Abstract: An improved dental adhesive device to hold prosthetic devices in the human mouth is made as a laminate of webs which are bonded together by deforming a film of thermoplastic ethylene oxide polymer and having an external adhesive coating on the laminate. The dental adhesive is produced by continuously applying thermoplastic ethylene oxide polymer between moving webs of cellulose acetate fibers, applying additional thermoplastic ethylene oxide polymer to the external surface of the webs, and then passing said webs in superimposed relationship between a pair of dry heated calender rolls for thermoplastically bonding said webs into a unitary structure. A dry water-activated adhesive material, such as sodium alginate, may be employed with the thermoplastic ethylene oxide polymer by being dissolved or dispersed in the polymer. Synthetic fibers are applied to the webs so as to extend transversely through the webs.

Abstract: A highly densifiable wood pulp product is disclosed. In one embodiment, the densifiable product includes fibers having low coarseness, preferably having a fiber coarseness less than about 22 mg/100 m, and a densifying agent. In another embodiment, the densifiable product further includes fibers having coarseness greater than about 22 mg/100 m. Juvenile wood fibers are the preferred source of fibers having low coarseness. A densified pulp product formed by compacting a fibrous composite that includes fibers having a fiber coarseness less than about 22 mg/100 m, a densifying agent, and optionally, fibers having coarseness greater than about 22 mg/100 m is also disclosed. The pulp products can be advantageously incorporated into absorbent articles and can optionally further include superabsorbent material. Methods for forming the densifiable and densified fibrous products are also disclosed.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for making a variegated multicolor fabric by knitting or weaving from a yarn spun from decorative mass of fiber fluff made from staple fibers arranged in continuous form of discrete streams of different uniform colors. The streams are brushed or carded so as to only partially intermix fibers of at least two different colors. The accumulated fibers removed from the card clothing form a pillow batt or roving having a streaked appearance with only a partial intermixing and blending of the streaks of one color with those of another. These are slightly further worked into a final fluff product having randomly dispersed bands, streaks and/or islands of one color softly merging into another color to produce a decorative randomized and interrupted candy-cane like appearance in the cotton-candy like mass of final fiber fluff for spinning into yam for making the fabric.

Abstract: A sorbent and filter media material produced from a mass of delustered hydrophobic and lipophilic fibers. In one embodiment the fibers are mixed together to form a cohesive wad of fibers. The wad has a substantial volume of internal interstices available to absorb a liquid hydrocarbon or an organic liquid, and the surfaces of the fibers also adsorb that liquid. The combination of adsorption and absorption enables the sorbent to sorb up to twenty times it own weight of hydrocarbon or organic liquid. Preferably a majority of the fibers are of a relatively shorter length, while a minority of the fibers are of a relatively longer length. The longer fibers help bind the wad together into a cohesive mass that has a substantial volume of internal interstices. After a short time during which the hydrocarbon is sorbed, the wadded mass can be collected, pressed to recover the hydrocarbon, and recycled.

Abstract: A fabric for the forming, press and dryer sections of a paper machine, for use as a reinforcing base for a polymeric-resin-coated paper-processing belt or as a corrugator belt, or in other industrial settings where a material is being dewatered, is formed from a monofilament yarn, which is spirally wound in the form of a closed helix, adjacent turns thereof being abutted against and joined securely to one another. The monofilament yarn has a first side and a second side which are oppositely and correspondingly shaped, so that, when spirally wound in a plurality of turns, the first side fits closely into or against the second side of an adjacent and abutting turn, and adjacent spiral turns are secured to one another at the abutting first and second sides to form the fabric.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improved fastening tape for use on a disposable absorbent garment. The fastening tape comprises a first substrate and an interlocking material attached to said first substrate. The interlocking material extends the entire width of the fastening tape, and the interlocking material is longitudinally spaced from both transverse edges of the fastening tape. Also disclosed is a process for manufacturing the fastening tape. The process involves providing a continuous length of an interlocking material having a width and traveling in a first direction. The interlocking material is attached to a first substrate to form a composite. The composite is then cut along a second direction to form fastening tapes suitable for attachment on a disposable absorbent garment. The second direction is substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

Abstract: Novel thin-walled thermoplastic or thermoset pipes of at most 5 millimeters in thickness which can withstand a varied range of internally generated and/or applied pressures up to at least 5 bars, preferably at least 20 bars, for utilization within, primarily, liquid transport systems. Such pipes are improvements over standard metal (i.e., steel, lead, and the like) pipes due to construction costs, shipping costs, implementation costs (particularly underground), flexibility (and thus modulus strength allowances) to compensate for underground movements (i.e., earthquakes and tremors), non-rusting characteristics, reduced crack propagation possibilities, and ease in manufacture. Such pipes are preferably reinforced with specific textile reinforcement materials that permit a lower thickness of plastic to be utilized than is generally required to withstand high pressure situations and also serve to prevent propagation of any cracks which may develop within the thermoplastic or thermoset materials.

Abstract: A light-weight substrate (10) for thin film, large area electronic devices such as active matrix display devices, image sensing arrays and the like comprises a layer of rigid, cellular material (12) bonded to a comparatively thin glass sheet (11) on whose surface thin film circuit elements are provided. An aerogel material of higher than usual density can be used for the cellular layer. An array of microlenses may be provided between the cellular layer and the thin glass sheet.

Abstract: A single- or multi-ply disposable wiping article is disclosed. The disposable wiping article comprises at least one web layer and has a surface topography exhibiting regions of minimum and maximum calipers. A continuous polymer network defining bonded regions and a plurality of unbonded regions is bonded to the web layer. The continuous polymer network is preferably a thermoplastic adhesive. After curing, the thermoplastic adhesive can contract upon heating, thereby creating puckered regions of maximum caliper coincident unbonded regions. The minimum caliper of the web layer is coincident the bonded regions. Methods of making the web of the present invention are disclosed. One method includes providing a first web layer; providing a thermoplastic adhesive; applying the thermoplastic adhesive to the first web layer in a continuous network; curing the thermoplastic adhesive; and heating the thermoplastic adhesive to effect contraction of the thermoplastic adhesive.

Abstract: The present invention provides a web containing superfine microfibers. The web contains a blend of a first group of split microfibers which contains a first polymer component and a second group of split microfibers which contains a second polymer component, wherein at least one of the polymer components is hydrophilic. The invention additionally provides a meltblown fiber web having at least two groups of fibers, wherein each group of the fibers has a distinct cross-sectional configuration.

Abstract: The present invention provides nonwoven fabrics formed of hollow filaments and/or hollow staple fibers and processes for producing the same. The hollow spunbonded filaments and hollow staple fibers are formed of a polypropylene composition. The resultant fabrics of the invention can be useful in numerous applications, such as components of medical garments and disposable absorbent products.

Abstract: The bonded composite in accordance with the invention has first and second thin-section sheet materials bonded together by bond elements defining a bond pattern. The bond elements can consist of stress receptor elements, stress transfer and dissipation elements, and stress termination elements. In general, the stress receptor elements, and the transfer and dissipation elements, receive stresses into the bond pattern, and distribute stresses internally, generally inwardly into the interior of the bond pattern. The termination elements function to accumulate and coordinate termination of stresses transferred from the receptor elements and the transfer and dissipation elements. In general, bond elements in the interior of the bond pattern are closer together than bond elements proximate the side edges of the bond pattern. Bonds corresponding to the bond elements can be formed via a wide variety of bond forming processes, including thermal energy and ultrasonic-frequency energy.

Abstract: A novel composite microtubing with variable stiffness over the length of the tubing and continuous process for manufacturing the same is provided. By removing portions of one or more selected layers of the composite microtubing, varying the pick count of a braided layer, and changing the diameter over the length of the microtubing, the stiffness of the microtubing may be varied by a factor of 100 from proximal end to distal end. The continuous process allows a predetermined stiffness pattern to be repeated over a measured length for economical manufacture and results, if desired, in tubing of extremely small diameter and extremely thin tube walls.

Abstract: Provided are compounds and methods for modifying a material to change properties of the material, as well as a variety of products obtained using the methods. The material which is modified may be, for example, a carbohydrate, and the modifiable functional groups on the material may be hydroxyls. Multifunctional molecules for use in modifying the surfaces of materials such as textile fibers, yarns and other fabrics made of or, including cotton, wool and nylon, are provided. The multifunctional molecules can include hydrophobic regions and/or hydrophilic regions. The multifunctional molecules also may include binding functional groups that permit either non-covalent or covalent binding to the material being modified, thus permitting the multifunctional molecule to form a non-covalent or covalent coating on the material.

Abstract: A floatable flat textile structure with embedded, air-filled floating bodies is disclosed. To provide a flat structure that has a high buoyancy, resists damage and can be manufactured cost-effectively, the floating bodies are formed as air-filled ropes made of an air-filled foil, wherein the air-filled ropes are connected by connecting elements.

Abstract: A process for preparing a molded article of fiber-reinforced plastic having an optional configuration and no tendency to deformation and cracks by using a plate material consisting essentially of a fibrous reinforcement and a thermoplastic resin, comprising the steps of previously setting-up, on the plate material and/or a mold, a sheet prepreg obtained by impregnating a unidirectionally arranged fiber or woven cloth with a thermoplastic resin in areas where the fibrous reinforcement does not follow the flow of the resin well or in areas where special reinforcement is required and successively carrying out integral molding to obtain said article; and a molded article obtained by said process.

Abstract: Nonwoven webs of continuous filaments are provided having a mixture or blend of first and second continuous filaments wherein the first and second continuous filaments are different from the first continuous filaments in one or more respects such as size, cross-sectional shape, polymer composition, crimp level, wettability, liquid repellency, and charge retention. The second continuous filaments can be substantially surrounded by the first continuous filaments wherein the ratio of first continuous filaments to second continuous filaments exceeds about 2:1.

Abstract: The invention pertains to a penetration-resistant material having at least a double layer of fabric composed of two layers of woven fabric which are cross-plied at an angle, characterized in that the fabric is composed of a first set of threads having 3.5 to 20 threads/cm and having a linear density of at least 420 dtex, and a second set of threads having 0.5 to 8 threads/cm and having a linear density of at least 50 dtex, with the second set of threads being transverse to the first set of threads, and wherein the ratio of the linear density of the first set of threads to the linear density of the second set of threads is >4.2, more preferably >7.5. In a preferred embodiment, the first set of threads is warp threads made of p-aramid yarn and the second set of threads is weft threads of polyester yarn, and the ratio of the number of threads/cm of the first set to that of the second set is >1.

Abstract: A lining cloth of a woven fabric in which the warp yarn comprises either of polyester filamentary yarn or cellulosic filamentary yarn and the filling yarn comprises either a false-twisted polyester filamentary yarn, a raw filamentary yarn or a cellulosic filamentary yarn, characterized in that an elongation in the filling-wise direction of the woven fabric is in a range from 5% to 12%, a coefficient of dynamic friction on the surface of the woven fabric is in a range from 0.20 to 0.45, and a filling-wise crimp index value of the woven fabric as defined by the following formula (1) is in a range from 0.003 to 0.013: Crimp ratio of the filling yarn/{warp density×(warp fineness)1/2}  (1) The lining cloth according to the present invention is soft in touch, excellent in slipperiness, resistant to seam slippage and free from wearing pressure. The lining cloth is suitably used as a lining for a skirt which is otherwise liable to ride up.

Abstract: Thermoplastic welding is an emerging technology targeted at significantly reducing the manufacture of aerospace structure by eliminating fasteners and the touch labor associated with fasteners to prepare, install, and inspect the assemblies. Thermoplastic welds, however, suffer from significant residual tensile strain caused by differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the carbon fiber reinforced composite laminates and the unreinforced weld. We alleviate this strain by adding fiber reinforcement to the weld using a structural susceptor which is a laminate of alternating layers of thermoplastic resin and fiber reinforcement sandwiching a conventional metal susceptor. A further advantage of the structural susceptor is the ability to peel it in selected locations to fill the gap between the laminates, eliminating costly profilometry of the faying surfaces and the associated problem of resin depletion where machining occurred to match the faying surfaces.