Capped Tufted Laminate Web Fluid Concealment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laminates with nonwoven fibers protruding through a polymer film often retain fluid in capillaries, leading to visible stains on the body-facing surface of absorbent articles, which can be unappealing and misinterpreted as the article's exhaustion, necessitating a solution to mask retained fluid effectively.
Innovation Solution
A laminate web structure featuring a nonwoven web in facing relationship with a polymer film, where discrete tufts of fibers have a cap formed by an integral extension of the polymer film, creating a location of rupture that allows the tufts to extend while masking retained fluid, thereby improving fluid concealment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If nonwoven fibers protrude through polymer film to transport fluid, then fluid transport capability is improved, but fluid retention in capillaries causes visible stains
Solution Approach 1:
A release agent is applied to the polymer film to act as an intermediary substance that prevents fluid from adhering to and staining the film surface. The release agent creates a barrier between the retained fluid in capillaries and the polymer film, allowing fluid transport functionality while eliminating the harmful staining effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies a release agent that can alter the optical properties of the polymer film surface, making retained fluid less visible. This may involve changing the surface energy or optical characteristics of the film to reduce the visibility of fluid stains while maintaining fluid transport capabilities.
2Productivity
If fibers are structured as tufts with convergence to create small capillaries, then fluid transport is enhanced, but fluid retention in these capillaries increases staining
Solution Approach 1:
The release agent serves as a mediator between the tufted fiber structure and the polymer film, preventing fluid that is retained in the small capillaries from contacting and staining the film surface. This allows the beneficial capillary transport structure to be maintained while eliminating its harmful staining consequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The release agent is applied in advance to the polymer film surface to prevent fluid staining before it occurs. By pre-treating the surface with a substance that repels or prevents fluid adhesion, the patent eliminates the staining problem that would otherwise result from fluid retention in the tuft capillaries.
3Quantity of substance
If laminate is used in absorbent articles, then fluid absorption is improved, but retained fluid appears as stain on body facing surface
Solution Approach 1:
The release agent acts as an intermediary layer between the absorbent laminate and the body-facing polymer film surface. It prevents retained fluid from the absorbent core from staining the visible film surface, allowing high fluid absorption capacity while maintaining appearance quality on the body-facing side.
Solution Approach 2:
The release agent modifies the optical properties of the polymer film surface to reduce the visibility of retained fluid. This may involve changing surface energy, reflectivity, or other optical characteristics to make stained areas less apparent on the body-facing surface of the absorbent article.
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 laminate web effectively conceals retained fluid, maintaining the appearance of the article and preventing premature indication of exhaustion, enhancing user satisfaction by obscuring unsightly liquids within the capillaries.
Implementation Method 1
the convergence of fibers can provide for small capillaries that can aid in transporting the fluid through the topsheet
Data Source
AI summary
A laminate web having a nonwoven web in facing relationship with a polymer film. The laminate web has a first side comprising the polymer film and a plurality of discrete tufts including fibers integral with and extending from the nonwoven web. Each of the tufts has a tuft base proximal to the nonwoven web and a distal portion opposing the tuft base. At least part of the distal portion of each of the tufts is covered by a cap, each cap being an integral extension of said polymer film extending over the distal portion of a discrete tuft. The cap has a first opening including a location of rupture in the polymer film above which the tuft extends.