Patent · US Expired

Apparatus for the production of fibers and materials having enhanced characteristics

US5711970A · kind A · utility

30Cited by
79References
40Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 2, 1995
Grant dateJan 27, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 2, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC D)Textiles; Paper
  • CPC primaryD04H1/56
  • WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

An apparatus for forming artificial fibers and a non-woven web therefrom includes a device for generating a substantially continuous fluid stream along a primary axis, at least one extrusion die located adjacent to the continuous fluid stream for extruding a liquefied resin into fibers, a member for entraining the fibers in the primary fluid stream, and a perturbation mechanism for selectively perturbing the flow of fluid in the fluid stream by varying the fluid pressure on either side of the primary axis to produce crimped fibers for forming the non-woven web. The inventive manufacturing method finely tunes non-woven web material characteristics such as tensile strength, porosity, barrier properties, absorbance, and softness by varying the fluid stream perturbation frequency and amplitude. Finally, the inventive apparatus may be implemented in combination with melt-blown, spunbond and coform techniques for producing non-woven webs.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.