Bi-component staple or short-cut trilobal fibres and their uses

Abstract

The fibres can be used, in dry or wet wipes, absorbent articles, hygiene products, filters, carpets, rugs or mats, etc.

1 .- 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A bi-component staple or short-cut fibre comprising a core and a sheath, the sheath and the core have different melting points, with the sheath melting point being lower than the core melting point, the bi-component fibre having an outer trilobal shaped cross-section. 
     
     
         19 . The bi-component staple or short-cut fibre according to  claim 18 , wherein the sheath is a conformal layer on a core. 
     
     
         20 . The bi-component staple or short-cut fibre of  claim 19  wherein the fibre has a triangular symmetry, with each lobe of the sheath material having an axis radiating out from the core, and three axes of the trilobal shape being spaced angularly from each other, and the core has a triangular symmetry. 
     
     
         21 . The bi-component staple or short-cut fibre of  claim 20  wherein the core of the bi-component fibre has a delta or trilobal shaped cross-section conformal with the outer trilobal shaped cross-section. 
     
     
         22 . The bi-component staple or short-cut fibre of  claim 18  wherein a polymer used for the sheath is a co-polyester, a polyolefin, or an olefin copolymer and a polymer used for the core is a polyolefin, an olefin copolymer or a polyester or a co-polyester. 
     
     
         23 . The bi-component staple or short-cut fibre of  claim 18  wherein the sheath has between 10-90% by weight of the fibre and the core has between 90-10% by weight of the fibre. 
     
     
         24 . The bi-component staple or short-cut fibre of  claim 18 , wherein the sheath is made from polyethylene and has between 30-70% by weight of the fibre and wherein the core is made from polypropylene and has between 70-30% by weight of the fibre. 
     
     
         25 . The bi-component staple or short-cut fibre of  claim 18 , in which the final titre is between 0.5 and 35 dtex, preferably between 0.9 and 17 dtex. 
     
     
         26 . A nonwoven structure produced by using bi-component staple or short-cut fibres as claimed in  claim 18 . 
     
     
         27 . The nonwoven structure according to  claim 26  wherein the staple or short-cut fibre has a triangular symmetry, with each lobe of the sheath material having an axis radiating out from the core, and three axes of the trilobal shape being spaced angularly from each other, and the core has a triangular symmetry. 
     
     
         28 . The nonwoven structure according to  claim 26 , wherein the nonwoven structure is produced by carded thermal bonding, carded air-through bonding, spun bond, or is melt blown. 
     
     
         29 . A nonwoven structure having an entanglement of staple or short-cut fibres, the staple or short-cut fibres comprising bi-component fibres thermally bonded to bi-component fibres or also thermally bonded to some mono-component fibres, the bi-component fibres comprising a core and a sheath, the sheath and the core have different melting points, with the sheath melting point being lower than the core melting point, the bi-component fibres having an outer trilobal shaped cross-section. 
     
     
         30 . The nonwoven structure according to  claim 29 , wherein each sheath is a conformal layer on a core. 
     
     
         31 . The nonwoven structure according to  claim 29 , wherein the cores of the bi-component fibres have a delta or trilobal shaped cross-section. 
     
     
         32 . The nonwoven structure of  claim 26  wherein the nonwoven structure has a basic weight between 12 gsm and 170 gsm. 
     
     
         33 . An absorbent article comprising (i) a surface sheet comprising the nonwoven structure of  claim 26 , or (ii) a cover layer comprising the nonwoven structure, the absorbent article further comprising a liquid permeable body-facing cover layer, a liquid impermeable garment-facing barrier layer and an absorbent core between the cover layer and the barrier layer. 
     
     
         34 . The absorbent articles according to  claim 33 , further comprising, beneath the surface sheet, an acquisition/transportation sheet and an absorbent sheet and a liquid-impermeable backing sheet. 
     
     
         35 . A filter, a hygiene product, a carpet, a rug, a mat, upholstery, or dry wipe or a wet wipe comprising the nonwoven structure according to  claim 26 . 
     
     
         36 . The absorbent article according to  claim 33  wherein the staple or short-cut fibre has a triangular symmetry, with each lobe of the sheath material having axis radiating out from the core, and three axes of the trilobal shape being spaced angularly from each other, and the core has a triangular symmetry. 
     
     
         37 . The absorbent article according to  claim 36 , wherein the core of the bi-component fibre has a delta or trilobal shaped cross-section conformal with the outer trilobal shaped cross-section.