Nonwoven fabric with surface uneven structure, and product using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9486979-B2
Application number	US-201013379899-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2010
Priority date	Jun 24, 2009
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

A nonwoven fabric having a surface concavo-convex structure, and a molded member and a wiping cloth that use the nonwoven fabric are provided. The nonwoven fabric having a surface concavo-convex structure is formed by pressing a planar element having a plurality of apertures against at least one surface of a nonwoven fabric that has been formed by passing hot air through a web including heat adhesive fibers so as to heat-bond interlacing points between the fibers. The pressing process is performed in a state where the nonwoven fabric retains heat in a degree that does not further promote the heat bonding. The nonwoven fabric having a surface concavo-convex structure is soft and exhibits high strength and sufficient resistance against stress.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A nonwoven fabric having a surface concavo-convex structure,
which is formed by pressing a planar element having a plurality of apertures against at least one surface of a nonwoven fabric that has been treated by passing hot air through a web comprising heat adhesive fibers so as to heat-bond the heat adhesive fibers in the nonwoven fabric at interlacing points between the heat adhesive fibers,
wherein the nonwoven fabric is heat-bonded entirely across the heat adhesive fibers at the interlacing points between the heat adhesive fibers,
the pressing process is performed in a state in which the nonwoven fabric is heated in a degree that does not further promote the heat bonding,
bulky hill parts forming convex parts in the surface concavo-convex structure and less bulky plain parts forming concave parts in the surface concavo-convex structure are intermingled with each other on the surface of the nonwoven fabric including the heat adhesive fibers,
each of the bulky hill parts forming the convex parts is formed at a position corresponding to one of the plurality of the apertures of the planar element, and each of the less bulky plain parts forming the concave parts is formed at a position corresponding to one part of a non-aperture area of the planar element, when the planar element is pressed against the nonwoven fabric,
the concave parts in a shape of a plain at the positions corresponding to the non-aperture area of the planar element surround the convex parts and form a network linking the concave parts with each other via the plain of the nonwoven fabric,
the bulky hill parts of the nonwoven fabric are formed so that a bulkiness of the bulky hill parts is not suppressed toward a space above the bulky hill parts, while the heat adhesive fibers in the bulky hill parts are heat-bonded at the interlacing points between the heat adhesive fibers in the bulky hill parts,
the heat adhesive fibers are heat adhesive conjugated fibers,
the heat adhesive conjugate fibers in the web are heat adhesive conjugate fibers that have been cut, and
wherein the nonwoven fabric has an apparent specific volume in a range from 20 to 70 cm 3 /g.

2. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 1 ,
wherein the planar element having the plurality of the apertures is a cylindrical roll that is used as a rotational roll through which the nonwoven fabric is passed while being pressed against the rotational roll.

3. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 1 , wherein the web is a laminate.

4. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 1 , having a weight per unit in a range from 15 to 60 g/m 2 and a maximal thickness in a range from 0.2 to 5 mm.

5. The nonwoven fabric according to claim 1 , wherein the difference in height between the convex part and the concave part adjacent to the convex part on at least one surface is in a range from 0.1 to 4.5 mm.

6. A molded member comprising: the nonwoven fabric according to claim 1 ; and an additional layer, wherein the nonwoven fabric and the additional layer are integrated with each other.

7. A product comprising the nonwoven fabric according to claim 1 .

8. A wiping cloth comprising the nonwoven fabric according to claim 1 .

9. A product comprising the molded member according to claim 6 .

10. A wiping cloth comprising the molded member according to claim 6 .

Assignees

• Terada Hirokazu
• Fujiwara Toshikatsu
• Jnc Corp
• Jnc Fibers Corp

Inventors

• Terada Hirokazu
• Fujiwara Toshikatsu

Classifications

• B32B5/26

  another layer {next to it} also being fibrous or filamentary {(relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12)} · CPC title

• Y10T428/24479

  including variation in thickness · CPC title

• B32B3/30 Primary

  characterised by a layer formed with recesses or projections, e.g. {hollows, grooves, protuberances, ribs (apertured layer B32B3/266; layer with cavities or internal voids B32B3/26)} · CPC title

• D04H1/541

  Composite fibres, e.g. sheath-core, sea-island or side-by-side; Mixed fibres · CPC title

• D04H1/72

  the fibres being randomly arranged · CPC title