A spunbonded nonwovens is made by first spinning thermoplastic continuous filaments and emitting them from a spinneret in a direction and then passing the filaments in the direction through a cooling chamber. Meanwhile cooling air is fed from respective manifolds flanking the chamber into the chamber to cool the filaments and the cooling air is guided into the manifolds through respective manifolds and through respective planar homogenizing elements each having a plurality of openings forming a free open surface area constituting 1 to 40% of the total surface area of the respective planar homogenizing element. The cooling air passes from the planar homogenizing element into the cooling chamber through a flow straightener.

A spunbonded nonwovens is made by first spinning thermoplastic continuous filaments and emitting them from a spinneret in a direction and then passing the filaments in the direction through a cooling chamber. Meanwhile cooling air is fed from respective manifolds flanking the chamber into the chamber to cool the filaments and the cooling air is guided into the manifolds through respective manifolds and through respective planar homogenizing elements each having a plurality of openings forming a free open surface area constituting 1 to 40% of the total surface area of the respective planar homogenizing element. The cooling air passes from the planar homogenizing element into the cooling chamber through a flow straightener.

A cushioning network structure comprising a plurality of random loops arranged in a three-dimensional orientation, wherein the plurality of random loops are formed from an ethylene/a-olefin interpolymer composition having a highest DSC temperature melting peak in the range of from 90.0° C. to 115.0° C.; a zero shear viscosity ratio (ZSVR) in the range from 1.40 to 2.10; a density in the range of from 0.860 to 0.925 g/cc, a melt index (12) in a range of from 1 to 25 g/10 minutes when measured according to ASTM D1238 at 190° C. and 2.16 kg, a molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn) in the range of from 2.0 to 4.5.

Method for producing a fibrous mat, which can be installed in a component of a vehicle provided with an internal combustion engine for acoustically and thermally insulating the component. The method comprises the steps of: providing a fibrous core consisting of at least one fibrous bundle that extends along a direction that is approximately parallel to a longitudinal axis; wrapping the outer surface of the fibrous core by means of a fibrous bundle that extends along a direction that is approximately transverse to the bundle of the fibrous core, thus providing at least one outer tubular fibrous containment sleeve that extends, in turn, along the longitudinal axis and covers the outer surface of the fibrous core to trap the fibrous core therein.

Method for producing a fibrous mat, which can be installed in a component of a vehicle provided with an internal combustion engine for acoustically and thermally insulating the component. The method comprises the steps of: providing a fibrous core consisting of at least one fibrous bundle that extends along a direction that is approximately parallel to a longitudinal axis; wrapping the outer surface of the fibrous core by means of a fibrous bundle that extends along a direction that is approximately transverse to the bundle of the fibrous core, thus providing at least one outer tubular fibrous containment sleeve that extends, in turn, along the longitudinal axis and covers the outer surface of the fibrous core to trap the fibrous core therein.

An apparatus for making spunbonded nonwovens has a spinneret for emitting continuous thermoplastic filaments in a filament-travel direction, a cooling chamber downstream in the direction from the spinneret for cooling the spun filaments with cooling air, two manifolds on opposite sides of the cooling chamber opening transversely of the direction into the cooling chamber, and a respective conduit having a conduit cross-sectional area and connected to each manifold for feeding cooling air thereto. The conduit cross-sectional area increases toward the manifold to a manifold cross-sectional area, and manifold cross-sectional area is at least twice as large as the conduit cross-sectional area. At least one flow straightener is provided upstream from the cooling chamber in each manifold for orienting air flow in an air-flow direction, and at least one perforated planar homogenizing element is provided in each manifold for homogenizing the cooling air flow.

An apparatus for making spunbonded nonwovens has a spinneret for emitting continuous thermoplastic filaments in a filament-travel direction, a cooling chamber downstream in the direction from the spinneret for cooling the spun filaments with cooling air, two manifolds on opposite sides of the cooling chamber opening transversely of the direction into the cooling chamber, and a respective conduit having a conduit cross-sectional area and connected to each manifold for feeding cooling air thereto. The conduit cross-sectional area increases toward the manifold to a manifold cross-sectional area, and manifold cross-sectional area is at least twice as large as the conduit cross-sectional area. At least one flow straightener is provided upstream from the cooling chamber in each manifold for orienting air flow in an air-flow direction, and at least one perforated planar homogenizing element is provided in each manifold for homogenizing the cooling air flow.

A spunbonded nonwovens is made by first spinning thermoplastic continuous filaments and emitting them from a spinneret in a direction and then passing the filaments in the direction through a cooling chamber. Meanwhile cooling air is fed from respective manifolds flanking the chamber into the chamber to cool the filaments and the cooling air is guided into the manifolds through respective manifolds and through respective planar homogenizing elements each having a plurality of openings forming a free open surface area constituting 1 to 40% of the total surface area of the respective planar homogenizing element. The cooling air passes from the planar homogenizing element into the cooling chamber through a flow straightener.

A spunbonded nonwovens is made by first spinning thermoplastic continuous filaments and emitting them from a spinneret in a direction and then passing the filaments in the direction through a cooling chamber. Meanwhile cooling air is fed from respective manifolds flanking the chamber into the chamber to cool the filaments and the cooling air is guided into the manifolds through respective manifolds and through respective planar homogenizing elements each having a plurality of openings forming a free open surface area constituting 1 to 40% of the total surface area of the respective planar homogenizing element. The cooling air passes from the planar homogenizing element into the cooling chamber through a flow straightener.

A spunbonded nonwovens is made by first spinning thermoplastic continuous filaments and emitting them from a spinneret in a direction and then passing the filaments in the direction through a cooling chamber. Meanwhile cooling air is fed from respective manifolds flanking the chamber into the chamber to cool the filaments and the cooling air is guided into the manifolds through respective manifolds and through respective planar homogenizing elements each having a plurality of openings forming a free open surface area constituting 1 to 40% of the total surface area of the respective planar homogenizing element. The cooling air passes from the planar homogenizing element into the cooling chamber through a flow straightener.