United States Patent ti9i
Hansen et al.
[in 3,855,046
[45] Dec. 17, 1974
[54] PATTERN BONDED CONTINUOUS FILAMENT WEB
[75] Inventors: Paul Bernard Hansen, Neenah; Leon Benjamin Penning*, Little Chute, both of Wis.
Kimberly-Clark Corporation,
Neenah, Wis.
Continuous filament webs of thermoplastic polymers, such as polypropylene, are bonded to provide webs with desirable characteristics such as textile-like drape and softness, strength, abrasion resistant surfaces, and a high capacity for absorbing energy. One illustrated method of bonding the webs whereby undesirable shrink is minimized involves passing the web through a nip formed between heated rolls with one of the rolls containing a plurality of raised points on its surface. Bonding intensity is such as to stabilize the web and render the surfaces thereof abrasion resistant and such that filaments can pull free from bonded areas before fracturing when the web is subjected to strain.
20 Claims, 25 Drawing Figures
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