absorbent articles

Abstract

To provide an absorbent article using a cotton nonwoven fabric for a sheet in a skin contact surface side, and compatibly achieving a feeling of wet and joining / fixing of the sheet, as well as excellent texture and wear comfort when being worn.SOLUTION: An absorbent article comprises a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorber clamped between the top sheet and the back sheet. The top sheet includes, in order from a skin contact surface side to a skin noncontact surface side, a first sheet and a second sheet, where the first sheet is a composite sheet formed by integrating a cotton layer in the skin contact surface side and a thermally fusible fiber layer in the skin noncontact surface side by hydroentanglement, and the second sheet is a nonwoven fabric containing thermally fusible fibers. The first sheet and the second sheet are bonded only by post-treatment heat embossing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an absorbent article having cotton and heat-sealable fibers. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, absorbent articles are composed of a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent body disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet, so that bodily fluids such as urine pass through the top sheet and are absorbed by the absorbent body.

[0003] In recent years, there has been a demand for absorbent articles that are soft to the touch, and absorbent articles have been disclosed that use cotton nonwoven fabric for the skin-contacting surface sheet (usually the top sheet).

[0004] As a prior art document for an absorbent article using a cotton nonwoven fabric for the sheet on the skin-contacting side, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an absorbent article in which the top sheet is made of a spunlace nonwoven fabric to which a softener is applied, and it is preferable that the softener is mainly applied to the side opposite to the side facing the wearer's skin, and the absorbent article is an absorbent article that is used by being in contact with the wearer's skin when worn, and the surface that comes in contact with the wearer's skin is formed by the top sheet of the above-mentioned absorbent article, and is characterized in that the constituent fibers of the spunlace nonwoven fabric are mainly cotton and / or rayon.

[0005] Similarly, Patent Document 2, a prior art document for an absorbent article using a cotton nonwoven fabric for the sheet on the skin-contacting side, discloses a bodily fluid absorbent device having a bodily fluid permeable surface layer, a waterproof back layer, and an absorbent layer between these layers, wherein the surface layer is made of a nonwoven fabric mainly containing uncolored fibers, and the absorbent layer comprises a first absorbent layer arranged on the surface layer side and a second absorbent layer arranged on the back layer side, the first absorbent layer being made of a white nonwoven fabric, and the second absorbent layer being made of a colored nonwoven fabric that is denser than the first absorbent layer, and the nonwoven fabric mainly containing uncolored fibers is made of natural fibers including any of cotton, silk, pulp, wool, and hemp as its main component, and the respective sheets of the surface layer, first absorbent layer, second absorbent layer, and back layer are bonded together by coating them with a hot melt adhesive. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-193001 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-230127 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Cotton nonwoven fabric has a unique softness, so when a cotton nonwoven fabric is used for the sheet on the skin-contacting side of an absorbent article, it has the advantage that the skin-contacting side of the absorbent article feels good to the touch and is comfortable to wear. However, because cotton fibers have a high water retention property, it has the disadvantage of being inferior in terms of the wet feeling (wetback) when urinating while wearing the article. One way to solve this problem is to mix a certain amount of heat-sealing fibers into the cotton nonwoven fabric layer, but adding heat-sealing fibers to the skin-contacting surface reduces the amount of cotton per unit area of ​​the skin-contacting surface of the sheet on the skin-contacting side, which worsens the feel against the skin, so this method fails to improve both the feel against the skin and the wetness.

[0008] Furthermore, when a cotton nonwoven fabric made only of cotton fibers is used for the sheet on the skin-contacting side, there is a problem that it is difficult to bond and fix the sheet on the skin-contacting side to the sheet below by heat treatment because cotton fibers are not heat-fusible fibers. If the sheet on the skin-contacting side is not fixed, part of the sheet on the skin-contacting side will lift up from the sheet below during wear, causing it to become wrinkled and uncomfortable to the touch due to the resulting wrinkles. In addition, moisture will not easily transfer from the sheet on the skin-contacting side to the sheet below, leaving liquid on the sheet on the skin-contacting side, making it inferior to a wet bag.

[0009] One way to solve this problem is to use a hot melt adhesive, as in Patent Document 2, but the use of a hot melt adhesive makes the cotton nonwoven fabric hard and uncomfortable to the touch, so this method fails to achieve both a comfortable feel and good bonding.In addition, the hot melt adhesive coats the sheet on the skin-contacting side in a film-like manner, clogging the pores of the sheet, making it difficult for moisture to migrate to the lower layer and making it inferior to a wet bag.

[0010] The present invention discloses a technology that solves these problems simultaneously, and aims to provide an absorbent article that uses a cotton nonwoven fabric for the skin-contacting side sheet, which has a good feel on the skin and is comfortable to wear, while also achieving a wet feeling and good sheet bonding and fixation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The inventors have conducted extensive research and have found that an absorbent article having a top sheet, a back sheet, and an absorbent body sandwiched therebetween, the top sheet having a first sheet and a second sheet in this order from the skin-contacting side to the non-skin-contacting side, the first sheet being a composite sheet having a cotton layer on the skin-contacting side and a heat-fusible fiber layer on the non-skin-contacting side, the second sheet being a nonwoven fabric made of heat-fusible fibers, and the first sheet and the second sheet being bonded together only by post-treatment heat embossing, can provide an absorbent article that is pleasant to the touch and comfortable to wear, while also providing a wet feeling and good bonding and fixation of the sheets, and has completed the present invention.

[0012] (1) A first aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article having a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent sandwiched between the top sheet and the back sheet, wherein the top sheet has, in order from the skin-contacting side to the non-skin-contacting side, a first sheet and a second sheet, the first sheet being a composite sheet obtained by integrating a cotton layer on the skin-contacting side with a heat-fusible fiber layer on the non-skin-contacting side by hydroentangling, the second sheet being a nonwoven fabric containing heat-fusible fibers, and the first sheet and the second sheet being bonded together only by post-treatment heat embossing.

[0013] (2) A second aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article according to (1), characterized in that the weight ratio of the cotton layer to the heat-sealable fiber layer is 40:60 or more and 80:20 or less.

[0014] (3) A third aspect of the present invention is the absorbent article according to (1) or (2), characterized in that the second sheet is an air-through nonwoven fabric.

[0015] (4) A fourth aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article according to any one of (1) to (3), characterized in that the post-treatment heat embossing comprises a diffusion channel embossment that bonds the first sheet, the second sheet, and the absorbent body, and the diffusion channel embossment comprises one or more pairs of longitudinal curved portions that are arranged symmetrically at the width center of the absorbent article and that all extend in the longitudinal direction, and one or more pairs of width curved portions that are arranged closer to both longitudinal ends than the longitudinal curved portions and that all extend in the width direction.

[0016] (5) A fifth aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article as described in (4), characterized in that it has a urethral opening contact area located laterally more central than the longitudinal curved portion and more centrally front-to-back than the widthwise curved portion, and in which the first sheet and the second sheet are not subjected to post-treatment heat embossing.

[0017] (6) A sixth aspect of the present invention is the absorbent article according to (5), wherein the urethral meatus contact area is a substantially rectangular area located at the center of the absorbent article in the width direction, extending from a position 40 mm to 120 mm from the front end of the absorbent article in the longitudinal direction toward the rear, and has a longitudinal dimension of 50 mm to 150 mm, a width dimension of 15 mm to 50 mm, and an area of ​​1,000 mm. 2 Over 5,000mm 2 It is characterized by the following:

[0018] (7) A seventh aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article according to any one of (4) to (6), characterized in that the post-treatment heat embossing further includes a product edge seal embossing that is applied from the skin-contacting side of the top sheet to an area in the thickness direction of the absorbent article where the absorbent body is not present, and that bonds the top sheet and the back sheet.

[0019] (8) The eighth aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article as described in (7), characterized in that the peel strength between the top sheet and the back sheet in the area where the product edge seal embossing is applied is 3N or more and 10N or less. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the present invention, an absorbent article can be provided that uses a cotton nonwoven fabric for the sheet on the skin-contacting side, and that is soft to the touch and comfortable to wear, while also providing a wet feeling and good sheet bonding and fixation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of an absorbent article according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y1-Y1 in FIG. [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are plan views of the diffusion channel embossment pattern and the urethral opening contact area of ​​the absorbent article in each example of the present invention and each comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described in detail. The following present embodiment is an example for explaining the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention to the following content. The present invention can be carried out by appropriately modifying it within the scope of its gist. In the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the positional relationships, such as up, down, left, and right, are based on the positional relationships shown in the drawings. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of the drawings are not limited to those shown in the drawings.

[0023] In addition, in the description of this specification, "when the absorbent article 1 is worn" refers to at least one of when the absorbent article 1 is worn and after it has been worn. The longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 1 is the direction extending from the front to the back of the wearer when the absorbent article 1 is worn, and is the direction indicated by the symbol X in the drawings. The width direction of the absorbent article 1 is the direction horizontal to or perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and is the direction indicated by the symbol Y in the drawings. Furthermore, the "skin-contacting surface" refers to the surface of each of the front and back surfaces of each component, such as the exterior body, that faces the skin side of the wearer when worn, and the "non-skin-contacting surface" refers to the surface of each of the front and back surfaces of each component, such as the absorbent body, that faces the opposite side from the skin side of the wearer (the clothing side) when worn. Furthermore, body fluids refer to liquids excreted from the body to the outside, such as urine, water in loose stools, etc. Furthermore, examples of the absorbent article 1 include light incontinence products and urine absorption pads, but the absorbent article 1 is not limited to these and may be other absorbent articles.

[0024] <Absorbent articles> Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an absorbent article 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y1-Y1 in Fig. 1(b). As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the absorbent article 1 has a liquid-permeable top sheet 10, a liquid-impermeable back sheet 20, and an absorbent body 30 sandwiched between the top sheet 10 and the back sheet 20. The longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article 1 is preferably 150 mm to 450 mm, and more preferably 200 mm to 350 mm. The width dimension is preferably 50 mm to 250 mm, and more preferably 80 mm to 180 mm. The shape of the absorbent article 1 is not limited to the roughly hourglass shape shown in Fig. 1, and may be roughly rectangular, roughly fan-shaped, or any other shape that fits the area on the wearer's body where it is worn.

[0025] <Top sheet> The top sheet 10 provided in the absorbent article 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a first sheet 11 and a second sheet 12 arranged in this order from the skin contacting side to the non-skin contacting side.

[0026] (First sheet) The first sheet 11 is a composite sheet obtained by integrating a cotton layer 111 on the skin-contacting side with a thermally fused fiber layer 112 on the non-skin-contacting side through hydroentangling. The first sheet 11 is preferably a spunlace nonwoven fabric obtained by dry-laid papermaking and water-jet entanglement. Specifically, the cotton fiber is dry-laid on the skin-contacting side of the first sheet 11, and the thermally fused fiber is dry-laid on the non-skin-contacting side, using carding or air-laid, and then the two fiber layers are entangled and integrated using a hydroentangling device.

[0027] The cotton fibers used in the cotton layer 111 and the heat-fusible fibers used in the heat-fusible fiber layer 112 are not particularly limited, and known fibers can be used. For example, the heat-fusible fibers may be a continuous fiber sheet such as a spunbond, a laminated assembly of discrete staple fibers, or fibers in which some of the fibers are heat-fusible. A spunbond nonwoven fabric is preferable. When a spunbond (continuous long fibers) is used for the heat-fusible fiber layer 112 on the non-skin-contacting side, the fibers on the non-skin-contacting side of the hydroentangled first sheet 11 are less likely to protrude and be exposed on the surface of the cotton layer 111 on the skin-contacting side, because spunbond fibers have no end fibers due to the manufacturing process. This results in a comfortable feel against the skin. On the other hand, when heat-fusible staple fibers are used for the heat-fusible fiber layer 112 on the non-skin-contacting side, some of the staple fibers on the non-skin-contacting side are exposed on the surface of the cotton layer 111 on the skin-contacting side after hydroentanglement, making it impossible to achieve the same comfortable feel as a spunbond. Furthermore, spunbond nonwoven fabrics have the advantage of being stronger and easier to process than nonwoven fabrics made of heat-fusible staple fibers when compared in sheets of the same basis weight. The weight ratio of the cotton layer 111 to the heat-fusible fiber layer 112 is preferably 40:60 or more and 80:20 or less, and more preferably 50:50 or more and 70:30 or less.

[0028] (Second sheet) The second sheet 12 is a nonwoven fabric containing heat-sealing fibers, preferably a nonwoven fabric consisting only of heat-sealing fibers, with a common air-through nonwoven fabric being preferred. Nonwoven fabrics other than air-through are inferior in bulkiness, making it difficult for urine to diffuse and resulting in a poor wet feeling. The basis weight of the second sheet 12 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 18 g / m from the viewpoint of strength and processability. 2 More than 40g / m 2 It is preferable that:

[0029] In this case, the first sheet 11 and the second sheet 12 are bonded only by post-treatment heat embossing. Bonding the first sheet 11 and the second sheet 12, which only contain the cotton layer 111, by heat embossing results in insufficient adhesion. Therefore, by including the first sheet 11 and the heat-fusible fiber layer 112 adjacent to the second sheet 12, adhesion is improved. Furthermore, since the heat-fusible fiber layer 112 is bonded to the cotton layer 111 by hydroentanglement, adhesion between these two layers is also improved. Furthermore, the heat-fusible fiber layer 112 and the second sheet 12 are bonded only by heat embossing, and it is preferable that the layers are bonded without using a hot-melt adhesive. Using a hot-melt adhesive reduces the softness of the sheet and makes it uncomfortable to the touch. However, not using a hot-melt adhesive maintains a good touch (softness) and achieves bonded and fixed sheets. Furthermore, the inclusion of the heat-fusible fiber layer 112 improves the wetness of the absorbent article 1.

[0030] In this case, the post-treatment heat embossing is heat embossing that is performed after the top sheet 10 and the absorbent body 30 are stacked together in the manufacturing process of the absorbent article 1. In addition, the post-treatment heat embossing preferably includes a diffusion channel embossing 60 and a product edge seal embossing 61. The diffusion channel embossing 60 is applied from the skin contact side of the top sheet 10 to the area where the absorbent body 30 exists in the thickness direction of the absorbent article 1 (embossed area 62 shown in Figure 2), and adheres the first sheet 11, second sheet 12 and absorbent body 30 together.

[0031] The diffusion channel embossment 60 is a deep embossment that reaches from the first sheet 11 to the absorbent body 30 in the thickness direction. The heat-sealed embossed portion of the diffusion channel embossment 60 is not located closer to the top sheet 10 in the thickness direction of the absorbent body 30, but is located closer to the back sheet 20 in the thickness direction of the absorbent body 30. Therefore, the embossed portion that has hardened due to heat fusion of the diffusion channel embossment 60 does not come into direct contact with the skin of the wearer of the absorbent article 1, and can maintain a pleasant feel against the skin. Furthermore, by providing the diffusion channel embossments 60 in this manner, the top sheet 10 (first sheet 11 and second sheet 12) on the skin contact side is sufficiently fixed to the absorbent body 30, preventing slippage and creases when worn, and the diffusion channel embossments 60 are buckled at the boundary, allowing the absorbent article 1 to come into contact with the wearer's skin with a good fit. Furthermore, when a large amount of body fluid is absorbed, it becomes possible to temporarily store the body fluid and block the diffusion of the body fluid in the longitudinal direction and the width direction. Furthermore, by providing the diffusion channel embossment 60 on the top sheet 10, which is easily visible to the wearer, it becomes easy to determine the contact point for the wearer's urination area, resulting in an absorbent article 1 that provides excellent guidance on how to wear the article. It is preferable that the diffusion channel embossment 60 does not reach the urethral opening contact region 70, which will be described later. The absence of the diffusion channel embossment 60 in this region increases the contact area between the urethral opening contact region 70 of the absorbent article 1 and the wearer's urination area, so that bodily fluids leaking from the wearer can be quickly transferred to and absorbed by the first sheet 11.

[0032] In this case, it is preferable that the diffusion channel embossment 60 includes a longitudinal curved portion 601 and a widthwise curved portion 602 as shown in FIG. The longitudinal curved portions 601 are arranged symmetrically at the widthwise center of the absorbent article 1 (i.e., extending from the excretion region to the front and rear regions of the absorbent article 1 in an outline that sandwiches the contact portion of the wearer's urination site), and each is one or more pairs of curved portions that extend in the longitudinal direction. When there are two or more pairs of longitudinal curved portions 601 as shown in FIG. 1(b), the distance between each pair is preferably 3 mm to 10 mm, and more preferably 4 mm to 7 mm. Furthermore, the longitudinal curved portions 601 may be provided with constricted portions (which extend continuously in the longitudinal direction and have an hourglass shape that convex inward in the widthwise direction) or flared portions (which extend continuously in the longitudinal direction and have an hourglass shape that convex outward in the widthwise direction) on both longitudinal edge portions (not shown).

[0033] The widthwise curved portions 602 are located closer to both longitudinal ends than the longitudinal curved portions 601, and each is a pair or more of curved portions extending in the width direction. The shape of the pair of widthwise curved portions may be symmetrical or asymmetrical with respect to each other in the front-to-rear direction. They may be either vertically or horizontally elongated, but the ratio of length to width is preferably 1:0.5 or more and 1:4 or less. The widthwise curved portions 602 may have a flared portion (extending continuously in the longitudinal direction and having an hourglass-shaped convex outward in the widthwise direction) or a constricted portion (extending continuously in the widthwise direction and having an hourglass-shaped convex inward in the longitudinal direction) on both side edges in the widthwise direction (not shown). It is preferable that the widthwise curved portions 602 are located at a position 30 mm to 70 mm from the longitudinal end of the absorbent article 1 and extend toward the longitudinal center on both the front and rear sides. 1(b), in an area other than the urethral opening contacting area 70 on the skin contacting surface side of the top sheet 10 described below, a central curved section 603 located between the longitudinal curved sections 601 and extending in the width direction may be provided in addition to the widthwise curved sections 602. By providing this central curved section 603 after the rear end of the urethral opening contacting area 70, the area of ​​the urethral opening contacting area 70 described below can be adjusted to an appropriate range. The distance between the longitudinal curved portion 601 and the widthwise curved portion 602 is preferably 3 mm to 20 mm, more preferably 4 mm to 10 mm. If the distance is less than 3 mm, the absorbent article 1 cannot buckle properly at the diffusion channel embossment 60, and the embossed portion comes into contact with the wearer, resulting in poor feel and wearing comfort. If the distance exceeds 20 mm, the absorbent article 1 will become twisted at the gap.

[0034] The product edge seal embossment 61 is applied in an area where the absorbent body 30 is not present in the thickness direction of the absorbent article 1 from the skin contact surface side of the top sheet 10, and serves to bond the top sheet 10 and the back sheet 20 together, but is preferably applied to both longitudinal ends of the absorbent article 1 as shown in Fig. 1. The application of the product edge seal embossment 61 prevents the absorbent body 30 from being exposed to the outside of the absorbent article 1 and prevents the absorbent article 1 from shifting or sagging when worn.

[0035] It is preferable that the top sheet 10 has a urethral opening contact region 70, as shown in Fig. 1, where the first sheet 11 and the second sheet 12 are not subjected to post-treatment heat embossing. By having the urethral opening contact region 70, the absorbent article 1 feels good against the skin and is less uncomfortable to wear. In addition, the absorbent article 1 is more likely to adhere to the wearer's urethral opening (less distance is created), making leakage less likely. The urethral meatus contact region 70 is a generally rectangular region located at the center of the absorbent article 1 in the width direction, extending rearward in the longitudinal direction from a position 40 mm to 120 mm (more preferably 50 mm to 90 mm) from the front end of the absorbent article 1 in the longitudinal direction, and has a longitudinal dimension of 50 mm to 150 mm (more preferably 70 mm to 130 mm) and a width dimension of 15 mm to 50 mm (more preferably 20 mm to 40 mm), and an area of ​​1,000 mm. 2 Over 5,000mm 2It is preferable that the area be less than 100%. Because the area near the urethral opening contact region 70 is located in the crotch area of ​​the wearer, the absorbent article 1 can easily fit tightly to the wearer without buckling. Therefore, if the area of ​​the urethral opening contact region 70 is too small, the embossed portion will come into contact with the skin, which can cause discomfort. If it is too wide, the top sheet 10 will not be sufficiently fixed, and the entire absorbent article 1 will become distorted. The top sheet 10 may include embossings other than the diffusion channel embossings 60 and the product edge seal embossings 61, such as dots, rods, diamonds, etc., as post-treatment heat embossings. However, even in this case, it is preferable that the embossings are not positioned in the urethral opening contact area 70 in terms of feel and reduction of discomfort.

[0036] The basis weight of the top sheet 10 (the first sheet 11 and the second sheet 12) is not particularly limited, but is preferably 30 g / m from the viewpoint of strength and processability. 2 More than 80g / m 2 Preferably, it is 40 g / m or less. 2 More than 70g / m 2 More preferably, it is:

[0037] (Third sheet) The absorbent article 1 preferably further comprises a third sheet 13, which is an apertured film, on the non-skin contacting side of the second sheet 12 in contact with the second sheet 12. By arranging the third sheet 13 in contact with the non-skin contacting side of the second sheet 12, the wet feeling of the absorbent article 1 is very good. Any known apertured film can be used, for example, a film made of polyethylene or polypropylene. In addition, it is preferable that the diameter of the apertures is 2 mm or less, the distance between the apertures is 0.2 mm or more and 0.6 mm or less, and the aperture area ratio is 25% or more and 50% or less in the third sheet 13. By having the physical properties of the apertures each within the above numerical ranges, the wetness feeling of the absorbent article 1 can be improved while maintaining the absorbency.

[0038] The second sheet 12 and the third sheet 13 are preferably bonded together with a hot melt adhesive, and the area ratio of the bonded portion is preferably 10% to 50% of the surface area of ​​the second sheet 12. By keeping the area ratio within the above range, the sheets can be bonded and fixed while maintaining a wet feeling. In this case, the hot melt adhesive can be applied by slot coating or spiral coating, with the spiral coating being preferred. By using this method, the second sheet 12 and the third sheet 13 can be bonded together, and the openings in the third sheet 13 can be prevented from being blocked by the hot melt, allowing bodily fluids to be rapidly transmitted from the top sheet 10 to the absorbent body 30.

[0039] Furthermore, in order to reduce irritation to the skin, the top sheet 10 may contain lotions, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory ingredients, pH adjusters, antibacterial agents, moisturizers, and the like. There are no particular limitations on the shape of the top sheet 10, as long as it has a shape that covers the absorbent body 30 and is necessary to guide bodily fluids to the absorbent body 30 without leakage.

[0040] <Back seat> The backsheet 20 may be formed using a liquid-impermeable substrate that prevents the body fluids held by the absorbent body 30 from wetting clothing, and a breathable or non-breathable, liquid-impermeable plastic film may be used.

[0041] From the viewpoint of strength and processability, the basis weight of the back sheet 20 is 15 g / m 2 More than 60g / m 2 Preferably, it is 25 g / m or less. 2 More than 45g / m 2 The following is more preferable: To provide breathability to the back sheet 20, for example, a filler may be blended into the resin film of the base material, or the back sheet 20 may be embossed. An example of the filler is calcium carbonate, and the blending method may be any known method without limitation. The top sheet 10 and the back sheet 20 may be joined together by a hot melt adhesive in addition to the product edge seal embossment 61.

[0042] Furthermore, for the product edge seal embossment 61, the peel strength between the top sheet 10 and the back sheet 20 is preferably 3 N or more and 10 N or less, and more preferably 5 N or more and 9 N or less. If the peel strength is less than 3 N, the top sheet 10 and the back sheet 20 will peel off during use of the absorbent article 1, exposing the absorbent body 30 to the outside, and if it exceeds 10 N, the adhesive surface between the top sheet 10 and the back sheet 20 will become hard, resulting in an inferior feel against the skin. To measure the peel strength, first, a rectangle measuring 5 cm wide x 5 cm long is cut out from the widthwise center and both longitudinal end regions of the absorbent article 1 so as to include the entire product edge seal embossment 61. Next, the top sheet 10 (second sheet 12 side) and the back sheet 20 are peeled away from each other from the center of the absorbent article 1 in the region other than the region where the product edge seal embossment 61 is applied. Then, the top sheet 10 and the back sheet 20 are each attached to the chucks of a Tensilon-type tensile tester with a chuck distance of 30 mm. Finally, pulling is started at a crosshead movement speed of 300 mm / min, and the maximum load when pulled until peeling occurs is read.

[0043] <Absorbent> The absorbent body 30 preferably contains absorbent fibers and superabsorbent polymer (hereinafter also referred to as SAP) as a base material.

[0044] (absorbent fiber) The absorbent fiber is not particularly limited as long as it is one that is generally used in absorbent articles, and examples thereof include fluff pulp, cotton, rayon, acetate, tissue, absorbent paper, hydrophilic nonwoven fabric, etc. Among these, fluff pulp is preferably used from the viewpoint of absorbency. Examples of fluff pulp include wood pulp (for example, bleached coniferous kraft pulp (N-BKP) such as southern pine or Douglas fir), synthetic fiber, resin fiber, non-wood pulp, etc. that has been defibrated into a cotton-like state. When fluff pulp is used as the absorbent fiber base material in the absorber 30, the basis weight of the absorbent fiber is not particularly limited, but is preferably 50 g / m 2 More than 500g / m 2 It is preferable that the density is 100 g / m or less. 2 More than 300g / m 2 It is more preferable that the absorber 30 is equal to or less than 10 ...

[0045] (SAP) The SAP contained in the absorbent body 30 is not particularly limited as long as it can absorb body fluids and prevent backflow, and can be made from materials such as sodium polyacrylate, polyaspartate, (starch-acrylic acid) graft copolymer, (acrylic acid-vinyl alcohol) copolymer, (isobutylene-maleic anhydride) copolymer, and saponified products thereof. Among these, sodium polyacrylate is preferred from the viewpoint of absorption per weight. The basis weight of the SAP is not particularly limited, but is preferably 50 g / m 2 More than 500g / m 2 It is preferable that the density is 100 g / m or less. 2 More than 300g / m 2 More preferably, it is:

[0046] In the absorbent body 30, the absorbent fibers and SAP may be in the form of a mixture of absorbent fibers and SAP particles, or a sheet with SAP particles fixed between absorbent fibers. Furthermore, to prevent leakage of the SAP particles and stabilize the shape of the absorbent body 30, a carrier sheet 40 may be provided to encase the absorbent body 30. The substrate of the carrier sheet 40 may be any hydrophilic material, such as tissue, absorbent paper, airlaid nonwoven fabric, or spunbond nonwoven fabric, with spunbond nonwoven fabric being preferred. Furthermore, when multiple carrier sheets 40 are provided, the substrates of the multiple carrier sheets 40 may be the same or different.

[0047] <3D gathers> In order to prevent leakage of bodily fluids excreted by the wearer to the left and right (side leakage), the absorbent article 1 preferably further comprises a pair of three-dimensional gathers 50 having a water-repellent or waterproof sheet along the longitudinal direction on the skin-contacting surface side of the top sheet 10. The three-dimensional gathers 50 are arranged so that the outer ends of the three-dimensional gathers 50 in the width direction of the absorbent article 1 are fixed to the back sheet 20, the inner ends are fixed to the top sheet 10, and the center is a free end that is not fixed to the top sheet 10.

[0048] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. Furthermore, it is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included within the technical scope of the present invention. [Example]

[0049] (Production of absorbent articles) In Example 1, the absorbent body was formed by mixing 4.5 g of SAP with 4.5 g of fluff pulp as a base material (the basis weight of the absorbent body made of fluff pulp and SAP was 576 g / m 2The top sheet was a first sheet and a second sheet laminated in this order from the skin contact side to the non-skin contact side. The first sheet had a cotton fiber skin contact side and a 20 g / m2 basis weight non-skin contact side. 2 Spunbond nonwoven fabric (weight ratio of the former to the latter is 60:40) and cotton spunlace nonwoven fabric (basis weight 25 g / m 2 ) was used as the second sheet, and an air-through nonwoven fabric (basis weight 30 g / m 2 ) was used. A breathable polyethylene sheet (basis weight 32 g / m) was used as a liquid-impermeable back sheet. 2 ) was used as the carrier sheet, and tissue (basis weight 16 g / m 2 The absorbent article had dimensions of 270 mm in the longitudinal direction and 105 mm in width, and the absorbent body had dimensions of 220 mm in the longitudinal direction and 71 mm in width, and was provided with post-treatment heat embossing and a urethral opening contact region as shown in Table 1 and FIG. 3(a). This was used as the sample of Example 1.

[0050] Then, absorbent articles of Examples 2 to 19 and Comparative Examples 1 to 7 shown in the following Tables 1 to 4 and Figures 3(a) to 3(k) were produced in the same manner as in Example 1. Note that in each table, pre-treatment heat embossing means that only the first sheet and second sheet were embossed and then layered on the absorbent body, and post-treatment heat embossing means that the top sheet was layered on the absorbent body and then embossed. Furthermore, as shown in Tables 1 to 4 below, the absorbent articles described in Examples 1 to 19 and Comparative Examples 1 to 7 were subjected to the following physical property measurements in addition to peel strength, and sensory evaluations.

[0051] (Measurement of remaining liquid amount) With the top sheet facing up, 120 ml of 35°C saline solution was poured towards the centre of the absorbent body and left for 90 seconds. After that, ten sheets of pre-weighed filter paper (Advantec No. 2 filter paper, diameter 55 mm) were placed on top of each other in the area where the saline solution was absorbed, and a pressure of 35 kgf / cm was applied to the top of the filter paper. 2 After 30 seconds, the weight of the filter paper was measured, and the difference in the weight of the filter paper was taken as the amount of liquid returning.

[0052] (touch) Ten monitors touched the skin-contacting surface of the absorbent articles created with their hands and evaluated the feel using two options: "feels good" or "feels bad." After actually touching two absorbent articles, if 9 to 10 people selected "feels good," the rating was "◎," if 6 to 8 people selected "feels good," the rating was "○," if 3 to 5 people selected "feels good," the rating was "△," and if 1 or 2 people selected "feels good," or if no one selected "feels good," the rating was "×."

[0053] (Wrinkle-resistant) Ten monitors tried on the absorbent articles they created and rated their comfort by choosing between "doesn't wrinkle easily" and "does wrinkle easily." After actually using two absorbent articles, if 9 to 10 people selected "doesn't wrinkle easily," the rating was "◎," if 6 to 8 people selected "doesn't wrinkle easily," the rating was "○," if 3 to 5 people selected "doesn't wrinkle easily," the rating was "△," and if 1 or 2 people or no people selected "doesn't wrinkle easily," the rating was "×."

[0054] (Comfort (less discomfort)) Ten monitors tried on the absorbent articles and rated their comfort using two options: "comfortable to wear" or "uncomfortable to wear." After actually using two absorbent articles, if 9 to 10 people selected "comfortable to wear," the rating was "◎," if 6 to 8 people selected "comfortable to wear," the rating was "○," if 3 to 5 people selected "comfortable to wear," the rating was "△," and if 1 or 2 people or no people selected "comfortable to wear," the rating was "×."

[0055] (Less likely to leak) Ten monitors tried on the absorbent articles they had created and rated their comfort by choosing between "Less likely to leak" and "Less likely to leak." After actually using two absorbent articles, if 9 to 10 people selected "Less likely to leak," the rating was "◎," if 6 to 8 people selected "Less likely to leak," the rating was "○," if 3 to 5 people selected "Less likely to leak," the rating was "△," and if 1 or 2 people selected "Less likely to leak," or if no one selected "Less likely to leak," the rating was "×."

[0056] (Wet feeling (wet back)) Ten monitors wore the absorbent articles they created and evaluated them using two options: "Feeling less wet after use, good" or "Feeling very wet after use, bad." After actually using two absorbent articles, if 9 to 10 people selected "Feeling less wet after use, good," the rating was "◎," if 6 to 8 people selected "Feeling less wet after use, good," the rating was "○," if 3 to 5 people selected "Feeling less wet after use, good," the rating was "△," and if 1 or 2 people selected "Feeling less wet after use, good," or if no one selected "Feeling less wet after use, good," the rating was "×."

[0057] Details of the absorbent articles of each example and comparative example, as well as the results of the physical properties and sensory evaluation, are shown in Tables 1 to 4 below.

[0058] [Table 1]

[0059] [Table 2]

[0060] [Table 3]

[0061] [Table 4]

[0062] From the above, it was at least confirmed that this example can provide an absorbent article that uses cotton nonwoven fabric for the sheet on the skin-contacting side, which has a good feel on the skin and is comfortable to wear, as well as a wet feeling and good sheet bonding and fixation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1. Absorbent articles 10 Topsheet 11 First Sheet 111 Cotton layer 112 Heat-sealed fiber layer 12 Second sheet 13 Third seat 20 Back Seat 30 absorber 40 Carrier Sheet 50 Three-dimensional gathers 60 Diffusion Channel Embossing 601 Longitudinal curved section 602 Width direction curved part 603 Central curve section 61 Product edge seal embossing 62 Embossed area 70 Urethral meatus contact area

Claims

1. An absorbent article having a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet, and an absorbent body sandwiched between the top sheet and the back sheet, the top sheet has, in order from the skin contacting side to the non-skin contacting side, a first sheet and a second sheet, the first sheet is a composite sheet obtained by integrating a cotton layer on a skin-contacting surface side and a heat-fusible fiber layer on a non-skin-contacting surface side by hydroentangling the two layers together; the second sheet is a nonwoven fabric containing thermally adhesive fibers, the first sheet and the second sheet are bonded only by post-treatment heat embossing that is performed after the top sheet and the absorbent body are superimposed, the post-treatment heat embossing includes a diffusion channel embossing that bonds the first sheet, the second sheet, and the absorbent body; The diffusion channel embossments are provided symmetrically at the widthwise center of the absorbent article and include one or more pairs of longitudinal curved portions that extend in the longitudinal direction, and one or more widthwise curved portions that are provided closer to both ends in the longitudinal direction than the longitudinal curved portions and extend in the widthwise direction, the post-treatment heat embossing further includes product edge seal embossing, which is applied from the direction of the skin contact surface side of the top sheet to an area in the thickness direction of the absorbent article where the absorbent body is not present, and which bonds the top sheet and the back sheet together; An absorbent article characterized in that the peel strength between the top sheet and the back sheet in the area where the product edge seal embossing is performed is 5N or more and 9N or less.

2. 2. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein a weight ratio of said cotton layer to said thermal adhesive fiber layer is 40:60 or more and 80:20 or less.

3. The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second sheet is an air-through nonwoven fabric.

4. 2. The absorbent article according to claim 1, further comprising a urethral opening contact region located on the left-right center side of the longitudinal curved portion and on the front-to-back center side of the widthwise curved portion, in which the first sheet and the second sheet are not subjected to post-treatment heat embossing.

5. The urethral meatus contact region is a generally rectangular region located at the center of the absorbent article in the width direction, extending rearward in the longitudinal direction from a position 40 mm to 120 mm from the front end of the absorbent article in the longitudinal direction, with a longitudinal dimension of 50 mm to 150 mm, a width dimension of 15 mm to 50 mm, and an area of ​​1,000 mm. ２ Over 5,000 mm ２ 5. The absorbent article of claim 4, wherein:

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