An external material for vehicles may include a non-woven fabric having a honeycomb structure and a wheel guard including the same.

Provided are a stretchable non-woven fabric including crimped fibers, satisfying the following formula: (σ.sub.65−σ.sub.55)/(σ.sub.30−σ.sub.20)≧2.5, when a stress σ (N/50 mm) at a strain ε of 20%, 30%, 55% and 65% in a stress-strain curve by a tensile test for at least one direction in a plane direction, is referred to as σ.sub.20, σ.sub.30, σ.sub.55 and σ.sub.65, respectively, and a bandage including the non-woven fabric. The non-woven fabric and the bandage lead small deterioration in stretching performance when used repeatedly, and can be excellent in repetition durability.

The sound absorbing material 50 comprises: a felt-like fiber body 51 which includes 15 to 70% by weight of fine fibers with a fineness of 1 denier or less, 20 to 60% by weight of hollow fibers having inner cavities, and 10 to 40% by weight of binder fibers that join the fibers together; and a nonwoven fabric 52 that is laminated on a surface of the felt-like fiber body 51. The nonwoven fabric 52 includes a plurality of drawn long fibers arranged and oriented in one direction. An average diameter of the plurality of long fibers is in the range of 1 to 4 μm. The sound absorbing material 50 has a thickness in the range of 8 to 45 mm and a bulk density of 20 kg/m.sup.3 or less.

The invention relates to a highly aligned and closely packed electrospun fiber assembly, wherein the fibers have at least an extension part or pore on the surface thereof. The invention also relates to a microtube array membrane (MTAM), comprising fiber assembly of the present disclosure. The invention also relates to the applications of these electrospun fiber assemblies in biological applications, and method of manufacturing these electrospun fiber assemblies.

A needle punched carpet for use in a car is disclosed. The needle punched carpet comprises at least a needle punched facing layer defining a top layer and made of staple fibers. The staple fibers comprise hollow fibers having a hollow fiber content that is at least more than 45 weight % of the total staple fibers.

A hollow fiber that extending along at least a portion of the fiber along a longitudinal axis thereof and is defined by an interior wall is provided. Through selective control over the manner in which it is formed, the present inventors have discovered that the hollow fiber can exhibit a unique combination of a high void fraction and small fiber size that makes it particularly suitable for use in certain applications, such as in nonwoven webs for absorbent articles.

Self-crimped multi-component fibers (SMF) are provided that include (i) a first component comprising a first polymeric material, in which the first polymeric material comprises a first melt flow rate (MFR) that is less than 50 g/10 min; and (ii) a second component comprising a second polymeric material, in which the second component is different than the first component. The SMF includes one or more three-dimensional crimped portions. Also provided are nonwoven fabrics comprising a plurality of SMFs. Methods of manufacturing SMFs and nonwoven fabrics including SMFs are also provided.

A spunbond non-woven fabric includes a plurality of fibers. The fibers are formed from a polymer blend that includes at least one first polymer and at least one second polymer. A melt flow rate of the at least one first polymer is greater than a melt flow rate of the at least one second polymer, and the melt flow rate of the at least one second polymer is about 9 g/10 min to less than 18 g/10 min. The blend may include a percentage by weight of the second polymer that is greater than a percentage by weight of the first polymer.

A system that receives nanomaterials, forms nanofibrous materials therefrom, and collects these nanofibrous materials for subsequent applications. The system is coupled to a chamber that generates nanomaterials, typically carbon nanotubes produced from chemical vapor deposition, and includes a mechanism for spinning the nanotubes into yarns or tows. Alternatively, the system includes a mechanism for forming non-woven sheets from the nanotubes. The system also includes components for collecting the formed nanofibrous materials. Methods for forming and collecting the nanofibrous materials are also provided.

A spunbond non-woven fabric includes a plurality of fibers. The fibers are formed from a polymer blend that includes at least one first polymer and at least one second polymer. A melt flow rate of the at least one first polymer is greater than a melt flow rate of the at least one second polymer, and the melt flow rate of the at least one second polymer is about 9 g/10 min to less than 18 g/10 min. The blend may include a percentage by weight of the second polymer that is greater than a percentage by weight of the first polymer.