Disclosed are a highly absorbent composite fiber, a highly absorbent non-woven fabric, and an article including the non-woven fabric. The disclosed highly absorbent composite fiber includes: a core including a polyolefin-based resin; and a sheath including ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) resin.

A method for forming a fiber is provided. The method comprises extruding a matrix polymer and a nanoinclusion additive to form a thermoplastic composition in which the nanoinclusion additive is dispersed within a continuous phase of the matrix polymer. The extruded thermoplastic composition is thereafter passed through a spinneret to form a fiber having a porous network containing a plurality of nanopores, wherein the average percent volume occupied by the nanopores within a given unit volume of the fiber is from about 3% to about 15% per cm.sup.3.

A method comprises providing a resin comprising an olefin block copolymer; spinning the resin into one or more fibers; cooling the one or more fibers to below the solidification point of the resin; after cooling, stretching the one or more fibers to a nominal elongation of 50 to 900% to form one or more stretched fibers; and relaxing the one or more stretch fibers to form one or more elastic fibers, and, optionally laminating the fibers to a flexible substrate. Articles comprising such elastic fiber(s) bonded to a nonwoven, can exhibit: a force at 50% elongation of less than 2 Newtons, a force at 100% elongation of less than 4 Newtons, a elongation at five Newtons for a 50 mm sample of at least 120%, and/or an unload force at 50% on a second cycle of less than 1.5 N/50 mm.

Fabrics are provided that include mono-component staple fibers, a first group of split staple fibers comprising a first polymeric material, and a second group of split staple fibers comprising a second polymeric material that is different than the first polymeric material. The mono-component staple fibers, the first group of split staple fibers, and the second group of split staple fibers are physically entangled together to define a consolidated nonwoven. The fabrics may be physically entangled by hydroentanglement.

A heat-bondable composite fiber includes a first component that contains a polyester-based resin and a second component that contains a polyolefin-based resin having a melting point that is lower than a melting point of the polyester-based resin by 15° C. or more, and which has an eccentric sheath-core structure wherein, in a cross-section of a fiber orthogonal to a lengthwise direction, the second component occupies an outer periphery of the fiber. This heat-bondable composite fiber has an elongation at break of 200% or more, a three-dimensional apparent crimp, and a crimp elastic modulus of 85% to 100%.

Provided is a heat-bondable composite fiber which comprises a first component that contains a polyester-based resin and a second component that contains a polyolefin-based resin having a melting point lower than that of the polyester-based resin by 15° C. or more and which has a concentric sheath-core structure in which, in a cross section of a fiber orthogonal to the lengthwise direction of the fiber, the second component occupies the outer periphery of the fiber, wherein elongation at break is 350% or more, and the ratio of elongation at break to fineness is 80%/dtex or more.

A method for shrink wrapping two or more articles, the method comprising: providing a heat shrinkable woven raffia fabric formed from warp and weft tapes, the warp and weft tapes comprising at least 70 wt. %, based on the total wt. % of polymers present in the warp and weft tapes, of an ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer having a density of 0.945 g/cc or greater and a melt index (I2), as determined according to ASTM D1238 (190° C., 2.16 kg), of from 0.01 to 2.0 g/10 min; wrapping the heat shrinkable woven raffia fabric around two or more articles to form a wrapped bundle; and heating the wrapped bundle to form a shrink wrapped bundle.

The present invention relates to a body and hair towel comprising a microfiber interior layer and a silk exterior layer. The novel towel is comprised of a plurality of double layered capsules, wherein each capsule has an interior layer of microfiber material and an exterior layer of silk material. The exterior silk layer on the capsules provides an extremely smooth texture to the towel, thereby making the towel comfortable and convenient to use by people having dry skin, skin conditions or the like, and may also be comfortably used on hair without affecting the health of hair and skin of the users.

Processes for making fibrous structures and more particularly processes for making fibrous structures comprising filaments are provided.

A protective garment containing a composite which has an alternating pattern containing groupings of woven fabric and groupings of biaxially oriented thermoplastic films. The composite has a thickness of greater than about 5 mm. Each grouping of woven fabric contains at least one woven fabric layer, each woven fabric layer containing tape elements having a base layer of a strain oriented olefin polymer disposed between covering layers of a heat fusible olefin polymer. Each grouping of biaxially oriented thermoplastic films contain at least one biaxially oriented thermoplastic film which has a core layer of thermoplastic disposed between covering layers of a thermoplastic able to bond to polypropylene.