Processes for preparing ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (“UHMW PE”) filaments and multi-filament yarns, and the yarns and articles produced therefrom. Each process produces UHMW PE yarns having tenacities of 45 g/denier to 60 g/denier or more at commercially viable throughput rates.

The invention relates to a process for making high-performance polyethylene multi-filament yarn comprising the steps of a) making a solution of ultra-high molar mass polyethylene in a solvent; b) spinning of the solution through a spinplate containing at least 5 spinholes into an air-gap to form fluid filaments, while applying a draw ratio DRfluid; c) cooling the fluid filaments to form solvent-containing gel filaments; d) removing at least partly the solvent from the filaments; and e) drawing the filaments in at least one step before, during and/or after said solvent removing, while applying a draw ratio DRsolid of at least 4, wherein in step b) each spinhole comprises a contraction zone of specific dimension and a downstream zone of diameter Dn and length Ln with Ln/Dn of from 0 to at most 25, to result in a draw ratio DRfluid=DRsp*DRag of at least 150, wherein DRsp is the draw ratio in the spinholes and DRag is the draw ratio in the air-gap, with DRsp being greater than 1 and DRag at least 1. The invention further relates to a high-performance polyethylene multifilament yarn, and to semi-finished or end-use products containing said yarn, especially to ropes and ballistic-resistant composites.

The invention relates to a process for making high-performance polyethylene multi-filament yarn comprising the steps of a) making a solution of ultra-high molar mass polyethylene in a solvent; b) spinning of the solution through a spinplate containing at least 5 spinholes into an air-gap to form fluid filaments, while applying a draw ratio DRfluid; c) cooling the fluid filaments to form solvent-containing gel filaments; d) removing at least partly the solvent from the filaments; and e) drawing the filaments in at least one step before, during and/or after said solvent removing, while applying a draw ratio DRsolid of at least 4, wherein in step b) each spinhole comprises a contraction zone of specific dimension and a downstream zone of diameter Dn and length Ln with Ln/Dn of from 0 to at most 25, to result in a draw ratio DRfluid=DRsp*DRag of at least 150, wherein DRsp is the draw ratio in the spinholes and DRag is the draw ratio in the air-gap, with DRsp being greater than 1 and DRag at least 1. The invention further relates to a high-performance polyethylene multifilament yarn, and to semi-finished or end-use products containing said yarn, especially to ropes and ballistic-resistant composites.

Provided is a polyethylene fiber having outstanding anti-creep characteristics while having high strength. The present invention provides an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber including ethyl branches as side chains, characterized in that the ratio {(C.sub.2H.sub.5/1000C)/(elongation stress)} of the number of ethyl branches per 1,000 carbon atoms (C.sub.2H.sub.5/1000C) to the elongation stress of the polyethylene fiber (MPa) is 2 to 30 branches/1,000 carbon atoms/MPa.

Provided is a polyethylene fiber having outstanding anti-creep characteristics while having high strength. The present invention provides an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber including ethyl branches as side chains, characterized in that the ratio {(C.sub.2H.sub.5/1000C)/(elongation stress)} of the number of ethyl branches per 1,000 carbon atoms (C.sub.2H.sub.5/1000C) to the elongation stress of the polyethylene fiber (MPa) is 2 to 30 branches/1,000 carbon atoms/MPa.

The present disclosure relates to methods for making elastomeric laminates that may be used as components of absorbent articles. The elastomeric laminates may include a first substrate, a second substrate, and an elastic material located between the first and second substrates. During assembly of an elastomeric laminate, a beam is rotated to unwind the elastic strands from the beam, wherein the strands may include a spin finish. First bonds are applied to bond discrete lengths of the stretched elastic strands with and between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the discrete first bonds are arranged intermittently along the machine direction. In addition, second bonds are applied between consecutive first bonds to bond the first and second substrates directly to each other, wherein the second bonds extend in the machine direction and may be separated from each other in a cross direction by at least one elastic strand.

The present invention relates to a nonwoven fabric including a conjugated fiber containing 40% by mass or more and 80% by mass or less of a propylene homopolymer (A) having a melting point (Tm-D) measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) of higher than 120° C., 4% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less of a polypropylene-based resin (B) having a melting point (Tm-D) measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) of 120° C. or lower, and 10% by mass or more and 55% by mass or less of a polyethylene-based resin (C), wherein the nonwoven fabric has a texture uniformity of 2.1 or more and 3.0 or less and a bulkiness of 450 μm or more.

Disclosed is a polyethylene yarn capable of providing a user with a soft tactile sensation as well as a cooling feeling or a cooling sensation, and also having improved weavability that enables the manufacture of a skin cooling fabrics having excellent pilling resistance, abrasion resistance, cuttability, and sewability, a method for manufacturing the same, and a skin cooling fabric including the same. In a strength-elongation curve of the polyethylene yarn obtained by measuring at ambient temperature, (i) elongation at strength of 1 g/d is 0.5 to 3%, (ii) elongation at strength of 3 g/d is 5.5 to 10%, and (iii) a difference between elongation at strength of 4 g/d and elongation at maximum strength is 5.5 to 25%, and the polyethylene yarn has toughness of 55 to 120 J/m.sup.3 at ambient temperature.

Disclosed is a polyethylene yarn capable of providing a user with a soft tactile sensation as well as a cooling feeling or a cooling sensation, and also having improved weavability that enables the manufacture of a skin cooling fabrics having excellent pilling resistance, abrasion resistance, cuttability, and sewability, a method for manufacturing the same, and a skin cooling fabric including the same. In a strength-elongation curve of the polyethylene yarn obtained by measuring at ambient temperature, (i) elongation at strength of 1 g/d is 0.5 to 3%, (ii) elongation at strength of 3 g/d is 5.5 to 10%, and (iii) a difference between elongation at strength of 4 g/d and elongation at maximum strength is 5.5 to 25%, and the polyethylene yarn has toughness of 55 to 120 J/m.sup.3 at ambient temperature.

A polyethylene powder having a limiting viscosity [η] of 2.0 dl/g or more and less than 20.0 dl/g as measured in decalin at 135° C., wherein the polyethylene powder presents a percentage decrease from a specific surface area A measured by the BET method before heating at 120° C. for 5 h to a specific surface area B measured by a BET method after heating at 120° C. for 5 h, ((A−B)/A×100), of 0.1% or more and less than 35%.