A healthier carpet employing UV light-transmitting threads, which facilitate UV light transmittance down from the surface of the carpet, through the interior of the carpet, and into the primary backing of the carpet. The UV light can destroy bacteria, molds, viruses, yeast, and other microorganisms, which are present in the carpet. An external UV light source, with UV wavelengths from 100-400 nm, can be passed over the carpet for effective sanitization.

In a woven fabric all warp and weft yarns are elastic, all weft and warp yarns have a stretchable core comprising a first elastic fiber and a second fiber that is less elastic than said first fiber, and the elasticity of the fabric in warp direction is at least 25% and elasticity of the fabric in weft direction (E.sub.weft) is at least 30%, preferably at least 40%.

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.

Provided is a spunbound nonwoven fabric for use in filters which has excellent rigidty, folding endurance, and uniformity of a weight a unit area, and which also has dust collection perforance and mechanical properties. The spunbond nonwoven fabric for use in filters includes a thermoplastic continuous filament and has a partially fused portion. The nonwoven fabric has a stiffness of 2 mN or more and 100 mN or less, a weight per unit area-CV value 5% or less, and a weight per unit area of 150 g/m.sup.2 more and 300 g/m.sup.2 or less.

An antimicrobial fabric formed of fibers containing nano-sized particles of zinc on a surface of the fibers. Various articles made from the fabric are also disclosed.

The invention includes a meth of manufacturing an almost invisible coated monofilament, the coated monofilament, and a screen created using the almost invisible coated monofilaments. The method includes the step of selection a clear monofilament having a first perpendicular index of refraction, and selecting a clear elastomer coating having a second perpendicular index of refraction, where the two index of refraction are within 2% of one another. The monofilament is coated by extrusion coating using a tube die, where a vacuum is applied to the thread entrance or threadway of the extrusion system prior to coating.

Various implementations include a melt-spun filament (or fiber), a spinneret plate for producing the melt-spun filaments, and methods of making the melt-spun filaments. The melt-spun filaments have a similar soft hand feel as natural cotton fibers and are more resilient, less absorbent, and easier to clean, according to some implementations. In addition, according to some implementations, the melt-spun filaments produce a softer and bulkier yarn than traditional trilobal shaped filaments having the same denier per filament.

Nonwovens including a plurality of crimped continuous fibers (CCFs) that are physically entangled together, such by hydroentangling. Methods of forming a nonwoven including a plurality of physically entangled CCFs are also provided.

A cloth article formed of a thermoplastic or thermosetting material containing particles of metal disbursed there through. More particularly, there is disclosed a fiber material formed of a thermoplastic or thermosetting material containing particles of metal dispersed intermittently within the fiber material during fiber formation, wherein the particles of metal are exposed at least in part on a surface of the fiber material, wherein the fiber material also includes carbon fiber nanotubes added to the fiber material, and wherein the fiber material is woven into a fabric and the fabric is formed into a cloth article.

An apparatus for making a nonwoven fabric from thermoplastic plastic filaments has an air permeable deposit conveyor having a horizontal face displaceable in a horizontal travel direction and a spinneret above the conveyor for spinning the filaments and depositing the spun filaments on the deposit conveyor in a deposit area of the conveyor as a nonwoven web for conveyance in the travel direction. An extractor beneath the conveyor draws air or process air through the deposit conveyor in the deposit area in a main extraction area below the deposit conveyor and is delimited by, relative to the travel direction, upstream and downstream suction partitions. One of the partitions has an upper edge set at a predetermined vertical spacing below the conveyor equal to between 10 mm and 250 mm.