Apertured Bicomponent Nonwoven for Absorbent Articles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nonwoven materials for disposable absorbent articles, such as diapers, face challenges in providing both effective absorbency and skin friendliness, often requiring a trade-off between basis weight and skin feel, with apertured materials either being costly or prone to tearing.
Innovation Solution
A low basis weight apertured nonwoven material with bicomponent fibers, featuring apertures with a major axis greater than the minor axis, designed to enhance absorbency and skin feel, is developed, utilizing a process that creates apertures with specific dimensions and patterns to improve skin feel without sacrificing absorbency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If nonwoven material basis weight is reduced to improve skin feel, then skin friendliness is improved, but absorbency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies porous materials by incorporating apertures throughout the nonwoven topsheet structure. These apertures create channels that allow body exudates to penetrate through the low basis weight material and reach the absorbent core, maintaining high absorbency while using less material to improve skin feel.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining low basis weight nonwoven material with a structured aperture pattern. This composite structure integrates the softness of thin material with the functional performance of aperture-based fluid transport, achieving both skin friendliness and absorbency.
2Quantity of substance
If apertures are added to nonwoven material to improve liquid penetration, then absorbency is improved, but material strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating apertures only in specific regions of the nonwoven material where fluid penetration is needed, while maintaining intact material structure in other areas. This localized aperture placement preserves overall material strength while enabling effective liquid transport to the absorbent core.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If aperture size is increased to improve skin feel, then skin friendliness is improved, but absorbency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing the aperture dimensions to specific ranges (major axis 0.5-5.0 mm, minor axis 0.3-2.0 mm) and controlling the aperture area ratio (5-50%). These parameter optimizations balance skin feel improvement with maintained absorbency performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The material achieves superior absorbency and consumer-perceived softness, addressing the trade-off issues of previous materials by maintaining high absorbency while improving skin feel, with apertures optimized in size and pattern to ensure effective liquid penetration and reduced skin irritation.
Implementation Method 1
At least a portion of the bicomponent fiber layer is treated to be hydrophilic
Implementation Method 2
provide apertures in the nonwoven material so that body exudates may readily penetrate through the nonwoven material and into the underlying absorbent core
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is generally directed, in part, to a selectively apertured nonwoven material forming a portion of a disposable absorbent article. The nonwoven material comprises a layer of bicomponent fibers, and a plurality of apertures formed in the layer of bicomponent fibers. Each aperture has a major axis and a minor axis. Each major axis is larger than each minor axis. Each major axis has a length of greater than about 1.5 mm and less than about 10 mm and each minor axis has a length of greater than about 0.4 mm and less than about 1.25 mm. The nonwoven material has a basis weight of less than 25 gsm, but greater than 10 gsm. The layer of bicomponent fibers has an effective open area greater than about 3% but less than about 30%. The apertures have an aperture area greater than about 0.5 mm2 and less than about 10 mm2.