Hygiene Product Nonwoven Layer Liquid Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current absorbent hygiene products, such as baby diapers and feminine protection pads, face challenges in achieving low liquid strike through time and rewet value using synthetic materials, while there is a growing demand for eco-friendly cellulosic fibers that maintain skin dryness and improve liquid management.
Innovation Solution
A nonwoven layer comprising a blend of hydrophobic man-made cellulosic fibers treated with a wetting agent, specifically 75-90% hydrophobic man-made cellulosic fibers and 10-25% man-made cellulosic fibers, with a rewet value of ≤30% and liquid strike through time of ≤6 seconds, enhances liquid distribution and reduces skin wetness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If hydrophobic man-made cellulosic fibers are used to reduce skin wetness, then rewet value decreases, but liquid strike through time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The nonwoven fabric is designed with spatially varying properties: the surface region contains hydrophobic man-made cellulosic fibers to repel liquid and reduce skin wetness, while the inner region contains hydrophilic man-made cellulosic fibers to facilitate rapid liquid absorption and transmission. This local differentiation of fiber properties resolves the contradiction between reducing skin wetness and maintaining fast liquid strike through time.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite nonwoven fabric combining two types of man-made cellulosic fibers with opposite wettability characteristics: hydrophobic fibers (70-90 wt%) for skin protection and hydrophilic fibers (10-30 wt%) for liquid management. This composite structure integrates the beneficial effects of both fiber types, achieving low rewet value while maintaining acceptable liquid strike through time.
2Productivity
If synthetic materials are used to achieve low liquid strike through time, then productivity improves, but ecological sustainability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical parameter of the cellulosic fibers by applying hydrophobic treatment (e.g., silane, fluorocarbon, or hydrocarbon treatments) to modify their wettability. This parameter change allows cellulosic fibers to exhibit water-repellent properties similar to synthetic materials, enabling fast liquid management while maintaining the ecological sustainability of natural fiber-based materials.
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 solution significantly reduces inlet time and rewet value, ensuring quick fluid passage through the product, maintaining skin dryness and improving comfort in absorbent hygiene products.
Implementation Method 1
the wetting agent lowers the surface tension of the hydrophobic fibers in the layer, which allows the layer to wet out and the fluid to pass through
Implementation Method 2
the addition of wetting agents to the layer with a high content of hydrophobic agent improves the liquid strike through (inlet time) performance. The wetting agent lowers the surface tension of the hydrophobic fibers in the layer, which allows the layer to wet out
Implementation Method 3
hydrophobic man-made cellulosic fibers treated with a wetting agent
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns a hygiene product comprising at least one layer of a nonwoven wherein the nonwoven layer comprises man-made cellulosic fibers wherein the layer or the layers has or have a rewet value of equal to or less than 30% and a liquid strike through time of equal to or less than 6 seconds for the use in disposable hygiene products, such as diapers, feminine pads and incontinence products or in wet wipes like toilet wipes, facial wipes, cosmetic wipes, baby wipes and sanitary wipes for cleaning and disinfection.