CN-122029316-A - Foam-formed wiping product

Abstract

Nonwoven webs particularly suitable for use as wiping products are disclosed. The nonwoven web comprises cellulosic pulp fibers blended with crimpable synthetic polymer fibers. The web may be produced in a foam forming process that also includes hydroentanglement. The hydroentangling step can optionally produce a surface topography. The nonwoven web has an enhanced thickness and is well suited for cleaning grease and oil due to the open structure.

Inventors

• NIEMEYER JEAN F.
• M. Penn
• R. W. Little Booker
• M. L. Sibo
• N.Yang
• C.E. SCHULTZ

Assignees

• 金伯利-克拉克环球有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20231030

Claims (20)

1. 1. A wiping product comprising: A hydroentangled nonwoven web having a first surface and an opposing second surface, said nonwoven web comprising cellulosic pulp fibers blended with first staple fibers and optionally second staple fibers, said first staple fibers comprising synthetic polymer fibers, said first staple fibers having a size of from about 0.3 denier to about 3 denier, said cellulosic pulp fibers comprising from about 45% to about 70% by weight of said nonwoven web, said staple fibers comprising from about 30% to about 55% by weight of said nonwoven web, said nonwoven web having a basis weight of from about 40gsm to about 120 gsm.
2. 2. The wiping product of claim 1 further comprising a topographical pattern on the surface of the nonwoven web, at least a portion of the topographical pattern comprising raised pattern elements extending from a surface of the substrate.
3. 3. The wiping product of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the nonwoven web comprises the first staple fibers having a fiber size of from about 1.2 denier to about 3 denier and the second staple fibers comprising synthetic polymer fibers and having a fiber size of from about 0.3 denier to about 1.2 denier, such as from about 0.4 denier to about 1.1 denier.
4. 4. The wiping product of claim 3 wherein the first staple fibers and the second staple fibers comprise polyester fibers.
5. 5. The wiping product of any one of the preceding claims wherein the cellulosic pulp fibers and the staple fibers comprise greater than 90 weight percent, such as greater than 95 weight percent, of the fibers contained in the nonwoven web.
6. 6. The wiping product of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the nonwoven web has a basis weight of from about 55gsm to about 75gsm, such as from about 60gsm to about 70 gsm.
7. 7. The wiping product of any one of the preceding claims wherein the nonwoven web comprises the first staple fibers and the second staple fibers in an amount of from about 35 wt% to about 55 wt% and comprises the cellulose pulp fibers in an amount of from about 45 wt% to about 65 wt%.
8. 8. The wiping product of claim 3 wherein the weight ratio of the first staple fibers to the second staple fibers is from about 1:3 to about 3:1, such as from about 1:1.5 to about 1.5:1.
9. 9. The wiping product of claim 2 wherein the raised pattern elements have a basis weight and the substrate surface has a basis weight, and wherein the basis weight of the raised pattern elements is greater than about 10% of the basis weight of the substrate surface.
10. 10. The wiping product of claim 2 or 9, wherein the raised pattern elements of the pattern comprise discrete shapes that are not interconnected.
11. 11. The wiping product of claim 2, 9 or 10, wherein the raised pattern elements comprise raised circular elements.
12. 12. The wiping product of claim 2, 9, 10, or 11, wherein at least a portion of the raised pattern elements have a height of greater than about 0.1mm, such as greater than about 0.2mm, such as greater than about 0.3mm, such as greater than about 0.4mm, such as greater than about 0.5mm, such as greater than about 0.6mm, and generally less than about 1.2mm, such as less than about 1mm, such as less than about 0.8 mm.
13. 13. The wiping product of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the basesheet exhibits a thickness per basis weight of greater than about 0.009mm/gsm, such as greater than about 0.010mm/gsm, such as greater than about 0.011 mm/gsm.
14. 14. The wiping product of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the nonwoven web has a thickness of greater than about 0.4mm, such as greater than about 0.6mm, such as greater than about 0.8mm, and less than about 2mm, such as less than about 1.5mm, such as less than about 1.2mm, at a basis weight of about 60gsm to about 70 gsm.
15. 15. The wiping product of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the nonwoven web comprises a foam-formed web.
16. 16. The wiping product of claim 2 wherein the raised pattern elements occupy from about 15% to about 80% of the surface area of the first surface, such as from about 20% to about 60% of the surface area of the first surface.
17. 17. The wiping product of claim 2, wherein the topographical pattern comprises first raised pattern elements and second raised pattern elements, the first raised pattern elements having an effective diameter that is less than an effective diameter of the second raised pattern elements.
18. 18. The wiping product of claim 1 wherein the first staple fibers comprise crimped fibers.
19. 19. The wiping product of claim 3 wherein the first staple fibers and the second staple fibers comprise crimped fibers.
20. 20. The wiping product of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first staple fibers and the second staple fibers have an average fiber length of from about 4mm to about 20mm, such as from about 6mm to about 12 mm.

Description

Foam-formed wiping product Background Household and industrial wipes are commonly used to pick up and absorb both polar and non-polar liquids. The wipe should be constructed with sufficient absorbent capacity to retain liquid within the wipe structure. In addition, the wipe should have good physical strength and abrasion resistance to withstand tearing, stretching and abrasive forces that are often applied during use. Conventional wiping products (i.e., "wipes") are made from woven and knitted fabrics. Such wipes have been used in all different types of industry, such as for industrial applications, food service applications, health and medical applications, and for general consumer use. In the past, nonwoven wipes have also been constructed from pulp fibers alone or in combination with synthetic fibers. For example, in the past, spunbond webs made from continuous filaments have been hydroentangled with pulp fibers to produce elastic wiping products. In many cases, these webs are used in single use applications and then discarded. While these wipes have good levels of strength and absorbency, the wipes generally do not have the same cleaning characteristics as woven and knitted fabrics, especially when wiping oils and greases. In view of the above, there is a need for disposable nonwoven wipes having cleaning characteristics similar to or better than conventional textile wipes. In one aspect, there is a need for a disposable nonwoven wipe that is well suited for picking up and cleaning oils and greases. There is also a need for disposable nonwoven wipes having excellent cleaning characteristics at lower basis weights than conventional textile wipes. Disclosure of Invention Generally, the present disclosure relates to nonwoven webs or substrates that are well suited for construction of wiping products and may have at least one cleaning property that is the same as or better than conventional textile wipes. The present disclosure also relates to nonwoven webs or substrates configured to pick up and remove oil and grease from surfaces. Nonwoven webs are particularly suitable for use as industrial wipes. While well suited for picking up oils and greases, wipes may also be used in a variety of other applications. In particular, the wipes have excellent absorption characteristics as well as good strength characteristics. For example, in one embodiment, the present disclosure is directed to a wiping product comprising a nonwoven web having a first surface and an opposing second surface. The nonwoven web comprises cellulosic pulp fibers blended with first staple fibers and optionally second staple fibers. The first staple fibers and the second staple fibers may comprise synthetic polymer fibers. The first staple fibers may have a size of about 0.3 denier to about 3 denier. When the second staple fibers are present, the first staple fibers may have a denier greater than the second staple fibers. For example, the second staple fibers may have a size of about 0.3 denier to about 1.2 denier, and the first staple fibers may have a size of about 1.2 denier to about 3 denier. The cellulosic pulp fibers comprise from about 45% to about 70% by weight of the nonwoven web. The first staple fibers and the second staple fibers comprise from about 30% to about 55% by weight of the nonwoven web. The nonwoven web may have a basis weight of from about 40gsm to about 120gsm, such as from about 50gsm to about 70gsm, such as from about 60gsm to about 70 gsm. In one aspect, the nonwoven web can have a basis weight of from about 90gsm to about 120 gsm. In one aspect, the topographical pattern can be located on a surface of the nonwoven web. At least a portion of the topographical pattern may comprise raised pattern elements extending from the surface of the substrate. In one aspect, the cellulosic pulp fibers and staple fibers comprise greater than about 90 weight percent, such as greater than about 95 weight percent, of all the fibers contained in the nonwoven web. In one particular embodiment, for example, the fibers contained in the nonwoven web all comprise cellulosic pulp fibers, first staple fibers, or second staple fibers. In one aspect, the first staple fibers and the second staple fibers can be present in the nonwoven web in an amount from about 35 wt.% to about 55 wt.%, and the cellulose pulp fibers can be present in the nonwoven web in an amount from about 45 wt.% to about 65 wt.%. When the second staple fibers are present, the weight ratio between the first staple fibers and the second staple fibers may be from about 1:3 to about 3:1, such as from about 1.5:1 to about 1:1.5. The first staple fibers and the second staple fibers may comprise polyester. In one aspect, the first staple fibers and/or the second staple fibers may comprise crimped fibers. The first staple fibers and/or the second staple fibers may also comprise bicomponent fibers. The first staple fibers and the second staple fibers may independently have an averag