Method of producing a nonwoven material

Abstract

Method of producing a nonwoven material, wherein a fibrous web containing continuous filaments and natural fibers and/or staple fibers is formed on a forming member ( 12 ) and subsequently hydroentangled to form the nonwoven material. The fibrous web is transferred to an entangling member ( 16 ) while subjecting the fibrous web to foreshortening and subsequently hydroentangling the foreshortened fibrous web, thus forming a composite material ( 19 ) wherein the continuous filaments are well integrated with the rest of the fibers.

1 . In a method of producing a nonwoven material, which comprises: 
 forming a fibrous web containing continuous filaments and natural fibers and/or staple fibers on a forming member and subsequently hydroentangling to form said nonwoven material;    the improvement which comprises transferring the fibrous web to an entangling member while subjecting said fibrous web to foreshortening and subsequently hydroentangling the foreshortened fibrous web, thus forming a composite material wherein the continuous filaments are well integrated with the rest of the fibers.    
   
   
       2 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fibrous web is exerted to a pre-hydroentangling step before being foreshortened.  
   
   
       3 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising driving the forming member at a higher speed than the entangling member thus providing a foreshortening effect of the fibrous web when transferring the web between said members.  
   
   
       4 . The method as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the fibrous web is transferred to the entangling member via a transfer member, the entangling member is driven at a lower speed than the forming member, and the transfer member is driven at a speed intermediate that of the forming and entangling members.  
   
   
       5 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fibrous web is wet-formed or foam-formed.  
   
   
       6 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fibrous web comprises between 20 and 85% by weight natural fibers.  
   
   
       7 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the natural fibers are pulp fibers.  
   
   
       8 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fibrous web contains between 5 and 50% by weight synthetic or regenerated staple fibers.  
   
   
       9 . The method as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein at least a major part of the synthetic staple fibers have a fiber length between 3 and 7 mm.  
   
   
       10 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fibrous web contains between 0.5 and 50% by weight continuous filaments.  
   
   
       11 . The method as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the continuous filaments are in the form of spunlaid or meltblown filaments.  
   
   
       12 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fibrous web comprises between 40 and 75% by weight natural fibers.  
   
   
       13 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fibrous web contains between 5 and 20% by weight synthetic or regenerated staple fibers.  
   
   
       14 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fibrous web contains between 15 and 30% by weight continuous filaments.