The exact measurement is limited to the main field of 8 stripes.

The moire interferometer system, once installed and released from the factory to provide the range in the z-direction and the accuracy indicated above, can provide accurate topographic data for materials such as paper rolls. (Those skilled in the art can confirm the accuracy of factory calibration by performing measurements of surfaces with known dimensions). The tests are carried out in a room under TAPPI conditions (73 ° F, 50% relative humidity). The sample must be placed flat on the surface that lies aligned or almost aligned with the measuring plane of the instrument and must be at such height that both lower and higher interest regions are within the measurement region of the instrument.

Once properly placed, data acquisition is initiated using the CADEYES® PC software and a height map of 150,000 data points is acquired and typically displayed within 30 seconds of the time data acquisition was initiated. (Using the CADEYES® system, the "contrast threshold level" for noise rejection is set to 1, providing some rejection of noise without excessive rejection of the data points). The reduction and display of data are achieved using CADEYES® software for PCs, which incorporates a customizable interconnection based on Microsoft Visual Basic Professional for Windows (version 3.0), running under Windows 3.1. The basic visual interconnection allows users to add custom analysis tools.

The height map of the topographic data can be used by those skilled in the art to identify characteristic unit cell structures (in the case of structures created by cloth patterns, these are typically parallelograms arranged as tiles to cover an area of two larger dimensions) and to measure the peak-to-valley depth of such structures. A sample method to do this is to extract two dimensional height profiles of lines drawn on the topographic height map. which pass through the highest and lowest areas of the unit cells. These height profiles can be analyzed for the distance from peak to valley, if the profiles are then taken from a leaf or part of the leaf that was lying relatively flat when measured. To eliminate the effect of occasional optical noise and possible outcrops, the highest 10% and the lowest 10% of the profile should be excluded, and the height range of the remaining points is taken as the surface depth. Technically, the procedure requires calculating the variable width that we call "PÍO", defined to the difference of height between the lines of material of 10% and 90%, with the concept of lines of material being well known in the art, as explained by L. Mummery, in Surface Texture Analysis: The Manual, by Hommelwerke GMBH of Mühlhausen, Germany, 1990. An approach, which was illustrated with respect to figure 25, surface 531 is seen as a transition from air 532 to material 533. For a given profile 530, taken from a sheet lying flat, the highest height at which the surface begins-the height of the highest peak-is the elevation of the "0% reference line" 534 or the "0% material line" ", meaning that 0% of the length of the horizontal line at that height is occupied by material. Along the horizontal line that passes through the lowest point of the profile, 100% of the line is occupied by material, making that line the "100% material line" 535. Between the material lines of 0 % and 100% (between the maximum and minimum points of the profile), the fraction of the horizontal line length occupied by the material will increase monotonically as the line elevation is decreased. The material proportion curve 536 gives the relationship between the material fraction along a horizontal line that passes through the profile and the height of the line. The material ratio curve is also the cumulative height distribution of a profile (a more accurate term can be "material fraction curve").

Once the material ratio curve is established, one can use it to define a characteristic peak height of the profile. The "typical peak to valley height" parameter is defined as the difference 537 between the heights of 10% of material line 538 and 90% of material line 539. This parameter is relatively robust in that outcrops or excursions Unusual from the typical profile structure have little influence on the PÍO height. The units of PÍO are millimeters. The overall surface depth of a material is reported as the PÍO surface depth value for the profile lines covering the height extremes of the typical unit cell of that surface. The "fine surface depth" is the PICO value for the profile taken along a surface region of the surface which is relatively uniform in height relative to the profiles that cover a maximum and a minimum of the unit cells . The measurements are reported for the more textured side of the sheets of base of the present invention, which is typically the side that was in contact with the continuous drying fabric when the air flow is to the continuous dryer.

The overall surface depth is intended to examine the topography produced in the tissue tissue, especially those characteristics created on the sheet before and during the drying processes, but which is intended to exclude the large-scale topography "artificially" created from operations dry conversion such as weathered, perforated, gathered, etc. Therefore, the profiles examined should be taken from non-engraved regions if the tissue tissue has been recorded, or they should be measured on a non-etched tissue of tissue. The global surface depth measurements should exclude large-scale structures such as folds or bends which do not reflect the three-dimensional nature of the urinal base sheet itself. It is recognized that leaf topography can be reduced by calendering and other operations which affect the entire base sheet. The overall surface depth measurement can be carried out properly on a calendered base sheet.

The CADEYES® system with a 38-millimeter field of view can also be used to measure the height of material on an abrasive layer relative to the underlying tissue tissue, where there are openings in the adhesive layer that they allow optical access to and measurement of the tissue tissue surface. When the abrasive layer comprises a translucent material, obtaining good optical measurements of the surface topography may require the application of white spray paint on the surface to increase the opacity of the surface being measured.

Test for the Abrasion index As used herein, the "abrasion index" is a measure of the ability of an abrasive layer to erode the material of a foam block that is moved on the surface of the abrasive layer in a prescribed manner under a fixed load. The abrasiveness index is reported as the mass lost in grams per foot of displacement of a block of heavy foam, multiplied by 100, when the foam is moved through a test cycle of sixteen inches. The method used is a modified form of ASTM F1015, "Standard Test Method for Relative Abrasivity of Synthetic Lawn Gaming Surfaces". A higher abrasion index is taken to be indicative of a more abrasive surface.

To prepare a measurement of the abrasiveness index, the foam test blocks are cut from a phenolic foam material to have dimensions of 1 inch by 1 inch by 1.25 inches. The foam is a green foam commercial well known as "dry floral foam", product code 665018 / 63486APP, manufactured by Oasis Floral Products, a division of Smithers-Oasis Company of Kent, Ohio (UPC 082322634866), commonly used for flower arrangements for silk flowers and dried flowers.

A sample is cut from the material to be tested and taped to a flat rigid table surface using a two-sided Manco® exterior / interior carpet tape, marketed by Manco, Inc., of the Henkel Group of Avon, Ohio (UPC 075353071984). The tape is first placed on the surface of the table, preventing overlapping of the tape segments to ensure that an essentially uniform adhesive surface is provided having dimensions of at least 4 inches by 4 inches. The sample is then centered on the region with tape and pressed gently into place. A 3-inch by 3-inch square plastic block with a thickness of 1 inch and a mass of 168 grams is placed on the sample to define a test area that is centered within at least a region of 4 inches by 4 inches of the table that has the double-sided tape. A bronze cylinder, 2 inches in diameter with a mass of 1 kilogram is centered on the plastic block and allowed to reside for 10 seconds to secure the sample to the region with tape. A marker is used to trace around the edge of the plastic block to draw the test area. The block and the weight are removed from the sample. The sides of the drawn square (3 inches by 3 inches) should be aligned with the direction of the machine and the cross direction of the material when it is being tested when such instructions are defined (for example the warp direction for a woven abrasive layer).

Figure 13 is a layout scheme for the abrasivity index test for sample 280 to be tested. Sample 280 may have an upward facing abrasive layer 32 which may be attached to an underlying tissue tissue (not shown). The double-sided tape 270 joins the sample 280 to a sample surface (not shown). A foam block 274 is placed on the corner of the lower right side 282A of the square test region 272 marked on the upper surface of the sample 280. The dimensions of the surface of the foam block 274 which contacts the sample 280 are of 1 inch by 1 inch. On top of the foam block 274 is placed a brass weight of 100 grams 276 having a circular footprint of one inch in diameter. Two sides of the foam block 274 on the sample 280 are essentially over taxes on the inner boundary of the corner 282A of the marked test region 272.

To carry out the test (the foam block 274 is moved by hand from the corner of the lower right side 282A (the initial corner) to the corner of the right side upper 282B of test region 272, and then the other corners 282C, and 282D, and back to 282A again, ensuring that foam block 274 travels along but not outside the boundaries of the marked test area 272. Care should be taken not to apply a force down or up the hand, but to apply only a stable lateral force to move the foam block 274 successively from one corner to another as indicated by arrows 278A-278D. Both hands of the operator can be used as necessary to maintain the erect of heavy foam block 274. The block is moved at a steady rate of about 5 seconds per side (one side being the path from one corner to the next corner) . The path traced by the foam block 274 defines a square ending at the initial corner 282A.

To achieve a smooth and stable movement, one finger (for example the thumb) must be on the vertical "back" surface of the foam block 274 to push the block in the desired direction, and another strip must be on the vertical "front" surface "to maintain a stable position of the foam block 274.

After the block 274 has returned to the initial corner 282A, the path is inverted, again without lifting the heavy block 274. The block 274 therefore follows the same path as this one plotted but in the reverse order, going from the initial corner 282A to the corner of the lower left side 282D to the corner of the upper left side 282C to the corner of the upper right side 282B back to the corner of the initial lower right side 282A being moved by the stable lateral pressure and maintaining a rate of 5 seconds per side.

During this process, a portion of the foam block 274 will be removed by abrasion during the total 16-inch path that travels (two 8-inch cycles). The weight of 100 grams 276 is removed and the foam block 274 is then weighed and the amount of foam block 274 removed by the abrasion is determined by the recorded difference. This process is repeated twice more, using new materials (a new two-sided tape 270, new samples 280 of the same material being tested and new blocks of foam 274), allowing the lost mass to be determined three times. The average of the three measurements is taken and converted to mass loss by 12 inches by multiplication with the correction factor of 12/16 (for example, normalized to a 12-inch path), and then multiplied by 100. The resulting parameter is reported as the abrasiveness index for the material being tested.

The abrasive layers of the present invention can have an abrasiveness index of about 1 or greater, about 2 or greater, about 3 or greater, about 4 or greater, or about 5 or greater, such as from about 1.5 to 10, or from about 2 to about 7 EXAMPLE 1 Preparation of a non-creped Continuous Dried Base Sheet To demonstrate an example of a texturized wet elastic absorbent fabric with improved dry feel, a suitable base sheet was prepared. The base sheet was produced on a continuous tissue manufacturing machine adapted for drying through non-creped air. The machine comprises a Fourdrinier forming section, a transaction, a continuous drying section, a subsequent transfer section and a reel. An aqueous solution diluted to approximately 1% consistency was prepared from 100% bleached chemo-thermomechanical pulp (BCTMP), pulped for 45 minutes at a consistency of about 4% before dilution. Bleached quimotermomechanical pulp is commercially available from Millar-Western 500/80/00 (Millar-Western, Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada). Wet strength agent Kymene 557LX manufactured by Hercules, Inc. (of Wilmington, Delaware) was added to the solution water at a dose of about 16 kilograms of Kymene per tonne of dry fiber, as was the carboxymethylcellulose at a dose of 1.5 kilograms per tonne of dry fiber. The solution was then deposited on a fine forming fabric and vented by the vacuum boxes to form a fabric with a consistency of about 12%. The fabric was then transferred to the transfer fabric (Lindsay Wire T-807-1) using a vacuum shoe to a first transfer point without any significant speed difference between the two fabrics, which were shifting to around 5.0 meters per second (980 feet per minute). The fabric was then transferred further from the transfer fabric to a continuous drying fabric to a second transfer point using a second vacuum shoe. The continuous drying fabric used was a design by Lindsay Wire T-116-3 (from Lindsay Wire Division, Appleton Mills, Appleton, Wisconsin). The T-116-3 fabric is well suited to create molded three-dimensional structures. At the second transfer point, the continuous drying fabric was moving more slowly than the transfer fabric, with a differential speed of 27%. The fabric was then passed to a continuous dryer with cover where the leaf was dried. The dried sheet was then transferred from the continuous drying fabric to another fabric, from which the fabric was rolled. The basis weight of the dried base sheet was approximately 30 grams per square meter. The sheet had a thickness of about 1 millimeter, a global surface depth of about 0.4 millimeters, a geometric average tensile strength of about 1,000 grams per 3 inches (measured with a jaw extension of 4 inches and a crosshead speed of 10 inches per minute at 50% relative humidity and 22.8 ° C ), a wet tension ratio: 45% dry in the transverse direction and a machine direction tension ratio: 1.25 cross direction, and 17% machine direction stretch, 8.5% stretch in the transverse direction.

The permeability of the fabric was measured at 440 CFM.

EXAMPLE 2 A Laminate with a First Fabric of Polypropylene Blown with Fusion A high molecular weight isotactic polypropylene, Achieve 3915 manufactured by ExxonMobil Chemical Corporation (of Houston, Texas) was used in a pilot melt blowing facility to make a polymer network by meltblown fiberization. The molecular weight range of the polymer is around 130,000 to 140,000. According to the manufacturer, the melt flow rate of the polymer according to ASTM D1238 is 70 g / 10 minutes, which is believed to be below the range of melt flow rates for the polymers typically used in a melting blow operation; The polymer is normally used for a spinning operation or other applications other than meltblowing. (For example, a typical confusing blowing polymer such as the PP3546G polypropylene from ExxonMobil Chemical Corporation has a melt flow rate of 1,200 g / 10 minutes, measured in accordance with ASTM D1238, and polypropylene PP3746G from the same manufacturer has a melt flow of 1,500 grams per 10 minutes). The high viscosity material was found to be surprisingly useful for producing the blown fabric with rough fusion according to the present invention.

The polypropylene was extruded through a melt blown die at 485 ° F onto a porous Teflon carrier fabric with an underlying vacuum. The tissue speed was 10 feet per minute. A melt blown polypropylene net with a basis weight of 85 to 120 grams per square meter was generated by adjusting the temperature, air pressure and distance between the blow head to the training table, as well as the rate of polymer flow.

Figure 12 is a schematic drawing of a central cut-away part of the meltblown die 120 drawn according to the meltblown matrix used in this example. The primary part of the array comprises two side blocks 242 and 242 'and a central supply block triangular 244 through which the polymer is injected into an internal chamber 250. The central supply block 244 is essentially an isosceles triangle in cross section, leading to a vertex 246 at an angle of 60 degrees. Along the apex 246 a series of evenly spaced holes 248 are drilled in fluid communication with the inner chamber 250. The inner chamber 250 is also in fluid communication with a pressurized source of melted polymer (not shown) which forces the melted polymer through the holes 248 of the central feed block 244 to form polymer yarns (not shown). The air jets 258 and 258 'flow through the cracks 252, 252 ', respectively, between the side blocks 242 and 242' and the central supply block 244. The separations 252, 252 'are in fluid communication with a source of pressurized air (not shown) which generates the flow of the air jets 258 and 258 'towards the apex 246 of the central supply block 244. The air in the jets 258, 258' is typically heated well above the melting point of the polymer to prevent premature cooling of the polymer strands. For this example, the air temperature was around 480 ° F. In a conventional meltblowing operation, the air jets 258 and 258 'provide a high level of cut that can cause an extensional thinning of the polymer yarns. and also provide a high level of turbulence to separate the threads and create fibers placed at random and isolated. For the For purposes of the present invention, however, the air flow rate can be decreased to reduce turbulence by allowing some adjacent polymer strands of adjacent holes 248 to coalesce into multifilament aggregates, which still provide sufficient air flow. and sufficient turbulence to deposit the polymer yarns as a network of fibers on an underlying carrier fabric (not shown).

The holes 248 have a diameter of 0.015 inches and were drilled at 30 per inch. The width of the active region of the matrix 120 (the region provided with the holes 248 for the formation of the polymer strands) was 11.5 inches. The entire matrix 120 was 14 inches wide. The separations 252 and 252 'have a width of 0.055 inches, determined by wedges placed between the central supply block 244 and the side blocks 242 and 242' at the outer ends of the matrix 120 (not shown) as outside the region. active The depth of drilling 256 of the holes 248 is the distance in the central supply block 244 that had to be penetrated during drilling for each central chamber 250. In this case, the drilling depth was around 4 millimeters. The height of the central supply block 244 (the distance from the base 254 to the vertex 246) was 52 millimeters, and the depth of the internal chamber 250 (the height of the supply block central 244 minus the depth of drilling 256) was around 48 millimeters.

Not shown is a backing plate for the matrix block 120 through which the pressurized polymer melt, the air injection lines and the support structures for the matrix were injected. Such features are well known and readily provided by those skilled in the art. (It should be recognized that numerous alternatives to the meltblown matrix of Figure 12 are still within the scope of the present invention, such as a matrix with two or more rows of holes 248 that can be arranged in a stepped arrangement, parallel lines and the like, or matrices with annular jets or air surrounding the leaving polymer thread).

In the production of the blown fabric with fusion with rough multifilamentary aggregates, it was found that the "normal" rise of the meltblown matrix in relation to the carrier wire, namely 11 inches, was too high for the modified run conditions of according to the present invention. At this normal height, the yarns have cooled too much when they stick to the wire for a good fiber to fiber bond (here the term "fiber" encompasses multifilamentary aggregates), and the resulting fabric lacked integrity. The head was then lowered several inches, allowing a good fiber-fiber union. The distance from the matrix vertex to the carrier wire was about 7 inches. In practice, the optimum height for a given polymer will be a function of the speed of the fabric (and hence the flow rate of the polymer) and the temperatures of both the polymer and the heated air.

For the system shown in Figure 12, the conventional melt blow operation is achieved when the pressurized air source is applied to the air separations 252 and 252 'and is around 40 to 50 psig. For the present example, however, when lower air flow rates were desired to produce rougher fibers, the pressurized air source was set at about 12 psig at 20 psig during the runs to give a durable abrasive network with good material properties for the purposes of the present invention. Therefore, less than about half the air flow rate of the conventional melt blowing operation was used.

A micrometer (Fowler precision tools, model S2-550-020) was used to measure the diameter of the polypropylene fibers in the meltblown material. Twenty fibers were randomly selected and measured. A range of 70 micras to 485 micras was obtained, with an average of 250 microns and a standard deviation of 130 micras. The Multifilamentary aggregates formed a significant part of the meltblown web.

The thickness variation test, as previously described, in a set of samples (the measured basis weight of 120 grams per square meter) gave a standard deviation of 0.25 millimeters (the average thickness was 1.18 millimeters) for the blown fabric with fusion. By way of comparison, a more conventional melt blown fabric was produced in Kimberly-Clark for commercial use with a basis weight of 39 grams per square meter and was measured to have a standard deviation of 0.03 millimeters (the average thickness was 0.29 millimeters). ).

The Gurley stiffness measurements of the melt blown fabric gave an average machine stiffness of 138.8 milligrams, with a standard deviation of 35.9 milligrams. The stiffness in the transverse direction was 150 milligrams, with a standard deviation of 34.0 milligrams. The base weight of the samples measured was 120 grams per square meter.

The air permeability of the blown woven fabric with fusion with multifilamentary aggregates was measured at 1130 CFM (average of 6 samples). When two layers of melt blowing were over imposed, the air permeability for both Layers together was measured at 191 CFM (average of three measurement locations).

The meltblown fabric was bonded to the non-creped tissue of example 1. In a first run (run 2-A), the melt blown fabric was attached to a non-creped continuous tissue cutting section of the tissue to make a first laminate using a hot melt adhesive (NS-5610, National Starch Chemical Company of Berkeley , California) applied in a swirl pattern at 320 ° F with a hot melt applicator. The melt blown fabric showed excellent adhesion and worked well in scrubbing (high scratch resistance).

In a second run (run 2-B), the meltblown fabric was attached to the tissue tissue to make a second laminate using the thermal bond achieved with a model plate 3953-006 of 1,200 watts over the highest heat setting ( "White clothes"). The tissue of tissue cut to 3 inches by 6 inches was placed on a blown tissue with fusion cut to the same size and the plate was placed on the tissue tissue and pressed with gentle pressure (ca. 10 pounds of force) for about two to three seconds, then rose and placed over an adjacent point. This was repeated several times, with each point of the tissue typically being connected with the plate for two or three times, until the blown tissue with fusion merged well with the tissue without the blown fabric with fusion lost its abrasive characteristics. (In practice, the temperature, application pressure and duration of heating was all optimized to make a particular product).

The air permeability of the sample cut from the laminate was measured at 316 CFM.

The surface topography of the second laminate was measured using moiré interferometry as previously described. A field of view of 38 millimeters of optical head (nominally 35 millimeters) was used. To improve the opacity of the polypropylene fibers, the sample was lightly sprayed with a flat white spray paint using a Krylon® 1501 flat white paint can (from Sherwin-Williams, Cleveland Ohio), sprayed from a distance of about 6 inches with a sweeping motion and around 2 seconds of residence time for most parts of the painted laminate. The applied paint did not appear to fill or block the pores that were visible to the eye on the tissue, and did not appear to significantly modify the topography of the surface. The air permeability of the lightly painted laminate was measured at 306 CFM.

The multifilamentary aggregates had widths ranging from about 100 to about 500 microns.

Several of the multifilamentary aggregates were turned 180 degrees or more over a short distance. Without wishing to be bound by one theory, it is believed that the common twist of the multifilamentary aggregates presents a more abrasive surface than if the multifilamentary aggregates remain essentially flat (relative to the tissue of paper) and not twisted. In an embodiment, a region of 3 square centimeters (3 centimeters by 3 centimeters) will have, over the average (based on sampling to at least 20 regions of 3 square centimeters representative) at least one multifilamentary aggregate doing a twist of at least 180 degrees around its axis. More specifically, there can be at least 5, at least 10, at least 15 or at least 50 multifilament aggregates that each suffer a twist along their respective axes of at least 180 degrees, and in one embodiment , at least 360 degrees or at least 720 degrees. In one embodiment, at least one multifilamentary aggregate in the 3-square-meter area had a helically twisted structure so that a 360-degree twist occurred within a distance of no more than 3 centimeters, more specifically not more than 1 centimeter , along the length of the fiber (following the path of the fiber).

For the lamination of run 2-B, the topography of the abrasive layer on the dried non-creped and underlying continuous tissue was measured using the CADEYES® system. He The profile showed a variety of peaks and valleys corresponding to the high and depressed regions, respectively, along a profile line. The depth of surface along the profile line through the height map was 1,456 millimeters.

Ten samples were made from run 2-B and were tested for wet and dry opacity. The average dry opacity was 67.65% (standard deviation 1.14%), and the average wet opacity was 53.97% (standard deviation 3.1%), with an average of 1.60 grams of water per gram of fiber in the wet samples ( standard deviation 0.15 grams of water per gram of fiber). By way of comparison, a scouring cloth Chore Boy® Golden Fleecemarca (UPC # 0 26600 30316 7), marketed by Reckitt & Colman, Inc., of Wayne, New Jersey, showed a dry opacity of 95.1% for three samples, a wet opacity of 95.83%, and a water collection of 0.54 grams of water per gram of solid (standard deviation of 0.16). grams of water per gram of solid).

In a third run (run 2-C), the meltblown fabric was thermally bonded to a simple white SCOTT® towel (UPC 05400013431-core code JE2 11 290 01) produced by Kimberly-Clark Corporation (of Dallas, Texas) by ironing, as described in run 2-B indicated above. The air permeability was measured at 118 CFM, while the two samples of SCOTT® towel tissue alone taken from different rolls was measured at 147 CFM and 135 CFM. A sample of the melt blown fabric was simply placed on top of the SCOTT® towel fabric sample with an air permeability value of 135 CFM, placed on without thermal bonding of the two layers, giving an air permeability of 134 CFM, suggesting that the thermal bonding process causes clogging of some pores in the tissue tissue to slightly reduce the air permeability in relation to an unbound combination of the tissue and the abrasive layer.

In a fourth run (run 2-D) the meltblown fabric was thermally bonded to a commercially available VIVA® towel, produced by Kimberly-Clark Corporation (of Dallas, Texas) by ironing, as described for run 2- B indicated above. The VIVA® towel was produced according to a double recrepado process using a latex adhesive. The air permeability was measured at 97.1 CFM.

In a related assay, a similar polypropylene was used to create another melt blown polymer fabric according to the methods described in this example. Instead of Achieve 3915 polypropylene from ExxonMobil Chemical Corporation, Achieve 3825 polypropylene was used to produce a meltblown fabric with similar properties to those obtained with the Achieve ^ 3915 polymer. Achieve 3825 polypropylene is a metallocene class polypropylene that has a melt flow rate of 32 grams per 10 minutes. The multifilamentary aggregates were also produced with characteristics similar to those obtained with the Achieve 3915 polymer. The higher back pressure was required to extrude the melted Achieve 3825 polymer, requiring about 400 psig compared to 280 psig for the Achieve 3915, due to the lowest melted flow rate.

EXAMPLE 3 A Second Blown Polypropylene Fabric with Fusion The Bassell PF015 polypropylene manufactured by Bassell North America (of Wilmington, Delaware) having a nominal processing temperature of about 221 ° C was used to produce a second meltblown polypropylene fabric to be used in the manufacture of the laminates with tissue . A different pilot installation of that of example 2 was used. The melt blown fabric was produced through a melt blow tip (30 holes per inch, hole diameter 0.0145 inches) producing 4 pounds per inch of machine width per hour (4 PIH). The roughness in the fiber was achieved by progressively lowering the processing temperatures and the primary air pressure while targeting base weights ranging from around 50 grams per square meter to 100 grams per square meter. For meltblowing of 50 grams per square meter, line speed was 78 feet per minute, and for meltblowing 100 grams per square meter, the line speed was 39 feet per minute. The initial processing temperatures of about 260 ° C were lowered to between about 200 ° C to about 210 ° C, with the die tip at 210 ° C. The primary air pressure was lowered from the normal range of 3.5 -4 psig to less than 0.5 psig. The pressures of matrix point and rotation pump were around 170-190 psig and 340-370 psig, respectively. These placements were repeatedly reached in order to obtain a blown fabric with rough fusion, with good abrasiveness by virtue of being molded against the carrier wire. In a conventional operation, the meltblown fibers are relatively solidified when they land on the carrier wire and are not milled to a significant degree against the carrier wire, but in this case, the meltblown fibers were still sufficiently smooth so that these could conform to the texture of the carrier wire so that the meltblown fabric received a molded abrasive texture.

Melt blowing was formed at base weights of around 50 grams per square meter and around 100 grams grams per square meter as a product that stands alone, and was also deposited directly on the UCTAD fabric of example 1 and on commercial VIVA® paper towels. The melt blown fabric was only measured at a Gurley stiffness value in the average machine direction of 113.7 mg (standard deviation of 34.5 mg) and a Gurley stiffness value in the average transverse direction of 113.0 mg (standard deviation of 41.9). mg). The samples tested had a base weight of 100 gsm.

The thickness variation test in a set of high basis weight samples (base weight measured 100 gsm) gave a standard deviation of 0.07 mm (mean thickness was 0.99 mm) for the meltblown fabric.

The measurement of the air permeability for a single layer of the blown fabric with fusion of a value in excess of 1,500 CFM. Two tax layers of melt blown fabric gave an air permeability of 1168 CFM (average of the measurements in six places).

In a run (Run 3-A), the non-creped continuous drying fabric made in Example 1 was used, with 50 grams per square meter of melt blowing being formed directly on the tissue of tissue. The meltblowing layer gave a surface depth of about 0.728 millimeters. A repetitive structure was view corresponding to the topography of the carrier wire against which the meltblown fabric was molded during forming. A unit cell of the repetitive structure, which was a parallelogram, had sides of about 9.5 millimeters and 1.5 millimeters.

The laminate had a measured air permeability at 381 CFM (average of measurements at six locations).

Some process tests were also carried out by inverting the fabric after the meltblown layer had formed on a surface, and again by applying a meltblowing layer on the opposite surface so that the tissue had an abrasive layer on both sides.

Another set of samples (run 3-D) were prepared by ironing the blown fabric with fusion with the tissue of example 1, following the ironing procedures given in example 2. Eight samples were tested for wet and dry opacity . The average dry opacity was 64.0% (standard deviation 0.82%), and the average wet opacity was 47.2% (standard deviation 2.2%), with an average of 1.59 grams of water per gram of fiber in the wet samples ( standard deviation 0.10 grams of water per gram of fiber).

Another laminate (run 3-C) was produced by forming the meltblown fabric directly on the VIVA® paper towel.

The laminates were also made by bonding the abrasive layer to a hydroentangled cleaner using a hot melt adhesive applied in a swirl pattern. The cleaner, manufactured by Kimberly-Clark Corporation (of Dallas, Texas), was WypALL® and Teri® whose packages are commercialized with the United States of America Patent No. 5,284,703, granted on February 8, 1994 to Everhart and others. , which describes a composite fabric containing more than about 70%, by weight, of pulp fibers which are hydraulically entangled in a continuous filament substrate (eg, a spunbonded fabric).

EXAMPLE 4 Variation of the Second Fabric Blown with Fusion The melt blown fabric was made according to example 3, but with the various variations so that little molding could occur against the carrier wire (lower air temperature and larger distance from the die tip to the carrier wire, allowing melted blown fibers cool more quickly). Even though the fibers were even rougher than the fibers blown with With conventional melting, the abrasive character of the meltblown fabric was tangibly reduced due to the lack of large-scale topography imparted to the meltblown fabric. (The meltblown fabric appeared to be free of multifilament aggregates, which are believed to be present would have contributed to a superior abrasive characteristic regardless of the macroscopic topography imparted by the molding against a carrier wire).

EXAMPLE 5 Synergistic Material Properties To demonstrate the strength synergy and stretching synergy of several embodiments of the present invention, a stress test of the laminates and the unbonded layers was made using the first melt blown fabric of example 2. The results are shown in Table 1 given below, where the tests are reported as averages for multiple samples (five samples per measurement). The meltblown fabric had only an average tensile strength of 3393 grams per 3 inches (measured with a measuring length of 4 inches and 10-inches per minute crosshead speed with an Instron universal tester). When placed next to a sample of the Scott® towel (a tissue of dried tissue through commercial non-creped air comprising about 25% high performance pulp fibers and wet strength resins) but not bonded to them (the two fabrics were taxed and tested together), the tensile strength was 3707 g / 3 inches. When the meltblown fabric was thermally bonded (as described in Example 2) to the Scout® towel, the tensile strength increased to 5385 grams per 3 inches, an increase of 45%, giving a resistance synergy of 1.45. . The stretch synergy was 2.06.

In another run, the melt blown fabric was tested together with the non-creped and air dried tissue of example 1 (marked as "30 gsm UCTAD") giving an average tensile strength of 3565 g / 3 inches when the two fabrics were unbound, but with an average tensile strength of 3915 g / 3 inches for towels that were thermally bonded, for a strength synergy of about 1.10. The stretch synergy was 1.36.

In a third run, the VIVA® towel was used as the tissue. The resistance synergy was 1.22 and the stretch energy was 1.44.

Table 1. Resistance and Stretch Synergy Measurement EXAMPLE Abrasive Properties To illustrate the abrasivity of the products of the present invention and commercially available scrubbing materials, abrasive index tests were carried out for a variety of samples made according to the present invention, as described in examples 2 to 4, as well as for five commercial products placed in the trade to scrub and clean, the products each comprising an abrasive layer of material.

The five commercial products were: A) the 0-Cel-0arca heavy-duty scouring pad (UPC 053200072056), marketed by 3M Home Care Products (of St. Paul, Minnesota), B) Scotch Britemarca heavy-duty scouring pad (UPC 051131502185), also marketed by 3M Home Care Products (St. Paul, Minn.), A product having a dark brown crosslinked polymeric material believed to comprise polypropylene and other materials, C) the delicate scouring sponge Scotch Britemra (UPC 021200000027), also marketed by 3M Home Care Products (of St. Paul, Minnesota), the abrasive layer of this product was detached from the sponge for testing; D) Chore Boymrca Goleen Fleecemarca scouring cloth (UPC 026600313167), marketed by Reckitt & Colman, Inc., (of Wayne, New Jersey), and E) a Sani-Tuffmarc cleaning cloth marketed by Kimberly-Clark Corporation (of Houston, Texas), which comprises a blown layer with green melting on a woven fabric. synthetic polymer (a heavier-melt blown fabric) with a basis weight of about 33 grams per square meter. The dry Sani-Tuffmarca cleaner had an air permeability of 98.5 CFM (average of three measurements).

Table 2 shows the results of the abrasive index. Interestingly, the blown tissue with fusion of Example 2 comprised a significant number of multifilamentary aggregates exhibiting the highest abrasive index (around 5.5). The 2-D run material, wherein the meltblown fabric of Example 2 had been ironed on a relatively smooth VIVA® paper towel, showed a high abrasiveness index also (around 4. 25). The slightly lower abrasiveness index compared to the isolated melt blown fabric itself was due to a slight decrease in the meltblown surface depth caused by the clamping process.

The meltblown fabric isolated from Example 3 exhibited a high abrasion index (about 4.5), although not as high as the meltblown fabric of Example 2, multifilament aggregates. This abrasive material had a macroscopic topography imparted by a rougher carrier fabric which, it is believed that it contributed to its abrasiveness. For Run 3-A, the meltblown fabric was no longer able to receive texture from the carrier wire, since it formed directly on the fabric of Example 1. However, the textured tissue is believed to provide a macroscopic topography to the woven blown fabric that provided good abrasivity, however, possibly due to the high abrasiveness index (around 4) for the material of the 3-A run. However, when the meltblown fabric in Example 2 was formed on a relatively smooth VIVA® paper towel, which lacks the topography distinctive and high surface depth of the UCTAD fabric, the resulting abrasiveness index was relatively low (about 1.25), thus pointing to the importance of meltblown tissue topography, where useful topographic features can be imparted by effective molding against a suitable carrier wire, or by the formation of blown tissue with fusion directly on a tissue tissue having good topography (for example a surface depth of about 0.2 millimeters or greater, and optionally having a repeating pattern of peaks and valleys with a characteristic unit cell having an area of about 5 square millimeters or more, or about 8 square millimeters or plus) .

The meltblown fabric isolated from the example 4 was formed on the same carrier wire as in Example 3, but under conditions that did not effectively mold the blown fabric with fusion against the topography of the carrier wire, resulting in a relatively flat meltblown structure. It is believed that this accounts for the relatively low abrasiveness index (around 1) found for the meltblown fabric of Example 4. The meltblown fabric gave an air permeability of 973 CFM (average of 6 measurements on different locations). of the tissue).

The well-known abrasive characteristics of commercial products A, B and D are reflected in the relatively high abrasiveness index values. Commercial product E, even when intended for cleaning purposes, employs a meltblown layer that lacks harshness or abrasive properties of many embodiments of the present invention, and exhibited a relatively low abrasiveness index of about 0.75.

Table 2. Comparative Abrasive index values These and other modifications and variations of the present invention may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention which is more particularly set forth in the appended claims. In addition, it should be understood that the aspects of the various incorporations can be exchanged in whole or in part. In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only and that it is not intended to limit the invention thus described in such appended claims.

Claims (20)

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N S

1. A cleaning product that includes: a tissue of tissue having a first side and a second side and an opposite side, the tissue of tissue contains fibers of pulp and synthetic fibers; a yarn-bound fabric attached to the first side of the tissue tissue, the yarn-bonded fabric comprises polymer fibers; Y wherein the melt spun fabric and the tissue tissue are combined together in a manner that causes the polymer fibers of the melt spun fabric to merge with the synthetic fibers of the tissue tissue.

2. A cleaning product that includes: a tissue of tissue having a first side and a second side and an opposite side, the tissue of tissue contains the pulp fibers and an anchoring agent, the anchoring agent being present in the tissue of tissue in an amount of less than around 10% by weight; the yarn with melted fabric fastened to the first side of tissue tissue, the fabric spun with melted comprises polymer fibers; Y wherein the anchoring agent comprises a polymer compatible with the polymer fibers and wherein the melt spun fabric and the tissue tissue are combined together in a manner that causes the polymer fibers of the melt spun fabric to bond with the spunbond agent. anchor contained in the tissue of tissue.

3. A cleaning product as claimed in clause 2, characterized in that the anchoring agent comprises synthetic fibers.

4. A cleaning product as claimed in clause 2, characterized in that the anchoring agent comprises a latex polymer incorporated in the tissue of the tissue.

5. A cleaning product as claimed in clause 4, characterized in that the polymer fibers of the melt spun fabric are made of a material comprising a block copolymer.

6. A cleaning product as claimed in clause 5, characterized in that the block copolymer comprises a styrene-butadiene block copolymer.

7. A cleaning product as claimed in clause 3, characterized in that the synthetic fibers are present in the tissue of the tissue in an amount of less than about 50% by weight of the tissue of the tissue, preferably less than about 30% by weight of the tissue of tissue.

8. A cleaning product as claimed in clause 1 or 3, characterized in that the tissue is formed from a stratified fiber supply including a first outer layer forming the first side of the fabric and a second outer layer, the synthetic fibers being contained in the first outer layer.

9. A cleaning product as claimed in clause 1 or 3, characterized in that the synthetic fibers of the tissue are thermally bonded to the polymer fibers of the melt spun fabric.

10. A cleaning product as claimed in clause 9, characterized in that the tissue of tissue and the spunbond fabric are combined together while the spunbond fabric is in a melted state.

11. A cleaning product as it is claimed in clause 9, characterized in that the tissue of tissue and the spunbond fabric are knitted together.

12. A cleaning product as claimed in clause 1 or 3, characterized in that the synthetic fibers comprise fibers of multiple components.

13. A cleaning product as claimed in clause 1 or 3, characterized in that the synthetic fibers are made of a material comprising a polyolefin and wherein the polymer fibers are made of a material comprising a polyolefin.

14. A cleaning product as claimed in clause 1 or 3, characterized in that the synthetic fibers comprise bicomponent fibers wherein the polymer fibers comprise a polyolefin.

15. A cleaning product as claimed in clause 14, characterized in that the polymer fibers comprise polypropylene fibers and wherein the synthetic bicomponent fibers comprise polyethylene / polyester fibers, polyethylene / polypropylene fibers or polypropylene / polyethylene fibers.

16. A cleaning product as claimed in clause 1 or 3, characterized in that the polymer fibers comprise polyester fibers and wherein the synthetic fibers comprise nylon fibers.

17. A cleaning product as claimed in clause 1 or 3, characterized in that both the melt spun fabric and the synthetic fibers comprise a polymer selected from a common category, the selected category of polyamides, styrene copolymers, polyesters, polyolefins , vinyl acetate copolymers, EVA polymers, polymers derived from butadiene, polyurethanes and silicone polymers.

18. A cleaning product as claimed in any one of the preceding clauses, characterized in that the tissue tissue comprises a fabric dried through non-creped air.

19. A cleaning product as claimed in any one of the preceding clauses, characterized in that the spun yarn with melt comprises a meltblown fabric or a yarn bonded fabric.

20. A cleaning product as claimed in any one of the preceding clauses, characterized in that it also comprises abrasive materials selected from filled particles, microspheres, mineral granules, metal granules and melt blowing load. SUMMARY The present invention describes a disposable scouring product for use in personal care or household cleaning applications. In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a cleaning tool that includes a handle and a rigid base to which the scrubbing product of the present invention can be held to form a convenient cleaning tool. The scouring product of the invention is a multilayer laminate and finally includes at least two distinct layers, an abrasive layer and an absorbent fibrous layer such as a tissue layer made of papermaking fibers. The abrasive layer is formed primarily of polymeric fibers in a random or random distribution as is typical of fibers deposited in meltblowing or spin bonding processes to form a porous and open structure. In one embodiment, an anchoring agent such as synthetic fibers are incorporated into the tissue layer that forms a bond with the abrasive layer when a laminate is formed in accordance with the present invention.