A method for measuring airflow through a channel comprised in an absorbent article core, said method comprising the steps of: providing an absorbent core adapted to be sandwiched between a liquid permeable topsheet and a liquid impermeable backsheet of an absorbent article, wherein the absorbent core comprises at least one channel; providing a thermal imaging camera; loading the absorbent core with a warm liquid, wherein said warm liquid has a temperature of greater than 30° C.; simultaneously visually recording said absorbent core with said thermal imaging camera, and spraying said channel(s) with a cold fluid, wherein the cold fluid has a temperature of less than 10° C.

An absorbent article includes a first waist region, a second waist region, and a crotch region disposed between the first and second waist regions. The article also includes a chassis having a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and backsheet; and an ear joined to the chassis. The ear includes a laminate formed from a first nonwoven and second nonwoven and an elastomeric material sandwiched between said first and second nonwovens. The laminate further includes a plurality of ultrasonic bonds.

The present disclosure relates to one or a combination of an absorbent article's chassis, inner leg cuffs, outer leg cuffs, ear panels, side panels, waistbands, and belts that may comprise one or more pluralities of tightly spaced (less than 4 mm, less than 3 mm, less than 2 mm, and less than 1 mm) and/or very fine (less than 300, less than 200, less than 100 dtex) and/or low strain (less than 300%, less than 200%, less than 100%) elastics to deliver low pressure less than 1 psi (according to the conditions defined by the Pressure-Under-Strand method below) under the elastics, while providing adequate modulus of (between about 2 gf/mm and 15 gf/mm) to make the article easy to apply and to comfortably maintain the article in place on the wearer, even with a loaded core (holding at least 50 mls of liquid), to provide for the advantages described above.

An absorbent article having longitudinal cuffs of improved structure is disclosed. The improved cuffs may be elasticized by a plurality of elastic strands that are substantially greater in number, closer in spacing, lower in pre-strain, and lower in decitex, or any combination of these, as compared with those in conventional articles. This combination of features results in ruffles or gathers of cuff material joined to the elastic strands that are substantially greater in machine-direction frequency and substantially lesser in z-direction amplitude, than those in conventional articles. As a result, the cuff structure lies more closely and evenly against the wearer's skin, has an improved, more cloth-like appearance, provides improved gasketing, and provides improved wearer comfort, as compared with cuff structures in conventional articles. A method for manufacturing articles with such cuff structures, utilizing a warp beam as a supply mechanism, is also disclosed.

The present disclosure relates to absorbent articles comprising belts comprising one or more pluralities of tightly spaced (less than 4 mm, less than 3 mm, less than 2 mm, and less than 1 mm) and/or low decitex (less than 300, less than 200, less than 100 dtex) and/or low strain (less than 300%, less than 200%, less than 100%) elastics to deliver low pressure less than 1 psi (according to the conditions defined by the Pressure-Under-Strand Test in the Method below) under the elastics, while providing adequate Section-Modulus of (between about 2 gf/mm and 15 gf/mm), resulting in a Product Length-to-Waist Silhouette that is within from about −0.3 to about 0.3 of the Target Body Length-to-Waist Silhouette to make the article conform better to the body of the wearer at a lower Pressure-Under-Strand, even with a loaded core (holding at least 50 mls of liquid), to provide for the advantages described above.

The present disclosure relates to methods for assembling elastomeric laminates, wherein elastic material may be stretched and joined with either or both first and second substrates. A first beam is rotated to unwind a first plurality of elastic strands from the first beam in the machine direction. The first plurality of elastic strands are positioned between the first substrate and the second substrate to form the elastomeric laminate. Before the first plurality of elastic strands are completely unwound from the first beam, a second beam is rotated to unwind the second plurality of elastic strands from the second beam. Subsequently, the advancement of the first plurality of elastic strands from the first beam is discontinued. Thus, the elastomeric laminate assembly process may continue uninterrupted while switching from an initially utilized elastic material drawn from the first beam to a subsequently utilized elastic material drawn from the second beam.

An absorbent article includes a topsheet, backsheet and absorbent core disposed between a portion of the topsheet and the backsheet, and an elastomeric laminate. The elastomeric laminate includes a first nonwoven, a second nonwoven, and a preactivated film positioned between the first and second nonwoven; and a plurality of ultrasonic bonds. The absorbent core comprises absorbent material and at least one channel, wherein the at least one channel is substantially free of absorbent material.

The present disclosure relates to absorbent article's chassis that may comprise one or more pluralities of tightly spaced (less than 4 mm, less than 3 mm, less than 2 mm, and less than 1 mm) and/or low decitex (less than 300, less than 200, less than 100 dtex) and/or low strain (less than 300%, less than 200%, less than 100%) elastics to deliver low pressure less than 1 psi (according to the conditions defined by the Pressure-Under-Strand Test in the Method below) under the elastics. The elastics in the chassis may be oriented parallel or transverse to the longitudinal axis.

The present disclosure relates to methods for assembling elastomeric laminates, wherein elastic material may be stretched and joined with either or both first and second substrates. First spools are rotated to unwind first elastic strands from a first unwinder in a machine direction. The first elastic strands are positioned between the first substrate and the second substrate to form an elastomeric laminate. Before the first elastic strands are completely unwound from the rotating first spools, second spools are rotated to unwind second elastic strands from a second unwinder. Subsequently, the advancement of the first elastic strands from the first unwinder is discontinued. Thus, the elastomeric laminate assembly process may continue uninterrupted while switching from an initially utilized elastic material drawn from the first spools to a subsequently utilized elastic material drawn from the second spools.

Introduced here are apparatuses and systems for mitigating contact pressures applied to a human body by the surface of an object, such as a chair, bed, or table. A pressure-mitigation apparatus can include a series of chambers whose pressure can be individually varied. When placed between a patient and a contact surface, the pressure-mitigation apparatus can vary the contact pressure on a specific anatomical region of the patient by controllably inflating and/or deflating one or more cell. Moreover, a pressure-mitigation system can be readily integrated into a conventional treatment regimen for a variety of different conditions.