CA2177035C - Composite nonwoven fabric and articles produced therefrom - Google Patents
Composite nonwoven fabric and articles produced therefrom Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2177035C CA2177035C CA002177035A CA2177035A CA2177035C CA 2177035 C CA2177035 C CA 2177035C CA 002177035 A CA002177035 A CA 002177035A CA 2177035 A CA2177035 A CA 2177035A CA 2177035 C CA2177035 C CA 2177035C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- filaments
- polyethylene
- nonwoven fabric
- webs
- composite nonwoven
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
Links
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 61
- 239000004745 nonwoven fabric Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 34
- -1 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 51
- 229920000642 polymer Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 49
- 239000004698 Polyethylene Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 44
- 229920000573 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 42
- 239000000470 constituent Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 41
- 238000002844 melting Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 38
- 230000008018 melting Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 38
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 21
- 229920001410 Microfiber Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 11
- 239000003658 microfiber Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 11
- 230000002209 hydrophobic effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 239000004744 fabric Substances 0.000 claims description 65
- 230000004927 fusion Effects 0.000 claims description 17
- 229920000728 polyester Polymers 0.000 claims description 13
- 239000004952 Polyamide Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000002706 hydrostatic effect Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000035699 permeability Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- 229920002647 polyamide Polymers 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 230000001580 bacterial effect Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000001914 filtration Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 229920001169 thermoplastic Polymers 0.000 abstract description 11
- 239000004416 thermosoftening plastic Substances 0.000 abstract description 9
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 description 26
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 9
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 8
- 230000001681 protective effect Effects 0.000 description 8
- 239000004743 Polypropylene Substances 0.000 description 5
- 239000000654 additive Substances 0.000 description 5
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- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 5
- 239000000306 component Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000000356 contaminant Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 4
- 241000894006 Bacteria Species 0.000 description 3
- 229920000092 linear low density polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 3
- 239000004707 linear low-density polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 3
- 235000019645 odor Nutrition 0.000 description 3
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000005299 abrasion Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000015556 catabolic process Effects 0.000 description 2
- 229920001577 copolymer Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 238000006731 degradation reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000004049 embossing Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000035515 penetration Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000000704 physical effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 229920000139 polyethylene terephthalate Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000005020 polyethylene terephthalate Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920002959 polymer blend Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 238000010791 quenching Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000009958 sewing Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000011282 treatment Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000003466 welding Methods 0.000 description 2
- RSWGJHLUYNHPMX-UHFFFAOYSA-N Abietic-Saeure Natural products C12CCC(C(C)C)=CC2=CCC2C1(C)CCCC2(C)C(O)=O RSWGJHLUYNHPMX-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- LFQSCWFLJHTTHZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ethanol Chemical compound CCO LFQSCWFLJHTTHZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- VGGSQFUCUMXWEO-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ethene Chemical compound C=C VGGSQFUCUMXWEO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000005977 Ethylene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920010126 Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920002302 Nylon 6,6 Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 241001494479 Pecora Species 0.000 description 1
- KHPCPRHQVVSZAH-HUOMCSJISA-N Rosin Natural products O(C/C=C/c1ccccc1)[C@H]1[C@H](O)[C@@H](O)[C@@H](O)[C@@H](CO)O1 KHPCPRHQVVSZAH-HUOMCSJISA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 description 1
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- 238000003491 array Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002238 attenuated effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 1
- 125000004432 carbon atom Chemical group C* 0.000 description 1
- 239000003795 chemical substances by application Substances 0.000 description 1
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- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000008358 core component Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005538 encapsulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 150000002148 esters Chemical class 0.000 description 1
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- 229920000098 polyolefin Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000004080 punching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003014 reinforcing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000005871 repellent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000002940 repellent Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004826 seaming Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003283 slot draw process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002689 soil Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000003381 stabilizer Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001954 sterilising effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004659 sterilization and disinfection Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012414 sterilization procedure Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005728 strengthening Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920001897 terpolymer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000007725 thermal activation Methods 0.000 description 1
- KHPCPRHQVVSZAH-UHFFFAOYSA-N trans-cinnamyl beta-D-glucopyranoside Natural products OC1C(O)C(O)C(CO)OC1OCC=CC1=CC=CC=C1 KHPCPRHQVVSZAH-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000004711 α-olefin Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
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- B32—LAYERED PRODUCTS
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- B32B5/00—Layered products characterised by the non- homogeneity or physical structure, i.e. comprising a fibrous, filamentary, particulate or foam layer; Layered products characterised by having a layer differing constitutionally or physically in different parts
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- B32B5/26—Layered products characterised by the non- homogeneity or physical structure, i.e. comprising a fibrous, filamentary, particulate or foam layer; Layered products characterised by having a layer differing constitutionally or physically in different parts characterised by the presence of two or more layers which are next to each other and are fibrous, filamentary, formed of particles or foamed one layer being a fibrous or filamentary layer another layer next to it also being fibrous or filamentary
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- B32B27/00—Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin
- B32B27/06—Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin as the main or only constituent of a layer, which is next to another layer of the same or of a different material
- B32B27/08—Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin as the main or only constituent of a layer, which is next to another layer of the same or of a different material of synthetic resin
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- B32B27/34—Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin comprising polyamides
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- B32B5/022—Non-woven fabric
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
- D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
- D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
- D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
- D04H1/54—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties by welding together the fibres, e.g. by partially melting or dissolving
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- D04H13/00—Other non-woven fabrics
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- D04H3/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length
- D04H3/08—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of strengthening or consolidating
- D04H3/14—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of strengthening or consolidating with bonds between thermoplastic yarns or filaments produced by welding
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- D04H3/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length
- D04H3/08—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of strengthening or consolidating
- D04H3/16—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of strengthening or consolidating with bonds between thermoplastic filaments produced in association with filament formation, e.g. immediately following extrusion
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- B32B2535/00—Medical equipment, e.g. bandage, prostheses, catheter
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
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- Y10T428/24—Structurally defined web or sheet [e.g., overall dimension, etc.]
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- Y10T442/60—Nonwoven fabric [i.e., nonwoven strand or fiber material]
- Y10T442/637—Including strand or fiber material which is a monofilament composed of two or more polymeric materials in physically distinct relationship [e.g., sheath-core, side-by-side, islands-in-sea, fibrils-in-matrix, etc.] or composed of physical blend of chemically different polymeric materials or a physical blend of a polymeric material and a filler material
- Y10T442/638—Side-by-side multicomponent strand or fiber material
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T442/00—Fabric [woven, knitted, or nonwoven textile or cloth, etc.]
- Y10T442/60—Nonwoven fabric [i.e., nonwoven strand or fiber material]
- Y10T442/659—Including an additional nonwoven fabric
- Y10T442/66—Additional nonwoven fabric is a spun-bonded fabric
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Textile Engineering (AREA)
- Nonwoven Fabrics (AREA)
- Gloves (AREA)
- Laminated Bodies (AREA)
- Treatments For Attaching Organic Compounds To Fibrous Goods (AREA)
Abstract
The invention is directed to a composite nonwoven fabric (10) comprising first and second nonwoven webs (11, 13) of spunbonded substantially continuous thermoplastic filaments, and a nonwoven hydrophobic microporous web (12) of thermoplastic meltblown microfibers sandwiched between the first and second nonwoven webs. The filaments of the nonwoven spunbound webs are formed of continuous multiconstituent filaments which include a lower melting gamma radiation stable polyethylene polymer component and one or more higher melting gamma radiation stable polymer constituents, wherein a substantial portion of the surfaces of the multiconstituent filaments consists of the lower melting gamma radiation stable polyethylene constituent. The nonwoven hydrophobic microporous web is formed from a gamma radiation stable polyethylene polymer. The webs are bonded together to form the composite nonwoven fabric by discrete point bonds in which the polyethylene constituent of said filaments and the polyethylene of said third nonwoven web are fused together.
Description
,. ,. , _ , , . - , ., , . ., . ~ . . -WO 95/15848 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . .' - : bCT/Ua94/13939 21 ?7035 COMPOSITE NONWOVEN FABRIC
AND ARTICLES PRODUCED THEREFROM
Field of the Invention The invention relates to nonwoven fabrics and more specifically, to composite nonwoven barrier fabrics particularly suited for medical applications.
Background of the Invention Nonwoven barrier fabrics have been developed which impede the passage of bacteria and other contaminants and which are used for disposable medical articles, such as surgical drapes, disposable gowns and the like. For example, such barrier fabrics canvbe .formed by sandwiching an inner fibrous web of thermoplastic meltblown microfibers between two outer nonwoven webs of substantially continuous thermoplastic spunbonded filaments. The fibrous meltblown web i5 provides a barrier to bacteria or other contaminants, while the outer spunbonded layers provide good strength and abrasion resistance to the composite nonwoven fabric. Examples of such fabrics are described in U.S.
Patent No. 4,041,203, U:S. Patent No. 4,863,785, and U.S. Patent No. 4,508,113.
In the manufacture of this type of fabric, the respective nonwoven layers are thermally bonded together to form a unitary composite fabric.
Typically, the thermal bonding involves passing the nonwoven layers through a heated patterned calender and partially melting the inner meltblown layer in discrete Replacement Page AMENDED SHEET
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WO 95/15848 ' ~ ~ i~ ~!~' ' ~ p~T/USQ4/13939 ..._ , - la -areas to form fusion bonds which hold the nonwoven layers of the composite together. Without sufficient melting and fusion of the meltblown layer, the Replacement Page AMENDED SHEET
WO 95!15848 ~ ~ ~ PCT/US94113939 composite fabric will have poor inter-ply adhesion.
However, unless the thermal bonding conditions are accurately controlled, the possibility exists that the thermal bond areas may be heating excessively, causing "pinholes" which can compromise or destroy the barrier properties of the inner meltblown layer. Thus in practice, the thermal bonding conditions which are used represent a compromise between the required inter-ply adhesion strength on the one hand, and the required barrier properties which must be provided by the meltblown layer on the other.
The conventional spunbond-meltblown-spunbond type barrier fabrics also have limitations in the types of sterilization procedures which can be used. For some applications, it is desired that the fabric or garment be sterilized in the final stages of manufacture by exposure to gamma radiation. For example, the fabric or garment may first be sealed in a protective package, and then exposed to gamma radiation to sterilize the package and its contents. However, sterilization by gamma irradiation has been found to be unsuitable for many of the known medical barrier fabrics. Some of the polymers conventionally used in such medical barrier fabrics, such as conventional grades of polypropylene for example, are especially sensitive to degradation by gamma irradiation. Fabrics produced from such polymers tend to lose strength over time, becoming brittle as a result of the gamma irradiation. Also, the instability of the polymers to the irradiation results in the generation of distasteful odors in the product which are unacceptable to the consumer.
Conventional spunbond-meltblown-spunbond type barrier fabrics have limitations in the way they can be fabricated into a product, such as surgical gowns, surgical drapes, and the like. Typically these type of fabrics do not lend themselves to forming seams in a fabric construction by thermal bonding or welding.
Further, such seams can be weak, and lack the integrity needed to provide a complete barrier to the passage of . contaminants. Fabrics formed of conventional spunbond-meltblown-spunbond fabrics can be constructed by sewing, but this can be disadvantageous, since punching the fabric with a needle results in holes in the fabric, which impairs the integrity of the fabric and the continuity of the barrier properties thereof.
Various attempts have been made to overcome these limitations. For example, efforts have been made to render the polypropylene polymers more stable to gamma irradiation, such as by incorporating certain additives in the polymer to reduce the amount' of degradation. For example, U.S. Patent No. 4,822,666 describes a radiation stabilized polypropylene fabric in which a long-chain aliphatic ester is added to the polymer. U.S. Patent No. 5,041,483 discloses incorporating a rosin ester into the polypropylene to stabilize the polymer and reduce the tendency toward odor generation after gamma irradiation. However, the use of such additives adds expense to the manufacturing process. Further, polypropylene is difficult to render gamma-stable at standard commercial dosage levels, even with the use of additives or stabilizers.
The component layers of spunbond-meltblown-spunbond type barrier fabrics can also be formed of polymers which are stable to gamma irradiation. Such polymers include polyamides, polyesters, some polyolefins, such as polyethylene, and the like.
However, fabrics formed using high melt temperature polymers, such as polyamide and polyester, are not easily thermally bonded. The high temperatures which are required to sufficiE:ntly bond the fabric can destroy the meltblown barrier properties and the structure of the outer spunbonded webs. Adhesives can be used to bond the high melt temperature layers together, but this can result in stiffness of the resultant fabric and adds cost.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a.fabric that provides a barrier to the transmission of contaminants and which retains its strength and does not create an unpleasant odor when sterilized in the presence of gamma radiation. It would also be advantageous to provide such a fabric which exhibits good aesthetic properties, such as desirable softness, drape and breathability, as well as good strength and abrasion resistance, and which can be easily constructed into a product, such as a surgical gown.
Summary of the Invention The present invention provides composite nonwoven fabrics having desirable barrier properties and which are stable to gamma irradiation. The composite nonwoven fabrics of the invention include first and second spunbonded nonwoven web of substantially continuous thermoplastic filaments, and a third nonwoven web sandwiched between the first and second webs and containing one or more hydrophobic microporous layers which form a barrier which is highly impervious to bacteria but permeable to air. The nonwoven webs are formed of polymers which are stable to gamma irradiation. The spunbonded webs are engineered so that the webs are bonded together to form a composite fabric without compromising the barrier properties of the microporous layer. More particularly, the spunbonded nonwoven webs are formed of continuous multiconstituent filaments which include a lower melting gamma radiation stable polyethylene polymer , component and one or more higher melting gamma radiation stable polymer constituents, wherein the lower melting gamma radiation stable polyethylene constituent is present over a substantial portion of the surface of the filament and the higher melting ., .. 21.77:035 :a .~. ,.. . . . ~~ . . . .
. .. . _. . .
WO 95/15848 ; ; "~ ' ~ PCT/US94/13939 _ 5 _ polymer constituent is in a substantially continuous form along the length of the filaments. The nonwoven microporous layer or layers may comprise a web of meltblown microfibers formed from a gamma radiation stable polyethylene polymer. The webs are bonded together to form the composite nonwoven fabric by discrete point bonds in which the polyethylene constituent of said multiconstituent filaments and the polyethylene microfibers of said third nonwoven web are fused together.
The composite nonwoven fabric of this invention is characterized by having an excellent balance of strength, breathability, and barrier properties, as well as stability to gamma radiation, which properties make the fabric particularly useful in medical and industrial applications for use as protective garments. Composite nonwoven fabrics of this invention have a grab tensile strength of at least 7 kilograms (15 pounds) in the cross direction (CD) and ~11 kilograms (25 pounds) in the machine direction (MD) .and a Gurley air permeability of at least 17 L/m (35 cfm) for fabrics having a basis weight in the range of ~0 to 120 gsm. The excellent barrier properties of the fabrics of this invention are illustrated by high hydrostatic head ratings, typically 35 cm or greater, and by bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) ratings of 85 percent and higher.
In one embodiment of the invention, the continuous filaments of the spunbonded nonwoven webs have a bicomponent polymeric structure. Such bicomponent polymeric structures include sheath/core structures, side-by-side structures, and t~~.e like.
Preferably, the bicomponent structure is a sheath/core bicomponent structure wherein the sheath is formed from polyethylene and the core is formed from polyester.
The composite,fabrics of the present invention can be sealed or seamed by fusing the lower Replacement Page AMENDED ~E~
~;71~35 melting polyethylene constituent by means of a thermal heat sealer, heated die, ultrasonic sealer, RF sealer or the like. This property is particularly advantageous in fabricating products such as protective garments from the composite fabric. Two or more pieces of the composite fabric can be joined together by forming a continuous seam by fusion. The continuous fusion bonded seam maintains the protective barrier properties of the fabric along the seam, whereas other conventional methods, such as sewing, require penetration of the nonwoven barrier layer, and may thus risk disrupting the barrier properties.
Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description which follows, and from the accompanying drawings, in which -Figure 1 is a diagrammatical cross-sectional view of a composite nonwoven fabric in accordance with the invention;
Figure 2 schematically illustrates one method embodiment for forming a composite nonwoven fabric of the invention;
Figure 3 illustrates a protective garment formed from composite nonwoven fabrics of the invention; and Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3 and showing a fusion bonded seam of the garment.
Detailed Description of the Invention Figure 1 is a diagrammatical cross-sectional , view of a composite nonwoven fabric in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The fabric, generally indicated at 10, is a three ply composite comprising an inner ply 12 sandwiched between outer plies 11 and 13.
The composite fabric 10 has good strength, flexibility WO 95/15848 ~ '~ 7 ~ ~ ~ ~ PCT/US94/13939 and drape. The barrier properties of the fabric 10 make it particularly suitable for medical applications, such as surgical gowns, sterile wraps, surgical drapes, . caps, shoe covers, and the like, but the fabric is also useful for any other application where barrier properties would be desirable, such as overalls or other protective garments for industrial applications for example.
Outer ply 11 may suitably have a basis weight of at least about 3 g/m2 and preferably from about 10 g/m2 to about 30 g/m2. In the embodiment illustrated, ply 11 is comprised of continuous multiconstituent filaments which have been formed into a nonwoven web by a conventional spunbonding techniques. Preferably, the filaments of the spunbonded fabric are prebonded at the filament crossover points to form a unitary cohesive spunbonded web prior to being combined with the other webs of the composite fabric. Outer ply 13 is also a spunbonded nonwoven web of substantially continuous thermoplastic filaments. In the embodiment illustrated, ply 13 is a nonwoven web of similar composition and basis weight as outer ply 11.
The multiconstituent filaments of ply 11 have a lower melting thermoplastic polymer constituent and one or more higher melting thermoplastic constituents.
For purposes of this invention, it is important that a significant portion of the filament surface be formed by the lower melting polymer constituent, so that the lower melting constituent will be available for bonding, as explained more fully below. At least one of the higher melting constituents should be present in the multiconstituent filament in a substantially continuous form along the length of the filament for good tensile strength. Preferably the lower melting polymer constituent shosld have a melting temperature at least 5 C below than of the higher melting constituent, so that at the temperatures employed for WO 95115848 217 7 0 3 ~ pCT~S94113939 _g_ thermal bonding of the plies of the composite fabric the higher melting constituent retains its substantially continuous fibrous form to provide a strengthening and reinforcing function in the composite f abric .
The particular polymer compositions used in the higher and lower melting constituents of the multiconstituent filaments may be selected from those gamma radiation stable polymers conventionally used in forming melt-spun fibers. Particularly preferred for the lower melting polymer constituent is polyethylene, including polyethylene homopolymers, copolymers and terpolymers. Examples of suitable polymers for the higher melting constituent include polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyamides such as poly(hexamethylene adipamide) and poly(caproamide), and copolymers and blends thereof. The filaments may also contain minor amounts of other polymer or non-polymer additives, such as antistatic compositions, soil release additives, water or alcohol repellents, etc.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the filaments are formed from a bicomponent polymeric structure. The polymeric bicomponent structure may be a sheath/core structure, a side-by-side structure, or other structures which provide that the lower melting gamma radiation stable polyethylene constituent is present over a substantial portion of the surface of the filament and the higher melting polymer constituent is in a substantially continuous form along the length of the filaments. The bicomponent filaments can provide improved aesthetics such as hand and softness based on the surface component of the bicomponent , filaments, while providing improved strength, tear resistance and the like due to the stronger core component of the filament. Preferred bicomponent filaments include polyethylene/polyester sheath/core . - ~ ~ 1, ) 9 '1 ~ ~ 1 t .. : >
_ =o is ~~ t o WO 95/15848 ' ; ' '.,~ .' ', PCT/U394/13939 _ 9 _ filaments such as polyethylene/polyethylene terephthalate bicomponent sheath/core filaments.
In another embodiment, the filaments are formed from a polymer blend. In this embodiment of the invention, the dominant phase is a polymer selected form the group consisting of polyesters and polyamides, and the dispersed phase is a polyethylene. The dispersed phase polymer is present in the blend in an amount of about 1 to 20% by weight, and preferably about 5 to 15% by weight, of the polymer blend so that the lower melting gamma radiation stable polyethylene constituent is present over a substantial portion of the surface of the filament and the higher melting polymer constituent is in a substantially continuous form along the length of the filaments.
The inner ply 12 comprises at least cne hydrophobic microporous layer. The microporous layer may comprise a microporous film, a microporous sheet or web formed of thermally consolidated microfibers, or a .microporous non~Noven web of microfibers. The ~microfibers are preferably manufactured in accordance with the process described in Buntin et al. U.S. Patent No. 3,978,185. 'T'he inner ply 12 may suitably have a basis weight in the range of about 10 to 80 gsm, and preferably in the range of about 10 to 30 gsm. The microfibers pre~~rably have a diameter of up to 50 microns, and most desirably the fiber diameter is less than 10 microns.
The po'_~~ner used for farming the microporous layer or layers of ply 12 is also selected for its stability to ga-~ma irradiation. In addition, it should be selected so that it is thermally miscible with the lower melting polyethylene constituent of the multiconstituent filaments. By "thermally miscible", we mean that the polymers, when heated to thermal bonding temperatures, will be cohesive and will join together to form a single, unitary bond domain.
Replacement Page p~IENDEfl SHEEP
WO 95115848 2 ~ ~ ~ 0 3 5 p~/Ug94/13939 Typically, to be "thermally miscible", the polymers will be of the same chemical composition or of such a similar chemical composition that the polymers are miscible with one another. If of different chemical compositions, the surface energies of the polymers are sufficiently similar such that they readily form a cohesive bond when heated to thermal activation temperature. In contrast, polymers which are not thermally miscible with one another do not have such an affinity to one another to form cohesive bonds. Under thermal bonding conditions, the polymers may bond together, but the bond mechanism is predominately, if not exclusively, a mechanical bond resulting from mechanical interlocking or encapsulation. The polymers do not form a unitary polymer domain but remain as separate identifiable polymer phases. For purposes of the present invention, the microporous layer 12 is suitably formed from a polyethylene. In a preferred embodiment, the thermoplastic meltblown microfibers comprise linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), prepared by copolymerizing ethylene and an alpha olefin having 3 to 12 carbon atoms. More preferably, the polymer is LLDPE having a melting point of about 125°C.
After the respective plies of the composite nonwoven fabric have been assembled, the plies are bonded. Bonding may be achieved by heating the composite fabric to a temperature sufficient to soften the polyethylene constituent so that it fuses the composite nonwoven fabric together to form a unitary structure. For example, when a bicomponent filament is used, the composite laminate is thermally treated to a temperature sufficient to soften the lower melting polyethylene constituent thereof so that it fuses the nonwoven webs together to form a unitary nonwoven composite fabric.
The plies may be bonded in any of the ways known in the art for achieving thermal fusion bonding.
WO 95!15848 217 7 ~ -~ ~ p~yUS94/13939 Bonding may be achieved, for example, by the use of a heated calender, ultrasonic welding and similar means.
The heated calender may include smooth rolls or . patterned or textured rolls. Thus, the fabric may also be embossed, if desired, through the use of textured or patterned rolls, to impart a desired surface texture and to improve or alter the tactile qualities of the composite fabric. The pattern of the embossing rolls may be any of those known in the art, including spot patterns, helical patterns, and the like. The embossing may be in continuous or discontinuous patterns, uniform or random points or a combination thereof, all as are well known in the art.
While a three-ply composite fabric has been shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that the number and arrangement of plies may vary depending upon the particular properties sought for the laminate. For example, several microporous layers can be employed in the invention and/or greater numbers of other fibrous webs can be used. Additionally, at least one of the outer webs may be treated with a treatment agent to render any one of a number of desired properties to the fabric, such as flame retardancy, hydrophilic properties, and the like.
The presence of the lower melting polyethylene constituent at the surface of the spunbonded outer layers 11 and 13 of the composite fabric 10 enables the fabric to be sealed or seamed by fusing the lower melting polyethylene constituent by means of a thermal heat sealer, heated die, ultrasonic sealer, RF sealer or the like. Thus, for example the edges of a fabric can be, finished by forming a substantially continuous fusion bond extending the peripheral edge, the fu:~ion bond being formed between the polyethylene consti-_uent of the multiconstituent filaments of the outer spunbond layers 11 and 13 and the polyethylene component of the inner web 12. This 2177035 _12-property is also advantageous in fabricating products such as protective garments from the composite fabric.
Two or more pieces of the composite fabric can be joined together by forming a continuous seam by fusion.
The continuous fusion bonded seam maintains the protective barrier properties of the fabric along the .
seam.
Figure 2 schematically illustrates one method for forming a composite nonwoven fabric of the invention. A conventional spunbonding apparatus 20 forms a first spunbonded layer 22 of substantially continuous thermoplastic polymer filaments. Web 22 is deposited onto forming screen 24 which is driven in a longitudinal direction by rolls 26.
The spunbonding process involves extruding a polymer through a generally linear die head or spinneret 30 for melt spinning substantially continuous filaments 32. The spinneret preferably produces the filaments in substantially equally spaced arrays arid the die orifices are preferably from about 0.002 to about 0.040 inches in diameter.
As shown in Figure 2, the substantially continuous filaments 32 are extruded from the spinneret and quenched by a supply of cooling air 34. The 25 filaments are directed to an attenuator 36 after they are quenched, and a supply of attenuation air is admitted therein. Although separate quench and attenuation zones are shown in the drawing, it will be apparent to the skilled artisan that the filaments can 30 exit the spinneret 30 directly into the attenuator 36 where the filaments can be quenched, either by the supply of attenuation air or by a separate supply of quench air.
The attenuation air may be directed into the attenuator 36 by an air supply above the entrance end, by a vacuum located below a forming wire or by the use of eductors integrally formed in the attenuator. The air proceeds down the attenuator 36, which narrows in width in the direction away from the spinneret 30, creating a nozzle effect accelerating the air and causing filament attenuation. The air and filaments exit the attenuator 36, and the filaments are collected on the collection screen 24. The attenuator 36 used in the spunbonding process may be of any suitable type known in the art, such as a slot draw apparatus or a tube-type (Lurgi) apparatus.
After the spunbonded layer 22 is deposited onto screen 24, the web passes longitudinally beneath a conventional meltblowing apparatus 40. Meltblowing apparatus 40 forms a meltblown fibrous stream 42 which is deposited on the surface of the spunbonded web 22 to form a meltblown fibrous layer. Meltblowing processes and apparatus are known to the skilled artisan and are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent 3,849,241 to Buntin, et al. and U.S. 4,048,364 to Harding, et al.
The meltblowing process involves extruding a molten polymeric material through fine capillaries into fine filamentary streams. The filamentary streams exit the meltblowing spinneret face where they encounter converging streams of high velocity heated gas, typically air, supplied from nozzles 46 and 48. The converging streams of high velocity heated gas attenuate the polymer streams and break the attenuated streams into meltblown microfibers.
A spunbonded web/meltblown web structure 50 is thus formed. The structure 50 is next conveyed by forming screen 24 in the longitudinal direction beneath to a point where a nonwoven web of thermoplastic filaments is formed on the surface thereof. Figure 2 illustrates a spunbonded layer formed by a second conventional spunbonding apparatus 60. The spunbonding apparatus 60 deposits a spunbonded nonwoven layer onto the composite structure 50 to thereby form a composite WO 95/15848 217 7 0 3 ~ pCT~s94/13939 structure 64 consisting of a spunbonded web/meltblown web/spunbonded web.
The composite structure is then passed to a conventional thermal fusion bonding station 70 to provide a composite bonded nonwoven fabric 80. Here the lower melting polyethylene constituent is softened so as to securely fuse the inner meltblown ply to the outer spunbonded plies while maintaining the integrity of the inner meltblown ply. The resultant composite web 80 exits the thermal fusion station 70 and is wound up by conventional means on roll 90.
The thermal fusion station 70 is constructed in a conventional manner as known to the skilled artisan, and advantageously is a calender having bonding rolls 72 and 74 as illustrated in Figure 2.
The bonding rolls 72 and 74 may be smooth rolls, point rolls, helical rolls, or the like.
Although the thermal fusion station is illustrated in Figure 2 in the form of a calender having bonding rolls, other thermal treating stations, such as through-air bonding, radiant heaters or ultrasonic, microwave and other RF treatments which are capable of bonding the fabric in accordance with the invention can be substituted for the calender of Figure 2. Such conventional heating stations are known to those skilled in the art.
The method illustrated in Figure 2 is susceptible to numerous variations. For example, although the schematic illustration of Figure 2 has been described as forming a spunbonded web directly during an in-line continuous process, it will be apparent that the spunbonded webs can be preformed and supplied as rolls of preformed webs. Similarly, although the meltblown web 42 is shown as being formed directly on the spunbonded web 22, the meltblown web can be preformed and such preformed webs can be combined to form the composite fabric, or can be passed WO 95115848 217 7 0 J .~ pCT~s94/13939 through heating rolls for further consolidation and thereafter passed on to a spunbonded web or can be stored in roll form and fed from a preformed roll onto the spunbonded layer 22. Similarly, the three-layer web 64 can be formed and stored prior to bonding at station 70.
In Figure 3, the reference character 95 indicates a surgical gown fabricated from the composite nonwoven fabric of the present invention. For use as a surgical gown, the basis weight of the fabric is preferably within the range of 40 to 60 gsm and most desirably within the range of 50 to 60 gsm. The fabric has a hydrostatic head rating of 35 cm or greater and a bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) rating of 85 percent or greater. The gown 95 is fabricated by seaming precut panels or pieces of the nonwoven fabric together with a seam formed by fusion bonding. More particularly, as seen in Figure 4, one of the panels 96 has a portion positioned in face-to-face contacting relation with a portion of another of the panels 97, and a seam 98 joins the panels to one another along said contacting portions. The seam 98 is a fusion bond formed between the polyethylene constituent of the multiconstituent filaments of panel 96 and the polyethylene constituent of the multiconstituent filaments of the other panel 97.
The following examples serve to illustrate the invention but are not intended to be limitations thereon.
Example 1 Samples of a trilaminate composite fabric were prepared by combining two outer layers of a spunbonded nonwoven fabric formed from 3 denier per filament polyethylene/polyester (PET) sheath/core bicomponent filaments w:_th -.a central inner layer of a meltblown web formed from linear low density polyethylene. Samples were prepared using two a , ., ~ ~ . . . . .
_ -217703 :, » , , .~. . . ,~ , WO 95/15848 ~ ~ ~ a ~..: :' ; ~~ 1»:T:/'iT594/13939 .
.~
_ 16 _ different~basis weights of spunbond bicomponent filament fabric. Bonding was performed using a heated patterned calender. The fabric physical properties are shown in Table 1 below:
Spunbond 20 gsm 15 gsm Meltblown 16.5 gsm 16.5 gsm Spunbond 20 gsm 15 gsm Total basis wt., 58 gsm (1.70 50 gsm (1.47 I
gsm osy) osy) Grab tensile, AVG STD AVG STD
kg (lbs) 21.5 (47.4) 3.3 17.2 (37.9) 3.1 MD 10.7 (23.5) 3.1 8.57 (18.9) 1.9 CD
Hydrostatic 39.9 . 1.4 35.7 2.9 pressure (cm) Gurley Air 36 (76.3) 4.4 46.7 (98.9) 4.1 Permeability, L/ sec ( cfm) ~ ~ Example 2 Additional samples were prepared as in Example 1 using a 24 gsm linear low density polyethylene meltblown layer and 3 denier per filament polyethylene/polyester (PET) sheath/core bicomponent spunbonded layers of 20 gsm and 15 gsm basis weights respectively. The physical properties are shown in Table 2.
Replacement Page a s ~vv ~a., :, ,.~ ., ~ . , ~.,. ~ v ,-, ~ s WO 95/15848 ~ , ~ ,, ~..: ' . . PC'f/-G's94/13939 . .
-, ._ - _ _ 17 -. 2177035 PROPERTIES
Spunbond layers 15 20 gsm gsm bico bico Meltblown layer 24 24' gsm gsm PE PE
BASIS WEIGHT
osy 1.6 1.9 gsm 54.3 63.5 GRAB TENSILE, kg (lb) CD 8.5 (18.7) 11.3 (25.0) MD 15 19.5 (42.9) (33.0) GRAB TEA, m-g (in-lb) CD 300 (26) 426 (37) MD 438 (38) 565 (49) TRAPEZOID TEAR, kg (lb) CD 4.3 (9.4) 5.4 (11.8) EL~'~IENDORF TEAR, g CD 1150 ~
MULLEN BURST, kg/sq. cm. 3.0 (42.9) 3.6 (51.4) (psi) HYDROSTATIC HEAD, cm 37.8 38.9 IMPACT PENETRATION, g 4.2 7.1 AIR PERMEABILITY, L/sec 36.7 (77.7) 39.1 (82.9) (cfm) The invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to its preferred embodiments. However, it will be apparent that numerous variations and modifications can be made without departure from the scope of the invention as described in the foregoing detailed specification and defined in the appended claims.
Replacement Page AMENDED ~'IEET
AND ARTICLES PRODUCED THEREFROM
Field of the Invention The invention relates to nonwoven fabrics and more specifically, to composite nonwoven barrier fabrics particularly suited for medical applications.
Background of the Invention Nonwoven barrier fabrics have been developed which impede the passage of bacteria and other contaminants and which are used for disposable medical articles, such as surgical drapes, disposable gowns and the like. For example, such barrier fabrics canvbe .formed by sandwiching an inner fibrous web of thermoplastic meltblown microfibers between two outer nonwoven webs of substantially continuous thermoplastic spunbonded filaments. The fibrous meltblown web i5 provides a barrier to bacteria or other contaminants, while the outer spunbonded layers provide good strength and abrasion resistance to the composite nonwoven fabric. Examples of such fabrics are described in U.S.
Patent No. 4,041,203, U:S. Patent No. 4,863,785, and U.S. Patent No. 4,508,113.
In the manufacture of this type of fabric, the respective nonwoven layers are thermally bonded together to form a unitary composite fabric.
Typically, the thermal bonding involves passing the nonwoven layers through a heated patterned calender and partially melting the inner meltblown layer in discrete Replacement Page AMENDED SHEET
. .
' ~ ~ is ~ .,-. . , . .
> .~ .v ' » -. , ~
WO 95/15848 ' ~ ~ i~ ~!~' ' ~ p~T/USQ4/13939 ..._ , - la -areas to form fusion bonds which hold the nonwoven layers of the composite together. Without sufficient melting and fusion of the meltblown layer, the Replacement Page AMENDED SHEET
WO 95!15848 ~ ~ ~ PCT/US94113939 composite fabric will have poor inter-ply adhesion.
However, unless the thermal bonding conditions are accurately controlled, the possibility exists that the thermal bond areas may be heating excessively, causing "pinholes" which can compromise or destroy the barrier properties of the inner meltblown layer. Thus in practice, the thermal bonding conditions which are used represent a compromise between the required inter-ply adhesion strength on the one hand, and the required barrier properties which must be provided by the meltblown layer on the other.
The conventional spunbond-meltblown-spunbond type barrier fabrics also have limitations in the types of sterilization procedures which can be used. For some applications, it is desired that the fabric or garment be sterilized in the final stages of manufacture by exposure to gamma radiation. For example, the fabric or garment may first be sealed in a protective package, and then exposed to gamma radiation to sterilize the package and its contents. However, sterilization by gamma irradiation has been found to be unsuitable for many of the known medical barrier fabrics. Some of the polymers conventionally used in such medical barrier fabrics, such as conventional grades of polypropylene for example, are especially sensitive to degradation by gamma irradiation. Fabrics produced from such polymers tend to lose strength over time, becoming brittle as a result of the gamma irradiation. Also, the instability of the polymers to the irradiation results in the generation of distasteful odors in the product which are unacceptable to the consumer.
Conventional spunbond-meltblown-spunbond type barrier fabrics have limitations in the way they can be fabricated into a product, such as surgical gowns, surgical drapes, and the like. Typically these type of fabrics do not lend themselves to forming seams in a fabric construction by thermal bonding or welding.
Further, such seams can be weak, and lack the integrity needed to provide a complete barrier to the passage of . contaminants. Fabrics formed of conventional spunbond-meltblown-spunbond fabrics can be constructed by sewing, but this can be disadvantageous, since punching the fabric with a needle results in holes in the fabric, which impairs the integrity of the fabric and the continuity of the barrier properties thereof.
Various attempts have been made to overcome these limitations. For example, efforts have been made to render the polypropylene polymers more stable to gamma irradiation, such as by incorporating certain additives in the polymer to reduce the amount' of degradation. For example, U.S. Patent No. 4,822,666 describes a radiation stabilized polypropylene fabric in which a long-chain aliphatic ester is added to the polymer. U.S. Patent No. 5,041,483 discloses incorporating a rosin ester into the polypropylene to stabilize the polymer and reduce the tendency toward odor generation after gamma irradiation. However, the use of such additives adds expense to the manufacturing process. Further, polypropylene is difficult to render gamma-stable at standard commercial dosage levels, even with the use of additives or stabilizers.
The component layers of spunbond-meltblown-spunbond type barrier fabrics can also be formed of polymers which are stable to gamma irradiation. Such polymers include polyamides, polyesters, some polyolefins, such as polyethylene, and the like.
However, fabrics formed using high melt temperature polymers, such as polyamide and polyester, are not easily thermally bonded. The high temperatures which are required to sufficiE:ntly bond the fabric can destroy the meltblown barrier properties and the structure of the outer spunbonded webs. Adhesives can be used to bond the high melt temperature layers together, but this can result in stiffness of the resultant fabric and adds cost.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a.fabric that provides a barrier to the transmission of contaminants and which retains its strength and does not create an unpleasant odor when sterilized in the presence of gamma radiation. It would also be advantageous to provide such a fabric which exhibits good aesthetic properties, such as desirable softness, drape and breathability, as well as good strength and abrasion resistance, and which can be easily constructed into a product, such as a surgical gown.
Summary of the Invention The present invention provides composite nonwoven fabrics having desirable barrier properties and which are stable to gamma irradiation. The composite nonwoven fabrics of the invention include first and second spunbonded nonwoven web of substantially continuous thermoplastic filaments, and a third nonwoven web sandwiched between the first and second webs and containing one or more hydrophobic microporous layers which form a barrier which is highly impervious to bacteria but permeable to air. The nonwoven webs are formed of polymers which are stable to gamma irradiation. The spunbonded webs are engineered so that the webs are bonded together to form a composite fabric without compromising the barrier properties of the microporous layer. More particularly, the spunbonded nonwoven webs are formed of continuous multiconstituent filaments which include a lower melting gamma radiation stable polyethylene polymer , component and one or more higher melting gamma radiation stable polymer constituents, wherein the lower melting gamma radiation stable polyethylene constituent is present over a substantial portion of the surface of the filament and the higher melting ., .. 21.77:035 :a .~. ,.. . . . ~~ . . . .
. .. . _. . .
WO 95/15848 ; ; "~ ' ~ PCT/US94/13939 _ 5 _ polymer constituent is in a substantially continuous form along the length of the filaments. The nonwoven microporous layer or layers may comprise a web of meltblown microfibers formed from a gamma radiation stable polyethylene polymer. The webs are bonded together to form the composite nonwoven fabric by discrete point bonds in which the polyethylene constituent of said multiconstituent filaments and the polyethylene microfibers of said third nonwoven web are fused together.
The composite nonwoven fabric of this invention is characterized by having an excellent balance of strength, breathability, and barrier properties, as well as stability to gamma radiation, which properties make the fabric particularly useful in medical and industrial applications for use as protective garments. Composite nonwoven fabrics of this invention have a grab tensile strength of at least 7 kilograms (15 pounds) in the cross direction (CD) and ~11 kilograms (25 pounds) in the machine direction (MD) .and a Gurley air permeability of at least 17 L/m (35 cfm) for fabrics having a basis weight in the range of ~0 to 120 gsm. The excellent barrier properties of the fabrics of this invention are illustrated by high hydrostatic head ratings, typically 35 cm or greater, and by bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) ratings of 85 percent and higher.
In one embodiment of the invention, the continuous filaments of the spunbonded nonwoven webs have a bicomponent polymeric structure. Such bicomponent polymeric structures include sheath/core structures, side-by-side structures, and t~~.e like.
Preferably, the bicomponent structure is a sheath/core bicomponent structure wherein the sheath is formed from polyethylene and the core is formed from polyester.
The composite,fabrics of the present invention can be sealed or seamed by fusing the lower Replacement Page AMENDED ~E~
~;71~35 melting polyethylene constituent by means of a thermal heat sealer, heated die, ultrasonic sealer, RF sealer or the like. This property is particularly advantageous in fabricating products such as protective garments from the composite fabric. Two or more pieces of the composite fabric can be joined together by forming a continuous seam by fusion. The continuous fusion bonded seam maintains the protective barrier properties of the fabric along the seam, whereas other conventional methods, such as sewing, require penetration of the nonwoven barrier layer, and may thus risk disrupting the barrier properties.
Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description which follows, and from the accompanying drawings, in which -Figure 1 is a diagrammatical cross-sectional view of a composite nonwoven fabric in accordance with the invention;
Figure 2 schematically illustrates one method embodiment for forming a composite nonwoven fabric of the invention;
Figure 3 illustrates a protective garment formed from composite nonwoven fabrics of the invention; and Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3 and showing a fusion bonded seam of the garment.
Detailed Description of the Invention Figure 1 is a diagrammatical cross-sectional , view of a composite nonwoven fabric in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The fabric, generally indicated at 10, is a three ply composite comprising an inner ply 12 sandwiched between outer plies 11 and 13.
The composite fabric 10 has good strength, flexibility WO 95/15848 ~ '~ 7 ~ ~ ~ ~ PCT/US94/13939 and drape. The barrier properties of the fabric 10 make it particularly suitable for medical applications, such as surgical gowns, sterile wraps, surgical drapes, . caps, shoe covers, and the like, but the fabric is also useful for any other application where barrier properties would be desirable, such as overalls or other protective garments for industrial applications for example.
Outer ply 11 may suitably have a basis weight of at least about 3 g/m2 and preferably from about 10 g/m2 to about 30 g/m2. In the embodiment illustrated, ply 11 is comprised of continuous multiconstituent filaments which have been formed into a nonwoven web by a conventional spunbonding techniques. Preferably, the filaments of the spunbonded fabric are prebonded at the filament crossover points to form a unitary cohesive spunbonded web prior to being combined with the other webs of the composite fabric. Outer ply 13 is also a spunbonded nonwoven web of substantially continuous thermoplastic filaments. In the embodiment illustrated, ply 13 is a nonwoven web of similar composition and basis weight as outer ply 11.
The multiconstituent filaments of ply 11 have a lower melting thermoplastic polymer constituent and one or more higher melting thermoplastic constituents.
For purposes of this invention, it is important that a significant portion of the filament surface be formed by the lower melting polymer constituent, so that the lower melting constituent will be available for bonding, as explained more fully below. At least one of the higher melting constituents should be present in the multiconstituent filament in a substantially continuous form along the length of the filament for good tensile strength. Preferably the lower melting polymer constituent shosld have a melting temperature at least 5 C below than of the higher melting constituent, so that at the temperatures employed for WO 95115848 217 7 0 3 ~ pCT~S94113939 _g_ thermal bonding of the plies of the composite fabric the higher melting constituent retains its substantially continuous fibrous form to provide a strengthening and reinforcing function in the composite f abric .
The particular polymer compositions used in the higher and lower melting constituents of the multiconstituent filaments may be selected from those gamma radiation stable polymers conventionally used in forming melt-spun fibers. Particularly preferred for the lower melting polymer constituent is polyethylene, including polyethylene homopolymers, copolymers and terpolymers. Examples of suitable polymers for the higher melting constituent include polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyamides such as poly(hexamethylene adipamide) and poly(caproamide), and copolymers and blends thereof. The filaments may also contain minor amounts of other polymer or non-polymer additives, such as antistatic compositions, soil release additives, water or alcohol repellents, etc.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the filaments are formed from a bicomponent polymeric structure. The polymeric bicomponent structure may be a sheath/core structure, a side-by-side structure, or other structures which provide that the lower melting gamma radiation stable polyethylene constituent is present over a substantial portion of the surface of the filament and the higher melting polymer constituent is in a substantially continuous form along the length of the filaments. The bicomponent filaments can provide improved aesthetics such as hand and softness based on the surface component of the bicomponent , filaments, while providing improved strength, tear resistance and the like due to the stronger core component of the filament. Preferred bicomponent filaments include polyethylene/polyester sheath/core . - ~ ~ 1, ) 9 '1 ~ ~ 1 t .. : >
_ =o is ~~ t o WO 95/15848 ' ; ' '.,~ .' ', PCT/U394/13939 _ 9 _ filaments such as polyethylene/polyethylene terephthalate bicomponent sheath/core filaments.
In another embodiment, the filaments are formed from a polymer blend. In this embodiment of the invention, the dominant phase is a polymer selected form the group consisting of polyesters and polyamides, and the dispersed phase is a polyethylene. The dispersed phase polymer is present in the blend in an amount of about 1 to 20% by weight, and preferably about 5 to 15% by weight, of the polymer blend so that the lower melting gamma radiation stable polyethylene constituent is present over a substantial portion of the surface of the filament and the higher melting polymer constituent is in a substantially continuous form along the length of the filaments.
The inner ply 12 comprises at least cne hydrophobic microporous layer. The microporous layer may comprise a microporous film, a microporous sheet or web formed of thermally consolidated microfibers, or a .microporous non~Noven web of microfibers. The ~microfibers are preferably manufactured in accordance with the process described in Buntin et al. U.S. Patent No. 3,978,185. 'T'he inner ply 12 may suitably have a basis weight in the range of about 10 to 80 gsm, and preferably in the range of about 10 to 30 gsm. The microfibers pre~~rably have a diameter of up to 50 microns, and most desirably the fiber diameter is less than 10 microns.
The po'_~~ner used for farming the microporous layer or layers of ply 12 is also selected for its stability to ga-~ma irradiation. In addition, it should be selected so that it is thermally miscible with the lower melting polyethylene constituent of the multiconstituent filaments. By "thermally miscible", we mean that the polymers, when heated to thermal bonding temperatures, will be cohesive and will join together to form a single, unitary bond domain.
Replacement Page p~IENDEfl SHEEP
WO 95115848 2 ~ ~ ~ 0 3 5 p~/Ug94/13939 Typically, to be "thermally miscible", the polymers will be of the same chemical composition or of such a similar chemical composition that the polymers are miscible with one another. If of different chemical compositions, the surface energies of the polymers are sufficiently similar such that they readily form a cohesive bond when heated to thermal activation temperature. In contrast, polymers which are not thermally miscible with one another do not have such an affinity to one another to form cohesive bonds. Under thermal bonding conditions, the polymers may bond together, but the bond mechanism is predominately, if not exclusively, a mechanical bond resulting from mechanical interlocking or encapsulation. The polymers do not form a unitary polymer domain but remain as separate identifiable polymer phases. For purposes of the present invention, the microporous layer 12 is suitably formed from a polyethylene. In a preferred embodiment, the thermoplastic meltblown microfibers comprise linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), prepared by copolymerizing ethylene and an alpha olefin having 3 to 12 carbon atoms. More preferably, the polymer is LLDPE having a melting point of about 125°C.
After the respective plies of the composite nonwoven fabric have been assembled, the plies are bonded. Bonding may be achieved by heating the composite fabric to a temperature sufficient to soften the polyethylene constituent so that it fuses the composite nonwoven fabric together to form a unitary structure. For example, when a bicomponent filament is used, the composite laminate is thermally treated to a temperature sufficient to soften the lower melting polyethylene constituent thereof so that it fuses the nonwoven webs together to form a unitary nonwoven composite fabric.
The plies may be bonded in any of the ways known in the art for achieving thermal fusion bonding.
WO 95!15848 217 7 ~ -~ ~ p~yUS94/13939 Bonding may be achieved, for example, by the use of a heated calender, ultrasonic welding and similar means.
The heated calender may include smooth rolls or . patterned or textured rolls. Thus, the fabric may also be embossed, if desired, through the use of textured or patterned rolls, to impart a desired surface texture and to improve or alter the tactile qualities of the composite fabric. The pattern of the embossing rolls may be any of those known in the art, including spot patterns, helical patterns, and the like. The embossing may be in continuous or discontinuous patterns, uniform or random points or a combination thereof, all as are well known in the art.
While a three-ply composite fabric has been shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that the number and arrangement of plies may vary depending upon the particular properties sought for the laminate. For example, several microporous layers can be employed in the invention and/or greater numbers of other fibrous webs can be used. Additionally, at least one of the outer webs may be treated with a treatment agent to render any one of a number of desired properties to the fabric, such as flame retardancy, hydrophilic properties, and the like.
The presence of the lower melting polyethylene constituent at the surface of the spunbonded outer layers 11 and 13 of the composite fabric 10 enables the fabric to be sealed or seamed by fusing the lower melting polyethylene constituent by means of a thermal heat sealer, heated die, ultrasonic sealer, RF sealer or the like. Thus, for example the edges of a fabric can be, finished by forming a substantially continuous fusion bond extending the peripheral edge, the fu:~ion bond being formed between the polyethylene consti-_uent of the multiconstituent filaments of the outer spunbond layers 11 and 13 and the polyethylene component of the inner web 12. This 2177035 _12-property is also advantageous in fabricating products such as protective garments from the composite fabric.
Two or more pieces of the composite fabric can be joined together by forming a continuous seam by fusion.
The continuous fusion bonded seam maintains the protective barrier properties of the fabric along the .
seam.
Figure 2 schematically illustrates one method for forming a composite nonwoven fabric of the invention. A conventional spunbonding apparatus 20 forms a first spunbonded layer 22 of substantially continuous thermoplastic polymer filaments. Web 22 is deposited onto forming screen 24 which is driven in a longitudinal direction by rolls 26.
The spunbonding process involves extruding a polymer through a generally linear die head or spinneret 30 for melt spinning substantially continuous filaments 32. The spinneret preferably produces the filaments in substantially equally spaced arrays arid the die orifices are preferably from about 0.002 to about 0.040 inches in diameter.
As shown in Figure 2, the substantially continuous filaments 32 are extruded from the spinneret and quenched by a supply of cooling air 34. The 25 filaments are directed to an attenuator 36 after they are quenched, and a supply of attenuation air is admitted therein. Although separate quench and attenuation zones are shown in the drawing, it will be apparent to the skilled artisan that the filaments can 30 exit the spinneret 30 directly into the attenuator 36 where the filaments can be quenched, either by the supply of attenuation air or by a separate supply of quench air.
The attenuation air may be directed into the attenuator 36 by an air supply above the entrance end, by a vacuum located below a forming wire or by the use of eductors integrally formed in the attenuator. The air proceeds down the attenuator 36, which narrows in width in the direction away from the spinneret 30, creating a nozzle effect accelerating the air and causing filament attenuation. The air and filaments exit the attenuator 36, and the filaments are collected on the collection screen 24. The attenuator 36 used in the spunbonding process may be of any suitable type known in the art, such as a slot draw apparatus or a tube-type (Lurgi) apparatus.
After the spunbonded layer 22 is deposited onto screen 24, the web passes longitudinally beneath a conventional meltblowing apparatus 40. Meltblowing apparatus 40 forms a meltblown fibrous stream 42 which is deposited on the surface of the spunbonded web 22 to form a meltblown fibrous layer. Meltblowing processes and apparatus are known to the skilled artisan and are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent 3,849,241 to Buntin, et al. and U.S. 4,048,364 to Harding, et al.
The meltblowing process involves extruding a molten polymeric material through fine capillaries into fine filamentary streams. The filamentary streams exit the meltblowing spinneret face where they encounter converging streams of high velocity heated gas, typically air, supplied from nozzles 46 and 48. The converging streams of high velocity heated gas attenuate the polymer streams and break the attenuated streams into meltblown microfibers.
A spunbonded web/meltblown web structure 50 is thus formed. The structure 50 is next conveyed by forming screen 24 in the longitudinal direction beneath to a point where a nonwoven web of thermoplastic filaments is formed on the surface thereof. Figure 2 illustrates a spunbonded layer formed by a second conventional spunbonding apparatus 60. The spunbonding apparatus 60 deposits a spunbonded nonwoven layer onto the composite structure 50 to thereby form a composite WO 95/15848 217 7 0 3 ~ pCT~s94/13939 structure 64 consisting of a spunbonded web/meltblown web/spunbonded web.
The composite structure is then passed to a conventional thermal fusion bonding station 70 to provide a composite bonded nonwoven fabric 80. Here the lower melting polyethylene constituent is softened so as to securely fuse the inner meltblown ply to the outer spunbonded plies while maintaining the integrity of the inner meltblown ply. The resultant composite web 80 exits the thermal fusion station 70 and is wound up by conventional means on roll 90.
The thermal fusion station 70 is constructed in a conventional manner as known to the skilled artisan, and advantageously is a calender having bonding rolls 72 and 74 as illustrated in Figure 2.
The bonding rolls 72 and 74 may be smooth rolls, point rolls, helical rolls, or the like.
Although the thermal fusion station is illustrated in Figure 2 in the form of a calender having bonding rolls, other thermal treating stations, such as through-air bonding, radiant heaters or ultrasonic, microwave and other RF treatments which are capable of bonding the fabric in accordance with the invention can be substituted for the calender of Figure 2. Such conventional heating stations are known to those skilled in the art.
The method illustrated in Figure 2 is susceptible to numerous variations. For example, although the schematic illustration of Figure 2 has been described as forming a spunbonded web directly during an in-line continuous process, it will be apparent that the spunbonded webs can be preformed and supplied as rolls of preformed webs. Similarly, although the meltblown web 42 is shown as being formed directly on the spunbonded web 22, the meltblown web can be preformed and such preformed webs can be combined to form the composite fabric, or can be passed WO 95115848 217 7 0 J .~ pCT~s94/13939 through heating rolls for further consolidation and thereafter passed on to a spunbonded web or can be stored in roll form and fed from a preformed roll onto the spunbonded layer 22. Similarly, the three-layer web 64 can be formed and stored prior to bonding at station 70.
In Figure 3, the reference character 95 indicates a surgical gown fabricated from the composite nonwoven fabric of the present invention. For use as a surgical gown, the basis weight of the fabric is preferably within the range of 40 to 60 gsm and most desirably within the range of 50 to 60 gsm. The fabric has a hydrostatic head rating of 35 cm or greater and a bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) rating of 85 percent or greater. The gown 95 is fabricated by seaming precut panels or pieces of the nonwoven fabric together with a seam formed by fusion bonding. More particularly, as seen in Figure 4, one of the panels 96 has a portion positioned in face-to-face contacting relation with a portion of another of the panels 97, and a seam 98 joins the panels to one another along said contacting portions. The seam 98 is a fusion bond formed between the polyethylene constituent of the multiconstituent filaments of panel 96 and the polyethylene constituent of the multiconstituent filaments of the other panel 97.
The following examples serve to illustrate the invention but are not intended to be limitations thereon.
Example 1 Samples of a trilaminate composite fabric were prepared by combining two outer layers of a spunbonded nonwoven fabric formed from 3 denier per filament polyethylene/polyester (PET) sheath/core bicomponent filaments w:_th -.a central inner layer of a meltblown web formed from linear low density polyethylene. Samples were prepared using two a , ., ~ ~ . . . . .
_ -217703 :, » , , .~. . . ,~ , WO 95/15848 ~ ~ ~ a ~..: :' ; ~~ 1»:T:/'iT594/13939 .
.~
_ 16 _ different~basis weights of spunbond bicomponent filament fabric. Bonding was performed using a heated patterned calender. The fabric physical properties are shown in Table 1 below:
Spunbond 20 gsm 15 gsm Meltblown 16.5 gsm 16.5 gsm Spunbond 20 gsm 15 gsm Total basis wt., 58 gsm (1.70 50 gsm (1.47 I
gsm osy) osy) Grab tensile, AVG STD AVG STD
kg (lbs) 21.5 (47.4) 3.3 17.2 (37.9) 3.1 MD 10.7 (23.5) 3.1 8.57 (18.9) 1.9 CD
Hydrostatic 39.9 . 1.4 35.7 2.9 pressure (cm) Gurley Air 36 (76.3) 4.4 46.7 (98.9) 4.1 Permeability, L/ sec ( cfm) ~ ~ Example 2 Additional samples were prepared as in Example 1 using a 24 gsm linear low density polyethylene meltblown layer and 3 denier per filament polyethylene/polyester (PET) sheath/core bicomponent spunbonded layers of 20 gsm and 15 gsm basis weights respectively. The physical properties are shown in Table 2.
Replacement Page a s ~vv ~a., :, ,.~ ., ~ . , ~.,. ~ v ,-, ~ s WO 95/15848 ~ , ~ ,, ~..: ' . . PC'f/-G's94/13939 . .
-, ._ - _ _ 17 -. 2177035 PROPERTIES
Spunbond layers 15 20 gsm gsm bico bico Meltblown layer 24 24' gsm gsm PE PE
BASIS WEIGHT
osy 1.6 1.9 gsm 54.3 63.5 GRAB TENSILE, kg (lb) CD 8.5 (18.7) 11.3 (25.0) MD 15 19.5 (42.9) (33.0) GRAB TEA, m-g (in-lb) CD 300 (26) 426 (37) MD 438 (38) 565 (49) TRAPEZOID TEAR, kg (lb) CD 4.3 (9.4) 5.4 (11.8) EL~'~IENDORF TEAR, g CD 1150 ~
MULLEN BURST, kg/sq. cm. 3.0 (42.9) 3.6 (51.4) (psi) HYDROSTATIC HEAD, cm 37.8 38.9 IMPACT PENETRATION, g 4.2 7.1 AIR PERMEABILITY, L/sec 36.7 (77.7) 39.1 (82.9) (cfm) The invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to its preferred embodiments. However, it will be apparent that numerous variations and modifications can be made without departure from the scope of the invention as described in the foregoing detailed specification and defined in the appended claims.
Replacement Page AMENDED ~'IEET
Claims (12)
1. A gamma radiation sterilizable composite nonwoven fabric comprising:
first and second spunbonded nonwoven webs formed of continuous multiconstituent filaments, said first and second spunbonded nonwoven webs defining opposite outer surfaces of the composite nonwoven fabric, the multiconstituent filaments of said first and second webs including a lower melting gamma radiation stable polyethylene polymer constituent and a higher melting gamma radiation stable polymer constituent, the lower melting gamma radiation stable polyethylene constituent being present over a substantial portion of the surface of the filament and the higher melting polymer constituent being in a substantially continuous form along the length of the filaments;
a third nonwoven web sandwiched between said first and second spunbonded nonwoven webs, said third nonwoven web comprising at least one hydrophobic microporous layer formed from a gamma radiation stable polyethylene polymer; and a multiplicity of discrete point bonds throughout said composite fabric bonding said first, second and third webs together to form the composite nonwoven fabric, said discrete point bonds comprising areas where the polyethylene constituent of said multiconstituent filaments and the polyethylene polymer of said third nonwoven web are fused together.
first and second spunbonded nonwoven webs formed of continuous multiconstituent filaments, said first and second spunbonded nonwoven webs defining opposite outer surfaces of the composite nonwoven fabric, the multiconstituent filaments of said first and second webs including a lower melting gamma radiation stable polyethylene polymer constituent and a higher melting gamma radiation stable polymer constituent, the lower melting gamma radiation stable polyethylene constituent being present over a substantial portion of the surface of the filament and the higher melting polymer constituent being in a substantially continuous form along the length of the filaments;
a third nonwoven web sandwiched between said first and second spunbonded nonwoven webs, said third nonwoven web comprising at least one hydrophobic microporous layer formed from a gamma radiation stable polyethylene polymer; and a multiplicity of discrete point bonds throughout said composite fabric bonding said first, second and third webs together to form the composite nonwoven fabric, said discrete point bonds comprising areas where the polyethylene constituent of said multiconstituent filaments and the polyethylene polymer of said third nonwoven web are fused together.
2. The composite nonwoven fabric according to Claim 1 having a grab tensile strength of at least 7 kg (15 pounds) in the cross direction (CD) and at least 11 kg (25 pounds) in the machine direction (MD), a Gurley air permeability of at least 17 L/sec (35 cfm), and a basis weight in the range of 40 to 120 gsm.
3. The composite nonwoven fabric according to Claim 2 having a basis weight in the range of 50 to 60 gsm and a hydrostatic head rating of 35 cm or greater.
4. The composite nonwoven fabric according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 having a bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) rating of 85 percent or greater.
5. The composite nonwoven fabric according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein said higher melting polymer constituent of said multiconstituent filaments is a polyester.
6. The composite nonwoven fabric according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein said higher melting polymer constituent of said multiconstituent filaments is a polyamide.
7. The composite nonwoven web according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein said multiconstituent filaments of said first and second webs comprise sheath-core structured bicomponent filaments having a polyester core and a polyethylene sheath.
8. The composite nonwoven web according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein said multiconstituent filaments of said first and second webs comprise side-by-side structured bicomponent filaments having a polyester component and a polyethylene component.
9. The composite nonwoven fabric according to any one of Claims 1 to 8 wherein said at least one hydrophobic microporous layer comprises a nonwoven web of meltblown microfibers.
10. The composite nonwoven fabric according to any one of Claims 1 to 9 including a substantially continuous seal extending along at least one peripheral edge portion of the fabric, said seal comprising a fusion bond formed between the polyethylene constituent of the multiconstituent filaments of said first and second webs.
11. An article of manufacture comprising two pieces of composite nonwoven fabric according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, and a seam joining said two fabrics together, said seam comprising a fusion bond formed between the polyethylene constituent of the multiconstituent filaments of said one piece and the polyethylene constituent of the multiconstituent filaments of said other piece.
12. The article according to Claim 11 wherein said pieces of composite nonwoven fabric have a grab tensile strength of at least 7 kg (15 pounds) in the cross direction (CD) and at least 11 kg (25 pounds) in the machine direction (MD), a Gurley air permeability of at least 17 L/sec (35 cfm), and a basis weight in the range of 40 to 120 gsm.
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US08/163,433 US5484645A (en) | 1991-10-30 | 1993-12-08 | Composite nonwoven fabric and articles produced therefrom |
PCT/US1994/013939 WO1995015848A1 (en) | 1993-12-08 | 1994-12-01 | Composite nonwoven fabric and articles produced therefrom |
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EP (1) | EP0732992B1 (en) |
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1993
- 1993-12-08 US US08/163,433 patent/US5484645A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1994
- 1994-12-01 WO PCT/US1994/013939 patent/WO1995015848A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1994-12-01 DE DE69409400T patent/DE69409400T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1994-12-01 KR KR1019960702688A patent/KR100357725B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1994-12-01 CA CA002177035A patent/CA2177035C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1994-12-01 JP JP7515820A patent/JPH09506305A/en active Pending
- 1994-12-01 EP EP95903677A patent/EP0732992B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1994-12-01 DK DK95903677T patent/DK0732992T3/en active
- 1994-12-01 AT AT95903677T patent/ATE164548T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1994-12-01 AU AU12655/95A patent/AU1265595A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1994-12-07 IL IL11191094A patent/IL111910A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
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JPH09506305A (en) | 1997-06-24 |
KR100357725B1 (en) | 2003-03-15 |
IL111910A0 (en) | 1995-03-15 |
DE69409400T2 (en) | 1998-10-29 |
EP0732992B1 (en) | 1998-04-01 |
DK0732992T3 (en) | 1999-02-01 |
IL111910A (en) | 1998-08-16 |
ATE164548T1 (en) | 1998-04-15 |
US5484645A (en) | 1996-01-16 |
KR960705678A (en) | 1996-11-08 |
DE69409400D1 (en) | 1998-05-07 |
WO1995015848A1 (en) | 1995-06-15 |
AU1265595A (en) | 1995-06-27 |
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