Abstract: A manufacturing process of a composite nonwoven composed of two webs, respectively, a lower web comprising long artificial and/or synthetic fibres, the size of which is between 15 and 80 mm, and an upper web comprising short natural fibres, the size of which is between 0.5 and 8 mm, characterized, on-line, by: dispersing fist of all the natural fibres into the water; then, putting the aqueous dispersion thus obtained on a carded lower web that is about to form or has been manufactured beforehand; then filtering the excess water through the lower web; then interlacing the fibres of the upper web with the fibres of the lower web with water jets; finally drying and then reeling up the obtained nonwoven composite. An installation for carrying out the process.

Abstract: A manufacturing process of a composite nonwoven composed of two webs, respectively, a lower web comprising long artificial and/or synthetic fibres, the size of which is between 15 and 80 mm, and an upper web comprising short natural fibres, the size of which is between 0.5 and 8 mm, characterized, on-line, by: dispersing fist of all the natural fibres into the water; then, putting the aqueous dispersion thus obtained on a carded lower web that is about to form or has been manufactured beforehand; then filtering the excess water through the lower web; then interlacing the fibres of the upper web with the fibres of the lower web with water jets; finally drying and then reeling up the obtained nonwoven composite. An installation for carrying out the process.

Abstract: A non-woven fabric having a pattern defined by an array of discrete areas having a reduced fibre density but which are substantially free of peforations is produced by supporting a freshly wet laid web of the non-woven fabric on a porous surface and directing spaced jets of fluid against the unsupported side in order to displace fibres within discrete areas while maintaining in position a proportion of fibres that are within those areas and that are adjacent the porous surface. The fabric web may be supported on a Fourdrinier wire (1) and the jets of fluid (e.g. water) may be directed through the apertures in a perforated cylinder (6), the fluid being supplied under pressure from a water-knife device (11). The apertures in the cylinder (6) preferably have a cross-section that increases in the direction of the water jets.

Abstract: A non-woven fabric having a pattern defined by an array of discrete areas having a reduced fibre density but which are substantially free of perforations is produced by supporting a freshly wet laid web of the non-woven fabric on a porous surface and directing spaced jets of fluid against the unsupported side in order to displace fibres within discrete areas while maintaining in position a proportion of fibres that are within those areas and that are adjacent the porous surface. The fabric web may be supported on a Fourdrinier wire (1) and the jets of fluid (e.g. water) may be directed through the apertures in a perforated cylinder (6), the fluid being supplied under pressure from a water-knife device (11). The apertures in the cylinder (6) preferably have a cross-section that increases in the direction of the water jets.