U.S. patent application number 14/754892 was filed with the patent office on 2016-01-07 for nonwoven articles comprising abrasive particles.
The applicant listed for this patent is The Procter & Gamble Company. Invention is credited to Jonathan Javier CALDERAS, Aicha DKIDAK, Denis Alfred GONZALES, Michael Leslie GROOMBRIDGE, Martin Ian JAMES, David John PUNG, Charles Allen REDD, Laura Marie TANNO-SMITH, Marcela Victoria VALENZUELA.
Application Number | 20160000292 14/754892 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 55016119 |
Filed Date | 2016-01-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160000292 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CALDERAS; Jonathan Javier ;
et al. |
January 7, 2016 |
NONWOVEN ARTICLES COMPRISING ABRASIVE PARTICLES
Abstract
A dry nonwoven article comprising a web of fibers and abrasive
particles wherein the abrasive particles have a mean solidity below
0.85.
Inventors: |
CALDERAS; Jonathan Javier;
(Cincinnati, OH) ; DKIDAK; Aicha; (Brussels,
BE) ; GONZALES; Denis Alfred; (Brussels, BE) ;
GROOMBRIDGE; Michael Leslie; (Prudhoe, GB) ; JAMES;
Martin Ian; (Cincinnati, OH) ; PUNG; David John;
(Loveland, OH) ; REDD; Charles Allen; (Harrison,
OH) ; TANNO-SMITH; Laura Marie; (Cincinnati, OH)
; VALENZUELA; Marcela Victoria; (West Chester,
OH) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
The Procter & Gamble Company |
Cincinnati |
OH |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
55016119 |
Appl. No.: |
14/754892 |
Filed: |
June 30, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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62019957 |
Jul 2, 2014 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/229.12 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 13/16 20130101;
C11D 3/14 20130101; C11D 17/049 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47L 13/16 20060101
A47L013/16 |
Claims
1. A dry nonwoven article comprising a web of fibers and abrasive
particles, wherein the abrasive particles have a mean solidity
below about 0.85.
2. The article according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive particles
are embedded in the web of fibers.
3. The article according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive particles
have a mean solidity between about 0.3 and about 0.8.
4. The article according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive particles
have a mean form factor between about 0.1 and about 0.6.
5. The article according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive particles
have a mean ECD between about 20 and about 1000 microns and between
about 5% and about 100% of the thickness of the web of fibers.
6. The article according to claim 1, wherein the underlying
material of the abrasive particles has a mean Shore D.RTM. hardness
between about 40 and about 90.
7. The article according to claim 1, wherein the web of fibers
comprises from about 0.1 to about 10 grams per square meter of
abrasive particles.
8. The article according to claim 1, wherein at least about 50% of
the abrasive particulate is degradable according to ASTM 6400D.
9. The article according to claim 1, wherein the nonwoven article
is made of at least 2 superposing webs of fibers disposed in a
face-to-face relationship and the abrasive particles are located at
the webs face-to-face interfaces.
10. The article according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive
particles are produced from a friable foam material comprising
polyurethane, polyisocyanurate, polyphenolic, polyethylene,
polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polyacrylate,
polystyrene, polyesters, polyamide and mixtures, melamine, urea,
minerals and combinations thereof.
11. The article according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive
particles have a mean ECD ranging from about 20 to about 1000
microns according to ISO 9276-6.
12. The article according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive
particles have a mean ECD from above about 5% to below about 100%
of the thickness of the dry substrate
13. The article according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive
particles have a HV Vicker hardness from about 20 to about 100.
14. The article according to claim 1, comprising between 2 and 4
web of fibers.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The invention relates to the field of dry nonwoven articles
comprising abrasive particles. The invention relates particularly
to nonwoven articles comprising abrasive particles for use in
surface cleaning.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Articles containing abrasive components such as particles
are known in the art. Such articles may be used for cleaning a
variety of surfaces; especially those surfaces that tend to become
soiled with difficulty to remove stains and soils.
[0003] Such articles may comprise a substrate and a plurality of
abrasive particles where the abrasive particles are disposed either
on the surface of the substrate or within the substrate such that
the abrasive particles at least partially protrude from at least
one surface and the substrate during use. Examples of substrates
that might include such abrasive particles include nonwoven
articles including disposable wipes, paper towel, floor wipes, home
care napkins, beauty care napkins, and baby wipes. Examples of
abrasive particles include inorganic particles such as carbonate
salt, clay, silica, silicate, shale ash, perlite and/or organic
particles such as polymeric beads comprised of polypropylene, PVC,
melamine, urea, polyacrylate and derivatives.
[0004] When used as a component of a nonwoven article, many
commonly known abrasive particles may not be fully satisfactory.
The abrasive particles may separate from the rest of the article,
in particular while scouring is exercised with the article. This
may lead to inefficient cleaning and to unacceptable deposition of
particles on the surface to be cleaned. Separately, the abrasive
particles may move or "roll" while scouring, relative to the
substrate, again leading to a loss of their abrasive cleaning
efficiency.
[0005] The inventors have discovered that this could be alleviated
by the use of particles having specific shape. This shape may be
expressed as the "Solidity" of the particles. Selecting particles
of the specified solidity may lead to both improvements in extent
to which the particles are retained by the substrate, and
improvements in cleaning by preventing "rolling" of the particles
and maintaining the orientation of the particles, relative to the
substrate and therefore relative to the surface being cleaned,
during scouring.
[0006] Also, maintaining the orientation of the particles relative
to the substrate may generate less damage to the surface to be
cleaned.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In one aspect, a dry nonwoven article comprises a web of
fibers and abrasive particles at least partially embedded in the
web, wherein the abrasive particles have a mean solidity below
about 0.85.
[0008] The articles according to the invention have an improved
retention of the abrasive particles, in particular during scouring.
The specific shape of the abrasive particles leads to an improved
maintenance of the particles within the web of fibers as well as
improved maintenance of the orientation of the particles relative
to the substrate, and therefore relative to the surface being
cleaned, which may in turn improve the cleaning properties while
having limited damage to the surface to be cleaned. Without being
bound by theory, the inventors believe that the improved cleaning
efficiency is linked to the fact that the specific shape of the
particles limits their rolling within the web of fibers while
scouring.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a picture of a hard surface wipe as described in
example 2.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a picture of a hard surface wipe as described in
example 3.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a picture of a floor wipe as described in example
5.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a picture of a baby toilet wipe as described in
example 7.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a picture of a disposable hard surface wipe as
described in example 8.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a picture of a disposable hard surface wipe as
described in example 8.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a picture of a disposable towel as described in
example 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] All percentages, ratios and proportions used herein are by
weight percent unless otherwise specified.
[0017] As used herein, the mean Equivalent Circle Diameter (ECD) is
measured according to ASTM F1877-05 Section 11.3.2 or similar to
the area-equivalent diameter (ISO 9276-6:2008(E) section 7). The
mean ECD of particle population is calculated as the
volume-weighted average of respective ECD of a particle population
of at least about 1000 particles, or at least about 10,000
particles, or above about 50,000 particles, or above about 100,000
particles after excluding from the measurement and calculation the
data of particles having area-equivalent diameter (ECD) of below
about 10 micrometers.
[0018] As used herein, Form factor is a mesoshape descriptor and is
a quantitative, 2-dimension image analysis shape description and is
being measured according to ISO 9276-6:2008(E) section 8.2. Form
factor is sometimes described in literature as being the difference
between a particle's shape and a perfect sphere. Form factor values
range from 0 to 1, where a form factor of 1 describes a perfectly
spherical particle or disc-shaped particle as measured in a two
dimensional projected image.
Form Factor = 4 .pi. A P 2 ##EQU00001##
where A is projection area, which is 2D descriptor and P is the
length of the perimeter of the particle. The applicants refer
herein to Form factor as being volume-weighted mean Form Factor
extracted from a distribution of particle measurements. As used
herein, the MOHS hardness scale refers to an internationally
recognized scale for measuring the hardness of a compound versus a
compound of known hardness, see Encyclopedia of Chemical
Technology, Kirk-Othmer, 4 th Edition Vol 1, page 18 or Lide, D. R
(ed) CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 73 rd edition, Boca
Raton, Fla.: The Rubber Company, 1992-1993. Many MOHS Test kits are
commercially available containing material with known MOHS
hardness. For measurement and selection of abrasive material with
selected MOHS hardness, it is recommended to execute the MOHS
hardness measurement with un-shaped particles e.g.: with spherical
or granular forms of the abrasive material since MOHS measurement
of shaped particles will provide erroneous results.
[0019] As used herein, the Shore.RTM. D hardness of the materials
may be determined according to ASTM D2240-05 (2010). Shore.RTM. D
hardness measurement may be carried out by using an ASTM durometer,
such as the Type D Style Durometer available from Pacific
Transducer Corp. of Los Angeles, Calif., or from ELECTROMATIC
Equipment Co., Inc. 600 Oakland Ave Cedarhurst, N.Y. 11516.
[0020] As used herein, Solidity is a quantitative, 2-dimensional
image analysis shape description, and is being measured according
to ISO 9276-6:2008(E) section 8.2 as implemented via the Occhio
Nano 500 Particle Characterisation Instrument with its accompanying
software Callistro version 25 (Occhio s.a. Liege, Belgium). While
particle shape can be defined in 3-dimension with dedicated
analytical technique, the applicant has found, that the
characterization of the particles shape in 2-dimension is most
relevant and correlates with the abrasive performance of the
cleaning particles. During the particle shape analysis protocol,
the particles are orientated toward the surface--via gravity
deposition--similarly to the expected particle orientation during
the cleaning process. Hence, the object of the present invention
regards the characterization of 2-D shape of a particle/particle
population as defined by the projection of its shape on the surface
on which the particle/particle population is deposited.
[0021] The non-spherical particle herein has at least one edge or
surface having a concave curvature. Solidity is a mesoshape
parameter, which describes the overall concavity of a particle or
particle population. Solidity values range from 0 to 1, where a
solidity number of 1 describes a non-concave particle, as measured
in literature as being:
Solidity=A/Ac
Where A is the projected area of the particle and Ac is the area of
the convex hull (envelope) bounding the projection of the particle.
The applicants refer herein to solidity as being volume-weighted
mean solidity extracted from a distribution of particle
measurements.
[0022] As used herein, the terms "mean solidity", or "mean Form
factor", mean the volume-weighted average of the solidity, or Form
Factor values from a population of at least about 1000 particles,
or at least about 10,000 particles, or above about 50,000
particles, or above about 100,000 particles, after excluding from
the measurement and calculation, the solidity or form factor data
of particles having area-equivalent diameter (ECD) of below 10
micrometers.
[0023] As used herein, the Vickers hardness HV is measured at
23.degree. C. according to standard methods ISO 14577-1, ISO
14577-2, ISO 14577-3. The Vickers hardness is measured from a solid
block of the raw material at least 2 mm in thickness. The Vickers
hardness micro indentation measurement is carried out by using the
Micro-Hardness Tester (MHT), manufactured by CSM Instruments SA,
Peseux, Switzerland. As per the ISO 14577 instructions, the test
surface should be flat and smooth, having a roughness (Ra) value
less than 5% of the maximum indenter penetration depth. For a 200
micrometer maximum depth this equates to a Ra value less than 10
micrometer. As per ISO 14577, such a surface may be prepared by any
suitable means, which may include cutting the block of test
material with a new sharp microtome or scalpel blade, grinding,
polishing or by casting melted material onto a flat, smooth casting
form and allowing it to thoroughly solidify prior testing.
[0024] Suitable general settings for the Micro-Hardness Tester
(MHT) are as follows:
Control mode: Displacement, Continuous Maximum displacement: 200
.mu.i.eta. Approach speed: 20 nm/s Zero point determination: at
contact Hold period to measure thermal drift at contact: 60 s Force
application time: 30 s Frequency of data logging: at least every
second Hold time at maximum force: 30 s Force removal time: 30 s
Shape/Material of intender tip: Vickers Pyramid Shape/Diamond
Tip
[0025] As used herein, the term nonwoven means: a manufactured
sheet, web or batt of directionally or randomly orientated fibers,
bonded by friction, and/or cohesion and/or adhesion, excluding
paper and products which are woven, knitted, tufted, stitch-bonded
incorporating binding yarns or filaments, or felted by wet-milling,
whether or not additionally needled. The fibers may be of natural
or man-made origin and may be staple or continuous filaments or be
formed in situ. Commercially available fibers have diameters
ranging from less than about 0.001 mm to more than about 0.2 mm and
they come in several different forms: short fibers (known as
staple, or chopped), continuous single fibers (filaments or
monofilaments), untwisted bundles of continuous filaments (tow),
and twisted bundles of continuous filaments (yarn). Nonwoven
fabrics can be formed by many processes such as meltblowing,
spunbonding, solvent spinning, electrospinning, and carding. The
basis weight of nonwoven fabrics is usually expressed in grams per
square meter (gsm).
[0026] A nonwoven article comprises a web of fibers and abrasive
particles.
[0027] The Web of Fibers
[0028] The web of fibers may comprise synthetic fibers and/or
natural fibers. The fibers may be water insoluble.
[0029] Synthetic fibers suitable for use in the substrate of the
disclosed wipe may include, but are not limited to, nylons,
polyesters, acrylics, olefin fibers such as polyethylene and
polypropylene, carbon fibers, glass fibers, metal fibers.
[0030] The natural fibers may be cellulose-containing fibers
including, but not limited to, cotton fiber, flax fiber, hemp
fiber, sisal fiber, jute fiber, kenaf fiber, bamboo fiber, coconut
fiber, and wood pulp. Naturally derived fiber suitable for use in
this disclosure may include, but are not limited to, rayon,
lyocell, and viscose or other materials derived from natural
fibers. For example, lyocell may be derived from wood pulp, viscose
may be derived from wood or cotton fibers, and rayon may be derived
from a wide variety of cellulose-containing natural fibers. The web
of fibers may comprise at least about 80% of cellulosic fibers. The
web of fibers may be a paper substrate.
[0031] The web of fibers may be formed by water or air or
mechanical entanglement, meltblown, spunbond, thermally or
chemically bond. The fibers may comprise carded, staple, wet laid,
air laid and/or spunbond fibers. The web of fibers may be made
according to a hydro-entangling process.
[0032] Processes to prepare the web of fibers comprising paper
include wet-laid papermaking processes and air-laid papermaking
processes, and embossing and printing processes. Such processes
typically comprise the steps of preparing a fiber composition in
the form of a suspension in a medium, either wet, more specifically
aqueous medium, or dry, more specifically gaseous (i.e., with air
as medium). The aqueous medium used for wet-laid processes is
oftentimes referred to as a fiber slurry. The fibrous suspension is
then used to deposit a plurality of fibers onto a forming wire or
papermaking belt such that an embryonic fibrous structure can be
formed, after which drying and/or bonding the fibers together
results in a fibrous structure. Further processing the fibrous
structure can be carried out such that a finished fibrous structure
can be formed. For example, in typical papermaking processes, the
finished fibrous structure is the fibrous structure that is wound
on the reel at the end of papermaking, and can subsequently be
converted into a finished product (e.g., a sanitary tissue
product). Fibrous structures can be made by methods known in the
art, including by the method and apparatus described in U.S. Pat.
No. 4,637,859, issued Jan. 20, 1987, to Trokhan.
[0033] In one embodiment, the web of fibers may be degradable. The
web of fibers may be at least 50% degradable according to ASTM
6400D.
[0034] In one embodiment, the web of fibers may have a basis weight
of about 10 to about 120 gram per square meter, for example from
about 15 to 100 or from about 20 to about 80 or from about 25 to
about 75 or from about 30 to about 60 grams per square meter.
[0035] In one embodiment, the fibers of the web of fibers may have
a diameter or a width of between about 8 microns and about 100
microns. The fibers may have a length above about 1 mm. The fibers
may have a length between about 1 mm and about 5 mm. The fibers,
when stapled may have a length between about 5 mm and about 50 mm.
The fibers may be much longer when spun bond or meltblown.
[0036] In one embodiment, the mesh aperture of the web of fibers
may be between about 20 microns and about 100 microns.
[0037] In one embodiment, the web of fibers may have a thickness
between about 0.5 mm and about 5 mm, for example between about 1.5
and about 2 mm.
[0038] When the nonwoven articles comprises more than one layer of
web of fibers, one or more than one or each of the web of fibers
may be as defined as above.
[0039] The Abrasive Particles
[0040] The nonwoven article comprises abrasive particles.
[0041] In order to produce particles with desired solidity, the
abrasive particles may be produced from a foam material, in
particular a friable foam material, but other means such as
printing and extruding are also possible. The particle or foam
material may comprise polyurethane, polyisocyanurate, polyphenolic,
polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate,
polyacrylate, polystyrene, polyesters, polyamide and mixtures,
melamine, urea, minerals and mixtures thereof.
[0042] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles are made from
biodegradable thermoplastic materials selected the group consisting
of biodegradable polyesters selected from the group consisting of
polyhydroxy-alkanoates, such as polyhydroxyButyrate,
polyhydroxyButyrate-co-valerate and
polyhydroxyButyrate-co-hexanoate, poly(lactic acid),
poly(glycolic), polycaprolactone, polyesteramide, aliphatic
copolyesters, aromatic copolyesters such as co-polyester containing
mix of succinic, adipic, terepthalic diacids, propanediol,
butanediol, pentanediol monomer and mixtures thereof; thermoplastic
starch; polycarboxylic anhydrides and derivatives, cellulose esters
particularly cellulose acetate and/or nitrocellulose and their
derivatives; and mixtures thereof; for example a blend of a
biodegradable polyester and a thermoplastic starch.
[0043] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may comprise
sugar-derived material e.g.: monomeric or polymeric sugar,
especially isosorbide-containing materials.
[0044] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may be made from a
material comprising, or consisting essentially of wax, natural
waxes such as carnauba, candellila, shellac, beewax, etc., or
alternatively synthetic waxes such as montan, microcrystalline,
polyethylene-derived wax, etc., and where the wax or wax blend has
a high melting point, typically above about 60.degree. C., an in
one embodiment above about 80.degree. C.
[0045] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles herein may
comprise one or more mineral materials. Typical mineral materials
of interest are derived from carbonate, sulphate, phosphate
hydroxide, fluoride salts of Calcium, Barium, Iron, Magnesium,
Manganese, Zinc, Copper, Borate, sodium, potassium, ammonium,
alumina or silicate and blends whereas the material can be
synthesized from extensively known inorganic synthesis processes
(e.g.: Synthesis of Inorganic Materials--Wiley or Handbook of
Inorganic Compounds--CRC) or extracted from mining & processing
natural occurring inorganic material, alternatively be a mix of
synthetic and natural material.
[0046] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles are insoluble in
water so effective scouring is maintained during the total usage of
the nonwoven article especially when wiping wet soil or wet
surfaces, or if the nonwoven article is wetted or rinsed before or
during the cleaning work.
[0047] In another embodiment, the abrasive particles are partially
soluble or substantially soluble in water. The solubility of the
particle may be chosen so that when wetting occurs, the dissolution
kinetic is adjusted to deliver effective scouring before the
particles partially or totally dissolve.
[0048] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may be degradable
according to ASTM 6400D. At least about 50% of the abrasive
particles may be degradable according to ASTM 6400D.
[0049] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may be derived
from a natural source and may comprise at least about 50% of
material derived from a natural source.
[0050] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles have a mean
solidity below about 0.85. In one embodiment, the particles have a
mean solidity from about 0.3 to about 0.8, or from about 0.35 to
about 0.75, or from about 0.4 to about 0.7, or from about 0.5 to
about 0.65.
[0051] In one embodiment, the mean solidity of the particles may be
chosen to obtain optimized properties including maintenance of the
position of the particles within the web of fibers, but also
cleaning properties and limitation of the damages to the surface to
be cleaned.
[0052] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may have a mean
form factor between about 0.1 and about 0.6. In one embodiment, the
abrasive particles have a mean form factor between about 0.1 and
about 0.5, or below about 0.4, or below about 0.3, or even below
about 0.25.
[0053] In one embodiment, abrasive having both a mean form factor
between about 0.1 and about 0.6 and a mean solidity between about
0.3 and about 0.85 were particularly suitable. Such parameters may
provide non-rolling, sharp particles. Such particles may provide
more soil removal while damaging less the surface to be
cleaned.
[0054] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may have a HV
Vickers hardness from 3 to 50 kg/mm.sup.2.
[0055] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may be produced
from materials having a Shore.RTM. D hardness comprised between 40
and 90.
[0056] In one embodiment, the precursor materials of particle
abrasives for use herein have a MOHS hardness of from about 1 to
about 5.5, or from about 1.5 to about 5, or from about 2 to about
5, or from about 2.5 to about 3.5.
[0057] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may have a mean
Equivalent Circle Diameter ("mean ECD") ranging from about 20 to
about 1000 .mu.m. The particles may have a mean ECD ranging from
about 75 to about 500 .mu.m, or from about 100 to about 300 .mu.m,
or between about 150 and about 250 .mu.m. Such particles may
provide an optimize cleaning per weight of particles and/or may be
better maintained within the web of fibers.
[0058] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may have a mean
ECD ranging from about 50 to about 1000%, or from about 80 to about
800%, or from about 100 to about 500%, or about 200-400% of the
mean ECD of the mesh aperture of the web of fibers.
[0059] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may have mean ECD
ranging from about 5% to about 100%, or from about 10% to about
50%, or from about 15% to about 40%, or from about 20 to about 30%,
of the thickness of the nonwoven article.
[0060] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may have mean ECD
ranging from about 5% to about 100%, or from about 10% to about
50%, or from about 15% to about 40%, or from about 20 to about 30%,
of the thickness of the web of fibers.
[0061] The Nonwoven Article
[0062] In one embodiment, the nonwoven article comprises one or
more layers of webs of fibers, for example from 2 to 4 layers of
webs of fibers. The nonwoven article may comprise from about 85% to
about 99.7% or from about 95% to about 99% by weight of web of
fibers.
[0063] In one embodiment, the nonwoven article comprises abrasive
particles having a mean solidity below about 0.85. The nonwoven
article may comprise from about 0.3% to about 10% or from about 1%
to about 3% by weight of abrasive particles having a mean solidity
below about 0.85.
[0064] In one embodiment, the weight ratio of abrasive
particles/web of fibers in the nonwoven articles may be between
about 0.003 and about 0.1.
[0065] In one embodiment, the nonwoven article comprises from about
0.1 to about 10 gram of abrasive particles per square meter of the
web of fibers. In one embodiment, the nonwoven articles comprises
from about 0.1 to about 5, or from about 0.2 to about 4, or from
about 0.25 to about 2, or from about 0.5 to about 1.5 grams of
abrasive particles per square meter of the web of fibers.
[0066] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may be dispersed
randomly on or substantially within the web of fibers. The abrasive
particles may be more concentrated at one or both outer surfaces of
the web of fibers. The abrasive particulate may be non-randomly
dispersed onto the web of fibers in pattern, wherein the pattern
covers less than about 30% of one outer facing surface of the
substrates. More than about 40%, or more than about 60% or about
80%, by weight of the total amount of abrasive particles in the web
of fibers may be present on less than about 30%, or less than about
20% or less than about 10% of one facing surface of the web of
fibers. In another embodiment ( . . . enumerate higher amounts of
coverage)
[0067] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may have
contrasting appearance to the web of fibers so they are visually
noticeable by simple mean. The Delta L*, and/or the Delta a* and/or
the Delta b* may be above 10, preferably above 20, more preferably
above 30 wherein the Delta L*, Delta a*, and Delta b* are
respectively the delta of the respective values of the abrasive
particulates and the web of fibers.
[0068] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may have similar
appearance to the web of fibers so they are less visually
noticeable. The Delta L*, and/or the Delta a* and/or the Delta b*
may be below 10, or 5 wherein the Delta L*, Delta a*, and Delta b*
are respectively the delta of the respective values of the abrasive
particulates and the web of fibers.
[0069] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may be embedded
within the web of fibers. The abrasive particles may be embedded
within the web of fibers by any means.
[0070] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may be embedded
within the web of fibers by entanglement in the web of fibers for
example by pre-mixing the fibers and the abrasive particles before
forming the web of fibers.
[0071] In one embodiment, the abrasive may be embedded on or
substantially within the web of fibers simply depositing the
particle at the surface of the web and applying mechanical pressure
or air pressure, or vacuum or vibration or simply by adjusting the
roll winding pressure or alternatively to laminate another web of
fibers on top. A particularly effective embedding method is via
needle punching the fiber web after depositing the particles
whereby large control of process parameters are possible to tailor
accurately the embedment (cf: Handbook of Nonwoven, S. J. Russell,
Woodhead publishing, chap. 5.9)
[0072] In one embodiment, the abrasive particle may be deposited
onto the web of fibers by mean of vibrating mesh reservoir in dry
condition. The abrasive particles may be deposited onto the web of
fibers by air spraying the particles onto the web of fibers also in
dry condition. The abrasive particles may be suspended in a liquid
carrier that evaporates during or after the deposition process
e.g.: whereby water or carbon dioxide are good examples. The
abrasive particles may be suspended in the melt of the functional
paste. For liquid or melt application, conventional spray, slot or
printing processes are suitable.
[0073] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may be embedded on
or substantially within the web of fibers by melt bonding with
fibers. The melt bonding may take place during the web forming
process (e.g., meltblown-spunbond fibers), during consolidation of
the web, or by post treatment using a blend of fibers having
different melting temperature or by using bicomponent fibers
whereby both components having different melting temperature.
[0074] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may be embedded in
the web of fibers by means of an adhesive. In this case, it is
critical that the abrasive particles retain a substantial fraction
of their shape to deliver effective cleaning. This can be achieved
by controlling the amount of adhesive to deliver good bonding with
minimal particle coverage. Alternatively the adhesive can cover the
totality of the particle surface but the adhesive load and
spreadable features are such that the shape is preserved.
[0075] In one embodiment, the nonwoven article may comprise from
about 0.03% to about 5% or from about 0.5% to about 1% by weight of
an adhesive. In one embodiment, the weight ratio of abrasive
particles/adhesive in the nonwoven articles may be between about 10
and about 1 or between about 6 and about 2. In one embodiment, from
5% to 50% by weight of the abrasive particles in the nonwoven
article may be embedded in the web of fibers by an adhesive. The
adhesive may be waterproof. Exemplary adhesives include:
ELVANOL.RTM.71-30 8.5%, available from DuPont.TM., Wilmington,
Del., and AQUANOL LAM 6014 14%, available from Henkel Corporation,
Rocky Hill, Conn., USA.
[0076] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may be embedded on
or substantially within the web of fibers by means of a functional
paste. The functional paste must feature significant non-flowing
behavior before usage in order to retain dryness and retain the
abrasives particle but may release both the functional additives
and the particles during the cleaning operation. In most cases the
paste is substantially soluble or fully soluble in water so release
can occur, especially when cleaning wet soils or wet surfaces or
when the dry substrate is wetted or rinsed before or during the
cleaning work. The paste may contain preferably a water soluble
ligand e.g.: most preferably containing ethylene-glycol or vinyl
alcohol or acrylamide moieties and functional additives such as
surfactant, solvent, buffer systems especially base on citric
and/or baking soda, perfume, biocides, etc, with or without
adhesives. Since the paste is preferably water soluble, it may
cover fully or partially the abrasive particles. Preferable
paste-to-abrasive weight ratio range from about 0.3 to about 5.
[0077] In one embodiment, the nonwoven article may comprise from
about 1% to about 10% of paste/abrasive particle mix. In one
embodiment, the nonwoven article may comprise from about 1 to about
10 gram of paste/abrasive particles mix per square meter of the web
of fibers, or from about 1 to about 5, or from about 2 to about 4
grams of paste/abrasive particles mix per square meter of the web
of fibers.
[0078] In one embodiment, the abrasive particles may be deposited
onto the web of fibers by air spraying the particles onto the web
of fibers. The abrasive particle may be deposited onto a web of
fibers while an adhesive composition is simultaneously sprayed. The
web of fibers may be pretreated with an adhesive on a surface of
the web. Heating, pressure or a combination thereof may be applied
to provide the desired adhesion of abrasive particles to the
web.
[0079] In one embodiment, the nonwoven article may be disposable.
Disposable is used in its ordinary sense to mean an article that is
disposed or discarded after a limited number of usage events,
preferably less than 25 or less than 10 or less than 2 usage
events.
[0080] In one embodiment, the nonwoven article may have a length of
from about 5 to about 60 cm, or from about 10 to about 20 cm, a
width of from 5 to about 30 cm, or from about 10 to about 20
cm.
[0081] In one embodiment, the nonwoven article may have a thickness
between about 0.5 mm and about 10 mm, for example between about 2
and about 5 mm.
[0082] In one embodiment, the nonwoven article is dry. By dry it is
meant that the article does not comprise more than about 5% by
weight of a liquid. The article may exhibit a moisture retention of
less than about 3 grams, or less than about 1 gram or less than
about 0.25 g or less than about 0.1 g before usage. The nonwoven
article may be dry-to-the-touch. By "dry-to-the-touch" it is meant
that the nonwoven article are free of water or other solvents in an
amount that would make them feel damp or wet to the touch. The
article may comprise less than about 3% or less than about 1% by
weight of liquid. The article may comprise less than about 5%, or
less than about 3%, or less than about 1% by weight of water.
[0083] In one embodiment, the nonwoven article may comprise an
additive. The additive may improve cleaning performance and/or
enhance the cleaning experience. The additive may comprise wax,
such as microcrystalline wax, oil, adhesive, perfume and
combinations thereof.
[0084] In one embodiment, the nonwoven article may be
pre-moistened. The nonwoven article may comprise a liquid. The
nonwoven article may comprise at least about 1%, or at least about
3%, or at least about 5%, by weight of a liquid. The liquid may
provides improved cleaning of a target surface, such as a floor.
The liquid may not require a post-cleaning rinsing operation. The
nonwoven article may be loaded with at least about 1, 1.5 or 2
grams of liquid per gram of dry substrate, but typically not more
than about 5 grams per gram. The liquid may comprise a surfactant,
such as APG surfactant, agglomerating chemicals, disinfectants,
bleaching solutions, perfumes, secondary surfactants etc.
[0085] In one embodiment, the nonwoven article may comprise layers,
to provide for absorption and storage of cleaning fluid deposited
on the target surface. If desired, the nonwoven article may
comprise absorbent gelling materials to increase the absorbent
capacity of the nonwoven article. The absorbent gelling materials
may be distributed within the nonwoven article in such a manner to
avoid rapid absorbency and absorb fluids slowly, to provide for the
most effective use of the nonwoven article.
[0086] In one embodiment, the nonwoven article may comprise one or
more webs of fibers disposed in a laminate. The lowest, or
downwardly facing outer layer, may comprise apertures to allow for
absorption of cleaning solution therethrough and to promote the
scrubbing of the target surface. Intermediate layers may provide
for storage of the liquids, and may comprise the absorbent gelling
materials. The nonwoven article may have an absorbent capacity of
at least about 10, 15, or 20 grams of cleaning solution per gram of
dry nonwoven article, as set forth in commonly assigned U.S. Pat.
Nos. 6,003,191 and 6,601,261. The top, or upwardly facing outer
layer, may be liquid impervious in order to minimize loss of
absorbed fluids. The top layer may further provide for releasable
attachment of the nonwoven article to a cleaning implement. The top
layer may be made of a polyolefinic film, such as LDPE. The outer
layer of web of fibers may have a basis weight of about 5 to 30
gram per square meter, for example from about 10 to 20 grams per
square meter. Such basis weight has been found to be particularly
suitable when the abrasive particles are between the outer layer
and another web of fibers.
[0087] In one embodiment, the nonwoven article may be used with a
stick-type cleaning implement. The cleaning implement may comprise
a plastic head for holding the cleaning sheet and an elongate
handle articulable connected thereto. The handle may comprise a
metal or plastic tube or solid rod. A suitable stick-type cleaning
implement may be made according to commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos.
Des. 391,715; D409,343; D423,742; D481,184; D484,287; D484,287
and/or D588,770. A suitable vacuum type cleaning implement may be
made according to the teachings of U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,137,169,
D484,287 S, D615,260 S and D615,378 S. A motorized implement may be
made according to commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,516,508.
[0088] In one embodiment, the cleaning implement may further
comprise a reservoir for storage of cleaning solution. The
reservoir may be replaced when the cleaning solution is depleted
and/or refilled as desired. The reservoir may be disposed on the
head or the handle of the cleaning implement. The neck of the
reservoir may be offset per commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No.
6,390,335. The cleaning solution contained therein may be made
according to the teachings of commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No.
6,814,088.
[0089] The Surface to be Cleaned
[0090] The invention also concerns a process to clean a surface
with the article of the invention.
[0091] The nonwoven article may be used to clean a surface. The
surface may be inanimate or animate, such as household hard
surface, dish surfaces, hard and soft tissue surface of the oral
cavity, such as teeth, gums, tongue and buccal surfaces, human and
animal skin, hair.
[0092] By "household hard surface", it is meant herein any kind of
surface typically found in and around houses like kitchens,
bathrooms, e.g., floors, walls, tiles, windows, cupboards, sinks,
showers, shower plastified curtains, wash basins, WCs, fixtures and
fittings and the like made of different materials like ceramic,
vinyl, no-wax vinyl, linoleum, melamine, glass, Inox.RTM.,
Formica.RTM., any plastics, plastified wood, metal or any painted
or varnished or sealed surface and the like. Household hard
surfaces also include household appliances including, but not
limited to refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, automatic
dryers, ovens, microwave ovens, dishwashers and so on. Such hard
surfaces may be found both in private households as well as in
commercial, institutional and industrial environments.
[0093] By "dish surfaces" it is meant herein any kind of surfaces
found in dish cleaning, such as dishes, cutlery, cutting boards,
pans, and the like. Such dish surfaces may be found both in private
households as well as in commercial, institutional and industrial
environments.
[0094] In one embodiment, the process may include a step of wetting
the nonwoven article before the cleaning step with water, an
aqueous composition, a solvent composition, and/or a composition
comprising a surfactant.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
[0095] Hard surface wipe: abrasive particles are loaded on a
vibrating grid of 15 mesh before depositing by gravity at the
surface of a nonwoven across the full surface targeting a particle
load of about 0.5 gram per square meter. Abrasive particles are
made from polyurethane foam, said particles having Mean
Area-equivalent Diameter (ECD) of about 238 .mu.m and Mean Solidity
of about 0.59. The non-woven material is a carded hydroentangled
substrate of about 58 g/m2, consisting of about 60% polypropylene
and about 40% viscose fibers of a dry thickness of about 0.57
mm.
Example 2
[0096] Hard surface wipe: Abrasive particles are air-sprayed at the
surface of a nonwoven across the full surface using sandblasting
spraying nozzle at about 1 bar to achieve effective particle
embedding at the surface. Abrasive particles made from polyurethane
foam, said particles having Mean Area-equivalent Diameter (ECD)
about: 280 .mu.m and Mean Solidity of about 0.77. The non-woven
material is a carded hydroentangled substrate of about 58 g/m2,
consisting of about 60% polypropylene and about 40% viscose fibers
of a dry thickness of about 0.57 mm.
Example 3
[0097] Hard surface wipe: as in example 2 except that the abrasive
material is made of PolyhydroxyButyrate-co-valerate foam, and has
Mean Area-equivalent Diameter (ECD) of about: 220 .mu.m and Mean
Solidity of about 0.83.
Example 4
[0098] Hard surface wipe: abrasive particles are loaded on a
vibrating grid of 15 mesh before depositing by gravity at the
surface of a nonwoven across the full surface targeting a particle
load of about 0.5 gram per square meter. A needle-punching process
is applied prior to winding in order to further embed the abrasive
particle in the fiber web (needle foster formed barb gauge 20,
needle board density about 20,000/m2, about 15,000 punch/min.).
Abrasive particles are made from polyurethane foam, said particles
having Mean Area-equivalent Diameter (ECD) of about 307 .mu.m and
Mean Solidity of about 0.63 and a form factor of about 0.16. The
non-woven material is a carded hydroentangled substrate of about 58
g/m2, consisting of about 60% polypropylene and about 40% viscose
fibers of a dry thickness of about 0.57 mm.
Example 5
[0099] Floor wipe: abrasive particles are loaded on a vibrating
grid of 15 mesh before depositing by gravity at the surface of a
nonwoven to form a discontinuous strip of particles whereby the
particle load on that stripe is about 1 gram per square meter and
the stripe width is about 3 cm, representing about 12% of the floor
wipe total surface and needlepunching as in example 3 is applied on
the stripe. Abrasive particles are made from polyurethane foam,
said particles having Mean Area-equivalent Diameter (ECD) of about
216 .mu.m and Mean Solidity of about 0.66. The non-woven material
is a carded hydroentangled substrate of about 98 g/m2e, consisting
of about 60% polypropylene and about 40% viscose fibers of a dry
thickness of about 0.82 mm prior to needlepunching.
Example 6
[0100] Toilet flushable wipe: about 2 parts of abrasive particles
are mixed with about 85 parts of cellulosic fibers and about 15
parts of styrene-butadiene resin binder in an air-laid latex bond
web-forming process yielding a substrate of about 50 gram per
square meter, of about 0.45 mm dry thickness. Cellulose fibers are
mix of natural and synthetic cellulose fibers (about 40% Hardwood
kraft fibers, about 40%, Eucalyptus fibers, and about 20% lyocell
fibers). Abrasive particles are made from
PolyhydroxyButyrate-co-valerate foam, said particles having Mean
Area-equivalent Diameter (ECD) of about 220 .mu.m and Mean Solidity
of about 0.83.
Example 7
[0101] Baby toilet wipe: about 2 parts of abrasive particles are
mixed with about 40 parts of viscose fibers, about 33 parts of
woodpulp and about 22 parts polyethylene tetraphthalate fibers in
hydoentlangled, resin bond process yielding a substrate of about 70
gram per square meter and about 0.55 mm thickness. Abrasive
particles are made from PolyhydroxyButyrate-co-valerate foam, said
particles having Mean Area-equivalent Diameter (ECD) of about 320
.mu.m and Mean Solidity of about 0.81.
Example 8
[0102] Disposable Hard surface towel: an abrasive-containing paste
is applied by gravure printing process on a disposable paper
substrate in a discontinuous pattern whereby about 200 mg of paste
is deposited per wipe in a printed pattern covering about 20% of
the wipe area. Each wipe has dimensions of: 278.times.262 mm. The
paste contains about 22% of abrasive particles (from PU foam, said
particles having Mean Area-equivalent Diameter (ECD) of about 307
.mu.m and Mean Solidity of about 0.63 and a form factor of about
0.16), about 20% greenbentin D0/80 (nonionic surfactant), about 20%
of Euro Surflex 1213 (anionic surfactant), about 18% of C12-14
alkyl dimethyl amine-oxide and about 20% of Polyethylene glycol
8000. The about 60 gram per square meter, and about 0.6 mm dry
thickness fiber web is made of about 1/3 Eucalyptus fibers, about
1/3 Hardwood kraft fibers and about 1/3 Hardwood sulfite fibers
Example 9
[0103] disposable towel: Abrasive particles are air-sprayed at the
surface of a paper substrate across the full surface using
sandblasting spraying nozzle at about 1 bar to achieve effective
particle embedding at the surface. Abrasive particles made from
polyurethane foam, said particles having Mean Area-equivalent
Diameter (ECD) about: 280 .mu.m and Mean Solidity of about 0.77.
The paper substrate is about 58 grams per square meter, and about
0.65 mm dry thickness fiber web and is made of about 46% Eucalyptus
fibers, about 13% Hardwood kraft fibers and about 41% Hardwood
sulfite fibers
Example 10
[0104] disposable towel: Material is as example 8, but about 10
grams per square meter of cellulosic fiber web is deposited by
airlaid deposition resin bond process on the substrate.
Example 11
[0105] disposable towel: Material is as example 8, but about 5
grams per square meter of polypropylene fiber web is deposited by
spunbond process on the substrate.
Example 12
[0106] disposable towel: Abrasive particles are mixed at about 15%
w with a dilute water-soluble adhesive; this mixture is then
applied to a 26 grams per square meter paper ply in a dot pattern
to about 5% of the sheet area at a loading of about 350 grams per
square meter within that pattern. Another 26 grams per square meter
paper ply is introduced above and embossing plates matching the dot
pattern are used to compress the plys together. The laminated sheet
is dried to remove water. Abrasive particles are made from
polyurethane foam having Mean Area-equivalent Diameter (ECD): about
280 .mu.m and Mean Solidity of about 0.77. The 26 grams per square
meter, fiber web plys are made of about 46% Eucalyptus fibers,
about 13% Hardwood kraft fibers and about 41% Hardwood sulfite
fibers. The water-soluble adhesive may be AQUANOL.RTM. LAM 6014
(14% active polyvinyl alcohol) or ELVANOL.RTM. 71-30 (8.5% active
polyvinyl alcohol).
[0107] The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be
understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values
recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension
is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally
equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension
disclosed as "40 mm" is intended to mean "about 40 mm".
[0108] Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced
or related patent or application and any patent application or
patent to which this application claims priority or benefit
thereof, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety
unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any
document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to
any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in
any combination with any other reference or references, teaches,
suggests or discloses any such invention. Further, to the extent
that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts
with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document
incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to
that term in this document shall govern.
[0109] While particular embodiments of the present invention have
been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those
skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can
be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims
all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of
this invention.
* * * * *