Water entanglement process and product
US5009747A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 30, 1989 |
| Grant date | Apr 23, 1991 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 30, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC D)Textiles; Paper
- CPC primaryD21H25/005
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A method for hydroentangling nonwoven fibrous sheet material to significantly increase the strength thereof at low latex add-on values employs small diameter jets of high-pressure water in the form of coherent streams that concentrate the hydraulic energy over a distance equal to approximately the diameter of the fibers being entangled. While fiber entangling water jets have been utilized heretofore, the present invention employs a relatively lower pressure for the fiber rearrangement along with a synergistic effect of wood pulp and long polyester fibers coupled with small amounts of latex to achieve the unexpectedly high strengths within these light weight materials. The resultant sheet material possesses excellent uniformity of fiber distribution and improved strength characteristics over those typically obtained from prior art water jet enganglement processes requiring 300-2000% the enganglement input energy employed in this process.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.