A method of processing a polymeric web includes providing a forming screen configured for supporting and moving with the web in a machine direction. The forming screen has a plurality of elliptical screen openings, each having a major axis perpendicular to the machine direction and a minor axis parallel to the machine direction. The method includes continuously depositing the web onto the forming screen and passing the web and forming screen through a water stream having a pressure level sufficient to cause the web to be forced into the screen openings, thereby forming protrusions extending from the planar surface of the web. Each protrusion has an apex, an opening at the apex, and an elliptical cross-section parallel to the planar surface of the web. The elliptical cross-section has a protrusion axis ratio that may be selected so as to produce a desired protrusion axis ratio.

An article includes a first web and second web underlying the first web. Each of the first and second webs includes first and second end regions and first and second side regions. The first web includes a precursor web having a pattern of discrete substantially columnar protruded extensions extending only from a first surface of the precursor web, each of the protruded extensions having a sidewall defining an open proximal portion and a closed distal portion. The article further includes a bonding pattern adhering together at least one of the first end regions of the first and second webs and the second end regions of the first and second webs. The bonding pattern includes a plurality of discrete bonding points and a sized spacing between each adjacent bonding point sufficient to have inscribed therein a circle having a diameter of about 1 mm to about 12 mm.

Three dimensional nonwoven materials and methods of manufacturing such materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, a nonwoven material may comprise a plurality of fibers and may further comprise an opposing first surface and a second surface, an apertured zone comprising a plurality of nodes extending away from a base plane on the first surface, a plurality of connecting ligaments interconnecting the plurality of nodes, and a plurality of openings providing a percent open area for the apertured zone that is greater than about 15%, as determined by the Material Sample Analysis Test Method. The material may further comprise a first and second side zones with the nonwoven material having a material width and the first and second side zones having first and second side zone widths, and wherein each of the first and second side zone widths are between about 5% and about 25% of the nonwoven material width.

A material web having a film layer and a nonwoven layer, along with methods of making the material web, are described. The material web has a plurality of micro-deformations and a plurality of macro-deformations, each of the macro-deformations having a distal end, wherein a first portion of macro-deformations has an open or partially open distal end and wherein a second portion of macro-deformations has distal ends which are configured differently than the distal ends of the first portion, and wherein the material web forms a portion of the topsheet.

In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, an article includes a first web and second web underlying the first web. The first web includes a precursor web having a pattern of discrete substantially columnar protruded extensions extending only from a first surface of the precursor web, each of the protruded extensions having a sidewall defining an open proximal portion and a closed distal portion. The article further includes a bonding pattern. The bonding pattern includes a plurality of discrete bonding points and a sized spacing between each adjacent bonding point sufficient to have inscribed therein a circle having a diameter of about 1 mm to about 12 mm The article comprises between about 70 to 100 discrete bonding points for every 25 to 40 mm along a longitudinal axis of the article.

As absorbent article for absorbing urine includes a topsheet which is a nonwoven fabric that has a skin-side surface having projections formed thereon. The content by percentage of fibers oriented in the thickness direction in each projection of the nonwoven fabric is greater than the content by percentage of fibers oriented in the thickness direction in sections of the nonwoven fabric other than the projections. The thickness of the nonwoven fabric when wet is greater than or equal to 85% the thickness of the nonwoven fabric when dry. The nonwoven fabric includes a first fiber layer and a second fiber layer. The first fiber layer is constituted by durable hydrophilic fibers, and the second fiber layer is constituted by durable hydrophilic fibers and non-durable hydrophilic fibers.

An absorbent article includes a liquid permeable top sheet, a liquid impermeable back sheet, an absorbent core being arranged between the top sheet and the back sheet, and an acquisition and distribution layer (ADL) of a nonwoven material being arranged between the top sheet and the absorbent core. The nonwoven material has a basis weight of 20-40 g/m.sup.2, 3-20 through holes per cm.sup.2, the holes having a diameter in CD and MD of 1-3 mm, and at least 70% by weight of the nonwoven ADL includes fibers having a fiber diameter of 12-22 m.

An absorbent article includes a three-dimensional material on the wearer-facing side and an absorbent core with a material-free channel. The three-dimensional material comprises a fibrous support layer, a fibrous projection layer and a plurality of hollow projections formed from a first plurality of fibers in the projection layer.

Three dimensional nonwoven materials and absorbent articles comprising such materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, an absorbent article may comprise an outer cover, a bodyside liner, an absorbent body, and a nonwoven material coupled to the bodyside liner. The nonwoven material may comprise an apertured zone providing a percent open area for the apertured zone that is greater than about 15%. The nonwoven material may be coupled to liner by a front waist bond forming a front waist bonding region which extends through the apertured zone and a rear waist bond forming a rear waist bonding region, wherein the rear waist bonding region has a length that is between about 2% and about 10% of the material length and the front waist bonding region has a length that is between about 20% and about 50% of the material length.

Three dimensional nonwoven materials and methods of manufacturing such materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, a nonwoven material may comprise a plurality of fibers, a first surface, and an apertured zone comprising: a plurality of nodes extending away from a base plane on the first surface, a plurality of connecting ligaments interconnecting the plurality of nodes, wherein a majority of the plurality of nodes include at least three connecting ligaments connecting to adjacent nodes, and a plurality of openings. The apertured zone may further comprise a lane of nodes which extends substantially in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the lane of nodes extending substantially in the longitudinal direction is formed of longitudinally adjacent nodes which are aligned such that lines drawn between centers of longitudinally adjacent nodes within the lane of nodes each form an angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of less than about 20 degrees.