Provided are an inorganic fiber-formed article having both high basis weight and excellent peel strength and a mat for an exhaust gas cleaning apparatus and an exhaust gas cleaning apparatus including the inorganic fiber-formed article. The inorganic fiber-formed article includes inorganic fibers and needle marks extending in the thickness direction and including vertical bundles composed of the inorganic fibers extending in the thickness direction, in which the average volume of the vertical bundles per needle mark measured by a prescribed peel test is 1.0 mm.sup.3 or more.

Provided are an inorganic fiber-formed article having both high basis weight and excellent peel strength and a mat for an exhaust gas cleaning apparatus and an exhaust gas cleaning apparatus including the inorganic fiber-formed article. The inorganic fiber-formed article includes inorganic fibers and needle marks extending in the thickness direction and including vertical bundles composed of the inorganic fibers extending in the thickness direction, in which the average volume of the vertical bundles per needle mark measured by a prescribed peel test is 1.0 mm.sup.3 or more.

A long-fiber nonwoven fabric of the present invention contains a resin having a polyethylene terephthalate component of 99% or more. The long-fiber nonwoven fabric has a dry heat area shrinkage rate of 30% or more at 100 C. for 3 minutes, and constituent fibers of the long-fiber nonwoven fabric have a birefringence index (n) of 1010.sup.3 to 6010.sup.3 and a specific gravity of 1.335 to 1.340 g/cm.sup.3.

A long-fiber nonwoven fabric of the present invention contains a resin having a polyethylene terephthalate component of 99% or more. The long-fiber nonwoven fabric has a dry heat area shrinkage rate of 30% or more at 100 C. for 3 minutes, and constituent fibers of the long-fiber nonwoven fabric have a birefringence index (n) of 1010.sup.3 to 6010.sup.3 and a specific gravity of 1.335 to 1.340 g/cm.sup.3.

A spunbond nonwoven from thermoplastic filaments is made by spinning the filaments from at least one spinner, cooling and stretching the spun filaments, depositing the cooled and stretched filaments on a surface to form a nonwoven fleece web, and moving the fleece web in a travel direction. A liquid medium is introduced into the moving fleece web and it is then mechanically needled. The mechanically needled web is then subject to a hydraulic or hydrodynamic final consolidation by hydroentanglement to a basis weight of more than 80 g/m.sup.2 from a top side as well as from a lower side of the nonwoven fleece web by high-pressure water-jet bars above and below the nonwoven fleece web. O of the bars is upstream of the other bar and has a hpi density that is smaller than that of the other bar and that is equal to at most 40.

A spunbond nonwoven from thermoplastic filaments is made by spinning the filaments from at least one spinner, cooling and stretching the spun filaments, depositing the cooled and stretched filaments on a surface to form a nonwoven fleece web, and moving the fleece web in a travel direction. A liquid medium is introduced into the moving fleece web and it is then mechanically needled. The mechanically needled web is then subject to a hydraulic or hydrodynamic final consolidation by hydroentanglement to a basis weight of more than 80 g/m.sup.2 from a top side as well as from a lower side of the nonwoven fleece web by high-pressure water-jet bars above and below the nonwoven fleece web. O of the bars is upstream of the other bar and has a hpi density that is smaller than that of the other bar and that is equal to at most 40.

Systems and methods for forming a fibrous preform are disclosed. The method may comprise providing a plurality of needles comprising a barbed needle and a barbless needle and penetrating the fibrous preform with the plurality of needles.

A circular needle loom comprises a bed plate for receiving a transport layer. Engagement members may be disposed proximate to the bed plate, such that the engagement members interface with a positional structure of the transport layer that is used to position and rotate the transport layer around the bed plate. The engagement members may be configured to rotate the transport layer around the bed plate until a predetermined number of fibers and/or layers are deposited on the transport layer and/or bed plate in order to create a needled preform.

A circular needle loom comprises a bed plate for receiving a transport layer. Engagement members may be disposed proximate to the bed plate, such that the engagement members interface with a positional structure of the transport layer that is used to position and rotate the transport layer around the bed plate. The engagement members may be configured to rotate the transport layer around the bed plate until a predetermined number of fibers and/or layers are deposited on the transport layer and/or bed plate in order to create a needled preform.

A substrate for artificial leather comprising a nonwoven fabric of bundles of microfine filaments. The substrate for artificial leather simultaneously satisfies the following requirements 1 to 4: (1) the bundle of microfine filaments comprises 8 to 70 microfine filaments having a cross-sectional shape of nearly circle; (2) the bundle of microfine filaments has a cross-sectional area of 170 to 700 m.sup.2 and a flatness of 4.0 or less; (3) on a cross section parallel to a thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric body, cross sections of the microfine fiber bundles exist in a density of 1500 to 3000/mm.sup.2; and (4) on a cross section parallel to a thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric body, gaps between the microfine fiber bundles have a size of 70 m or less. By satisfying the requirements, the substrate for artificial leather combines high level of sensuous qualities and high level of physical properties which have been considered to be mutually exclusive.