A fabric system which can provide a skin care effect and which is comprised of first and second faces, a first face having a lower coefficient of friction than a second face, is disclosed.

Disclosed herein is a warp knit spacer dual functional fabric construction that provides the ability to absorb sweat on one side and the ability to cool skin to below a current temperature whether wetted or dry on the other side. The knit uses four separate yarns which collectively work together to produce enhanced cooling. Knits can include warp knit spacer and circular knit spacer materials. Various finishing methods may also be employed to enhance the cooling power of the fabric.

A unidirectional moisture conducting knitted fabric and related cloth, clothing items as well as related manufacturing method and systems are described. The knitted fabric comprises a combination of hydrophilic fiber materials and hydrophobic fiber material in a double layer material obtained by the knit method, and the unidirectional moisture is obtained due to the difference in hydrophilic property of the double layer material itself.

The present invention aims to provide a fabric useful in production of clothes and other textile articles, in particular for use in a healthcare environment such as hospitals, long term care facilities, etc. The invention relates to a yarn consisting essentially of cotton fibres, hemp fibres, and fibres comprising porous particles, and to threads and fabrics comprising such yarns, as well as to the use of such clothing as healthcare staff uniforms. The yarn and fabric may further include at least one metal wire usable as a temperature sensor.

A nonwoven fabric is provided. The nonwoven fabric can include a first surface and a second surface and a visually discernible pattern of three-dimensional features on one of the first or second surface. Each of the three-dimensional features can define a microzone comprising a first region and a second region. The first and second regions can have a difference in values for an intensive property, wherein at least one of the surfaces has a TS7 value of less than about 15 dB V.sup.2 rms, and wherein the first surface has a TS7 value that is higher than the second surface TS7 value.

An apertured nonwovens having a first nonwoven layer is described. The first nonwoven layer includes cellulose-based fibers and a plurality of apertures, wherein the plurality apertures have a minimum aperture distance between two adjacent apertures which has a relative standard deviation no greater than about 40%, as measured according to the Aperture Quality Test. The apertures have an aperture size no greater than about 2.2 mm.sup.2 and have an occlusion no greater than about 9%, as measured according to the Aperture Quality Test, or the apertures have an aspect ratio no greater than about 2.5 as measured according to the Aspect Ratio Test.

Systems and methods are disclosed for producing multi-layer meltblown mats. The method includes depositing first meltblown fibers onto a first moving surface such as a conveyor belt to form a first layer of meltblown fibers, and depositing second meltblown fibers onto a second moving surface such as a conveyor belt to form a second layer of meltblown fibers. The first and second layers of meltblown fibers are fed through opposed rollers to form combined meltblown layers comprising the first layer of meltblown fibers and the second layer of meltblown fibers. The combined meltblown layers are bonded together to produce a bonded multi-layer meltblown sheet. The bonded multi-layer meltblown sheet has a first outer exposed surface formed by contact of the first layer of meltblown fibers with the first moving surface, and a second outer exposed surface formed by contact of the second layer of meltblown fibers with the second moving surface.

In a garment a breathable effect in breathable regions can be obtained despite a lack of direct contact with the skin of a wearer. The textile layer has at least one breathable region at a distance from the wearer's skin when the garment is worn, in which breathable region a plurality of thread tentacles, each designed in a single piece as an open loop, are brought out of individual second threads into the textile layer in such a way that each thread tentacle has two tentacle sections pointing away from the inner side of the textile layer and one central section extending along on the outer side. The tentacle sections of the thread tentacles can, when the garment is worn, be brought into direct contact with the surface of the wearer's skin, while the inner side of the textile layer remains at a distance from the skin surface in the region of the breathable region.

Nonwoven materials having at least one layer comprising high core bicomponent fibers are provided. The nonwoven materials can have multiple layers and are suitable for use in a variety of applications, including in absorbent products. Such nonwoven materials can be patterned to create a three-dimensional topography including indentations formed of valleys and ridges. The nonwoven materials can have improved resiliency and strength and can retain their structure under wetted conditions and after tension and compression. The nonwoven materials can further facilitate the transfer of the liquid through the nonwoven material for improved liquid distribution and can also have improved liquid retention properties.

Disclosed are cooling materials for clothing and other body gear that may use a discontinuous pattern of highly absorbent polymers coupled to a base fabric that has a low resistance to moisture spread (e.g., a high wicking rate) and lower absorption properties compared to the highly absorbent polymer elements, to manage moisture (e.g., sweat) and body heat. The absorbance of the highly absorbent polymers is greater than that of the base fabric, such as at least two times greater, and the highly absorbent polymer elements may be non-endothermic.