Abstract:
The present invention is a method for manufacture of elastic leg and/or waist disposable diapers (3). A preferred form of the diaper (3) uses for the entire moisture impermeable backing sheet (4) an elastomeric material of the type that is heat unstable and relatively unelastic in its unshrunk form and stable and relatively elastic in its heat shrunk form. Numerous materials of this type are available. Included among them are block copolymers which include a rubbery material as one component polyurethanes and irradiated polyethylene. Alternatively, a conventional polyolefin backing sheet (4) may be used with strips of the heat shrinkable elastomeric material bonded in appropriate marginal locations in the waist or leg zones (18). These marginal zones (18) are then heated to an appropriate temperature and any tension on the sheet (4) is relaxed to allow shrinkage and elasticization to take place. Following this step the sheet (4) may then be retensioned to about its original dimensions and combined with a cover sheet (6) and absorbent filler (8) to form diapers (3).
Abstract:
The present invention is a method for reproducing coniferous trees by somatic embryogenesis using plant tissue culture techniques. The method comprises a multistage culturing process. A suitable explant, typically the fertilized embryo excised from a mature or immature seed, is first cultured on a medium that induces multiple early stage proembryos. Preferably the proembryos from the induction stage are further multiplied in a second culture having reduced growth hormones. The early stage proembryos are then placed in or on a late stage proembryo development culture having a significantly higher osmotic potential than the previous stage or stages. This increased osmotic potential medium is a critical key to the development of very robust late stage proembryos having at least about 100 cells and multiple suspensor cells. Culturing from this point continues in an embryo development medium very low in or lacking growth hormones but containing abscisic acid. After a period of several weeks cotyledonary embryos will have formed. These have a well defined bipolar structure with cotyledonary primordia at one end and a latent radicle at the other. Culturing to this point is carried out in darkness or greatly subdued light. The cotyledonary embryos are then transferred to a growth medium with a light/dark photoperiod for development of plantlets. The plantlets may then be transplanted to soil for further growth. The method has been successful with a broad range of species and with numerous genotypes that could not previously be propagated by embryogenesis.
Abstract:
A method of and apparatus for making resin-bonded, composite pultruded products. The resin includes condensation resin having a high solids content. A pultrusion system includes reinforcing material supply (1), a pultrusion die (10) adapted to be heated, injection device (6) for injecting resin into the die (10) and a pulling device (12) for drawing product through the die (10). The method includes supplying strands (2) of the reinforcing material to the die (10) and grasping a bundle (4) of strands (2) with the pulling device (12), injecting resin into the die (10) to impregnate the strands (2) and pulling the bundle (4) of resin-impregnated strands (2) through the die (10) at a rate that permits resin to condense to an essentially cured state by the time the composite product (11) is withdrawn from the die (10).
Abstract:
Materials have at least one layer comprising a mixture of thermoplastic and other fibres (23). This latter layer may be thermobonded together and then densified (132, 134, 136, 138) along at least a section of the eventual peripheral edge margin of an article to be formed from the material. Thermoplastic material containing cover sheets (24, 56) may also be secured to the core and densified in this manner. The entire eventual peripheral edge margin of the article is typically densified (132, 134, 136, 138). The material is cut within the densified region or slightly outside the densified region to provide a soft peripheral edge. Absorbent materials may be thermobonded within the layer and surrounded by a densified edge to fix them within the article. The composite materials are used in manufacturing infant car seat liners and other articles. In addition, sections of the material may be densified and provided with weakened areas, such as perforations, to enable users to selectively separate the articles along the perforations.
Abstract:
A fibrous web product with a surface treatment containing bacterial cellulose and a method of surface treating such fibrous webs. The bacterial cellulose is applied to at least one surface of a fibrous web, to make products such as printing material suitable for magazines or advertisements, by use of conventional paper manufacturing equipment. The bacterial cellulose may be applied singularly or in combination with other materials such as fillers or pigments. Bacterial cellulose applied at relatively low concentrations gives excellent properties of gloss, smoothness, ink receptivity and holdout, and surface strength.
Abstract:
Method of attaching differentially tensioned elastic ribbon (42, 44) to discrete areas of articles such as diapers or adult incontinent pads. The ribbon is bonded to the article under tension using a flexible fast setting adhesive (62) such as a hot melt, in those areas where the ribbon is to remain in tension during use. The end portions of the ribbon are bonded to the article during assembly by a slower setting adhesive (64, 66) such as a cold set compound. This material is selected so that it is not fully set at the time the individual units are severed during an assembly process and the tension on the elastic released. The cold set material will hold any untensioned ends of the elastic in a linear relationship to the tensioned elastic bonded with the hot melt material. The method of the invention prevents unsightly loose ends of elastic from lying at random within the completed article.
Abstract:
A heavy-duty shipping container (10) for bulk flowable materials is constructed with an inner tubular sleeve (12) of substantially circular cross section and an outer sleeve (14) of polygonal cross section; the inner and outer sleeves are composed of multi-wall corrugated fibreboard, each designed to accommodate and support a portion of the stacking load of a like heavy-duty shipping container; the inner sleeve being supported by a support pad (98) initially with its upper edge extended outwardly of the upper edge of the outer sleeve; and the support pad being deformable to allow the inner sleeve to displace into the outer sleeve so that both upper edges are in the same horizontal plane after the application of a predetermined pressure of the inner sleeve.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for analyzing the structural formation and surface properties of fibrous sheet materials, particularly printing papers. The method requires advancing a marker (10) over a substantial area of the sheet (12) to be tested. The marker (10) is urged into contact with the sheet (12) so that it exerts a pressure on it, typically of printing process magnitudes. The marker (10) is any material which produces an image the intensity of which is proportional to the pressure exerted upon it by the test sheet (12). A preferred marker (10) is a graphite bar. The image produced is equivalent to those produced by Beta ray formation analyzers and may be evaluated by a missing dot technique commonly employed in rotogravure print quality evaluations.
Abstract:
A method for preparing hog fuel, other biomass, or peat for efficient burning and heat recovery in a water-wall boiler (20). The process requires drying the fuel to less than a 30% moisture content. The fuel is then pulverized to an upper particle size such that there are substantially no particles which will not burn in air suspension within the confines of the combustion zone (21). Additionally, the pulverizing step is adjusted such that a fines portion of fuel is created of such size and in such amount that the fines portion readily ignites upon flame initiation. The fines provide sufficient ignition energy so that the entire flow of fuel burns without the necessity of the conventional fossil fuel support or pilot. The fuel is sized to burn in air suspension by injection into the boiler (20) through a swirl stabilized-type burner (18). For one burner, not particularly optimized for burning wood, a suitable particle size range was found to comprise 65-100% less than 1000 microns and 15-85% less than 150 microns. Pulverizing is carried out preferably at low air flows so that the resulting air and pulverized fuel mixture of about 1-2 kilograms air per kilogram fuel may be directly injected by the swirl stabilized air suspension type burner into the furnace along with secondary air (19). Combustion in the furnace requires no supplemental or pilot fuel to maintain stability. The process has good load following characteristics having at least a 2.5:1 turndown ratio.
Abstract:
Leak resistant disposable diaper or incontinent brief particularly suitable for adult wear. The garment is from about two or three times as long as it is wide so that the sides of the wearer are not covered. Each end of the garment has a relatively long flap (14, 16) formed by extensions of the envelope retaining the pad of absorbent material. The absorbent pad itself (4) is trimmed generally in the form of an hourglass (19). However, the cutout side portions are located forward of the transverse centerline of the pad. Also, the forward edge of the cutouts does not expand as rapidly to full width as does the back edge to allow a better fit in the groin area. Elastic strips (10) are located adjacent to the edges of the pad and run the full length of the product. Relatively long attachment straps (12, 12') are anchored to the back flap and form the means of holding the garment on the wearer. The adhesive on the free ends of the attachment straps is preferably one that is high in shear strength but low in peel strength in reference to the thermoplastic moisture impervious backsheet of the diaper. This allows the straps to be easily removed and reattached if desired, but provides a firm grip while the garment is being worn.