Nonwoven fabric with characteristics similar to woven and knitted fabrics

摘要

A nonwoven fabric having characteristics resembling woven and knitted fabrics is produced by extruding a plurality of plural component fibers, where each fiber includes first and second polymer components with the first polymer component having a degree of shrinkage when subjected to heat. A nonwoven web of the extruded fibers is formed on a web forming surface and bonded. The bonded web of fibers are post-bond treated to shrink at least the first polymer component and separate at least a portion of the second polymer component from the first polymer component utilizing any combination of heat, mechanical agitation and dissolving of fiber components. The resultant nonwoven fabric has a texture, drape and feel of woven and knitted fabrics.