Unitika Ltd.

Japan Absorbent Technology Institute

Yoshihiko Mineda

Migaku Suzuki

Hiroaki Fukui

Koichi Nagaoka

Michiyo Iimi

A nonwoven fabric of superior uniaxial elasticity is provided. The nonwoven fabric comprises of conjugate filaments each of which is about concentric sheath-core type. Core component is composed of polyester and sheath component is composed of polyolefine. In the nonwoven fabric, heat bonded areas are interspersed by heat bonding the conjugate filaments one another by softening or melting the sheath component. The nonwoven fabric satisfies following four properties concurrently: (i) breaking elongation in cross direction is 150% or more, (ii) ratio of breaking elongation in cross direction to breaking elongation in machine direction is 5 or more, (iii) percentage of elastic recovery at the time of extending the nonwoven fabric by 50% in cross direction is 60% or more, and (iv) percentage of elastic recovery at the time of extending the nonwoven fabric by 100% in cross direction is 50% or more. A heat is partially applied to a filamentous web, thereby obtaining a filamentous fleece. The filamentous fleece is extended in cross direction and a heat drawing is applied to the filamentous fleece at a drawing ratio of 10 to 80% in machine direction, and a heat setting is applied to the filamentous fleece, thereby an elastic nonwoven fabric is obtained.

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Kyoto, Japan

Yoshihiko Mineda