Absorbent article having soft, textured molded nonwoven fabric

Abstract

An absorbent article is provided that includes a soft, textured shaped nonwoven. The nonwoven may be the topsheet and outer cover nonwoven material of the absorbent article. A portion of the wearer-facing surface of the topsheet has a thermal conductivity of about 1 dB V 2 rms~about 4.5dB V 2 rms range of TS7, and approximately 6 dB V 2 rms to approximately 30 dB V 2 The garment-facing surface portion of the outer cover nonwoven material may have a TS750 in the range of about 1 dB V 2 rms~about 4.5dB V 2 rms range of TS7, and approximately 6 dB V 2 rms to approximately 30 dB V 2 The nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure may have a TS750 in the rms range. The nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure provides a soft material with texture.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure is directed to absorbent articles having soft, textured shaped nonwovens. [Background technology]

[0002] Absorbent articles are used to contain and absorb body wastes (i.e. urine, feces, and menstruation) in babies, children, and adults. Absorbent articles may include, but are not limited to, diapers, pants, adult incontinence products, feminine care products, and absorbent pads. Various components of these absorbent articles include nonwoven fabrics. Two exemplary components that include nonwoven fabrics are the outer cover nonwoven material and the topsheet. Consumers want these two components, which form at least a portion of the garment-facing surface and the wearer-facing surface of the absorbent article, respectively, to have a certain look and feel while still providing superior performance. Superior performance for the topsheet may be a soft feel, but also a texture suitable for handling body wastes, breathability, and dryness of the skin. Superior performance for the outer cover nonwoven material may be a visually pleasing texture that conveys softness and gentleness to the skin, and may also be tactilely soft to the touch. Texture and softness are key properties that consumers desire for these two components. However, typically, the more texture applied to a nonwoven fabric, the less soft the nonwoven fabric is, and vice versa. Thus, nonwoven fabrics need to be improved. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] The present disclosure provides an absorbent article comprising a soft, textured shaped nonwoven, which resolves the conflict between texture and softness. Typically, the more texture applied to a nonwoven, the less soft it becomes. Similarly, softer nonwovens typically have only a small amount of texture, if any. The present disclosure provides a solution to the problem by providing an absorbent article comprising a nonwoven having high softness and high texture. The present disclosure also provides a solution to resolve the conflict between high softness and high texture, and also provides several improvements in fluid handling, such as quick bleed-through of bodily exudates and improved skin and topsheet dryness at the same time. Typically, the nonwoven of the present disclosure may form at least a portion of the wearer-facing surface (e.g., topsheet) and at least a portion of the garment-facing surface (e.g., outer cover nonwoven material). Softness, texture (i.e., smoothness), and / or stiffness can be measured by an Emtec Tissue Softness Analyzer according to the Emtec test described herein. Tactile softness is measured as TS7. Texture / smoothness is measured as TS750. Stiffness is measured as D. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0004] The above and other features and advantages of the present disclosure, as well as the manner in which they are realized, will become more apparent, and the disclosure itself will be better understood, by referring to the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] 1 is a photograph of an exemplary nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 1 is a photograph of an exemplary nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1 is a photograph of an exemplary nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure taken along line 4-4 in FIG. [Figure 5A] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-section of a filament formed of a primary component A and a secondary component B in a side-by-side arrangement. [Figure 5B]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of a filament formed of a primary component A and a secondary component B in an eccentric sheath / core arrangement. [Figure 5C] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-section of a filament formed of a primary component A and a secondary component B in a concentric sheath / core arrangement. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a perspective photograph of a trilobal bicomponent fiber. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary apparatus for producing a nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 8 is a detail of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 7 for bonding a portion of a fabric of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 9 is a further detail of a portion of an apparatus for bonding a portion of a fabric of the present disclosure from FIG. 8, which is a detail of FIG. [Figure 10] 1 is a detail of a portion of an apparatus for optionally further bonding portions of the nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 1 is a photograph of an exemplary nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 1 is a photograph of a portion of a forming belt useful in forming the nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] 13 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the forming belt of FIG. 12. [Figure 14] 13 is an image of a portion of a mask used to at least partially manufacture the forming belt of FIG. 12. [Figure 15] 17 is an image of a portion of a mask used to at least partially manufacture the forming belt of FIG. 16. [Figure 16] 1 is a photograph of a portion of a forming belt useful in forming the nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] 19 is an image of a portion of a mask used to at least partially manufacture the forming belt of FIG. 18. [Figure 18] 1 is a photograph of a portion of a forming belt useful in forming the nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Figure 19] 1 is a photograph of a portion of a forming belt useful in forming the nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Figure 20] 20 is an image of a mask used to at least partially manufacture the forming belt of FIG. 19. [Figure 21] 20 is a photograph of a nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure produced on the forming belt of FIG. 19. [Figure 22] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a forming belt of the present disclosure. [Figure 23] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a nonwoven substrate comprising a nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Figure 24] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a nonwoven substrate comprising a nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Diagram 25] 1 is a photograph of an exemplary nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Figure 26] 26 is a photograph of a cross section of the exemplary nonwoven fabric of FIG. [Figure 27] 1 is a perspective micro-CT image of an exemplary nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Figure 28] 1 is a perspective micro-CT image of an exemplary nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Figure 29] 29 is a cross-sectional micro-CT image of the exemplary nonwoven fabric of FIGS. 27 and 28. [Diagram 30] 29 is a micro-CT planar image of the exemplary nonwoven fabric of FIGS. 27 and 28. [Diagram 31] FIG. 2 is a graphical depiction of various effects of the nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Diagram 32] 1 is a photograph of a portion of an exemplary nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Diagram 33] 1 is a photograph of a portion of an exemplary nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Diagram 34] 1 is a photograph of a portion of an exemplary nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Diagram 35] 1 is a photograph of a portion of an exemplary nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Diagram 36] Photographs of cross sections of the exemplary nonwoven fabrics of FIGS. 36 and 35. [Figure 37] 1 is a photograph of a portion of an exemplary nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Figure 38] 1 is a photograph of a portion of an exemplary nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Figure 39] 1 is a photograph of a portion of an exemplary nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Diagram 40] 1 is a photograph of a portion of an exemplary nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure. [Diagram 41] 29-31 are micro-CT planar images of the exemplary nonwoven fabrics of FIGS. 27 and 28 after further processing. [Diagram 42] FIG. 42 is a graphical depiction of various effects of the nonwoven fabric of FIG. [Diagram 43] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an exemplary page including multiple absorbent articles. [Diagram 44] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an absorbent article comprising one or more nonwoven fabrics. [Diagram 45] FIG. 45 is a rear perspective view of the absorbent article of FIG. 44. [Diagram 46] 1 is an exemplary pattern for a nonwoven topsheet of the present disclosure. [Figure 47] 1 is an exemplary pattern for a nonwoven topsheet of the present disclosure. [Figure 48] 1 is an exemplary pattern for a nonwoven topsheet of the present disclosure. [Figure 49] 1 is an exemplary pattern for an outer cover nonwoven material of the present disclosure. [Figure 50] 1 is an exemplary pattern for an outer cover nonwoven material of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0005] Various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure are now described to provide a comprehensive understanding of the principles of structure, function, manufacture, and use of the reversible and configurable absorbent article disclosed herein. One or more examples of these non-limiting embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the reversible and configurable absorbent articles described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting embodiments, and the scope of the various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure is defined only by the claims. Features shown or described with respect to one non-limiting embodiment may be combined with features of other non-limiting embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a soft, textured molded nonwoven fabric formed by continuous spunbond filaments directly on a molded forming belt in a single forming process. The nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure may take a shape corresponding to the shape of the forming belt. The nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure resolves the tradeoff between softness and texture, providing high softness while still providing high texture.

[0007] Photographic illustrations of a representative example of a shaped nonwoven 10 are shown in Figures 1-3. The shaped nonwoven may be used, for example, as a topsheet and / or outer cover nonwoven material. The shaped nonwoven may also be used as other nonwoven components of absorbent articles or in other consumer products such as cleaning and dusting products and medical gowns.

[0008] The shaped nonwoven fabric 10 may be a spunbond nonwoven substrate having a first surface 12 and a second surface 14. In Figures 1-3, the second surface 14 faces the viewer and is opposite the first surface 12 and is not visible in Figures 1-3 but is shown in Figure 4. The term "surface" is used broadly to refer to both sides of the web for purposes of description and is not intended to imply any necessary flatness or smoothness. The shaped nonwoven fabric 10 is soft and flexible, but is described in a flat state relative to one or more XY planes that are parallel to the flat state and correspond to the cross direction (CD) and machine direction (MD) planes, respectively, in the web manufacturing art, as shown in Figures 1-3. The length L in the MD direction and the width W in the CD direction determine the overall area A of the nonwoven fabric 10. As shown in FIG. 4, which is a cross-section of a portion of the nonwoven fabric 10 shown in FIG. 1, for purposes of illustration, the three-dimensional features of the shaped nonwoven fabric are described as extending outward in the Z direction from the XY plane of the first surface 16 (see FIG. 4). The maximum dimension of the three-dimensional features in the Z direction may define the maximum distance between the plane of the first surface 16 and the XY plane of the second surface 18, which may be measured as the average caliper AC of the nonwoven fabric 10. The average caliper may be measured by optical non-contact means or by an instrument that measures the caliper of a nonwoven fabric placed under a predetermined pressure between spaced flat plates. It is not necessary for all three-dimensional features to have the same maximum dimension in the Z direction, but multiple three-dimensional features may have substantially the same maximum dimension in the Z direction as determined by the fiber laying process and forming belt properties described below.

[0009] The nonwoven fabrics shown in Figures 1-4 (as well as other nonwoven fabrics disclosed herein) may be fluid permeable. The entire nonwoven fabric may be considered fluid permeable. Regions or areas (described below) may be fluid permeable. Fluid permeable, as used herein in reference to a nonwoven fabric, means that the nonwoven fabric has at least one area that allows liquid to pass therethrough under the use conditions of the consumer product. For example, if the nonwoven fabric is used as a topsheet in a disposable diaper, the nonwoven fabric may have at least one area that has a level of fluid permeability that allows urine to pass through to the underlying absorbent core. Fluid permeable, as used herein in reference to a region, means that the region exhibits a porous structure that allows liquid to pass therethrough.

[0010] As shown in Figures 1-4, the nonwoven fabric 10 may have a regularly repeating pattern of a plurality of individual, recognizably different three-dimensional features, including a first three-dimensional feature 20, a second three-dimensional feature 22, and a third three-dimensional feature 24, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. For example, in Figure 1, the heart-shaped first three-dimensional feature 20 is recognizably different from the smaller, generally triangular second three-dimensional feature 22. The recognizable difference may be visual, such as a recognizably different size and / or shape.

[0011] The three-dimensional features of the nonwoven fabric 10 may be formed by directly depositing fibers, such as by carding, air laying, solution spinning, or melt spinning, onto a forming belt having a corresponding pattern of three-dimensional features. In a sense, the nonwoven fabric 10 is cast onto the forming belt, which determines the shape of the three-dimensional features of the fabric 10. However, it is important to note that, as described in this disclosure, the apparatus and method of the present invention produce a nonwoven fabric 10 such that, other than taking the shape of the forming belt, the characteristics of the forming belt and the equipment that forms the fabric impart beneficial properties for use in personal care articles, garments, medical products, and cleaning products. In particular, as described below, due to the nature of the forming belt and other equipment elements, the three-dimensional features of the nonwoven fabric 10 have intensive properties that can vary between first and second regions within a microzone (described in more detail below), or from one feature to another, to impart beneficial properties to the nonwoven fabric 10 when used in personal care articles, garments, medical products, and cleaning products. For example, the first three-dimensional feature 20 may have a different basis weight or density than the second three-dimensional feature 22, which may both have a different basis weight or density than the third three-dimensional feature 24, thereby providing beneficial aesthetic and functional properties related to fluid acquisition, distribution and / or absorbency in the diaper or sanitary napkin.

[0012] The difference in intensive properties between the various three-dimensional forming elements of nonwoven fabric 10 is believed to be due to the fiber distribution and compaction resulting from the apparatus and methods described herein. The fiber distribution occurs during the fiber laying process as opposed to a post-manufacturing process such as an embossing process. Because the fibers are free to move during a process such as a melt spinning process, where their movement is determined by the nature and air permeability of the forming elements of the forming belt, as well as other processing parameters, the fibers are believed to be more stable and permanently formed within nonwoven fabric 10.

[0013] As seen in Figures 1-3 and understood from the description herein, the different three-dimensional features are bounded by visually distinct regions (with respect to the interior of the three-dimensional features) that may be in the form of closed figures (such as the heart shapes in Figures 1 and 3 and the diamond shapes in Figures 2 and 3). Such closed figures may be closed figures that include curvilinear lines, such as the heart shapes in Figures 1 and 3. The bounded visually distinct regions may be regions of the nonwoven fabric 10 that are closest to the first surface 12 in the Z direction, such as region 21 shown in Figure 4, and may be regions that may lie at least partially within or on the first plane 16 when in a flat state. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the first three-dimensional feature 20 is heart-shaped, and an exemplary first three-dimensional feature 20A as shown in the figure is bounded by a closed heart-shaped element that includes curvilinear lines. A curvilinear element may be understood as a linear element having a tangent vector V at any point along its length, and a closed shape is such that the tangent vector V has both MD and CD components that vary in value over more than 50% of the length of the linear element of the closed shape. Of course, the shape need not be 100% completely closed, but the linear element may have breaks that do not detract from the overall impression of the closed shape. As described below in connection with the forming belt, the contoured, visually distinct curvilinear closed heart-shaped element is formed by a corresponding closed, heart-shaped raised element on the forming belt to form a closed heart shape on the fabric 10. In the repeating pattern, the individual shapes (heart shapes in the case of the first three-dimensional feature of FIG. 1) may provide an aesthetically pleasing, soft, pillow-like feature over the entire area OA of the second surface 14 of the fabric 10. When the nonwoven fabric 10 is intended for use as a topsheet in a diaper or sanitary napkin, the second surface 14 of the nonwoven fabric 10, as the side that faces the wearer, may provide excellent aesthetic benefits, as well as performance benefits related to softness, compression resistance, and fluid absorbency.

[0014] The present disclosure may use melt spinning, which does not result in mass loss in the extrudate, and is distinct from other spinning processes, such as wet or dry spinning from a solution, which leads to mass loss as the solvent is removed by volatilization or diffusion from the extrudate.

[0015] Melt spinning may occur at about 150°C to about 280°C, or about 190°C to about 230°C. The fiber spinning speed may be greater than 100 m / min, about 1,000 to about 10,000 m / min, about 2,000 to about 7,000 m / min, or about 2,500 to about 5,000 m / min. The spinning speed may affect the brittleness of the spun fiber, but generally the higher the spinning speed the less brittle the fiber may be. Continuous fibers may be produced by spunbonding or meltblown processes.

[0016] The nonwoven fabric 10 of the present disclosure may include continuous multicomponent polymer filaments comprising a primary polymer component and a secondary polymer component. The filaments may be continuous bicomponent filaments comprising a primary polymer component A and a secondary polymer component B. The bicomponent filaments have a cross section, a length, and a circumferential surface. Components A and B may be disposed in substantially distinct zones across the cross section of the bicomponent filament and may extend continuously along the length of the bicomponent filament. The secondary component B constitutes at least a portion of the circumferential surface of the bicomponent filament continuously along the length of the bicomponent filament. The polymer components A and B may be melt spun into a multicomponent fiber in conventional melt spinning equipment. The equipment is selected based on the desired morphology of the multicomponent. Commercially available melt spinning equipment is available from Hills, Inc., Melbourne, Florida. Spinning temperatures range from about 180° C. to about 230° C. The bicomponent spunbond filaments may have an average diameter of about 6 to 40 micrometers or about 12 to about 40 micrometers.

[0017] Components A and B may be arranged in a side-by-side configuration as shown in FIG. 5A or in an eccentric sheath / core configuration as shown in FIG. 5B to obtain filaments exhibiting natural helical crimp. Alternatively, components A and B may be arranged in a concentric sheath-core configuration as shown in FIG. 5C. Additionally, components A and B may be arranged in a multi-lobal sheath-core configuration as shown in FIG. 6. Other multicomponent fibers may be produced using the compositions and methods of the present disclosure. Bicomponent and multicomponent fibers may be in a split pie configuration, ribbon configuration, islands-in-the-sea configuration, or any combination thereof. The sheath may be continuous or discontinuous around the core. The fibers of the present disclosure may have different geometric shapes, including circular, elliptical, star, rectangular, and various other eccentric shapes.

[0018] Methods for extruding multicomponent polymer filaments into such configurations are generally known to those skilled in the art.

[0019] A wide variety of polymers are suitable for practicing the present disclosure, including polyolefins (such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polybutylene), polyesters, polyamides, polyurethanes, elastomeric materials, etc. Examples of polymeric materials that may be spun into filaments may include natural polymers.

[0020] The primary component A and secondary component B may be selected such that the resulting bicomponent filaments provide improved nonwoven adhesion and substrate flexibility. The primary polymer component A may have a melting point lower than the melting point of the secondary polymer component B.

[0021] The primary polymer component A may comprise polyethylene or a random copolymer of propylene and ethylene. The secondary polymer component B may comprise polypropylene or a random copolymer of propylene and ethylene. The polyethylene includes linear low density polyethylene and high density polyethylene. Additionally, the secondary polymer component B may comprise additives to enhance the natural helical crimp of the filaments, reduce the bonding temperature of the filaments, and increase the abrasion resistance, strength, and flexibility of the resulting fabric.

[0022] Inorganic fillers, such as oxides of magnesium, aluminum, silicon, and titanium, may be added as inexpensive fillers or processing aids.

[0023] The filaments of the present invention may further comprise a slip additive in an amount sufficient to impart a desirable tactile feel to the fiber. As used herein, "slip additive" or "slip agent" refers to an external lubricant. When melt mixed with the resin, the slip agent slowly exudes or migrates to the surface during cooling or after fabrication to form a uniform, imperceptibly thin coating that provides a durable lubricating effect. The slip agent may be a high speed bloom slip agent.

[0024] During manufacture, or in post-treatment, or even both, the nonwoven fabrics of the present disclosure may be treated with surfactants or other agents to hydrophilize the web or to hydrophobize the web. For example, the nonwoven fabric used in the topsheet may be treated with a hydrophilizing material or surfactant to make it permeable to body exudates such as urine. In other absorbent articles, the topsheet may be kept in its natural hydrophobic state or may be made even more hydrophobic by adding a hydrophobizing material or surfactant.

[0025] Materials suitable for preparing the multicomponent filaments of the fabrics of the present disclosure may include PP3155 polypropylene available from Exxon Mobil Corporation and PP3854 polypropylene available from Exxon Mobil Corporation.

[0026] Where polypropylene is component A and the second polypropylene composition is component B, the side-by-side bicomponent filaments may be comprised of about 5 to about 95% by weight polypropylene and about 95 to about 5% by weight of the other polypropylene composition. The filaments may be comprised of about 30 to about 70% by weight polyethylene and about 70 to about 30% by weight of each component.

[0027] 7, an exemplary process line 30 for preparing the fabric 10 of the present disclosure is disclosed. Although the process line 30 is configured to produce a bicomponent continuous filament fabric, it should be understood that the present disclosure also encompasses nonwoven fabrics formed with one component or multicomponent filaments having more than two components. The bicomponent filaments may be trilobal.

[0028] The process line 30 includes a pair of extruders 32 and 34 driven by extruder drives 31 and 33, respectively, for separately extruding a primary polymer component A and a secondary polymer component B. Polymer component A is fed to the corresponding extruder 32 from a first hopper 36, and polymer component B is fed to the corresponding extruder 34 from a second hopper 38. Polymer components A and B may be fed from the extruders 32 and 34 through respective polymer conduits 40 and 42 to filters 44 and 45 and melt pumps 46 and 47, which pump the polymers to a spin pack 48. Spinnerets for extruding bicomponent filaments are generally known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here.

[0029] Generally speaking, the spin pack 48 includes a housing that includes a plurality of plates stacked on top of each other with a pattern of openings arranged to form flow paths for directing the polymer components A and B separately through the spinneret. The spin pack 48 has openings arranged in one or more rows. The spinneret openings form a curtain of filaments that extend downward as the polymer is extruded from the spinneret. For purposes of this disclosure, the spinneret can be configured to form non-circular fibers, such as sheath / core or side-by-side bicomponent filaments as shown in Figures 5A, 5B, and 5C, as well as trilobal fibers as shown in Figure 6. Additionally, the fibers may be monocomponent, consisting of one polymer component, such as polypropylene.

[0030] The process line 30 also includes a quench blower 50 positioned adjacent to the curtain of filaments extending from the spinneret. Air from the quench blower 50 quenches the filaments extending from the spinneret. The quench air may be directed from one side of the filament curtain or from both sides of the filament curtain.

[0031] An attenuator 52 is positioned below the spinneret to receive the quenched filaments. Fiber drawing devices or aspirators used as attenuators in melt spinning of polymers are generally known. Fiber drawing devices suitable for use in the process of the present disclosure include straight fiber attenuators of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,817, and eductive guns of the type shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,692,618 and 3,423,266.

[0032] Generally speaking, the attenuator 52 includes an elongated vertical passageway through which the filaments are drawn by drawing air entering from the sides of the passageway and flowing down the passageway. A shaped, endless, at least partially foraminous forming belt 60 is disposed below the attenuator 52 to receive the continuous filaments from the exit opening of the attenuator 52. The forming belt 60 is a belt and travels along guide rollers 62. A vacuum device 64 disposed below the portion of the forming belt 60 where the filaments are deposited draws the filaments against the forming surface. In FIG. 8, the forming belt 60 is shown as a belt, but it should be understood that the forming belt may take other forms, such as a drum. Details of a particular shaped forming belt are described below.

[0033] In operation of process line 30, hoppers 36 and 38 are filled with polymer components A and B, respectively. Polymer components A and B are melted and extruded by corresponding extruders 32 and 34 through polymer conduits 40 and 42 and spin pack 48. The temperature of the molten polymer will vary depending on the temperature of the polymer used, but when polyethylene is used as primary component A and secondary component B, respectively, the polymer temperature may range from about 190° C. to about 240° C.

[0034] As the extruded filaments extend below the spinneret, airflow from quench blower 50 at least partially quenches the filaments and, for certain filaments, induces crystallization of the molten filaments. The quench air may flow in a direction substantially perpendicular to the length of the filaments at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 35° C. and a speed of about 100 to about 400 feet per minute. The filaments may be quenched sufficiently prior to collection on forming belt 60 that they may be aligned by forced air passing through the filaments and the forming surface. Quenching the filaments reduces the tackiness of the filaments so that they do not stick too closely to each other before being bonded together, and the filaments may be moved or aligned on the forming belt during collection of the filaments on the forming belt and during formation of the web.

[0035] After quenching, the filaments are drawn by the fiber draw system flow into the vertical passage of attenuator 52. The attenuator may be positioned 30-60 inches below the bottom of the spinneret.

[0036] The filaments may be deposited from the exit opening of the attenuator 52 onto a shaped, moving forming belt 60. As the filaments contact the forming surface of the forming belt 60, a vacuum device 64 draws air and the filaments against the forming belt 60 to form a nonwoven web of continuous filaments having a shape that conforms to the shape of the forming surface. As mentioned above, the filaments are quenched so that they do not become excessively tacky, and the vacuum may move or align the filaments on the forming belt 60 as they are collected on the forming belt 60 and formed into the fabric 10.

[0037] The process line 30 includes one or more bonding devices, such as cylindrical compression rolls 70 and 72 that form a nip through which the fabric may be compressed (e.g., calendered), and the compression rolls may also be heated to bond the fibers. One or both of the compression rolls 70, 72 may be heated to provide enhanced properties and benefits to the nonwoven fabric 10 by bonding portions of the nonwoven fabric. For example, it is believed that sufficient heating to provide thermal bonding improves the tensile properties of the fabric 10. The compression rolls may be a pair of smooth stainless steel rolls with independent heating controls. The compression rolls may be heated by electrical elements or by circulating hot oil. The gap between the compression rolls may be hydraulically controlled to apply a desired pressure to the fabric as it passes through the compression rolls on the forming belt. As an example, if the caliper of the forming belt is 1.4 mm and the spunbond nonwoven fabric has a basis weight of 25 gsm, the nip gap between the compression rolls 70 and 72 may be about 1.4 mm.

[0038] The upper compression roll 70 may be heated sufficiently to melt-bond the fibers on the first surface 12 of the nonwoven fabric 10, thereby providing strength to the nonwoven fabric so that it may be removed from the forming belt 60 without losing its integrity. For example, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the belt 60 with the spunbond fabric laid thereon enters a nip formed by the rolls 70 and 72 as the rolls 70 and 72 rotate in the direction indicated by the arrows. The heated roll 70 may form bonded fibers 80 on at least the first surface 12 of the fabric 10 by heating the portions of the nonwoven fabric 10 (i.e., areas 21) that are pressed against the roll 70 by the raised resin elements of the belt 60. As will be understood from the description herein, the bonded areas thus formed may have a pattern of the raised elements of the forming belt 60. For example, the bonded areas thus formed may be a substantially continuous network or a substantially semi-continuous network on the first surface 12 of the areas 21 that form the same pattern as the hearts of Figures 1 and 11. By adjusting the temperature and residence time, bonding may be limited primarily to the fibers closest to the first surface 12, or the thermal bonding may be performed to the second surface 14 as shown in Figure 11 (which also shows point bonds 90, described in more detail below) and Figures 34-38. The bonding may be a discontinuous network, for example as point bonds 90, described below.

[0039] The raised elements of the forming belt 60 can be selected to establish various network characteristics of the bonded areas of the forming belt and nonwoven substrate 11 or nonwoven fabric 10. The network corresponds to the resin that makes up the raised elements of the forming belt 60 and can include substantially continuous, substantially semi-continuous, discontinuous, or combinations of these options. These networks can be descriptive of the raised elements of the forming belt 60 as they relate to the appearance or configuration of the network in the XY plane of the forming belt 60 or the three-dimensional features that make up the nonwoven substrate 11 or nonwoven fabric 10 of the present disclosure.

[0040] A "substantially continuous" network refers to a region in which any two points can be connected by an uninterrupted line that extends entirely within the region over the entire length of that line. That is, a substantially continuous network has substantial "continuity" in all directions parallel to the first plane and terminates only at the edges of the region. The term "substantially" in combination with "continuous" is intended to indicate that absolute continuity can be achieved, but that some deviations from absolute continuity can be tolerated as long as such deviations do not significantly affect the designed and intended performance of the fiber structure (or molding member).

[0041] A "substantially semi-continuous" network structure refers to a region that has "continuity" in all directions except at least one direction parallel to the first plane, such that any two points cannot be connected by an uninterrupted line that extends entirely within the region over the entire length of that line. A semi-continuous structure may only have continuity in one direction parallel to the first plane. As with the continuous regions described above, absolute continuity in all directions except at least one direction is preferred, but some deviations from such continuity may be tolerated as long as such deviations do not significantly affect the performance of the fiber structure.

[0042] A "discontinuous" network refers to separate regions that are distinct and discontinuous in all directions parallel to a first plane.

[0043] After compression, the nonwoven fabric 10 may leave the forming belt 60 and be calendered through a nip formed by calender rolls 71, 73, after which the fabric 10 may be wound onto a reel 75. As shown in the schematic cross-section of FIG. 10, these calender rolls 71, 73 may be stainless steel rolls having an engraved pattern roll 84 and a smooth roll 86. The engraved roll may have ridges 88 that may provide additional compression and bonding to the fabric 10. The ridges 88 may be a regular pattern of relatively small, spaced apart "pins" that form a pattern of relatively small point bonds 90 within the nip of the calender rolls 71 and 73. The percentage of point bonds in the nonwoven fabric 10 may be from about 3% to about 30%, or from about 7% to about 20%. The engraved pattern may be in the form of a plurality of closely spaced, regular, generally cylindrical, generally flat-topped pins, with the height of the pins ranging from about 0.5 mm to about 5 mm, or from about 1 mm to about 3 mm. The pin-bonded calender roll may form closely spaced, regular point bonds 90 in the nonwoven fabric 10, as shown in Figure 11. Further bonding may be achieved by, for example, hot air bonding.

[0044] "Point bonding" as used herein is a method of thermally bonding a nonwoven, web, or substrate. The method involves passing a web through a nip between two rolls, a heated male pattern or engraved metal roll and a smooth or patterned metal roll. The male pattern roll may have a number of raised, generally cylindrical pins that create circular point bonds. The smooth roll may or may not be heated depending on the application. In a nonwoven manufacturing line, the nonwoven, which may be a web of unbonded fibers, is fed into a calender nip where the fiber temperature is raised to a point where the fibers are thermally fused together at the tips of the engraved points against the smooth roll. Heating times are typically on the order of milliseconds. The fiber properties depend on process settings such as roll temperature, web line speed, and nip pressure, all of which may be determined by one skilled in the art to obtain the desired degree of point bonding. Other types of point bonding, commonly known as high temperature calender bonding, may use different geometric shapes to create the bond (other than circular), such as ellipses, lines, circles, etc. In one example, the point bonds form a pattern of point bonds that are 0.5 mm diameter circles with 10% of the total bonded area. Other bond geometries may have raised pins with the longest dimension across the pin's bonded surface of about 0.1 mm to 2.0 mm, with the total bonded area ranging from 5% to 30%.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 11, the heated compression roll 70 may form a predetermined bond pattern, which may be a substantially continuous network bond pattern 80 (e.g., interconnected heart-shaped bonds) on the first surface 12 of the nonwoven fabric 10 (not shown in FIG. 11 because it faces away from the viewer), and the engraved calendar roll 73 may form relatively small point bonds 90 on the second surface 14 of the nonwoven fabric 10. The point bonds 90 may secure loose fibers that may otherwise cause fraying or pilling during use of the fabric 10. The advantages of the resulting structure of the nonwoven fabric 10 are most apparent when used as a topsheet for an absorbent article, such as a diaper or sanitary napkin. When used in an absorbent article, the first surface 12 of the nonwoven fabric 10 may be relatively flat (compared to the second surface 14) and may have relatively more bonds in order for the heated compression roll to form bonds 80 in areas of the fabric pressed by the raised elements of the forming belt 60. This bonding provides structural integrity to the nonwoven 10, but may be relatively stiff or rough against the skin of the user. Thus, the first surface 12 of the nonwoven 10 may be oriented in a diaper or sanitary napkin to face the inside of the article, i.e., away from the wearer's body, i.e., facing the garment. Similarly, the second surface 14 may be the side that faces the wearer and contacts the body during use. The relatively small point bonds 90 may be less visually or tactilely perceptible by the user, and the relatively soft three-dimensional features may remain free of visually noticeable fuzzing and pilling while feeling soft to the body during use. Additional bonding may be used instead of or in addition to the bonding described above.

[0046] The forming belt 60 may be made according to the methods and processes described in U.S. Patent No. 6,610,173 issued to Lindsay et al. on August 26, 2003, or U.S. Patent No. 5,514,523 issued to Trokhan et al. on May 7, 1996, or U.S. Patent No. 6,398,910 issued to Burazin et al. on June 4, 2002, or U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0199741 published in the name of Stage et al. on August 8, 2013, each of which has the modified forming elements and patterns disclosed herein for producing spunbond nonwoven webs. The disclosures by Lindsay, Trokhan, Burazin, and Stage describe belts representative of papermaking belts made of cured resin on woven reinforcement members, which may be used in the present disclosure with modifications as described herein.

[0047] An example of a forming belt 60 of a type useful in the present disclosure and which may be manufactured in accordance with the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,523 is shown in FIG. 12. As taught herein, a reinforcing member 94 (such as a woven belt of filaments 96) is completely coated with a liquid photopolymer resin to a preselected thickness. A film or negative mask incorporating the repeating elements of the desired raised element pattern (e.g., FIG. 14) is juxtaposed over the liquid photopolymer. The resin is then exposed to light of an appropriate wavelength through the film (e.g., ultraviolet light for ultraviolet curable resins). This exposure to light hardens the resin in the exposed areas (i.e., the white or non-printed portions of the mask). The uncured resin (resin under the opaque portions of the mask) is removed from the system, leaving behind the cured resin which forms the pattern shown in the figure (e.g., the cured resin elements 92 shown in FIG. 12). Other patterns may also be formed.

[0048] Figure 12 illustrates a portion of a forming belt 60 useful in producing the nonwoven fabric 10 shown in Figure 1. As shown, the forming belt 60 may include cured resin elements 92 on a woven fabric strength member 94. The strength member 94 may be formed of a woven filament fabric 96 as is commonly known in the papermaking belt art, such as a resin coated papermaking belt. The cured resin elements may have the general structure shown in Figure 12 and are produced using a mask 97 having the dimensions shown in Figure 14. As shown in the schematic cross-section of FIG. 13, the cured resin elements 92 flow around and are cured to "set" the reinforcing members 94 and may have a width DW at the distal end of about 0.020 inches to about 0.060 inches, or about 0.025 inches to about 0.030 inches, and an overall height above the reinforcing members 94, referred to as the overburden (OB), of about 0.030 inches to about 0.120 inches, or about 0.50 inches to about 0.80 inches, or about 0.060 inches. FIG. 14 depicts a portion of a mask 97 showing the pattern and representative dimensions of one repeat unit of the repeating heart pattern of the nonwoven fabric 10 shown in FIG. 1. The white areas 98 transmit ultraviolet light, which in the belt manufacturing process described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,523 allows the ultraviolet light to cure the underlying resin layer, which is cured to form the raised elements 92 on the reinforcing members 94. After the uncured resin has been washed away, the ends of a length of the belt, as shown in FIG. 7, which may be determined by the design of the equipment, are joined together to provide a forming belt 60 having a pattern of cured resin as shown in FIG. 12.

[0049] Similarly, Figure 15 depicts a portion of a mask 97 showing the pattern of one repeat unit of the repeating pattern of nonwoven fabric 10 shown in Figure 2. The white portions 98 transmit UV light, which in the belt manufacturing process allows the UV light to cure the underlying resin layer, which is cured against the reinforcing members 94. After the uncured resin is washed away, as shown in Figure 7, two ends of a length of the belt, which may be determined by the equipment design, are spliced ​​together to produce a formed belt 60 having a cured resin pattern as shown in Figure 16.

[0050] Further, by way of example, Figure 17 depicts a portion of a mask showing the pattern of one repeat unit of the repeating pattern of nonwoven fabric 10 shown in Figure 18. The white areas 98 transmit UV light, which in the belt manufacturing process allows the UV light to cure the underlying resin layer, which is cured against the strength members 94. After the uncured resin is washed away, the ends of the length of fabric 10 are seamed together to yield a formed belt 60 having the cured resin pattern as shown in Figure 18.

[0051] Another example of a portion of a type of forming belt 60 useful in the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 19. The portion of forming belt 60 shown in FIG. 19 is a discrete belt pattern 61 that may have a length L and width W corresponding to the length L and width W of the overall area OA of nonwoven fabric 10. That is, forming belt 60 may have discrete belt patterns 61 (described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 22) each having a discrete belt pattern overall area DPOA corresponding to the overall area OA of nonwoven fabric 10. FIG. 20 represents a portion of a mask showing the pattern of one repeat unit of the repeat pattern of nonwoven fabric 10 shown in FIG. 21. The white portion 98 transmits ultraviolet light, which in the belt manufacturing process allows the ultraviolet light to cure the underlying resin layer, which is cured against the reinforcing members 94. After the uncured resin is washed away, the ends of the belt length are spliced ​​together to provide a forming belt 60 having a pattern of cured resin as shown in FIG. 19.

[0052] The portion of the forming belt shown in FIG. 19 illustrates another advantage of the present disclosure. The portion of the forming belt 60 shown in FIG. 19 may produce the fabric 10 shown in FIG. 21. The nonwoven fabric 10 shown in FIG. 21 may have dimensions of width W and length L, and overall area OA, that make the fabric 10 suitable for use, for example, as a topsheet for a disposable diaper. The nonwoven fabric 10 produced on the forming belt 60 shown in FIG. 19 differs from the nonwoven fabric 10 shown in FIGS. 1-3 in that the pattern of three-dimensional formed elements formed by the individual resin elements 92 on the forming belt 60 is not a regular repeating pattern throughout the overall area. Rather, the pattern of three-dimensional raised elements within the overall area DPOA of the individual belt pattern may be described as an irregular pattern that includes different portions referred to as zones. The difference between the zones may be visual, i.e., a visually distinguishable difference, or in the nonwoven fabric 10, the difference may result in a difference in an average intensive property, such as basis weight or density, or a combination of visual and intensive properties. A visually distinguishable difference exists when an observer under normal indoor lighting conditions (e.g., 20 / 20 vision, sufficient lighting to read text) can visually distinguish the difference in pattern between areas, such as first area 112 and second area 122.

[0053] The nonwoven fabric 10 may also have visually distinct regions corresponding to the regions of the forming belt. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, the fabric 10 may have at least two, three, or four visually distinct regions. A first region 110 having a first pattern of three-dimensional features and a first average intensive property may have a first region located approximately centrally within the overall area OA. A second region 120 having a second pattern of three-dimensional features and a second average intensive property may have a second region distributed approximately around and completely surrounding the first region 110 within the overall area OA. A third region 130 having a third pattern of three-dimensional features and a third average intensive property may have a third region distributed approximately around and completely surrounding the second region 120 within the overall area OA. A fourth region 140 having a fourth feature of three-dimensional features and a fourth average intensive property may have a fourth region, such as the heart pattern shown in Figure 21, located anywhere within the overall area OA, such as at the front of the topsheet. In general, there may be n regions, where n is a positive integer. Each of the n regions may have an nth pattern of three-dimensional features, as well as an nth area and an nth average intensive property.

[0054] The visually distinct regions as shown in FIG. 21 may include visually distinct three-dimensional features. These distinct three-dimensional features may be bounded by regions of relatively high density (relative to the interior of the three-dimensional features), which may be in the form of closed figures, such as the heart shapes of FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 and the diamond shapes of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. In general, as described more fully below, including in relation to the microzones, the three-dimensional features may be defined by a first region and a second region, which are visually distinct, each of which is associated with a common intensive property, and the first region and the second region have a difference in value of the common intensive property. The three-dimensional features may be defined by a first region and a second region, the first region being at a higher height (dimension measured in the Z direction) than the second region relative to the plane of the first surface. The three-dimensional feature may be defined by a first region and a second region, the first region being at a higher base than the second region.

[0055] As will be appreciated, the forming belt 60 of the present disclosure allows for the production of a nonwoven material that, instead of having a uniform, constant repeating pattern across the forming belt, may have irregular repeating individual belt patterns 61, each similar to the individual belt pattern 61 shown in FIG. 19. Each individual belt pattern 61 may be used to form one nonwoven fabric 10 having an overall area OA suitable for use in a disposable absorbent article, such as a diaper or sanitary napkin. The nonwoven fabric 10 may be produced continuously (i.e., in a line) and, if desired, continuously in multiple parallel lanes, each lane being a continuous line of nonwoven fabric 10. The continuous line of nonwoven fabric 10 may be produced in the machine direction along an axis parallel to the machine direction. This nonwoven material may then be slit or otherwise cut to size to produce a nonwoven fabric 10 for use as a topsheet in a disposable absorbent article.

[0056] The patterns within each individual belt pattern overall area DPOA may be the same or different. That is, the consecutively spaced individual belt patterns may be substantially the same, or they may differ in visual appearance and / or in the intensive properties resulting in the nonwoven substrate produced therefrom. For example, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 22, the pattern of three-dimensional raised elements within the first forming zone 112 of individual belt pattern 61A may be different from the pattern of three-dimensional raised elements within the first forming zone 112 of individual belt pattern 61B. In this manner, forming belt 60 provides flexibility in the production of nonwoven webs 10 suitable for use in consumer products, including disposable absorbent articles.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 22, a forming belt is shown having an axis A parallel to the longitudinal direction, which is the machine direction. The forming belt 60 may have a plurality of individual belt patterns 61 arranged in at least one continuous relationship to the longitudinal direction. Each individual belt pattern 61 may have an individual belt pattern overall area DPOA defined in a rectangular pattern by a length L and a width W, similar to that shown for individual belt pattern 61A. Each individual belt pattern may have within its overall area DPOA a first forming zone 112 having a first pattern of three-dimensional raised elements extending outwardly from the plane of the first surface, and a second forming zone 122 having a second three-dimensional raised elements extending outwardly from the plane of the first surface. The first forming zone may have a first air permeability value and the second forming zone may have a second air permeability value, the first air permeability value being different from the second air permeability value. The patterns within each continuously arranged individual belt pattern overall area DPOA may be the same or different.

[0058] By way of example, and with reference to the individual belt patterns 61 of the forming belt 60 shown in FIG. 19 and the nonwoven fabric 10 shown in FIG. 21, the following properties were measured. The first region 110 of the nonwoven fabric 10 may have an average basis weight of about 5 gsm to about 30 gsm. The second region 120 may have an average basis weight of about 50 gsm to about 70 gsm, and the third region 130 may have an average basis weight of about 25 gsm to about 60 gsm. The difference in basis weight from region to region may be due to differences in the air permeability of the forming belt 60. With reference to the nonwoven fabric 10 of FIG. 20, where the basis weights of the regions 110, 120, and 130 are 15 gsm, 53 gsm, and 25 gsm, respectively, the air permeability of the respective regions 112, 122, and 132 of the forming belt 60 are 379 cfm, 805 cfm, and 625 cfm, respectively. Thus, by varying the air permeability of each region of the forming belt 10, the intensive properties of the average basis weight and average density of each region may be enhanced across the entire area of ​​the fabric 10.

[0059] As can be seen from the description of forming belt 60 set forth in FIG. 22 and with reference to FIG. 23, the nonwoven substrate 11 formed on belt 60 may be described as a nonwoven substrate 11 having a plurality of portions, described herein as a plurality of fabrics 10 arranged in at least one continuous relationship relative to the longitudinal direction, i.e., the machine direction, as formed on forming belt 60. FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of a spunbond nonwoven substrate 11 showing the continuously arranged fabrics 10, each having different patterns in various regions. Each fabric 10 may have an overall area OA defined by a length L and a width W in a rectangular pattern. Each sequentially arranged fabric 10 may have within its overall area OA at least a first region 110 having a first pattern of three-dimensional features and a first average intensive property and a first region located within the overall area OA, and a second region 120 having a second pattern of three-dimensional features and a second average intensive property and a second region located within the overall area OA. Optionally, there may be additional regions, such as a third region 130 having a third pattern of three-dimensional features and a third average intensive property and a third area within the overall area OA. As shown in Figure 23, the first pattern 110A of fabric 10A may be different from the first pattern 110B of fabric 10B and may be different from the first pattern 110C of fabric 10C. The same may be true for the second regions 120A, 120B, and 120C.

[0060] In general, the continuously arranged nonwoven webs 10 of the nonwoven material 11 formed on the forming belt 60 may differ in their overall area, intensive properties, and visual appearance. A common intensive property is an intensive property that more than one region (for a zonal pattern as shown in FIG. 21) or area (for a three-dimensional feature such as a regular repeating pattern as shown in FIG. 1) has. Such intensive properties of the nonwoven web 10 may be average values ​​and may include, but are not limited to, density, volume density, basis weight, thickness, and opacity. For example, if density is a common intensive property of two different regions or areas, the density value of one region or area may be different from the density value of the other region or area. The regions (e.g., a first region and a second region, etc.) may be identifiable regions that can be distinguished from each other visually and by the different intensive properties averaged within the regions.

[0061] Once manufactured, the individual woven fabrics 10 may be cut to size and used for their intended purpose, such as, for example, a topsheet for a disposable absorbent article. A single fabric 10 may be cut to the appropriate overall area by methods commonly known in the art and, for example, adhered to a diaper. The fabric 10 may be cut prior to being assembled into a diaper, or during the diaper manufacturing process, the nonwoven substrate 11 may be integrally combined with other components of the diaper in the form of a web and cut to size after assembly.

[0062] As can be seen with reference to Figure 24, the nonwoven substrate 11 formed on the belt 60 can be described as a nonwoven substrate 11 having a plurality of portions, described herein as fabrics 10, arranged in at least one continuous relationship relative to the length (i.e., machine direction when formed on the forming belt 60) and at least one side-by-side relationship (i.e., transverse direction when formed on the forming belt 60). Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of a spunbond nonwoven substrate 11 showing fabrics 10 arranged in succession in adjacent machine direction lanes 13, adjacent lanes having side-by-side fabrics 10, designated 10D, 10E, and 10F in Figure 24. Each fabric 10 can have an overall area OA defined by a length L and a width W in a rectangular pattern. Each of the sequentially arranged fabrics 10 may have within its overall area OA at least a first region 110 having a first pattern of three-dimensional features and a first average intensive property and a first region located within the overall area OA, and a second region 120 having a second pattern of three-dimensional features and a second average intensive property and a second region located within the overall area OA. Optionally, there may be additional regions, such as a third region 130 having a third pattern of three-dimensional features and a third average intensive property and a third region within the overall area OA. Each of the fabrics 10 in the side-by-side lanes may be substantially the same, or each of the fabrics 10 may differ in terms of size, visual appearance, and / or intensive property. After production, the nonwoven substrate 11 may be wound and then slit into lanes and processed into consumer products, or slit and then wound.

[0063] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to spunbond commercial lines where multiple beams are used to increase the laydown opacity and uniformity of the fabric. In some cases, the system may include three spunbond beams (known in the art as "SSS") and may be combined with a meltblown process (M) in a system known as an "SSMMS" spunbond line.

[0064] Calendering the nonwoven fabric 10 to have point bonds 90 may reduce fuzzing. Fuzzing refers to the tendency of fibers to fray and separate from the fabric 10. Fraying and separation may occur due to frictional engagement with manufacturing equipment during the manufacture of disposable absorbent articles, or with another surface, such as the skin of a person contacting the fabric 10. In some applications, such as in the topsheet of a disposable absorbent article, fuzzing is a negative consumer phenomenon. However, bonding fibers in place may also be a negative for the consumer, as it may create roughness on an otherwise soft nonwoven substrate surface. The inventors have anticipated and found that the nonwoven substrates and nonwoven fabrics of the present disclosure can tolerate increased bonding (and thus reduced fuzzing) with minimal loss of softness. Bonding may be achieved by relatively closely spaced point bonds 90, the spacing being determined by the desired degree of fuzz reduction. Bonding may also be accomplished by known methods for chemically or thermally bonding nonwoven fibers, such as heat bonding, ultrasonic bonding, pressure bonding, bonding with latex adhesives, and combinations of these methods.

[0065] Further characterization of the present disclosure may be made by looking at the three-dimensional features within the visually distinct regions. Each of the regions, such as regions 110, 120, and 130 described above, may be further described in relation to a microregion. A microregion is a portion of the nonwoven fabric 10 within a region having at least two visually distinct regions, where a common intensive property difference exists between the two regions. A microregion may comprise a portion of the nonwoven fabric 10 that intersects the boundary of two or more regions, where a common intensive property difference exists between the two regions, where at least two visually distinct regions.

[0066] The advantage of considering microzones in the present disclosure is to illustrate that, apart from the difference in average intensive properties in zones such as zones 110, 120, and 130 as described above, the present disclosure also provides fabrics having actual and / or average intensive property differences between the regions defined by the three-dimensional features within the zones, the three-dimensional features being precisely positioned according to the design of the forming belt used to produce the fabric. The difference in intensive properties between the regions of the three-dimensional features provides not only functional benefits, but also additional visual effects. The clear visual contrast between the regions may provide very good visually clear designs within a zone and between zones. Similarly, the precise positioning of the zones provided by a precisely manufactured forming belt may provide excellent and tailored flexibility, strength, and fluid handling properties for each zone. Thus, the present disclosure provides an unexpected combination of the difference in average intensive properties between zones and at the same time the difference in intensive properties of the zones that make up the microzones.

[0067] The regions defined by the three-dimensional features can be understood with reference to Figures 25 and 26. Figure 25 shows an optical microscope image of a portion of a fabric 10 according to the present disclosure, and Figure 26 is a scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a cross-section of the portion of the fabric shown in Figure 25. That is, Figures 25 and 26 show a portion of nonwoven fabric 10 enlarged for a more accurate depiction of the fabric's otherwise visually distinct features. The portion of nonwoven fabric 10 shown in Figure 25 is approximately 36 mm in the CD and shows portions of at least three visually distinct regions as described below.

[0068] In Figs. 25 and 26, which show a portion of one pattern of nonwoven fabric 10, the first region 110 (left side of Fig. 25) is characterized by generally MD rows of first regions 300 of varying width separated by MD rows of second regions 310 of varying width. The first regions are also three-dimensional features 20 that define the first and second regions 300, 310. The three-dimensional features are the portions of nonwoven fabric 10 formed between or around the raised elements of the forming belt, here first regions 300, with the resulting structure having a relatively large dimension in the Z direction. The adjacent second regions 310 typically have intensive properties in common with the first regions 300 and may have a relatively small value of thickness (i.e., a smaller dimension in the Z direction). The relative dimensions in the Z direction with respect to the plane of the first surface 16 discussed above can be seen in Fig. 26. The absolute dimensions are not critical, but the dimensional difference may be visually distinguishable on the nonwoven fabric 10 without magnification.

[0069] The present disclosure allows useful features to be best described for the regions defined by the three-dimensional features within the microregion. For example, as shown in FIG. 25, within the region 110 within each three-dimensional feature 20, there is a visual distinction between the first region 300 and the second region 310. As noted above, the visual distinction may be present within the nonwoven fabric 10 without magnification, and the magnification used herein is for purposes of clarity of disclosure. Any region that extends sufficiently across the boundary between the first region 300 and the second region 310 such that a difference in the respective intensive properties may be considered within that region may be a microregion. Additionally, optical microscopy or micro-CT images of a structure may be used to establish the location of each region and the area of ​​the microregion.

[0070] The portion of nonwoven fabric 10 shown in Figure 25 further illustrates another useful feature of fabric 10 in that the difference in intensive properties between adjacent regions can be a difference across an entire region. Thus, a microzone may be identified across the region including second region 310 of region 120 and first region 300 of region 130. With reference to nonwoven fabric 10 shown in Figures 25 and 26, the difference in intensive properties exhibited by each region within a microzone (at the region boundary) can vary greatly in magnitude from the difference between the intensive properties exhibited by each region within the region.

[0071] Regardless of which zones or zone boundaries a particular microzone includes, the three-dimensional features may be characterized by the difference in intensive properties of each zone defined by the three-dimensional features. In general, the nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure may be a spunbonded nonwoven fabric having a first surface that defines a plane of the first surface. The fabric may have a plurality of three-dimensional features that each define a first zone and a second zone, each zone having a common intensive property with a different value between them. The first zone may be distinguished as being at a higher height relative to the plane of the first surface than the second zone, thus showing a difference in the common thickness intensive property of each zone. The two zones may also be distinguished as having different densities, basis weights, and volume densities. That is, the two zones may be distinguished as differing in terms of the common intensive property, including properties such as thickness, density, basis weight, and volume density, within the microzone of the spunbonded nonwoven fabric. One or both zones of the microzone may be fluid permeable. The denser regions of the microregion may be fluid permeable.

[0072] For example, within region 110 of the fabric portion shown in Figure 25, there may be a three-dimensional feature 20 that defines at least two regions, a first region 300 and a second region 310. The difference in caliper, basis weight, and volume density between the first region and the second region of region 110 shown in Figure 25 may be, for example, 274 micrometers, 1 gsm, and 0.437 g / cc, respectively.

[0073] Similarly, within region 130 of the portion of the fabric shown in, for example, Figure 25, there may be three-dimensional features 20 that define at least two regions, a first region 300 and a second region 310. The differences in caliper, basis weight, and volume density between the first region and the second region of region 130 shown in Figure 25 may be, for example, 2083 micrometers, 116 gsm, and 0.462 g / cc, respectively.

[0074] Additionally, within region 120 of the fabric portion shown in Figure 25, for example, there may be three-dimensional features 20 that define at least two regions, a first region 300 and a second region 310. The differences in thickness, basis weight, and volume density between the first and second regions of the fabric portion shown in Figure 25 may be, for example, 204 μm, 20 gsm, and 0.53 g / cc, respectively. Region 120 forms what is visible in a non-magnified view of nonwoven fabric 10 as the sewn boundary between regions 110 and 130.

[0075] Further, for example, in the area including the boundary between areas 120 and 130 of the fabric portion shown in Figure 25, there are at least two areas: a first area 300 in area 130 and a second area 310 in area 120. The differences in caliper, basis weight, and volume density between the first and second areas of the fabric portion shown in Figure 38 may be, for example, 2027 micrometers, 58 gsm, and 0.525 g / cc, respectively.

[0076] The microzones will be described in more detail with reference to the data shown in Figures 27-29 and Figure 31. Figures 27-29 are micro-CT scans of a portion of nonwoven fabric 10 having a similar pattern to the portion of nonwoven fabric 10 shown in Figure 25. The micro-CT scan allows for the same shaped elements shown in Figure 25 to be described in a slightly different manner, and in a manner that allows for very accurate measurement of intensive properties.

[0077] As shown in Figure 27, areas 110, 120, and 130 are clearly visible along with their respective three-dimensional features 20. As shown in Figures 27 and 28, the three-dimensional features are the dark portions, and the dark portions also represent first regions 300 of the three-dimensional features 20, and the adjacent light portions are second regions 310 of the three-dimensional features 20.

[0078] Micro-CT scanning allows the image to be shown as a "cut" cross-section as shown by cut plane 450 in Figure 28. The cut plane can be located anywhere in the image, but for the purposes of this disclosure, cut plane 450 is a cut substantially parallel to the Z axis to obtain the cross-sectional image of Figure 29.

[0079] Micro-CT techniques allow for accurate and direct measurement of intensive properties. Thickness measurements can be made directly from cross sections imaged under magnification, such as the cross section shown in FIG. 29. Furthermore, the difference in color between the first and second regions represents, and is proportional to, differences in basis weight, volume density, and other intensive properties, which can also be directly measured. The micro-CT method is described below in the Test Methods section.

[0080] Figure 30 is a micro-CT scan image of the portion of nonwoven fabric 10 shown in Figures 27 and 28. Analysis can be performed using specific first and second regions, shown as numbered portions of nonwoven fabric 10. In Figure 30, specific regions were manually selected and analysis was performed to measure caliper, basis weight and volume density, and the data is shown in Figure 31.

[0081] FIG. 31 shows data groupings of first and second region measurements made within the three regions shown in FIG. 30. The X-axis is the region with numbers corresponding to the numbered regions in FIG. 30. The first region measurements are shown as Fn (e.g., F1) and the second region measurements are shown as Sn (e.g., S1). Thus, regions 1-5 are the first region F1, each within region 110. Regions 6-10 are the second region S1, also within region 110. Similarly, the first region F2 is regions 16-20 within region 120, and regions 11-15 and 21-25 are the second region S2 within region 120. Finally, regions 31-35 are the first region F3 within region 130, and regions 26-30 are the second region S2 within region 130. Each numbered region is shown identically in all three graphs of FIG. 31, although for simplicity, areas 110, 120, and 130 are shown only in the thickness map.

[0082] The graphs shown in FIG. 31 are a graphical representation of the magnitude of the difference in intensive properties between a first region and a second region within any one region, and these graphs can be used to graphically view the difference in intensive properties for each pair of regions that make up the microregion. For example, in region 110, it can be seen that the basis weight between the two regions can be substantially the same, but the thickness (caliper) can vary from about 400 micrometers in the first region to about 40 micrometers in the second region (i.e., about a factor of 10 difference). The volume density within region 110 can vary from about 0.1 g / cc to about 0.6 g / cc. Similar quantifiable differences can be seen for each of the regions shown in the figure.

[0083] Thus, by referring jointly to Figures 30 and 31, further characterization of the useful structure of the fabric 10 of the present disclosure can be appreciated. The nonwoven fabric 10 can be described as having at least two visually distinct regions, e.g., regions 110 and 120, each of which has a pattern of three-dimensional features, each of which defines a microregion including a first and a second region, e.g., regions 300, 310, where the difference in value in at least one of the microregions in the first region is quantifiably different from the difference in value in at least one of the microregions in the second region. For example, in Figure 30, two representative microregions 400 in region 130 are designated as pairs of regions shown as regions 31 and 27, and regions 33 and 26. That is, the first region 31 and the second region 27 form one microregion, and the first region 33 and the second region 26 form one microregion. Similarly, two representative micro-areas 400 within area 120 are designated as pairs of areas shown as areas 19 and 24, and areas 17 and 22. From Figure 31, Tables 4-7 can be obtained as shown below.

[0084] [Table 1]

[0085] [Table 2]

[0086] [Table 3]

[0087] [Table 4]

[0088] Four representative microzones from the two regions are shown in Tables 1-4 for illustrative purposes. However, as will be appreciated, each pair of first and second regions in FIG. 30 could also be quantified to further constitute additional columns in Table 1, but for the sake of brevity, this has not been done. In general, in any fabric having two or more regions, each having a pattern of three-dimensional features defining a microzone, the intensive properties can be measured and tabulated as shown herein with reference to FIG. 30 and FIG. 31 to understand both the difference in the value of the intensive property within a region and the difference in the value of the intensive property between one region in the first region and another region in the second region.

[0089] A micro-zone across two zones, such as zone 110 and zone 130, may have a greater difference in intensive properties compared to a micro-zone within a zone. For example, looking at data for a micro-zone across a first zone (e.g., first zone 32) of zone 130 and a second zone (e.g., second zone 8) of zone 110, the micro-zones show significant differences in thickness, basis weight, and volume density. The thickness of the first zone 32 of zone 130 is about 2100 micrometers, while the thickness of the second zone 8 of zone 110 is about 29 micrometers (i.e., a difference of about 72 times or more than about 25 micrometers). Similarly, the basis weight of the first zone 32 of zone 130 may be as high as 150 gsm, while the basis weight of the second zone 8 of zone 110 may be about 14 gsm (i.e., a difference of about 10 times or more than 5 gsm). Further, the volume density of the first region 32 of the area 130 may be approximately 0.069 g / cc, while the volume density of the second region 8 of the area 110 may be 0.492 g / cc (i.e., a difference of approximately 7 times or greater than approximately 0.042 g / cc).

[0090] For each of the measured intensive property parameters of different regions of a micro-zone, such measurements are performed using the micro-CT method described herein, the resolution of which can represent the comparison of area differences and ratios described herein to help establish the intensive properties of the regions of the micro-zone.

[0091] Further characterization of the fabric 10 can be performed with reference to Figures 32-36, which are SEMs showing certain aspects of the nonwoven fabric 10 and regions thereof in more detail. Figures 32-36 are photographs of enlarged portions of area 110 of the fabric shown in Figure 25. The nonwoven fabric 10 shown in Figure 25 was made according to the process described above with reference to Figure 7, where the fabric was processed by passing it through a nip formed by compression rolls 70 and 72, and roll 72 in contact with first surface 12 was heated to cause partial bonding of the fibers in second region 301. Figure 32 (facing the belt) and Figure 46 (facing the heated compression roll) are SEMs of portions of second surface 14 and first surface 12, respectively, magnified 20 times. FIG. 34 (facing the belt) and FIG. 48 (facing the heated compression rolls) are photographs of a portion of second surface 14 and first surface 12, respectively, magnified 90 times, detailing the useful structural features of the partial fiber bonding created by compression rolls 70 and 72.

[0092] As best seen in Figures 34 and 35, and the cross-sectional view of Figure 36, the heated compression rolls can cause thermal bonding of the fibers to differing degrees, resulting in beneficial effects throughout the fabric 10. As shown in the figures, the fibers in contact with the heated rolls (e.g., roll 70 in contact with the first surface 12 of the fabric 10) can be melt bonded, such that the first surface 12 experiences relatively higher fiber-to-fiber bonding than the second surface 14. The bonded fibers 80 on the first surface can be substantially completely melt bonded to, in effect, form a film skin of bonded fibers, while the fibers in the second region 310 on the second surface 14 can experience little or no bonding. This feature allows the nonwoven fabric 10 used as, for example, a topsheet in a disposable absorbent article to maintain physical integrity during manufacture and use, as well as relatively high flexibility on one side, which may be the skin-contacting side facing the wearer.

[0093] Even in the small regions with the greatest thickness differences, this "bonded skin" effect serves to maintain the integrity of the web without significantly affecting softness or other useful properties such as fluid handling properties, etc. As can be seen with reference to Figures 37-40, the difference in the degree of thermal bonding of the fibers is such that the fibers on first surface 12 in second region 310 may be complete, or substantially complete, while the degree of thermal bonding of the fibers on second surface 14 in first region 300 may be minimal to non-thermal bonded.

[0094] FIG. 37 shows a portion of the nonwoven fabric 10 also shown in FIG. 25. FIGS. 38-40 show magnified images of one microzone, shown as first region 300 and second region 310 in FIG. 37, which visually appear as holes or apertures. FIGS. 38 and 39 show the microzones as seen on the second surface 14 magnified at 40× and 200×, respectively. FIG. 40 shows the second region 310 as seen on the first face 12 at 200× magnification. The fibers in the second region 310 are completely or substantially completely bonded, while the fibers in the first region 300 are completely or substantially completely unbonded. An advantage of the structure shown in the figures is that the microzones can function as fluid permeable openings while at the same time the bonded areas of the second region 310 function to maintain the physical integrity of the fabric 10.

[0095] Thus, microregions play an important role in the overall physical structure and function of the fabric 10 of the present disclosure. By producing the relatively closely spaced, precisely engineered, three-dimensional features achieved by the forming belt of the present disclosure, the fabric 10 can exhibit visually distinct regions, microregions, and three-dimensional features that impart superior functionality, at least in the areas of softness and fluid handling, as well as a visually appealing aesthetic design. The potential differences in the physical properties of the first and second surfaces allow for the design of the nonwoven fabric 10 in terms of both strength and softness, both form and function.

[0096] FIG. 41 is a micro-CT scan image of a portion of nonwoven fabric 10 similar to that shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, but that has been subjected to further processing steps to form point bonds 90 within the nip of calendar rollers 71 and 73. As above with respect to the description of FIGS. 30 and 31, the first and second regions shown as numbered portions of nonwoven fabric 10 can be analyzed for specific point bond microzones 400, and may include areas of point bonds in particular numbered regions 31-35. For example, adjacent regions 32 and 26 form microzones 400 within third region 130. In FIG. 41, certain regions have been visually differentiated to identify areas containing added point bond areas, which were analyzed to measure thickness, basis weight, and volume density, and the data is presented in FIG. 42, quantifying and comparing thickness, basis weight, and volume density of all areas containing point bond areas.

[0097] FIG. 42 shows data groupings of first and second region measurements made within the three regions shown in FIG. 41. The x-axis is the region with numbers corresponding to the numbered regions in FIG. 30. The first region measurements are designated as Fn (e.g., F1) and the second region measurements are designated as Sn (e.g., S1). Thus, regions 1-5 are the first region F1, each within region 110. Regions 6-10 are the second region S1, also within region 110. Similarly, the first region F2 is regions 16-20 within region 120, and regions 11-15 and 21-25 are the second region S2 within region 120. Finally, regions 31-35 are second regions, but are point bonds 90, designated as B1 in FIG. 55, and are distinguished in this disclosure as being formed by a point bonding process. A first region F3 within region 130 is regions 26-30 and 36-40, and regions 41-44 are a second region S2 within region 130. Each numbered region is shown identically in all three graphs of Figure 42, but for simplicity, regions 110, 120, and 130 are only shown in the thickness map.

[0098] The graphs shown in FIG. 42 are a graphical representation of the magnitude of the difference in intensive properties between a first region and a second region in any one region of a fabric subjected to a point bonding process by calendaring, and these graphs can be used to graphically view the difference in intensive properties for pairs of regions that make up a microregion. For example, in region 110, it can be seen that the basis weight between the two regions can vary within a narrower range than the thickness or volume density. For example, the thickness (caliper) can vary from about 325 micrometers in the first region of region 110 to about 29 micrometers in the second region (i.e., about a 10-fold difference). The volume density in region 110 can vary from about 0.08 g / cc to about 0.39 g / cc. Similar quantifiable differences can be seen for each of the regions shown in the figure.

[0099] In general, the microregional areas may have widely varying values ​​for basis weight, thickness, and bulk density.

[0100] Thus, by referring jointly to Figures 41 and 42, further characterization of the useful structures of the fabric 10 of the present disclosure can be appreciated, particularly with respect to the thermal calendar point bonds 90. Focusing on region 130 for purposes of illustration, the three-dimensional features that define the microzone, including the first and second regions that are point bonded regions, can be identified and the values ​​of the intensive properties quantified. For example, in Figure 41, representative point bonded microzones 400 within region 130 can be pairs of regions shown as regions 26 and 32, or regions 30 and 35. That is, first region 26 and second region 32 form one point bonded microzone 400, and first region 30 and second region 35 form one point bonded microzone 400.

[0101] The differences in certain intensive properties of the point bonded microzones can be seen in Figure 42. For example, taking the two point bonded microzones 400 discussed above (e.g., the two point bonded microzones 400 in regions 26 and 32 and regions 30 and 35, respectively), it can be seen that while there is a small difference in basis weight between the first and second regions, ranging from about 55 to about 60 gsm, the same regions exhibit a large difference in thickness from about 430 micrometers to about 460 micrometers to about 125 micrometers, and a large difference in bulk density from about 0.13-0.14 g / cc to about 0.41-0.48 g / cc. Other differences in intensive properties can be seen with reference to Figure 42.

[0102] Point bonds 90 can play an important role in the overall physical structure and function of fabric 10 of the present disclosure. By adding point bonds 90 to fabric 10 containing relatively closely spaced, precisely designed three-dimensional features, as achieved by the forming belt of the present disclosure, fabric 10 can be further improved to exhibit unexpected combinations of visually distinct zones, micro-zones, and three-dimensional features that not only provide superior functionality in the high performance combination of softness, strength, low fuzz, and fluid handling, but also provide a visually appealing aesthetic design. With bonded point features, nonwoven fabric 10 is designed to provide the highest performance combination of strength, softness, liquid handling, and visual aesthetics, especially when both form and function are considered.

[0103] package The absorbent articles of the present disclosure may be placed in a package. The package may include polymeric films and / or other materials. Graphics and / or indicia relating to the characteristics of the absorbent article may be formed, printed, positioned, and / or disposed on an exterior portion of the package. Each package may include multiple absorbent articles. The absorbent articles may be packaged under compression to reduce the size of the package while providing a sufficient amount of absorbent articles per package. Packaging the absorbent articles under compression may allow caregivers to easily handle and store the package, and may provide manufacturers with reduced distribution costs due to the size of the package.

[0104] Thus, a package of absorbent articles of the present disclosure may have an In-Bag Stacking Height based on the In-Bag Stacking Height Test described herein of less than about 110 mm, less than about 105 mm, less than about 100 mm, less than about 95 mm, less than about 90 mm, less than about 85 mm, less than about 80 mm, less than about 78 mm, less than about 76 mm, less than about 74 mm, less than about 72 mm, or less than about 70 mm, specifically reciting all values ​​in 0.1 mm increments within the specified ranges and all ranges therein or formed thereby. Alternatively, a package of absorbent articles of the present disclosure may have an in-bag stack height based on the In-Bag Stack Height Test described herein of about 70 mm to about 110 mm, about 70 mm to about 105 mm, about 70 mm to about 100 mm, about 70 mm to about 95 mm, about 70 mm to about 90 mm, about 70 mm to about 85 mm, about 72 mm to about 80 mm, or about 74 mm to about 78 mm, specifically reciting all values ​​in 0.1 mm increments within the specified ranges, and all ranges therein or formed thereby.

[0105] 43 illustrates an exemplary package 1000 including a plurality of absorbent articles 1004. The package 1000 defines an interior space 1002 into which the plurality of absorbent articles 1004 are placed. The plurality of absorbent articles 1004 are arranged in one or more stacks 1006.

[0106] Absorbent articles The nonwoven fabrics of the present disclosure may form part of an absorbent article. The absorbent article may include a tape diaper, pants, adult incontinence diapers or pads, sanitary napkins, panty liners, and / or other suitable absorbent articles. The nonwoven fabrics may also be useful in other consumer products. In the context of absorbent articles, the nonwoven fabrics may form the outer cover nonwoven material, the topsheet, the acquisition layer, the distribution layer, part of the core bag, the ear nonwoven material, the secondary topsheet, the waist belt laminate, and / or other suitable nonwoven absorbent article components. The nonwoven fabrics may also form part of these components.

[0107] Although tape-type diapers are also within the scope of this disclosure, Figures 44 and 45 show exemplary absorbent articles in the form of pants. The pants may include a nonwoven of the present disclosure, for example, as a topsheet and / or outer cover nonwoven material, or as part of the topsheet and / or outer cover nonwoven material. Figure 44 is a front perspective view of an absorbent article including one or more nonwovens of the present disclosure. Figure 45 is a rear perspective view of the absorbent article of Figure 44.

[0108] Referring again to Figures 44 and 45, an absorbent article 710 in the form of a belted pant is shown. The absorbent article 710 includes a front region 712, a crotch region 714, and a back region 716. The absorbent article may include a central chassis 726 extending at least partially between the front region 712 and the back region 716. The absorbent article 710 may define leg openings 760 and may include a front waist belt 754 and a back waist belt 756. The front belt 754 and the back belt 756 may include a first elastic material and a second elastic material. An elastic member, such as an elastic film or a plurality of elastic strands, may be positioned intermediate the first elastic material and the second elastic material. The first waist belt 754 and the second waist belt 756 may be attached to each other on their lateral edges to form a side seam 758. The side seams may include butt seams or overlap seams.

[0109] The central chassis 752 may include a topsheet 760, a backsheet 761, and an absorbent core positioned at least partially intermediate the topsheet and the backsheet. The topsheet 760 may form a portion of the wearer-facing surface of the absorbent article 710 and may include one or more of the nonwovens disclosed herein. The central chassis 752 may include an outer cover nonwoven material 762 that forms a portion of the garment-facing surface of the absorbent article and is in opposing relationship to the backsheet film. The outer cover nonwoven material 762 may include one or more of the nonwovens disclosed herein. The central chassis may include one or more acquisition layers and / or one or more distribution layers at least partially intermediate the topsheet and the absorbent core. The nonwoven may include crimped fibers.

[0110] Emtec The present disclosure provides a solution to the problems mentioned in the "Background" by providing an absorbent article comprising a nonwoven fabric with improved softness while still maintaining high texture. The present disclosure further resolves the tradeoff between high softness and high texture, while simultaneously providing several improvements in fluid handling, such as quick bleed-through of bodily exudates and improved skin and topsheet dryness. Typically, the nonwoven fabric of the present disclosure may form at least a portion of the wearer-facing surface (e.g., topsheet) and at least a portion of the garment-facing surface (e.g., outer cover nonwoven material). Softness, texture (i.e., smoothness), and / or stiffness can be measured by an Emtec Tissue Softness Analyzer according to the Emtec test described herein. Tactile softness is measured as TS7. Texture / smoothness is measured as TS750. Stiffness is measured as D.

[0111] All of the following Examples 1-10 are side-by-side bicomponent spunbond nonwovens made by spinning a 30:70 ratio of polypropylene (PP3155 obtained from Exxon Mobil Corporation) and a 25 / 75 blend of polypropylene (PP3155 and PP3854 obtained from Exxon Mobil Corporation) into round fiber form. Approximately 1% titanium dioxide and 1% erucamide were added to the polymer to improve whiteness and softness. In the topsheet of Example 2, 0.25% by weight of the nonwoven was added as a blue pigment melt additive to enhance the visual perception of three-dimensionality. All of the nonwovens were spun on a forming belt with a three-dimensional pattern, as generally described with respect to FIG. 16, although the patterns differed. The belt was moved at a linear speed of about 28 meters / min to form a 25 gsm nonwoven. For the higher basis weight nonwoven outer cover materials of Examples 7-10, the belt was run at a slower linear speed. The fibers of the nonwoven fabrics of Examples 1 to 10 were compressed by heated compression rolls 70, 72 and further bonded using an 8% dot pattern calendar roll at a temperature of about 140C.

[0112] [Table 5] * All values ​​in Table 5 are measured according to the Emtec test described herein.

[0113] Some or all of the wearer-facing surface of the topsheet of the present disclosure may have a thermal conductivity of about 1 dB V 2 rms~about 4.5dB V 2 rms, approximately 2dB V 2 rms~about 4.5dB V 2 rms, or about 2 dB V 2 rms ~ approx. 4.0 dB V 2 A portion or all of the wearer-facing surface of the topsheet of the present disclosure may also have a TS7 value in the range of about 4 dB V 2 rms ~ approx. 30 dB V 2 rms, about 6 dB V 2 rms ~ approx. 30 dB V 2 rms, about 6 dB V 2 rms~about 20dB V 2 rms, about 6 dB V 2 rms~about 15dB V 2 rms, about 6 dB V 2 rms ~ approx. 12 dB V 2 rms, or about 6.5 dB V 2 rms ~ approx. 10 dB V 2rms range. Some or all of the wearer-facing surface of the topsheet of the present disclosure may also have a D value ranging from about 1 mm / N to about 10 mm / N, about 3 mm / N to about 8 mm / N, about 2 mm / N to about 6 mm / N, about 2 mm / N to about 4 mm / N, or about 3 mm / N to about 4 mm / N. All values ​​are measured according to the Emtec test described herein. TS7 value is tactile softness, so a small number is desirable (the smaller the number, the softer the material). TS750 value is texture, so a large number is desirable (the larger the number, the more textured the material). Having a small TS7 value and a large texture value is typically a contradiction in that the more textured the nonwoven, the less soft it is. Applicants, without wishing to be bound by theory, have discovered the unexpected result of a highly textured nonwoven that is still very soft by providing the nonwoven with a selection of regions 1 and 2, as discussed below.

[0114] [Table 6] * All values ​​in Table 6 are measured according to the Emtec test described herein.

[0115] The portion of the garment-facing surface of the outer cover nonwoven material of the present disclosure has a thermal conductivity of about 1 dB V 2 rms~about 4.5dB V 2 rms, approximately 2dB V 2 rms~about 4.5dB V 2 rms, or about 2 dB V 2 rms ~ approx. 4.0 dB V 2 A portion of the garment-facing surface of the outer cover nonwoven material of the present disclosure may also have a TS7 value in the range of about 4 dB V 2 rms ~ approx. 30 dB V 2 rms, about 6 dB V 2 rms ~ approx. 30 dB V 2 rms, about 6 dB V 2 rms~about 20dB V 2 rms, about 6 dB V 2 rms~about 15dB V2 rms, about 6 dB V 2 rms ~ approx. 12 dB V 2 rms, or about 6.5 dB V 2 rms ~ approx. 10 dB V 2 The garment-facing surface portion of the outer cover nonwoven material of the present disclosure may also have a D value ranging from about 1 mm / N to about 10 mm / N, about 3 mm / N to about 8 mm / N, about 2 mm / N to about 6 mm / N, about 2 mm / N to about 4 mm / N, or about 3 mm / N to about 4 mm / N. All values ​​are measured according to the Emtec test described herein. Having a low TS7 value and a high texture value is typically a contradiction in that the more textured the nonwoven, the less soft it is. Without wishing to be bound by theory, applicants have discovered the unexpected result of a highly textured nonwoven that is still very soft by providing a selection of zones 1 and 2 in the nonwoven, as discussed below.

[0116] It may be desirable to have certain TS7 and TS750 properties, as described above, in both the outer cover nonwoven material and the topsheet, which provides a soft texture on both sides of the absorbent article (i.e., the side facing the wearer and the side facing the garment).

[0117] The absorbent article may include a nonwoven topsheet, a backsheet, an absorbent core positioned at least partially intermediate the topsheet and the backsheet, and a nonwoven outer cover joined to the backsheet. A first portion of the wearer-facing side of the nonwoven topsheet and a second portion of the garment-facing side of the nonwoven outer cover each have a minimum absorbency of about 1 dB V according to Emtec testing. 2 rms~about 4.5dB V 2 The garment-facing second portion of the nonwoven outer cover may have a TS750 value that is about 1.2 to about 4 times, about 1.3 to about 3 times, or about 1.5 to about 2 times greater than the TS750 value of the wearer-facing first portion of the nonwoven topsheet.

[0118] %Area 1 Area and %Area 2 Area To achieve the desired results of the present disclosure of improved softness with increased texture in nonwovens such as outer cover nonwoven materials and topsheets, it may be desirable for a portion of the nonwoven to have a total area 1 zone (e.g., low basis weight area) (corresponding to the resin pattern on the belt) ranging from about 5% to about 25%, about 5% to about 20%, or about 10% to about 20% of the total area of ​​the portion of the nonwoven, and the remainder of the portion of the nonwoven to have a total area 2 zone (e.g., high basis weight area) (corresponding to the area on the belt that does not contain resin). The higher basis weight areas are softer than the low basis weight areas because the higher basis weight areas typically have more fibers. Nonwovens having low basis weight areas ranging from about 5% to about 20% of the total nonwoven can typically achieve good dryness and good softness. With low basis weight areas less than 5% by weight, typically high softness can be achieved, but good dryness is not typically achieved. With low basis weight areas greater than 25%, typically good dryness can be achieved, but good softness is not typically achieved.

[0119] In addition to the benefits detailed above, another advantage of the soft textured molded nonwoven web of the present disclosure is the ability to provide a microzone with one or more hydrophobic regions and one or more hydrophilic regions. The hydrophilicity and / or hydrophobicity of a particular region of a microzone can be determined by wicking time measurements using the wicking time test method described herein and / or contact angle measurements using the contact angle test method described herein. When used herein with respect to a particular region of a microzone, the term "hydrophilic" means that the wicking time of the particular region is less than 10 seconds when tested using the wicking time test method. When used herein with respect to a particular region of a microzone, the term "hydrophobic" means that the contact angle of the particular region is 90° or more when tested using the contact angle test method.

[0120] Table 7 below details the contact angle and wick time measurements of the soft, textured molded nonwoven fabrics detailed herein. In both Example 11 and Example 12 below, the nonwoven fabrics were made on the belt illustrated in Figure 16, and had a similar appearance to that shown in Figure 2.

[0121] [Table 7]

[0122] Example 11 A bicomponent spunbond nonwoven web was produced by spinning a polyethylene sheath (Aspun-6850-A obtained from Dow chemical company) and a polypropylene core (PH-835 obtained from LyondellBasell) in a 50:50 ratio into a trilobal fiber configuration. The nonwoven was spun onto a forming belt having a repeating pattern as described in FIG. 16 moving at a linear speed of about 25 m / min to produce a 25 g / m average basis weight nonwoven web with a diamond repeating pattern as shown in FIG. 2 The fibers of the fabric were compressed by compression rolls 70, 72, but were not calendered and further bonding was achieved in a through-air bonding unit at a temperature of 145°C.

[0123] A surfactant, Stantex S 6327 (a combination of castor oil ethoxylate and PEG diester) supplied by Pulcra Chemicals, was then placed on the backside of the nonwoven (i.e., the flat surface opposite to the side on which the relatively pillow-like three-dimensional features were placed) through a kiss coating process. The coating process was carried out using a Reicofil Kiss Roll and Omega drying process, both of which are commonly known in the art. The surfactant used in the kiss roll process was a 6% surfactant concentration in water at a temperature of 40°C. The kiss roll contact angle was set at 250° and the drying temperature was 80°C. The nonwoven was then contacted with a kiss roll operating at a speed of 13 rpm, providing 0.45% by weight of surfactant to the nonwoven (surfactant % is 1 m 2 The weight of surfactant added per 1 m 2 (The weight of the nonwoven fabric is calculated by dividing the weight by the weight of the nonwoven fabric.)

[0124] Example 12 A bicomponent spunbond nonwoven web was produced by spinning a polyethylene sheath (Aspun-6850-A obtained from Dow chemical company) and a polypropylene core (PH-835 obtained from LyondellBasell) in a 50:50 ratio into a trilobal fiber configuration. The nonwoven was spun onto a forming belt having a repeating pattern as described in FIG. 16 moving at a linear speed of about 25 m / min to produce a 25 g / m average basis weight nonwoven web with a diamond repeating pattern as shown in FIG. 2 The fibers of the fabric were compressed by compression rolls 70, 72, but were not calendered and further bonding was achieved in a through-air bonding unit at a temperature of 145°C.

[0125] A surfactant, Stantex S 6327 (a combination of castor oil ethoxylate and PEG diester) supplied by Pulcra Chemicals, was then placed on the front side of the nonwoven (i.e., the side with the relatively pillow-like three-dimensional features located on top) through an inkjet printing process. The inkjet printing process was performed using a Dimatix DMP 2831 inkjet printer equipped with cartridge model #DMC-11610 / PM 700-10702-01 (10 pL). The print head temperature was 40° C. The surfactant used in the inkjet printing process consisted of 75 wt / wt% Stantex S 6327 and 25 wt / wt% ethanol. The surfactant was printed in the second area of ​​the microzone of the nonwoven by orienting the nonwoven sample such that the second area of ​​the microzone of the first row was aligned with the print head direction and printing a first series of straight lines with the droplet spacing adjusted to 170 μm. The nonwoven sample was then rotated by an angle such that the second region of the second row of microzones was aligned with the print head and a second series of straight lines was printed at 170 μm. The basis weight of the fibers in the second region was about 16.0 gsm. The basis weight of the surfactant inkjet printed on the second region was about 0.25 gsm. Thus, the amount of surfactant locally printed on the second region was determined to be about 1.6 wt. % surfactant (0.25 gsm / 16.0 gsm). Overall, the amount of surfactant printed on the nonwoven sample was determined to be about 0.2 wt. % surfactant by the ratio of the printed line width to the line spacing.

[0126] In addition to Stantex S 6327, the use of other surfactants (by any method of application) to render the first and / or second regions of a particular microzone hydrophilic and / or hydrophobic is considered within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0127] The nonwoven fabrics detailed above include microzones having regions with differences in intensive properties, such as, for example, basis weight, density, or thickness. Those same nonwoven fabrics may also include such regions of microzones that are hydrophobic and / or hydrophilic, in particular and separately. Any of the examples of nonwoven fabrics detailed herein (e.g., samples including regions and / or microzones with regions with differences in thickness, basis weight, and / or volume density, and / or surfaces with various TS7, TS750, and D values ​​disclosed herein) may further have regions of microzones with differences in hydrophilicity as detailed herein. Hydrophilicity may be provided by targeted application of a surfactant onto a particular region of a microzone of the nonwoven fabric. For example, a second region of a microzone may have a surfactant disposed thereon, while a first region of the same microzone may not have a surfactant disposed thereon. Additionally, a first region of a microzone may have a surfactant disposed thereon, while a second region of the same microzone may not have a surfactant disposed thereon. For example, in one microzone, the first or second region may have any concentric range of surfactant within the ranges of about 0.01% to about 5.0%, about 0.05% to about 4.0%, about 1.0% to about 3.0%, and about 0.01% to about 5.0%, and the other region has no surfactant (i.e., does not contain surfactant). As an example, in one microzone, the second region may have any concentric range of surfactant within the ranges of about 0.01% to about 5.0%, about 0.05% to about 4.0%, about 1.0% to about 3.0%, and about 0.01% to about 5.0%, and the first region has no surfactant (i.e., does not contain surfactant). Thus, some nonwoven fabrics disclosed herein have microzones having at least one of the first and second regions having surfactant, and the ratio of the surfactant % in the first region to the surfactant % in the second region is less than 1. Additionally, some nonwoven fabrics disclosed herein have microzones that include at least a second region of the microzone having a surfactant, where the ratio of the % surfactant in the first region to the % surfactant in the second region is less than 1.

[0128] As another example, a second region of a microzone may have a particular amount or percentage of surfactant disposed thereon, and a first region of the same microzone may have a different amount or percentage of surfactant disposed thereon. For example, in one microzone, the first region may have any concentric range of surfactant within the ranges of about 0.01% to about 2.0%, about 0.05% to about 1.5%, about 0.1% to about 1.0%, and about 0.01% to about 2.0%, and the second region may have a different amount. Furthermore, in one microzone, the second region may have any concentric range of surfactant within the ranges of about 0.01% to about 5.0%, about 0.05% to about 4.0%, about 1.0% to about 3.0%, and about 0.01% to about 5.0%, and the first region may have a different amount. The surfactant % of a particular area of ​​a microzone can be determined by taking the grams per square meter of surfactant placed in the particular area and dividing it by the basis weight of the fibers of the molded nonwoven contained within the same area. The grams per square meter of surfactant placed in the particular area can be determined using any method currently known in the art (e.g., gravimetric measurements, etc.). The basis weight of the fibers of the nonwoven contained within the particular area of ​​a microzone can also be determined using any method currently known in the art (e.g., gravimetric measurements, microCT, etc.).

[0129] The surfactant may be disposed on the nonwoven by any method generally known to those skilled in the art. Specific examples include kiss coating, inkjet printing, gravure printing, offset gravure printing, surfactant flexographic printing, and surfactant registration printing. Any such method may dispose the surfactant on either the first and / or second surface of the nonwoven. For the total molded nonwoven (taking into account all of the individual areas and microareas on the fabric), the surfactant may be added to the molded nonwoven in any concentric range of amounts within the ranges of about 0.01% to about 2.0%, about 0.05% to about 1.5%, about 0.1% to about 1.0%, and about 0.01% to about 2.0%. To calculate the surfactant % added to the total molded nonwoven, the grams per square meter of surfactant in the total molded nonwoven is divided by the basis weight of the total molded nonwoven. The grams per square meter of surfactant disposed in the total molded nonwoven may be determined using any method currently known in the art (e.g., gravimetric measurements, etc.). The basis weight of the entire molded nonwoven may also be determined using any method currently known in the art (eg, gravimetric methods, micro-CT methods, etc.).

[0130] Referring again to Figures 25 and 26, which show a portion of one pattern of the nonwoven fabric 10, the first region 110 (left side of Figure 25) is characterized by generally MD rows of first regions 300 of varying width separated by MD rows of second regions 310 of varying width (the first and second regions are in a microregion). The first regions are also three-dimensional features 20 that define the first and second regions 300, 310. The three-dimensional features may be portions of the nonwoven fabric 10 formed between or around raised elements of the forming belt, which in this description are the first regions 300, with the resulting structure having a relatively large dimension in the Z direction, a relatively high basis weight, and a low volumetric density compared to the second regions 310. Additionally, the first regions 300 may be hydrophobic and the second regions 310 may be hydrophilic. The targeted addition of surfactant to the second region 310 of the microzone can render the second region hydrophilic. Thus, the first region 300 of the microzone can have a contact angle greater than about 90°, or between about 90° and about 140°, or between about 110° and about 135°, or between about 125° and about 135°, or any concentric range contained within about 90° and about 140°, when tested by the Contact Angle Test Method detailed herein. The second region 310 of the microzone can have a contact angle less than 90°, when tested by the Contact Angle Test Method detailed herein. The first region 300 of the microzone can have a wick time value greater than about 10 seconds, or between about 10 seconds and 60 seconds, when measured by the Wick Time Test Method detailed herein. The second region 310 of the microzone may have a wick time value less than about 10 seconds, less than about 5 seconds, or less than about 2.5 seconds, less than about 1 second, less than about 0.5 seconds, or in a range of about 0.5 seconds to about 10 seconds, or about 0.5 seconds to about 5 seconds, as measured by the Wick Time Test Method detailed herein. The nonwoven fabrics contemplated herein include any of the above detailed parameter ranges for contact angle and / or wick time measurements of the first and / or second regions in combination with any of the other intensive properties / property differences disclosed herein for the same or different regions in the same or different microzones on the molded nonwoven fabric.

[0131] For example, shaped nonwovens having the detailed microregions described above having regions of differential basis weight, density, or thickness, while simultaneously also having such regions of specific microregions that are separately hydrophobic and / or hydrophilic, may provide many useful applications, such as topsheet materials for absorbent articles, as well as for use in medical pads, wipes, cleaning pads, and the like.

[0132] Test Method: Local basis weight The local basis weight of a nonwoven fabric can be measured by several available methods, but one simple representative method is to measure the local basis weight of a 3.0 cm 2 A die having an area of ​​0.01 mm is used to cut a sample piece of the web from a selected area of ​​the total area of ​​the nonwoven. The sample piece is then weighed and divided by its area to determine the local basis weight of the nonwoven in g / m2. 2 Results are reported as the average of two samples per selected area.

[0133] Bag stacking height test The stack height of a package of absorbent articles within a bag is measured as follows.

[0134] device A thickness tester is used that has a flat rigid horizontal sliding plate. The thickness tester is configured such that the horizontal sliding plate is free to move vertically while always maintaining a horizontal orientation just above a flat rigid horizontal base plate. The thickness tester includes a device suitable for measuring the gap between the horizontal sliding plate and the horizontal base plate to within ±0.5 mm. The horizontal sliding plate and the horizontal base plate are larger than the surface of the absorbent article package that contacts each plate (i.e., each plate extends beyond the contact surface of the absorbent article package in all directions). The horizontal sliding plate exerts a downward force of 850±1 grams force (8.34 N) on the absorbent article package, which may be achieved by placing a suitable weight in the center of the top surface of the horizontal sliding plate that does not contact the package, such that the total mass of the sliding plate plus the additional weight is 850±1 grams.

[0135] Test procedure The absorbent article packages are equilibrated at 23±2° C. and 50±5% relative humidity prior to measurement.

[0136] Raise the horizontal sliding plate and center the absorbent article package under the horizontal sliding plate with the absorbent articles in the package oriented horizontally (see Figure 43). Any handles or other packaging mechanisms on the surface of the package that would contact any of the plates are folded flat against the surface of the package to minimize their effect on the measurement. Slowly lower the horizontal sliding plate until it touches the top surface of the package and then release it. 10 seconds after releasing the horizontal sliding plate, measure the gap between the horizontal plates to within ±0.5mm. Five identical packages (same size package and same number of absorbent articles) are measured and the arithmetic mean is reported as the package width. Calculate "In-bag stack height" = (package width / number of absorbent articles per stack) x 10 and report within ±0.5mm.

[0137] Measurement method of intensive properties using micro-CT The micro-CT intensive property measurement method measures basis weight, thickness and volume density values ​​within visually distinct areas of a substrate sample. The method is based on the analysis of 3D X-ray sample images obtained with a micro-CT instrument (a suitable instrument is a Scanco μCT 50 available from Scanco Medical AG, Switzerland, or an equivalent instrument). The micro-CT instrument is a cone-beam microtomograph with a shielded cabinet. A maintenance-free X-ray tube is used as the source with an adjustable focal spot diameter. The X-ray beam passes through the sample, and a portion of the X-rays is attenuated by the sample. The degree of attenuation correlates with the mass of material through which the X-rays must pass. The transmitted X-rays are continuously incident on a digital detector array, which produces a 2D projection image of the sample. A 3D image of the sample is produced by collecting multiple individual projection images of the rotated sample and then reconstructing these projection images into a single 3D image. The instrument is interfaced with software running on a computer to control the image acquisition and store the raw data. The 3D images are then analyzed using image analysis software (a suitable image analysis software is MATLAB or equivalent software available from The Mathworks, Inc., Natick, Mass.) to measure the intensive properties of basis weight, thickness, and volume density of regions within the sample.

[0138] Sample preparation: To obtain the sample for measurement, one layer of dry substrate material is laid flat and a circular piece 30 mm in diameter is punched out.

[0139] If the substrate material is a layer of an absorbent article, such as a topsheet, backsheet nonwoven, acquisition layer, distribution layer, or other component layer, the absorbent article is taped to a firm flat surface in a planar configuration. The individual substrate layers are carefully separated from the absorbent article. If necessary, a scalpel and / or a cryo-spray (Cyto-Freeze from Control Company, Houston TX) can be used to remove the substrate layer from further underlying layers to prevent longitudinal and lateral stretching of the material. Once the substrate layer is removed from the article, samples are punched out as described above.

[0140] If the substrate material is in the form of a wet wipe, open a new package of wet wipes and remove the entire stack from the package. Remove one wipe from the middle of the stack, lay it flat and allow it to dry completely before die cutting a sample for analysis.

[0141] Samples can be cut from any location that contains a visually distinct area to be analyzed. Within a region, the area to be analyzed is an area attached to a three-dimensional feature that defines a microregion. A microregion includes at least two visually distinct areas. A region, three-dimensional feature, or microregion may be visually distinct due to varying texture, height, or thickness. Regions within different samples taken from the same substrate material may be analyzed and compared to each other. When selecting the location to take the sample, care should be taken to avoid folds, wrinkles, or tears.

[0142] Acquire images: The micro-CT device is prepared and calibrated according to the manufacturer's specifications. The sample is placed between two rings of low density material with an inner diameter of 25 mm in a suitable holder. This allows the central portion of the sample to be horizontally positioned and scanned without any other material directly adjacent to its top and bottom surfaces. Measurements should be taken in this area. The field of view of the 3D image is approximately 35 mm on each side in the XY plane, has a resolution of approximately 5000 x 5000 pixels, and a sufficient number of 7 micrometer thick slices are collected to completely encompass the Z direction of the sample. The reconstructed 3D image resolution contains 7 micrometer isotropic voxels. Images are acquired using a 45 kVp and 133 μA power supply without further low energy filtering. These current and voltage settings can be optimized to allow enough x-rays to penetrate the sample to maximize contrast in the projection data, but once optimized, are kept constant for all substantially similar samples. A total of 1500 projection images are acquired with an integration time of 1000 ms and 3 averages. These projection images are reconstructed into 3D images and stored in 16-bit RAW format to preserve the complete detector output signal for analysis.

[0143] Image Processing: Load the 3D image into image analysis software. Threshold the 3D image to isolate and remove background signal due to air, but retain the signal from the sample fibers within the substrate.

[0144] Three 2D intensive property images are generated from the thresholded 3D image. The first is a basis weight image. To generate this image, the value of each voxel in a slice in the XY plane is summed with all of the corresponding voxel values ​​in other Z slices that contain signal from the sample. This generates a 2D image where each pixel has a value equal to the cumulative signal throughout the sample.

[0145] A basis weight calibration curve is generated to convert the raw data values ​​in the basis weight image to actual values. A substrate having a substantially similar composition as the sample to be analyzed and a uniform basis weight is obtained. At least 10 replicate samples of the calibration curve substrate are obtained according to the procedure described above. The basis weight of each of the single layer calibration samples is accurately measured by measuring the mass to the nearest 0.0001 g, dividing by the area of ​​the sample, and converting to grams per square meter (gsm), and the average is calculated to the nearest 0.01 gsm. A micro-CT image of the single layer calibration sample substrate is obtained according to the procedure described above. The micro-CT image is processed according to the procedure described above to generate a basis weight image including the raw data values. The actual basis weight value of the sample is the average basis weight value measured on the calibration sample. Two layers of the calibration substrate sample are then stacked on top of each other, and a micro-CT image of the two layers of the calibration substrate is obtained. A raw data image of the combined basis weight of both layers is generated. The actual basis weight value is equal to twice the average basis weight value measured on the calibration sample. The procedure is repeated by stacking single-ply calibration substrates, acquiring micro-CT images of all layers, and generating raw data grammage images of all layers, whose actual grammage value is equal to the number of layers multiplied by the average grammage value measured on the calibration samples. In total, at least four different grammage calibration images are obtained. To ensure an accurate calibration, the grammage values ​​of the calibration samples should include values ​​above and below the grammage value of the original sample being analyzed. A calibration curve is generated by performing a linear regression of the raw data against the actual grammage values ​​for the four calibration samples. This linear regression should have an R2 value of at least 0.95, otherwise the entire calibration procedure is repeated. This calibration curve is then used to convert the raw data values ​​to actual grammage.

[0146] The second intensive property 2D image is the thickness image. To generate this image, the top and bottom surfaces of the sample are identified and the distance between these surfaces is calculated to obtain the thickness of the sample. The top surface of the sample is identified by identifying the Z voxel location for every pixel location in the XY plane where the sample signal was first detected, starting with the top Z slice and proceeding through the sample to evaluate each slice. To identify the bottom surface of the sample, the same procedure is followed except that every Z voxel located is the location in the XY plane where the sample signal was last detected. Once the top and bottom surfaces have been identified, they are smoothed with a 15x15 median filter to remove signal from stray fibers. The 2D thickness image is then generated by counting the number of voxels that lie between the top and bottom surfaces for each pixel location in the XY plane. This raw thickness value is then converted to an actual distance in micrometers by multiplying the number of voxels by the thickness resolution of the 7 μm slice.

[0147] The third intensive property 2D image is the volume density image. To generate this image, each pixel value in the XY plane in the basis weight image in gsm is divided by the corresponding pixel in the thickness image in micrometers. The volume density image has units of g / cubic centimeter (g / cc).

[0148] Intensive properties of basis weight, thickness, and volume density by micro-CT: The analysis begins by identifying an area to be analyzed. The area to be analyzed is an area associated with a three-dimensional feature that defines a microzone. A microzone includes at least two visually distinct areas. A zone, three-dimensional feature, or microzone may be visually distinct due to varying texture, height, or thickness. The boundaries of the area to be analyzed are then identified. The boundaries of the area are identified by visually distinguishing differences in intensive properties compared to other areas in the sample. For example, the boundaries of the area can be identified based on visually distinguishing differences in thickness compared to another area of ​​the sample. Any intensive property can be used to distinguish the boundaries of the area of ​​the physical sample itself, either in the micro-CT image of the intensive property. Once the boundaries of the area are identified, an oval or circular "region of interest" (ROI) is drawn inside the area. The ROI should be at least 0.1 mm 2 The area of ​​the ROI should be selected to measure, with intensive property values ​​representative of the identified region. From each of the three intensive property images, calculate the average basis weight, thickness, and volume density within the ROI. Record these values ​​for the region to the nearest 0.01 gsm for basis weight, 0.1 micrometer for thickness, and 0.0001 g / cc for volume density.

[0149] Emtec Test The Emtec test is performed on a target portion of the outer cover nonwoven material or topsheet. The TS7, TS750, and D values ​​are measured using an Emtec Tissue Softness Analyzer ("Emtec TSA") (Emtec Electronic GmbH, Leipzig, Germany) connected to a computer running Emtec TSA software (version 3.19 or equivalent). The Emtec TSA has a rotor with a vertical blade that rotates on the test specimen at a defined calibrated rotation speed (set by the manufacturer) and a contact force of 100 mN. The contact of the vertical blade with the test specimen generates vibrations in both the blade and the specimen, and the resulting sound is recorded by a microphone in the instrument. The recorded sound files are then analyzed by the Emtec TSA software to determine the TS7 and TS750 values. The D value is a measure of the stiffness of the specimen and is increased from 100 mN to 600 mN based on the vertical distance required for the contact force of the blade on the test specimen. Sample preparation, instrument operation, and test procedures are performed in accordance with the instrument manufacturer's specifications.

[0150] Sample preparation Test samples are prepared by cutting a square or circular portion of interest from the outer cover nonwoven material or topsheet of the absorbent article. It is preferred that a freeze spray is not used to remove the portion of the outer cover nonwoven material or topsheet to be analyzed, although it is acceptable to use a freeze spray in the distal area to help initiate layer separation. Test samples are cut to lengths and widths (diameters for circular samples) of less than about 90 mm and no greater than about 120 mm so that the sample can be properly secured within the TSA machine (if the absorbent article does not contain a large enough area of ​​the substrate of interest to extract a sample of the size specified above, it is acceptable to sample an equivalent material from roll stock). Test samples are selected to be free of abnormally large wrinkles or creases within the test area. Six substantially similar replicate samples are prepared for testing.

[0151] Prior to conducting the TSA test, all samples are equilibrated for at least 2 hours at TAPPI standard temperature and relative humidity conditions (23°C ± 2°C and 50% ± 2%). The TSA test is also conducted under TAPPI conditions.

[0152] Test procedure The instrument is calibrated according to Emtec's instructions using a one-point calibration method with an appropriate reference standard (so-called "Reference 2" or equivalent available from Emtec).

[0153] The test specimen is mounted in the fixture with the surface of interest facing upwards and the test is performed according to the manufacturer's instructions. The software displays the values ​​of TS7, TS750, and D upon completion of the automated fixture test routine. TS7 and TS750 are each 0.01 dB V 2 The force is recorded in rms units and D is recorded to the nearest 0.01 mm / N. The test specimen is then removed from the fixture and disposed of. This test procedure is performed separately on the corresponding target surface of each of the six replicate specimens (the wearer-facing surface of the topsheet specimen and the garment-facing surface of the outer cover nonwoven material specimen).

[0154] The TS7, TS750, and D values ​​are each averaged over six sample replicates (arithmetic mean). The average values ​​of TS7 and TS750 are within 0.01 dB V 2 Reported in rms units. Average D is reported to the nearest 0.01 mm / N.

[0155] Contact Angle and Wick Time Test Method Contact angle and wick time measurements are determined using a sessile drop experiment. A specific amount of type II reagent distilled water (defined in ASTM D1193) is applied to the surface of the test specimen using an automated liquid delivery system. A high-speed video camera captures time-stamped images of the droplet over a period of 60 seconds at a rate of 900 frames per second. The contact angle between the droplet and the surface of the test specimen is determined for each captured image by image analysis software. The wick time is determined as the time it takes for the contact angle of a droplet absorbed into the test specimen to decrease to a contact angle of <10°. All measurements are performed at constant temperature (23°C ± 2°C) and relative humidity (50% ± 2%).

[0156] To perform this test, an automated contact angle tester is required. The system includes a light source, a video camera, a horizontal sample stage, a liquid delivery system with pump and microsyringe, and a computer with suitable software for video image capture, image analysis, and reporting of contact angle data. A suitable instrument is the Optical Contact Angle Measurement System OCA 20 (DataPhysics Instruments, Filderstadt, Germany), or equivalent. The system must be capable of delivering an 8.2 μL droplet and capturing images at a rate of 900 frames per second. Unless otherwise specified in this test procedure, the system is calibrated and operated according to the manufacturer's instructions.

[0157] To obtain a test sample for measurement, a single layer of dry substrate material is laid flat and a rectangular test sample is cut out, 15 mm wide and approximately 70 mm long. The width of the sample may be reduced as necessary to ensure that the test area of ​​interest is not obscured by surrounding features during testing. Care should be taken with narrow sample pieces to ensure that droplets do not reach the edge of the test sample during testing, otherwise the test must be repeated. Precondition the sample for 2 hours at 23°C ± 2°C and 50% ± 2% relative humidity prior to testing.

[0158] Sample preparation The test sample can be cut from any location that contains a visually distinct area to be analyzed. Within a region, the area to be analyzed is an area attached to a three-dimensional feature that defines a microregion. A microregion includes at least two visually distinct areas. A region, three-dimensional feature, or microregion can be visually distinct due to varying texture, height, or thickness. Regions within different test samples taken from the same substrate material can be analyzed and compared to each other. When selecting the location to take the sample, care should be taken to avoid folds, wrinkles, or tears.

[0159] If the substrate material is a layer of an absorbent article, such as a topsheet or outer cover nonwoven material, an acquisition layer, a distribution layer, or other component layer, tape the absorbent article to a firm flat surface to form a flat surface. Carefully separate the individual substrate layers from the absorbent article. If necessary, a scalpel and / or a cold spray (Cyto-Freeze from Control Company, Houston TX) may be used to remove the substrate layer from further underneath to prevent longitudinal and lateral stretching of the material. Once the substrate layer is removed from the absorbent article, proceed to cut the test samples. If the substrate material is in the form of a wet wipe, open a new package of wet wipes and remove the entire stack from the package. Remove one wipe from the middle of the stack, lay it flat and allow it to dry completely before cutting out a sample for analysis.

[0160] Test procedure The test sample is placed on a horizontal sample stage with the test surface facing up and the test area within the camera's field of view under the needle of the liquid delivery system. The test sample is fixed so that it is flat but not taut, and all interaction between the droplet and the underlying surface is avoided to prevent excessive capillary forces. A 27-gauge blunt-tip stainless steel needle (ID 0.23 mm, OD 0.41 mm) is placed above the test sample such that at least 2 mm of the needle tip is within the camera's field of view. The sample stage is adjusted so that there is a distance of approximately 3 mm between the tip of the needle and the surface of the test sample. An 8.2 μL drop of reagent distilled water is formed at a rate of 1 μL per second and allowed to free fall onto the surface of the test sample. Video image capture is initiated before the droplet contacts the surface of the test sample, followed by a continuous series of images collected for 60 seconds after the droplet contacts the surface of the test sample. This procedure is repeated for a total of five substantially similar replicate test areas. Use a new test sample or ensure that the wetted area of ​​the previous droplet is avoided during subsequent measurements.

[0161] On each of the images captured by the video camera, the test sample surface, and the outline of the droplet are identified and used by image analysis software to calculate the contact angle for each droplet image, reported to the nearest 0.1 degrees. The contact angle is the angle formed by the surface of the test sample, and is tangent to the surface of the droplet in contact with the test sample. For each series of images from the test, time zero is the time when the droplet contacts the surface of the test sample. The contact angle of the droplet image corresponding to zero plus 5 seconds is measured and recorded. The contact angle at 5 seconds is reported as 0° if the droplet is completely absorbed by the test sample within 5 seconds. This procedure is repeated for five replicate test areas. The arithmetic mean of the contact angles at zero plus 5 seconds for the five replicate test areas is calculated, and this value is reported to the nearest 0.1 degrees as the contact angle.

[0162] Wick time is defined as the time it takes for the contact angle of a droplet absorbed into the test sample to decrease to a contact angle of <10°. Wick time is measured by identifying the first image in a given series where the contact angle decreases to a contact angle of <10°, and then calculating and reporting the amount of time that has elapsed from time zero based on that image. If a contact angle of less than 10° is not reached within 60 seconds, the wick time is reported as 60 seconds. This procedure is repeated for five replicate test areas. The arithmetic mean of the wick times for the five replicate test areas is calculated and this value is reported to the nearest 0.1 millisecond.

[0163] Dimensions and values ​​disclosed herein should not be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values ​​recited. Instead, unless otherwise indicated, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is intended to mean "about 40 mm."

[0164] All documents cited in this application, including all cross-referenced or related patents or patent applications, and any patent applications or patents to which this application claims priority or benefit, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, unless expressly stated to the contrary. The citation of any document shall not be deemed to be prior art to any invention disclosed or claimed herein, or to teach, suggest or disclose such invention, either alone or in combination with any other reference(s). Furthermore, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.

[0165] While particular embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An absorbent article comprising: A top sheet; A backsheet film; an absorbent core positioned at least partially intermediate said topsheet and said backsheet film; an outer cover nonwoven material in opposing relationship with at least a portion of the backsheet film, the outer cover nonwoven material comprising a nonwoven comprising a garment-facing surface; the nonwoven fabric comprises a visually distinguishable pattern of three-dimensional features on the garment-facing surface, each of the three-dimensional features defining a microzone including a first region and a second region, the first and second regions having a difference in value of an intensive property, the intensive property comprising at least one of caliper, basis weight, and volume density; the three-dimensional features are formed by depositing fibers directly onto a forming belt having a corresponding pattern of three-dimensional features; the difference in the values ​​of the intensive properties is due to the distribution and compression of the fibers; the portion of the garment-facing surface having one total area region that is between 5% and 25% of the total area of ​​the portion of the garment-facing surface and that is a low basis weight region, and the remainder of the portion of the garment-facing surface having two total areas that are high basis weight regions; The portion of the garment-facing surface is rated to be within 1 dB V according to Emtec testing. ２ rms~4.5dBV ２ having TS7 values ​​in the range of rms, The portion of the garment-facing surface is rated to be 6 dB V according to Emtec testing. ２ rms~30dB V ２ An absorbent article having a TS750 value in the rms range.

2. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein said portion of said garment facing surface has a D value in the range of 2 mm / N to 6 mm / N.

3. The absorbent article of claim 1 or 2, wherein the nonwoven fabric comprises a spunbond nonwoven fabric.

4. the topsheet comprises a second nonwoven, the second nonwoven comprising a surface facing a wearer; the second nonwoven comprises a visually distinguishable pattern of three-dimensional features on the wearer-facing surface, each of the three-dimensional features defining a microzone including a third region and a fourth region, the third and fourth regions having a difference in value of an intensive property, the intensive property comprising at least one of caliper, basis weight, and volume density; the three-dimensional features of the second nonwoven are formed by depositing fibers directly onto a forming belt having a corresponding pattern of three-dimensional features; the difference in the value of the intensive property of the second nonwoven fabric is due to the distribution and compression of the fibers; The portion of the wearer-facing surface of the topsheet has a thermal insulation resistance of less than 1 dB V according to Emtec testing. ２ rms~4.5dBV ２ having TS7 values ​​in the range of rms, The portion of the wearer-facing surface of the topsheet has a thermal insulation resistance of 6 dB V according to Emtec testing. ２ rms~30dB V ２ The absorbent article of any one of claims 1 to 3, having a TS750 value in the rms range.

5. The absorbent article of claim 4, wherein said portion of said wearer-facing surface of said topsheet has a D value in the range of 2 mm / N to 6 mm / N.

6. 6. The absorbent article of claim 4 or 5, wherein the nonwoven of the outer cover nonwoven material and / or the second nonwoven of the topsheet comprises crimped bicomponent fibers.

7. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the difference in thickness between the first region and the second region of at least one microzone is greater than 25 micrometers according to a micro-CT intensive property measurement method.

8. 8. The absorbent article of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said difference in basis weight between said first region and said second region of at least one microzone is greater than 5 gsm according to a MicroCT intensive property measurement method.

9. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the difference in volume density between the first region and the second region of at least one microzone is greater than 0.042 g / cc according to a micro-CT intensive property measurement method.

10. 5. The absorbent article of claim 4, wherein said difference in thickness between said third region and said fourth region of at least one microzone is greater than 25 micrometers according to a microCT intensive property measurement method.

11. 11. The absorbent article of claim 4 or 10, wherein said difference in basis weight between said third region and said fourth region of at least one microzone is greater than 5 gsm according to a MicroCT intensive property measurement method.

12. 12. The absorbent article of claim 4, 10, or 11, wherein the difference in volume density between the third region and the fourth region of at least one microzone is greater than 0.042 g / cc according to a micro-CT intensive property measurement method.

13. The portion of the garment-facing surface is rated to be 6 dB V according to Emtec testing. ２ rms ~ 15dB V ２ The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 12, having a TS750 in the rms range.

14. The portion of the wearer-facing surface is rated to be 6 dB V according to Emtec testing. ２ rms ~ 15dB V ２ The absorbent article according to any one of claims 4 to 6, having a TS750 in the rms range.

15. The absorbent article of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the outer cover nonwoven material is hydrophobic.

16. 16. The absorbent article of any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein said portion of the garment-facing surface has said Total Area 1 region in the range of 10% to 20% of a total area of ​​said portion of the garment-facing surface, and the remainder of said portion of the garment-facing surface is said Total Area 2 region.

17. 7. The absorbent article of any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the portion of the wearer-facing surface has a total area 1 region ranging from 5% to 25% of the total area of ​​the portion of the wearer-facing surface, and the remainder of the portion of the wearer-facing surface is a total area 2 region.

18. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the intensive property is basis weight.

19. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the nonwoven fabric is through-bonded.

20. An absorbent article comprising: A top sheet; A backsheet film; an absorbent core positioned at least partially intermediate said topsheet and said backsheet film; an outer cover nonwoven material in opposing relationship with at least a portion of the backsheet film, the outer cover nonwoven material comprising a nonwoven having a garment-facing surface; first and second visually distinct areas on the garment-facing surface; each of the first and second visually distinct areas having a pattern of three-dimensional features; Each of the three-dimensional features defines a microregion including a first region and a second region; the first region and the second region have a difference in value of an intensive property, the difference in value of the intensive property of at least one of the microzones in the first region is different from the difference in value of the intensive property of at least one of the microzones in the second region; The intensive properties include at least one of thickness, basis weight, and volume density; the three-dimensional features are formed by depositing fibers directly onto a forming belt having a corresponding pattern of three-dimensional features; the difference in the values ​​of the intensive properties is due to the distribution and compression of the fibers; the portion of the garment-facing surface having one total area region that is between 5% and 25% of the total area of ​​the portion of the garment-facing surface and that is a low basis weight region, and the remainder of the portion of the garment-facing surface having two total areas that are high basis weight regions; The portion of the garment-facing surface is rated to be within 1 dB V according to Emtec testing. ２ rms~4.5dBV ２ having TS7 values ​​in the range of rms, The portion of the garment-facing surface is rated to be 6 dB V according to Emtec testing. ２ rms~30dB V ２ An absorbent article having a TS750 value in the rms range.

Images