GB1002759A - Improvements in or relating to non-woven fabrics - Google Patents

Abstract

1,002,759. Non-woven fibrous webs. CHICOPEE MANUFACTURING CORPORATION. Dec. 18,1962 [Dec. 18.1961]. No. 47725/62. Heading D1R. [Also in Division B5] A non-woven fabric comprises a layer 32 of closely-associated fibres whose surface presents a pattern of fabric areas each having a plurality of regions in which the fibre concentration or layer thickness varies and a thinner layer 30 of longer fibres conforming to the surface contour of the first layer 32 and interconnecting the different fabric areas to bind the shorter fibres into an integral fabric. In one embodiment, Figs. 3, 6 and 8, the layer 32 of paper-making length fibres, i.e. up to 1/ 4 inch, e.g. cotton linters, bleached sulphite pulp or fibres from any other wood pulp source, is sandwiched between two layers 30, 31 of textile length fibres, i.e. <SP>1</SP>/ 4 to 2 inches, e.g. cotton, flax, wood, silk, wool, jute, asbestos, ramie, rag, abaca, glass, viscose or cuprammonium rayon, ethyl cellulose, cellulose acetate, polyamides, such as nylon, polyesters, acrylics, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyt chloride or polyurethane. The fibrous layers or webs 30, 31, 32 may be formed by carding, garnetting, air laying or paper making techniques. The three layer assembly is passed through apparatus, Fig. 1 (not shown), as described in Specification 836,397, to rearrange the fibres by a fluid, e.g. water, steam or air, to form the fabric shown in Figs. 6 and 8. The long fibres in the layer 30 are washed down into apertures 34 in the layer 32 corresponding to apertures in the forming plate or drum and groups 38a, 38b, 39a, 39b of these fibres extend from one aperture 34 to the next. In an alternative embodiment, Figs. 9 and 10, the shorter-fibre web 43 is sandwiched between longer-fibre webs 41-42 and the fibres thereof are rearranged as described in Specification 992,421 to form tubercles 44 interconnected by portions 45 presenting a pattern of holes 46. After formation of the fabric, the web may be printed with a binder, e.g. an acrylic emulsion, using an intaglio printing cylinder. Examples of web density, fibre length, fibre denier and amount of binder added are given in the Specification.