Chisso Corporation

Yasuhiko Furukawa

Taizo Sugihara

Kohichi Kunimune

Teruaki Hane

Seigo Inadomi

Susumu Tomioka

Hiromu Sonoda

A non-woven fabric of hot-melt-adhesive composite fibers having a specified small weight per unit area and soft feeling is provided which fibers are obtained by forming a fiber aggregate consisting of hot-melt-adhesive composite fibers of a specified fineness, alone, composed of as a first component, a polyethylene resin composition (C) consisting of (A) a straight chain, low density polyethylene and (B) another kind of polyethylene, in a specified proportion, and having a specified density and a specified ratio of its melt indexes after and before spinning, and as a second component, a fiber-formable polymer having a m.p. higher than those of either of the polyethylenes constituting the first component, the first component constituting at least a part of the fiber surface of the composite fibers continuously in the longitudinal direction thereof, or a fiber aggregate of a specified average fineness which is mixed fibers of the composite fibers with other fibers of a specified fineness; and subjecting either one of the fiber aggregates to heat treatment at a specified temperature.

Non-woven fabric of hot-melt adhesive composite fibers

A process for producing a highly bulky nonwoven fabric is provided, which process comprises melt-spinning a crystalline propylene polymer as a first component and an ethylene polymer as a second component, into side-by-side or sheath-core type composite fibers so that the first component after melt-spinning can have a specified M.sub.w /M.sub.n value; collecting the fibers into a continuous tow form; stretching the tow in a specified stretch ratio; cooling the stretched tow to a specified temperature and then drawing it by a pair of nip rolls, one or both of which are of a non-metal, to obtain heat-adhesive composite fibers having apparent crimps of a specified number, a specified percentage crimp modulus and substantially no latent crimpability; and heat-treating a web consisting of the fibers alone or a blend thereof with other fibers at a specified temperature.

Process for producing a highly bulky nonwoven fabric

The heat-adhesive fine composite fibers of the present invention have a denier within the range of 1-20, and consist of as a first component, a crystalline polypropylene and as a second component, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, a saponification product thereof or a mixture of any of these materials with polyethylene, the content in said second component, of vinyl alcohol and/or vinyl acetate units based upon the total of vinyl acetate, vinyl alcohol and ethylene units being 0.5-18 mol %, and said second component forming at least one part of the fiber surface of said fibers. These fine composite fibers are superior in low temperature heat-adhesiveness, in adhesiveness with foreign raw materials, and in low crimpability. Further the fine composite fibers in which the second component has a specific density of 0.93 or less show almost no crimpability and are useful for wet-type non-woven fabrics. When a polypropylene having a Q value of 3.5 or less is used as the first component, the composite fiber can be obtained by spinning process alone with sufficient fiber strength, and the composite fibers having almost no sensible and latent crimping are very suitable for wet type non-woven fabrics.

Heat-adhesive composite fibers

The heat-adhesive fine composite fibers of the present invention have a denier within the range of 1-20, and consist of as a first component, a crystalline polypropylene and as a second component, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, a saponification product thereof or a mixture of any of these materials with polyethylene, the content in said second component, of vinyl alcohol and/or vinyl acetate units based upon the total of vinyl acetate, vinyl alcohol and ethylene units being 0.5-18 mol %, and said second component forming at least one part of the fiber surface of said fibers. These fine composite fibers are superior in low temperature heat-adhesiveness, in adhesiveness with foreign raw materials, and in low crimpability. Further the fine composite fibers in which the second component has a specific density of 0.93 or less show almost no crimpability and are useful for wet-type non-woven fabrics. When a polypropylene having a Q value of 3.5 or less is used as the first component, the composit fiber can be obtained by spinning process alone with sufficient fiber strength, and the composite fibers having almost no sensible and latent crimping are very suitable for wet type non-woven fabrics.

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Kusatsushi, Japan

Yasuhiko Furukawa