Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.

David Michael Kale

Sheng-Hsin Hu

Palani Raj Ramaswami Wallajapet

Ronald Lee Edens

Cheryl Ann Mocadlo

Dmitry Yavich

A wet-formed composite defining latent voids and macro-cavities, the wet-formed composite having a basis weight greater than about 100 grams per square meter and a density of about 0.06 grams per cubic centimeter or more. The wet-formed composite comprises fibers and superabsorbent material, with the superabsorbent material present in an amount of about 10 dry weight percent or less, specifically about 5 dry weight percent or less, and particularly about 2 dry weight percent or less, but more than 0, based on the total dry weight of fibers and superabsorbent material present in the wet-formed composite. By virtue of the superabsorbent material having been allowed to swell and then shrink during the making of the wet-formed composite, macro-cavities are created. Densification compresses the macro-cavities. The resulting composite expands upon wetting and exhibits good absorbency properties.

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West Henrietta, NY, United States of America

David Michael Kale