PERFORATED FIBROUS STRUCTURES AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME

专利摘要:
The present invention relates to open-ended fibrous structures and, more particularly, open-ended fibrous structures comprising one or more fibrous elements, for example filaments, containing one or more fibrous element-forming materials and one or more active agents, which can be released. the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions, as well as associated manufacturing methods.
公开号:FR3027035A1
申请号:FR1559615
申请日:2015-10-09
公开日:2016-04-15
发明作者:Michael Sean Pratt；Min Mao；David Charles Oertel；Janine Anne Flood；Tom Edward Dufresne；Paula A Chmielewski；Andreas Josef Dreher；Alyssandrea Hope Ebrahimpour；Paul Thomas Weisman
申请人:Procter and Gamble Co；
IPC主号:

专利说明:

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to apertured fibrous structures and, more particularly, to fibrous apertured structures comprising one or more fibrous elements, for example filaments, comprising one or more materials. forming a fibrous element and one or more active agents, which may be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions, as well as methods of making such structures while presenting the consumer with acceptable physical properties, such as strength, smoothness, elongation and modulus. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Fibrous structures comprising a plurality of filaments, comprising one or more filamentous materials and one or more active agents that can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions are known in the art. A problem associated with known fibrous structures is that the known fibrous structures suffer from at least one perception, if not a real problem of dissolution, whereby consumers perceive or find that such fibrous structures have dissolving properties. which were not acceptable to consumers. Often, the manufacture of a fibrous structure more easily dissolving renders the fibrous structure too rigid and / or stiff and / or too weak, so that it is not acceptable to the consumer.
[0002] Accordingly, there is a need for a fibrous structure comprising one or more filamentary materials and one or more active agents that can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the conditions of intended use, which is not perceived as and / or does not exhibit dissolving properties which are unacceptable to consumers, as well as concerning processes for making such fibrous structures which, however, have sufficient resistance, flexibility and smoothness to which consumers wait in a fibrous structure dissolving high quality. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention satisfies the needs described above by providing novel fibrous structures, for example soluble fibrous structures, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, one or more fibrous element materials. and one or more active agents, which can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions, which include one or more openings, and associated manufacturing methods. A solution to the problem described above relates to a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, comprising one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents which can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the conditions of intended use, wherein the fibrous structure further comprises one or more openings, so that the fibrous structure (open fibrous structure), for example the fibrous structure soluble, exhibits one or more of the following properties: 1) a basis weight index (BWIR) ratio of less than 1 as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein; 2) a surface mass index (BWITR) transition ratio of greater than 1, as measured in accordance with the aperture parameter test method described herein; 3) a fiber orientation index ratio (FOIR) greater than 1, as measured in accordance with the aperture parameter test method described herein; 4) an average aperture diameter (AAED) greater than 0.15 mm as measured in accordance with the aperture parameter test method described herein; 5) an average fractional open area (AFOA) of about 0.005% to about 80% as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein; 6) an average aperture area greater than 0.02 mm 2 as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein; 7) a wall region slope of greater than 0.0005 to less than 0.08 as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein; and 8) a transition region slope of greater than 0.0001 to less than 0.1 as measured in accordance with the aperture parameter test method described herein; and / or 3027035 3 9) an optical aperture circular diameter of about 0.1 mm to about 10 mm as measured in accordance with the optical aperture characterization test method described herein; 10) an aperture optical circular area of about 0.02 mm 2 to about 75 mm 2 as measured in accordance with the optical aperture characterization test method described herein; and 11) an optical aperture circular percentage of about 0.005% to about 80% as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method described herein; and methods of making such fibrous structures. Thus, a first object of the invention is a fibrous structure comprising a plurality of filaments, wherein at least one of the filaments comprises one or more filament materials and one or more active agents that can be released from the filament when it is exposed to intended use conditions, the fibrous structure further comprises one or more openings so that the fibrous structure has two or more of the following properties: a. a mass index ratio of less than 1, as measured according to the aperture parameter test method; b. a mass index ratio of greater than 1, as measured in accordance with the aperture parameter test method; vs. a fiber orientation index ratio greater than 1, as measured in accordance with the aperture parameter test method; d. an average aperture diameter greater than 0.15 mm as measured according to the aperture parameter test method; e. an average fractional open area of 0.005% to 80% as measured according to the aperture parameter test method; 25 f. an average aperture area greater than 0.02 mm 2 as measured according to the aperture parameter test method; boy Wut. an optical aperture circular diameter of 0.1 mm to 10 mm as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method; h. an optical aperture circular area of 0.02 mm 2 to 75 mm 2 as measured in accordance with the optical aperture characterization test method; i. an optical aperture circular percentage of 0.005% to 80% as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method.
[0003] In addition, the fibrous structure of the present invention may have a wall region slope greater than 0.0005 to less than 0.08, as measured by the aperture parameter test method. In addition, the fibrous structure of the present invention may have a transition region slope greater than 0.0001 to less than 0.1, as measured by the aperture parameter test method. In addition, the fibrous structure of the present invention may include a plurality of openings. Preferably, said openings are present according to a moti. Preferably, said pattern is a recurring pattern.
[0004] In addition, the fibrous structure of the present invention may comprise two or more classes of apertures, so that the fibrous structure has two or more different average equivalent aperture diameters as measured according to the method of parameter testing. opening. In addition, the fibrous structure of the present invention may comprise two or more of the apertures that are spaced from each other by a distance of 0.2 mm to 100 mm. Preferably, said two or more of the openings are spaced from each other by a distance of 0.5 mm to 10 mm. In addition, the fibrous structure of the present invention may comprise a filamentary material which comprises a hydroxyl polymer. Preferably, said hydroxyl polymer is selected from the group consisting of: pullulan, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, sodium alginate, xanthan gum, tragacanth gum, guar gum, acacia gum, gum arabic, polyacrylic acid, dextrin, pectin, chitin, collagen, gelatin, zein, gluten, soy protein, casein, polyvinyl alcohol, starch, starch derivatives, hemicellulose, hemicellulose derivatives, proteins, chitosan, chitosan derivatives , polyethylene glycol, tetramethylene ether glycol, hydroxymethylcellulose, and mixtures thereof. In addition, the fibrous structure of the present invention may comprise an active agent that is selected from the group consisting of: active fabric care agents, dishwashing active agents, hard surface active agents, active care agents hair, active soil care agents, skin care active agents, oral care active agents, medicinal active ingredients, carpet care active agents, surface care active agents, agents air care active ingredients and mixtures thereof.
[0005] In addition, the fibrous structure of the present invention may comprise an active agent which is present in the filament at a level of at least 20% by weight of the filament. In addition, the fibrous structure of the present invention may have a basis weight of 1 g / m 2 to 10,000 g / m 2.
[0006] In addition, the fibrous structure of the present invention may comprise at least one filament which has a mean diameter of less than 50 μm as measured by the diameter test method. In addition, the fibrous structure of the present invention may have one or more of the following properties: a. an average disintegration time of 60 seconds or less as measured by the dissolution test method; b. an average dissolution time of 600 seconds or less as measured by the dissolution test method; vs. a mean disintegration time per g / m 2 of 1.0 seconds / (g / m 2) or less as measured by the dissolution test method; and D. a mean dissolution time per g / m 2 of 10 seconds / (g / m 2) or less as measured by the dissolution test method. In addition, the fibrous structure of the present invention may have one or more of the following properties: a. GM tensile strength greater than 200 g / cm as measured by the tensile test method; b. a maximum GM elongation of less than 1000% as measured by the tensile test method; and c. a secant GM modulus of less than 5000 g / cm as measured by the tensile test method. In addition, the fibrous structure of the present invention may have a water content of from 0% to 20% as measured by the water content test method. Another object of the present invention is a multi-ply fibrous structure which comprises at least one fibrous structure according to the present invention.
[0007] Surprisingly, it has been found that the fibrous structures, for example the soluble fibrous structures, of the present invention comprising one or more fibrous elements, for example filaments, comprising one or more fibrous element materials and a fibrous element. or more active agents that can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the conditions of intended use, which further comprise one or more openings, so that the fibrous structures, for example the soluble fibrous structures, are The present invention provides that the minimum perceived by the consumers to have improved dissolution properties and / or actually exhibit improved dissolution properties over known fibrous structures comprising filaments comprising filament materials and active agents. In addition to the improved dissolution properties, the openings within the fibrous structures of the present invention can provide binding functions to bond two or more plies of the fibrous structure together. In addition, the present invention offers the possibility of imparting an attractive tactile and visual aesthetic appearance, improved softness, lower modulus, more flexible feeling for the consumer and higher levels of elongation to fibrous structures. In addition, it has been found that the openings provided within the fibrous structure provide a means of modifying the mechanical properties of the fibrous structure. In particular, the modulus of the fibrous structure can be reduced; This results in a more flexible fibrous structure capable of cooperating with product dispensing apparatus and may further be regarded by the end user as having improved softness and product handling ability. In one example of the present invention, there is provided a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more materials forming an element. wherein the fibrous structure and one or more active agents that can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions, the fibrous structure further comprises one or more openings, so that the fibrous structure has a ratio of a basis weight index of less than 1 as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein. In another example of the present invention, there is provided a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more materials. wherein the fibrous structure and one or more active agents that can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended conditions of use, the fibrous structure further comprises one or more openings, so that the fibrous structure exhibits a mass index ratio of greater than 1 as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein.
[0008] In another example of the present invention, there is provided a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more materials. forming a fibrous element and one or more active agents that can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the conditions of intended use, wherein the fibrous structure further comprises one or more openings, so that the fibrous structure has a fiber orientation index ratio of greater than 1 as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein. In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents that can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions, the fibrous structure further comprises one or more openings, so that the fibrous structure exhibits an average aperture diameter greater than 0.15 mm as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein. In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents that can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the conditions of intended use, the fibrous structure further comprises one or more openings, so that the fibrous structure exhibits a The average fractional open area is from about 0.005% to about 80% as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein. In another example of the present invention, there is provided a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous elements. a plurality of fibrous element materials and one or more active agents which can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions, the fibrous structure further comprises one or more openings, so that the fibrous structure has an average aperture area greater than 0.02 mm 2 as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein. In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents that can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the conditions of intended use, the fibrous structure further comprises one or more openings, so that the fibrous structure exhibits a wall region slope of greater than 0.0005 to less than 0.08 as measured in accordance with the aperture parameter test method described herein. In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents that can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the conditions of intended use, the fibrous structure further comprises one or more openings, so that the fibrous structure exhibits a transition region slope of greater than 0.0001 to less than 0.1 as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein. In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more materials. wherein the fibrous structure and one or more active agents that can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions, the fibrous structure further comprises one or more openings, so that the fibrous structure exhibits a Average optical circular diameter of about 0.1 mm to about 10 mm as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method described herein. In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents that can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the conditions of intended use, the fibrous structure further comprises one or more openings, so that the fibrous structure exhibits a An average optical circular area of about 0.02 mm 2 to about 75 mm 2 as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method described herein. In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents that can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions, the fibrous structure further comprises one or more openings, so that the fibrous structure exhibits a an optical aperture circular percentage of about 0.005% to about 80% as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method described herein. In one example of the present invention, there is provided a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more materials forming an element. wherein the fibrous structure and one or more active agents that can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions, the fibrous structure further comprises one or more openings, so that the fibrous structure has two or more and / or three or more and / or four or more and / or the five of the following properties: a. a basis weight index ratio of less than 1, as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein; b. a PSA transition ratio of greater than 1 as measured in accordance with the aperture parameter test method described herein; 3027035 10 c. a fiber orientation index ratio of greater than 1, as measured in accordance with the aperture parameter test method described herein; d. an average aperture equivalent diameter greater than 0.15 mm as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein; and 5 e. an average fractional open area of about 0.005% to about 80% as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein. In one example of the present invention, there is provided a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more materials forming fibrous element and one or more active agents that can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the conditions of intended use, the fibrous structure further comprises one or more openings, so that the fibrous structure has two or more and / or the three of the following properties: a. an optical aperture circular diameter of about 0.1 mm to about 10 mm as measured in accordance with the optical aperture characterization test method described herein; b. an optical aperture circular area of about 0.02 mm 2 to about 75 mm 2 as measured in accordance with the optical aperture characterization test method described herein; and c. an optical aperture circular percentage of about 0.005% to about 80% as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method described herein. In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a method for making a fibrous structure, comprising the steps of: a. providing a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous element-forming materials and one or more active agents which may be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the conditions of intended use; and 3027035 11 b. imparting one or more openings to the fibrous structure, such that the fibrous structure has a basis weight ratio of less than 1, as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein. In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a method for making a fibrous structure, comprising the steps of: a. providing a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous element-forming materials and one or more active agents which may be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions; and B. providing one or more openings to the fibrous structure, such that the fibrous structure has a transition ratio of a basis weight index of less than 1, as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein.
[0009] In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a method for making a fibrous structure, comprising the steps of: a. providing a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents which can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions; and B. imparting one or more openings to the fibrous structure, such that the fibrous structure has a fiber orientation index ratio of greater than 1, as measured in accordance with the aperture parameter test method described herein.
[0010] In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a method for making a fibrous structure, comprising the steps of: a. providing a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents which can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions; and 3027035 12 b. providing one or more openings to the fibrous structure, such that the fibrous structure has an average opening diameter greater than 0.15 mm as measured in accordance with the aperture parameter test method described herein.
[0011] In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a method for making a fibrous structure, comprising the steps of: a. providing a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents which can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions; and B. conferring one or more openings to the fibrous structure so that the fibrous structure has an average fractional open area of about 0.005% to about 80%, as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein . In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a method for making a fibrous structure, comprising the steps of: a. providing a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents which can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions; and B. imparting one or more apertures to the fibrous structure so that the fibrous structure has an optical aperture circular diameter of about 0.1 mm to about 10 mm, as measured according to the aperture characterization test method optics described herein. In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a method for making a fibrous structure, comprising the steps of: a. providing a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents which may be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions; and 3027035 13 b. providing one or more apertures to the fibrous structure, such that the fibrous structure has an aperture optical circular area of about 0.02 mm 2 to about 75 mm 2, as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method described herein.
[0012] In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a method for making a fibrous structure, comprising the steps of: a. providing a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents which can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions; and B. imparting one or more apertures to the fibrous structure, such that the fibrous structure has an optical aperture circular percentage of about 0.005% to about 80%, as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method described herein. In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a method for making a fibrous structure, comprising the steps of: a. providing a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents which can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions; and B. imparting one or more openings to the fibrous structure, such that the fibrous structure has one or more and / or two or more and / or three or more and / or four or more and / or the following five properties: . a basis weight index ratio of less than 1, as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein; ii. a PSA transition ratio of greater than 1 as measured in accordance with the aperture parameter test method described herein; 3027035 14 iii. a fiber orientation index ratio of greater than 1, as measured in accordance with the aperture parameter test method described herein; iv. an average aperture diameter greater than 0.15 mm as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein; and y. an average fractional open area of about 0.005% to about 80% as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein.
[0013] In yet another example of the present invention, there is provided a method for making a fibrous structure, comprising the steps of: a. providing a fibrous structure, for example a soluble fibrous structure, comprising a plurality of fibrous elements, for example filaments, wherein at least one of the fibrous elements comprises one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents which can be released from the fibrous element when exposed to the intended use conditions; and B. imparting one or more openings to the fibrous structure, such that the fibrous structure has one or more and / or two or more and / or the following three properties: i. an optical aperture circular diameter of about 0.1 mm to about 10 mm as measured in accordance with the optical aperture characterization test method described herein; ii. an optical aperture circular area of about 0.02 mm 2 to about 75 mm 2 as measured in accordance with the optical aperture characterization test method described herein; and iii. an optical aperture circular percentage of about 0.005% to about 80% as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method described herein. As evidenced by the above, the present invention provides fibrous structures, for example soluble fibrous structures, comprising one or more openings and a plurality of fibrous elements comprising active agents, so that the fibrous structures overcome the fibrous structures. negative aspects associated with known fibrous structures comprising fibrous elements comprising active agents described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a schematic representation of an example of a fibrous element according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic representation of an example of a fibrous structure according to the present invention; Figure 3A is a micro-tomographic image of an example of a fibrous structure comprising apertures according to the present invention; Figure 3B is a partial perspective view of the image of Figure 3A; Figure 3C is a cross-sectional view of the image of Figure 3B; Figure 4 is a micro-tomographic image of another example of a fibrous structure comprising apertures according to the present invention; Figure 5 is a micro-tomographic image of another example of a fibrous structure comprising apertures according to the present invention; Figure 6 is a micro-tomographic image of another example of a fibrous structure comprising apertures according to the present invention; Figure 7 is a schematic representation of an example of a fibrous element manufacturing method of the present invention; Figure 8 is a schematic representation of an example of a die with an enlarged view used in the process of Figure 7; Figure 9 is a schematic representation of an aperture creation method according to the present invention; Fig. 10A is a perspective view of an example of a portion of a rotary knife punch apparatus; Figure 10B is a top view of a portion of Figure 10A; Figure 10C is a front view of Figure 10A; Figure 10D is a side view of Figure 10A; Fig. 11A is a perspective view of an example of a pin punching apparatus; Figure 11B is a top view of Figure 11A; Figure 11C is a side view of Figure 11A; Fig. 12 is a front view of an example of an equipment configuration used to measure the dissolution according to the present invention; Figure 13 is a side view of Figure 12; Figure 14 is a partial top view of Figure 12; Figure 15 is an example of a non-transition region weight-flux profile pattern. The x-axis represents the distance from the nearest aperture gap region pixel (in grn). The y axis is the surface mass index value (in 8-bit gray level intensity); Fig. 16 is an example of a surface density index profile scheme including a transition region. The x-axis represents the distance from the closest aperture gap region pixel (in kun). The y-axis is the pfd value (in 8-bit grayscale intensity); and Figure 17 is an example of a fiber orientation index profile scheme. The x-axis represents the distance from the nearest aperture gap region pixel (in inn). The y-axis is the fiber orientation index value (in 8-bit grayscale intensity). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Definitions "Fibrous structure" as used herein means a structure that includes one or more fibrous elements. In one example, a fibrous structure according to the present invention refers to a combination of fibrous elements and particles that together form a structure, such as an integral structure, capable of performing a function. The fibrous structures of the present invention may be homogeneous or may be in layers. If they are in layers, the fibrous structures may comprise at least two and / or at least three and / or at least four and / or at least five layers, for example one or more layers of fibrous elements, one or more layers of particles and / or one or more layers of a mixture of fibrous elements / particles. In one example, in a multi-layered fibrous structure, one or more layers may be formed and / or deposited directly on an existing layer to form a fibrous structure while, in a multi-ply fibrous structure, one or more Existing fibrous structure folds can be combined, for example by thermal bonding, gluing, embossing, linkage, rotary knife punching, die punching, die punching, needle punching, knurling, pneumatic forming, hydraulic forming, laser cutting , tufting and / or other mechanical combining method, with one or more other plies of existing fibrous structure, to form the multi-ply fibrous structure. In one example, the fibrous structure is a multi-ply fibrous structure that has a basis weight of less than 10,000 g / m 2 as measured by the surface mass test method described herein. In one example, the fibrous structure is a fibrous element sheet (fibers and / or filaments, such as continuous filaments), of any nature or origin, which have been formed into a web by any means and may be bound together by any means, except weaving or knitting. The felts obtained by wet milling are not soluble fibrous structures. In one example, a fibrous structure according to the present invention refers to an ordered arrangement of fibrous element within a structure to perform a function. In another example, a fibrous structure of the present invention is an arrangement comprising a plurality of two or more fibrous elements and / or three or more which are entangled or otherwise associated with one another to form a fibrous structure. In yet another example, the fibrous structure of the present invention may comprise, in addition to the fibrous elements of the present invention, one or more solid additives, such as particulates and / or fibers. In one example, the fibrous structure of the present invention is a "one-piece fibrous structure. "One-piece fibrous structure" as used herein is an arrangement comprising a plurality of two or more and / or three or more fibrous elements which are entangled or otherwise associated with one another to form a fibrous structure. An integral fibrous structure of the present invention may be one or more plies within a multi-ply fibrous structure. In one example, an integral fibrous structure of the present invention may comprise three or more different fibrous elements. In another example, an integral fibrous structure of the present invention may comprise two different fibrous elements, for example, a coformed fibrous structure, on which a different fibrous element is deposited to form a fibrous structure comprising three different fibrous elements or more. In one example, a fibrous structure may comprise soluble fibrous elements, for example water-soluble and insoluble fibrous elements, for example insoluble in water. "Soluble fibrous structure" as used herein means the fibrous structure and / or its components, for example more than 0.5% and / or more than 1% and / or more than 5% and / or more of 10% and / or more than 25% and / or more than 50% and / or more than 75% and / or more than 90% and / or more than 95% and / or about 100% by weight of the fibrous structure are soluble, for example soluble in a solvent as soluble in water. In one example, the soluble fibrous structure comprises fibrous elements, wherein at least 50% and / or more than 75% and / or more than 90% and / or more than 95% and / or about 100% by weight of the elements. fibrous within the soluble fibrous structure are soluble. The soluble fibrous structure comprises a plurality of fibrous elements. In one example, the soluble fibrous structure comprises two or more than two and / or three or more different fibrous elements. The soluble fibrous structure and / or its fibrous elements, for example its filaments, constituting the soluble fibrous structure, may comprise one or more active agents, for example an active agent for the care of the tissues, an active agent for the washing of the fibrous structure. crockery, a hard surfactant, an active hair care agent, an active soil care agent, an active skin care agent, an oral care active agent, a medicinal active agent, and mixtures thereof. In one example, a soluble fibrous structure and / or its fibrous elements of the present invention comprise one or more surfactants, one or more enzymes (such as in the form of enzyme spherules), one or more fragrances and / or one or more suds suppressors. In another example, a soluble fibrous structure and / or its fibrous elements of the present invention comprise an adjuvant and / or a chelating agent. In another example, a soluble fibrous structure and / or its fibrous elements of the present invention comprise a bleaching agent (such as an encapsulated bleaching agent). In yet another example, a soluble fibrous structure and / or its fibrous elements of the present invention comprise one or more surfactants and, optionally, one or more fragrances.
[0014] In one example, the soluble fibrous structure of the present invention is a water-soluble fibrous structure. In one example, the soluble fibrous structure of the present invention has a basis weight of less than 10,000 g / m 2 and / or less than 5,000 g / m 2 and / or less than 5,000 g / m 2 and / or less than 2,000 g / m 2. m2 and / or less than 1000 g / m2 and / or less than 500 g / m2 as measured by the surface mass test method described herein. A "fibrous element" as used herein refers to an elongate particulate material having a length that is significantly greater than its average diameter, i.e., a length to average diameter ratio of at least about 10. fibrous element 10 may be a filament or a fiber. In one example, the fibrous element is a single fibrous element rather than a wire comprising a plurality of fibrous elements. The fibrous elements of the present invention may be spun from fibrous element forming compositions also referred to as fibrous element forming compositions through appropriate operations of a spinning process, such as melting. blowing, spunbonding, electro-spinning and / or spinning. The fibrous elements of the present invention may be monocomponent and / or multicomponent. For example, the fibrous elements may comprise fibers and / or bicomponent filaments. The bicomponent fibers and / or filaments can be in any form, such as side-by-side, core and sheath, islets in the sea and the like.
[0015] In one example, the fibrous element, which may be a filament and / or a fiber and / or a filament which has been cut into smaller fragments (fibers) of the filament, may have a length greater than or equal to 0.254 cm (0. , 1 ") and / or greater than or equal to 1.27 cm (0.5 in) and / or greater than or equal to 2.54 cm (1.0 in) and / or greater than or equal to 5.08 cm ( 2 inches) and / or greater than or equal to 3 inches and / or greater than or equal to 10 centimeters (4 inches) and / or greater than or equal to 15.24 centimeters (6 inches). In one example, a fiber of the present invention has a length of less than 5.08 cm (2 inches). "Filament" as used herein means an elongated particulate material as described above. In one example, a filament is greater than or equal to 5.08 cm (2 in) and / or greater than or equal to 7.62 cm (3 in) and / or greater than or equal to 10.16 cm (4 in po) and / or greater than or equal to 15.24 cm (6 in). Filaments are typically considered continuous or essentially continuous in nature. The filaments are relatively longer than the fibers. The 3027035 filaments are relatively longer than the fibers. Non-limiting examples of filaments include meltblown filaments and / or spunbonded filaments. In one example, one or more fibers may be formed from a filament of the present invention, such as when the filaments are cut to shorter lengths. Thus, in one example, the present invention also includes a fiber made from a filament of the present invention, such as a fiber comprising one or more fibrous element materials and one or more additives, such as active agents. For this reason, references to a filament and / or filaments of the present invention also include fibers made from such filament and / or filaments unless otherwise indicated. Fibers are typically considered inherently discontinuous with respect to filaments, which are considered continuous by nature. Non-limiting examples of fibrous elements include meltblown and / or direct-formed fibrous elements. Non-limiting examples of polymers that can be spun into fibrous elements include natural polymers, such as starch, starch derivatives, cellulose, such as rayon and / or lyocell, and cellulose derivatives. hemicellulose, hemicellulose derivatives and synthetic polymers including, but not limited to, thermoplastic polymer filaments, such as polyesters, nylons, polyolefins such as polypropylene filaments, polyethylene filaments and thermoplastic fibers Biodegradable such as poly (lactic acid) filaments, polyhydroxyalkanoate filaments, polyesteramide filaments and polycaprolactone filaments. Depending on the polymer and / or composition from which the fibrous elements are made, the fibrous elements may be soluble or insoluble.
[0016] A "fibrous element forming composition" as used herein refers to a composition that is suitable for making a fibrous element, for example a filament, of the present invention, such as by meltblowing and / or spunbonding. -linked. The fibrous element forming composition comprises one or more fibrous element materials having properties that make them suitable for spinning into a fibrous element, for example a filament. In one example, the fibrous element material comprises a polymer. In addition to the fibrous element-forming material (s), the fibrous element forming composition may comprise one or more additives, for example, one or more active agents. In addition, the fibrous element forming composition may comprise one or more polar solvents, such as water, in which one or more, for example all, fibrous element materials and / or one or more, for example all active agents are dissolved and / or dispersed. In an example as illustrated in Figure 1, a fibrous element 10, for example a filament, of the present invention composed of a fibrous element forming composition of the present invention, is such that one or more additives, for example one or more active agents 12, may be present in the fibrous element 10, for example the filament, rather than the fibrous element 10, as a coating. The total content of fibrous element materials and the total level of active agents present in the fibrous element forming composition may be any suitable amount as long as the fibrous elements, for example the filaments, of the present invention. invention are produced therefrom. In one example, one or more additives, such as active agents, may be present in the fibrous element and one or more additional additives, such as active agents, may be present on a surface of the fibrous element. In another example, a fibrous element of the present invention may comprise one or more additives, such as active agents, that are present in the fibrous element during its initial manufacture, but then hatch at a surface of the fibrous element. before and / or when exposed to the intended use conditions of the fibrous element.
[0017] In another example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a soluble fibrous structure 14 of the present invention may comprise two or more different layers 16, 18 (in the z direction of the soluble fibrous structure 14) of fibrous elements. 10, e.g., filaments, of the present invention, which form the soluble fibrous structure 14. The fibrous elements 10 in the layer 16 may be the same or different from the fibrous elements 10 of the layer 18. Each layer 16, 18 may comprise a plurality of identical or substantially identical or different fibrous elements. For example, the fibrous elements that can release their active agents at a higher rate than others within the soluble fibrous structure 14 can be positioned on an outer surface of the soluble fibrous structure 14.
[0018] A "fibrous element material" as used herein refers to a material, such as a polymer or monomers capable of producing a polymer that has properties suitable for making a fibrous element. In one example, the fibrous element material comprises one or more substituted polymers such as anionic, cationic, zwitterionic, and / or nonionic polymer. In another example, the polymer may comprise a hydroxyl polymer, such as a polyvinyl alcohol ("PVOH") and / or a polysaccharide, such as starch and / or a starch derivative, such as an ethoxylated starch and / or acid-bleached starch. In another example, the polymer may include polyethylenes and / or terephthalates. In yet another example, the fibrous element material is a soluble material in a polar solvent. A "particle" as used herein refers to a solid additive, such as a powder, a granule, a capsule, a microcapsule, and / or a nugget. In one example, the fibrous elements and / or fibrous structures of the present invention may have one or more particles. The particles may be in the fibrous elements (within the fibrous elements, such as the active agents) and / or between the fibrous elements (between the fibrous elements within a soluble fibrous structure. Fibrous elements and / or fibrous structures comprising particles are described in US 2013/0172226. In one example, the particle has an average particle size of 1600 gm or less as measured by the medium-size test method. In another example, the particle has an average particle size of from about 1 g to about 1600 μm and / or from about 1 μm to about 800 μm and / or from about 5 μm to about 1 μm. 500 gin and / or from about 10 gm to about 3001am and / or from about 10 μm to about 100 gm and / or from about 10 g to about 50 pm and / or from about 10 gm to about 30 gm. gm as measured according to the test method of the average particle size described herein. The shape of the particle may be in the form of spheres, rods, plates, tubes, squares, rectangles, discs, stars, fibers or may have regular or irregular random shapes. An "active agent-containing particle" as used herein refers to a solid additive comprising one or more active agents. In one example, the particle containing an active agent is an active agent in the form of a particle (in other words, the particle comprises 100% active agent (s)). The particle containing an active agent may have an average particle size of 1600 μm or less as measured by the average particle size test method described herein. In another example, the active agent-containing particle has an average particle size of from about 1 μm to about 1600 μm and / or from about 1 μm to about 800 μm and / or from about 5 μm to about 500 μm. and / or from about 10 μm to about 300 μm and / or from about 10 μm to about 100 μm and / or from about 101 μm to about 50 μm and / or from about 101 μm to about 30 μm. as measured by the average particle size test method described herein. In one example, one or more of the active agents is in the form of a particle that has an average particle size of 20 microns or less as measured by the average particle size test method described herein.
[0019] In one example of the present invention, the fibrous structure comprises a plurality of particles, for example particles containing an active agent, and a plurality of fibrous elements in a weight ratio of particles, for example particles containing an active agent, on fibrous elements of 1: 100 or more and / or 1:50 or more and / or 1:10 or more and / or 1: 3 or more and / or 1: 2 or more and / or 1: 1 or more and or about 7: 1 to about 1: 100 and / or about 7: 1 to about 1:50 and / or about 7: 1 to about 1:10 and / or about 7: 1 to about 1: 3 and / or about 6: 1 to 1: 2 and / or about 5: 1 to about 1: 1 and / or about 4: 1 to about 1: 1 and / or from about 3: 1 to about 1.5: 1. In another example of the present invention, the fibrous structure comprises a plurality of particles, for example, particles containing an active agent, and a plurality of fibrous elements in a weight ratio of particles, e.g. active agent, on fibrous elements ranging from about 7: 1 to about 1: 1 and / or from about 7: 1 to about 1.5: 1 and / or from about 7: 1 to about 3: 1 and / or or from about 6: 1 to about 3: 1. In still another example of the present invention, the fibrous structure 20 comprises a plurality of particles, for example particles containing an active agent, and a plurality of fibrous elements in a weight ratio of particles, for example, particles containing an active agent, on fibrous elements ranging from about 1: 1 to about 1: 100 and / or from about 1: 2 to about 1:50 and / or from about 1: 3 to about 1:50 and / or from about 1: 3 to about 1:10.
[0020] In another example, the fibrous structure of the present invention comprises a plurality of particles, for example particles containing active agents, at a particle mass per unit area greater than 1 g / m 2 and / or greater than 10 g / m 2 and and / or greater than 20 g / m2 and / or greater than 30 g / m2 and / or greater than 40 g / m2 and / or from about 1 g / m2 to about 5000 g / m2 and / or about 3500 g / m2 m 2 and / or about 2000 g / m 2 and / or from about 1 g / m 2 to about 1000 g / m 2 and / or from about 10 g / m 2 to about 400 g / m 2 and / or about 20 g / m 2 g / m 2 at about 300 g / m 2 and / or about 30 g / m 2 to about 200 g / m 2 and / or about 40 g / m 2 to about 100 g / m 2 as measured by the mass per unit area described herein.
[0021] In another example, the fibrous structure of the present invention comprises a plurality of fibrous elements with a basis weight greater than 1 g / m 2 and / or greater than 10 g / m 2 and / or greater than 20 g / m 2 and or greater than 30 g / m2 and / or greater than 40 g / m2 and / or from about 1 g / m2 to about 10,000 g / m2 and / or from about 10 g / m2 to about 5000 g / m2 and / or at about 3000 g / m 2 and / or at about 2000 g / m 2 and / or from about 20 g / m 2 to about 2000 g / m 2 and / or from about 30 g / m 2 to about 1000 g / m 2 / and / or from about 30 g / m 2 to about 500 g / m 2 and / or from about 30 g / m 2 to about 300 g / m 2 and / or from about 40 g / m 2 to about 100 g / m 2 and or from about 40 g / m 2 to about 80 g / m 2 as measured by the surface mass test method described herein. In one example, the fibrous structure comprises two or more layers, wherein the fibrous elements are present in at least one of the layers at a basis weight of from about 1 g / m 2 to about 500 g / m 2. An "additive" as used herein refers to any material present in the fibrous element of the present invention that is not a fibrous element material. In one example, an additive comprises an active agent. In another example, an additive comprises a processing aid. In yet another example, an additive includes a charge. In one example, an additive comprises any material present in the fibrous element for which its absence of the fibrous element would not cause a loss of the fibrous element structure of the fibrous element, in others In other words, its absence does not cause a loss of the solid form of the fibrous element. In another example, an additive, for example, an active agent, comprises a non-polymeric material. In another example, an additive comprises a plasticizer for the fibrous element. Non-limiting examples of plasticizers suitable for the present invention include polyethers, copolyols, polycarboxylic acids, polyesters and dimethicone copolyols. Examples of useful polyols include, but are not limited to, glycerin, diglycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, butylene glycol, pentylene glycol, cyclohexane dimethanol, hexanediol, 2,2,4-trimethylpentane-1,3-diol, polyethylene glycol (200-600), pentaerythritol, carbohydrate alcohols such as sorbitol, manitol, lactitol and other monohydric and polyhydric alcohols of low molecular weight (e.g., C2 to C8 alcohols); mono, di and oligosaccharides such as fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, lactose, high fructose corn syrup solids and dextrins and ascorbic acid. In one example, the plasticizer includes glycerin and / or propylene glycol and / or glycerol derivatives such as propoxylated glycerol. In yet another example, the plasticizer is selected from the group consisting of glycerine, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycidol, urea, sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol, sugars, ethylene bisformamide, amino acids, and mixtures thereof. in another example, an additive comprises a crosslinking agent adapted to crosslink one or more of the fibrous element-forming materials present in the fibrous elements of the present invention. In one example, the crosslinking agent comprises a crosslinking agent capable of crosslinking hydroxyl polymers together, for example via the hydroxyl moieties of the hydroxyl polymers. Non-limiting examples of suitable crosslinking agents include imidazolidinones, polycarboxylic acids and mixtures thereof. In one example, the crosslinking agent comprises a glyoxal urea adduct crosslinking agent, for example a dihydroxyimidazolidinone, such as dihydroxyethylene urea ("DHEU"). A crosslinking agent may be present in the fibrous element forming composition and / or the fibrous element of the present invention in order to regulate the solubility of the fibrous element and / or the dissolution in a solvent, such as a polar solvent. In another example, an additive comprises a rheology modifying agent, such as a shear modifier and / or an extensional modifier. Non-limiting examples of rheology modifiers include, but are not limited to, polyacrylamide, polyurethanes, and polyacrylates that may be used in the fibrous elements of the present invention. Non-limiting examples of rheology modifying agents are commercially available from The Dow Chemical Company (Midland, MI). In yet another example, an additive comprises one or more dyes and / or dyes that are incorporated into the fibrous elements of the present invention to provide a visual signal when the fibrous elements are exposed to the intended use conditions and / or when an active agent is released from the fibrous elements and / or when the morphology of the fibrous element changes. In yet another example, an additive comprises one or more anti-adhesive agents and / or lubricants. Non-limiting examples of suitable release and / or lubricant agents include fatty acids, fatty acid salts, fatty alcohols, fatty esters, sulfonated fatty acid esters, fatty amine acetates, and the like. , a fatty amide, silicones, aminosilicones, fluoropolymers, and mixtures thereof. In one example, the release and / or lubricant agents are applied to the fibrous element, in other words, after the fibrous element is formed. In one example, one or more anti-adhesive agents / lubricants are applied to the fibrous element prior to collecting fibrous elements on a collection device to form a fibrous structure. In another example, one or more anti-adhesive agents / lubricants are applied to a soluble fibrous structure formed from the fibrous elements of the present invention prior to contact with one or more soluble fibrous structures, such as in a stack of fibrous structures. soluble. In yet another example, one or more anti-adhesive agents / lubricants are applied to the fibrous element of the present invention and / or to a fibrous structure comprising the fibrous element before the fibrous element and / or the fibrous structure. come into contact with a surface such as a surface of the equipment used in a treatment system to facilitate removal of the fibrous element and / or the soluble fibrous structure and / or to prevent layers of fibrous elements and / or layers of soluble fibrous structures of the present invention do not stick to each other, even inadvertently. In one example, the release agents / lubricants include particulate matter.
[0022] In yet another example, an additive comprises one or more anti-clogging and / or tack reducing agents. Non-limiting examples of suitable anti-blocking and / or tack reducing agents include starches, starch derivatives, cross-linked polyvinylpyrrolidone, cross-linked cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, silica, metal oxides, calcium carbonate, talc, mica, and mixtures thereof. The "intended use conditions" as used herein refer to the temperature, physical, chemical, and / or mechanical conditions to which the fibrous element of the present invention is exposed when the fibrous element is used for or more of its design goals. For example, if a fibrous element and / or a soluble fibrous structure comprising a fibrous element is designed for use in a washing machine for laundry care purposes, the intended conditions of use include such temperature conditions, chemical , physical and / or mechanical present in a washing machine, including any wash water, during a laundry operation. In another example, if a fibrous element and / or a soluble fibrous structure comprising a fibrous element is designed for use by a human as a shampoo for hair care purposes, the intended conditions of use will include such conditions of temperature, chemical, physical and / or mechanical present during the shampooing of human hair.
[0023] Similarly, if a fibrous element and / or a soluble fibrous structure comprising a fibrous element is designed to be used in a dishwashing operation, by hand or by a dishwasher, the conditions of use The invention will include the temperature, chemical, physical and / or mechanical conditions present in a dishwashing water and / or dishwashing machine during the dishwashing operation. An "active agent" as used herein means an additive that produces an intended effect in an external environment to a fibrous element and / or a soluble fibrous structure comprising a fibrous element of the present invention, such as when fibrous element is exposed to the intended use conditions of the fibrous element and / or a soluble fibrous structure comprising a fibrous element. In one example, an active agent includes an additive that processes a surface, such as a hard surface (i.e., kitchen worktops, bathtubs, toilets, toilet bowls, sinks , floors, walls, teeth, cars, windows, mirrors, dishes) and / or a soft-touch surface (i.e., fabric, hair, skin, a rug, crops, plants). In another example, an active agent comprises an additive that creates a chemical reaction (i.e., foam, sparkling, coloring, warming, cooling, foaming, disinfecting and / or clarifying and / or chlorination, such as clarification of water and / or disinfection of water and / or chlorination of water). In yet another example, an active agent comprises an additive that processes an environment (i.e., deodorizes, purifies, scents the air). In one example, the active agent is formed in situ, as during the formation of the fibrous element containing the active agent, for example, the fibrous element may comprise a water-soluble polymer (eg, starch) and a surfactant (e.g., anionic surfactant), which can create a polymer or coacervate complex that functions as an active agent used to treat textile surfaces. "Treated" as used herein with respect to treating a surface means that the active agent provides a beneficial effect to a surface or environment. Treating includes regulating and / or immediately improving the appearance, cleanliness, odor, purity and / or feel of a surface or environment. In one example, treating with reference to the treatment of a surface of a keratinous tissue (e.g., skin and / or hair) means regulating and / or immediately improving the cosmetic appearance and / or sensation of the tissue. keratin. For example, "regulating the condition of the skin, hair, or nails (keratin tissue)" includes: thickening of the skin, hair, or nails (eg, developing the epidermis and / or dermis, and sub-dermal layers [eg, subcutaneous fat or muscle] of the skin and, if appropriate, the keratin layers of the nail and the hair shaft) to reduce skin atrophy, hair or nails, increase the circumvolution of the dermal-epidermal border (also known as the network of dermal papillae), a prevention of loss of elasticity of the skin or hair (loss, damage and / or inactivation of functional elastin of the skin) such as elastosis, sagging, loss of return of skin or hair after deformity; 1 () change caused by melanin or not in the coloring of skin, hair or nails, such as under eye circles, stains (eg, irregular red discolouration caused by eg rosacea) -after called "rosacea"), pallor (pale color), discoloration caused by telangiectasia or spider vessels and graying hair.
[0024] In another example, treating means removing stains and / or odors from textile articles, such as clothes, towels, linens, and / or hard surfaces, such as worktops and / or the like. dishes, including cookware. An "active tissue care agent" as used herein refers to an active agent which, when applied to tissue, provides a beneficial effect and / or an improvement to the tissue. Non-limiting examples of beneficial effects and / or improvements to tissue include cleaning (eg, by surfactants), stain removal, stain reduction, wrinkle removal, restoration of color, antistatic control, wrinkle resistance, permanent pressing, wear reduction, wear resistance, pilling, pilling resistance, dirt removal, dirt resistance (including, soil release), shape retention, shrinkage reduction, softness, fragrance, anti-bacterial effect, antiviral effect, odor resistance, and odor removal. An "active dishwashing agent" as used herein refers to an active agent which, when applied to dishes, glassware, jars, pans, utensils and / or cooking plates provides a beneficial effect and / or improvement to dishes, glassware, plastic items, pots, pans and / or hobs. Non-limiting examples of beneficial effects and / or improvements to dishware, glassware, plastic articles, jars, stoves, utensils, and / or cooking plates include food elimination. and / or soiling, cleaning (eg, with surfactants), stain removal, stain reduction, fat removal, water stain removal and / or water stains, care of glass and metals, sanitation, shine, and polishing.
[0025] An "active hard surface active agent" as used herein means an active agent which, when applied to floors, worktops, sinks, windows, mirrors, showers, bathtubs and / or toilets , provides a beneficial effect and / or improvement to floors, countertops, sinks, windows, mirrors, showers, bathtubs, and / or toilets. Non-limiting examples of beneficial effects and / or improvements to floors, countertops, sinks, windows, mirrors, showers, baths, and / or toilets include the removal of food and / or soiling, cleaning (eg, by surfactants), stain removal, stain reduction, fat removal, water stain removal and / or water stain prevention, elimination limestone, disinfection, shine, polishing, and refreshing.
[0026] An "active agent beneficial to beauty" as used herein refers to an active agent that can provide one or more benefits for beauty. An "active agent for skin care" as used herein refers to an active agent which, when applied to the skin, provides a beneficial effect or improvement to the skin. It is to be understood that active agents for skin care are useful not only for application to the skin, but also to hair, scalp, nails and other mammalian keratin tissues. An "active agent for hair care" as used herein refers to an active agent which, when applied to mammalian hair, provides a beneficial effect and / or improvement to the hair. Non-limiting examples of beneficial effects and / or improvements to the hair include softness, static prevention, hair repair, dandruff removal, dandruff resistance, hair coloring , maintaining their shape, fighting hair loss and hair growth. "Weight ratio" as used herein refers to the material forming the dry fibrous element and / or the base of the dry fibrous element, for example the filament (g or%) on a weight basis. dry in the fibrous element, for example filming, on the weight of the additive, such as the active agent (s) (s) (g or%) on a dry weight basis in the fibrous element, for example the filament.
[0027] A "hydroxyl polymer" as used herein includes any hydroxyl-containing polymer that can be incorporated into a fibrous element of the present invention, for example, in the form of a fibrous element-forming material. . In one example, the hydroxylated polymer of the present invention includes greater than 10% and / or more than 20% and / or more than 25% by weight of hydroxyl moieties. "Biodegradable" as used herein means, with respect to a material, such as a fibrous element as a whole and / or a polymer within a fibrous element, such as a fibrous element material, that the fibrous elements and / or the polymer are susceptible to and / or undergo physical, chemical, thermal and / or biological degradation in a municipal solid waste composting facility such that at least 5% and / or at least 7% and / or at least 10% of the original fibrous and / or polymer elements are converted to carbon dioxide after 30 days, as measured by the OECD (1992) Directive for the testing of chemicals 301B; CO2 evolution test - easy biodegradability (modified Sturm 15 test). "Non-biodegradable" as used herein means, with respect to a material, such as a fibrous element as a whole and / or a polymer within a fibrous element, such as fibrous element material that the fibrous elements and / or the polymer are not susceptible to physical, chemical, thermal and / or biological degradation in a municipal solid waste composting facility such that at least 5% of the fibrous elements and The original polymer (s) are converted to carbon dioxide after 30 days as measured by the OECD (1992) guideline for 301B chemical testing; the CO2 evolution test easy biodegradability (modified Sturm test). "Non-thermoplastic" as used herein means, with respect to a material such as a fibrous element as a whole and / or a polymer within a fibrous element, such as an element-forming material. fibrous, that the fibrous element and / or the polymer do not have a melting point and / or softening point, which allows them to flow under pressure, in the absence of a plasticizer, such as water, glycerin, sorbitol, urea and the like. A "non-thermoplastic biodegradable fibrous element" as used herein refers to a fibrous element that has the properties of being biodegradable and non-thermoplastic, as defined above.
[0028] A "non-thermoplastic non-biodegradable fibrous element" as used herein refers to a fibrous element that exhibits the properties of being non-biodegradable and non-thermoplastic, as previously defined. "Thermoplastic" as used herein means, with respect to a material, such as a fibrous element as a whole and / or a polymer within a fibrous element, such as an element-forming material. fibrous, that the fibrous element and / or polymer have a melting point and / or a softening point at a certain temperature, which allows it to flow under pressure, in the absence of a plasticizer. A "thermoplastic biodegradable fibrous element" as used herein refers to a fibrous element which has the properties of being biodegradable and thermoplastic as defined above. A "non-biodegradable thermoplastic fibrous element" as used herein refers to a fibrous element that has the properties of being non-biodegradable and thermoplastic, as previously defined. "Cellulose-free" as used herein means less than 5% and / or less than 3% and / or less than 1% and / or less than 0.1% and / or 0% by weight. The weight of a cellulosic polymer, a cellulose derivative polymer and / or a cellulosic copolymer is present in the fibrous element. In one example, "not containing cellulose" means less than 5% and / or less than 3% and / or less than 1% and / or less than 0.1% and / or 0% by weight of a cellulosic polymer is present in the fibrous element. A "polar solvent-soluble material" as used herein refers to a material that is miscible in a polar solvent. In one example, a material soluble in a polar solvent is miscible in alcohol and / or water. In other words, a material soluble in a polar solvent is a material which is capable of forming a stable homogeneous solution (does not separate in phases more than 5 minutes after forming the homogeneous solution) with a polar solvent, such as alcohol and / or water under ambient conditions. "Alcohol-soluble material" as used herein refers to a material that is miscible with alcohol. In other words, a material which is capable of forming a stable homogeneous solution (does not separate in phases more than 5 minutes after forming the homogeneous solution) with an alcohol under ambient conditions. A "water-soluble material" as used herein refers to a material that is miscible in water. In other words, a material which is capable of forming a stable homogeneous solution (does not separate more than 5 minutes after forming the homogeneous solution) with water under ambient conditions. "Apolar solvent soluble material" as used herein refers to a material that is miscible in an apolar solvent. In other words, a material soluble in an apolar solvent is a material which is capable of forming a stable homogeneous solution (do not separate in phases more than 5 minutes after forming the homogeneous solution) with an apolar solvent in ambient conditions. The "ambient conditions" as used herein refer to 73 ° F ± 4 ° F (about 23 ° C ± 2.2 ° C) and a relative humidity of 50% ± 10%.
[0029] "Weight average molecular weight" as used herein means the weight average molecular weight as determined by the weight average molecular weight method described herein. "Length," as used herein, with respect to a fibrous element, refers to the length along the longest axis of the fibrous element from one end portion to the other end portion. If a fibrous element has a kink, loop, or curve, then the length is the length along the entire path of the fibrous element. The "diameter" as used herein, relative to a fibrous element, is measured according to the diameter test method described herein. In one example, a fibrous member of the present invention has a diameter of less than 100 μm and / or less than 75 μm and / or less than 50 μm and / or less than 25 μm and / or less than 20 ktm and / or less than 15 μm and / or less than 10 μm and / or less than 6 μm and / or greater than 1 and / or greater than 3 μm. A "trigger condition," as used herein in an example, refers to anything, that is, an action or event, that serves as a stimulus and initiates or precipitates a change in the fibrous element, such as loss or modification of the physical structure of the fibrous element and / or release of an additive, such as an active agent. In another example, the triggering condition may be present in an environment, such as water, when a fibrous element and / or a soluble fibrous structure of the present invention is added to water. In other words, nothing changes in the water except that the fibrous element and / or the fibrous structure and / or the film of the present invention are added to the water.
[0030] "Morphology changes" as used herein with respect to a change in morphology of a fibrous element means that the fibrous element undergoes a change in its physical structure. Non-limiting examples of morphological changes for a fibrous element of the present invention include dissolution, fusion, swelling, shrinkage, splitting, explosion, elongation, shortening, and combinations thereof. The fibrous elements of the present invention may lose completely or substantially their fibrous element physical structure or they may have their modified morphology or they may retain or substantially retain their fibrous element physical structure when exposed to the conditions of the fibrous element. intended use. "By weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or on a dry fibrous structure basis" means the weight of the fibrous element and / or fibrous structure, measured immediately after the fibrous element and / or the fibrous structure, was conditioned in a conditioned room at a temperature of 23 ° C. ± 1 ° C. and a relative humidity of 50% ± 2% for 2 hours. In one example, "by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry fibrous structure base" means that the fibrous element and / or the fibrous structure comprises less than 20% and / or less than 15% and and / or less than 10% and / or less than 7% and / or less than 5% and / or less than 3% and / or up to 0% and / or up to more than 0% based on the weight of the fibrous element and / or the fibrous moisture structure, such as water, for example, free water, as measured by the water content test method described herein. A "total rate" as used herein, for example, relative to the total rate of one or more active agents present in the fibrous element and / or the fibrous structure, refers to the sum of the weights or percent by weight of all the materials concerned, for example, the active agents. In other words, a fibrous element and / or a fibrous structure may comprise 25% by weight on a dry fibrous element base and / or a dry fibrous structure base of an anionic surfactant, 15% by weight on a dry fibrous element base and / or a dry fibrous structure base of a nonionic surfactant, 10% by weight of a chelating agent and 5% of a perfume, so that the total amount of agents The active ingredients present in the fibrous element are greater than 50%, ie 55% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry fibrous structure base. A "detergent product," as used herein, refers to a solid form, for example, a rectangular solid, sometimes referred to as a sheet, which comprises one or more active agents, for example, an active agent for the care fabrics, an active dishwashing agent, a hard surface active agent, and mixtures thereof. In one example, a detergent product of the present invention comprises one or more surfactants, one or more enzymes, one or more fragrances and / or one or more suds suppressors.
[0031] In another example, a detergent product of the present invention comprises an adjuvant and / or a chelating agent. In another example, a detergent product of the present invention comprises a bleaching agent. In one example, the detergent product comprises a web, for example, a fibrous structure.
[0032] A "web" as used herein refers to a collection of formed fibrous elements (fibers and / or filaments), such as a fibrous structure and / or a detergent product formed of fibers and / or filaments. , such as continuous filaments, of any nature or origin associated with each other. In one example, the web is a rectangular solid comprising fibers and / or filaments which are formed through a spinning process, not a casting process. "Particulate matter" as used herein refers to granular substances and / or powders. In one example, the filaments and / or fibers can be converted into powders. "Different from" or "different" as used herein means, with respect to a material, such as a fibrous element as a whole and / or fibrous element material within a fibrous element. and / or an active agent within a fibrous element, a material, such as a fibrous element and / or a fibrous element material and / or an active agent, is chemically, physically and / or structurally different from another material, such as a fibrous element and / or fibrous element material and / or an active agent. For example, a fibrous element material in the form of a filament is different from the same fibrous element material in the form of a fiber. Similarly, starch is different from cellulose. However, different molecular weights of the same material, such as different molecular weights of a starch, are not materials different from each other for purposes of the present invention.
[0033] "Random blend of polymers" as used herein means that two or more different fibrous element materials are randomly combined to form a fibrous element. Thus, two or more different fibrous element materials that are orderedly combined to form a fibrous element, such as a core and sheath two-component fibrous element, is not a random mixture of fibrous element-forming materials for the purposes of the present invention. "Associate," "associate," "association," and / or "associate," as used herein with respect to fibrous elements and / or a particle refers to the combination, or in direct contact or in indirect contact with fibrous elements and / or particles such that a fibrous structure is formed. In one example, the fibrous elements and / or associated particles may be bonded together, for example, by adhesives and / or thermal bonds. In another example, the fibrous elements and / or particles may be associated with each other by being deposited on the same belt and / or belt with fiber structure fabrication patterns. "Aperture" as used herein means an orifice or void space or indentation in a fibrous structure that is distinct from the surrounding fibrous structure. In one example, an opening may comprise any feature in which there is a localized dislocation of the fibrous structure. In one example, an opening may include local indentation or localized dislocation based on the weight, thickness, or gauge of the fibrous structure. In another example, an opening may be an opening in a fibrous structure, wherein the opening passes substantially or wholly through the two generally planar surfaces of the fibrous structure, through a generally planar surface of the fibrous structure or even through through any of the planar surfaces of the fibrous structure. In another example, an opening may be an opening in the fibrous structure, in which there is complete opening, partial opening, or even no apparent opening. In yet another example, an aperture may include a feature that is an emboss in the fibrous structure. In yet another example, an aperture is an internal feature of a fibrous structure and / or a multi-ply fibrous structure, wherein for example the aperture characteristic may be present on an inner fold of a fibrous structure having multiple folds. In yet another example, an aperture includes an orifice or gap or indentation in a fibrous structure, wherein the orifice or void space or indentation is an orifice, void space or nonrandom indentation. and / or designed and / or manufactured rather than a random pore that exists between and / or among fibrous elements of a fibrous structure resulting from the collection and intertwining of fibrous elements on a collection device.
[0034] Non-limiting examples of openings within fibrous structures of the present invention are illustrated in Figures 3A-6. As used herein, the articles "a" and "an" when As used herein, for example, "anionic surfactant" or "fiber" is intended to mean one or more of the materials that are claimed or described. All percentages and ratios are calculated by weight unless otherwise indicated. All percentages and ratios are calculated on the basis of total composition unless otherwise indicated. Unless otherwise indicated, all levels of the components or compositions are referenced to the active level of that component or composition and exclude impurities, for example, residual solvents or by-products, which may be present in feedstocks. commercially available. Fibrous Structure The fibrous structure, for example the soluble fibrous structure, of the present invention comprises a plurality of fibrous elements, for example, a plurality of filaments. In one example, the plurality of fibrous elements are entangled mutually to form a soluble fibrous structure. In one example of the present invention, the fibrous structure is a soluble fibrous structure, for example a water-soluble fibrous structure. In another example of the present invention, the fibrous structure comprises one or more openings and thus constitutes an open-ended fibrous structure. In one example, the fibrous structure comprises a plurality of openings. The openings can be arranged in a non-random repeating pattern.
[0035] The openings within the open fibrous structure of the present invention may be of virtually any shape and size. In one example, openings within fibrous apertured structures are generally round or oblong in a regular pattern of spaced orifices. In one example, the fibrous structure comprises two or more apertures that are spaced from each other at a distance of about 0.2 mm to about 100 mm and / or from about 0.5 mm to about 10 mm. The creation of fibrous structure openings, for example, soluble fibrous structures can be achieved by any number of techniques. For example, the creation of apertures can be achieved by various methods involving bonding and stretching, such as those described in US Pat. Nos. 3,949,127 and 5,873,868. In one embodiment, the apertures can be formed by forming a plurality of spaced, melt stabilized regions and then circularly calendering the web to stretch the web and form openings in the melt stabilized regions as described in US Pat. No. 5,628,097 and 5,916,661. In another embodiment, the apertures may be formed in a multi-layered fibrous structure configuration by the method disclosed in US Patent Nos. 6,830,800 and 6,863,960. Yet another method of creating 10 is disclosed in US Pat. No. 8,241,543 entitled "Method And Apparatus For Making An Apertured Web". Non-limiting examples of methods for creating openings in a fibrous structure of the present invention include embossing, linkage, rotary knife punching, broaching, die punching, die punching, needle punching, knurling, crush cutting, Shear cutting, pneumatic training, hydraulic training, laser cutting and tufting. In one example, the fibrous structure of the present invention comprises apertures made by broaching. In another example, the fibrous structure of the present invention comprises openings made by braking. In another example, the fibrous structure of the present invention comprises apertures made by rotary knife perforation. In yet another example, the fibrous structure of the present invention may include apertures that have been imparted to the fibrous structure by different types of aperturing methods. In one example, the openings may be imparted to a fibrous structure during formation of the fibrous structure on a collection device, such as a patterned belt, which has features, for example depressions and / or projections which provide openings to the fibrous structure when the fibrous elements come into contact with the collection device during formation. While the fibrous element and / or fibrous structure of the present invention is in solid form, the fibrous element forming composition used to make the fibrous elements of the present invention may be in the form of a liquid. In one example, the fibrous structure comprises a plurality of identical or substantially identical fibrous elements from a compositional point of view according to the present invention. In another example, the fibrous structure may comprise two or more different fibrous elements according to the present invention. Non-limiting examples of differences in the fibrous elements may be physical differences such as differences in diameter, length, texture, shape, stiffness, elasticity and the like; chemical differences such as level of crosslinking, solubility, melting point, Tg, active agent, fibrous element material, color, level of active agent, surface weight level of fiber-forming material, presence of any coating on the fibrous element, biodegradable or not, hydrophobic or not, contact angle and the like; differences in whether the fibrous element loses its physical structure when the fibrous element is exposed to the conditions of intended use; differences in whether the morphology of the fibrous element changes or not when the fibrous element is exposed to the conditions of intended use; and differences in rate at which the fibrous element releases one or more of its active agents when the fibrous element is exposed to the intended use conditions. In one example, two or more fibrous elements within the fibrous structure may comprise the same fibrous element material, but have different active agents. This may be the case when the different active agents may be incompatible with each other, for example, an anionic surfactant (such as an active shampoo agent) and a cationic surfactant (such as an active conditioning agent for the hair). Non-limiting examples of differences in the fibrous elements may be physical differences such as differences in diameter, length, texture, shape, stiffness, elasticity and the like; chemical differences such as crosslinking level, solubility, melting point, Tg, active agent, fibrous element material, color, level of active agent, level of fibrous element material, presence of any coating on the fibrous element, biodegradable or not, hydrophobic or otherwise, contact angle and the like; differences in whether the fibrous element loses its physical structure when the fibrous element is exposed to the conditions of intended use; differences in whether the morphology of the fibrous element changes or not when the fibrous element is exposed to the conditions of intended use; and differences in the rate at which the fibrous element releases one or more of its active agents when the fibrous element is exposed to the intended use conditions. In another example, the fibrous structure may have different regions, such as different regions by weight per unit area, density and / or thickness. In yet another example, the fibrous structure may comprise a texture on one or more of its surfaces. A surface of the fibrous structure may comprise a pattern, such as a non-random repeating pattern. The fibrous structure can be embossed with an embossing pattern. In one example, the fibrous structure may comprise individual regions of fibrous elements that differ from other parts of the fibrous structure. The fibrous structure and / or fibrous elements of the present invention may be used as is or may be coated with one or more active agents. In one example, the fibrous structure of the present invention has a thickness greater than 0.01 mm and / or greater than 0.05 min and / or greater than 0.1 mm and / or up to about 100 mm and / or or up to about 50 mm and / or up to about 20 mm and / or up to about 10 mm and / or up to about 5 mm and / or up to about 2 mm and / or up to about 0.5 mm and / or up to about 0.3 min as measured by the thickness test method described herein. In another example, the fibrous structure of the present invention has a geometric mean tensile strength (GM) of about 200 g / cm or more and / or about 500 g / cm or more and / or about 1000 g / cm 2 cm or more and / or about 1500 g / cm or more and / or about 2000 g / cm or more and / or less than 5000 g / cm and / or less than 4000 g / cm and / or less than 3000 g / cm and / or less than 2500 g / cm as measured by the tensile test method described herein.
[0036] In another example, the fibrous structure of the present invention has a geometric mean maximum elongation (GM) of less than 1000% and / or less than 800% and / or less than 650% and / or less than 550% and / or less than 500% and / or less than 250% and / or less than 100% as measured by the tensile test method described herein. In another example, the fibrous structure of the present invention has a geometric mean tangent modulus (GM) of less than 5000 g / cm and / or less than 3000 g / cm and / or greater than 100 g / cm and / or greater at 500 g / cm and / or greater than 1000 g / cm and / or greater than 1500 g / cm as measured by the tensile test method described herein. In another example, the fibrous structure of the present invention has a geometric mean (GM) modulus less than 5000 g / cm and / or less than 3000 g / cm and / or less than 2500 g / cm and / or lower. at 2000 g / cm and / or less than 1500 g / cm and / or greater than 100 g / cm and / or greater than 300 g / cm and / or greater than 500 g / cm as measured according to the test method traction described here.
[0037] One or more and / or a plurality of fibrous elements of the present invention may form a fibrous structure by any suitable method known in the art. The fibrous structure can be used to release the active agents of the fibrous elements of the present invention when the fibrous structure is exposed to the intended use conditions of the fibrous structure. In another example, the fibrous structure may have different regions, such as different regions by weight per unit area, density and / or thickness. In yet another example, the fibrous structure may comprise a texture on one or more of its surfaces. A surface of the fibrous structure may comprise a pattern, such as a non-random repeating pattern. The fibrous structure can be embossed with an embossing pattern. In another example, the fibrous structure may include openings. The openings can be arranged in a non-random repeating pattern. In one example, the fibrous structure may comprise individual regions of fibrous elements that differ from other parts of the fibrous structure. Non-limiting examples of different regions within fibrous structures are described in U.S. Patent Applications Nos. 2013/017421 and 2013/0167305. Nonlimiting examples of use of the fibrous structure of the present invention include, but are not limited to, a tumble dryer substrate, a washing machine substrate, a washcloth, a cleaning substrate and / or hard surface polishing, a soil cleaning and / or polishing substrate, as a component in a battery, a baby wipe, an adult wipe, a feminine hygiene wipe, an absorbent paper towel for the toilet, a window cleaning substrate, an oil containment and / or absorption substrate, an insect repellent substrate, a pool chemical substrate, a food supply, a breath freshener, a Deodorant, garbage bag, film and / or wrapper, dressing, drug delivery, insulation of buildings, coverage for crops and / or plants and / or bed linen, a substrate for c olle, a skin care substrate, a hair care substrate, an air care substrate, a substrate and / or a water treatment filter, a toilet bowl cleaning substrate, a substrate For candy, pet food, livestock litter, tooth whitening substrates, carpet cleaning substrates, and other suitable uses of the active agents of the present invention.
[0038] In one example, a fibrous structure having such fibrous elements may have an average disintegration time of about 60 seconds or less and / or about 30 seconds or less and / or about 10 seconds or less and / or about 5 seconds or less and / or about 2.0 seconds or less and / or 1.5 seconds or less as measured by the dissolution test method described herein. In one example, a fibrous structure of the present invention may have an average dissolution time of about 600 seconds or less and / or about 400 seconds or less and / or about 300 seconds or less and / or about 200 seconds. or less and / or about 175 s or less and / or about 100 s or less and / or about 50 s or less and / or greater than 10 1 as measured by the dissolution test method described herein. In one example, a fibrous structure having such fibrous elements may have an average disintegration time per g / m 2 of sample of about 1.0 second / (g / m 2) (s / (g / m 2)) or less and / or about 0.5 s / (g / m 2) or less and / or about 0.2 s / (g / m 2) or less and / or about 0.1 s / (g / m 2) or less and / or or about 0.05 s / (g / m 2) or less and / or about 0.03 s / (g / m 2) or less as measured by the dissolution test method described herein. In one example, a fibrous structure having such fibrous elements may have a mean dissolution time per g / m 2 of sample of about 10 seconds / (g / m 2) (s / (g / m 2)) or less and or about 5.0 s / (g / m 2) or less and / or about 3.0 s / (g / m 2) or less and / or about 2.0 s / (g / m 2) or less and / or about 1.8 sec / (g / m2) or less and / or about 1.5 sec / (g / m2) or less as measured by the dissolution test method described herein. In some embodiments, suitable fibrous structures may have a water content (% moisture) of 0% to about 20%; in some embodiments, the fibrous structures may have a water content of from about 1% to about 15%; and in some embodiments, the fibrous structures may have a water content of from about 5% to about 10% as measured according to the water content test method described herein. In one example, the fibrous structure has a basis weight ratio of less than 1 and / or less than 0.9 and / or less than 0.8 and / or less than 0.7 and / or less than 0 , 6 and / or greater than 0.1 and / or greater than 0.2 and / or greater than 0.3 and / or greater than 0.4 to approximately 0.7 and / or approximately 0.45 to approximately 0.6 as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein.
[0039] In another example, the fibrous structure has a mass index transition ratio greater than 1 and / or greater than 1.025 and / or greater than 1.05 and / or less than 3 and / or less than 2. and / or less than 1.8 and / or less than 1.5 and / or about 1 to about 1.5 and / or about 1 to about 1.3 and / or about 1.025 to about 5 1.1 as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein. In another example, the fibrous structure has a fiber orientation index ratio greater than 1 and / or greater than 1.03 and / or greater than 1.05 and / or greater than 1.075 and / or greater than 1 , 1 and / or greater than 1.125 and / or less than 3 and / or less than 2 and / or less than 1.8 and / or less than 1.5 and / or less than 1.3 and / or approximately 1.03 to about 2 and / or from about 1.05 to about 1.5 and / or from about 1.075 to about 1.3 as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein. In another example, the fibrous structure has an average opening diameter greater than 0.15 mm and / or greater than 0.3 mm and / or greater than 0.5 mm and / or greater than 0.75 mm and and / or less than 10 mm and / or less than 7 mm and / or less than 5 mm and / or less than 3 mm and / or less than 2 mm and / or approximately 0.15 mm to approximately 10 mm and or about 0.3 mm to about 5 mm as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein. In another example, the fibrous structure has an average fractional open area greater than about 0.005% and / or greater than about 0.01% and / or greater than about 0.5% and / or greater than about 1% and / or or greater than about 2% and / or greater than about 4% and / or less than about 80% and / or less than about 50% and / or less than about 30% and / or less than about 10% and / or less about 0.005% to about 80% and / or about 0.01% to about 10% as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein.
[0040] In another example, the fibrous structure has a wall region slope greater than 0.0005 and / or greater than 0.001 and / or greater than 0.003 and / or greater than 0.005 and / or greater than 0007 and / or less than 0.007 and / or 0.08 and / or less than 0.07 and / or less than 0.05 and / or less than 0.03 and / or less than 0.01 and / or about 0.001 to about 0.07 and / or from about 0.005 to about 0.05 and / or from about 0.007 to about 0.03 as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein. In another example, the fibrous structure has a transition region slope of greater than 0.0001 and / or greater than 0.0003 and / or greater than 0.0005 and / or greater than 0.0007 and / or less than 0 , 1 and / or less than 0.07 and / or less than 0.05 and / or less than 0.03 and / or less than 0.02 and / or of about 0.0001 to about 0.07 and / or from about 0.0003 to about 0.05 and / or from about 0.0005 to about 0.03 as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein. In another example, the fibrous structure has an average aperture area greater than 0.02 mm 2 and / or greater than 0.05 mm 2 and / or greater than 0.1 mm 2 and / or greater than 0.2 mm 2 and and / or greater than 0.3 mm2 and / or greater than 0.5 mm2 and / or greater than 0.7 mm2 and / or less than 75 mm2 and / or less than 50 mm2 and / or less than 25 mm2 and / or less than 10 mm 2 and / or less than 5 mm 2 and / or less than 4 mm 2 and / or less than 3 mm 2 and / or less than 2 mm 2 and / or less than 1 mm 2 and / or approximately 0.02 mm 2 at about 75 mm 2 and / or about 0.1 mm 2 to about 50 mm 2 and / or about 0.1 mm 2 to about 10 mm 2 as measured according to the aperture parameter test method described herein. In yet another example of the present invention, the fibrous structure has an optical aperture circular diameter of about 0.1 mm to about 10 mm as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method described herein. In yet another example of the present invention, the fibrous structure has an optically circular aperture area of about 0.02 mm 2 to about 75 mm 2 as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method described herein. In yet another example of the present invention, the fibrous structure has an optical aperture circular percentage of about 0.005% to about 80% as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method described herein. Fibrous Elements The fibrous element, such as a filament and / or fiber, of the present invention comprises one or more fibrous element materials. In addition to the fibrous element materials, the fibrous element may further comprise one or more active agents present within the fibrous element, which may be released from the fibrous element, for example a filament, such as when the element fibrous material and / or the fibrous structure comprising the fibrous element is exposed to the conditions of intended use.
[0041] In one example, the total amount of fibrous element-forming material (s) present in the fibrous element is less than 80% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry fibrous structure base and the total or active agents present in the fibrous element is greater than 20% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry fibrous structure base. In one example, the fibrous element of the present invention comprises about 100% and / or more than 95% and / or more than 90% and / or more than 85% and / or more than 75% and / or more than 50% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry fibrous structure base of one or more fibrous element materials. For example, the fibrous element material may comprise polyvinyl alcohol, starch, carboxymethylcellulose and other suitable polymers, especially hydroxyl polymers.
[0042] In another example, the fibrous element of the present invention comprises one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents, the total amount of fibrous element materials present in the fibrous element ranging from about 5% to less than 80% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry fibrous structure base and the total level of active agents present in the fibrous element being greater than 20% up to about 95% by weight. weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a base of dry fibrous structure. In one example, the fibrous element of the present invention comprises at least 10% and / or at least 15% and / or at least 20% and / or less than 80% and / or less than 75% and / or less of 65% and / or less than 60% and / or less than 55% and / or less than 50% and / or less than 45% and / or less than 40% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a fibrous fibrous structure base of fibrous element-forming materials and more than 20% and / or at least 35% and / or at least 40% and / or at least 45% and / or at least 50% and / or at least 60% and / or less than 95% and / or less than 90% and / or less than 85% and / or less than 80% and / or less than 75% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry fibrous structure base of active agents. In one example, the fibrous element of the present invention comprises at least 5% and / or at least 10% and / or at least 15% and / or at least 20% and / or less than 50% and / or less of 45% and / or less than 40% and / or less than 35% and / or less than 30% and / or less than 25% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry fibrous structure base fibrous element-forming materials and more than 50% and / or at least 55% and / or at least 60% and / or at least 65% and / or at least 70% and / or less than 95% and / or less 90% and / or less than 85% and / or less than 80% and / or less than 75% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry fibrous structure base of active agents. In one example, the fibrous element of the present invention comprises more than 80% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry fibrous structure base of active agents. In another example, the fibrous element-forming material (s) and active agents are present in the fibrous element at a weight ratio of the total level of fibrous element-active material materials of 4.0 or less and / or 3, 5 or less and / or 3.0 or less and / or 2.5 or less and / or 2.0 or less and / or 1.85 or less and / or less than 1.7 and / or less than 1, 6 and / or less than 1.5 and / or less than 1.3 and / or less than 1.2 and / or less than 1 and / or less than 0.7 and / or less than 0.5 and / or less than 0.4 and / or less than 0.3 and / or more than 0.1 and / or more than 0.15 and / or more than 0.2. In yet another example, the fibrous element of the present invention comprises from about 10% and / or from about 15% to less than 80% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a structural base fibrous material of fibrous element material, such as polyvinyl alcohol polymer, starch polymer and / or carboxymethylcellulose polymer and more than 20% to about 90% and / or up to about 85% % by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry fibrous structure base of an active agent. The fibrous element may further comprise a plasticizer, such as glycerine and / or pH adjusting agents, such as citric acid. In yet another example, the fibrous element of the present invention comprises from about 10% and / or from about 15% to less than 80% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or dry fibrous structure of fibrous element material such as polyvinyl alcohol polymer, starch polymer and / or carboxymethylcellulose polymer and more than 20% to about 90% and / or about 85% weight on a dry fibrous element base and / or a dry fibrous structure base of an active agent, the weight ratio of fibrous element material to active agent being 4.0 or less. The fibrous element may further comprise a plasticizer, such as glycerine and / or pH adjusting agents, such as citric acid. In yet another example of the present invention, a fibrous element comprises one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents selected from the group consisting of: enzymes, bleaches, adjuvant, chelating agents, sensates, dispersants, and mixtures thereof which can be released and / or are released when the fibrous element and / or the fibrous structure comprising the fibrous element is exposed to the intended use conditions. In one example, the fibrous element comprises a total rate of fibrous element materials of less than 95% and / or less than 90% and / or less than 80% and / or less than 50% and / or less than 35%. and / or up to about 5% and / or up to about 10% and / or up to about 20% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry fibrous structure base and a rate of total of active agents selected from the group consisting of: enzymes, bleaches, adjuvant, chelating agents, perfumes, antimicrobials, antibacterials, antifungals, and mixtures thereof greater than 5% and / or greater than 10% and / or higher at 20% and / or greater than 35% and / or greater than 50% and / or greater than 65% and / or up to about 95% and / or up to about 90% and / or up to about 80% % by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry fibrous structure base.
[0043] In one example, the active agent comprises one or more enzymes. In another example, the active agent comprises one or more bleaching agents. In yet another example, the active agent comprises one or more adjuvants. In yet another example, the active agent comprises one or more chelating agents. In yet another example, the active agent comprises one or more fragrances. In yet another example, the active agent comprises one or more antimicrobials, antibacterials and / or antifungals. In yet another example of the present invention, the fibrous elements of the present invention may include active agents that may pose health and / or safety concerns if they disperse in the air. For example, the fibrous element can be used to prevent the enzymes present in the fibrous element from dispersing in the air. In one example, the fibrous elements of the present invention may be fused fibrous elements. In another example, the fibrous elements of the present invention may be spunbonded fibrous elements. In another example, the fibrous elements may be hollow fibrous elements before and / or after release of one or more of its active agents. The fibrous elements of the present invention may be hydrophilic or hydrophobic. The fibrous elements may be surface-treated and / or internally treated to change the intrinsic hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties of the fibrous element.
[0044] In one example, the fibrous element has a diameter of less than 100 μm and / or less than 75 inn and / or less than 50 μm and / or less than 25 μm and / or less than 10 μm and / or less than 5 μm. itm and / or less than 1 Inn as measured by the diameter test method described herein. In another example, the fibrous element of the present invention has a diameter greater than 1 μm as measured by the diameter test method described herein. The diameter of a fibrous element of the present invention can be used to control the rate of release of one or more active agents present in the fibrous element and / or the rate of loss and / or modification of the physical structure of the fibrous element. the fibrous element.
[0045] The fibrous element may comprise two or more different active agents. In one example, the fibrous element comprises two or more different active agents, the two or more different active agents being compatible with each other. In another example, the fibrous element comprises two or more different active agents, the two or more different active agents being incompatible with each other.
[0046] In one example, the fibrous element may comprise an active agent and / or an additive within the fibrous element and / or an active agent and / or an additive on an outer surface of the fibrous element, such as a coating of active agent and / or additive on the fibrous element. The active agent and / or additive on the outer surface of the fibrous element may be the same or different from the active agent and / or the additive present in the fibrous element. If they are different, the active agents and / or additives may be compatible or incompatible with each other. In one example, one or more active agents may be distributed uniformly or substantially uniformly over the entire fibrous element. In another example, one or more active agents may be distributed as individual regions within the fibrous element. In yet another example, at least one active agent is distributed uniformly or substantially uniformly over the entire fibrous element and at least one other active agent is distributed as one or more individual regions within the element. fibrous. In yet another example, at least one active agent is distributed as one or more individual regions within the fibrous element and at least one other active agent is distributed as one or more individual regions other than first individual regions within the fibrous element. Fibrous Element Material The fibrous element material is any suitable material, such as a polymer or monomers capable of producing a polymer that has properties suitable for making a fibrous element, such as by a spinning process.
[0047] In one example, the fibrous element material may comprise a polar solvent-soluble material, such as an alcohol-soluble material and / or a water-soluble material. In another example, the fibrous element material may comprise a material soluble in an apolar solvent. In yet another example, the fibrous element material may comprise a polar solvent-soluble material and be free (less than 5% and / or less than 3% and / or less than 1% and / or 0% by weight a dry filament base and / or a dry fibrous structure base) of materials soluble in an apolar solvent.
[0048] In yet another example, the fibrous element material may be a film forming material. In yet another example, the fibrous element material may be synthetic or naturally occurring and may be chemically, enzymatically and / or physically modified. In yet another example of the present invention, the fibrous element-forming material may comprise a polymer selected from the group consisting of: polymers derived from acrylic monomers such as carboxylic monomers having ethylenic unsaturation and ethylenically unsaturated monomers, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylates, polymethacrylates, copolymers of acrylic acid and methyl acrylate, polyvinylpyrrolidones, polyalkylene oxides, starch and starch derivatives, pullulan, gelatin, hydroxypropylmethylcelluloses, methylcelluloses, and carboxymethylcelluloses. In yet another example, the fibrous element material may comprise a polymer selected from the group consisting of: polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl alcohol derivatives, starch, starch derivatives, cellulose derivatives, hemicellulose, hemicellulose derivatives, proteins, sodium alginate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, chitosan, chitosan derivatives, polyethylene glycol, tetramethylene ether glycol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, hydroxymethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose and mixtures thereof. In another example, the fibrous element material comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of: pullulan, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, carboxymethylcellulose, sodium alginate, xanthan gum, tragacanth gum, gum guar, acacia gum, gum arabic, polyacrylic acid, methyl methacrylate copolymer, carboxyvinyl polymer, dextrin, pectin, 3027035 49 chitin, levan, elsinane, collagen, gelatin, zein, gluten, soy protein, casein, polyvinyl alcohol starch, starch derivatives, hemicellulose, hemicellulose derivatives, proteins, chitosan, chitosan derivatives, polyethylene glycol, tetramethylene ether glycol, hydroxymethylcellulose, and mixtures thereof.
[0049] Materials Soluble in a Polar Solvent Non-limiting examples of materials soluble in a polar solvent include polymers soluble in a polar solvent. The polymers soluble in a polar solvent may be synthetic or naturally occurring and may be chemically and / or physically modified. In one example, the polymers soluble in a polar solvent have a weight average molecular weight of at least 10,000 g / mol and / or at least 20,000 g / mol and / or at least 40,000 g / mol and / or at least 80 000 g / mol and / or at least 100 000 g / mol and / or at least 1 000 000 g / mol and / or at least 3 000 000 g / mol and / or at least 10 000 000 g / mol and / or at least 20,000,000 g / mol and / or up to about 40,000,000 g / mol and / or up to about 30,000,000 g / mol. In one example, the polymers soluble in a polar solvent are selected from the group consisting of: alcohol-soluble polymers, water-soluble polymers, and mixtures thereof. Non-limiting examples of water-soluble polymers include water-soluble hydroxyl polymers, water-soluble thermoplastic polymers, water-soluble biodegradable polymers, water-soluble non-biodegradable polymers, and mixtures thereof. In one example, the water-soluble polymer comprises polyvinyl alcohol. In another example, the water-soluble polymer comprises starch. In yet another example, the water-soluble polymer comprises polyvinyl alcohol and starch. at. Hydrosoluble Hydroxyl Polymers - Non-limiting examples of water-soluble hydroxyl polymers according to the present invention include polyols, such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl alcohol derivatives, polyvinyl alcohol copolymers, starch, polyvinyl alcohol derivatives, starch, starch copolymers, chitosan, chitosan derivatives, chitosan copolymers, cellulose derivatives such as ester and cellulose ether derivatives, cellulose copolymers, hemicellulose, derivatives thereof. hemicellulose, hemicellulose copolymers, gums, arabinans, galactans, proteins and various other polysaccharides and mixtures thereof. In one example, a water-soluble hydroxyl polymer of the present invention comprises a polysaccharide. "Polysaccharides" as used herein refer to polysaccharides and natural polysaccharide derivatives and / or modified polysaccharides. Suitable water-soluble polysaccharides include, but are not limited to, starches, starch derivatives, chitosan, chitosan derivatives, cellulose derivatives, hemicellulose, hemicellulose derivatives, gums, arabinans, galactans and mixtures thereof. The water-soluble polysaccharide may have a weight average molecular weight of from about 10,000 to about 40,000,000 g / mol and / or greater than 100,000 g / mol and / or greater than 1,000,000 g / mol and / or greater at 3,000,000 g / mol and / or greater than 3,000,000 up to about 40,000,000 g / mol.
[0050] The water-soluble polysaccharides may comprise non-cellulosic and / or cellulosic derivatives and / or water-soluble polysaccharides based on non-cellulosic copolymer. Such non-cellulosic water-soluble polysaccharides may be selected from the group consisting of: starches, starch derivatives, chitosan, chitosan derivatives, hemicellulose, hemicellulose derivatives, gums, arabinans, galactans and mixtures thereof. In another example, a water-soluble hydroxyl polymer of the present invention comprises a non-thermoplastic polymer. The water-soluble hydroxyl polymer may have a weight average molecular weight of from about 10,000 g / mol to about 40,000,000 g / mol and / or greater than 100,000 g / mol and / or greater than 1,000,000 g / mol. mol and / or greater than 3,000,000 g / mol and / or greater than 3,000,000 g / mol to about 40,000,000 g / mol. Water-soluble hydroxyl polymers of higher and lower molecular weight can be used in combination with hydroxyl polymers having a certain desired weight average molecular weight.
[0051] Well known modifications of water-soluble hydroxyl polymers, such as natural starches, include chemical modifications and / or enzymatic modifications. For example, natural starch can be diluted with acid, hydroxyethylated, hydroxypropylated and / or oxidized. In addition, the water-soluble hydroxyl polymer may comprise dent corn starch.
[0052] The naturally occurring starch is generally a mixture of a linear amylose polymer and a branched amylopectin of D-glucose units. Amylose is a substantially linear polymer of D-glucose units joined by (1,4) -a-D linkages. Amylopectin is a highly branched polymer of D-glucose units joined by (1,4) -a-D bonds and (1,6) -a-D bonds at the branch points. The naturally occurring starch typically contains relatively high levels of amylopectin, for example, corn starch (64 to 80% amylopectin), waxy maize (93 to 100% amylopectin), rice (83 84% amylopectin), potato (about 78% amylopectin), and wheat (73-83% amylopectin). Although all starches are potentially useful here, the present invention is most commonly practiced with natural high amylopectin starches derived from agricultural sources, which offer the advantages of having abundant supply, of being easily replenished and inexpensive.
[0053] As used herein, a "starch" includes any naturally occurring unmodified starches, modified starches, synthetic starches and mixtures thereof, as well as mixtures of the amylose or amylopectin moieties; starch can be modified by physical, chemical or biological methods or combinations thereof. The choice of unmodified or modified starch for the present invention may depend on the desired end product. In one embodiment of the present invention, the starch or starch mixture useful in the present invention has an amylopectin content of from about 20% to about 100%, more typically from about 40% to about 90%. even more typically from about 60% to about 85% by weight of the starch or mixtures thereof.
[0054] Naturally suitable starches present may include, but are not limited to, corn starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, wheat starch, marrow starch sago, tapioca starch, rice starch, soy starch, arrowroot starch, amioca starch, fern starch, lotus starch waxy maize starch and high amylose corn starch. Naturally occurring starches, particularly corn starch and wheat starch, are the preferred starch polymers because of their economy and availability. Polyvinyl alcohols can be grafted to other monomers to modify its properties. A wide range of monomers has been successfully grafted to polyvinyl alcohol. Non-limiting examples of such monomers include vinyl acetate, styrene, acrylamide, acrylic acid, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, acrylonitrile, 1,3-butadiene, methyl methacrylate, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, itaconic acid, sodium vinylsulfonate sodium allylsulfonate, sodium methylallylsulphonate, sodium phenylallyl ether sulphonate, sodium phenylmethallyl ether sulphonate, 2-acrylamido-methylpropanesulphonic acid (AMP), vinylidene chloride, vinyl chloride, vinylamine and a variety of acrylate esters . In one example, the water-soluble hydroxyl polymer is selected from the group consisting of: polyvinyl alcohols, hydroxymethylcelluloses, hydroxyethylcelluloses, hydroxypropylmethylcelluloses, and mixtures thereof. A non-limiting example of a suitable polyvinyl alcohol includes those marketed by Sekisui Specialty Chemicals America, LLC (Dallas, TX) under the trademark CELVOL®. A non-limiting example of a suitable hydroxypropyl methylcellulose includes those marketed by the Dow Chemical Company (Midland, MI) under the trademark METHOCEL® including combinations with the above-mentioned hydroxypropyl methylcelluloses. b. Water-Soluble Thermoplastic Polymers - Non-limiting examples of suitable water-soluble thermoplastic polymers include starch and / or thermoplastic starch derivatives, polylactic acid, polyhydroxyalkanoate, polycaprolactone, polyesteramides, and certain polyesters and mixtures thereof.
[0055] The water-soluble thermoplastic polymers of the present invention may be hydrophilic or hydrophobic. The water-soluble thermoplastic polymers may be surface-treated and / or internally treated to change the intrinsic hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties of the thermoplastic polymer. Water-soluble thermoplastic polymers can include biodegradable polymers. Any weight average molecular weight suitable for thermoplastic polymers can be used. For example, the weight average molecular weight for a thermoplastic polymer according to the present invention is greater than about 10,000 g / mol and / or greater than about 40,000 g / mol and / or greater than about 50,000 g / mol and or less than about 500,000 g / mol and / or less than about 400,000 g / mol and / or less than about 200,000 g / mol. Soluble Materials in an Apolar Solvent Non-limiting examples of materials soluble in an apolar solvent include polymers soluble in an apolar solvent. Non-limiting examples of suitable apolar solvent soluble materials include cellulose, chitin, chitin derivatives, polyolefins, polyesters, their copolymers, and mixtures thereof. Non-limiting examples of polyolefins include polypropylene, polyethylene, and mixtures thereof. A non-limiting example of a polyester includes polyethylene terephthalate. Materials soluble in an apolar solvent may comprise a non-biodegradable polymer such as polypropylene, polyethylene and certain polyesters.
[0056] Any weight average molecular weight suitable for thermoplastic polymers can be used. For example, the weight average molecular weight for a thermoplastic polymer according to the present invention is greater than about 10,000 g / mol and / or greater than about 40,000 g / mol and / or greater than about 50,000 g / mol and / or less than about 500,000 g / mol and / or less than about 400,000 g / mol and / or less than about 200,000 g / mol. Active Agents Active agents are a class of additives that are designed and intended to provide a beneficial effect to something other than the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure itself, such as providing a beneficial effect. to an environment external to the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure. The active agents may be any suitable additive that produces an intended effect under the intended use conditions of the fibrous element. For example, the active agent may be selected from the group consisting of: treatment and / or personal cleansing agents such as hair care agents, such as shampoo agents and / or bleaching agents; hair coloring, hair conditioning agents, skin care agents, sunscreens and skin conditioning agents; conditioning and / or laundry care agents such as fabric care agents, fabric treatment agents, fabric softeners, fabric wrinkle preventing agents, anti-static electricity agents, and the like. fabrics, stain removal and fabric care agents, stain control agents, dispersants, foaming suppressants, foaming agents, defoamers, and fabric conditioners; liquid and / or powdered dishwashing agents (for automatic and / or manual dishwashing applications), hard surface and / or conditioning agents and / or or polishing agents; other cleaning and / or conditioning agents such as antimicrobial agents, antibacterial agents, antifungal agents, fabric dyes, perfumes, bleaches (such as oxygen bleaches, hydrogen, percarbonate bleaches, perborate bleaches, chlorine bleaches), whitening agents, chelating agents, adjuvants, lotions, lightening agents, air, carpet maintenance agents, color transfer preventing agents, clay soil removal agents, anti-redeposition agents, polymeric soil removal agents, polymeric dispersing agents, alkoxylated polyamine polymers, alkoxylated polycarboxylate polymers, amphiphilic graft copolymers, dissolution aids, buffer systems, water softening agents u, water hardening agents, pH adjusting agents, enzymes, flocculation agents, effervescent agents, preservatives, cosmetic agents, makeup removing agents, soaping agents, deposition aids, coacervate forming agents, clays, thickeners, latices, silicas, drying agents, odor control agents, antiperspirants, coolants, warming agents, absorbent agents. gel base, anti-inflammatory agents, dyes, pigments, acids and bases; active liquid treatment agents; active agricultural agents; active industrial agents; ingestible active agents, such as medicinal agents, teeth whitening agents, dental care agents, mouthwash, periodontal gum care agents, edible agents, nutritional agents, vitamins, minerals; water treatment agents such as water clarifying and / or disinfecting agents and mixtures thereof. Non-limiting examples of suitable cosmetic agents, skin care agents, skin conditioning agents, hair care agents, and hair conditioning agents are described in CTFA Cosmetic Ingredient Handbook, Second Edition, The Cosmetic, Toiletries, and Fragrance Association, Inc. 1988, 1992. One or more classes of chemicals may be useful for one or more of the active agents listed above. For example, surfactants can be used for any number of the active agents previously described.
[0057] Similarly, bleaching agents can be used for fabric care, hard surface cleaning, dishwashing and even tooth whitening. For this reason, those skilled in the art will have in mind that the active agents will be selected on the basis of the intended intended use of the fibrous element and / or particle and / or fibrous structure. made from them. For example, if the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure made from them are to be used for hair care and / or conditioning, then one or more suitable surfactants could be selected. , such as a foaming surfactant to provide the desired beneficial effect to a consumer when exposed to the intended use conditions of the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure incorporating the fibrous element and / or the particle.
[0058] In one example, if the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure made from them are designed or intended to be used for washing clothes in a laundry operation, then a or more suitable surfactants and / or enzymes and / or adjuvants and / or fragrances and / or suds suppressors and / or bleaching agents could be chosen to provide the desired beneficial effect to a consumer when exposed to the conditions intended use of the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure incorporating the fibrous element and / or the particle. In another example, whether the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure made therefrom are designed to be used for washing clothes in a laundry and / or cleaning operation. in a dishwashing operation, then the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure may comprise a laundry detergent composition or a dishwashing detergent composition or active agents used in such compositions. In yet another example, if the fibrous element and / or particle and / or fibrous structure made therefrom are designed to be used to clean and / or sanitize a toilet bowl, then the element and / or the particle and / or fibrous structure made therefrom may comprise a toilet bowl cleaning composition and / or an effervescent composition and / or active agents used in such compositions.
[0059] In one example, the active agent is selected from the group consisting of: surfactants, bleaches, enzymes, suds suppressors, foam boosters, fabric softening agents, denture cleansing agents, hair cleansing agents, hair care agents, personal health care agents, such as diphenhydramine, tinting agents and mixtures thereof. Release of Active Agent One or more active agents may be released from the fibrous element and / or particle and / or fibrous structure when the fibrous element and / or particle and / or fibrous structure are exposed. at a trigger condition. In one example, one or more active agents may be released from the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or fibrous structure or part thereof when the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or or the fibrous structure or part thereof lose their identity, in other words, lose their physical structure. For example, a fibrous element and / or a particle and / or a fibrous structure lose their physical structure when the fibrous element material dissolves, melts or undergoes some other transformation step so that their structure is lost. In one example, the active agent or agents are released from the fibrous element and / or particle and / or fibrous structure when the morphology of the fibrous element and / or particle and / or structure fibrous changes. In another example, one or more active agents may be released from the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure or part thereof when the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure or part thereof changes their identity, in other words, modifies their physical structure rather than losing it. For example, a fibrous element and / or a particle and / or a fibrous structure change their physical structure as the fibrous element material swells, shrinks, elongates and / or shrinks, but retains its fibrous element forming properties .
[0060] In another example, one or more active agents may be released from the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or fibrous structure with their morphology that does not change (do not lose or change their physical structure ). In one example, the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure can release an active agent when the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure are exposed to a triggering condition which results in the version of the active agent, such as by causing the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure to lose or modify their identity, as discussed previously. Non-limiting examples of triggering conditions include exposing the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or fibrous structure to a solvent, a polar solvent, such as alcohol and / or water and a nonpolar solvent, which may be sequential, depending on whether or not the fibrous element material comprises a soluble material in a polar solvent and / or a material soluble in a non-polar solvent; exposing the fibrous element and / or particle and / or fibrous structure to heat, such as up to a temperature above 23.8 ° C (75 ° F) and / or greater than 37.7 ° C (100 ° F) and / or greater than 65.5 ° C (150 ° F) and / or greater than 93.3 ° C (200 ° F) and / or greater than 100 ° C (212 ° F) ° F); exposing the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or fibrous structure to cold, such as up to a temperature below 40 ° F (4.4 ° C) and / or below 0 ° C (32 ° F) and / or less than 10 -17.7 ° C (0 ° F); exposing the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure to a force, such as a drawing force applied by a consumer using the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure; and / or exposing the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or fibrous structure to a chemical reaction; exposing the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or fibrous structure to a condition which results in a phase change; exposing the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or fibrous structure to a pH change and / or pressure change and / or temperature change; exposing the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure to one or more chemicals which results in the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or fibrous structure releasing one or more several of its 20 active agents; exposing the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure to ultrasound; exposing the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure to light and / or at certain wavelengths; exposing the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or the fibrous structure to a different ionic strength; and / or exposing the fibrous element and / or the particle and / or fibrous structure to an active agent released from another fibrous element and / or other particle and / or fibrous structure. In one example, one or more active agents can be released from the fibrous elements and / or particles of the present invention when a fibrous structure comprising the fibrous elements and / or the particles is subjected to a triggering step selected from the group consisting of in: pre-treatment of stains on a textile article with the fibrous structure; forming a wash liquor by contacting the fibrous structure with water; rotation of the fibrous structure in a dryer; heating the fibrous structure in a dryer; and their combination.
[0061] Fibrous Element Forming Composition The fibrous elements of the present invention are made from a fibrous element forming composition. The fibrous element forming composition is a polar solvent-based composition. In one example, the fibrous element forming composition is an aqueous composition comprising one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents. The fibrous element forming composition may be treated at a temperature of from about 20 ° C to about 100 ° C and / or from about 30 ° C to about 90 ° C and / or about 35 ° C at about 70 ° C and / or from about 40 ° C to about 60 ° C in the manufacture of fibrous elements from the fibrous element forming composition. In one example, the fibrous element forming composition may comprise at least 20% and / or at least 30% and / or at least 40% and / or at least 45% and / or at least 50% to about 90% and / or about 85% and / or about 80% and / or about 75% by weight of one or more fibrous element materials, one or more active agents, and mixtures thereof. The fibrous element forming composition may comprise from about 10% to about 80% by weight of a polar solvent, such as water. In one example, the non-volatile components of the fibrous element forming composition may be from about 20% and / or 30% and / or 40% and / or 45% and / or from 50% to about 75% and and / or 80% and / or 85% and / or 90% by weight based on the total weight of the fibrous element forming composition. The non-volatile components may be composed of fibrous element-forming materials, such as backbone polymers, active agents and combinations thereof. The volatile components of the fibrous element forming composition will constitute the remaining percentage and range from 10% to 80% by weight based on the total weight of the fibrous element forming composition. In a fibrous element spinning process, the fibrous elements must have initial stability when leaving the die. The capillary number is used to characterize this initial stability criterion. Under the conditions of the die, the capillary number must be at least 1 and / or at least 3 and / or at least 4 and / or at least 5.
[0062] In one example, the fibrous element forming composition has a capillary number ranging from at least about 1 to about 50 and / or at least about 3 to about 50 and / or at least about 5 to about 30 such that that the fibrous element forming composition can be effectively treated by polymerization into a fibrous element.
[0063] A "polymer treatment" as used herein means any spinning operation and / or spinning process whereby a fibrous element comprising a treated fibrous element material is formed from a composition. forming a fibrous element. The spinning operation and / or process may include spinning / spinning, meltblowing, electro-spinning, spinning, continuous filament production and / or tow production operations. A "treated fibrous element material" as used herein refers to any fibrous element material that has undergone a melt processing operation and a subsequent polymer treatment operation yielding a fibrous element.
[0064] The capillary number is a unitless number used to characterize the probability of rupture of this droplet. A larger capillary number indicates greater fluid stability at the outlet of the die. The capillary number is defined as follows: ## EQU1 ## where V is the fluid velocity at the exit of the die (units of length per time), where is the viscosity of the fluid at the conditions of the die (units mass per length * time), a is the surface tension of the fluid (mass units per time2). When velocity, viscosity and surface tension are expressed in a set of compatible units, the resulting capillary number will inherently have no unit; the individual units will cancel each other. The capillary number is defined for the conditions at the exit of the die. The fluid velocity is the average velocity of the fluid passing through the die opening. The average speed is defined as follows: 25 V - Vol 'Area Vol' = volumetric flow (units of length 3 per time), Area = cross-sectional area of the die outlet (unit length2).
[0065] When the die opening is a circular orifice, the fluid velocity can be defined as 3027035 V = er * R 2 R is the radius of the circular orifice (units of length). The viscosity of the fluid will depend on the temperature and may depend on the shear rate. The definition of a shear thinning fluid includes shear rate dependence. The surface tension will depend on the fluid composition and the fluid temperature. In one example, the fibrous element forming composition may comprise one or more anti-adhesive agents and / or lubricants. Non-limiting examples of suitable anti-adhesive and / or lubricant agents include fatty acids, fatty acid salts, fatty alcohols, fatty esters, sulfonated fatty acid esters, fatty amine acetates. and fatty amides, silicones, aminosilicones, fluoropolymers and mixtures thereof. In one example, the fibrous element forming composition may include one or more anti-clogging and / or tack reducing agents. Non-limiting examples of suitable anti-clogging and / or tack reducing agents include starches, modified starches, cross-linked polyvinylpyrrolidone, cross-linked cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, silica, metal oxides, and the like. , calcium carbonate, talc and mica. The active agents of the present invention may be added to the fibrous element forming composition before and / or during the formation of the fibrous element and / or may be added to the fibrous element after formation of the fibrous element . For example, an active perfume agent may be applied to the fibrous element and / or the fibrous structure comprising the fibrous element after the fibrous element and / or fibrous structure according to the present invention are formed. In another example, an enzyme active agent may be applied to the fibrous element and / or fibrous structure comprising the fibrous element after the fibrous element and / or fibrous structure according to the present invention is formed. In yet another example, one or more particles, which may not be suitable for passing through the spinning process of the fibrous element, may be applied to the fibrous element and / or the fibrous structure comprising the fibrous element after the fibrous element and / or the fibrous structure according to the present invention are formed. Extension Auxiliaries In one example, the fibrous element includes an extension aid. Non-limiting examples of extension aids may include polymers, other extension aids, and combinations thereof.
[0066] In one example, the extension aids have a weight average molecular weight of at least about 500,000 Da. In another example, the weight average molecular weight of the extension aid is from about 500,000 to about 25,000,000, in another example from about 800,000 to about 22,000,000, in yet another embodiment. for example, from about 1,000,000 to about 20,000,000, and in another example from about 2,000,000 to about 15,000,000. The high molecular weight extension aids are especially suitable in certain examples of the invention. invention because of the ability to increase the melt viscosity of extension and to reduce the fracture in the molten state. The extension aid, when used in a meltblowing process, is added to the composition of the present invention in an amount effective to visibly reduce melt fracture and capillary breakdown of the fibers. during the spinning process so that substantially continuous fibers having a relatively constant diameter can be melt-spun. Regardless of the process used to produce the fibrous elements and / or particles, extension aids, when used, may be present from about 0.001% to about 10% by weight on a fibrous element base. and / or a dry particle base and / or a dry fibrous structure base, in one example, and in another example from about 0.005 to about 5% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry particle base and / or a dry fibrous structure base, in yet another example of about 0.01 to about 1% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry particle base and / or a base of dry fibrous structure, and in another example from about 0.05% to about 0.5% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry particle base and / or a base of dry fibrous structure. Non-limiting examples of polymers that may be used as extension aids may include alginates, carrageenans, pectin, chitin, guar gum, xanthan gum, agar, gum arabic , karaya gum, tragacanth gum, locust bean gum, alkylcellulose, hydroxyalkylcellulose, carboxyalkylcellulose and mixtures thereof.
[0067] Non-limiting examples of other extension aids may include modified and unmodified polyacrylamide, polyacrylic acid, polymethacrylic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylene vinyl acetate, polyethyleneimine, polyamides, polyalkylene oxides including polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide, polyethylenepropylene oxide, and mixtures thereof. Dissolving aids The fibrous elements of the present invention may incorporate dissolving aids to accelerate dissolution when the fibrous element contains more than 40% surfactant to mitigate the formation of insoluble or poorly soluble surfactant aggregates. which can sometimes form or when the surfactant compositions are used in cold water. Non-limiting examples of dissolution aids include sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, potassium chloride, potassium sulfate, magnesium chloride, and magnesium sulfate. Buffer System The fibrous elements of the present invention may be formulated such that, during use in an aqueous cleaning operation, for example, washing clothes or dishes and / or washing hair, The wash water will have a pH of from about 5.0 to about 12 and / or from about 7.0 to about 10.5. In the case of a dishwashing operation, the pH of the wash water is typically from about 6.8 to about 9.0. In the case of clothes washing, the pH of the wash water is typically between 7 and 11. Techniques for pH control at the recommended rates of use include the use of buffers, alkalis, acids, etc. and are well known to those skilled in the art. These include the use of sodium carbonate, citric acid or sodium citrate, monoethanolamine or other amines, boric acid or borates, and other pH pre-adjusting compounds well. known in the art.
[0068] Fibrous elements and / or fibrous structures useful as "low pH" detergent compositions are included in the present invention and are especially suitable for the surfactant systems of the present invention and may provide lower pH values in use. at 8.5 and / or less than 8.0 and / or less than 7.0 and / or less than 7.0 and / or less than 5.5 and / or up to about 5.0. Fibrous elements with a dynamic pH profile during washing are included in the present invention. Such fibrous elements may use wax-coated citric acid particles in conjunction with other pH regulating agents, such as (i) 3 minutes after contact with water, the pH of the wash liquor is greater than 10; (ii) 10 minutes after contact with water, the pH of the wash liquor is less than 9.5; (iii) 20 minutes after contact with water, the pH of the wash liquor is less than 9.0; and (iv) optionally, wherein the equilibrium pH of the wash liquor is in the range of greater than 7.0 to 8.5. Non-Limiting Example of a Fibrous Element Manufacturing Process The fibrous elements, e.g., filaments, of the present invention may be made as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. As illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, a method for making a fibrous element 10, for example a filament, according to the present invention comprises the steps of: a. providing a fibrous element forming composition 22, for example, a vessel 24, comprising one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents; and b. spinning the fibrous element forming composition 22, such as via spinning die 26, into one or more fibrous elements 10, such as filaments, comprising the fibrous element material or materials and the one or more agents assets. The fibrous element forming composition can be transported via a suitable conduit 28, with or without pump 30, between the vessel 24 and the spinning die 26. In one example, a pressure vessel 24, Suitable for batch operation is filled with a fibrous element forming composition 22 suitable for spinning. A pump 30, such as a Zenith®, PEP II type, having a capacity of 5.0 cubic centimeters per turn (cm3 / rev), manufactured by Colfax Corporation, Zenith Pumps Division, of Monroe, NC, USA can be used to facilitate the transport of the fibrous element forming composition 22 to a spinning die 26. The flow of the fibrous element forming composition 22 from the pressure vessel 24 to the spinning die 26 may be controlled by adjusting the number of revolutions per minute (rpm) of the pump 30. The conduits 28 are used to connect the pressurized reservoir 302, the pump 30 and the spinning die 26 to transport (as represented by the arrows) the fibrous element forming composition 22 from the reservoir 24 to the pump 30 and the spinneret 26. The total amount of the fibrous element-forming material (s) present in the fibrous element 10, when the active agents are present in, may be less than 80% and / or less than 70% and / or less than 65% and / or 50% or less by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry fibrous structure base and the total active agent (s) when present in the fibrous element may be greater than 20% and / or greater than 35% and / or 50% or more, 65% or more and / or 80% or more by weight on a dry fibrous element base and / or a dry fibrous structure base. As illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the spinning die 26 may comprise a plurality of fiber element forming orifices 32 which include a molten capillary 34 surrounded by a concentric orifice 36 of attenuation fluid through which a The fluid, such as air, is passed to facilitate the attenuation of the fibrous member forming composition 22 into a fibrous member as it leaves the fibrous member forming port 32. In one example, the spinning die 26 illustrated in FIG. 8 has two or more rows of circular extrusion nozzles (fibrous element forming orifices 32) spaced from each other at a pitch P of about 1.524 millimeters ( about 0.060 inches). The nozzles have individual internal diameters of about 0.305 millimeters (about 0.012 inches) and individual outer diameters of about 0.813 millimeters (about 0.032 inches). Each individual nozzle comprises a melt capillary 34 surrounded by a diverging, annular orifice (concentric orifice 36 of attenuation fluid) for supplying attenuation air to each individual melt capillary 34. The forming composition The fibrous element 22 extruded through the nozzles is surrounded and attenuated by moistened, generally cylindrical, air currents fed through the orifices to produce the fibrous elements 10. The attenuation air can be supplied by heating. compressed air from a source by an electric resistance heater, for example, a heater manufactured by Chromalox, Division of Emerson Electric, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. An appropriate amount of steam has been added to saturate or substantially saturate the heated air under the conditions in the electrically heated and thermostatically controlled supply pipe. The condensate was removed in an electrically heated, thermostatically controlled separator.
[0069] The embryonic fibrous elements are dried by a drying air stream having a temperature of about 149 ° C (about 300 ° F) to about 315 ° C (about 600 ° F) by electric resistance heating. (not shown) fed through the drying nozzles and discharged at an angle of about 90 ° to the general orientation of the embryonic fibrous elements being spun. The dried fibrous elements may be collected on a collection device, such as a belt or a fabric, in an example a belt or a fabric capable of imparting a pattern, for example a non-random recurring pattern to a fibrous structure formed as a result collecting the fibrous elements on the belt or the fabric. The addition of a vacuum source directly below the formation zone can be used to facilitate the collection of fibrous elements on the collection device. Spinning and collecting the fibrous elements produce a fibrous structure comprising mutually entangled fibrous elements, e.g., filaments. In one example, during the spinning step, any volatile solvent, such as water, present in the fibrous element forming composition 22 is removed, such as by drying, as the element fibrous 10 is formed. In one example, more than 30% and / or more than 40% and / or more than 50% by weight of the volatile solvent of the fibrous element forming composition, such as water, are removed during the step spinning, as by drying out the fibrous element that is produced. The fibrous element forming composition can comprise any suitable total level of fibrous element materials and any suitable level of active agents as long as the fibrous element produced from the fibrous element forming composition is present. fibrous element comprises a total content of fibrous element-forming materials in the fibrous element of from about 5% to 50% or less by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry particle base and / or a base of dry fibrous structure and a total level of active agents in the fibrous element ranging from 50% to about 95% by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry particle base and / or a base of dry fibrous structure. In one example, the fibrous element forming composition can comprise any suitable total level of fibrous element materials and any suitable level of active agents as long as the fibrous element produced from the fibrous element forming composition comprises a total amount of fibrous element-forming materials in the fibrous element and / or particle of from about 5% to 50% or less by weight on a dry fibrous element basis and / or a dry particle base and / or a dry fibrous structure base and a total level of active agents in the fibrous element and / or particle ranging from 50% to about 95% by weight on an elemental basis and a dry fibrous base and / or a dry fibrous structure base, the weight ratio of fibrous element material to the total active agent level being 1 or less. In one example, the fibrous element forming composition comprises from about 1% and / or about 5% and / or from about 10% to about 50% and / or about 40% and / or about 30% and / or about 20% by weight of the fibrous element forming composition, fibrous element materials; about 1% and / or about 5% and / or about 10% to about 50% and / or about 40% and / or about 30% and / or about 20% by weight of the fibrous element forming composition, active agents; and about 20% and / or about 25% and / or about 30% and / or about 40% and / or about 80% and / or about 70% and / or about 60% and / or about and / or about 50% by weight of the fibrous element forming composition, a volatile solvent, such as water. The fibrous element forming composition may comprise minor amounts of other active agents, such as less than 10% and / or less than 5% and / or less than 3% and / or less than 1% by weight of the fibrous element forming composition of plasticizers, pH adjusting agents and other active agents. The fibrous element forming composition is spun into one or more fibrous elements and / or particles by any suitable spinning process, such as meltblown, spunbond, electro-spinning and / or spinning. In one example, the fibrous element forming composition is spun into a plurality of fibrous elements and / or meltblown particles. For example, the fibrous element forming composition can be pumped from a reservoir to a meltblowing spinneret. When leaving one or more of the fibrous element forming orifices in the spinneret, the fibrous element forming composition is attenuated with air to create one or more fibrous elements and / or particles . The fibrous elements and / or particles can then be dried to remove any remaining solvent used for spinning, such as water. The fibrous elements and / or particles of the present invention may be collected on a belt (not shown), such as a patterned belt, for example in a mutually entangled manner to form a fibrous structure comprising the fibrous elements and / or or particles.
[0070] Once the precursor fibrous structure has been formed, the precursor fibrous structure may be subjected to a method of creating openings; that is, a process which imparts one or more openings to the fibrous structure to produce an open-ended fibrous structure. Non-limiting examples of such aperture creation methods include embossing, linkage, rotary knife punching, broaching, die punching, die punching, needle punching, knurling, pneumatic forming, hydraulic forming, laser cutting and the like. tufting. Figure 9 illustrates a non-limiting example of a suitable aperture creation process. As illustrated in FIG. 9, a precursor fibrous structure 38 is subjected to an aperture creation operation (aperture creation process) 40, of which non-limiting examples are described above, which results in one or more openings are imparted to the precursor fibrous structure 38 to form an apertured fibrous structure 42. In one example, a precursor fibrous structure is subjected to a rotary knife perforation operation as generally disclosed in the present invention. No. 8,679,391. In one example of a rotary knife punching operation, a precursor fibrous structure is passed through a nip which comprises a toothed roller with a pitch of 100 interwoven with a roller ring. The teeth on the toothed roller have a pyramidal tip with six sides that narrows from the base section of the tooth to a sharp point. fitted at the tip 20 as shown in FIGS. 10A-10D. The base section of the tooth has vertical leading and trailing edges and is connected to the pyramidal tip and the surface of the toothed roller. The teeth are oriented so that the long direction extend in the machine direction MD. The teeth are arranged in a staggered pattern, with a 0.100 inch (2.5 mm) CD P pitch and a 0.223 inch (5.7 mm) MD tipped MD bit spacing. The total TH tooth height (including the pyramidal and vertical base sections) is 0.270 inch (6.9 mm), the sidewall angle on the long side of the tooth is 6.8 degrees, and the Sidewall angle of the leading and trailing edges of the teeth in the pyramidal tip section is 25 degrees. The 100 pitch ring cylinder has a 0.100 inch CD P pitch, a 0.270 inch TH tooth height, a 0.005 inch TR tip radius, and a 4.7 degree sidewall angle. The rotary knife perforation roller and the ring cylinder are aligned in the CD direction so that the spaces on each side of the teeth are approximately equal.
[0071] In another example, the fibrous precursor structure is subjected to a broaching operation as described below. In one example, the precursor fibrous structure is passed through a nip which is formed between two opposed pin rolls arranged in a mutual meshing configuration, so that the pins of a roll pass through the nip. space between the pins on the opposite roller in the nip. A typical configuration can use two rollers with the same design and arrangement of pins. However, the opposite roller may be of different design and arrangement of pins, may instead have no pins, but other fibrous structure support members or may be a solid surface composed of a conformable material allowing interference between the pins of the pin roller and the conformable surface. The degree of interference between the virtual cylinders described by the spindle tips is described as the Engagement Depth. As the fibrous structure passes through the nip formed between the opposed rollers, the pins of each pin roll engage and penetrate the fiber structure to a depth largely determined by the depth of engagement between the rolls and the roll. nominal thickness of the fibrous structure. The pins used in the apparatus may be flared pins having a circular cross section with a tapered tip forming tip as described in Figs. 11A-11C. The maximum diameter of the pins from the surface of the roll to the base of the conical section is 2.6 mm (0.103 inches). The conical section has a wall angle of 9 degrees. The total length of the spindle extending above the surface of the roll is 10.29 mm (0.4050 inches). The pins are arranged in staggered rows in the machine direction, each row of pins having an MD (center to center) pitch 9.09 mm (0.358 inches) along the virtual circle 25 described by the pin tips. Adjacent rows are spaced 2.54 mm (0.100 inch) in the cross direction and circumferentially offset by half the MD pitch. The opposed rollers are aligned, so that the corresponding MD rows of each roll are in the same plane and so that the pins interlock in the form of a gear with opposite pins passing near the center of the space between The pins in the MD row of pins of the opposite roll.
[0072] Methods of Use In one example, fibrous structures comprising one or more tissue care active agents according to the present invention can be used in a process for treating a textile article. The method of treating a textile article may comprise one or more steps selected from the group consisting of: (a) pre-treating the textile article prior to washing the textile article; (b) contacting the textile article with a wash liquor formed by contacting the fibrous structure or the film with water; (c) contacting the textile article with the fibrous structure or the film in a dryer; (d) drying the textile article in the presence of the fibrous structure or film in a dryer; and (e) their combinations. In some embodiments, the method may further include the step of pre-moistening the fibrous structure or film prior to contacting the textile article to be pretreated. For example, the fibrous structure or film may be pre-moistened with water and then adhered to a portion of the tissue comprising a stain to be pretreated. Alternatively, the tissue may be wetted and the fibrous structure or film placed or adhered thereto. In some embodiments, the method may further comprise the step of selecting only a portion of the fibrous structure or film for use in processing a textile article. For example, if a single tissue care article is to be treated, a portion of the fibrous structure or film may be cut and / or torn and placed either adhered to the tissue or placed in water. to form a relatively small amount of wash liquor which is then used to pretreat the fabric. In this way, the user can customize the tissue treatment process according to the task to be performed. In some embodiments, at least a portion of a fibrous structure or film may be applied to the tissue to be treated using a device. Exemplary devices include, but are not limited to, brushes and sponges. Any one or more of the above steps may be repeated to achieve the desired beneficial effect of tissue treatment. In another example, fibrous structures or films comprising one or more hair care active agents according to the present invention can be used in a method for treating hair. The hair treatment method may include one or more steps selected from the group consisting of: (a) pre-treating the hair prior to washing; (b) contacting the hair with a wash liquor formed by contacting the fibrous structure or film with water; (c) subsequently treating the hair after washing; (d) contacting the hair with a conditioning fluid formed by contacting the fibrous structure or film with water; and (e) their combinations.
[0073] Non-limiting examples of open-ended fibrous structures The following examples give examples of open-ended fibrous structures according to the present invention. The fibrous precursor structures used in the examples are made as described above as shown in Figures 7 and 8.
[0074] EXAMPLE 1 (EXAMPLE 1) A fibrous precursor structure comprising a plurality of filaments comprising one or more fiber element materials and one or more active agents having a nominal basis weight of 280 g / m 2 and a thickness of about 1 mm 15 is prepared and layered into 3-ply stacks (forming a multi-ply fibrous structure of precursor, in other words before creating openings), 100 mm wide, aligned with the CD of the fibrous structure precursor and 400 mm long in the MD as described above. The multi-ply fibrous precursor structure is then provided with apertures by passing the precursor multiple ply fibrous structure through a nip of a rotary knife perforation apparatus as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10A to FIG. 10D and further described below. The multi-ply precursor fibrous structure is passed through a nip which includes a toothed roller with a pitch of 100 (rotary knife perforation roller) interwoven with a 100 pitch roller cylinder. The teeth on the roller Toothed have a pyramidal tip with six sides that narrows from the base section of the tooth to a sharp tip at the tip. The base section of the tooth has vertical leading and trailing edges and is connected to the pyramidal tip and the surface of the toothed roller. The teeth are oriented so that the long direction extend in the machine direction MD. The teeth are arranged in a staggered pattern, with a 0.100 inch (2.5 mm) CD P pitch and a 0.223 inch (5.7 mm) MD tip-to-tip uniform spacing. The total TH tooth height (including the pyramidal and vertical base sections) is 0.270 inch (6.9 mm), the sidewall angle on the long side of the tooth is 6.8 degrees, and the the leading edge and trailing edge of the teeth in the pyramidal tip section is 25 degrees. The 100 pitch ring cylinder has a 0.100 inch CD P pitch, a 0.270 inch TH tooth height, a 0.005 inch TR tip radius, and a 4.7 degree sidewall angle. The toothed roller (rotary knife punch roll) and the ring roller are aligned in the CD direction so that the spaces on either side of the teeth are approximately equal. The engagement depth between the gear roll and the ring roll is set to about 0.130 inches. The multi-ply fibrous precursor structure is passed through the nip with essentially no winding around the rolls, both in and out. Although not required by the invention, a sacrificial polymer spunbond of about 20 g / m 2 was passed through the line of contact between the multi-ply fibrous structure and the toothed roller to produce a convenient way to peel off the multi-ply fibrous structure of the toothed roller. The multi-ply fibrous structure is passed through the nip at a rate of about 3 meters per minute (10 ft / min). The resultant multiple ply fibrous structure is cut into 40 mm x 55 mm ovals using a steel die. The results of the aperture parameter test method for this apertured fibrous structure are shown below in Table 1. The observation of the apertures in the open-ply fibrous structure using the method of characterization test of The optical aperture described herein has disclosed well formed openings having an elongate shape, each aperture having a larger aperture disposed toward a planar surface of the fibrous structure and a smaller aperture disposed toward the opposed planar surface. All the apertures are arranged so that the larger aperture is toward the same generally planar surface, referred to as the "tooth-side" surface. The typical aperture has minor and minor major axis widths at the tooth side of about 0.6-1.1 mm and 2.6-3.1 mm, respectively. The typical opening has apparent minor and major axis widths at the toothless side of about 0.2 to 1.9 mm. The openings in the fibrous structure are characterized by an average optical circular diameter of 2.0 mm and an average optical circular area of 3.1 mm 2 as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method described herein.
[0075] Example 2 (eg 2) A precursor fibrous structure comprising a plurality of filaments comprising one or more fiber element materials and one or more active agents having a nominal basis weight of 280 g / m 2 and a thickness of about 1 mm 5 is prepared in stacks of 3 folds (forming a precursor multi-ply fibrous structure), 100 mm wide, aligned with the CD of the precursor fibrous structure and 400 mm long in the MD. The multi-ply fibrous precursor structure is then provided with openings by passing the multi-ply fibrous structure through a nip of a rotary broaching apparatus as shown in FIG. 9 and as further described herein. -Dessous. The multi-ply precursor fibrous structure is passed through a nip which is formed between two opposed pin rolls having pins arranged in a mutual meshing configuration, so that the pins of a roll pass through the wire. space between the pins on the opposite roller in the nip. When the precursor multi-ply fibrous structure passes through the nip formed between the opposed pin rolls, the pins of each pin roll engage and penetrate the fibrous structure to a depth substantially determined by the depth of contact. engagement between the rolls and the nominal thickness of the fibrous structure. The pins of the pin rollers are flared pins having a circular cross section with a conical tip turning into a tip. The maximum diameter of the pins from the roll surface to the base of the conical section is 2.6 mm (0.103 inches). The conical section has a wall angle of 9 °. The total pin length extending over the surface of the pin roller is 10.29 mm (0.4050 inches). The pins are arranged in staggered rows in the machine direction, with each row of pins having a MD (center to center) pitch 9.09 mm (0.358 inches) along the virtual circle described by the pin tips. Adjacent rows are spaced 2.54 mm (0.100 inch) in the cross direction and circumferentially offset by half the MD pitch. The opposed rollers are aligned, so that the corresponding MD rows of each roll are in the same plane and so that the pins interlock in the form of a gear with opposite pins passing near the center of the space. between the pins in the MD row of pins of the opposite roll. The engagement depth between the pair of intertwined pin rollers is set to about 5.08 mm (0.200 inches).
[0076] Although not required by the invention, a sacrificial polymeric spunbond of about 20 g / m 2 is passed simultaneously through the line of contact between the multi-ply fibrous structure and the pin rolls. to provide a convenient way to peel off the multi-ply fibrous structure of the pin rolls.
[0077] The multi-ply fibrous structure was passed through the nip at a speed of about 3 meters per minute (10 ft / min). The resultant multiple ply fibrous structure is cut into ovals of 40 mm x 55 mm using a steel die. The results of the aperture parameter test method for this apertured fibrous structure are shown below in Table 1. The observation of the resulting apertures in the multi-ply fibrous structure using the method of characterization test of The optical aperture described herein has disclosed well-formed, generally circular apertures, each aperture having a larger aperture disposed toward a planar surface of the fibrous structure and a smaller aperture disposed toward the opposed planar surface. About half of the apertures are disposed with the larger aperture to a first planar surface and about the other half apertures are disposed with the larger aperture to the opposite second planar surface. The larger apertures of the apertures are characterized by an average optical circular diameter of 1.0 mm and an average optical circular area of 0.81 mm 2, as measured by the optical aperture characterization test method described herein. The smaller apertures of the apertures are characterized by an average optical circular diameter of 0.14 mm and an average optical circular area of 0.015 mm 2, as measured by the optical aperture characterization test method described herein.
[0078] EXAMPLE 3 (EXAMPLE 3) A fibrous precursor structure comprising a plurality of filaments comprising one or more fiber element materials and one or more active agents having a nominal basis weight of 280 g / m 2 and a thickness of about 1 mm is cut into a fibrous structure of about 75 mm x 75 mm.
[0079] The precursor fibrous structure is provided with apertures in a flat plate broaching apparatus, as generally illustrated in FIGS. 11A to 11C and further described below, having a 9.5 mm engagement depth ( 0.375 inch) by pressing the plates together in a hydraulic press.
[0080] The apparatus comprises a pair of opposing plates, each plate having an array of flared pins connected thereto, each pin perpendicular to the plane of the base plate. The pins are arranged in an array of staggered rows of pins, in which adjacent rows of pins in the machine direction are each offset by half the pin pitch MD. The opposed plates are arranged so that the pins mesh when they are brought together in a direction perpendicular to the base plate. The plates are provided with alignment pins that pass through the two plates to ensure a desired alignment of the flared pins.
[0081] The flared pins have a circular cross section with a substantially cylindrical base section and a substantially conical tip section terminating in a tip. The maximum diameter of the pins from the base plate to the base of the conical section is 1.63 mm (0.064 inches). The conical tip section has a wall angle of 7 degrees to the vertical. The total length of spindle extending above the surface of the roll is 12.7 mm (0.5 inch). The flared pins are placed in alternate staggered rows having a cross-directional pitch of 0.1 inches and a 0.358 inch vertical pitch. The results of the aperture parameter test method for this apertured fibrous structure are shown below in Table 1.
[0082] Observation of the resulting openings in the fibrous structure using the optical aperture characterization test method described herein revealed well formed, generally circular apertures, each aperture having a larger aperture disposed toward a planar surface of the structure. fibrous and a smaller orifice disposed towards the opposite planar surface. About half of the apertures are disposed with the larger aperture to a first planar surface and about the other half apertures are disposed with the larger aperture to the opposite second planar surface. The larger apertures of the apertures are characterized by an average optical circular diameter of 0.93 mm and an average optical circular area of 0.67 mm 2, as measured by the optical aperture characterization test method described herein. The smaller apertures of the apertures are characterized by an average optical circular diameter of 0.44 mm and an average optical circular area of 0.15 mm 2, as measured by the optical aperture characterization test method described herein.
[0083] EXAMPLE 4 (EXAMPLE 4) A fibrous precursor structure comprising a plurality of filaments comprising one or more fiber element materials and one or more active agents having a nominal basis weight of 280 g / m 2 and a thickness of about 1 mm 5 is cut into a fibrous structure of about 75 mm x 75 mm. The fibrous structure is provided with apertures in a flat plate broaching apparatus, as generally illustrated in Figs. 11A-11C and further described below, having a 0.375 inch (9.5 mm) engagement depth. pressing the plates together in a hydraulic press.
[0084] The apparatus comprises a pair of opposing plates, each plate having an array of flared pins connected thereto, each pin perpendicular to the plane of the base plate. The pins are arranged in an array of staggered rows of pins, wherein adjacent rows of pins in the machine direction are each offset by half the pin pitch MD. Opposite plates are arranged so that the pins mesh when brought together in a direction perpendicular to the base plate. The plates are provided with alignment pins that pass through the two plates to ensure a desired alignment of the flared pins. The flared pins have a circular cross-section with a substantially cylindrical base section and a substantially conical tip section terminating in a tip. The maximum diameter of flared pins from the base plate to the base of the conical section is 3.35 mm (0.132 inches). The conical tip section has a wall angle of 7 degrees to the vertical. The total length of the spindle extending above the surface of the roll is 12.7 mm (0.5 inches).
[0085] The flared pins are placed in alternate staggered rows having a cross-directional pitch of 0.1 inches and a 0.358 inch vertical pitch. The results of the aperture parameter test method for this apertured fibrous structure are shown below in Table 1. Observation of the resulting apertures in the apertured fibrous structure using the characterization test method of The optical aperture described herein has revealed irregularly shaped apertures, each aperture having a larger aperture disposed toward a planar surface of the fibrous structure and a smaller aperture disposed toward the opposed planar surface. About half of the openings are disposed with the larger aperture 3027035 76 to a first planar surface and about the other half of the apertures are disposed with the larger aperture to the opposite second planar surface. The larger apertures of the apertures are characterized by an average optical circular diameter of 1.4 mm and an average optical circular area of 1.5 mm 2, as measured by the optical aperture characterization test method described herein. The smaller apertures of the apertures are characterized by an average optical circular diameter of 0.88 mm and an average optical circular area of 0.61 mm 2, as measured by the optical aperture characterization test method described herein. BWIR BWITR WRS TRS FOIRE AAA AAED AFOA Ex. 1 0.593 1.070 0.0024 0.0006 1.094 0.753 0.973 4.5% Ex. 2 0.570 1.032 0.0020 0.0003 1.134 0.217 0.504 1.8% Ex. 3 0.531 1.070 0 , 0030 0.0009 1.151 0.204 0.502 1.5% Ex. 4 0.590 1.100 0.0024 0.0007 1.178 0.677 0.912 5.2% Table 1 Example 5 (eg 5) A fibrous precursor structure comprising a plurality of filaments comprising one or more fiber-forming materials and one or more active agents having a nominal basis weight of 303 g / m 2 and a thickness of about 1 mm is prepared by first moistening the precursor fibrous structure by passing a producing portable steam on a surface of the precursor fibrous structure, in order to plasticize the fibrous structure and then arranging the precursor fibrous structure into 3-ply stacks (forming a multi-ply fibrous structure), 90 mm wide, aligned with the CD of the precursor fiber structure and 500 mm long into the MD and then applying a pressure of about 0.5 kPa on the surface of the multi-ply fibrous structure to bring adjacent fold surfaces into close contact. The degree of wetting is selected to provide an improved plasticity of the fibers at the surface, to improve the association between the plies of the fibers without causing the fibrous structure to collapse, shrink or otherwise become difficult. To manipulate. The pressure is selected so that the multi-ply fibrous structure does not readily separate into individual pleats during handling and so that the fibrous structure does not collapse permanently.
[0086] The multi-ply fibrous structure is then cut into two portions of about 250 mm in length. The first portion is retained as a control sample for subsequent characterization and the second portion is then apertured by passing the multi-ply fibrous structure through a nip of a broaching apparatus similar to Example 2. above. The engagement depth between the pair of interlaced pin rolls was set to about 3.3 mm (0.130 inches). Although not required by the invention, a sacrificial polymeric spunbonded web of about 20 g / m 2 was passed simultaneously through the line of contact between the multi-ply fibrous structure and the pin rolls, in order to provide a convenient means of loosening the fibrous multi-ply structure of the pin rolls. The multi-ply fibrous structure is passed through the nip at a rate of about 3 meters per minute (10 ft / min). The resultant multiple ply fibrous structure and fibrous structure with multiple control plies (without apertures) are measured according to the tensile test method described herein. As shown in Table 2 below, it is possible to observe that the geometric mean secant modulus of the open-ply multi-ply fibrous structure is reduced in comparison with the non-apertured control ply fibrous structure. Although not wishing to be bound by the theory, it is contemplated that the reduction of the geometric mean secant modulus may correspond to an improved tactile impression of softness and flexibility of the article for end use. It is further contemplated that reducing the geometric mean secant modulus will correspond to improved interaction with subsequent processing steps, including, but not limited to, dispensing the end-use article from the package. and / or dispensing devices designed for convenience for the end user.
[0087] Example 6 (eg 6) A precursor fibrous structure comprising a plurality of filaments comprising one or more fibrous element materials and one or more active agents having a nominal basis weight of 303 g / m 2 and a thickness of about 1 mm Is prepared by first moistening the precursor fibrous structure by passing a portable steam generating device on a surface of the precursor fibrous structure to plasticize the fibrous structure and then arranging the precursor fibrous structure into stacks of 3 plies (forming a multi-ply fibrous structure), 90 mm wide, aligned with the CD of the precursor fibrous structure and 500 mm long in the MD and then applying a pressure of about 0.5 kPa on the surface of the multi-ply fibrous structure to bring adjacent fold surfaces into close contact. The degree of wetting is selected to provide an improved plasticity of the fibers at the surface, to improve the association between the folds of the fibers without causing the fibrous structure to collapse, shrink or otherwise become difficult. To manipulate. The pressure is selected so that the multi-ply fibrous structure does not readily separate into individual pleats during handling and so that the fibrous structure does not collapse permanently.
[0088] The multi-ply fibrous structure is then cut into two portions of about 250 mm in length. The first portion is retained as a control sample for subsequent characterization and the second portion is then apertured by passing the multi-ply fibrous structure through a nip of a broaching apparatus similar to Example 2 herein. -above. The engagement depth between the pair of interlaced 15-pin rolls was set to about 0.100 inch. Although not required by the invention, a sacrificial polymeric spunbonded web of about 20 g / m 2 was passed simultaneously through the line of contact between the multi-ply fibrous structure and the pin rolls, in order to provide a convenient means of peeling off the fibrous multi-ply structure of the pin rolls.
[0089] The multi-ply fibrous structure was passed through the nip at a rate of about 3 meters per minute (10 ft / min). The resultant multiple ply fibrous structure and fibrous structure with multiple control pleats (without apertures) are measured according to the tensile test method described herein. As illustrated in Table 2 below, it is possible to observe that the geometric mean secant modulus of the open-ply multi-ply fibrous structure is reduced in comparison with the non-apertured multiple control ply fibrous structure. Although not wishing to be bound by the theory, it is contemplated that the reduction of the geometric mean secant modulus may correspond to an improved tactile impression of softness and flexibility of the article for end use. It is further contemplated that the reduction of the geometric mean secant modulus will correspond to improved interaction with subsequent processing steps, including, but not limited to, dispensing the article for ultimate use from the main packaging and / or dispensing devices designed for convenience for the end user.
[0090] 3027035 79 Control for Ex. Ex.
[0091] 5 Ex. Control 6 for Ex.
[0092] 6 Geometric mean dry traction (g / cm) 3447 2212 2912 2270 Geometric mean maximum elongation (%) 76.9 71.7 65.1 60.1 TEA Geometric mean TEA ((g * cm / cm2) 0.32 0 , 16 0.21 0.13 Geometric mean tangent modulus (g / cm) 3046 1766 3635 2862 Geometric mean securing modulus (g / cm) 1968 729 2006 867 Table 2 Test methods 5 Unless otherwise specified, all tests described herein including those described under the Definitions section and the following test methods are performed on samples that have been conditioned in a conditioned room at a temperature of 23 ° C ± 1 ° C and a relative humidity of 50 ± 2% for 2 hours. Samples packaged as described herein are considered dry samples (for example, as "dry filaments") for purposes of the present invention, and all tests are conducted in such a conditioned room. water content test The water content (Moisture) present in a filament and / or a fiber and / or a fibrous structure is measured using the following water content test method. A filament and / or a fibrous structure or a part thereof ("sample") are placed in a conditioned room at a temperature of 23 ° C ± 1 ° C and a relative humidity of 50% ± 2% for at least 24 hours before the test. The weight of the sample is recorded when no further change in weight is detected for a period of at least 5 minutes. Record this weight as the "balance weight" of the sample. Then place the sample in a drying oven for 24 hours at 70 ° C with a relative humidity of about 4% to dry the sample. After 24 hours of drying, weigh the sample immediately. Record this weight as the "dry weight" of the sample. The water (moisture) content of the sample is calculated as follows: 3027035% water (moisture) in the sample = 100% x (Equilibrium weight of the sample - Dry weight of the sample) Dry weight sample 5 The average% water (moisture) in the sample is determined for 3 replicates to give the% water (moisture) indicated in the sample. Dissolution Test Method Apparatus and Materials (FIGS. 12 to 14): 600 mL beaker 44 Magnetic Stirrer 46 (Labline Model No. 1250 or equivalent) Magnetic Stirring Bar 48 (5 cm) Thermometer (1 to 100 ° C) +/- 1 ° C) Cutting Die - stainless steel cutting die size 3.8 cm x 3.2 cm Stopwatch (0 to 3600 seconds or 1 hour), accurate to plus or minus one second. The stopwatch used must have a sufficient total time measurement range if the sample has a dissolution time greater than 3600 seconds. However, the stopwatch must be accurate to within one second.
[0093] 20 Polaroid 35mm 50 slide frame (available from Polaroid Corporation or equivalent) 35mm Slide Frame Bracket 52 (or equivalent) Cincinnati City Water or equivalent having the following properties: Total Hardness = 155 mg / L in the form of CaCO3; calcium content = 33.2 mg / L; magnesium content = 17.5 mg / L; phosphate content = 0.0462. Test protocol Equilibrate samples in an environment with constant temperature and humidity of 23 ° C ± 1 ° C and 50% RH ± 2% for at least 2 hours.
[0094] Measure the mass per unit area of the sample materials using the mass-density method defined herein.
[0095] Cut three samples of dissolution test of the nonwoven structure sample, for example the fibrous structure sample, using the cutting die (3.8 cm × 3.2 cm), so that can place it in the 35 mm 50 slide frame, which has an open area dimension of 24 x 36 mm.
[0096] 5 Block each sample in an independent 35 mm slide frame 50. Place Magnetic Stirrer 48 in the 600 mL beaker. 44. Open the tap (or equivalent) and measure the temperature of the sample. water with a thermometer and, if necessary, adjust the hot or cold water to maintain it at the test temperature. The test temperature is water at 15 ° C ± 1 ° C. Once at the test temperature, fill the beaker 240 with 500 mL ± 5 mL of the tap water at 15 ° C ± 1 ° C. Place the solid beaker 44 on the magnetic stirrer 46, turn on the stirrer 46, and adjust the stirring speed until a vortex develops and the bottom of the vortex is at the 400 mL mark on the beaker 44.
[0097] Attach the 35mm slide frame 50 into the crocodile clip 54 of the 35mm slide frame 52 so that the long end 56 of the slide frame 50 is parallel to the surface of the water. The crocodile clip 54 must be positioned in the middle of the long end 56 of the slide frame 50. The depth adjusting device 58 of the support 52 must be adjusted so that the distance between the bottom of the depth adjuster 58 and the bottom of the crocodile clip 54 is about 27.94 cm ± 0.31 cm (11 ± 0.125 inches). This configuration will place the surface of the sample perpendicular to the flow of water. A slightly modified example of an arrangement of a 35mm slide frame and a slide frame support is shown in Figures 1 to 3 of U.S. Patent No. 6,787,512.
[0098] 25 In one motion, drop the attached slide and clip into the water and start the stopwatch. The sample is dropped so that the sample is centered in the beaker. Disintegration occurs when the nonwoven structure breaks down. Save this as disintegration time. As the entire visible nonwoven structure is released from the slide frame, lift the slide out of the water while continuing to monitor the solution for undissolved fragments of the nonwoven structure. Dissolution occurs when all non-woven structure fragments are no longer visible. Save this as a dissolution time.
[0099] Three replicates of each sample are run and average disintegration and dissolution times are recorded. Mean disintegration and dissolution times are in units of seconds. The mean disintegration and dissolution times are normalized to the surface mass by dividing each by the sample basis weight as determined by the surface weight method defined herein. The normalized mass density decay and dissolution times are in units of seconds / (g / m 2) of sample (s / (g / m 2)). Diameter Test Method The diameter of a distinct filament or filament within a fibrous structure or film is determined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or optical microscope and a scanning software. image analysis. A magnification of 200 to 10,000 times is chosen so that the filaments are enlarged appropriately for the measurement. When using the SEM, the samples are sprayed with gold or a palladium compound to avoid electrical charge and filament vibrations in the electron beam. A manual procedure is used to determine the filament diameters from the image (on the monitor screen) taken with the SEM or optical microscope. Using a mouse and cursor tool, the edge of a randomly selected filament is searched, then measured across its width (i.e., perpendicular to the direction of the filament at that point) until at the other edge of the filament. A scaled and calibrated image analysis tool provides scaling to get the actual measurement in gin. For filaments within a fibrous structure or film, several filaments are randomly selected through the sample of the fibrous structure or film using the SEM or optical microscope. At least two portions of the fibrous structure or film (or web within a product) are cut and tested in this manner. A total of at least 100 of these measurements are performed, and all data are recorded for statistical analysis. The recorded data is used to calculate the mean of the filament diameters, the standard deviation of the filament diameters, and the median of the filament diameters.
[0100] Another useful statistic is the calculation of the amount of the filament population that is below a certain upper limit. To determine this statistic, the software is programmed to count the number of filament diameter results that are below an upper limit and this count (divided by the total number of data and multiplied by 100%) is indicated by percent as a percentage lower than the upper limit, such as the percentage less than a diameter below 1 micrometer or% submicron, for example. We denote the measured diameter (in gni) of an individual circular filament by di.
[0101] In the case where the filaments have non-circular cross-sections, the measurement of the filament diameter is determined as and defined equal to the hydraulic diameter which is four times the cross-sectional area of the filament divided by the perimeter of the cut. transverse filament (outer perimeter in the case of hollow filaments). The number average diameter, alternatively the average diameter is calculated by: ## EQU1 ## The thickness of a fibrous structure or film is measured by cutting 15 samples of fibrous structure or film, such that each cut sample is larger in size than the load foot loading surface of a VIR Model II thickness electronic tester available from Thwing-Albert Instrument Company, Philadelphia, PA. Typically, the loading surface of the load foot has a circular area of about 3.14 pots. The sample is confined between a flat horizontal surface and the load foot loading surface. The load foot loading surface applies a sample containment pressure of 15.5 g / cm2. The size of each sample is the resulting gap between the flat surface and the loading surface of the load foot. The size is calculated as the average size of the five samples. The result is indicated in millimeters (mm).
[0102] Surface Mass Test Method The basis weight of a fibrous structure sample is measured by selecting twelve (12) individual samples of the fibrous structure and making two stacks of six individual samples each. If the individual samples are connected to each other by perforation lines, the perforation lines must be aligned on the same side when stacking the individual samples. A precision blade is used to cut each stack into squares of exactly 7.62 cm x 7.62 cm (3.5 inches x 3027035 84 3.5 inches). The two stacks of cut squares are combined to make a pad of mass density of twelve squares of thickness. The mass-density buffer is then weighed on a plate balance with a minimum resolution of 0.01 g. The tray scale must be protected from drafts and other disturbances by using a screen. The weights are recorded when the measurements on the top load balance become constant. The basis weight is calculated as follows: Area Weight = weight of the mass basis weight (g) x 3000 ft2 (pounds / 3000 ft2) 453.6 g / lb x 12 samples x [12.25 phr mass per unit area) / 144 pot] Weight per unit area = (g / m2) Weight of the surface mass buffer (g) x 10,000 cm2 / m2 79,0321 cm2 (area of the mass basis buffer) x 12 samples 15 If the sample If the fibrous structure is smaller than 7.62 cm x 7.62 cm (3.5 in x 3.5 in), then smaller sample areas can be used to determine the mass per unit area with the changes associated with the calculations. . Method of Testing Weight-average Molecular Weight The weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of a material, such as a polymer, is determined by gel filtration chromatography (GPC) using a mixed-bed column. A high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) was used comprising the following components: Millenium® Pump, Model 600E, System Control Device and Control Software Version 3.2, Model 717 Plus Automatic Sampler and Column Heating CHM-009246 , all manufactured by Waters Corporation of Milford, MA, USA. The column is a Jim Mixed A PL gel column (the molecular weight of the gel is 1000 g / mol to 40,000,000 g / mol) having a length of 600 mm and an internal diameter of 7.5 mm and the precolumn is a PL 20 gm gel column, length 50 mm, internal diameter 7.5 mm. The column temperature is 55 ° C and the injection volume is 200. The detector is an enhanced optical system (EOS) DAWN® including an Astra® software detector software, Version 4.73.04, manufactured by Wyatt Technology Santa Barbara, CA, USA, a laser light diffraction detector with a K5 cell and a 690 nm laser. Gain on odd-numbered detectors set to 101. Gain on even-numbered detectors set to 35.9. Optilab® Differential Refractometer from Wyatt Technology set at 50 ° C. Gain 3027035 set to 10. The mobile phase is HPLC grade dimethyl sulfoxide with 0.1% w / v LiBr and the mobile phase flow rate is 1 mL / min, isocratic. The execution time is 30 minutes. A sample is prepared by dissolving the material in the mobile phase nominally at 3 mg of material / 1 mL of mobile phase. The sample is capped and then stirred for about 5 minutes using a magnetic stirrer. The sample is then placed in a convection oven at 85 ° C for 60 minutes. The sample is allowed to cool to room temperature without disturbing it. The sample is then filtered through a 5 μm nylon Spartan-25 membrane manufactured by Schleicher & Schuell of Keene, NH, USA, in a 5 mL autosample vial (mL). using a 5 mL syringe. For each measured sample series (3 or more samples of a material), a solvent blank is injected onto the column. Then, a control sample is prepared in a manner similar to that for the samples, described above.
[0103] The control sample comprises 2 mg / mL pullulan (Polymer Laboratories) having a weight average molecular weight of 47,300 g / mol. The control sample is analyzed before analyzing each set of samples. The tests on the blank, the control sample, and the material test samples are done in duplicate. The final test is a white test. The light diffraction detector and the differential refractometer are used in accordance with the "Dawn EOS Light Scattering Instrument Hardware Manual" and the "Optilab® DSP Interferometric Refractometer Hardware Manual," both manufactured by Wyatt. Technology Corp., Santa Barbara, CA, USA. The weight average molecular weight of the sample is calculated using the detector software. A dn / dc (differential refractive index difference with concentration) value of 0.066 is used. The baselines for the laser light detectors and the refractive index detector are corrected to eliminate contributions of detector dark current and solvent diffusion. If a laser light detector signal is saturated or has excessive background noise, it is not used in the calculation of the molecular weight. The regions for the characterization of the molecular weight are chosen so that the signals for the 90 ° detector for both the diffraction of the laser light and the refractive index are greater than 3 times their line noise levels. respective basis. Typically, the high molecular weight side of the chromatogram is limited by the refractive index signal and the low molecular weight side is limited by the laser light signal. The weight average molecular weight can be calculated using a "first order Zimm plot" as defined in the detector software. If the weight average molecular weight of the sample is greater than 1,000,000 g / mol, both the first and second order Zimm plots are calculated, and the result with the smallest error in a first order curve. regression is used to calculate the molecular weight. The reported weight average molecular weight is the average of the two analyzes of the material test sample.
[0104] Tensile test method: elongation, tensile strength, fracture energy and modulus Elongation, tensile strength, fracture energy, secant modulus and tangent modulus are measured on a tensile tester at a constant rate of expansion with a computer interface (a suitable instrument is the MTS Insight using the Testworks 4.0 software marketed by MTS Systems Corp., Eden Prairie, MN) using a load cell for which the forces measured are between 10% and 90% of the cell limit. Both the mobile (upper) and stationary (lower) pneumatic jaws are equipped with rubber face jaws, 25.4 mm in height and wider than the width of the test specimen. An air pressure of about 0.55 MPa (80 psi) is supplied to the jaws. All tests are performed in a conditioned room maintained at about 23 ° C ± 1 ° C and about 50% ± 2% relative humidity. The samples are conditioned under the same conditions for 2 hours before the test. Eight test pieces of nonwoven structure and / or fibrous dissolution structure are divided into two stacks of four test pieces each. The specimens in each stack are oriented consistently with respect to the machine direction (MD) and the cross direction (CD). One of the batteries is designated for the machine direction test and the other for the cross direction. Using a one inch precision blade (Thwing Albert JDC-1-10, or the like) cut four MD strips from one stack and four CD strips from the other, with dimensions of 2.54 cm ± 0. , 02 cm wide by at least 50 mm long. Program the tensile tester to perform an elongation test, collecting force and extension data at an acquisition rate of 100 Hz. Initially, lower the crosshead by 6 mm at a speed of 5.08 cm / min to introduce a set in the test tube, then raise the crosshead at a rate of 5.08 cm / min until the sample breaks. The breaking sensitivity is set at 80%, ie the test is completed when the measured force drops to 20% of the maximum peak force, after which the crosshead returns to its original position.
[0105] 5 Set the reference length to 2.54 cm. Put the crossbar back to zero. Insert a sample into the upper jaws, aligning vertically within the upper and lower jaws and close the upper jaws. When the sample is suspended from the upper jaw, put the load cell on zero. Insert the sample into the lower jaws and close. When the jaws are closed, the sample must be under sufficient tension to remove any slack, but has a force of less than 3.0 g on the load cell. Start the traction tester and collect the data. Repeat the test in the same way for all four ST and four SM samples. Program the software to calculate the following elements from the force-constructed curve (g) according to the extension (cm).
[0106] The tensile strength is the peak peak force (g) divided by the sample width (cm) and indicated in g / cm at plus or minus 1.0 g / cm. The adjusted reference length was calculated as an extension measured at 3.0 g force (cm) added to the original reference length (cm). The elongation is calculated as an extension at maximum peak force (cm) divided by the adjusted reference length (cm) multiplied by 100 and indicated in% at plus or minus 0.1%. The total energy (breaking energy) is calculated as the area under the integrated force curve from the null extension to the maximum peak force extension (g * cm), divided by the product of the length of the adjusted reference (cm) and test specimen width (cm) and is indicated at plus or minus 1 g * cm / cm 2. Retrace the force curve (g) as a function of the extension (cm) as a force curve (g) as a function of the deformation (%). The deformation is defined here as the extension (cm) divided by the adjusted reference length (cm) x 100. Program the software to calculate the following elements from the constructed force curve (g) as a function of the deformation (%): The secant modulus is calculated from a least squares linear fit of the steepest slope of the force curve versus the strain curve using a rope that shows an increase. at least 20% of the maximum force. This slope is then divided by the specimen width (2.54 cm) and indicated at plus or minus 1.0 g / cm. The tangent modulus is calculated as the slope of the line drawn between the two data points on the force curve (g) as a function of the strain curve (%). The first data point used is the point recorded at a force of 28 g and the second data point used is the point recorded at 48 g force. This slope is then divided by the width of the specimen (2.54 cm) and reported to 1.0 g / cm. The tensile strength (g / cm), the elongation (%), the total energy (g * cm / cm 2), the secant modulus (g / cm) and the tangent modulus (g / cm) are calculated for the four samples in the cross direction and the four samples in the machine direction. Separately calculate an average for each parameter for the cross-machine and machine direction samples.
[0107] Calculations: Total Dry Tensile Strength (TDT) = Tensile Strength in the Machine Direction (g / cm) + Tensile Strength in the Cross Direction (g / cm) Geometric Mean Traction = Square Root of [Resistance Tensile strength in machine direction (g / cm) x Tensile strength in cross direction (g / cm)] 20 Tensile ratio = Tensile strength in machine direction (g / cm) / Tensile strength in cross direction (g / cm) Maximum elongation geometric mean = Square root of [elongation in machine direction (%) x elongation in cross direction (%)] TEA total = TEA in machine direction (g * cin / cm2 ) + TEA in cross direction 25 (g * cm / cm2) TEA geometric mean = Square root of [TEA in machine direction (g * cm / cm2) x TEA in cross direction (g * cm / cm2)] Module tangent geometric mean = Square root of [Tangent modulus in machine direction (g / cm) x Tangent modulus in cross direction (g / cm)] 30 Total tangent modulus = MB dule tangent in machine direction (g / cm) + Tangent modulus in cross direction (g / cm) 3027035 89 Modulus secant geometric mean = Square root of [Secant modulus in machine direction (g / cm) x Secant module in cross-machine direction (g / cm)] Total secant modulus = Secant modulus in machine direction (g / cm) + Secant modulus in cross machine direction (g / cm) 5 Rigidity test method for plate In this statement, the test "Plate Rigidity" is a measure of the stiffness of a flat sample while it is deformed down into a hole below the sample. As part of the test, the sample is modeled as an infinite plate of thickness "t" on a flat surface where it is centered over a "R" radius hole. A center force "F" applied to the paper directly above the hole deflects the paper down into the hole a distance "w". For a linear elastic material, it is possible to predict the deflection by the following equation: w = 3F (1-v) (3 + v) R2 47tEt3 where "E" is the effective linear elastic modulus, "v" is the Poisson's ratio, "R" is the radius of the hole and "t" is the thickness of the absorbent paper, taken as the thickness in millimeters measured on a stack of absorbent papers under a load of about 2 kPa (0 , 29 psi). Taking the Poisson's ratio to a value of 0.1 (the solution is not very sensitive to this parameter, so the imprecision due to the adopted value is probably minor), the previous equation can be reformulated for "w The results of the test are performed using an MTS Alliance RT / 1 test machine (MTS Systems Corp., Eden Prairie, Minn.) With the results of the test of flexibility: 3R2F 4t3. a load cell of 100 N. Given that a stack of five sheets of absorbent paper of at least 2.5 square inches is centered on a hole of 15.75 mm radius on a support plate, a blunt probe 3.15 mm radius descends at a speed of 20 mm / min. When the end of the probe 302 goes down to 1 mm below the plane of the support plate, the test is terminated. The maximum slope in grams of force / mm over any range of 0.5 mm during the test is recorded (this maximum slope usually occurs at the end of the run). The load cell monitors the applied force and the position of the end of the probe relative to the plane of the support plate is also monitored. The peak load is recorded and "E" is estimated using the equation above. The stiffness of the plate "S" per unit width can therefore be calculated as follows: S = Et3 10 12 and is expressed in units of Newtons-millimeters. The Testworks program uses the following formula to calculate stiffness: 15 S = (F / w) [(3 + v) R2 / 16n] where "F / w" is the maximum slope (force divided by deflection), "v "Is the Poisson's ratio taken at a value of 0.1, and" R "is the ring radius.
[0108] Filament Composition Test Procedure In order to prepare the filaments for measuring filament composition, the filaments must be packaged by removing any compositions and / or coating materials present on the outer surfaces of the filaments that can be removed. Chemical analysis of the conditioned filaments is then performed to determine the composition of the filaments with respect to fibrous element and active material materials and the rates of fibrous element and active material materials present in the filaments. The composition of the filaments with respect to the fibrous element material and active agents can also be determined by performing a cross-sectional analysis using time-of-flight secondary ionization mass spectrometry or scanning electron microscopy. Yet another method of determining the composition of the filaments uses a fluorescent dye as a marker. In addition, as always, a filament manufacturer must know the compositions of its filaments.
[0109] This method of testing should be used to determine the average particle size. The average particle size test is performed to determine the average particle size of the seed material using ASTM D 502-89, "Standard Test Method for Particle Size of Soaps and Other Detergents", approved on May 26 1989, with an additional specification for the sieve dimensions used in the analysis. According to Section 7, "Procedure using machine-sieving method," a series of dry sieves containing sieves US Standard (ASTM E 11) No. 8 (2360 iam), No. 12 (170011m), No. 16 (1180 gm ), No. 20 (85011m), No. 30 (600 μm), No. 40 (425 μm), No. 50 (300 μm), No. 70 (2121am), No. 100 (150 μm) is required. . The recommended machine sieving process is used with the previous sieve series. The seeding material is used as a sample. A suitable sieve shaker is available from W. S. Tyler Company of Mentor, Ohio, USA. The data are plotted on a semi-logarithmic graph with the micron opening size of each sieve plotted against the log abscissa and the cumulative mass percentage (Q3) plotted against the linear ordinate. An example of the previous representation of the data is given in ISO 9276-1: 1998, "Representation of Results of Particle Size Analysis - Part 1: Graphical Representation", Figure A.4. The average particle size of the seed material (D50) for purposes of the present invention is defined as the abscissa value at the point where the cumulative mass percentage is 50 percent, and is calculated by interpolation. rectilinear between the data points directly above (a50) and below (b50) the 50% value using the following equation: D50 = 10 ^ [Log (Daso) - (Log (Daso) - Log (Db5o)) * (Qeo - 50%) / (Qaso - Qb5o)] where Qa50 and Qb50 are the cumulative mass percentile values of the data immediately above and below the 50th percentile, respectively; and Da50 and Db50 are micron sieve size values corresponding to these data.
[0110] In the event that the 50th percentile value falls below the smallest sieve size (150 μm) or above the largest sieve size (2360 μm), additional sieves must be added. to the group following a geometric progression that does not exceed 1.5, until the median falls between two measured sieve sizes.
[0111] The seed material distribution span is a measure of the extent of seed size distribution around the median. It is calculated according to the following equation: Empan = (D84 / D50 + D50 / D16) / 2 Where D50 is the average particle size and D84 and D16 are the particle sizes at the sixteenth and the eighty-fourth percentiles on the selected plot of cumulative mass percentage, respectively. In the event that the value D16 falls below the smallest sieve size (150 gm), then the span is calculated according to the following equation: Empan = (D84 / Dso) - In the event that the value 1384 would fall above the largest sieve size (2360 gm), then the span is calculated according to the following equation: Empan = (Dso / D16) - In the event that the D16 value falls below the smallest sieve size (150 gm) and the value D84 would fall above the largest sieve size (2360 lim), then the distribution span is taken as a maximum value of 5.7 . Aperture parameter test method One of skill in the art understands that it is important to ensure that the preparation steps for the test of a fibrous structure sample do not damage the test sample and do not damage the test sample. do not change the characteristics to be measured. A dry fibrous structure sample is the starting point for measurements. The following test method is carried out on samples which have been conditioned in a conditioned room at a temperature of 23 ° C ± 2.0 ° C and a relative humidity of 45% ± 10% for a minimum of 12 hours before test. Unless otherwise indicated, all tests are carried out in such an air-conditioned room and all tests are carried out under the same environmental conditions. Any damaged fibrous structure is eliminated. Samples with defects such as creases, hollows, tears and unwanted analogues are not tested. All instruments are calibrated according to the manufacturer's specifications. Samples packaged as described herein are considered dry samples for purposes of the present invention. Several parameters associated with the presence of openings in a fibrous structure are determined by the use of three-dimensional (3D) imaging and computerized image analysis. X-ray computed tomography (microCT) is used to generate 3D renderings of test samples obtained from fibrous structures with apertures. Each of the parameters determined by the method relates to one or more of the following characteristics: aperture characteristics, dimensions and frequency; localized area mass index; or localized fiber orientation index. Image analysis tools are applied to 3D renderings to produce two-dimensional (2D) images and one-dimensional (1D) profiles of values. The profiles display the average localized area weight index and the localized fiber orientation index as a function of the outward radiating distance from the edge of the opening gap regions (as defined below). ), for the combined data of several duplicate openings. Within the profiles, distinct regions are identified based on their distance from the edge of the open void regions and relative to the relative values measured at the characteristic distances. The background region is distal to the void gap region 20 and is least affected by the presence of the apertures. The wall region, when present, is immediately adjacent to the void gap region and may be reduced in basis weight index relative to that of the background region. The transition region, when present, is located between the wall region and the background region and may have an increased local area weight index relative to that of the background region. Several parameters are defined and calculated to characterize aspects of the relative density index and the relative fiber orientation index between these regions. In total, the parameters associated with the determined openings include: average equivalent opening diameter; average opening area; opening frequency; opening circularity; medium split open area; surface mass index ratio; mass density index transition ratio; wall region slope; transition region slope; and fiber orientation index ratio.
[0112] Samples of the fibrous structure to be tested are imaged using a microCT X-ray scanner capable of scanning a sample having dimensions of at least 16 mm × 16 mm × 3 mm as a unit data set. with contiguous voxels. An isotropic spatial resolution of 61.1m is required in the 5 sets of data collected by microCT scanning. An example of suitable instrumentation is the SCANCO Systems model 1.150 microCT scanner (Scanco Medical AG, Briittisellen, Switzerland) operated with the following settings: energy level from 45 kVp to 88 I.EA; 3000 projections; 20 mm field of view; integration time of 750 ms; an average constitution of 3; and a voxel size of 6 μm.
[0113] The fibrous structures to be tested are inspected visually to determine the presence, appearance, number of locations of individual openings. Inspections may be assisted by the use of a magnifying device to obtain clear and complete observations. The test samples to be analyzed are prepared by punching fibrous structure sample discs in a fibrous structure, using a sharp circular punching tool about 16 mm in diameter. The punching tool is positioned so that at least one opening is: present in the punched disc, is located approximately centered on the central origin of the punching circle and, if possible, is completely contained in the area. punched sample disc.
[0114] The fibrous structures to be tested are sampled by preparing a set of at least three sample disks from each test material. The three or more sample disks are carefully selected so that the collective set of all apertures present in the disks is representative of the variety of apertures present in the test material and presents the various apertures approximately in the same relative frequencies. those present in the entire fibrous structure (that is, the different varieties of openings are weighted in number by their relative frequency and not weighted by area), as determined during the visual inspection. If three sample disks are insufficient to collectively provide such a representative sample of the entire fibrous structure, then additional sample disks are prepared in sufficient quantity for the assembly to collectively meet the requirements specified for a representative sample. All parameter value results specified in this test method are calculated and reported for all of the sample disks that are collectively representative of the entire fiber structure.
[0115] Different classes of apertures and / or different aperture areas may be visually perceptible in the fibrous structure during visual inspection. Different classes of openings can be identified according to differences in the relative size of the openings or the differences in the relative shape of the openings or by any other visually perceptible and recurrent characteristic (s). ) openings. Different areas of the openings may be identified according to the frequency or relative density of the openings between the areas of the fibrous structure or by the relative shape or shapes of the openings between the areas or by the relative spatial arrangement or the mixture of the openings between the areas. or by any other visually perceptible feature (s) of openings or their spatial arrangement. The areas may reproduce or repeat in any spatial arrangement on the fibrous structure and, as such, may include areas within or between repeating patterns. Fibrous structures comprising different classes of apertures or aperture areas are visually evaluated to determine if a 16 mm sample disc can be punched, so that only a single class or single area is present in a single disc. sample. For fibrous structures comprising more than one visually perceptible class or area of apertures and wherein the spatial arrangement of apertures allows at least one class or area to be sampled separately, then at least three replicated sample disks are Prepared from each different class or area that can be sampled separately (in addition to the set of sample disks that are collectively representative of the entire structure). For fibrous structures in which different classes or zones of apertures can be separately sampled, all the results specified in this test method (except the aperture frequency) are calculated and reported separately for each set of representative sample disks. an area or class of openings, in addition to the results reported for the set of sample disks representative of the entire structure. The prepared sample discs are laid flat and can be mounted between discs (and / or rings) of a low attenuation sample preparation mounting foam in alternating layers to form a stack. The use of foam rings can provide regions within scans where each sample disc is completely isolated from other solid materials. The sample discs and any additional disc and / or foam ring are mounted in a plastic cylindrical tube and secured within the microCT scanner. The image acquisition settings of the instrument are chosen so that the image intensity contrast is sensitive enough to provide clear and reproducible discrimination of the fibrous structures with respect to air and foam. neighboring assembly. Image acquisition settings not likely to achieve this contrast discrimination or the required spatial resolution are not appropriate for this method. Sweeps of the sample disks are captured, so that the entire volume of all mounted sample disks is included in the data set. Software for reconstructing the data set to produce 3D renderings is provided by the manufacturer of the scanning instrument. The appropriate software for subsequent image processing steps and quantitative image analysis includes programs such as Avizo Fire 8.0 (Visualization Sciences Group / FEI Company, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA) and MATLAB 2013b with the Corresponding MATLAB image processing toolkit (The Mathworks Inc. Natick, Mass., USA). MicroCT data collected with a 16-bit gray-level intensity depth is converted to an 8-bit gray-level intensity depth, taking care to ensure that the resulting 8-bit data set maintains the maximum dynamic range and the minimum number of saturated voxels feasible, while excluding extreme outliers. The data set is downsampled by a factor of two in all dimensions to produce a 3D data set comprising voxels of 12 used in the following image processing and analysis steps. Now in this method, the dimension Z designates the direction perpendicular to the plane of the sample disk and the dimensions X and Y designate two directions which are perpendicular to each other and which are both parallel to the plane of the disk. sample. The orientation of the perpendicular X and Y dimensions is arbitrarily determined by the rotational orientation of the mounted sample disk relative to the scanning geometry of the instrument. From a data set comprising multiple scanned sample discs, a unique and separate 3D interest region (ROI) is created for each individual sample disc. The size of the 3D ROI for each sample disk is such that it comprises the entire sample disk in the X, Y, and Z dimensions and further comprises a significant volume of space voxels. empty / empty air space in the Z dimension above and / or below the plane of the disk. All foreign solid materials (eg, sample mount foam, sample carrier) are numerically excluded from the data analyzes. Surface Mass Index Image The gray level intensity values in the microCT data set result from the attenuation of X-rays as they pass through the sample material during scanning. X-ray attenuation is a function of the density of the sample material, so that the higher density materials result in higher gray level intensity values (brighter regions) and lower density materials. result in lower gray level intensity values (darker regions). This feature is used to determine the localized area weight index values, as shown at each pixel location in a 2D XY projection image referred to as a surface density index image. To calculate the PSA image for each sample disk, a cumulative XY 2D projection image is created of each disk, via image mathematics. In the Z stack of XY image slices that includes the ROI for each sample disk, the gray level intensity value at each specific XY voxel location is summed with the intensity values corresponding to it. same location of 20 voxel XY; on all XY slices in stack Z, to create a new unique 2D XY image, including the cumulative floating point greyscale intensity value at each XY pixel location. The cumulative intensity values are then rescaled so that the gray level intensity values in the cumulative projection image are in the 8-bit range, while preserving most of the range. dynamic. The resultant 8-bit XY 2D cumulative projection image is then referred to as the basis weight index image for this sample disk. Diameter equivalent of average opening; Medium opening area; Frequency of opening; Average fractional open area; and Aperture Circularity The open void regions are identified and defined in the mass density index image of each sample disk by a thresholding method of the gray level intensity values followed. by identifying the region. These methods are used to classify each pixel in a PSA image as either a component of a specific open space gap region or as being excluded from all of the void region regions. opening. The threshold intensity value is determined using the Otsu method (Nobuyuki Otsu 5 (1979) "A threshold selection method from gray-level histograms" IEEE Trans., Sys., Man., Cyber., 9 (1): 62- 66 doi: 10.1109 / TSMC.1979.4310076). The Otsu method is a commonly used method for determining an objective and reproducible threshold value for a gray scale image and it does so by identifying the threshold value that minimizes the sum of the variances within two sets of values. intensity 10 (i.e., each side of the threshold value). The Otsu method is used to determine the threshold value for the PSI image and this threshold value is then used to create a bit mask called the image mask. From the PS image, all pixel locations whose intensity value is greater than the threshold value are identified and receive an intensity value of one in the bit image mask. . In contrast, all pixel locations in the PS image whose gray level intensity value is less than the threshold value receive an intensity value of zero in the mask. binary image. The void gap regions are identified and defined as continuous pixel regions located in the sample disk, in which all pixels corresponding to this continuous region have a zero intensity value in the mask of the sample. binary image and where the region has a continuous area of at least 100 pixels. Each region that satisfies the above criterion is defined as a gap region of aperture and is assumed to correspond to the most central portion of an aperture. All pixel locations in the sample disk that do not satisfy the criterion for identification to include an aperture gap region receive an intensity value of one in the image mask. Opening void regions that are in contact or intersect the circular perimeter of the sample disk are excluded from all calculations and measurements shown, unless excluding them results in zero void region of measured opening in the sample disk, in which case the void gap regions in contact or intersecting must be included in the reported measurements. The equivalent diameter for any open void region is the diameter of a circle whose area is the same as the area of the void gap region. Each void gap region identified in the image mask 302 is measured to determine its area and equivalent diameter. Each of these individual measured values is recorded and reported after conversion of pixels to micrometers using the factor of 12 gm per pixel. For each fibrous structure material tested, the values recorded for the area and for the equivalent diameter of each void gap region are indicated individually and an average is also calculated for each parameter respectively. The average equivalent opening diameter and the average opening area are each calculated and indicated on all of the sample disks representing the entire fibrous structure, as well as on the set of sample disks representing each class. of apertures and each aperture area for each individual parameter. Circularity (also referred to as roundness) is a common concept in image analysis that is used to measure the shape of a 2D object and indicates the degree of similarity between the shape of that object and the shape of a circle perfect. According to this approach, an object in the form of a perfect circle has a value of circularity without unity of one, while the values of circularity diverging from the value of one correspond to shapes diverging from a perfect circle. with higher values indicating less and less circular shapes. The circularity value of any gap region of given opening is designated as the opening circularity and is calculated using the equation: Opening Circularity = (perimeter) 2 / (4 x area x 3.1416) where: perimeter = the length of the perimeter of the void area of given aperture, in units of mm 25 area = the area of the gap region of given aperture, in units of mm2. Each void gap region identified in the image mask is measured to determine its aperture circularity. Each of these individual measured values is recorded and indicated as an individual opening circularity value. An average of the aperture roundness values is calculated and is indicated on all of the sample disks representing the entire fiber structure, as well as on the set of sample disks representing each aperture class 3027035 and each zone of openings. All the resulting average values are recorded and reported for each fibrous structure material tested. Visually perceptible recurring patterns of apertures (i.e., repeated two-dimensional space units containing regions both in and out of aperture gap regions) may be present in the fibrous structure. whole intact tested. For fibrous structures in which visually perceptible repeating patterns are absent, the parameters described below, required to determine the average fractional open area, are calculated directly on the basis of the total area of intact intact fibrous structure. The total area of the fibrous structure is determined by multiplying the length and width of the entire intact fibrous structure. Those skilled in the art will understand that when one or more recurring patterns of openings are present in the tested fibrous structure, then all parameters measured on the basis of the largest recurring pattern can be extrapolated to determine the values for those parameters. based on the total area of intact intact fibrous structure.
[0116] For fibrous structures comprising a repeating unit, the area of the largest visually perceptible repeating unit is determined and recorded by firstly measuring and then multiplying the distances of the repeating unit together. The recursive pattern distances are measured in the X and Y directions from the intact intact fiber structure tested and are the two linear distances between locations where the pattern is again identical (i.e., recursive) in occurrences. adjacent to the largest recurring pattern. Parameter values that are calculated on the basis of the largest recurring pattern are extrapolated to determine these parameter values for the intact intact fibrous structure. This extrapolation is obtained by multiplying the calculated parameter values for the repeating unit by the number of times that the pattern is recurrent throughout the fibrous structure. The number of times the pattern is repeated over the entire fibrous structure is determined by dividing the area of the total area of the fibrous structure by the area of the largest recurring pattern present. The total number of openings is defined as the total number of openings in all classes and in all zones in the intact whole fibrous structure. The total number of openings is determined by counting each visually perceptible opening in the entire fibrous structure or is extrapolated from the count of all visually perceptible openings in the largest recurring pattern including all classes and all zones.
[0117] The opening frequency is defined as the total number of all openings in all classes and in all zones, calculated on the basis of the intact whole fiber structure and expressed as the number of openings per mm 2. The opening frequency is calculated according to the following equation: Opening frequency = Total number of openings / Total area where the value for the total area is calculated for the intact whole fiber structure, in units of mm 2.
[0118] The cumulative area of the open void regions in the fibrous structure is determined by multiplying the number of visually perceptible openings counted in the fibrous structure or extrapolated from the count in the largest recurring pattern, by the measured mean opening area. The average fractional open area is the percentage of the total area of the fibrous structure that includes the area in the open void regions and is calculated according to the following equation: Average Split Fractional Area (%) = (Cumulative Area of Open Space / Total Area) x 100 20 where the values for the cumulative area of the open void regions and the total area are calculated for the entire intact fiber structure , in units of mm2. The average fractional open area is plotted on the set of sample disks representing the entire fibrous structure. In addition, if possible, the average fractional open area value is also calculated and reported on all sample disks representing each class of apertures and aperture area. All the resulting average values are recorded and reported for each fibrous structure material tested.
[0119] Euclidean distance map image The mass density index image is used to produce a Euclidean distance map (EDM), wherein the value at each pixel location is a distance value which represents the distance between this pixel and the nearest pixel 3027035 102 contained in an open gap region (as defined above). To measure the distance away from the open void region, the Euclidean distance transform is used to measure the minimum distance from each specific pixel location to the most open aperture gap region pixel. 5 near. For each sample disk, the binary image mask previously created to identify the open gap regions is now inverted, so that the pixels in the open gap regions have a value of 1. The intensity of one and all the other pixels have an intensity value of zero, thus creating a mask called inverted image mask. The Euclidean distance map (EDM) for each sample disk 10 is the inverted image mask transform, so that the distance value of each pixel location in the EDM is the Euclidean floating point distance between this respective pixel location in the inverted image mask and the location of its nearest non-zero intensity pixel in the inverted image mask. In order to exclude the data from the outer periphery of the sample disk, the EDM is then adjusted so that all pixel locations receive a distance value of zero if their position is outside a circle which is concentric with the perimeter of the sample disc and has a diameter of only 90% of the diameter of the sample disc.
[0120] Pie ratio ratio; Pie ratio transition ratio; Slope of wall region; and transition region slope The surface mass index profile is calculated from the surface mass index image and the EDM in order to elucidate the dependence of the distance of the pixel values in the image. of the basis weight index with respect to the proximity of the opening void regions. Each pixel in the EDM has a distance value equal to its distance in pixels from the nearest aperture gap region pixel. All pixels in the EDM are assigned to containers based on their distance value, each container being defined as an integer number of pixels, i.e., an integer. For each set of pixels allocated to a distance container, the average value of the pfd image intensity values corresponding to these pixels is calculated and recorded. These mean intensity values per distance container are calculated on all sample disks that are replicas or that form a representative set of samples for a fibrous structure and, for each container, the resulting value is called the value of mass density index. The EDM distance value of each distance container is converted from the pixels to microns using the scaling factor of 12 μm per pixel. The surface mass index profile is then defined as the basis weight index value for all distance container values measured in micrometers. The surface density index profile is easily represented by the distance from the nearest aperture gap region and the resulting curve generally resembles curves such as the surface mass index profile curve. 60 shown in the PFA profile graph of Figure 15. The range of distances that defines and includes the background region 62 represents all the distance values corresponding to the full-value containers in the region. EDMs that are totally contained in the 50th to 90th percentiles (the 100th percentile being the largest distance) of all non-zero distance values in the SHS. The basis weight index background is a value which is the arithmetic mean of the gray level intensity values found in the surface density index image across all pixel positions corresponding to the set of distances composing the background region 62. The ratio of the basis weight index is defined as: Pbt ratio = Surface mass index at the open / back gap wherein the mass density index value at the opening gap, as represented by point 64, is the surface density index value at the level of the surface density index. smaller measured distance shown in the surface mass index profile curve 60.
[0121] On the PSG profile graphs as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, a horizontal line 66 is drawn at the value of the background mass index background. If the line 66 does not intersect the PFA profile curve 60 at a distance that is smaller than the smallest distance in the background region 62, then no additional region is defined; 30 which is the case for the surface mass index profile graph of Figure 15. In this case, the mass density index transition ratio is defined as a value of one, the wall region slope is defined as a value of zero and the transition region slope is defined as a value of zero.
[0122] On the graph of the surface mass index profile (including a transition region) shown in FIG. 16, if the line 66 crosses the surface density index profile curve 60 at a distance which is smaller than the the smaller distance in the background region 62, then the intersection of the line 66 and the surface mass index profile curve 60 is designated as the crossing point 68. The data point having the lowest basis weight index value and also having a distance greater than the crosspoint distance 68 is identified and the distance corresponding to this identified point is referred to as the wall transition boundary, as illustrated by line 70. The range of distances with distances less than or equal to the wall transition limit 70 is referred to as the wall region 72 and the range of distances having distances greater than the transition boundary of the wall. but the lower region of the region 62 is referred to as the transition region 74. The average of the surface density index values for all the pixel positions corresponding to the distances within the transition region 74 is called the mass-density index transition average, as represented by line 76. The mass-density index transition ratio is defined as: mass-density index transition ratio = average of index-of-mass index transition mass per unit area / background mass index.
[0123] The maximum PSA value occurring within the transition region is referred to as the peak PSA, as represented by point 78. If more than one data point has the value maximum, the peak of the surface mass index profile is the maximum occurring at the level of the smallest distance. The distance corresponding to the peak of the surface density index profile is referred to as the peak area profile distance. The peak mass ratio is defined as: Peak ratio of surface density index = peak of surface density index / background of surface density index. In addition, the approximate slope of the surface density index profile curve 60 within the wall region 72 is referred to as the wall region slope and is defined as: 3027035 Wall region slope = (1 - ratio of surface density index) / wall transition limit. where the wall transition limit is in units of gm.
[0124] Still further, the approximate slope of the surface mass index profile curve 60 at the beginning of the transition region is referred to as the transition region slope and is defined as: transition region slope = (Ratio of peak mass per unit area - 1) / (peak area profile distance per unit area - wall transition limit). where the peak density profile distance and the wall transition boundary are both in units of gm.
[0125] The weight ratio, surface mass index transition ratio, wall region slope, and transition region slope ratio values are calculated, averaged, and reported for the entire area. the set of sample discs representing the entire fibrous structure, as well as 20 for all sample discs representing each class of apertures and aperture area for each individual parameter. Fiber orientation index image The extent to which the fiber orientation of the sample is deflected from the XY plane of the sample disk and to the Z direction perpendicular to the plane of the sample disk is quantified at the of each XY pixel location in a sample disk. This quantification is obtained by measuring the approximate gradients of all fiber surfaces in the sample disk and then comparing the magnitudes of relative horizontal and vertical gradients. When a fiber is deflected out of the XY plane of the sample disc, a larger portion of the surface of that individual fiber is oriented vertically and this gives rise to a large vertical gradient. The ratio of horizontal and vertical gradient magnitudes added at each XY position is then interpreted as the tangent of an angle and this angle is calculated to generate the fiber orientation index image; 3 02 703 5 106 The Sobel 2D gradient operator described in the book "Pattern Classification and Scene Analysis" (Duda, Hart Wiley & Sons, 1973) is an image analysis tool and analysis software programs image widely available commercially and widely used to calculate the orientation, magnitude and location of edges 5 (boundaries of different intensities) in images. When the Sobel operator is applied to an image, two 3 x 3 matrices are convolved with the entire image to give rise to two images of the same size as the original. A matrix (and the resulting image) gives an approximation of the size and location of the edges in the vertical direction and the other gives an approximation of the size and location of the edges in the horizontal direction. To compute the fiber orientation index image, 2D Sobel gradient operators are used to create four sets of 3D gradient data. In each case, the 3D data set is decomposed into 2D image planes and a 2D Sobel gradient operator is applied along one of the two main axes of the image plane to produce an image of gradient component. These gradient component images are then stacked again to create a set of 3D gradient data along the same major axis. For all the XZ image planes of a sample disk, a 2D Sobel operator is used to produce a gradient component image with a gradient in the Z direction. These images are then stacked again to create an image. 3D dataset called XZ_vertical. For all XZ image planes of a sample disk, a 2D Sobel operator is used to produce a gradient component image with a gradient in the X direction. These images are then stacked again to create a set. of 3D data called XZ_horizontal. For all YZ image planes of a sample disk, a 2D Sobel operator is used to produce a gradient component image with a gradient in the Z direction. These images are then stacked again to create a set. 3D data called YZ_vertical.
[0126] For all the YZ image planes of a sample disk, a 2D Sobel operator is used to produce a gradient component image with a Y-direction gradient. These images are then stacked again to create an image. 3D dataset called YZ_horizontal.
[0127] 3027035 107 The three-dimensional data set Vertical gradient data is then created by calculating the square root of the sum of squares (called the norm) of corresponding voxels for each pair of corresponding voxels in XZ_vertical and YZ_vertical, Vertical gradient data is then added along the Z dimension to create a 2D vertical gradient projection image. The three-dimensional data set Horizontal gradient data is created by calculating the corresponding voxel norm for each pair of corresponding voxels in XZ_horizontal and YZ_vertical. Horizontal gradient data is then added along the Z dimension to create a 2D horizontal gradient projection image. Each pixel value 10 in the 2D fiber orientation index image is then defined according to the following equation, for all corresponding pairs of voxels (vgpii) in the vertical gradient projection and (hgpii) in the projection. of horizontal gradient. FOI (i, j) = (180/3, 14159) x abs (arctan (hpipi / hpii)) where: FOI (i, j) = pixel at position i, j in the orientation index image of fibers, abs denotes the function of absolute value, arctan denotes the inverse function of the tangent function, 20 vgpii = pixel in position i, j of the vertical gradient projection, hgpii = pixel in position i, j of the gradient projection horizontal. Fiber orientation index ratio The fiber orientation index profile is calculated from the fiber orientation index image and the EDM in order to elucidate the dependency of the distance. of deflection of the fibers relative to the proximity of the regions of empty space of opening. Each pixel in the EDM has a distance value equal to its distance in pixels from the nearest aperture gap region pixel. All pixels in the EDM are assigned to containers based on their distance value, each container being defined as an integer number of pixels, i.e., an integer. For each set of pixels allocated to a distance container, the average value of the fiber orientation index image intensity values corresponding to those pixels is calculated and recorded. These mean intensity values per distance container are computed on all sample disks that are replicas or that form a representative set of samples for a fibrous structure, and for each container, the resulting value is called the value. fiber orientation index. The EDM distance value of each distance container is converted from the pixels to microns using the scaling factor of 12 μm per pixel. The fiber orientation index profile is then defined as the fiber orientation index value for all distance container values measured in micrometers. The fiber orientation index profile is easily represented in relation to the distance from the nearest aperture gap region and the resulting curve generally resembles curves such as the index profile curve. Fiber orientation 80 shown in the fiber orientation index profile graph of Fig. 17. The range of distances that defines and includes the background region 62 represents all distance values corresponding to the fiber orientation containers. integer values in the EDM that are completely contained in the 50th to 90th percentiles (the 100th percentile being the largest distance) of all non-zero distance values in the EDM. The background region 62 as defined above is also used with the fiber orientation index profile. The fiber orientation index background, as represented by line 82, is a value which is the arithmetic mean of the gray level intensity values of the fiber orientation index found in the fiber orientation index image across all the pixel positions corresponding to all distances composing the background region 62. The fiber orientation index ratio is defined as: Fiber orientation index ratio = Fiber orientation index at open gap / Fiber orientation index background 25 where the fiber orientation index at the fiber gap index the open gap is the value of the fiber orientation index profile at the smallest distance measured, as illustrated by point 84. The fiber orientation index ratio values are calculated, then an average is calculated and they are shown on the set of s sample disks representing the entire fibrous structure, as well as all the sample disks representing each class of apertures and each aperture area.
[0128] 3027035 109 Optical aperture characterization test method Optical aperture circular diameter (AOCD), aperture circular optical area (AOCA) and aperture circular optical percentage (AOC%) measurements are obtained using an optical magnification device. The optical magnification device is capable of magnification between 5x and 20x and is combined with a measurement scale, the scale divisions including 0.1mm intervals. One such suitable optical magnification device is the Bausch & Lomb Hastings 10X Triplet Magnifier (Bausch & Lomb Inc., Bridgewater, NJ, USA) equipped with a scaled reticle. The measuring scale reticle in the magnifying glass is located at the focal plane of the lens. The magnifying glass is placed in direct contact with the sample, thus allowing precise measurement of the opening dimensions without parallax or distortion error. The transparent body of the magnifying glass allows the incident light to illuminate the sample. The selection of magnification is determined by the size of the aperture ports to be measured, since smaller apertures may require magnification greater than the larger apertures. The AOCD is a value of average length expressed in mm. AOCA is a mean area value expressed in mm2. AOC% is a cumulative area value expressed as a percentage of the area of the flat surface that was inspected and in which the measured openings were located.
[0129] For the purposes of this method, a representative sample of the fibrous structure to be tested is laid flat against a contrasting background and is inspected with sufficient oblique incident light and magnification sufficient to allow clear observation and clear measurement, through the magnifying device, orifices of the individual openings. The apertures of each aperture are measured at the level of the highest planar surface of the two planar surfaces of the fibrous structure. This uppermost flat surface is typically the location of the shoulder of the aperture opening, where the surface begins to dip downward before forming the walls of the aperture. In some embodiments, the adjoining surface and the shoulder of an aperture may occur at a plane 30 which is raised above (outward from) the generally planar surface of the structure. fibrous, forming a volcano-like structure rising above the flat surface. In such cases, the aperture is measured at the outermost plane described by the perimeter of the aperture. Measurements are taken of the diameter of 3027035 each individual opening opening along the two axes of this opening. To perform both diameter measurements, a first diameter measurement is made along the major axis, which includes the longest diameter length of the aperture. A second diameter measurement is then made along the axis which is perpendicular to the previously measured major axis. For each aperture, an average of the two perpendicular diameter measurements is calculated to produce the AOCD value of that aperture in that planar surface. For each aperture, the AOCD value in this planar surface is used to calculate the AOCA for that aperture in that planar area, through the following equation for the area of a circle having the AOCD value. as diameter: AOCA = n * r2 where: 7E = 3.1416 * Designates the multiplication operator and r = half the AOCD value.
[0130] For fibrous structures comprising a recurring pattern of apertures, the entire recurring pattern is inspected and all apertures with the entire recurring pattern inspected are measured as indicated above. Sufficient replicates of the entire recurring pattern are inspected until all openings in at least 10% of the total area of the entire fibrous structure have been measured. For fibrous structures without a recurring pattern of apertures, at least 10% of the total area of the entire fibrous structure is inspected and all openings in the inspected area are measured. The inspection area (s) are selected such that all measured openings are representative of the variety of openings present and representative of their relative frequency in the structure (ie, different varieties of openings are 30 weighted by number and not by area). In addition, the area of the flat surface that was inspected and in which the measured openings were located is determined and can be calculated from measurements obtained using a ruler.
[0131] An average is calculated for all values calculated for the parameters AOCD and AOCA for each parameter and for each planar surface, in order to produce the average value for each parameter on each planar surface, respectively. Of each of these two parameters, average values calculated for each of the two planar surfaces, it is the greater of the two values which is indicated for each parameter for this fibrous structure material. To determine the AOC% value, all AOCA values measured for each plane surface are added together to determine the cumulative area of the aperture holes measured on that plane surface. This cumulative area value is divided by the area of this flat surface that was inspected and in which the measured openings were located. The result of this division is multiplied by 100 in order to produce the AOC% value for this flat surface. Among the AOC% values calculated for each of the two planar surfaces, the greater of the two values is indicated as the AOC% value for this fibrous structure material.
[0132] The dimensions and values described herein should not be understood as strictly limited to the exact numerical values cited. Instead, and unless otherwise indicated, each of these dimensions corresponds to both the indicated value and a functional equivalent range around that value. For example, a dimension described as "40 mm" means "about 40 mm".
[0133] The citation of any document is not an admission that it is a prior art with respect to any invention described or claimed herein or that alone, or in any combination with any other reference, he teaches, proposes or describes any such invention. In addition, if any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in another document, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document prevails. While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is, therefore, intended to cover in the appended claims all such variations and modifications which are within the scope of the present invention.

权利要求:
Claims (15)
[0001]
REVENDICATIONS1. A fibrous structure comprising a plurality of filaments, characterized in that at least one of the filaments comprises one or more filament-forming materials and one or more active agents that can be released from the filament when exposed under conditions of intended use, the fibrous structure further comprises one or more openings so that the fibrous structure has two or more of the following properties: a. a mass index ratio of less than 1, as measured according to the aperture parameter test method; b. a mass index ratio of greater than 1, as measured in accordance with the aperture parameter test method; vs. a fiber orientation index ratio greater than 1, as measured in accordance with the aperture parameter test method; d. an average aperture diameter greater than 0.15 mm as measured according to the aperture parameter test method; e. an average fractional open area of 0.005% to 80% as measured according to the aperture parameter test method; f. an average aperture area greater than 0.02 mm 2 as measured according to the aperture parameter test method; boy Wut. an optical aperture circular diameter of 0.1 mm to 10 mm as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method; h. an optical circular aperture area of 0.02 mm 2 to 75 mm 2 as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method; i. an optical aperture circular percentage of 0.005% to 80% as measured according to the optical aperture characterization test method.
[0002]
The fibrous structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the fibrous structure has a wall region slope greater than 0.0005 to less than 0.08, as measured by the aperture parameter test method. 3027035 113
[0003]
The fibrous structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the fibrous structure has a transition region slope greater than 0.0001 to less than 0.1, as measured by the aperture parameter test method. . 5
[0004]
Fibrous structure according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the fibrous structure comprises a plurality of openings, preferably in which the openings are present in a pattern, preferably in which the pattern is a pattern. recurrent. 10
[0005]
A fibrous structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the fibrous structure comprises two or more classes of openings, so that the fibrous structure has two or more different diameters equivalent to different mean apertures such as measured according to the aperture parameter test method. 15
[0006]
A fibrous structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that two or more of the openings are spaced from each other by a distance of 0.2 mm to 100 mm, preferably in which two or more openings are spaced from each other by a distance of 0.5 mm to 10 mm. 20
[0007]
A fibrous structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the filamentary material comprises a hydroxyl polymer, preferably wherein the hydroxyl polymer is selected from the group consisting of: pullulan, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose hydroxypropylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, sodium alginate, xanthan gum, tragacanth gum, guar gum, acacia gum, gum arabic, polyacrylic acid, dextrin, pectin, chitin, collagen, gelatin, zein, gluten, soy protein , casein, polyvinyl alcohol, starch, starch derivatives, hemicellulose, hemicellulose derivatives, proteins, chitosan, chitosan derivatives, polyethylene glycol, tetramethylene ether glycol, hydroxymethylcellulose, and mixtures thereof.
[0008]
A fibrous structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the active agent is selected from the group consisting of: active tissue care agents, active dishwashing agents, active agents for hard surfaces, active hair care agents, active soil care agents, active skin care agents, oral care active agents, medicinal active agents, active carpet care agents, agents for the care of the skin surface care active agents, active air care agents and mixtures thereof. 5
[0009]
9. fibrous structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the active agent is present in the filament at a level of at least 20% by weight of the filament.
[0010]
10. Fibrous structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the fibrous structure has a basis weight of 1 g / m2 to 10 000 g / m2.
[0011]
11. A fibrous structure according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that at least one of the filaments has a mean diameter of less than 50 microns as measured by the diameter test method. 15
[0012]
12. fibrous structure according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the fibrous structure has one or more of the following properties: a. an average disintegration time of 60 seconds or less as measured by the dissolution test method; B. an average dissolution time of 600 seconds or less as measured by the dissolution test method; vs. an average disintegration time per g / m 2 of 1.0 seconds / (g / m 2) or less as measured by the dissolution test method; and D. an average dissolution time per g / m 2 of 10 seconds / (g / m 2) or less as measured by the dissolution test method.
[0013]
13. fibrous structure according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the fibrous structure has one or more of the following properties: a. a GM tensile strength of greater than 200 g / cm as measured by the tensile test method; 3027035 115 b. a maximum GM elongation of less than 1000% as measured by the tensile test method; and c. a GM secant modulus of less than 5000 g / cm as measured by the tensile test method. 5
[0014]
14. A fibrous structure according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the fibrous structure has a water content ranging from 0% to 20% as measured according to the water content test method. 10
[0015]
15. A fibrous structure with multiple plies comprising at least one fibrous structure according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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优先权:

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申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题

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US201462062186P| true| 2014-10-10|2014-10-10|

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