CA1312192C

CA1312192C - Apparatus for producing symmetrical fluid entangled non-woven fabrics and related method

Info

Publication number: CA1312192C
Application number: CA 596177
Authority: CA
Inventors: Dennis Metrick; John Michael Greenway; Peter Mancini; Walter Edward Schortmann; Timothy Connolly
Original assignee: International Paper Co
Current assignee: Fitesa Simpsonville Inc
Priority date: 1988-04-14
Filing date: 1989-04-10
Publication date: 1993-01-05
Anticipated expiration: 2010-01-05
Also published as: CN1046773C; US4995151A; EP0459976A1; JP3161714B2; EP0337451A3; ES2013436A6; JPH0781229B2; CN1036999A; RU2012699C1; US4960630A; EP0459976B1; CA1333000C; JPH0226974A; KR940002696B1; EP0337451B1; DE68913325D1; JPH04502788A; KR900700674A; DE68913325T2; WO1989009850A1

Abstract

Abstract APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SYMMETRICAL FLUID ENTANGLED
NON-WOVEN FABRICS AND RELATED METHOD

An apparatus and related process for entangling a stable fibrous web which employs divergent fluid jets. The web is advanced through an entangling station on a conveying means which supports an entangling member having a symmetrical pattern of fluid pervious void areas. The divergent jet sprays which are disposed above the entangling member direct a continuous curtain of fluid onto the web, coacting with the entangling member to entangle web fibers into a coherent lattice structure. The divergent jet sprays are provided by nozzles having wide orifice diameters which accommodate less complex fluid recirculation and filtration systems than employed in prior art columnar jet processes.

Description

13121~2 APPARATUS FOR PRODUC$NG SYMMETR~CAJ. FLUID ENTANGL~D
NON-WOVEN FABRICS AND RELATED METHOD
Field of Invention Thi~ invention generally relate~ to an apparatu~ for UgQ in-line with car~ing apparatu~ for entangllng a non-woven web. More particularly, lt i~ concerned wlth a dlvergent ~et fluld entangllnq apparatus and related proce~s whlch preclæely orient fibers in a non-woven web Into prescrlbed pattern~ wlthout requlrement of complex filtration, scrambler and air lay systems of the prior art. Non-woven fabric~ produced by the method of the invention ~ave a patterned symmetrical~structure with machine¦
and cross-direction ~`'MD/CDn) randomization ratios in the range of 1:1 - 4:1 and corresponding MD/CD tensile ~trengths.
8ackground Ar t ; In prior art fluid entangling processes, webs of non woven fibers are treated with high pressure fluids while ~upported on apertured patternlng screens. Typlcally, the ! patterning ~are~n i~ provlded on a drum or contlnuous conveyor whlch traver~es pre~uurized fluid ~ets. Entanglement is effected by employing columnas jet ~tream~ whlch entangle fiber~ in the web into ordered group~ anA configuratlon~ corre~pondlng to the aperture array in the patternlng screen. Non-woven fabrica having MD and CD tenslle strengths and rando~ized structure~ are produced by HctiOn of th~ ~et stream3 which caUsQ fibers 1A the web to ~i~ratq to apertured or void areas in the ~cresn, entangle and lntertwine.
Commercial apparatun which practice thiz technology generally employ pumpin~ and flltration ~y~te~a which reclrculate : : :

.
v - ~ ~ r t .

~ t 3 1 2 1 ~

~luld from ~et streams for reuse. Particular dlfflculty ln high pressure hydroentangllng proces~e~ 18 presented by the u~c of colum~ar ~et s~reams whic~ are provlde~ by ~mall diameter orlflcc nozzels. Comp-e~ ~iltratlon _ystems are requlred to remove fiber debrls which is di~lodged from the web by the hlgh preQQure ~et ~treams to prevent clogging of the debrl~ ln ~et nozzles.
To achleve effective hydroentangllng of flbers Xnown procssse~ also employ a variety oE carding operatlons and flber randomization proce~ses. For exaupl~, carded web ~ay be randomized by acrambling and air lay 8y8tem~ prior to entangling.
In conventional entangling procesaes, alr is entrained by hlg~ pre~sure columnar ~ets which lift the web from the patterning screens res~lting in irregularities in the structure of the formed fabric. To counteract this effect, prior art processe~ employ vacuum system~ including, arrangements of slotQ
which are positioned beneath the patterning screen in allgnment with the ~ets to hold the web to the screen. For this same purpo~e, the art ~190 employs top screens which are placed over the web to re~train it~ move~ent.
Vacuum and ~creen baffling systems of the prior art lntroduce machine comple~ity and associated tooling costs. Top screene lower energy efficlency of the entangling proce~ by reduclng the energy flu~ of flulds whlch i~plnge upon the web, rQstrictlng movement of the fibers. See U.S. Patent No.

2,862,251 to F. Kalwalted.
Prior art hydroentangling proc~sRas for produclng patterned non-woven fabric~ whlch e~ploy high pre~sure colu~n~r ~et ~treams are ~epre~ented by U.S. eatent NOB. 3,485,706 and 3,49~,8?4, r-~pectiv~ly, to Evan~ and ~van~ ~t al, and U.S. Patent ~o. 4,379,799 t~ ~olme~ et al.

.
~ -2-~ , ,. ~ ~

.

~ he present inventlon 1~ directed to a fluld entangling proces~ and relate~ apparatu~ for producing novel non-woven fabric~ wlthout requlrement of the co~plex machlnery of the prlor art. Departlng from conventional processe8, the pre8ent inventfon employ~ pressuri~ed fan ~et~ with wlde dlamater outlet orifices to dirsct divergent fluid sprays to non-randomlzed flbrous web~. The divergent ~eta coact wlth apecially confiq~red form~ng ~e~ber~ which ~upport ths web. Wid~ diameter dlvergent et noz~le~ e~ployed in the lnventlon faci~tate recircuLation of ~e~ stream~ without requlrement of complex filtration systems.
It will be ~ecognized that a procees which employs divergent ~et streams yields advantages in machinery de~ign and energy efficiencles. The invention departs from the prior art practices which found divergent iet~ unacceptable for u~e in entangllng processes. The art teaches that divergent sprays entraln exces~ive air volume~, generating turbulence at web surfaaes, yiqlding non-woven fabrics having non-uniform fiber characteristic~, See U.S. Patent No. 3,498,874 to Evans et al., col. 6, llnes 49 - 75.
Accordingly, It i~ a broad ob~ect of the invention to provlde an lmprove~ fluid entangling apparatus and related metho~-for productlon of a varlety of novel non-woven fabrlc~ havlng ten~ile ~trength and structural characteri~tice which advanca tha art.
A ~ore ~peclflc ob~act of thc lnventlon 18 to provide hydroentangllng apparatu- which 18 ~echAnically 1Q~ co~plex S~an employed ln prlor art proces~e0.
A further ob~cct o~ th~ lnvention ig to provide a hydroentangling apparatui~and proce8s which produce no~-woven :~
,~ .

~ 13121q~
- -fabric~ having sym~etrlcal ~tructure~ and MD/CD randonization ratlo~ ln the range of 1~1 - 421.
A stlll further ob~ect o~ the inventlon 1~ to produco non-~ovens having lmproved tensile ~trength characterlst1c~
employing apparatus and proces~e~ ~hich are less complex as compared to the prior art.
Dlsclosure of the Invention ~ n the pre~ent lnvention, theae p~rpo88~, a~ wall as others whl~h will be apparent, are achieved generally by providing an apparaeus and related proces~ for entangling a staple, non-randomized fibrous web which e~ploys divergent fluid jets to randomize and entangle web fibers. The web i~ advanced through an entangling ~tation on a conveying ~eans which supporta an entangling member or forming ~creen having a sym~etrical pattern o} fluid pervious void areas. Divergent jet sprays which are disposed above the entangling ~ember direct a continuous curtaln o~ ~luid onto the web, coacting with the entangling member to precisely orient the fiber structure and entangle the web flber~ lnto a coherent lattice structure.
To dlspers~ air entrained at the web s~race, control ~eans are provided which lncludes a baffle plDte and coacting ueana for directing an air curtain to the web at an antry area of the entangling statlon. The control ~eans al~o include~ a qenerally hollo* perforated cylindrical roll di~posed for friatlonal rotatable ~ove~ent on the web at a t~r~lnal end area of ~he en~angling ~tation.
In a preferred embcdi~ent of tho invention, a plurality of aivergent ~et no~zie~ are ~ounted on clodely packea cro~s-directionally~ allgnad sp&ced ~ani~old~. Di~rgent ~ts , ~4~
r . ~, .

.~, . . . ..

-~t~t~92 __ oriented in the CD are provided wlth anglss of dlvergence in the range of 2 to 30 degree~, and located within 3 to 6 inche~ from the entangling member. Pres~ure 1~ preferably ra~ped in the MD
from manifold to manifold over a pressure range of 200 - 1100 p9i to lmpart energy to the web of approximately 1.0 hp-hr/lb of fabric.
$t i~ a feature of the invention to employ an entangling member which has a sy~etrlcal pattern of void areas which correspond to preferrsd fabris pattern~. The void aren~
preferably occupy at least 25 per cent of the entangling member area. Improved MD and/or CD ten~ile ~trength3 are obtained by void patterns havlng varying MD/CD configurations. The preferred pattern includes a plurality o~ aperture~ arranged so that the spacing ratio of MD aperture~ i9 greater than CD apertures. Thi~
pattern yields a novel fabric pattPrn in which an array of dense nodes are connected by a diamond shaped pattern of in~erstitial flbers.
The ~pparatus and related method of the invention advance the art by use o~ a divergent ~et ~y~tem which i~ less comple~ and preclslon demandlng than hydroentangllnq system3 of the prior art. Divergent ~et nozzles employed in the lnvention have wlde orifice dlameters a8 compared to prlor art columnar ~et systems and, accordlngly, do not require the e~acting filtration system~ of the prior art. Fiber debrl~ contained in fluid recirculated to the dlvergant ~et noz~le~ in the entangling proces~ pa~s through the ~de diameter orlflce~ ~ithout clogging a~ 18 prevalent in prlor ~rt colu~nar ~ystem~ which have small dla~eter oriflce~.
Oth-r ob~ect~, ~oa u eu and advantAg-~ of th- pre~-nt _5_ .. ' ~ _ ~ . 1; ,' 5 ~ `
i~- " ~
,,, ,~, i~ 1312192 1l ,.

lnventlon wlll be ~pparent when the detailed de~crlptlon of th~
preferred embodiment~ of the lnventlon are con~idered in con~unction ~lth tl~e drawlngs which ~hould be construed ln an lllu~tratlve and not limitlng ssnee a3 follow~
B~lef Descriptlon o~ the Dra~ing~
Flg. l 18 a ~che~atlc view of a production line lncludlng an ~ntangllng ~tatlon ln accosdance with the lnvention for the continuou~ production of sy~metrical hydroentangled non-woven fabr iC9;
Flg. 2 18 a schematlc illu~tratlon of the hydroentangllng process of the invention: j Fig. 3 i~ an isometric view of the aQparatus represented by the hydroentangli'ng entangllng station of Fig. l showing the manner in which carded web i9 advanced through an entangling ~et ~luid curtaln supported on a generally planar conveyor and fabric entangling and ~orming member:
Fig. 4 1~ a crosR-section of the entangling apparatu~
of Fig. 3 whiah also lncludes a schematic lllustration of a pumplng and ~lltration system employed in the invention:
f Flg. 5 is a cross-section of an alternative embodiment of the hydroentangllng apparatus in which an entangling ~ember having a cylindrlcal configuration 1~ substituted for the generally planas conveyor and fabric ~orming member of Fig. 3:
Flg. 6~ i~ a plan view of ~D allgned carded web overlylng an apertured fabric for~ing ~e~ber prior to entanglement of web fiber~, the forDlng ~creen havi~g an apertur~
pattern includlng a larger ~pacing r~tio between MD ~han CD
aperture0s Flg. 6B Sllus~rate~ the entangled fiber pattern for~ed J
: . . . ;j ~ ; ~ _ ~2~
_I

on the screen of Fig. 6A employing the hydroentangling apparatu~
and process of the invention:
Fig. 7 19 an illustr~tion similar to Fig. 68 in which th~ forming me~ber hafl an aperture pattern including a larger ~pacing ratlo between CD than MD apertures:
Fig. ~ illustrates an alternative woven entangling member weave structured non-woven fabric produced in accordance with the apparatus and process of the ~nventlon:
Fig. 9 i9 a cro~s-section o~ an alternativa entangling apparatus embodlment, similar to Fig. 4, in w~ich baffle~ are arranged in proximity to the web between spaced manifolds:
Figs. lOA and B ars photographs at lOX magnification of a hydroentangled non-woven cotton fabric produced as disclosed in Example 1 on the apertured entangling member illu~trated in Figs.¦
6A and 6B
Figs. llA and B are photographs at lOX magnification of a hydroentangled non-woven cotton fabric produced as disclosed in Example 3 on the apertured entangling member illustrated in Flg. 7~
Fig. 12 i~ a photograph at 1.8X magnification of a hydroentangled non-woven cotton fabric produced a~ di~cloued in -Example 4 on a planar ~inc mesh reverse dutch woven screen ~not illu~trated)~
Flg. 13 i8 a photograph at 1.8X ~agnification o~ a hydroentangled non-woven cotton f~bric produced as dlsclosed in Exampla 5 on a planar ~e~h rever~e dutch ~creen (not illu~trated)s Fig. 14 i3 a photogra~h at 1.8X ~agnification o~ a hydroontangled non-woven cotton fabric produced aa disclosed in :. . ~ 7 ;, _ ~1 1 : ~ ._ Example 6 on a planar woven screen o~erl~id with a he~agonal scraen ~not illustrated); and Flg. 15 is a photograph ae lOX magnification of a hydroentangled non-woven cotton fabric produced a~ di~clo~e~ in Examples 7 and 8 on the woven or~ing ~creen illustratsd in Fig. 8.
Best Mode Of Carrying Out Ihe In~ention Wlth further reference to the drawings, a view of preferred embodlment of the entangling apparatu3 10 i~ ~hown in Fig. 1 situated at the output end of a serie~ of conventional carding apparatus C1 - C4. The apparatus 10 provides a syste~
for entangling non-woven f~brou~ materials by a novel fluid entangling process. Particular advantage i8 obtained when the entangllng proces~ of the lnvention is applied to a non-randomi~ed flbrous web 12.
Fig. 1 lll~strate~ a pre~erred application of the apparatu~ 10 in-lln~ with conventional carding apparatus Cl - C4 which output ~achine dlrectlon ~MD") oriented carded web to a peele~ roller ~not shown) and inclined conveyor 14 for processing in the apparatu~ of the inventlon. In the preferred embodiment water la employed to hydroentangle and randomlze the fibers in the carded web 12 in an entangling station 16 in a ~anner to be hereinafter descrlbed.
~ ollowing the~ntangling process the web 1~ con~eysd to a conventlonal padder 18 and dry c~n 20 apparatus to provido flnl~hed non-woven fabric ~or ~tock rolling on a winder 22.
~echanl~ oc the ~ntanglinq Apparatu~
Referring now:~pecifically to th~ ~echanls~ o~ the entangling apparatu~ 10, which i~ beqt Illustrated ~n Fig. 3, _~_ - - _.

, ~ ;
, ~.

. :: .:, . .

~.
1312~2 __ thls unit include~ an endloss conveyor nean~ for a~vanclng the non-randomlzed weh through the entangllng st~tlon 16. The conveyor mean~ lncludes an entangllng ~enber 24 which i8 ~upported on rollers 26, 2~ Dnd drive ~ean~ 5not ~hown) for rotation of the roller~. Pre~erred l~ne speeds for the conveyor are in the range of 30 to 500 ft/uin.
The entangllng me~bor 24, ~hlc~ preferably ha~ a planar conflguratlon, lncludes a symmetrical pattern o~ volt ~reas which are fluid perviou~ and de~ine an entangling pattern for the fibrou~ web 12. In the preferred embodi~ent~, the the void areas occupy at lea~t 2S per cent of the area of the entangling ~ember 24. A~ will be described~in detail below, the entangling member may be provided with a variety of patterns which produce distinct novel fabrics. Representative entangling members are illu~trated in Figs. 6A, 7, and 8.
Mounted above the entangling member 24 i~ an arrangement of generally parallel ~paced manifolds 30 orlented in a cros~-direction ~"CD~) relative to ~ovement of the web. The ~anifoldo 30 which are spaced approximately 4 inche~ apart are po~itloned at laast 1 1/2 inche~ and preferably ln the range o~
3 - 8 lnche~ above the entangllng me~ber. Each ~anifold 30 include~ a plurallty of closely aligned and ~paced divergent ~et nozzle~ 32.
Pre~erred manl~olds have specificatlona de~igned to dellver fluld pressures to the no~zle~ in the range of 200 to 2500 p~l. Advantaga ln tha entangllng proce~ 18 obtained by ramplng the manl~old pre~sure~ ln the MD ~o that ~ncrea~ed fluid flows implnge ~e web a8 its latt~ce structure and cohersnce develop.

., _g_ ; - -13121q2 __ In the preferred e~bcdi~ent the noz~leA are 8pacedappro~imately 1 lnch apart on the manifolda which ln turn ~re positioned 3 to 6 1nche~ above the entangli~g ~e~ber 24.
A~ shown in Flg. 3, the nozzl~ 32 e~ect ~pray~ 34 having a divergent fan shaped configuration downwasdly onto the wsb 12 as it is advanced through the entangllng apparatus. The clo9a packed manifold arrangement and paclng of the nozzles 32 deflne a curtain of fluid whlch continuously i~plnges upon the web 12 and coact~ with tbe entangling ~ember 24.
The jet sprays 34 diverge in the CD relatlve to a central nozzle axis 36 which i9 perpendicular to the web.
Experimentation has shown th~t a divergence angle of approximately 18 degree~ yield~ opti~um entanglement and randomization of the web.
To obtain effective entangllng the curtain fluid ~ust output energy to the web 12 of at le~ast .1 hp-hr/lb and preferably in the range of .4 - 2.0 Hp-hr/lb.
Praferred nozzles 32 for u~e in the lnvention are of the type ~anufactured by Spraying Syste~ Co., dl~tributed by J.W. Sowden ~ A~oclates, PØ Bos 5046, Manche~ter, New Hampshlre 0310~, under product dssignatlon 0503-TC. Thi~ nozzle ha~ a tung~ten carblde spray tlp which han been found effective for provlding regulated pres~ure ~prays. E~ection orificss ln the nozzle have a non-circulai shaped coniguratlon~. The preferred noz~le ha~ ~n effective dlanoter of .043 inche~ and flow o~ 1.5 gal;loo~;/oln at an ~ir incloded ~ pray anglo of 18' and 1000 p81.
Alr entralned by the divergent ~et ~prays 34 1~
deflected by th w-b 12 genaraeing turbulenc~ whlch lifts the ~eb ;~
. ~ -.~; ~ _ ~, __--ralativ~ to the entangling ~ember and results ln bll~terlng of the web ~nd fabrlc lrregul~rltle~. To counterbalance the effect of thQ entralned alr, a control mean~ i9 psovidea whlch lncludes tabill~1ng mechani~0 at entry and ter~lnal end areas 38, 40 of the antangling ~tation. For example, at the entry area 38, an alr curtaln mPans for dirsctlng air to ths web 12 may be provided to coact with a baf~le plate 42 which extend~ fro~ a po~ltion outboard o the fluid curt~in upwardly on an angls into the ~urtain. See Fig~. 3 and 4. The air curta~n ~eans incluaes an air nozzle 44 which directs a continuous curtain of air beneath the baffle 42 to control en~rained air in the entry area 38 of the entangllng ~tation 16.
To control entrained air at the terminal end area 40, a¦
generally hollow perforated cylindrical roll 46 is spaced above the web 12. Counterclockwise rotation of the roll 46 by a frictlon drlve mean~ d~ssipates air entrained by tha air curtaln. Frlctional movement o~ the roll 46 over the web 12 also pres~es fluld from the web through the entangllng member 24.
Withln the entangling ~tatlon 16 the continuou~ curtain of aqueous fluld counterbalance0 thè effect of entralned air when the manifold0 30 are arrang~d in clo~e pro~i~ity, e.g., spaclng of appro~lmately 3 to 4.5 lnches, as illu~trated in Fig. 4.
Where the ~anlfold~ ~0 are spaced further apart, it i~ advan-tageou0 to po~ition baffle ~embers 48 between the ~anifolds 30 which ar~ ~paced fro~ the web. Sea Flg. 9. ~af~le me~bers 48 have a generally V-~h~ped configuratlon to ~hleld the w~b 12 fro~
th~ effect3 of entrained air. Further ad~antage can be obtaine~
by perforating the~ baffle ~e~bers 48 to en~ble entrainad air t~
escape. In the arrang~ent of Fig. 9, the ~anifoldu 30 ~re spacea .
: , --f~`
~ ~ 13121~2 ,_~

approximately 7 lnches apart and the baffles 48 extend ln the CD
o~ the web.
A collecting tank 50 i9 located below the èntangling member 24 for receiving f~uida employed in the entangling proces~. The collecting tank S0 direct~ ~luid~ to a filter 52 which remove~ fiber debri~, and a pu~p 54 ~or rscirculation o~
~luid ~o the manifolds 30. Preseure regulator3 56 are located on a manifold connecting llne 58 to provid~ oontrolled nozzle 32 presYure~ and transer o~ energy to the web 12.
An alternative conveyor mean~ structure i0 illustrated in Fig. 5 which includes a cylindrioal entangling member 60. In other respects, this embodiment functions in the manner of the planar entangling member systems of Figs. 3 and 4. Manifolds 30 ¦
are ~tac~ed in close proximity spaced from the entangling member 60, and the control means of Fig. 3 is provided to di~sipate and counteract air entrained at the web ~urface.
Fig. 5 also illu~trate~ a preferred flltration system which may be employed in the inventlon. The filtration system is o~ the type ~anuactured by Dorr Oliver Inc., 77 ~avemeyer ~ane, Stamford, Connectlout 06900, and offered under product de~lgnatlon 120' DSM ~aR~e~. The DSM syYtem lncludes a di~pensing nozzle 64 and ~ilter ~creen 66 whlch direct~ flbor debris 68 lnto dlscharge receptacle 70 and filter3d 1uid to a pump 12 for recirculatlon to tbe ~anlfolds 30. Filter ~creen 66 employ3 an arrangement of ~latæ.
M~thod of the $nvention A~ illustrated in th~ ache~tic diagram of Fig. 2, the non-randomlzed web 12 1~ advanced to an antangle~ent ~tation and then to conventional treatment ~tations to produce hydroentangled . .

~ i I l~ 21~ 1 __ :
fabrlc. In accordance with the entangling procass of the inventlon, a curtain of divergent ~ets l~pinge upon the web 12 to randomize and lntertwine flbers in the web into a co~erent lattice pattern which approxi~ate~ an i~otropic configuratlon.
It i9 a featura of the invention to provide an entangling ~ember 24 having a pattern of voids whlch coact wlth dlvergent ~et ~pray~ 34 to produce novel fabric. Dlvergent ~ets 34 yield a pre~erred fab~ic when th~ vold area~ of the entangling ~e~ber occupy at least 25 per cent o~ the member.
Fig. 6A illu3trates a preferred entangling member 24 which includes a plurallty of ~ymmeerical apertures 74 arranged 80 that the spacing between MD aperture~ i9 greater than CD
apertures. ~or example, the apertures may have dia~eters of 1/16¦
inch and a center to center staggered aperture spacing of 3/32 lnch. The MD and CD aperture~ respectively have center to center spacings of .16 and .092 inches. An entangling member 24 having thi0 aperture configuratlon produces the ~abric illustrated in Fig~. lOA and B in accordance with proce~ para~eter~ described ln ~ample 1.
Comparison o~ Fig~. 6A and B illu~trates the ~anner in whlch entangllng of web fib~r~ is achieved with the apparatus and proce~s of the inventlon. MD oriented web 12 shown in Flg. 6A i8 advanced through the entangling ~tation to yleld the syo~etrlcal diamond shap~d randomized aod entangled ~tructure o~ Fig. 6~.
Non-woven ~abrlc produced by thin proces~ and en~angllng ~e~ber 24 of Fig. ~A has a generally unifor~ tensile strength includlng, den~a node~ 76 for~ed in the apertures 74 by ~igsa~lng fibars, and spaced parallel row~ o criss-cro~sing ~Ibrou- band~ 78 ~hlch lneer~ ~ th- node~ 76. ~h- nodes ar-~ ..
,. ~.. , ,~ ~ ~ 12192 ~_ al~o connected by C~ orlented int~rstitlal fibers 80 whlchfurther ~nhance CD tensil~ strength o~ the ~abrlc. Flg~. 10A ana B ars photographs at lOX magnlfication ot ~ non-woven cotton fabric produced on the Fig. 6A ~creen. ~he ~agnlfl~d view of the fabric shows the coherent and uniEorm lattlce structure in which essentially all 1008~ fiber ends are entangled within the nodes 76.
In accordance wlt~ the proces~ of the invention, th~
curtaln of divergent -Jet spray~ 34 are directed onto tha web pa~sing through void areas in the entangling ~ember 14.
Si~ultaneouily, the conveyor mean~ advances the web 12 80 that it traverses the divergent jat curtaln and ~iber~ in the web.
Combination of the divergent jet sprays 34 and continuously moving entangling ~e~ber 24 subjects the web 12 to vector force~
in machine and cross directions which randomi~e and entangle web ~ibers.
Alternative entangling members are illustrated in Flgs. 7 and 8. The entangllng me~ber 24 of Flg. 7 ls slmilar to the apertur~ arrangement of Figs. 6A and B except that the spaclng between aperture~ i~ greater in the cros~ than ~achine dlr~ctlon~. For e~ple, as set ~orth in ~xa~pl~ 3, MD and CD
perture~, raspectively, ~ay havq center to cont~r apaclng o~
.092 and .160 inche~. Apertures in this entangling msmber 24 are di~ensioned and ~taggered to the speci~icationa o~ the ~ig. 6A
menber. Thl~ apertora pattarn y~elds a diamond ~haped lattlce pattern characterlzed by dense MD aligned ~ibrou~ band8 ~2 which aonnect dense node~ 84. Thls ~tructur~ ha~ particular ad~a~tag~
where superlor MD tenaile atrength is requlred in that it linits fabric necklng in as~oclated with an MD load which pu118 the .

~ ~ ..~, :

- 1~ 3121q2 __1 patterned fabrls from th~ entangling screen for further proces~inq.
Flg. 8 illustrates an entangling ~e~ber 24 ln th~ for-of a conventional wire woven scr~on 86 having a mesh spAcing of 12 wlres/inch ln the machine and cross direction~, a wire diameter of .030 inches, and an open are~ of 41 per cent. Use of such a ~creen in the proce~s o~ this invention yields a structure having a woven appearance which corresponds to the configuration of the ~reen. See E~amples 7 and 8. The divergent ~et sprays 34 o~ the ~luid curtain entangle web fiber~ ~o that they migrate to overlie the mesh pattern of the ~creen.
Example~ 1 - 8 and corre~ponding Figs. 10 - 15 de~cribe and illustrate representative cotton fabric~ produced by the method of the invention employing entangling members 24 having planar and cylindrical configu- rations and the spaced manifold arrangement of Fig~. 3 and 5.
For the3e applications five ~talnless steel ~anifolds 30 havlng diameters of 2.S inches were spaced apart at center to center dlstances of 4 lnches and ~ lnches above the web. ~ach manlfold 30 wa~ equipped with 20 divergent ~et nozzles 32 on 1 lnch center~. Each nozzle had an equivalent diameter of .043 lnches and a dellvery rate of 1.5 gallons of water per ~inutc at a pressure of 1000 psi. The spray pattern width at a one foot distanc~ was appro~imately 4 inche~. It ~hould be noted that thes~ conditions were aimulated in certaln of the ~xample~
through U3e of & ~lngle ~anl~old which traver~ed an entangling ~e~b~r at succe~sive lntervalJ. See E~ample- 2 - 6 and 8.
In accordance wi~h the ~ethod of the lnvention, tha X~-~p1e~ a=ploy ~e~ of prod m nant1y YD llbar~ prop~red u-ing a , -1~12192 ..
conventional carding ~y~tem equlpped with peele~ roll~. $hc web con~i~ted of No. 2 comber bleached non-continuous stAple cotton ~ f~ber3.
: Energy output of th~ entangllng water curtain in tho Example~ ig calculated ln accordance wtth the following ~quatlon:
14.2 C D2 pl.S N
where Rp-hr/lb fibar C - Jet dlscharge coefficient ~dimensionless) D = Orifice diameter (inches) ~; P = Manifold pre~s~re N - Jet density (~ets/inch) S ~ Line ~peed (eet/minute) W - Basis weight (gram3/~quare yard) where, the jet discharge coefficient (C) wa~ taken a~
follows~
. Pressure Di~charge Co~fflcient (C) : ~ d mensionles~
~00 0.64 300 0.74 400 O.al 500 0.85 ~SOO 0.85 A represQntative computation 1~ ~e~ forth in Tablc for A cotton fabric produced in the E~ample 2 application o~ th~
hydroentangllng applicatlon of the invention ~see description belo~). Thi8 E~a~pl~ yield~d an entangled 24.5 gram/~uar~ yard (g8y) cotton fabric charact~rl~Qa by an MD/CD rAtio of 2.0sl, ¦¦ MD/CD grab ton~ tr-ngtha 7.3/3.5 lb~/lnch.
.
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; abl~ 1 Manlfold Pre~ure (gall/int (hp-hr ~ fib~r) 1 300 0.70~ 0.069 0.069 2 S00 0.999 0.162 0.230 3 70~ 1.241 0.281 0.512 4 900 1.407 0.410 0.922 1100 1.550 0.554 1.475 Total Energy 1~ computed by calculatlng energy output for ea~h ~anifold and adding the resulting energies.
Characteristics of ~abrlc~ illu~trated in Fig~. 10 - 15 are set forth in the Example3:
Example 1 A diamond ~tructured cotton fabrlc of type illu~trated in Fig~. lOA and B wa~ produced employing a cylindrlcal ; entangling ~ember having the apertured configuration of Fig. 6A.
The entangling me~ber included 1/16 inch diameter aperturq~ on 3/32 inch center~ with apertures staggered to foru an equilateral ~` triangle. MD and CD apertures, re~pectively, were provided with center to center ~paaing o~ .16 ~nd .092 inche~.
A hydroentangllng apparatus lllustrated in Fig~. 1 and S was employed at a process spQed of 40 feet/minute. Web fro~
the carding apparatu3 and peeler roller~ wa~ ~dvanced to the entangling ~tation 16 and onto the entanglinq ~ember 24 whorc it wa~ wetted down and then hydroentanglea. Mani~old pr~ure~ wer~
ramped with the ~ir3t manifold ~e~ at 150 p~l and ~ucce~ive ~anlfolds having pre~ure~ of 300, 500, 700 and 900 p31~
The entangl-d w~b wa~ advanced to padder 13, and dry ` cans haYing a a ~tea~ pres~usa of eo p~ 1 to provlde a coherent fabric structurc having an MD~CD ratio o~ 2.5~ alght o~ 38 gsy, and grab ten~ile str~ngth in ~achine and cro~e directlon~ o~
' 5.6 and 2.2 lb~/in.

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Ex~m~
P~bric ~i~ilar to the that llluatrated ln Pig~. lOA and 8 and dencrib~d in E~a~plo 1 Wa8 produc~d on ~ planar entangllng membsr 24 employing ~hs apparatu~ ~ Pign. 1 and 3.
Specificatlon~ for the entangling me~ber 24 were identical to the apertured 3creen of Exa~ple 1.
The packed manlfold arrange~ent of Fig. 3 wa~ ulated on a prototype 3yAteM by ~uccee~lvely trav~rsing the web beneath a ~ingle manifold at pres~ure~ of 300, 500, 700, 900 and 1100 psl¦
at a proce3s Apeed of 60 feet per minuts.
The resulting fabric structure was characterized by an ¦
MD/CD ratio of 2.0:1, weight of 24.5 g~y, and grab tensile strength in machine and cro~q directionA of 7.3 and 3.5 lbs/in.
Examplc 3 Fabric having the characteristic~ llluAtrated in Figs. llA and B was produced e~ploying the prototype systen and proce~ conditlons ot Example 2. Apparatu~ in thl~ Exa~ple dlffered ln that the planar apertured entangling ~ember was ~hifted 90 degreea to orlent aperture~ 80 that the spaclng between MD aperturs~ waa greater than C~ aperture~. MD and CD
aperture~, re~pectively, had center to center ~pacings of .092 and .16 lnches. See Flg. 7.
Thls Example produced a dlamond ~tructured non-woven fabric with predoninant MD yarns whlch are capablo of bearlng hlgher MD loads without necking thao fabricn o~ E~ample~ 1 and 2.
Thc re~ulting fabrlc ~tructure wa~ characterizsd by an MD/CD ratio of 1.7sl, wolght of 25.5 g~y, and grab ten~
atr-ngth ID ~ahino ~=d cro- IroFelon- oi 7.0 ~ad 4.1 lb-/ln.

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Exampl~ 4 The rlbbed fabric IlluYtrated in Flg. 12 was prcduced on a planar rever3e dutch woven entangllng entangllng me~ber employing the prototype apparatus and processlng conditlons described in Example 2 - proces~ line speed of 60 feet/~inute and manifold pressure~ ramped between 300 and 1100 p~i. The re~er~e dutch entangling member includes a fine mesh including 12 wire~/inch in the cro~s-direction (.022A dia~etar) and 68 wires/inch in the ~a~hine direction (.015~ diameter).
The ribbed ~abric prcduced in this ~ample is characterized by C~ ribs and connecting i~terstitial fibers which ¦
provide a superior wipe material.
E~ample 5 An alternative ribbed non-woven, illu~trated in Fig. 13, was produced in the manner descrlbed in ~ampla 4 employing a coarse mesh reverse dutch entangling ~ember. Thi9 screen include~ .0~5 inch diameter wires arranged in the cross-direction with a ~pacing of 4 wires/lnch, and 0.15 inch diameter wire0 positioned between the .085 Inch wires. The screen ~lso includ0s machine direction wires having a .015 inch diameter and ~pacing o 60 wires/inch.
Exampla 6 A hexagon patterned non-woven fabric, illustrated in Fig. 14, ~a~ producad ln accordance with the proces~ condltion~
of ~xa~pla 2 - process lina speed of 60 ~eet/~inute and ~anifold pre~ure- ra~ped between~300;~to I100 p~i, Th~ entangling ~e~ber lncludad tha plan~r r~ver~e dutch wove~ ~creen dsscribed ln Exa~ple 4 ov~rlald wlth a perforated ~etal ~cre0n havlng a he~agon paetern. The he~agon~ o~ the ~etal ~creen ~are deflnea :~ .
~ `'' ~ -19-J

`- il 1~12192 _I

by I/4 lncb ~I t~ ~pArat~ ~ / I/16 Loch w id- urroundlng m-tA
area~

A predominantly ~achine dir~ction orlanted fabric, sim~lar tha fabrlc illuDtrated in Fig. 15, w~ prgduced on a cylindrical 12 x 12 woven wi~e entangllng ~ember under the proce~s conditlons Oe Example 1 - proce~ speed of 40 feet/minuts and ramped manifeld pressures ranging fro~ 150 to 900 psi. The w~ven ~creen, which wa~ of th~ type illu~trated in Flg. a, had a wire diameter of 0.030 inches and open void area3 which formed 41¦
per cent of the screen.
The hydroentangled fabric of thi~ e~ample had the following propertles: MD/CD ratio of 3.9:1, weight of 33 g~y, and grab tensile strength in machine and cro~s directions of 3.4 and 0.9 lb~/ln.
Example 8 The fabric of thi~ imilar to E~ample 7 and fabric lllustrated in Fig. 15. ~he woven ~creen o E2ample 7 wa~
provlded wlth a planar coniguratlon and euployed under the proce~n condltions of E2ample 2 - line ~peed o~ 60 feet/minute and mani~old pre~ure~ r~mpsd between 300 ana 1100 p~1.
The hydroentangled fabric of thia esample had the followlng propertia~: MD/CD ratlo of 1.5sl, weight of 22.5 g8y, and grab tan~ile etrength in ~achine and cro~D direction~ of 3.9 and 2.C Ib-/in.

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¦Table 11 u--~ri~ thc te~ rn~lt- dl-cu-~d In th- ¦
Example~
Tabl~ Sum~ary of Test Re~ults __ E~ampl~ Screen Type ~eight Grab Ten~lle MD/CD Ratio ~g~y) (lb~/in) MDCD
~;~ 1 Perforat~d 38 5.6 2.2 2.~tl l/16 dia on 3/32 cr~
2 Perforated 24.5 7.3 3.5 2.0~1 1/16 dia on 3/32 crs 3 Perforated 25.5 7.0 4.1 1.7:1 : 1/16 dia on 3/32 crq : 7 Woven 33 3.4 0.9 3.9:1 :~ 12s12 - 90 8 Woven 22.5 3.9 2.6 1.5:1 . 12x12 - 90 :` ~
' From tha foregoing, it wlll be appreciated that the lnvention achleve~ the ob~ects stated heretofore. An entangllng apparatus 10 of uncomple~ deslgn i~ provided which entangles a non-randomized web 12 of fibrou~ naterlal employing divergent ~et spr~ya 34 and ~ coactlng entangllng member 24. Advantage ~
obtalned ln the lnvention by u~ of ~et sprays 34 which hav~ wida oriflce openings as compared to conventional colu~nar ~et noz~le~. Such noz~les do not clog with fib0r debris as 18 th~ caae with prior art colu~nar nozzle~ whlch have s~all dla~eter3. Aa A conseguenco, ~iltsation ~y3te~ e~ploy~d 1~ ~h~
inventlon requlr~ le~ exacting ~peciflcation~ th~n in prior art ontangllng ~y~t-=~.
'~
: .

t312192 . ~_ Further advantag~ i- obtained in tho inventlon through u8e 0~ a By~te~ which does not r~qulra web rando~izatlon appar~tu~. Rando~ airlay ana scrambling sy~te~ of the prior art are diapen~ed with. Tha entangling apparatua lO randomize~ and scra~ble3 the web without requirement o~ these proce~ing step~.
It will be recognized by tho~e skllled ln the apparatu3 and proce~ of the lnvention have wida application ln ths prGduction of a diversity o~ pattern0d non-woven fabric~ wlth characterl~tics determined by the deslgn and ~pecification~ of entangllng member~ 24. For example, the cotton fabrics illu~trated in the Examples have par~icular application a3 low co~t gauze fabric ~ubstitute3.
Numero~s modification~ are po#~ible in light o~ the above di~clo~ure. For example, the preferred proce~ of the invention employs water a~ the entangling medium. Other fluid~
lncluding blnders may be lntroduced lnto the fabric in the entangllng proce~. Slmilarly, although selected entangling member~ 24 are lllustrated ln the drawlng~, it will be recognized that other configuration~ are within the ~cope of the invention.
Therefore, although the lnventlon has been de~cribed wit1~ referenae to certain preferred embodiments, it will bo appreclated that other entangllng apparatu~, procensee and non-woven fabrlc~ may be deviaad, whlch are neverthele3s wlthin thc ~cope and ~plrit o~ the invention ae def~ned in tho clai~n append-d heroto.

.

~, ~ -22-. :.. .: i

Claims

1. An apparatus for entangling a non-woven fibrous web by impacting the web with pressurized fluid jets, the web including a plurality of fibers, which comprises:
conveyor means for conveying the non-woven fibrous web in a machine direction ("MD") through an entangling station, said entangling station including entry and terminal end areas, said conveying means supporting an entangling member which underlies the non-woven fibrous web, said entangling member including a symmetrical pattern of void areas which are fluid pervious;
curtain means disposed above the conveyor means for directing a continuous curtain of the fluid down-wardly through the non-woven web and said entanglement member in said entangling station, said curtain including a plurality of nozzles which eject divergent jets; and control means for controlling dispersion of air entrained by said curtain, said control means including means for directing an air curtain onto the web, so that said curtain coacts with said entangling member to randomize, entangle and intertwine the web fibers.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said void areas occupy at least 25 percent of the area of said entangling member.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 or 2 wherein the said divergent jets have a spray pressure of at least 200 psi.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 or 2 wherein said curtain has outputs energy of at least .1 hp-hr/lb to the web.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the said divergent jets have an angle of diver-gence of at least 2 degrees.

6. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the spray pressure of said divergent jets is ramped in the MD over a pressure range of 200 -2500 psi.

7. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein said divergent jets diverge in a cross-direction ("CD") relative to the MD and have an angle of diver-gence of at least 2 degrees.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein said curtain means is spaced at least 1 1/2 inches above said entangling member.

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said entangling member is configured in the form of a generally cylindrical drum.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said entangling member has a generally planar exterior surface.

11. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2, 6 or 10, wherein said randomization provides MD and cross-direction ("CD") oriented fibers in the web, and wherein said void areas include a plurality of apertures arranged so that the MD apertures are spaced further apart than CD apertures.

12. An apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein said randomization provides MD and cross-direction ("CD") oriented fibers in the web, and said void areas include a plurality of apertures arranged so that CD apertures are spaced further apart than MD
apertures.

13. An apparatus as set forther in claim 12, wherein said apertures occupy at least 25 per cent of the area of said entangling member and said divergent jets have CD oriented angles of divergence of at least 2 degrees.

14. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said control means includes a generally hollow perforated cylindrical roll spaced from and disposed above the web in said terminal end area for frictional contact with the web, and means for rotating said cylindrical roll to dissipate entrained air in said terminal end area.

15. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 or 14, wherein said control means further includes a baffle plate positioned in said entry area spaced above the web, said air curtain means and baffle coacting to shield and counterbalance back pressure applied to the web by air entrained in said entry area by said fluid curtain in said entry area.

16. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said fluid curtain means includes a plurality of generally parallel spaced manifolds arranged in said en-tangling station, said manifolds being arranged in a cross-direction ("CD") which is generally perpendicular to said MD, each manifold including a plurality of said divergent jets.

17. An apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein said divergent jets include orifices each having a central vertical axis which is generally perpendicular to the web, said entangling member has a generally planar exterior surface which underlies the web, and said divergent jets have a spray pressure of at least 200 psi.

18. An apparatus as set forth in claim 17, wherein the said divergent jets have an angle of divergence relative to said central axis of at least 2 degrees.

19. An apparatus as set forth in claim 17, wherein the said curtain means further includes means for recirculating fluid passing through said entangling member to said manifolds.

20. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fibers are staple fibers, said conveying means supporting a generally planar entangling member which underlies the non-woven fibrous web whereby said curtain coacts with said entangling member to randomize the web fibers, said fibers entangling together and migrating to apertures in said entangling member to form nodes which are connected by interstitial fibers.

21. An apparatus as set forth in claim 21, wherein said nozzles each include a shaped orifice having an effective diameter of .043 inches and flow of 1.5 gallons/min at 1000 psi.

22. An apparatus as set forth in claim 21, wherein said randomization provides MD and cross-direc-tion ("CD") oriented fibers in the web, and said web and said apertures are arranged so that the spacing ratio of MD apertures is greater than CD apertures.

23. An apparatus as set forth in claim 22, wherein said fluid curtain means includes a plurality of generally parallel spaced manifolds arranged in said entangling station, said manifolds being disposed in said CD orientation relative to the web, each manifold including a plurality of said nozzles.

24. An apparatus set forth in claim 23, wherein said manifolds are spaced approximately 4 inches apart, said nozzles each have a central vertical axis which is generally perpendicular to the web, and said nozzles are spaced approximately 1 inch apart.

25. An apparatus as set forth in claim 23, wherein the spray pressure of said divergent jets is ramped in the MD over a range of 200 - 2500 psi, and said manifolds are spaced 3-8 inches above said entangling member.

26. A method for entangling a web including a plurality of fibers to produce non-woven fabrics having a symmetrical entangled lattice structure employing divergent jets which form a curtain of fluid, which comprises the steps of:
(a) supporting the web on an entangling member in an entangling station which includes entry and terminal end areas, said entangling member including a symmetrical pattern of void areas which are fluid pervious;

27 (b) directing the curtain of fluid downwardly through the web and said void areas, and traversing the web with the curtain until the fibers are randomized and entangled to produce a non-woven fabric having a structure determined by said entangling member; and (c) dispersing air entrained by the curtain of fluid onto the web to maintain the web in contact with said entangling member by directing an air curtain onto the web in said entry area.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein said traversing step is of sufficient duration to cause the fibers to migrate to said apertures to form nodes which are connected by interstitial fibers.

28. The method of claim 27, compring the further steps of filtering fluid which impinges upon the web to remove fiber debris, and recirculating the filtered fluid to said divergent jets.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the curtain impinges upon the web at a pressure of at least 200 psi.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein said void areas occupy at least 25 per cent of the area of said entangling member.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the divergent jets provide fluid streams having a divergence upon impact with the web of at least 2 degrees.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the curtain outputs energy of approximately 0.1 hp-hr/lb to the web.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the web includes non-randomized machine direction oriented fibers, said entangling member has a generally planar configureation, said randomization provides machine and cross-direction oriented fibers in the web, and said void areas comprise a plurality of apertures arranged so that the spacing ratio of machine direction apertures is greater than cross-direction apertures.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein said divergent jets are arranged in a row extending in a cross-direction, said divergent jets being approximately 1 inch apart.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the web includes non-continuous and non-randomized fibers, said entangling member has a generally planar configuration, said randomization provides machine and cross-direction oriented fibers in the web, and said void areas comprise a plurality of apertures arranged so that the spacing ratio of machine direction apertures is greater than cross-direction apertures.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said traversing step is of sufficient duration to cause the fibers to migrate to said apertures to form nodes which are connected by interstitial fibers.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the web includes non-continuous and non-randomized fibers, said entangling member has a generally planar configuration, said randomization provides machine and cross-direction oriented fibers in the web, and said void areas comprise a plurality of apertures arranged so that the spacing ratio of cross-direction apertures is greater than machine direction apertures.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said traversing step is of sufficient duration to cause the fibers to migrate to said apertures to form nodes which are connected by interstitial fibers.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein the web includes non-continuous and non-randomized fibers, said entangling member is a generally planar woven screen, said randomization provides machine and cross-direction oriented fibers in the web, and said void areas comprise at least 25% of the area of said woven screen.

40. A non-woven fabric which comprises:
a symmetrical array of fluid entangled fibers including a lattice structure of spaced parallel machine direction ("MD") oriented rows of criss-crossing fibrous bands, and spaced cross-direction ("CD") oriented fibrous bands, said CD and MD fibrous bands intersecting at dense fiber nodes, said CD and MD fibrous bands defining void areas which occupy at least 25 per cent of the fabric area, said symmetrical array of fibers having a uniform cohesive grab tensile MD and CD strengths of at least 2 lbs/inch and 1 lb/inch, respectively, and an MD/CD
ratio in the range of 1:1 - 4:1.

41. A non-woven fabric according to claim 40, which is made of staple No. 2 comber cotton fibers, and has a weight of approximately 24.5 to 39 gsy.