WO1992008834A1 - A method of hydroentangling - Google Patents

A method of hydroentangling Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1992008834A1
WO1992008834A1 PCT/SE1991/000781 SE9100781W WO9208834A1 WO 1992008834 A1 WO1992008834 A1 WO 1992008834A1 SE 9100781 W SE9100781 W SE 9100781W WO 9208834 A1 WO9208834 A1 WO 9208834A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
entangling
wire
fibrous web
mesh
fibres
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/SE1991/000781
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Tomas Billgren
Tomas NYRÉN
Ewa KÖLBY FALCK
Original Assignee
Mölnlycke AB
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Mölnlycke AB filed Critical Mölnlycke AB
Publication of WO1992008834A1 publication Critical patent/WO1992008834A1/en
Priority to CS924021A priority Critical patent/CZ402192A3/en

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Classifications

    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
    • D04H1/44—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling
    • D04H1/46—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres
    • D04H1/498—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres entanglement of layered webs
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
    • D04H1/42—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties characterised by the use of certain kinds of fibres insofar as this use has no preponderant influence on the consolidation of the fleece
    • D04H1/4374—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties characterised by the use of certain kinds of fibres insofar as this use has no preponderant influence on the consolidation of the fleece using different kinds of webs, e.g. by layering webs
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
    • D04H1/44—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling
    • D04H1/46—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres
    • D04H1/492—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres by fluid jet
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H13/00—Other non-woven fabrics

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method of hydro- entangling a mixture of staple fibres and pulp fibres which have been formed on a forming wire with the pulp fibres lying on top of the staple fibres.
  • Hydroentangling or spunlacing is a method which has become increasingly popular in the manufacture of me ⁇ chanically bonded nonwoven fabrics.
  • the method involves projecting jets of water from rows of fine nozzles onto a passing fibrous web carried by a liquid-permeable conveyor belt or wire.
  • the water jets are operative in creating mechanical bonds between the fibres in the fibrous web and strong nonwoven materials can be pro ⁇ quizd by means of this method.
  • the choice of fibres and fibre mixtures for material manufacture is practically unlimited when the material is produced by the hydroentangling method.
  • Such materials have pro ⁇ nounced textile-like properties compared with other fabric cloths, and the entangling method provides a relatively high degree of flexibility with regard to the properties of the material produced, mainly because the properties imparted to the material can be varied widely by selection of fibres, fibre mixtures, fibre forming, degree of entanglement, wire structures, etc. As a result, the use of spunlace material has become more common.
  • the properties of spunlace material are also influenced by a number of other factors, in addition to the manner in which the fibrous web or mat is entangled. These other factors include the type of fibres included in a mixed material and the proportions in which the fibres are present. An important factor is the manner in which the fibrous web or ibrous mat to be entangled is formed, i.e. the manner in which the fibres are lain on the wire, the forming wire, which transports the fibrous web to the entangling station.
  • the formed fibrous web consists of two separate layers of mutually different types of fibre which have been lain with the aid of commercially available equip ⁇ ment, there is normally obtained a final product which pronouncedly two-sided to a greater or lesser extent, i.e. has a higher concentration of the one fibre type on one side and a higher concentration of the other fibre type on the other side.
  • the formed fibrous web consists of a homogenous mixture of two types of fibre, however, a homogenous material is obtained.
  • the object of the present invention is to increase the wear resistance, and thus increase the strength of the bonds between the fibres on the staple-fibre side of spunlace material manufactured from a formed fibrous web comprised of a lower layer of air-lain staple fibres and a top layer of pulp fibres, without appreciably increas ⁇ ing the energy input during the entangling process.
  • the fibre ends which project out from the under ⁇ side of the fibrous web are folded in towards the under ⁇ side of said web, and the subsequent entangling process causes these fibre ends to be securely bound to the fibres in the fibrous web.
  • This binding of the fibre ends to the underside of the fibrous web increases its resistance to wear.
  • these bound fibre-ends form a network on the underside of the staple fibre-side of the material which reduces the risk of. overlying fibre-ends in the material projecting out from said material in use .
  • the duration of the second entangling process is deter- mined so that a suitable number of fibre-ends will project out through the underlying wire.
  • the invention utilizes, and even amplifies, the occurrence of fibre-ends which project through the entangling wire, something which is undesirable in conventional entangling processes.
  • the fine-mesh wire used in the first entangling process maintains the uniformity of the fibrous web during said process, and the staple fibres and the wire together form a very fine network which prevents the short pulp fibres from being flushed or rinsed from the fibrous web.
  • a 1.5 denier dry- defibred pulp fibre having an average length of 2.5 mm.
  • These fibres are air-laid on top of a layer of staple fibres, which may consist, e.g., of PES, viscose, 0.8-2.2 dtex and 20-60 mm long, which have been air-lain on a forming wire with the aid of a conventional staple- fibre former, e.g. a former of the Curlator, Rando- webber, Ferrer K12, etc.
  • Air-laying of the pulp fibres can be effected with a pulp fibre former of the Danwebb type, Kr ⁇ yer type or some other conventional type.
  • the formed fibrous web is transferred to a fine mesh first entangling wire of 100 mesh and there entangled.
  • a fine-mesh wire in this stage of manufacture enables the smoothness of the underside of the formed fibrous web to be maintained during the entangling process.
  • the fine wire forms together with the staple fibres an extremely fine three-dimensional network which prevents the short pulp-fibres from being rinsed or flushed out of the fibrous web during the entangling process.
  • the entangling process is effected with the aid of commercially available equipment sold by Honeycomb Systems Inc. or Perfojet S.A.
  • the fibrous web Upon completion of the first entangling process, the fibrous web is passed to the second entangling wire of 60 mesh and of smaller open area, and is there again entangled.
  • the bonds between the fibres in the fibrous web obtained during the first entangling process ensure that the pulp fibres on the pulp-fibre side of the fibrous web will not be carried away by the water jets, and that there are not found, at least to any appreci ⁇ able extent, non-bound short pulp fibres which can be carried by the water jets through the relatively coarse structure of the fibrous web and flushed out through the coarse-mesh wire. However, the water jets will press loose fibre-ends through the coarse meshes in the wire. This takes place to a large extent at the beginning of the second entangling process, when the fibrous web has a relatively open structure.
  • the strength of the fibrous web increases very rapidly at the beginning of the high-pressure entangling pro ⁇ cess, whereas there is no appreciable increase in the total strength of the fibrous web after a certain time has elapsed. Consequently, continued entangling of the . fibrous web after this point in time, to ensure that remaining fibre ends which project through the wire will be firmly secured in the web, will not result in any appreciable increase in the strength of the material in its entirety and consequently a large energy input is required in the entangling process in order to provide, in this way, a wear-resistant staple-fibre side of a two-sided nonwoven material. Furthermore, the fine wire in itself represents a limitation to the energy input per unit of time, due to its limited dewatering ability.
  • the wear-resis ⁇ tance is achieved in a totally different manner while maintaining a low energy input in the entangling pro ⁇ cess. This is achieved by interrupting the second entangling process before the fibrous web has reached full strength, and by then transferring the fibrous web to a third, extremely fine-mesh entangling wire having a size of 100 mesh. During this transfer, the free fibre- ends that project down from the underside of the fibrous web are folded in against said underside and due to the fine-mesh size of the wire, the inwardly folded fibre- ends will be held pressed against the underside of the fibrous web over the major part of their lengths.
  • the fibrous web transferred to the third entangling wire is then subjected to a second, high-pressure entangling process in which the inwardly folded fibre-ends can be readily entwined in the fibrous web by the water vor ⁇ tices generated during the entangling process.
  • the reference numeral 1 used in the Figure identifies the transverse wires of the forming wire used in the second entangling process, while the reference numeral 2 iden- tifies the transverse wires of the forming wire used in the third entangling process.
  • the time at which the transfer from the second to the third entangling wire is effected is not particularly critical. For example, if the transfer is made before a maximum number of downwardly-projecting fibre-ends are obtained in the second entangling process, a wear- resistant stable-fibre side will nevertheless be ob ⁇ tained after the third entangling process, provided that the number of downwardly projecting fibre-ends obtained with the second entangling wire is not excessively small. No further downwardly projecting fibre-ends will occur in the subsequent third entangling stage, since the fine-mesh wire together with the inwardly folded fibre-ends and the outer layer of the underside of the fibrous web form a very fine, three-dimensional network.
  • the transfer is made shortly after obtaining a maxi ⁇ mum number of downwardly projecting fibre-ends in the first, high-pressure entangling process, the number of downwardly-projecting fibre-ends will not have had time to decrease to an extent such as to reduce the wear resistance after the third entangling process.
  • the third entangling process is also utilized to provide an essential contri ⁇ bution to the total strength build-up of the spunlace material.
  • the transfer to the third entangling wire shall therefore be effected when a "suitable num ⁇ ber" of downwardly projecting fibre-ends have formed.
  • a "suitable number” is meant a number of downwardly projecting fibre-ends sufficient to achieve the requi ⁇ site resistance to wear of the staple-fibre side after the third entangling process. This suitable number is appropriately determined empirically.
  • the present invention utilizes the phenomenon that fibre-ends project down through the entangling wire, in order to increase the wear resistance of the staple- fibre side of the manufactured spunlace material, this phenomenon being considered disadvantageous in conven ⁇ tional entangling methods. If the number of downwardly projecting fibre-ends is sufficiently large, a very fine network is formed on the staple fibre-side after the third entangling process, because the inwardly folded pulp-fibre ends are then firmly connected to the fibres present in the underside of the fibrous web. This network prevents overlying free fibre-ends in the fibrous structure from protruding from the resultant spunlace material produced in accordance with the inven ⁇ tion, when said material is used.
  • the mesh size of the second entangling wire is of deci- sive significance, primarily with regard to the length of the fibre ends which project out through the second entangling wire after the first, high-pressure entangling process. If the mesh size of the wire is too small, the network formed by the wire together with the outer part of the underside of the fibrous web will prevent a sufficient number of downwardly projecting fibre-ends of sufficient length from being obtained. With larger mesh sizes, there is a risk that holes or irregularities will occur in the fibrous web.
  • a 60-mesh wire was found suitable with the fibres used in the above example.
  • the average length, 2.5 mm, of the pulp fibres was thus about six times greater than the mesh width.
  • the third entangling wire had a fineness of 100 mesh.
  • the total energy used when entangling the fibrous web was 500 kWh/tonne, of which a third was used for each entangling step.
  • the sizes of the wires used in respective entangling processes must be adapted to the nature of the fibres present in the fibrous web, in order to obtain a satisfactory result.
  • a good result can be achieved with those fibres suitable for use when practicing the inventive method by a suitable combina ⁇ tion of wires within the range of 80-100 mesh in the case of the first entangling wire, 40-80 mesh in the case of the second entangling wire and 100-200 mesh in the case of the third entangling wire.
  • the inventive method enables spunlace material that can be used in operating theatres to be produced at a much lower energy input than the inputs of earlier known entangling processes that are effected on the basis of a fibrous web which has been formed by air- laying pulp fibres on top of an air-laid layer of staple fibres.
  • the amount of material wasted when practicing the present invention is also far less than the material wasted when practicing earlier known methods.

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of hydroentangling a mixture of staple fibres and pulp fibres, which fibres have been formed on a forming wire with the pulp fibres lain on top of the staple fibres. The inventive method comprises the steps of: subjecting the formed fibrous web to a first entangling process on a fine-mesh wire; subjecting the entangled fibrous web to a second entangling process on a coarse-mesh wire; and transferring the entangled fibrous web obtained in the second entangling process to a fine-mesh entangling wire and there subjecting the web to a third entangling process. The invention results in a spunlace material having good wear resistance on the staple-fibre side.

Description

A Method of Hydroentanσlinσ
The present invention relates to a method of hydro- entangling a mixture of staple fibres and pulp fibres which have been formed on a forming wire with the pulp fibres lying on top of the staple fibres.
Hydroentangling or spunlacing is a method which has become increasingly popular in the manufacture of me¬ chanically bonded nonwoven fabrics. The method involves projecting jets of water from rows of fine nozzles onto a passing fibrous web carried by a liquid-permeable conveyor belt or wire. The water jets are operative in creating mechanical bonds between the fibres in the fibrous web and strong nonwoven materials can be pro¬ duced by means of this method. Furthermore, the choice of fibres and fibre mixtures for material manufacture is practically unlimited when the material is produced by the hydroentangling method. Such materials have pro¬ nounced textile-like properties compared with other fabric cloths, and the entangling method provides a relatively high degree of flexibility with regard to the properties of the material produced, mainly because the properties imparted to the material can be varied widely by selection of fibres, fibre mixtures, fibre forming, degree of entanglement, wire structures, etc. As a result, the use of spunlace material has become more common.
The properties of spunlace material are also influenced by a number of other factors, in addition to the manner in which the fibrous web or mat is entangled. These other factors include the type of fibres included in a mixed material and the proportions in which the fibres are present. An important factor is the manner in which the fibrous web or ibrous mat to be entangled is formed, i.e. the manner in which the fibres are lain on the wire, the forming wire, which transports the fibrous web to the entangling station.
When the formed fibrous web consists of two separate layers of mutually different types of fibre which have been lain with the aid of commercially available equip¬ ment, there is normally obtained a final product which pronouncedly two-sided to a greater or lesser extent, i.e. has a higher concentration of the one fibre type on one side and a higher concentration of the other fibre type on the other side.
When the formed fibrous web consists of a homogenous mixture of two types of fibre, however, a homogenous material is obtained.
It has been found that when dry-defibred pulp fibres are used together with staple fibres, a strong spunlace material can be formed with a relatively low energy input during the entangling process. However, the integrity of the material is not built-up to the same degree with this low energy input. Consequently, the fibres on the staple-fibre side are readily teased or raised when the material is used and such material will appear to be fluffy after becoming worn to some extent. Certain types of disposable materials, however, for example such material as those used in operating theat- res or as swabs or wiping-up cloths shall be lint-free in use. A two-sided material whose one side ex-hibits the aforesaid low wear resistance cannot therefore be used in these areas. The two-sidedness and fluffiness of such materials can be reduced by performing the entangling process at higher energy inputs, although this adds considerably to the cost of manufacturing the material in question.
The object of the present invention is to increase the wear resistance, and thus increase the strength of the bonds between the fibres on the staple-fibre side of spunlace material manufactured from a formed fibrous web comprised of a lower layer of air-lain staple fibres and a top layer of pulp fibres, without appreciably increas¬ ing the energy input during the entangling process.
This object is achieved with a hydroentangling method according to the invention, which is characterized by the following steps:
- subjecting the formed fibrous web to a first en¬ tangling process on a fine-mesh wire;
subjecting the entangled fibrous web to a second entangling process on a coarse-mesh wire; and
- transferring the entangled fibrous web from the second entangling location to a fine-mesh wire and there subjecting said web to a third entangling process.
By transferring the fibrous web subjected to the first, high-pressure entangling process to a wire of very fine mesh, the fibre ends which project out from the under¬ side of the fibrous web are folded in towards the under¬ side of said web, and the subsequent entangling process causes these fibre ends to be securely bound to the fibres in the fibrous web. This binding of the fibre ends to the underside of the fibrous web increases its resistance to wear. Furthermore, these bound fibre-ends form a network on the underside of the staple fibre-side of the material which reduces the risk of. overlying fibre-ends in the material projecting out from said material in use .
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the duration of the second entangling process is deter- mined so that a suitable number of fibre-ends will project out through the underlying wire. Thus, the invention utilizes, and even amplifies, the occurrence of fibre-ends which project through the entangling wire, something which is undesirable in conventional entangling processes.
The fine-mesh wire used in the first entangling process maintains the uniformity of the fibrous web during said process, and the staple fibres and the wire together form a very fine network which prevents the short pulp fibres from being flushed or rinsed from the fibrous web.
An exemplifying embodiment of the invented method will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, the single Figure of which illustrates sche¬ matically the transfer of a fibrous web from the second to the third entangling wire.
Used in the exemplifying embodiment is a 1.5 denier dry- defibred pulp fibre having an average length of 2.5 mm. These fibres are air-laid on top of a layer of staple fibres, which may consist, e.g., of PES, viscose, 0.8-2.2 dtex and 20-60 mm long, which have been air-lain on a forming wire with the aid of a conventional staple- fibre former, e.g. a former of the Curlator, Rando- webber, Ferrer K12, etc. Air-laying of the pulp fibres can be effected with a pulp fibre former of the Danwebb type, Krφyer type or some other conventional type. The formed fibrous web is transferred to a fine mesh first entangling wire of 100 mesh and there entangled. The use of a fine-mesh wire in this stage of manufacture enables the smoothness of the underside of the formed fibrous web to be maintained during the entangling process. Furthermore, the fine wire forms together with the staple fibres an extremely fine three-dimensional network which prevents the short pulp-fibres from being rinsed or flushed out of the fibrous web during the entangling process.
The entangling process is effected with the aid of commercially available equipment sold by Honeycomb Systems Inc. or Perfojet S.A.
Upon completion of the first entangling process, the fibrous web is passed to the second entangling wire of 60 mesh and of smaller open area, and is there again entangled. The bonds between the fibres in the fibrous web obtained during the first entangling process ensure that the pulp fibres on the pulp-fibre side of the fibrous web will not be carried away by the water jets, and that there are not found, at least to any appreci¬ able extent, non-bound short pulp fibres which can be carried by the water jets through the relatively coarse structure of the fibrous web and flushed out through the coarse-mesh wire. However, the water jets will press loose fibre-ends through the coarse meshes in the wire. This takes place to a large extent at the beginning of the second entangling process, when the fibrous web has a relatively open structure.
When the web is entangled solely with the aid of fine- mesh wires, the fibrous web is successively compacted and the structure of the web becomes more and more dense as compaction continues. In this way, those fibre parts which at the beginning of the high-pressure entangling process were acted upon essentially in a vertical direc¬ tion by the water jets will be acted upon in a horizon¬ tal direction to an ever greater extent, because the vertical water jets are deflected and split-up in hori¬ zontal directions to an increasing extent when they impinge on the firmly bound fibres in the ibrous web or on the wires from which the wire is constructed. Thus, the strength of the fibrous web increases very rapidly at the beginning of the high-pressure entangling pro¬ cess, whereas there is no appreciable increase in the total strength of the fibrous web after a certain time has elapsed. Consequently, continued entangling of the . fibrous web after this point in time, to ensure that remaining fibre ends which project through the wire will be firmly secured in the web, will not result in any appreciable increase in the strength of the material in its entirety and consequently a large energy input is required in the entangling process in order to provide, in this way, a wear-resistant staple-fibre side of a two-sided nonwoven material. Furthermore, the fine wire in itself represents a limitation to the energy input per unit of time, due to its limited dewatering ability.
When practicing the present invention, the wear-resis¬ tance is achieved in a totally different manner while maintaining a low energy input in the entangling pro¬ cess. This is achieved by interrupting the second entangling process before the fibrous web has reached full strength, and by then transferring the fibrous web to a third, extremely fine-mesh entangling wire having a size of 100 mesh. During this transfer, the free fibre- ends that project down from the underside of the fibrous web are folded in against said underside and due to the fine-mesh size of the wire, the inwardly folded fibre- ends will be held pressed against the underside of the fibrous web over the major part of their lengths. The fibrous web transferred to the third entangling wire is then subjected to a second, high-pressure entangling process in which the inwardly folded fibre-ends can be readily entwined in the fibrous web by the water vor¬ tices generated during the entangling process. The reference numeral 1 used in the Figure identifies the transverse wires of the forming wire used in the second entangling process, while the reference numeral 2 iden- tifies the transverse wires of the forming wire used in the third entangling process.
The time at which the transfer from the second to the third entangling wire is effected is not particularly critical. For example, if the transfer is made before a maximum number of downwardly-projecting fibre-ends are obtained in the second entangling process, a wear- resistant stable-fibre side will nevertheless be ob¬ tained after the third entangling process, provided that the number of downwardly projecting fibre-ends obtained with the second entangling wire is not excessively small. No further downwardly projecting fibre-ends will occur in the subsequent third entangling stage, since the fine-mesh wire together with the inwardly folded fibre-ends and the outer layer of the underside of the fibrous web form a very fine, three-dimensional network. If the transfer is made shortly after obtaining a maxi¬ mum number of downwardly projecting fibre-ends in the first, high-pressure entangling process, the number of downwardly-projecting fibre-ends will not have had time to decrease to an extent such as to reduce the wear resistance after the third entangling process. However, in view of energy input, it is preferred to transfer the fibrous web from the second to the third entangling wire before a maximum number of downwardly projecting fibre- ends have formed. To this end, the third entangling process is also utilized to provide an essential contri¬ bution to the total strength build-up of the spunlace material. According to one preferred variant of the inventive method, the transfer to the third entangling wire shall therefore be effected when a "suitable num¬ ber" of downwardly projecting fibre-ends have formed. By a "suitable number" is meant a number of downwardly projecting fibre-ends sufficient to achieve the requi¬ site resistance to wear of the staple-fibre side after the third entangling process. This suitable number is appropriately determined empirically.
The present invention utilizes the phenomenon that fibre-ends project down through the entangling wire, in order to increase the wear resistance of the staple- fibre side of the manufactured spunlace material, this phenomenon being considered disadvantageous in conven¬ tional entangling methods. If the number of downwardly projecting fibre-ends is sufficiently large, a very fine network is formed on the staple fibre-side after the third entangling process, because the inwardly folded pulp-fibre ends are then firmly connected to the fibres present in the underside of the fibrous web. This network prevents overlying free fibre-ends in the fibrous structure from protruding from the resultant spunlace material produced in accordance with the inven¬ tion, when said material is used.
The mesh size of the second entangling wire is of deci- sive significance, primarily with regard to the length of the fibre ends which project out through the second entangling wire after the first, high-pressure entangling process. If the mesh size of the wire is too small, the network formed by the wire together with the outer part of the underside of the fibrous web will prevent a sufficient number of downwardly projecting fibre-ends of sufficient length from being obtained. With larger mesh sizes, there is a risk that holes or irregularities will occur in the fibrous web.
A 60-mesh wire was found suitable with the fibres used in the above example. The average length, 2.5 mm, of the pulp fibres was thus about six times greater than the mesh width.
The third entangling wire had a fineness of 100 mesh. ' The total energy used when entangling the fibrous web was 500 kWh/tonne, of which a third was used for each entangling step.
It will be understood that the sizes of the wires used in respective entangling processes must be adapted to the nature of the fibres present in the fibrous web, in order to obtain a satisfactory result. A good result can be achieved with those fibres suitable for use when practicing the inventive method by a suitable combina¬ tion of wires within the range of 80-100 mesh in the case of the first entangling wire, 40-80 mesh in the case of the second entangling wire and 100-200 mesh in the case of the third entangling wire.
Thus, the inventive method enables spunlace material that can be used in operating theatres to be produced at a much lower energy input than the inputs of earlier known entangling processes that are effected on the basis of a fibrous web which has been formed by air- laying pulp fibres on top of an air-laid layer of staple fibres. The amount of material wasted when practicing the present invention is also far less than the material wasted when practicing earlier known methods.

Claims

Claims
1. A method for hydroentangling a mixture of staple fibres and pulp fibres which have been formed on a forming wire, with the pulp fibres laid on the staple fibres, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by
- subjecting the formed fibrous web to a first en¬ tangling process on a fine-mesh wire;
- • subjecting the entangled fibrous web to a second entangling process on a coarse-mesh wire; and
- transferring the entangled fibrous web obtained in the second entangling process to a fine-mesh entangling wire and there subjecting the web to a third entangling process.
2. A method according to Claim 1, c h a r a c - t e r i z e d in that the wire used in the first en¬ tangling process has a coarser mesh than the wire used in the third entangling process.
3. A method according to any one of Claims 1-2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by interrupting the second entangling process when a suitable number of fibre-ends project downwards from the coarse-mesh entangling wire.
4. A method according to any one of Claims 1-3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the pulp fibres are, on average, six times longer than the width of the meshes in the wire used in the second entangling process.
5. A method according to any one of Claims 1-4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by using in the first en¬ tangling process a wire having a size of 80-100 mesh, using in the second entangling process a wire having a size of 40-80 mesh, and using in the third entangling process a wire having a size of 100-200 mesh.
6. A method according to any one of Claims 1-5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the formed fibrous web contains 20-80% dry-defibred 1.5 denier pulp fibres and the remainder staple fibres, 0.8-2.2 dtex and 20-60 mm long.
7. A method according to any one of Claims 1-6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the energy input when entangling the fibrous web is about 500 kWh/tonne.
PCT/SE1991/000781 1990-11-19 1991-11-18 A method of hydroentangling WO1992008834A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CS924021A CZ402192A3 (en) 1990-11-19 1992-12-30 process of making entanglement due to the action of water

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
SE9003678A SE467499B (en) 1990-11-19 1990-11-19 PROCEDURES FOR HYDROENT ANGLING
SE9003678-1 1990-11-19

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WO1993020272A1 (en) * 1992-03-31 1993-10-14 E.I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Patterned spunlaced fabrics containing woodpulp and/or woodpulp-like fibers
US5780369A (en) * 1997-06-30 1998-07-14 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Saturated cellulosic substrate
FR2781818A1 (en) * 1998-07-31 2000-02-04 Icbt Perfojet Sa PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A COMPLEX NON-WOVEN MATERIAL AND NEW TYPE OF MATERIAL THUS OBTAINED
US6022447A (en) * 1996-08-30 2000-02-08 Kimberly-Clark Corp. Process for treating a fibrous material and article thereof
US6120888A (en) * 1997-06-30 2000-09-19 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Ink jet printable, saturated hydroentangled cellulosic substrate
DE19938809A1 (en) * 1999-08-19 2001-02-22 Fleissner Maschf Gmbh Co Manufacture of absorbent non-woven for absorbing and holding liquids, consist of wood pulp fibers carried on support layer by initial deposition of micro-fibers on support layer
WO2001053589A1 (en) * 2000-01-18 2001-07-26 Fleissner Gmbh & Co. Maschinenfabrik Method and device for bonding a non-woven fibre produced by the air-lay method
WO2001053588A2 (en) * 2000-01-17 2001-07-26 Fleissner Gmbh & Co. Maschinenfabrik Method and device for production of composite non-woven fibre fabrics by means of hydrodynamic needling
WO2002050356A1 (en) * 2000-12-19 2002-06-27 M & J Fibretech A/S Method and plant for without a base web producing an air-laid hydroentangled fibre web
DE10126515A1 (en) * 2001-05-30 2002-12-05 Fleissner Gerold Process for consolidating a web of wood pulp
CN100374635C (en) * 2000-09-29 2008-03-12 康那香企业股份有限公司 :Composite card web and air-lay process for producing non-woven fabric
DE102009021264A1 (en) * 2009-05-14 2010-12-09 Fleissner Gmbh Producing non-woven fiber pulp, comprises subjecting raw material web of short pulp fibers and long fibers made of viscose to two water jet needling processes, where first water jet needling of the web takes place on rotating drum surface
WO2015124335A1 (en) * 2014-02-21 2015-08-27 Carl Freudenberg Kg Cleaning cloth
WO2015124334A1 (en) * 2014-02-21 2015-08-27 Carl Freudenberg Kg Microfiber nonwoven composite
EP2985375A1 (en) * 2014-08-12 2016-02-17 Glatfelter Gernsbach GmbH Dispersible non-woven fabric and method for producing the same

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EP0351949A2 (en) * 1988-07-20 1990-01-24 International Paper Company Disposable semi-durable nonwoven fabric and related method of manufacture

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EP0351949A2 (en) * 1988-07-20 1990-01-24 International Paper Company Disposable semi-durable nonwoven fabric and related method of manufacture

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US5459912A (en) * 1992-03-31 1995-10-24 E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Patterned spunlaced fabrics containing woodpulp and/or woodpulp-like fibers
WO1993020272A1 (en) * 1992-03-31 1993-10-14 E.I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Patterned spunlaced fabrics containing woodpulp and/or woodpulp-like fibers
US6022447A (en) * 1996-08-30 2000-02-08 Kimberly-Clark Corp. Process for treating a fibrous material and article thereof
US6190735B1 (en) * 1996-08-30 2001-02-20 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Process for treating a fibrous material and article thereof
US6120888A (en) * 1997-06-30 2000-09-19 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Ink jet printable, saturated hydroentangled cellulosic substrate
US5780369A (en) * 1997-06-30 1998-07-14 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Saturated cellulosic substrate
US6460233B2 (en) 1998-07-31 2002-10-08 Rieter Perfojet Process for the production of a complex nonwoven material and novel type of material thus obtained
WO2000008245A1 (en) * 1998-07-31 2000-02-17 Rieter Perfojet Method for producing a complex nonwoven material and resulting novel material
FR2781818A1 (en) * 1998-07-31 2000-02-04 Icbt Perfojet Sa PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A COMPLEX NON-WOVEN MATERIAL AND NEW TYPE OF MATERIAL THUS OBTAINED
CN1121520C (en) * 1998-07-31 2003-09-17 里特·珀佛杰特 Method for producing a complex nonwoven material and resulting novel material
DE19938809A1 (en) * 1999-08-19 2001-02-22 Fleissner Maschf Gmbh Co Manufacture of absorbent non-woven for absorbing and holding liquids, consist of wood pulp fibers carried on support layer by initial deposition of micro-fibers on support layer
WO2001014624A1 (en) * 1999-08-19 2001-03-01 Fleissner Gmbh & Co. Maschinenfabrik Method and device for producing a composite nonwoven for receiving and storing liquids
KR100712363B1 (en) * 1999-08-19 2007-05-02 프라이스너 게엠바하 운트 콤파니 마쉬넨파브리크 Method and device for producing a composite nonwoven for receiving and storing liquids
WO2001053588A2 (en) * 2000-01-17 2001-07-26 Fleissner Gmbh & Co. Maschinenfabrik Method and device for production of composite non-woven fibre fabrics by means of hydrodynamic needling
WO2001053588A3 (en) * 2000-01-17 2002-04-25 Gerold Fleissner Method and device for production of composite non-woven fibre fabrics by means of hydrodynamic needling
WO2001053589A1 (en) * 2000-01-18 2001-07-26 Fleissner Gmbh & Co. Maschinenfabrik Method and device for bonding a non-woven fibre produced by the air-lay method
CN100374635C (en) * 2000-09-29 2008-03-12 康那香企业股份有限公司 :Composite card web and air-lay process for producing non-woven fabric
US6851164B2 (en) 2000-12-19 2005-02-08 M & J Fibretech A/S Production of an air-laid hydroentangled fiber web
WO2002050356A1 (en) * 2000-12-19 2002-06-27 M & J Fibretech A/S Method and plant for without a base web producing an air-laid hydroentangled fibre web
DE10126515A1 (en) * 2001-05-30 2002-12-05 Fleissner Gerold Process for consolidating a web of wood pulp
DE102009021264A1 (en) * 2009-05-14 2010-12-09 Fleissner Gmbh Producing non-woven fiber pulp, comprises subjecting raw material web of short pulp fibers and long fibers made of viscose to two water jet needling processes, where first water jet needling of the web takes place on rotating drum surface
WO2015124335A1 (en) * 2014-02-21 2015-08-27 Carl Freudenberg Kg Cleaning cloth
WO2015124334A1 (en) * 2014-02-21 2015-08-27 Carl Freudenberg Kg Microfiber nonwoven composite
EP3425098A1 (en) * 2014-02-21 2019-01-09 Carl Freudenberg KG Microfibre non-woven material
US10406565B2 (en) 2014-02-21 2019-09-10 Carl Freudenberg Kg Cleaning cloth
EP2985375A1 (en) * 2014-08-12 2016-02-17 Glatfelter Gernsbach GmbH Dispersible non-woven fabric and method for producing the same
WO2016023856A1 (en) * 2014-08-12 2016-02-18 Glatfelter Gernsbach Gmbh Dispersible non-woven fabric and method for producing the same
CN106687633A (en) * 2014-08-12 2017-05-17 格拉特菲尔特盖恩斯巴赫股份有限公司 Dispersible non-woven fabric and method for producing the same
US11214901B2 (en) 2014-08-12 2022-01-04 Glatfelter Gernsbach Gmbh Dispersible non-woven fabric and method for producing the same

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU9028091A (en) 1992-06-11
SE9003678D0 (en) 1990-11-19
SE9003678L (en) 1992-05-20
SE467499B (en) 1992-07-27

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