Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Kimberly-clark Corporation

Peter Michailovich Kobylivker

Simon Kwame Ofosu

Susan Elaine Shawver

Terry K Timmons

Steven R Stopper

Lin-Sun Woon

Roger L Lance

Kevin George Hetzler

John Joseph Sayovitz

Robert Leslie Hudson

Braulio Arturo Polanco

Mary Lou DeLucia

Vasily Aramovich Topolkaraev

Ali Yahiaoui

Peiguang Zhou

Ann Louise McCormack

Palani Raj Ramaswami Wallajapet

Wing-Chak Ng

Tamara Lee Mace

Stephen Avedis Baratian

Mark G Reichmann

Bryon Paul Day

Laura Elizabeth Keck

Mary Lucille DeLucia

Joy Francine Jordan

Jerald T Jascomb

Maya Aroch

Charles Edward Edmundson

Joerg Hendrix

Dennis Y Lee

Bryan James Stadelman

Robert Louis Pekrul

Rowland Jaynes McClellan, Jr

An elastic laminate capable of being rolled for storage and unwound from a roll when needed for use, includes an elastic layer of an array of continuous filament strands with meltblown deposited on the continuous filament strands, and a facing layer bonded to only one side of the elastic layer. The meltblown layer may include an elastic polyolefin-based meltblown polymer having a degree of crystallinity between about 3% and about 40%. The laminate suitably has an inter-layer peel strength of less than about 70 grams per 3 inches cross-directional width at a strain rate of 300 mm/min. Alternatively or additionally, the continuous filament strands and/or the facing layer may include an elastic polyolefin-based meltblown polymer having a degree of crystallinity between about 3% and about 40%. In certain embodiments, the elastic laminate may include an extensible facing layer bonded to an elastic or semi-elastic film layer having a basis weight of about 50 gsm or less, wherein the facing layer includes an elastic polyolefin-based polymer having a degree of crystallinity between about 3% and about 40%.

Single sided stretch bonded laminates, and methods of making same

The present invention provides a nonwoven web prepared from an aliphatic polyester polymer which has sufficient tear strength and is biodegradable. Biodegradable nonwoven webs of the present are prepared from a polymer blend having from about 65% by weight to about 99% by weight of a biodegradable aliphatic polyester polymer and from about 1% by weight to about 35% by weight of a second polymer selected from the group consisting of a polymer having a lower melting point than the biodegradable aliphatic polyester polymer, a polymer having a lower molecular weight than the biodegradable aliphatic polyester polymer and mixtures thereof. Surprisingly, the nonwoven webs of the present invention have a tear strength greater than the tear strength of a nonwoven web prepared from the biodegradable aliphatic polyester polymer alone. In addition, other properties of the resulting nonwoven web, such as the tensile strength and energy to break, are not adversely affected, by the addition of the second polymer, in ways that make the resulting nonwoven web unusable for its intended purpose.

High strength nonwoven web from a biodegradable aliphatic polyester

A technique for incorporating a liquid additive into a nonwoven web is disclosed. Specifically, the liquid additive is loaded into filler particles to form a 'dry liquid concentrate', i.e., pulverulent granular solid or powder loaded with the liquid additive. The incorporation of the liquid additive into dry liquid concentrates provides a variety of benefits. For example, prior to extrusion, the dry liquid concentrates generally retain the properties of filler particles from which they are formed as the liquid remains isolated. In this manner, a higher level of the liquid additive may be compounded with a melt-extrudable base composition without adversely affecting the extrusion process. Only upon extrusion of the composition will a significant portion of the liquid additive be released to provide the desired properties to the resulting nonwoven web.

Technique for incorporating a liquid additive into a nonwoven web

Nonwoven filaments having improved melt spinning process characteristics and end use properties are prepared using a visbroken single-site catalyzed propylene polymer. The propylene polymer has a first melt flow rate (MFR) before visbreaking and a second MFR after visbreaking, such that the ratio of the second MFR to the first MFR is about 1:1 to about 3:1. The nonwoven filaments exhibit less filament tension during spinning, and permit higher line speeds before breaking, than similar filaments prepared using a single-site catalyzed propylene polymer having the second MFR straight out of the reactor, and which has not been visbroken.

Nonwoven fabrics prepared using visbroken single-site catalyzed polypropylene

High strength spunbond fabric from high melt flow rate polymers

A nonwoven fiber and fabric are provided wherein the fabric has comparable strength characteristics to conventional fabrics yet is softer. The fibers are are a blend of a high crystallinity polypropylene polymer and a random block copolymer of polypropylene and polyethylene. The fabric of this invention may be laminated to other spunbond layers, meltblown nonwoven fabrics or films.

Soft and strong thermoplastic polymer nonwoven fabric

A breathable film having improved physical and barrier properties includes a stretched impact modified polyolefin matrix and a particulate filler. The impact modified polyolefin matrix includes at least one impact polypropylene copolymer, alone or in combination with other polymers. The film, and laminates including the film, provide excellent moisture breathability and excellent barrier to penetration by liquids. Laminates including the film may be used in diaper outercovers and other applications requiring breathability and resistance to penetration by liquids.

Breathable films and process for producing them

A stretch-thinned polymeric film is formed from a mixture of a polymer matrix including a low crystallinity propylene polymer having not more than about 30% crystallinity, with a particulate filler. The stretch-thinned film is breathable to water vapor yet resistant to penetration by liquids and viruses. The film can be laminated to a nonwoven web, and is useful in a wide variety of medical apparel and related products.

Stretch-thinned breathable films resistant to blood and virus penetration

A spunbond nonwoven fabric is provided which has superior strength characteristics to conventional fabrics yet is comparably soft. The fabric is a laminate having a web made from a high melt flow rate polyolefin polymer and a low melt flow rate polymer. The spunbond laminate fabric of this invention may have therebetween a layer of meltblown nonwoven fabric or film. The laminate produced according to this invention has a strength which is at least 10% greater than a comparable fabric made without the high melt flow rate polymer web. The nonwoven fabric of this invention may be used in products such as, for example, garments, personal care products, medical products, protective covers and outdoor fabrics.

A laminate comprising a fabric is provided wherein the fabric has comparable strength characteristics to conventional fabrics yet is softer. The fibers of the fabric are a blend of a high crystallinity polypropylene polymer and a random block copolymer of polypropylene and polyethylene. The laminate of this invention may include other spunbond layers, meltblown nonwoven fabrics or films. The laminate of this invention may be used in products such as, for example, garments, personal care products, medical products, protective covers and outdoor fabrics.

Soft and strong thermoplastic polymer and nonwoven fabric laminates

There is disclosed a nonwoven web for use as a barrier layer in an SMS fabric laminate. The web is formed at commercially acceptable polymer melt throughputs (greater than 3 PIH) by using a reactor granule polyolefin, preferably polypropylene, that has been modified by the addition of peroxide in amounts ranging from up to 3000 ppm to reduce the molecular weight distribution from an initial molecular weight distribution of from 4.0 to 4.5 Mw/Mn to a range of from 2.2 to 3.5 Mw/Mn. Also the addition of peroxide increases the melt flow rate (lowers viscosity) to a range between 800 up to 5000 gms/10 min at 230.degree. C. The resulting web has an average fiber size of from 1 to 3 microns and pore sizes distributed predominantly in the range from 7 to 12 microns, with a lesser amount of pores from 12 to 25 microns, with virtually no pores greater than 25 microns, and with the peak of the pore size distribution less than 10 microns.

Nonwoven web laminates with improved barrier properties

A nonwoven fiber and fabric are provided wherein the fabric has comparable strength characteristics to conventional fabrics yet is softer. The fibers are are a blend of a high crystallinity polypropylene polymer and a random block copolymer of polypropylene and polyethylene. The fabric of this invention may be laminated to other spunbond layers, meltblown nonwoven fabrics or films. The nonwoven fabric of this invention may be used in products such as, for example, garments, personal care products, medical products, protective covers and outdoor fabrics.

Soft and strong thermoplastic polymer fibers and nonwoven fabric made

Method of making nonwoven web with improved barrier properties

Nonwoven web with improved barrier properties

Growing community of inventors

Marietta, GA, United States of America

Peter Michailovich Kobylivker