Soft and bulky composite fabrics
View Patent ↗A composite fabric is provided that contains staple fibers hydraulically entangled with a nonwoven web formed from continuous filaments. A portion of the staple fibers is entangled with the web, while another portion protrudes through the web. The resulting surface topography has one surface with a preponderance of the smooth, staple fibers, and another surface with a preponderance of the continuous filaments from the nonwoven web, but also including some of the protruded smooth, staple fibers. Thus, each surface contains smooth staple fibers and is soft.
1. A method for forming a fabric, said method comprising hydraulically entangling staple fibers with a nonwoven web formed from continuous filaments to form a composite material, said staple fibers having an average fiber length of from about 0.3 to about 25 millimeters, wherein at least a portion of said staple fibers are synthetic, said composite material defining a first surface and a second surface, said first surface containing a preponderance of said staple fibers and said second surface containing a preponderance of said continuous filaments, wherein at least a portion of said staple fibers also protrude from said second surface, and wherein the composite material has a bulk of about 10 cm 3 /g to about 50 cm 3 /g.
2. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said staple fibers have an average fiber length of from about 0.5 to about 10 millimeters.
3. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said staple fibers have an average fiber length of from about 3 to about 8 millimeters.
4. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said staple fibers have a denier per filament of less than about 6.
5. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said staple fibers have a denier per filament of less than about 3.
6. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein at least about 50 wt. % of said staple fibers are synthetic.
7. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein at least about 70 wt. % of said staple fibers are synthetic.
8. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein at least about 90 wt. % of said staple fibers are synthetic.
9. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said synthetic staple fibers are formed from one or more polymers selected form the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, rayon, polyester, polyvinyl acetate, nylon, and polyolefins.
10. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said staple fibers further include cellulosic fibers.
11. A method as defined in claim 10 , wherein said cellulosic fibers comprise less than about 50 wt. % of said staple fibers.
12. A method as defined in claim 10 , wherein said cellulosic fibers comprise less than about 30 wt. % of said staple fibers.
13. A method as defined in claim 10 , wherein said cellulosic fibers comprise less than about 10 wt. % of said staple fibers.
14. A method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising forming said staple fibers into a web prior to hydraulically entangling said staple fibers with said nonwoven web formed from continuous filaments.
15. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said nonwoven web formed from continuous filaments is a spunbond web.
16. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said staple fibers comprise greater than about 40 wt. % of said composite material.
17. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said staple fibers comprise from about 60 wt. % to about 90 wt. % of said composite material.
18. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said staple fibers are hydraulically entangled with said nonwoven web at a fluid pressure of from about 100 to about 4000 psig.
19. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said staple fibers are hydraulically entangled with said nonwoven web at a fluid pressure of from about 200 to about 3500 psig.
20. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said staple fibers are hydraulically entangled with said nonwoven web at a fluid pressure of from about 300 to about 2400 psig.
21. A method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising non-compressively drying said composite material.
22. A method as defined in claim 21 , wherein said wherein said composite material is through-dried.
23. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said composite material has a bulk of from about 10 to about 40 cm 3 /g.
24. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein a majority of the synthetic staple fibers are primarily oriented in the z-direction of the composite material.
25. A method for forming a fabric, said method comprising:
hydraulically entangling staple fibers with a spunbond web formed from continuous filaments to form a composite material, said staple fibers having an average fiber length of from about 3 to about 8 millimeters, wherein at least about 50 wt. % of said staple fibers are synthetic; and
wherein said composite material defines a first surface and a second surface, wherein the bulk of said composite material is from about 10 to about 50 cm 3 /g.
26. A method as defined in claim 25 , wherein said staple fibers have a denier per filament of less than about 6.
27. A method as defined in claim 25 , further comprising through-drying said composite material.
28. A method as defined in claim 25 , wherein said synthetic staple fibers are formed from one or more polymers selected form the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, rayon, polyester, polyvinyl acetate, nylon, and polyolefins.
29. A method as defined in claim 25 , wherein said staple fibers comprise greater than about 40 wt. % of said composite material.
30. A method as defined in claim 25 , wherein said staple fibers comprise from about 60 wt. % to about 90 wt. % of said composite material.
31. A method as defined in claim 25 , wherein said staple fibers are hydraulically entangled with said nonwoven web at a fluid pressure of from about300 to about 2400 psig.
32. A method as defined in claim 27 , wherein said composite material has a bulk of from about 10 to about 40 cm 3 /g.
33. A method as defined in claim 25 , wherein said composite material defines a first surface and a second surface, said first surface containing a preponderance of said staple fibers and said second surface containing a preponderance of said continuous filaments, wherein at least a portion of said staple fibers also protrude from said second surface, and wherein a majority of the synthetic staple fibers are primarily oriented in the z-direction of the composite material.
34. A method for forming a fabric, said method comprising hydraulically entangling staple fibers with a nonwoven web formed from continuous filaments to form a composite material, said staple fibers having an average fiber length of from about 0.3 to about 25 millimeters, wherein at least a portion of said staple fibers are synthetic, said composite material defining a first surface and a second surface, said first surface containing a preponderance of said staple fibers and said second surface containing a preponderance of said continuous filaments, wherein at least a portion of said staple fibers also protrude from said second surface, and wherein a majority of the synthetic staple fibers are primarily oriented in the z-direction of the composite material.
35. A method as in claim 34 , wherein the composite fabric has a bulk of from about 7 cm 3 /g to about 50 cm 3 /g.
36. A method as in claim 34 , wherein the composite fabric has a bulk of from about 10 cm 3 /g to about 50 cm 3 /g.
37. A method as in claim 34 , wherein the majority of the synthetic staple fibers are oriented in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the second surface of the composite fabric.