MXPA98002023A - Non-woven fabrics that have differential aesthetic properties and procedures to produce myself - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mixed non-woven laminated fabric having different softness and flexibility properties: the non-woven laminated fabric includes a polypropylene weave blown under melting interleaved between a weft bonded by polypropylene filaments and a weft bonded weft spinning of polyethylene filaments and attached to the

Description

NON-WOVEN FABRICS THAT HAVE DIFFERENTIAL AESTHETIC PROPERTIES AND PROCEDURES TO PRODUCE THEMSELVES FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to non-woven fabrics and to processes for producing non-woven fabrics. More specifically, the invention relates to non-woven barrier fabrics particularly suitable for medical applications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Nonwoven fabrics have been developed which prevent the passage of bacteria and other contaminants and which are useful for disposable medical fabrics, such as surgical drapes, disposable gowns and the like. The barrier fabrics can be formed by sandwiching an internal fibrous web of blown thermoplastics microfibers under melting between two external nonwoven webs of thermoplastic filaments joined by substantially continuous spinning. The meltblown web provides a barrier impervious to bacteria or other contaminants in the mixed non-woven fabric. Spunbonded wefts are selected to provide abrasion resistance and strength to the mixed fabric. Examples of such trilaminated nonwoven fabrics are described in the U.S.A. No. 4,041,203 and the US patent. No. 4,863,785.

The conventional barrier fabrics can be limited considering the aesthetic properties of the same, such as falling capacity, flexibility and softness. For example, typically, each of the fabric layers of a three-sided non-woven barrier fabric is formed of polypropylene, which can provide the fabric with good strength and abrasion resistance properties, but has aesthetic drawbacks, such as rigidity, roughness to the touch and similar. In addition, for non-woven fabrics, it can be convenient to have fluid repellent characteristics, particularly for fabrics used for surgical articles, such as surgical drapes and surgical gowns. It is generally convenient to incorporate a hydrophobic nonwoven web as a liquid impervious layer in a nonwoven blend to prevent fluids from entering the non-woven fabric and reaching the wearer's skin. However, the material used to make hydrophobic wefts typically has a poor feel or feel, and thus such wefts may have poor fabric aesthetics. In order to improve the aesthetics of the trilaminated fabrics without compromising the properties of resistance and fluid repellency, bicomponent fibers and blended fibers have been used to manufacture individual components of a trilaminate fabric. The constituent polymer of bicomponent or blended fibers can be selected to impart the desired properties to the fibers, and to the fabrics made therefrom. Fabrics that include as a component thereof a weft formed of bicomponent fibers or blended fibers can have improved aesthetics and other properties. However, the use of bicomponent and / or blended fibers requires more complex equipment than that required for homofilaments, and may also require additional processing steps. In addition, said equipment can be expensive to operate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention provides mixed non-woven fabrics having barrier, fluid-repellent and / or aesthetic properties suitable in a fabric. The non-woven fabrics of the invention include an outer non-woven web formed of substantially spunbonded thermoplastic filaments and a non-woven web of melt blown thermoplastic microfibers sandwiched between the spunbond webs and bonded thereto. The filaments of the external spunbonded webs are formed of polymers having differential aesthetic properties. As a result, each of the plies joined by spinning has softness, flexibility, etc. differentiates them, and in this way imparts differential aesthetic properties to the mixed fabric. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mixed fabric of the invention includes a nonwoven web formed of substantially continuous polypropylene filaments spunbonded, a nonwoven web formed of substantially continuous polyethylene filaments spunbonded and a non-woven web of meltblown polypropylene microfibers sandwiched between the spunbond webs and bonded thereto. Preferably all the layers are thermally bonded by means of a plurality of discrete thermal links distributed substantially in all of these and in the length and thickness dimensions of the mixed nonwoven fabric. The mixed non-woven fabrics of the invention have excellent barrier properties, are flexible and soft, and provide convenient properties of fluid repellency. The trilaminate fabrics of the invention can be used as components in any variety of non-woven products, and are particularly useful as barrier components in medical fabrics, such as sterile covers, surgical gowns and the like - The spin-linked web of continuous filaments of Polypropylene provides good abrasion resistance and strength for the laminated fabric of the invention. The inner layer of polypropylene blown under melting provides good barrier properties. The spin-jointed polyethylene fabric provides desirable aesthetic properties for the laminated fabric, such as flexibility and softness. In another aspect of the invention, medical fabrics are also provided which include the spunbonded polypropylene spunbond polypropylene spunbonded polypropylene composite fabric described above. In particular, the mixed non-woven fabrics of the invention are useful as components of medical fabrics such as surgical drapes and gowns. For example, when used to form a surgical gown, the spunbonded polyethylene fabric layer is in an inner layer of the surgical fabric, for example, it is adjacent to the wearer's skin. Accordingly, the surgical gowns of the invention provide a comfortable texture to a mixed fabric of fluid repellent barrier. Furthermore, by incorporating an inner spin-jointed polyethylene fabric, the surgical fabric of the invention exhibits improved flexibility and fall, which is useful for comfort around body parts of a surgical gown or for the ability to fall off a used fabric. in an operation room. Laminated non-woven fabrics according to the invention can be easily manufactured according to another aspect of the invention. The non-woven laminated fabrics can be manufactured into a layered weave including a nonwoven web of meltblown polypropylene microfibers sandwiched between a spin-linked web of polypropylene filaments and a meltblown web of polyethylene filaments. Subsequently, the layers of the resulting mixed nonwoven fabric is subjected to a heat treatment of sufficient bond to provide a plurality of discrete thermal links distributed substantially over the entire surface of the fabric. Conveniently, the mixed fabric is joined using an engraving grinder. The laminated nonwoven fabric of the invention provides on a fabric several convenient yet apparently contrary properties. The fabrics of the invention not only provide a barrier to the transmission of fluids, bacteria and other contaminants and fluid repellency; they also provide desirable aesthetic characteristics such as fabric-like feel and dropping ability without detriment to barrier characteristics and fluid repellency.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings forming a part of the original description of the invention: Figure 1 is a fragmentary top view of a laminated nonwoven fabric according to the invention, partially cut away to illustrate the component layers thereof; and Figure 2 illustrates schematically one embodiment of the method of the invention for forming a laminated nonwoven fabric of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which modalities illustrating the invention are shown. However, this invention can be made in many different ways and should not be considered as limited to the modalities set forth herein. Rather, this embodiment is provided so that the description is thorough and complete, and for the person skilled in the art will fully convey the scope of the invention. Throughout this description the same numbers refer to the same elements. The scale has been exaggerated for clarity. Figure 1 is a fragmentary top view of a laminated fabric according to the present invention. Generally the laminate is designated 10. The laminated fabric 10 is partially cut to illustrate the individual components thereof. The fabric is a mixture of three layers comprising an inner layer 12 sandwiched between the outer layers 14 and 16. The mixed fabric 10 has good strength, flexibility and drawability and can be shaped into various articles or garments such as covers sterile, surgical gowns, surgical drapes and the like. The barrier properties of the fabric 10 make it particularly suitable for medical applications, but the fabric is also useful for many other applications where barrier to contaminants and fluid repellency is desired, as well as a fabric-like feel and the ability to fall, such as industrial clothes, filtration media and disposable cloths. The inner layer 12 is a non-woven fibrous web comprising a plurality of thermoplastic melt blown microfibers. The microfibers may be any of a number of fiber-forming polymer compositions. Such polymers include those selected from the group consisting of polyolefins such as polypropylene and polyethylene, polyesters, polyamides and copolymers and mixtures thereof. Preferably, the microfibers are polypropylene microfibers. Preferably the fibers have an average fiber diameter of up to about 10 microns with very few, if any, of the other fibers exceeding 10 microns in diameter. Commonly, the average diameter of the fibers varies from 2 to 6 microns. The meltblown pink microfiber layer 12 is preferably manufactured in accordance with the method described in Buntin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,185. The melt blown layer 12 may have a weight basis in the range of about 10 to 80 grams per square meter (gmc), and preferably in the approximate range of 10 to 31 gmc. Conveniently, the melt blown web 12 is electrically treated to improve the filtration properties of the web. Such electrically treated fibers are generally known in the art as "electret" fibrous webs. The electret fibrous filters are very efficient in air filtration due to the combination of mechanical traps of particles in the air with the particle trap based on the electrical or electrostatic characteristics of the fibers. Both particles charged or discharged into the air, of a size that can not be mechanically trapped by the filtration medium, will be trapped by the charged nature of the filtration medium. The meltblown web 12 can be electrically treated using techniques and apparatus known in the art. Alternatively, the laminated fabric 10 of the invention can be treated with electricity using conventional techniques after the layers 12, 13 and 16 respectively have been assembled to form the laminated fabric 10. The outer layer 14 of the laminated fabric 10 is a non-woven web of substantially continuous thermoplastic filaments spunbond. The thermoplastic filaments of layer 14 can be made from any number of known fiber-forming polymer compositions. Such polymers include those selected from the group consisting of polyolefins such as polypropylene and polyethylene, polyesters, polyamides and copolymers and mixtures thereof. Spunbonded web 14 can be produced using well known spin bonding processes, and suitably can have a weight basis of about 10 gmc to about 100 gmc.

The outer layer 16 of the laminated fabric 10 is also a non-woven web of substantially continuous thermoplastic filaments spin-bonded. As with the spunbonded layer 14, the filaments of layer 16 may be made of any of a number of known fiber-forming polymer compositions, including polyolefins such as polypropylene and polyethylene, polyesters, polyamides and copolymers and mixtures thereof. . However, the filaments of the layer 16 are formed of a polymer selected to provide the layer 16 with differential aesthetic properties compared to the layer 14, for example different softness, flexibility, dropping ability and the like. Preferably, the filaments of the layer 16 are formed of a polymer that imparts greater softness and flexibility thereto as compared to the layer 14. In this respect, conveniently, the layer 16 shows at least about 25%, and preferably at least about 50% increase in softness and flexibility compared to layer 14, as determined using conventional test procedures such as IST90.3-92. The flexibility and differential softness between the layers 14 and 16 results in improved smoothness and flexibility of the resulting laminate, as compared to spin-bonded polypropylene spunbonded / meltblown polypropylene / polypropylene spunbonded fabrics substantially of weight basis and Same pattern of union.

Specifically, the laminated fabrics of the invention show at least 25%, and preferably at least about 40%, or more, of increased softness and flexibility over conventional polypropylene trilaminate fabrics. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the layer 14 is a spunbonded polypropylene web and the web 16 is a spunbonded polyethylene web, although each of the webs 14 and 16 can be formed from other polymers as described above, as long as the resulting layers show aesthetic properties differentials. The term "polyethylene" is used herein in a general sense, and is intended to include various homopolymers, copolymers and terpolymers of ethylene, including low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene and linear low density polyethylene, with polyethylene being most preferred. high density ("HDPE"). The spunbonded web 16 can be produced using well known spin bonding processes and can have a basis weight on the scale described above with respect to the spunbonded web 14. Conveniently, the spunbonded web 16 has a basis weight similar to that of the spunbonded web 14. The layers 12, 14 and 16 of the laminated fabric of the present invention can be joined to form a coherent fabric using techniques and apparatus known in the art. For example, the layers 12, 14 and 16 can be joined by thermal bonding, mechanical interlocking, adhesive bonding and the like. Preferably, the laminated fabric 10 includes a multiplicity of discrete thermal joints distributed throughout the fabric, the tie layers 12, 14 and 16 together form a coherent fabric. In addition, as will be apparent to the skilled artisan, the laminated fabric 10 may include one or more additional layers to provide improved barriers for the transmission of liquids, air pollutants, etc. and / or additional support layers. The laminated fabric 10 of the invention exhibits a variety of desirable characteristics, which make the fabric particularly useful as a barrier fabric in medical applications. At least one spunbonded layer is formed of a selected polymer to provide the laminate with good strength and abrasion resistance, preferably polypropylene. The other of the spunbond webs is formed of a selected polymer to impart desirable aesthetic properties to the web, and thus to the resulting laminated web. The other of the plies joined by spinning has increased softness and flexibility, and preferably it is a spin-jointed polyethylene web. The meltblown inner web provides good barrier properties and is preferably a meltblown polypropylene web. The resulting fabric can show significantly improved aesthetic properties such as improved soft feel, fall and flexibility, compared to commercial products currently available. Although the fabric also maintains good barrier properties, as well as fluid repellency. Referring now to Figure 2, an illustrative method for forming the laminated fabric 10 of the present invention is illustrated. A spinning joining apparatus 20 forms a first layer 22 of substantially continuous polypropylene filaments. The weft 22 is deposited on the forming screen 24 which is conveyed in a longitudinal direction by rollers 26. Spinning processes exiting a polymer through a linear die head or spine 30 to melt substantially continuous filaments 32. Preferably the spinneret produces filaments in substantially equal spaced distributions and the die holes are preferably from about 0.005 to about 0.102 cm in diameter. As shown in Figure 2, the substantially continuous filaments 32 are extruded from the spine 30 and extinguished by a supply of cooling air 34. The filaments are directed to an attenuator 36 after they are extinguished, and an attenuation air supply is admitted therein. Although separate extinguishing and attenuation zones are shown in the drawings, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the filaments can exit the spine 30 directly into the attenuator 36 where the filaments can be extinguished, either by means of the air supply of attenuation or by means of a separate supply of extinguishing air. The attenuation air can be directed to the attenuator 36 by a supply of air above the inlet end, by means of a vacuum located below a forming wire or by the use of eductors integrally formed in the attenuator. The air proceeds below the attenuator 36, which narrows the thickness in the direction away from the spine 30, creating a venturi effect and providing filament attenuation. The air and filaments salts of the attenuator 36, and the filaments are collected on the collection screen 24. The attenuator 36 used in the spinning process may be of any type known in the art, such as a spinning apparatus an air supply above the inlet end, through a vacuum located below a forming wire or through the use of eductors formed integrally in the attenuator. Slit stretching procedures or a tube-like apparatus (Lurgi). After the spunbonded layer 22 is deposited on the screen 24, the web is moved longitudinally under a conventional meltblowing apparatus. The meltblowing apparatus 40 forms a stream of blown fibers under melt 42 which is deposited on the surface of the spunbonded web 22 to form a melt blown spunbond / weave structure 44. Methods and blowing apparatus under melting are known to those skilled in the art and are described, for example, in the U.S.A. No. 3,849,241 to Buntin et al. And the US patent. No. 4,048,364 to Harding et al. In meltblowing, the thermoplastic resin is fed into the extruder where it is melted and heated to the proper temperature required for fiber formation. The extruder feeds the molten resin to a blow die under special melting. The die arrangement is usually a plurality of small diameter capillaries arranged in a linear fashion. The resin emerges from the holes of the die as the melt coils or flows in convergent streams at high velocity of hot gas, usually air. The air attenuates the polymer streams and breaks the attenuated current in a furnace of fine fibers that are collected in a mobile screen placed in front of the furnace. As the fibers fall on the screen, they become entangled to form a cohesive pattern. The structure 44 of the spunbonded / meltblown branch is then carried by the forming screen 24 in the longitudinal direction under a second conventional spinning joining apparatus. Spunbonding apparatus 50 deposits a spin-jointed polyethylene layer on structure 44 to thereby form a laminated structure 52 comprising a spunbonded polypropylene weft / meltblown polypropylene weft / spunbond polyethylene weft. The three-layer laminate 52 is longitudinally transported as shown in Figure 2 to a conventional thermal fusion station 60 to provide a joined non-woven mixed fabric 10. The melting station is constructed in a conventional manner as known to those skilled in the art. technique, and conveniently includes cooperating engraving rolls 62 and 64, which may include at least one knit roller, a spiral roll, and the like. Preferably, the layers are joined to provide a multiplicity of thermal junctions distributed throughout the laminated fabric. Binding conditions, including temperature and pressure of the bonding rolls, are known in the art for differing polymers. For the mixture comprising a spunbonded polypropylene weft / melt blown polypropylene weft / spin-jointed polyethylene weft, the engraving rolls are preferably heated to a temperature between about 12"C and about 130 ° C. It is fed through the engraving rolls at a speed of about 3 to 300 meters per minute, and preferably at a speed between about 5 and 150 meters per minute, although in FIG. 2 the thermal fusion station is illustrated in FIG. the shape of bonding rollers, other thermal treatment stations such as ultrasonic, microwave or other RF treatment zones may be replaced by the bonding rollers of Figure 2. Said conventional heating stations are known to those skilled in the art. and are capable of effecting substantial thermal fusion of the non-woven webs.In addition, other bonding techniques can be used. known in the art, such as hydro-threaded, stitched fibers and the like. It is also possible to achieve binding through the use of an appropriate binding agent as is known in the art, alone or in combination with thermal fusion. The resulting laminated fabric 10 leaves the thermal fusion station and is wound on a roller 70 by conventional means. The method illustrated in Figure 2 is susceptible to numerous variations. For example, although the schematic illustration of Figure 2 has been described as forming a spin-linked web directly during a continuous in-line process, it will be apparent that the spunbond webs can be preformed and supplied as preformed web rolls. Similarly, although the melt-blown web is shown to be formed directly on the spunbond web, and the web spun thereon, the melt blown webs and the spunbonded webs may be combined to form the web or it can be passed through heating rollers for further consolidation and subsequently passed to a spin-linked web or it can be stored in the form of a roll and fed from a preformed roll into the spin-bonded layer. Similarly, the three layer laminate can be formed and stored prior to engraving at the engraving station. In addition, the polymers used in the present invention can be specifically designed to provide or improve a desired property in the laminate. For example, any of a variety of adhesion promoting or "sticky" agents, such as ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers, can be added to the polymers used in the production of any of the wefts of the laminated structure to improve interlayer adhesion. In addition, at least one of the frames can be treated with a treatment agent to obtain any number of desired properties for the fabric, such as delaying flames, hydrophilic properties and the like. The present invention will be further illustrated by the following non-limiting examples.

EXAMPLE 1 The spun-bonded polypropylene webs and the spunbonded polyethylene webs were prepared, and various properties of each were evaluated. These results expressed in Table 1 below demonstrate the improved smoothness of the spin-jointed polyethylene webs and the improved abrasion resistance of the spin-jointed polypropylene webs. TABLE 1 AET (in. G./in) CD 852 297 MD 2772 2222 1 gmc - grams per square meter 2 Fluffiness was determined by measuring the distance between the upper and lower surface of the cloth sheet while the sheet was under compression load of 14.7 grams per square centimeter. The measure is usually the average of 10 measurements. 3 Fluff is determined by repeatedly rubbing a smooth elastomeric surface across the face of the fabric for a constant number of times. The weathered fiber was then weighed from the surface of the fabric. It is reported that the fluff was observed in mg weight. 4 Softness was evaluated by an organoleptic method in which an expert panel compared the sensation of the surface of the sample fabrics with that of the controls. The results are reported as a level of softness with high values that is more pleasant to the touch. Each value reported is for a single fabric test sample, but reflects the input of several panel members. 5 Tension, peak elongation and TEA were evaluated by breaking a 17.8 cm long sample generally following the ASTM D1682-64 test, the 2.54 cm cut tria test. The crosshead speed of the instrument was set to 12.7 cm per minute and the length of the gauge was set at 12.7 cm per minute. The REsistensia to the tension of the band, reported in grams per centimeter, is generally the average of at least 8 measurements. Peak elongation is the percentage of increase in length observed in a maximum tensile strength. AET, absorption of the total voltage energy, is calculated from the area under the stress strain curve generated during the tension test of the strip.

EXAMPLE 2 A mixed nonwoven fabric according to the invention was prepared as described below. A nonwoven spunbonded polypropylene weft was available from Exxon Chemical under the trademark designation 3445. The filaments had a denier per filament of 3, and the spin-linked web of substantially continuous polypropylene filaments had a basis weight of approximately 20 gmc. A second nonwoven web was prepared by means of melt blown polypropylene available from Exxon Chemical with the trademark designation 3445G to give a fibrous web having a basis weight of about 12 gmc. A third spin-linked polyethylene nonwoven web was formed available from Dow Chemical. The wefts were combined and compressed together to form a mixed laminate of spunbonded polypropylene / meltblown polyethylene / spunbond polyethylene. Subsequently, the mixed laminated fabric was passed through the space of a co-textured and smooth engraving roller pair. (Sample C) To evaluate the improved aesthetic properties of the laminated fabrics of the invention, a second trilaminate fabric was prepared as described above, except that the spunbonded polyethylene web was replaced with a second spin-linked polypropylene web ( Sample D). The softness and flexibility of both trilaminated fabrics according to the invention and the comparative trilaminate fabric were determined, and the results are set forth in Table 2 below. TABLE 2 The laminated fabrics of the invention show good barrier and filtration properties and liquid repellency.

In addition, the laminated fabrics of the invention show high flexibility (ie, ease of handling) and superior softness. The above example is illustrative of the present invention and should not be considered as limiting thereof. The invention is defined by means of the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included herein.

Claims (15)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A liquid-repellent non-woven laminated barrier fabric, comprising: a first non-woven web of substantially continuous thermoplastic filaments spunbonded; a second non-woven web of substantially continuous thermoplastic filaments spin-bonded, said second web having different softness and flexibility properties as compared to said first spin-linked web; and a non-woven web of meltblown microfibers sandwiched between said first and second webs joined by spinning and joining thereto to form a unitary web structure having a combination of properties of different softness and flexibility.

2. The laminated non-woven fabric according to claim 1, further characterized in that the differential softness between said first and second nonwoven webs spun-bonded is at least about 25% as determined using the IST90 test procedure. 3-92.

3. The laminated non-woven fabric according to claim 1, further characterized in that the differential softness between said first and second nonwoven webs is at least about 50% as determined using the IST90.3-92 test procedure. .

4. The laminated non-woven fabric according to claim 1, further characterized in that the differential flexibility between said first and second nonwoven webs spun-bonded is at least about 25% as determined using the IST90 test procedure. 3-92.

5. The laminated non-woven fabric according to claim 1, further characterized in that the differential flexibility between said first and second spun-bonded non-woven webs is at least about 50% as determined using the IST90 test procedure. 3-92.

6. The laminated non-woven fabric according to claim 1, further characterized in that said first spin-joined web comprises substantially continuous polypropylene filaments, and wherein said second spin-joined web comprises substantially continuous polyethylene filaments.

7. The laminated non-woven fabric according to claim 1, further characterized in that it comprises a multiplicity of thermal joints joining said first and second nonwoven webs joined by spinning and said web blown together to form a coherent laminated fabric.

8. The laminated non-woven fabric according to claim 6, further characterized in that said laminated fabric exhibits a flexibility of approximately 45 grams, determined using the conventional test procedure IST.3-92.

9. - The non-woven laminated fabric according to claim 6, further characterized in that said laminated fabric shows an increase of at least 25% in the flexibility compared to the meltblown polypropylene / polypropylene fabric meltblown / polypropylene bonded by spinning substantially of the same base weight.

10. A surgical gown made from non-woven fabric laminate comprising a first non-woven web of substantially continuous thermoplastic filaments spin-bonded; a second web of substantially continuous thermoplastic filaments spin-bonded, said second web having different softness and flexibility properties as compared to said first spin-linked web; and a meltblown microfiber web interspersed between said first and second non-woven webs joined by spinning and bonded thereto to form a unitary fabric structure having a combination of properties of different softness and flexibility.

11. A surgical drape made from laminated non-woven fabric comprising a first web of substantially continuous myopia filaments joined together by spinning, a second non-woven web of substantially continuous thermoplastic filaments spin-bonded, said second web having spin-bonded different softness properties as compared to said first spin-bonded layer, and a non-woven web of blown microfibers under melting sandwiched between said first and second non-woven spunbonded webs to form a nonwoven mixed web having a combination of different softness and flexibility properties.

12. A process for the manufacture of a nonwoven laminated fabric, the method comprising: forming a layered fabric including a non-woven web of thermoplastic fibers blown under blown icrofins interleaved between non-woven webs formed of substantially continuous filaments joined by spinning, said plies found joined by spinning having properties of different softness and flexibility; and joining said spunbond found non-woven webs and said meltblown webs to form a coherent laminated web having different softness and flexibility properties.

13. The method according to claim 12, further characterized in that the step of joining said laminated fabric comprises thermally bonding said laminated fabric to form a multiplicity of discrete thermal connections distributed throughout the fabric.

14. The method according to claim 12, further characterized in that at least one of said spun-bonded webs is a spunbonded web formed of substantially continuous polypropylene filaments, and wherein the other of said webs joined by Spinning is a spin-linked web formed of substantially continuous polyethylene filaments.

15. The method according to claim 14, further characterized in that said meltblown web comprises a plurality of polypropylene microfibers blown under melting.