Water repellency-imparting fiber article

Abstract

A water repellency-imparted fiber article (10) of the present invention includes: a fiber article (1) having a skin-facing surface (1a) and a non-skin-facing surface (1b); and a water repellency-imparting agent attached to the fiber article (1). The fiber article (1) contains a water-absorbent fiber and has water absorbency in terms of a water absorption time of 30 seconds or less as measured in accordance with the dropping method of JIS L-1907. The water repellency-imparted fiber article (10) has a non-skin-side water-repellent region (2) on the non-skin-facing surface (1b) of the fiber article (1), the non-skin-side water-repellent region (2) including a portion to which the water repellency-imparting agent is attached. The water repellency-imparted fiber article (10) has a water absorbing layer (11) in a section of the fiber article that overlaps the non-skin-side water-repellent region (2) in a plan view and on a side that is closer to the skin of a user than the non-skin-side water-repellent region (2), the water absorbing layer maintaining the water absorbency. A surface of the non-skin-side water-repellent region 2 has a water contact angle of 80 degrees or greater and a water absorption rate of 10 seconds or greater.

1 . A water repellency-imparted fiber article, comprising:
 a fiber article having a skin-facing surface to be disposed on a side that is relatively close to the skin of a user during use and a non-skin-facing surface to be disposed on a side that is relatively away from the skin of the user, the fiber article containing a water-absorbent fiber and having water absorbency in terms of a water absorption time of 30 seconds or less as measured in accordance with the dropping method of JIS L-1907; and   a water repellency-imparting agent attached to the fiber article,   wherein the water repellency-imparted fiber article has a non-skin-side water-repellent region on the non-skin-facing surface of the fiber article, the non-skin-side water-repellent region including a portion to which the water repellency-imparting agent is attached,   the water repellency-imparted fiber article has a water absorbing layer in a section of the fiber article that overlaps the non-skin-side water-repellent region in a plan view and on a side that is closer to the skin of the user than the non-skin-side water-repellent region, the water absorbing layer maintaining the water absorbency, and   a surface of the non-skin-side water-repellent region has a water contact angle of 80 degrees or greater and a water absorption rate of 10 seconds or greater.   
     
     
         2 . The water repellency-imparted fiber article according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein both a portion to which the water repellency-imparting agent is attached and a portion to which the water repellency-imparting agent is not attached are present in the non-skin-side water-repellent region.   
     
     
         3 . The water repellency-imparted fiber article according to  claim 1 , wherein in a 50-mm-square region arbitrarily selected from the non-skin-side water-repellent region, a percentage of the total area of a portion to which the water repellency-imparting agent is attached to the whole area of the 50-mm-square region is from 10% to 80%. 
     
     
         4 . The water repellency-imparted fiber article according to  claim 1 , wherein a thickness of a portion to which the water repellency-imparting agent is attached, of the non-skin-side water-repellent region is from 5% to 60% of a thickness of the fiber article. 
     
     
         5 . The water repellency-imparted fiber article according to  claim 1 , wherein a bending resistance of a section where the non-skin-side water-repellent region is formed is 60 mm or less, and is equal to or lower than the bending resistance of a section of the water repellency-imparted fiber article where the non-skin-side water-repellent region is not formed, which is a water-repellent region non-formed portion. 
     
     
         6 . A water repellency-imparted fiber article, comprising:
 a fiber article having a skin-facing surface to be disposed on a side that is relatively close to the skin of a user during use and a non-skin-facing surface to be disposed on a side that is relatively away from the skin of the user, the fiber article containing a water-absorbent fiber and having water absorbency in terms of a water absorption time of 30 seconds or less as measured in accordance with the dropping method of JIS L-1907, and   a water repellency-imparting agent attached to the fiber article,   wherein the fiber article is underpants,   the water repellency-imparted fiber article has a non-skin-side water-repellent region on the non-skin-facing surface of the fiber article, the non-skin-side water-repellent region including a portion to which the water repellency-imparting agent is attached,   the water repellency-imparted fiber article has a water absorbing layer in a section of the fiber article that overlaps the non-skin-side water-repellent region in a plan view and on a side that is closer to the skin of the user than the non-skin-side water-repellent region, the water absorbing layer maintaining the water absorbency,   a surface of the non-skin-side water-repellent region has a water contact angle of 80 degrees or greater and a water absorption rate of 10 seconds or greater   a thickness of a portion to which the water repellency-imparting agent is attached, of the non-skin-side water-repellent region is from 5% to 60% of a thickness of the fiber article, and   a bending resistance of a section where the non-skin-side water-repellent region is formed is 60 mm or less, and is equal to or lower than the bending resistance of a section of the water repellency-imparted fiber article where the non-skin-side water-repellent region is not formed, which is a water-repellent region non-formed portion.   
     
     
         7 . The water repellency-imparted fiber article according to  claim 1 , wherein an amount of the water repellency-imparting agent attached decreases from the non-skin-facing surface of the fiber article toward the skin-facing surface thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The water repellency-imparted fiber article according to  claim 1 , wherein the water repellency-imparted fiber article has a skin-side water-repellent region on the skin-facing surface of the fiber article, the skin-side water-repellent region including a portion to which the water repellency-imparting agent is attached, and an amount of the water repellency-imparting agent attached in the skin-side water-repellent region is smaller than that in the non-skin-side water-repellent region. 
     
     
         9 . The water repellency-imparted fiber article according to  claim 1 , wherein the non-skin-facing surface of the fiber article has an uneven structure, and the water repellency-imparting agent that forms the non-skin-side water-repellent region is attached to projections constituting the uneven structure. 
     
     
         10 . The water repellency-imparted fiber article according to  claim 1 , wherein, 10 mL or less of urine is absorbed on the water absorbing layer is suppressed from transferring to the non-skin-facing surface of water repellency-imparted fiber article. 
     
     
         11 . The water repellency-imparted fiber article according to  claim 1 , wherein the water repellency-imparting agent is a composition containing a modified silicone. 
     
     
         12 . The water repellency-imparted fiber article according to  claim 1 , wherein, when the water repellency-imparted fiber article is washed by immersing the water repellency-imparted fiber article in a liquid containing 0.1 mass % of a commonly available detergent for clothing and ion exchanged water under stirring at a rotational speed of 350 rpm for 10 minutes, and then lightly squeezing the water repellency-imparted fiber article, and further immersing the water repellency-imparted fiber article in ion exchanged water under stirring at a rotational speed of 350 rpm for 10 minutes, an amount of the water repellency-imparting agent contained in the water repellency-imparted fiber article after washing is 20 mass % or less based on that before washing. 
     
     
         13 . A method for producing the water repellency-imparted fiber article according to  claim 1 , the method comprising:
 applying a water repellency-imparting agent to a non-skin-facing surface of a fiber article having water absorbency in terms of a water absorption time of 30 seconds or less as measured in accordance with the dropping method of JIS L-1907.   
     
     
         14 . The method for producing the water repellency-imparted fiber article according to  claim 13 , wherein after the water repellency-imparting agent is applied to the fiber article, the fiber article is dried under a condition that a temperature of the water repellency-imparting agent is 50° C. or less. 
     
     
         15 . The method for producing the water repellency-imparted fiber article according to  claim 13 , wherein the application of the water repellency-imparting agent to the fiber article is performed by spraying the water repellency-imparting agent. 
     
     
         16 . The method for producing the fiber article according to  claim 13 , wherein the application of the water repellency-imparting agent to the fiber article is performed by spraying the water repellency-imparting agent with a pump spray-type application means in which the water repellency-imparting agent is put into a container equipped with a sprayer. 
     
     
         17 - 29 . (canceled)