A moisture vapor permeable, water impermeable composite sheet material is provided which is suitable for use as a housewrap material, and is also useful for other applications such as tarpaulins, or as covers for automobile, boats, patio furniture or the like. The composite sheet material includes a nonwoven substrate and an extrusion-coated polyolefin film layer overlying one surface of the substrate. The nonwoven substrate is comprised of polymeric fibers randomly disposed and bonded to one another to form a high tenacity nonwoven web. The nonwoven substrate has a grab tensile strength of at least 178 Newtons (40 pounds) in at least one of the machine direction (MD) or the cross-machine direction (CD). The extrusion coated polyolefin film layer is intimately bonded to the nonwoven substrate. The film layer has micropores formed therein to impart to the composite sheet material a moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) of at least 35 g/m.sup.2/24 hr. at 50% relative humidity and 23° C. and a hydrostatic head of at least 55 cm. In one embodiment, the nonwoven substrate comprises a spunbonded nonwoven fabric formed of randomly disposed substantially continuous polypropylene filaments. The spunbonded nonwoven fabric is an area bonded fabric in which the filaments are bonded to one another throughout the fabric at locations where the randomly disposed filaments overlie or cross one another.

Elastic laminates and methods of making same are provided, wherein the laminate includes an elastic film laminated to at least one substrate web, and wherein the elastic film has been stretched at least twice prior to bonding the film to the substrate layer. Such laminates possess improved bond strength between the film and the substrate web and have greater elongation versus laminates made with a film that has been stretched only once.

In accordance with at least selected embodiments, the present invention is directed to novel, improved, or modified porous membranes, fibers, porous fibers, products made from such membranes, fibers or porous fibers, and/or related methods of production, use, and/or the like. In accordance with at least certain embodiments, the present invention is directed to novel, improved, or modified microporous membranes or films, fibers, microporous fibers, materials or layers made from such membranes, fibers or porous fibers, and the like for use in textile materials, garments, products, and/or textile related applications. Microporous membranes, fibers, and/or microporous fibers are made of one or more copolymers, such as block or impact copolymers, or of at least one polyolefin combined with at least one copolymer as a means of improving the hand, drape, and/or surface coefficient of friction performance properties for use in textile garments, textile materials or textile related applications.

An outer cover for an absorbent article includes a nonwoven component having a plurality of apertures formed therein and a film bonded to the apertured nonwoven component. The apertures in the nonwoven component are formed by needling prior to the film being bonded to the nonwoven component. A method of making the outer cover includes feeding a web of nonwoven material to a needling station, needling the web of nonwoven material to form a plurality of apertures therein to define an apertured web of nonwoven material, and bonding the apertured web of nonwoven material to a film.

Fabrics made for apparel, tents, sleeping bags and the like, in various composites, constructed such that a combination of substrate layers and insulation layers is configured to provide improved thermal insulation. The fabric composites are constructed to form a radiant barrier against heat loss via radiation and via conduction from a body.

A concrete curing blanket includes an absorbent sheet having a wicking layer, super absorbent materials, and a tissue layer, which are laminated together to form the absorbent sheet. The absorbent sheet is sized for being spread over a curing concrete slab. A vapor barrier is bonded to the tissue layer of the absorbent sheet to inhibit evaporation from the concrete curing blanket, and includes a plurality of perforations.

At least a selected microporous membrane is made by a dry-stretch process and has substantially round shaped pores and a ratio of machine direction tensile strength to transverse direction tensile strength in the range of 0.5 to 6.0. The method of making the foregoing microporous membrane may include the steps of: extruding a polymer into a nonporous precursor, and biaxially stretching the nonporous precursor, the biaxial stretching including a machine direction stretching and a transverse direction stretching, the transverse direction including a simultaneous controlled machine direction relax. At least selected embodiments of the invention may be directed to biaxially oriented porous membranes, composites including biaxially oriented porous membranes, biaxially oriented microporous membranes, biaxially oriented macroporous membranes, battery separators, filtration media, humidity control media, flat sheet membranes, liquid retention media, and the like, related methods, methods of manufacture, methods of use, and the like.

Described is a fuser member having a substrate and a surface layer disposed on the substrate. The surface layer includes a non-woven polymer fiber matrix having dispersed throughout a siloxyfluorocarbon (SFC) networked polymer and a fluorinated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane.

A marking tape for application on pavement which comprises a core layer and an adhesive layer outside the core layer. The core layer is formed of a combination of a conforming layer of a thermoplastic material, a marking layer of a cross-linked material, and a fibrous layer. The conforming layer and the marking layer are contiguous and/or directly interconnected with each other. The marking tape is preferably relatively light weight and relatively inexpensive.

A hydroformed expanded spun bonded nonwoven has a first substantially planar surface on one side thereof and a second surface on an opposite side thereof. The second surface includes a plurality of protuberances in a pattern. The hydroformed expanded spun bonded nonwoven web has an average loft of at least about 1.3 times greater than an original average loft of an original unexpanded spun bonded nonwoven web from which the hydroformed expanded spun bonded nonwoven web was created and an air permeability of at least about 1.2 times greater than an original air permeability of the original unexpanded spun bonded nonwoven web. The hydroformed expanded spun bonded nonwoven web includes bicomponent fibers combining a polymer with PLA in a ratio of polymer/PLA within a range of about 20/80 to 80/20.