Disclosed is an absorbent article including a projecting-and-depressed sheet (10) as a constituent member, the absorbent article having a longitudinal direction and a width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. The projecting-and-depressed sheet (10) has a plurality of depressions (3) and projections (4) on a skin-facing surface to be brought into contact with the wearer's skin. In a given direction, a movable range of an apex (40a) of the projection (4) of the projecting-and-depressed sheet (10) is 30% or greater to the length (L2) of a bottom portion of the projection (4). On the skin-facing surface of the projecting-and-depressed sheet (10), the mean friction coefficient MIU in the longitudinal direction (X) is 0.3 or less, and a difference in friction coefficient between a forward path and a return path when moved back and forth along the longitudinal direction (X) is less than 0.1. The projecting-and-depressed sheet (10) has a work of compression of 2.0 mN.Math.cm/cm.sup.2 or greater and a compression recovery rate of 40% or greater.

A patterned apertured web includes a plurality of first arrays forming a first zone in the patterned apertured web. At least some of the first arrays include a first plurality of land areas and a first plurality of apertures. At least some of the first plurality of land areas surround at least some of the first plurality of apertures. The first plurality of apertures of the first zone have a plurality of Interaperture Distances, according to the Aperture Test. The Interaperture Distances of the first zone have a first distribution having a first mean and a first median. The first mean is greater than the first median by at least 4%.

An absorbent article having improved handling of body exudates. The absorbent article can minimize the amount of body exudates in contact with a wearer's skin and can minimize the incidence of leakage of body exudates from the absorbent article. The benefits of the absorbent article are achieved, in part, by a body facing material having features that help minimize contact of body exudates with the wearer's skin while also being constructed so that the body facing material does not stick to the wearer's skin in use. The body facing material includes a plurality of hollow projections, a plurality of apertures and bonded areas. The bonded areas may be formed with adhesive or by mechanical bonds.

The present invention relates to a nonwoven fabric comprising a plurality of polypropylene-containing fibers that form a nonwoven web, which fibers in addition contain a slip agent, the web has a side which is provided with an alternating pattern which consists of individualized bonded areas which bonded areas are in the form of rods which are arranged in the cross direction of the web, the alternating pattern of individualized bonded areas defines a non-bonded area, the web has a basis weight on the range of from 5-25 g/m.sup.2, the surface of the bonded areas is in the range of 5-20% of the total surface of the side, and the surface of the non-bonded area is in the range of 80-95% of the total surface of the side. The present invention further relates to a process for forming the nonwoven fabric.

An absorbent article is disclosed. The absorbent article includes a core and a chassis. One or more discrete bonding zones bond the core to the chassis, and one or more unbonded zones of the core are not bonded to the chassis, forming a floating core. The core is not elastically coupled with the chassis. A method of making the absorbent article may include selectively bonding the chassis to the core at discrete bonding zones.

A disposable absorbent article having a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed therebetween is described. The topsheet has an array of apertures forming apertured indicia. The array of apertures includes a first plurality of apertures having a first aspect ratio; a second plurality of apertures having a second aspect ratio and a first Absolute Feret Angle; and a third plurality of apertures having a third aspect ratio and a second Absolute Feret Angle, wherein the first Absolute Feret Angle and the second Absolute Feret Angle are different, and wherein the first aspect ratio is less than the second and third aspect ratios.

In a composite sheet manufacturing device, a second roller having a plurality of first projections and a third roller are disposed so as to be adjacent to a first roller having multiple recessed areas. The outer diameters of the first and third rollers are the same size. The third roller is joined to the first roller with a first gear pair therebetween, so as to rotate at the same rotation frequency as that of the first roller. A first sheet that is fed in between the first roller and the second roller is shaped by being pushed into the recessed areas of the first roller by the first projections of the second roller. A second sheet is then superimposed onto the first sheet and is passed through the space between the first roller and the third roller, and the first and second sheets are thereby bonded to each other.

Provided is a disposable diaper (1) which includes an absorbent member (4) and a topsheet (2). The topsheet (2) includes a first sheet (20) and a second sheet (21). Both sheets (20) and (21) are partially joined to form a plurality of joined regions (22), and the first sheet (20) has a plurality of projections (23) which protrude from the second sheet (21) toward the wearer's skin side at a portion other than the joined regions (22). The projections (23) include first projections (23A) and second projections (23B) and, when the topsheet (2) is viewed in a plan view, a second projection region (23R) is formed which includes the second projections (23B) surrounded by the plurality of first projections (23A). When the topsheet (2) is viewed in a plan view, the joined regions (22) include an inner joined region (22A1) in the second projection region (23R).

A diaper includes a liquid permeable topsheet including a patterned apertured nonwoven material. The patterned apertured nonwoven material includes a plurality of land areas in the patterned apertured nonwoven material and a plurality of apertures defined in the patterned apertured nonwoven material. At least some land areas of the plurality of land areas surround at least some apertures of the plurality of apertures. The plurality of apertures are non-homogeneous in a repeat unit such that at least two apertures of the plurality of apertures have a different size or a different shape.

In a composite sheet manufacturing device, a second roller having a plurality of first projections and a third roller are disposed so as to be adjacent to a first roller having multiple recessed areas. The outer diameters of the first and third rollers are the same size. The third roller is joined to the first roller with a first gear pair therebetween, so as to rotate at the same rotation frequency as that of the first roller. A first sheet that is fed in between the first roller and the second roller is shaped by being pushed into the recessed areas of the first roller by the first projections of the second roller. A second sheet is then superimposed onto the first sheet and is passed through the space between the first roller and the third roller, and the first and second sheets are thereby bonded to each other.