Wet-Laid Distribution Material for Absorbent Articles
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current air-laid distribution materials in absorbent articles suffer from reduced effectiveness due to loss of structure and integrity when exposed to liquid bodily exudates and compressive loads, leading to decreased wet strength and caliper loss.
Innovation Solution
The development of wet-laid and wet-formed distribution materials with high wet strength and integrity, maintaining a three-dimensional structure and void volume to enhance liquid distribution to the absorbent core, utilizing pulp fibers and cationic wet strength resins for improved cohesion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If air-laid distribution materials are used, then manufacturing simplicity is achieved, but wet strength and structural integrity deteriorate after liquid exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing parameters from air-laid to wet-laid process, and introduces wet strength resins to the material composition. This transforms the distribution material's properties to achieve both ease of manufacture and high wet strength by controlling the wetting process and resin incorporation during manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite distribution material combining wet-laid fibrous substrate with wet strength resins. This composite structure provides both the manufacturing advantages of wet-laid materials and the strength benefits of resin reinforcement, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and wet strength.
2Ease of manufacture
If air-laid distribution materials are used, then production cost is reduced, but structural integrity deteriorates under compressive loads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing method from air-laid to wet-laid process and incorporates wet strength resins, which fundamentally alters the material's structural properties. This enables the material to maintain structural integrity under compressive loads while remaining cost-effective through efficient resin usage and simplified manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure of wet-laid fibrous substrate combined with wet strength resins provides both cost-effectiveness and structural stability. The resin network reinforces the fibrous matrix, maintaining structural integrity under compression while keeping production costs manageable.
3Device complexity
If air-laid distribution materials are used, then manufacturing complexity is minimized, but wet integrity deteriorates after liquid insults
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the manufacturing parameters to use wet-laid process and adds wet strength resins to the material formulation. This changes the material's response to liquid insults, improving wet integrity while keeping manufacturing complexity manageable through controlled resin incorporation during the wet-laid process.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite material structure combines wet-laid fibrous substrate with wet strength resins to achieve both manufacturing simplicity and high wet integrity. The resin network provides reliability under liquid exposure while the wet-laid process maintains manufacturing simplicity.
4Productivity
If distribution material structure collapses after liquid exposure, then liquid distribution efficiency decreases, but material strength is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material composition by incorporating wet strength resins and using wet-laid fibrous substrate, which maintains the three-dimensional structure and void volume necessary for liquid distribution even after liquid exposure. This ensures both high liquid distribution efficiency and material strength are maintained simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure of wet-laid fibrous substrate with wet strength resins maintains the three-dimensional architecture needed for liquid distribution while providing the strength to prevent collapse. The resin network reinforces the structure, ensuring both distribution efficiency and material strength are preserved.
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
These materials effectively maintain their structure and distribution efficiency under wet conditions and wearer-induced strains, ensuring better liquid distribution and absorbency throughout the use of absorbent articles.
Implementation Method 1
the wet-laid and wet-formed distribution materials of the present disclosure have the ability to maintain a three-dimensional structure after receiving one or more liquid bodily exudates insults and wearer induced strains, thereby allowing them to maintain a suitable void volume, owing to the three-dimensional structure, throughout use. Maintaining this void volume within a distribution material, as well as between layers of the distribution material, allows for better distribution of liquid bodily exudates into an absorbent core.
Implementation Method 2
utilizing pulp fibers and cationic wet strength resins for improved cohesion
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An absorbent article comprises a liquid permeable topsheet, a liquid impermeable backsheet, an absorbent core positioned at least partially intermediate the topsheet and the backsheet, and a distribution material comprising a wet-laid, three-dimensional fibrous substrate comprising at least 80% pulp fibers by weight of the wet-laid, three-dimensional fibrous substrate. The wet-laid, three-dimensional fibrous substrate comprises a continuous network region and a plurality of discrete zones that are dispersed throughout the continuous network region. The continuous network region comprises a first average density and the plurality of discrete zones comprise a second average density. The discrete zones are dispersed throughout the continuous network region. The first average density and the second average density are different.