A roofing underlayment includes a hydrophobic nonwoven core layer that provides enhanced resistance to water infiltration. In addition to the hydrophobic nonwoven core layer, the roofing underlayment includes a coating layer adhered to a surface of the hydrophobic nonwoven core layer, and an exterior surface layer adhered to the coating layer. A roofing system that includes the roofing underlayment is also provided.

Included are multiple component elastic fibers prepared by a solution-spinning process such as dry spinning or wet spinner of spandex fibers including polyurethaneurea and polyurethane compositions. These fibers have a cross-section including at least two separate regions with definable boundaries wherein at least one region defined by the boundaries of the cross-section includes a polyurethaneurea or polyurethane composition. One region of the fiber includes a fusibility improvement additive to enhance adhesion to itself or to a substrate.

A stretchable flame barrier panel including an interior stretch zone having elastomeric yarns extending across a fibrous base layer of textile fibers and optionally substantially stable lateral selvage zones outboard of the interior stretch zone. In a finished state, the interior stretch zone has substantial stretch and recovery in both the machine direction and the cross-machine direction.

Nonwoven fibrous webs include elastic filaments such that the web as a whole exhibits elastic properties when stretched. The webs include a multiplicity of nonwoven fibers and at least one elastic filament entangled with at least a portion of the nonwoven fibers to form a self-supporting, cohesive, elastic nonwoven fibrous web. Methods of making such elastic nonwoven fibrous webs using hydro-entanglement, and uses of such webs to form articles are also described.

A nonwoven composite that exhibits latent elastic properties is provided. The composite is formed from a multi-layered, elastic film laminated to a nonwoven web facing. Latent elasticity is imparted to the composite through the use of at least one base layer that contains a thermoplastic elastomer and at least one skin layer that contains a propylene/α-olefin copolymer. During formation, the film is stretched in one or more directions to orient the elastomer chains. Without intending to be limited by theory, the present inventors believe that the oriented state of the chains may be held in place by the relatively stiff semi-crystalline domains of the propylene/α-olefin copolymer. The stretched elastic film may subsequently be relaxed and bonded to a nonwoven web facing to form the composite. The composite may be later activated (e.g., heated at or above the softening point of the copolymer) to soften the crystalline domains and allow the chains to return to their unoriented state. This causes the film to retract, which forms buckles in the nonwoven facing. In this manner, the resulting composite becomes elastic in that it has the ability to stretch and recover due to the “latent” buckle formation in the nonwoven facing.

A stretchable flame barrier panel including an interior stretch zone having elastomeric yarns extending across a fibrous base layer of textile fibers and optionally substantially stable lateral selvage zones outboard of the interior stretch zone. In a finished state, the interior stretch zone has substantial stretch and recovery in both the machine direction and the cross-machine direction.

A stretchable flame barrier panel including an interior stretch zone having elastomeric yarns extending across a fibrous base layer of textile fibers and optionally substantially stable lateral selvage zones outboard of the interior stretch zone. In a finished state, the interior stretch zone has substantial stretch and recovery in both the machine direction and the cross-machine direction.

A stretchable flame barrier panel including an interior stretch zone having elastomeric yarns extending across a fibrous base layer of textile fibers and optionally substantially stable lateral selvage zones outboard of the interior stretch zone. In a finished state, the interior stretch zone has substantial stretch and recovery in both the machine direction and the cross-machine direction.

A method of making an elastic composite is described that entails conveying a first sheet of material on a conveyor, and wrapping a section of elastic about the first sheet and the conveyor, thereby applying elastics cross directionally across the first sheets. A second sheet of material is applied onto the first sheet having elastics applied thereon, thereby creating a subcomposite including the first sheet, the second sheet, and elastics sandwiched therebetween, wherein a plurality of elastics extend outward from the one side of the subcomposite, about the conveyor, and return into an opposite side of the subcomposite. The sub-composite is cut through the first and second sheets and the elastics, thereby separating the sub-composite into a first carrier and a second carrier, each carrier including a first material layer and a second material layer, whereby a plurality of spaced apart elastic elements extend from the first carrier to the second carrier, the first and second carriers defining an exposed elastic region therebetween formed by the plurality of spaced apart elastic elements.

An elastic laminate including a first nonwoven layer, a second nonwoven layer, and a plurality of elastic strands arranged in parallel with one another between said first and second nonwoven layers is disclosed, as well as a process for the production of the laminate. The elastic laminate includes elastic strands that are stretched and individually coated with an adhesive. The first and second nonwoven layers are attached to the stretched elastic strands to provide a corrugated elastic laminate when the elastic strands are relaxed. At least one of the nonwoven layers is attached to the strands at distinct adhesive bonding points in a repeating predetermined pattern in a lengthwise direction along the strands to form a predetermined corrugation pattern, and the nonwoven layers are substantially free of adhesive, except in the adhesive bonding points where the layers are attached to the elastic strands.