Abstract: The present invention provides a lofty nonwoven web containing pneumatically drawn filaments, wherein the web has a density from about 0.01 g/cc to about 0.075 g/cc and the microfilaments have a weight-per-unit length between about 0.1 dtex and about 1.5 dtex. The invention also provides a process for producing the lofty nonwoven web.

Abstract: A composite nonwoven material comprises at least one layer (2) of a carded voile of hydrophobic thermoplastic fibers, the said fibers being partially disoriented in at least a proportion of the thickness of the voile so that a proportion of the said fibers has an angular orientation in relation to the main plane of the fibers of the said voile, and a layer (3) made of voile of nonwoven of noncarded type of hydrophobic thermo-plastic fibers, the fibers of at least one of the layers being chosen from fibers with a low melting point, two-component fibers, mixtures of such fibers with fibers of high melting point and fibers mixed with a binder or one face of the voile of one of the layers is coated with a binder, the layers being joined together by heat-melting.

Abstract: There is provided a vacuum cleaner filter medium which is a nonwoven spunbond web of conjugate spunbond fibers. The web has a Frazier permeability of at least 250 CFM, an NaCI efficiency of at least 65 percent, a Gurley Stiffness of at least 20 mg, and a pressure drop of 0.5 or less mm H.sub.2 O. The conjugate fibers are made from polymers, more particularly polyolefins, still more particularly polypropylene and polyethylene in a side-by-side configuration. The filter medium is treated by a hot-air knife and through-air bonded during the production process. The medium is also electret treated. The medium has sufficient stiffness to be converted into a filter by conventional techniques. While this invention is directed mainly to air purification and filtration, other gasses may be filtered as well.

Abstract: There is provided herein a protective cover made from conjugate fiber nonwoven fabric having a basis weight between about 1 and 8 osy laminated with a film. The conjugate fibers may be in a configuration such as sheath/core, side-by-side and islands in the sea and may be formed from polyolefins and polyamides. The preferred fiber embodiments are a side-by-side polypropylene-polyethylene fiber and a sheath/core polyethylene/nylon 6 fiber. The fabric is preferably extrusion coated with a polyethylene film to form the protective cover. The cover is light weight, waterproof and provides sufficient burst and tensile strength so that the cover may be used during transportation of, for example, a boat.

Abstract: Improvement in a hydrophilic function and in the strength of a cloth article obtained from a durable hydrophilic fibers is attained by the employment a durable hydrophilic fiber consisting of a fiber made of a thermoplastic resin to which 0.2 to 1.0% by weight of a mixture formed of the following surfactant (A),(B), (C), (D) and (E) is adhered:(A) 10 to 30% by weight of one or more compounds selected out of polyoxyalkylene additive of higher alcohol or higher alkylamine of carbon number 28 to 50, or amide formed of fatty acid of carbon number 30 to 50 and polyamine,(B) 10 to 30% by weight of a polyoxyalkylene additive of amide formed of fatty acid of carbon number 20 to 28 and polyamine,(C) 30 to 50% by weight of an amide formed of higher fatty acid of carbon number 16 to 28, and alkanolamine,(D) 10 to 30% by weight of polyoxyalkylene additive of alkylphosphate salt of carbon number 10 to 22, and(E) 2 to 10% by weight of alkylsulfonate salt of carbon number 12 to 16.

Abstract: There is disclosed fibers and fabrics formed from a polymer which is a "hand enhancing" polymer. The "hand enhancing" polymer is a copolymer of polypropylene which contains ethylene, 1-butene, or 1-hexene or a terpolymer of propylene, ethylene and butene. If the polymer is an ethylene copolymer, the copolymer may be random or random and block and the ethylene must be present in an amount between greater than 5 and 7.5 weight percent of the copolymer. If the copolymer contains 1-butene, it must be present in an amount between 1 and 15.4 weight percent of the copolymer. If the copolymer contains 1-hexene, it must be present in an amount between 2 and 5 weight percent of the copolymer. If the polymer is a terpolymer of propylene, ethylene and butylene, the polypropylene is present in an amount between 90 and 98 weight percent, the ethylene is present in an amount between 1 and 6 weight percent and the butylene is present in an amount between 1 and 6 weight percent.

Abstract: A hydrophilic melt-extruded multicomponent polymeric strand including a first melt-extrudable polymeric component and a second melt-extrudable, hydrophilic polymeric component, the first and second components being arranged in substantially distinct zones across the cross-section of the multicomponent strand and extending continuously along the length of the multicomponent strand, the second component constituting at least a portion of the peripheral surface of the multicomponent strand continuously along the length of the multicomponent strand. The second component renders the strand hydrophilic and preferably has a critical surface tension at 20.degree. C. greater than about 55 dyne/cc, and more preferably greater than about 65 dyne/cc. A suitable hydrophilic second component comprises a block copolymer of nylon 6 and polyethylene oxide diamine. Suitable polymers for the first component include linear polycondensates and crystalline polyolefins such as polypropylene.

Abstract: A dust sock filter medium laminate is provided which has at least two nonwoven webs of microfibers which have an average diameter (using a sample size of at least 10) between about 10 and 25 microns and which webs have been joined by a method comprising the steps of (a) directing the component layers to a separation zone, (b) applying water in the amount of from about 5% to 25% based on the weight of the combined layers, (c) combining the component layers, (d) passing the combination through a sonic bonder operating within the range of up to about 40,000 cps against a patterned anvil to produce a corresponding pattern of thermal bond areas over about 3% to 25% of the surface area of the combination, and, (e) drying the sonically bonded combination.