A smokeless tobacco product includes smokeless tobacco and structural fibers. The structural fibers forming a network in which the smokeless tobacco is entangled. The structural fibers have a composition different from the smokeless tobacco. The tobacco-entangled fabric can have an overall oven volatiles content of at least 10 weight percent. In some embodiments, the structural fibers form a nonwoven network. In some embodiments, fibrous structures of the smokeless tobacco are entangled with the structural fibers.

A smokeless tobacco product includes smokeless tobacco and structural fibers. The structural fibers forming a network in which the smokeless tobacco is entangled. The structural fibers have a composition different from the smokeless tobacco. The tobacco-entangled fabric can have an overall oven volatiles content of at least 10 weight percent. In some embodiments, the structural fibers form a nonwoven network. In some embodiments, fibrous structures of the smokeless tobacco are entangled with the structural fibers.

A method of producing a needled product of a selected material or materials of a desired thickness and size. A first carded batt of a selected material or materials is moved from a feed support into a needle loom between a vertically reciprocating needle bed and a support bed located beneath and in spaced relation to the needle bed. The needle bed and/or the support bed are vertically movable to vary the spacing therebetween. The upper surface of the first carded batt is penetrated by the needles in the needle loom so that the needles do not reach an upper surface of the support bed and are able to flex laterally. The needled first batt is then lifted and moved to the feed support or a feed support for another needle loom. Thereafter, a second batt is positioned over the first batt in overlapping relation, the needle bed or support bed is moved to increase the vertical spacing therebetween to accommodate the overlapped batts, and the batts are moved through the needle loom and connected. This method may be repeated to add additional overlapped batts to produce a layered product of any suitable thickness.

A method of producing a needled product of a selected material or materials of a desired thickness and size. A first carded batt of a selected material or materials is moved from a feed support into a needle loom between a vertically reciprocating needle bed and a support bed located beneath and in spaced relation to the needle bed. The needle bed and/or the support bed are vertically movable to vary the spacing therebetween. The upper surface of the first carded batt is penetrated by the needles in the needle loom so that the needles do not reach an upper surface of the support bed and are able to flex laterally. The needled first batt is then lifted and moved to the feed support or a feed support for another needle loom. Thereafter, a second batt is positioned over the first batt in overlapping relation, the needle bed or support bed is moved to increase the vertical spacing therebetween to accommodate the overlapped batts, and the batts are moved through the needle loom and connected. This method may be repeated to add additional overlapped batts to produce a layered product of any suitable thickness.

A non-woven fabric board for an exterior of a vehicle and a method for manufacturing same are provided. The non-woven fabric board includes a matrix fiber having a non-circular cross-section and an adhesive fiber having a non-circular cross-section, and the matrix fiber is included in an amount of 50 wt % or greater based on the total weight of the non-woven fiber board. Each of the matrix fiber and the adhesive fiber have a linear density of about 6 to 15 denier and a degree of non-circular shape of about 1.3 to 3.0.

The non-woven fabric board for an exterior of a vehicle has a substantially increased specific surface area by using the non-circular cross-section fibers, improved adhesion efficiency between fibers, and substantially improved mechanical properties. In addition, heat moldability thereof is improved, weight thereof is reduced, and the sound-absorbing performance thereof is substantially improved.

A spunbond method for producing nonwoven fabrics with hygroscopic metastatic feature. Firstly, fuse prepared bio-polyamide 6,10 into a melt via spunbond method, next extrude and spun and draw the melt to form filaments, then bond and lay the filaments on a conveyer to form a substrate fibrous web of bio-polyamide 6,10. Secondly, blend and dissolve prepared pulp by putting N-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMMO) dissolving solvent, then dehydrate it to form dope, then extrude the dope out by an extruder with external compressed quenching air for converting it into cellulose filaments, then draw, bond and overlay the cellulose filaments to become uniform natural cellulose filaments on existing substrate fibrous web previously to form an overlaid fibrous web in the conveyer. Finally, coagulate, regenerate and convert the fibrous composite of the bio-polyamide 6,10 and natural cellulose into nonwoven fabric with hygroscopic metastatic feature by orderly applying hydro-entangled needle punching, drying, winding-up processes.

A spunbond method for producing nonwoven fabrics with hygroscopic metastatic feature. Firstly, fuse prepared bio-polyamide 6,10 into a melt via spunbond method, next extrude and spun and draw the melt to form filaments, then bond and lay the filaments on a conveyer to form a substrate fibrous web of bio-polyamide 6,10. Secondly, blend and dissolve prepared pulp by putting N-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMMO) dissolving solvent, then dehydrate it to form dope, then extrude the dope out by an extruder with external compressed quenching air for converting it into cellulose filaments, then draw, bond and overlay the cellulose filaments to become uniform natural cellulose filaments on existing substrate fibrous web previously to form an overlaid fibrous web in the conveyer. Finally, coagulate, regenerate and convert the fibrous composite of the bio-polyamide 6,10 and natural cellulose into nonwoven fabric with hygroscopic metastatic feature by orderly applying hydro-entangled needle punching, drying, winding-up processes.

A stapled melt spinning method for producing nonwoven fabrics with hygroscopic metastatic feature. Firstly, fuse bio-polyamide 6,10 into melt, extrude and spin it out spin heads of extruder into filaments, cool, draw and collect filaments into tow, then extend, cut and card the filaments into the staples, and spread the staples on a conveyer to form fibrous web. Next, blend and dissolve pulp by N-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMMO) dissolving solvent, dehydrate it to form dope, and extrude and spin it out spin heads of extruder into filaments, then cool, draw and collect filaments into tow, and extend, cut and card filaments into staples, then overlay the staples over existing fibrous web to form a composite fibrous web of bio-polyamide 6,10 and cellulose filaments. Finally, coagulate, regenerate and convert fibrous composite of bio-polyamide 6,10 and natural cellulose into nonwoven fabric with hygroscopic metastatic feature by hydro-entangled needle punching, drying, winding-up processes.

A carbon-carbon composite preform including a plurality of layers including carbon fibers or carbon-precursor fibers, the layers include a first exterior layer defining a first major surface, a second exterior layer defining a second major surface, and at least one interior layer disposed between the first exterior layer and the second exterior layer, the at least one interior layer having a peripheral region that forms a portion of an outer surface of the preform. The preform includes needled fibers, where at least some needled fibers extend through two or more layers. The preform has an exterior region and a core region, where the exterior region includes at least the peripheral region of at least one interior layer. The needled fibers define a first needled fiber number density (NFND) in the exterior region and a second greater NFND in at least a portion of the core region.

A nonwoven fabric structure according to the present invention is a nonwoven fabric structure comprising a long-fiber nonwoven fabric as a main constituent, wherein the nonwoven fabric structure has a basis weight of 250 to 2000 g/m.sup.2, a Frazier permeability of 0 to 20 cc/cm.sup.2.Math.s, and an apparent density of 0.5 to 1.3 g/cm.sup.3, and therefore has excellent shaping properties and excellent mechanical strength properties.