Method for producing nonwoven fabrics having a plurality of patterns

Claim 1

A method of producing a patterned nonwoven fabric having a plurality of patterns of groups of fiber segments that alternate and extend throughout said fabric, from a layer of fibrous starting material whose individual fibers are in mechanical engagement with one another but are capable of movement under applied fluid forces, which comprises: supporting said layer of fibrous starting material in a fiber rearranging zone in which fiber movement in directions parallel to the plane of said fibrous material is permitted in response to applied fluid forces, said rearranging zone having an entry side and an exit side; projecting streams of rearranging fluid into the fibrous layer as thus supported at entry zones spaced from each other adjacent the entry side of said rearranging zone; passing said streams of rearranging fluid through said layer of fibrous starting material as it lies in said rearranging zone to effect movement of at least some segments of the fibers transverse to the direction of travel of the projected streams; blocking the passage of some entire streams of said fluid out of said fibrous layer at continuous raised barrier zones within the rearranging zone adjacent the exit side thereof, and deflecting the same sidewise towards other streams of fluid passing through the rearranging zone; actively mingling said deflected fluid with said other portions of fluid in spaced, discontinuous, foraminous fiber accumulating zones defined by said continuous raised barrier zones and lying below the same within said fiber rearranging zone, out of which fiber accumulating zones the intermingled fluids may exit from said rearranging zone, each of said raised barrier zones having a width at its narrowest part equal to from about one to about two times the width of one of said entry zones at its narrowest part and each of said fiber accumulating zones having an area at least about three times the area of one of said entry zones; and passing said intermingled portions of fluid out of said fiber accumulating zones and said fiber rearranging zone, to move some of the fiber segments that are in registry with said continuous raised barrier zones into said discontinuous fiber accumulating zones and position them there with other fiber segments in said zones in random, helterskelter relationship with each other in mats of fibers, while moving others of said fiber segments that are in registry with said continuous raised barrIer zones into yarn-like bundles of closely associated and substantially parallel fiber segments extending between pairs of said discontinuous fiben accumulating zones immediately adjacent each other, thereby forming a nonwoven fabric having a first pattern of mats of randomly oriented fiber segments arranged in accordance with the pattern of arrangement of said fiber accumulating zones, and a second pattern of yarnlike bundles of fiber segments bridging said continuous raised barrier zones between adjacent fiber accumulating zones.

Claim 2

A method of producing a patterned nonwoven fabric having a plurality of patterns of groups of fiber segments that alternate and extend throughout said fabric, from a layer of fibrous starting material whose individual fibers are in mechanical engagement with one another but are capable of movement under applied fluid forces, which comprises: supporting said layer of fibrous starting material in a fiber rearranging zone in which fiber movement in directions parallel to the plane of said fibrous material is permitted in response to applied fluid forces, said rearranging zone having an entry side and an exit side; projecting streams of rearranging fluid into the fibrous layer as thus supported at entry zones spaced from each other adjacent the entry side of said rearranging zone; passing said streams of rearranging fluid through said layer of fibrous starting material as it lies in said rearranging zone to effect movement of at least some segments of the fibers transverse to the direction of travel of the projected streams; blocking the passage of some entire streams of said fluid out of said fibrous layer at continuous raised barrier zones within the rearranging zone adjacent the exit side thereof, and deflecting the same sidewise towards other streams of fluid passing through the rearranging zone; actively mingling said deflected fluid with said other portions of fluid in spaced, discontinuous, foraminous fiber accumulating zones defined by said continuous raised barrier zones and lying below the same within said fiber rearranging zone, out of which fiber accumulating zones the intermingled fluids may exit from said rearranging zone, each of said raised barrier zones having a width at its narrowest part equal to from about one to about two times the width of one of said entry zones at its narrowest part and each of said fiber accumulating zones having an area at least about three times the area of one of said entry zones; and passing said intermingled portions of fluid out of said fiber accumulating zones and said fiber rearranging zone, to move some of the fiber segments that are in registry with said continuous raised barrier zones into said discontinuous fiber accumulating zones and position them there with other fiber segments in said zones in random, helterskelter relationship with each other in mats of fibers, while moving others of said fiber segments that are in registry with said continuous raised barrIer zones into yarn-like bundles of closely associated and substantially parallel fiber segments extending between pairs of said discontinuous fiben accumulating zones immediately adjacent each other, thereby forming a nonwoven fabric having a first pattern of mats of randomly oriented fiber segments arranged in accordance with the pattern of arrangement of said fiber accumulating zones, and a second pattern of yarnlike bundles of fiber segments bridging said continuous raised barrier zones between adjacent fiber accumulating zones.

Claim 3

A method of producing a patterned nonwoven fabric having a plurality of patterns of groups of fiber segments that alternate and extend throughout said fabric, from a layer of fibrous starting material whose individual fibers are in mechanical engagement with one another but are capable of movement under applied liquid forces, which comprises: positioning said layer of fibrous starting material in a fiber rearranging zone, in which fiber movement in directions parallel to the plane of said fibrous material is permitted in response to applied liquid forces, that is defined on one side by forming means having apertures spaced longitudinally and transversely with land areas therebetween, and on the other side by backing means that has foraminous portions arranged in a discontinuous pattern with the foramina therein smaller than said forming apertures and continuous raised imperforate portions lying between and interconnecting said discontinuous foraminous portions, the width of each of said apertures at its narrowest part being equal to at least about 10 times the average diameter of the fibers of the fibrous starting material, the area of each of said discontinuous foraminous portions of the backing means being at least about three times the area of an aperture of said apertured forming means, and the width of each of said continuous raised imperforate portions of the backing means at its narrowest part being equal to from about one to about two times the width of one of said forming apertures at its narrowest part; and projecting streams of liquid through said apertures and then against said fibrous layer to pass therethrough, some of said liquid streams thereafter striking said continuous raised imperforate portions of the backing means and being deflected thereby in sidewise directions, and all of said liquid streams passing through and beyond said foraminous portions of the backing means, to move some of the fiber segments that are in registry with said imperforate portions of the backing means into areas of said fibrous layer overlying said foraminous portions of the backing means, positioning fiber segments thus moved with other fiber segments in each of said last mentioned areas in random, helter-skelter relationship with each other in mats of fibers, while moving others of said fiber segments that are in registry with said continuous raised imperforate portions into yarn-like bundles of closely associated and substantially parallel fiber segments extending between pairs of said discontinuous foraminous portions of the backing means immediately adjacent each other, thereby forming a nonwoven fabric having a first pattern of mats of randomly oriented fiber segments arranged in accordance with the pattern of arrangement of said discontinuous foraminous portions of the backing means, and a second pattern of yarn-like bundles of fiber segments bridging said continuous raised imperforate portions of the backing means.

Claim 4

A method of producing a patterned nonwoven fabric having a plurality of patterns of groups of fiber segments that alternate and extend throughout said fabric, from a layer of fibrous starting material whose individual fibers are in mechanical engagement with one another but are capable of movement under applied liquid forces, which comprises: positioning said layer of fibrous starting material in a fiber rearranging zone, in which fiber movement in directions parallel to the plane of said fibrous material is permitted in response to applied liquid forces, that is defined on one side by forming means having apertures spaced longitudinally and transversely with land areas therebetween, and on the other side by backing means that has foraminous portions arranged in a discontinuous pattern with the foramina therein smaller than said forming apertures and continuous raised imperforate portions lying between and interconnecting said discontinuous foraminous portions, the width of each of said apertures at its narrowest part being equal to at least about 10 times the average diameter of the fibers of the fibrous starting material, the area of each of said discontinuous foraminous portions of the backing means being at least about three times the area of an aperture of said apertured forming means, and the width of each of said continuous raised imperforate portions of the backing means at its narrowest part being equal to from about one to about two times the width of one of said forming apertures at its narrowest part; and projecting streams of liquid through said apertures and then against said fibrous layer to pass therethrough, some of said liquid streams thereafter striking said continuous raised imperforate portions of the backing means and being deflected thereby in sidewise directions, and all of said liquid streams passing through and beyond said foraminous portions of the backing means, to move some of the fiber segments that are in registry with said imperforate portions of the backing means into areas of said fibrous layer overlying said foraminous portions of the backing means, positioning fiber segments thus moved with other fiber segments in each of said last mentioned areas in random, helter-skelter relationship with each other in mats of fibers, while moving others of said fiber segments that are in registry with said continuous raised imperforate portions into yarn-like bundles of closely associated and substantially parallel fiber segments extending between pairs of said discontinuous foraminous portions of the backing means immediately adjacent each other, thereby forming a nonwoven fabric having a first pattern of mats of randomly oriented fiber segments arranged in accordance with the pattern of arrangement of said discontinuous foraminous portions of the backing means, and a second pattern of yarn-like bundles of fiber segments bridging said continuous raised imperforate portions of the backing means.