Zoned Spinneret and High Loft Nonwoven Fabrics

Abstract

A spinneret for melt-spinning polymeric fibers including a spinneret body including a plurality of spinning orifices formed through a thickness of spinneret body is provided. The plurality of spinning orifices include (i) a plurality of multicomponent spinning orifices comprising a first multicomponent opening and a separate second multicomponent opening, and (ii) a plurality of monocomponent spinning orifices comprising a single monocomponent opening. Nonwoven fabrics having regions of monocomponent and multicomponent fibers are provided as well as methods of forming such nonwoven fabrics utilizing a zoned-spinneret.

1 . A spinneret for melt-spinning polymeric fibers, comprising:
 a spinneret body including a plurality of spinning orifices formed through a thickness of spinneret body;   wherein the plurality of spinning orifices include (i) a plurality of multicomponent spinning orifices comprising a first multicomponent opening and a separate second multicomponent opening, and (ii) a plurality of monocomponent spinning orifices comprising a single monocomponent opening.   
     
     
         2 . The spinneret of  claim 1 , wherein the spinneret body has a length and a width that is greater than the length, and wherein the plurality of spinning orifices define a plurality of rows extending independently from each other along at least about 20% of the width. 
     
     
         3 . The spinneret of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of multicomponent spinning orifices define at least one first zone, and the plurality of monocomponent spinning orifices define at least one second zone. 
     
     
         4 . The spinneret of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one first zone comprises a plurality of first zones, and the at least one second zone comprises a plurality of second zones. 
     
     
         5 . The spinneret of  claim 1 , wherein the multicomponent spinning orifices including the first multicomponent opening and the separate second multicomponent opening define a side-by-side configuration, a multi-lobal configuration, a sheath-and-core configuration, an islands-in-the-sea configuration wherein the separate second multicomponent opening comprises a plurality of such openings operatively connected to each other, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The spinneret of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of spinning orifices define a total number of spinning orifices, and wherein the plurality of multicomponent spinning orifices comprise from about 60 to about 99% of the total number of spinning orifices, the plurality of monocomponent spinning orifices comprise from about 1 to about 40% of the total number of spinning orifices. 
     
     
         7 . A nonwoven fabric, comprising:
 a plurality of interlaid fibers comprising a plurality of monocomponent fibers and a plurality of crimped multicomponent fibers, wherein the nonwoven fabric includes at least one first region including at least a majority of a first monocomponnet-fiber group of the plurality of monocomponent fibers and at least one second region including at least a majority of a first multicomponent-fiber group of the plurality of crimped multicomponent fibers.   
     
     
         8 . The nonwoven fabric of  claim 7 , wherein the first monocomponnet-fiber group defines a first outermost surface of the nonwoven fabric. 
     
     
         9 . The nonwoven fabric of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one first region further comprises a second monocomponnet-fiber group of the plurality of monocomponent fibers, and wherein the second monocomponnet-fiber group defines a second outermost surface of the nonwoven fabric, and wherein the first multicomponent-fiber group is located adjacent to the first monocomponnet-fiber group, the second monocomponnet-fiber group, or both. 
     
     
         10 . The nonwoven fabric of  claim 7 , wherein the first multicomponent-fiber group defines a first outermost surface of the nonwoven fabric. 
     
     
         11 . The nonwoven fabric of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one second region further comprises a second multicomponent-fiber group of the plurality of multicomponent fibers, and wherein the second multicomponent-fiber group defines a second outermost surface of the nonwoven fabric, and wherein the first monocomponent-fiber group is located adjacent to the first multicomponent-fiber group, the second multicomponent-fiber group, or both. 
     
     
         12 . The nonwoven fabric of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one first region comprises a plurality of first regions, and the at least one second region comprises a plurality of second regions. 
     
     
         13 . The nonwoven fabric of  claim 12 , wherein the plurality of first regions and the plurality of second regions are located in an alternating pattern along a machine-direction of the nonwoven fabric, a z-direction that is perpendicular to the machine-direction and a cross-direction, or both. 
     
     
         14 . The nonwoven fabric of  claim 12 , wherein the plurality of first regions and the plurality of second regions are located in an alternating pattern along a cross-direction of the nonwoven fabric, a z-direction that is perpendicular to the cross-direction and a machine-direction, or both. 
     
     
         15 . The nonwoven fabric of  claim 12 , wherein the plurality of first regions and the plurality of second regions are located in an alternating pattern along a cross-direction and a machine-direction. 
     
     
         16 . The nonwoven fabric of  claim 12 , wherein the plurality of first regions and the plurality of second regions are also located in an alternating pattern in a z-direction of the nonwoven fabric, wherein the z-direction is perpendicular to the cross-direction and the machine-direction. 
     
     
         17 . The nonwoven fabric of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one second region comprises a continuous network of the plurality of crimped multicomponent fibers, and the at least one first region comprises a plurality of first regions comprising separate islands of the plurality of monocomponent fibers dispersed throughout the continuous network of the plurality of crimped multicomponent fibers. 
     
     
         18 . The nonwoven fabric of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one first region comprises a continuous network of the plurality of monocomponent fibers, and the at least one second region comprises a plurality of second regions comprising separate islands of crimped multicomponent fibers dispersed throughout the continuous network of the plurality of monocomponent fibers. 
     
     
         19 . The nonwoven fabric of  claim 7 , wherein the nonwoven fabric has a total basis weight and the plurality of monocomponent fibers account for about 1 to about 40% by weight of the total basis weight, and/or the plurality of multicomponent fibers account for about 60 to about 99% by weight of the total basis weight. 
     
     
         20 . A method of producing a nonwoven fabric, comprising:
 (i) simultaneously melt spinning a set of fibers from a single spinneret, the set of fibers comprising a plurality of monocomponent fibers, and a plurality of multicomponent, wherein the set of fibers form at least one first region including at least a majority of a first monocomponent-fiber group of the plurality of monocomponent fibers and at least one second region including at least a majority of a first multicomponent-fiber group of the plurality of multicomponent fibers;   (ii) collecting the melt-spun set of fibers; and   (iii) forming a plurality of crimped multicomponent fibers by actively and/or passively forming one or more crimped portions in at least a portion of the plurality of multicomponent fibers.