MXPA00012998A - Absorbent article comprising a liquid handling member having high suction and high permeability - Google Patents

Abstract

It is one aspect of the present invention to provide a liquid handling member which combines high liquid suction capability with a high permeability. It is another aspect of the present invention to provide liquid handling member which combines a high liquid suction capability with a fast 80 percent capacity absorption time. The present invention further provides devices for handling body liquids which comprise the liquid handling member of the present invention such as for example baby diapers, training pants, sanitary napkins, adult incontinence devices, bed mats, and the like.

Description

ABSORBENT ARTICLE COMPRISING A LIQUID HANDLING MEMBER HAVING HIGH SUCTION AND HIGH PERMEABILITY FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to devices for the handling of body fluids such as urine, sweat, blood, menstruation, purulence, or faecal material, and in particular to its ability to acquire and retain aqueous-based materials. The invention further relates to disposable absorbent articles such as baby diapers or training pants, adult incontinence products, and feminine hygiene products and other body fluid handling articles such as catheters, urinals, and the like. The invention further relates to devices for handling body fluids comprising a liquid handling member having high suction and high permeability.

BACKGROUND Devices for fluid handling the body are well known in the art and are frequently used for a wide variety of purposes. For example, the devices serve hygienic purposes such as diapers, sanitary napkins, adult incontinence products, armpit sweat pads, and the like. There is another class of these devices that serve medical purposes such as bandaging or wound healing, catheters, and the like. Accordingly, these devices have been designed to encompass a wide variety of different body fluid such as for example urine, sweat, saliva, blood, menstruation, J_ purulence, fecal material and the like. The ability to provide better-functioning devices such as diapers has been contingent on the ability to develop relatively thin absorbent cores or structures that can acquire or store large amounts of discharged body fluids, particularly urine. In addition, it is preferred to provide structures having a low capacity in the regions between the legs of the user such as in PCT application US97 / 05046, filed on March 27, 1997, related to the movement of the fluid through certain regions of the article. comprising materials having good acquisition and distribution properties towards other regions comprising materials having specific liquid storage capacities. The majority of the absorbent articles therefore comprise at least one fluid handling member that is designed to rapidly acquire and / or transport the liquid away from the loading point. Examples of suitable liquid transport members based on crosslinked and crimped cellulose are disclosed in European Patent Application No. 0 512 010 (Cook et al.). Further examples of suitable liquid transport members having high vertical liquid transport speeds are described in European Patent Application No. 0 809 991 (Schmidt et al.). Other suitable liquid transport members based on HIPE foams are described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 09 / 042,418 (DesMarais et al., Case P &G 7051). Examples of structures comprising liquid transport members for transporting liquid out of the crotch region are disclosed in the patent application: PCT WO 98/43580 (LaVon et al). Although the members of liquid transport have been designed with capillary transport mechanisms in mind, in this way pretending to place materials with smaller capillaries and / or hydrophilic capacity closer to the final storage material, and matepales with larger pores and smaller capacity hydrophilic near the loading area, it has been further recognized that the materials of acquisition / distribution have the tendency not only to transport the fluid, but also to retain the liquid, which may result under certain specific conditions in undesired effects, such as rewetting or reduced fluid acquisition and / or distribution operation, which is particularly marked for acquisition / distribution materials that are designed to balance acquisition and distribution properties. Accordingly, liquid storage members have been developed, which have an improved balance of liquid handling properties so that well-functioning materials or acquisition / distribution members can be efficiently drained by the materials or storage members. This is typically achieved by the materials or fluid storage members having a high liquid suction capacity. In PCT patent application US98 / 05044 (Palumbo et al.), Absorbent structures comprising materials exhibiting a high liquid suction capacity are described. These materials described by the prior art employ small capillaries as obtained by a HIPE foam of small capillaries, a mixture of superabsorbent and fibers of high surface area and the like, to provide the high liquid suction capacity. These structures have, however, the disadvantage that small capillaries limit liquid permeability thus providing greater flow resistance and slow speed for the liquid that is absorbed. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a The liquid handling member who overcomes the problems raised by the prior art. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a liquid handling member that exhibits a high liquid suction capacity in combination with a high liquid permeability and / or a high absorbent velocity. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device for the handling of body fluids comprising a liquid handling member exhibiting a high liquid suction capacity in combination with high liquid permeability and / or high speed absorbent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a liquid handling member to be used in a liquid handling device. The liquid handling member is characterized in that said liquid handling member has a capillary sorption absorption height at 50% of its capacity at an absorption height of 0 cm (CSAH50) according to the capillary absorption test of at least 50 cm and said liquid handling member further has a liquid permeability of at least 5 Darcy, preferably 10 Darcy, most preferably 20 Darcy, in accordance with the saturated liquid permeability test. Alternatively, the liquid handling member is characterized in that the liquid handling member has a capillary sorption absorption height at 50% capacity at an absorption height of 0 cm (CSAH50) in accordance with the test of capillary absorption of at least 80 cm and said liquid handling member further has a liquid permeability of at least 2 Darcy, in accordance with the saturated liquid permeability test. Still alternatively, the liquid handling member is characterized in that the liquid handling member has a capillary sorption absorption height at 50% capacity at an absorption height of 0 cm (CSAH50) according to the test of capillary absorption of at least 80 cm and said liquid handling member further has an absorption time at 80% of its capacity of less than 5 seconds according to the demand absorbance test defined herein. The liquid handling member preferably has a capillary sorption absorption capacity at an absorption height of 100 cm of at least 5 g / g, preferably at least 10 g / g. The invention also relates to absorbent structures, which comprise a first region for the acquisition / distribution of fluid and a second region for the storage of the fluid. The first region comprises at least one member for acquiring and / or transporting the liquid, while the second region comprises said liquid handling members. The present invention further provides a device for handling body liquids comprising a liquid handling member or an absorbent structure in accordance with the present invention. The present invention further relates to absorbent articles such as baby diapers comprising a liquid handling member or an absorbent structure in accordance with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figures 1, 2A and 2B show a schematic drawing of the installation for the liquid permeability test. Figure 3 shows a schematic drawing for the installation for the capillary absorption test.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION the present invention is described below by means of the variety of different modalities and by means of a variety of different characteristics. The different embodiments of the present invention may be obtained by combining the characteristics of a modality with the characteristics of another embodiment disclosed herein and / or with other features disclosed herein. These additional modalities are considered to be implicitly disclosed here and therefore they form part of the present invention. It will be apparent to the skilled person that featureless combinations may lead to non-functional items that are not part of this invention. The present invention provides liquid handling members that are to be used in devices for handling body fluids. The present invention further provides devices for handling body fluids comprising the liquid handling member of the present invention such as, for example, baby diapers, training pants, sanitary napkins, adult incontinence devices, bed mats, and the like. The term "body fluid management" includes but is not limited to acquiring, distributing, and emaining body fluid. It is an aspect of the present invention to provide a liquid handling member that combines high capillary suction capability with high liquid permeability. In the context of the present invention, the term "liquid permeability" includes both permeability within the plane and across the plane. The permeability to the saturated liquid of a liquid handling member in the context of the present invention is defined in the saturated state, that is, when the member has absorbed at least 90% of its capacity. It will be clear to the person skilled in the art that high liquid permeability is desired throughout the total absorbent cycle. In one embodiment of the present invention, it is therefore preferred that the liquid handling members exhibit high liquid permeability in both the saturated and the unsaturated state. The high liquid suction capacity allows well-functioning acquisition or distribution members or members to be efficiently drained by storage materials or members. A high liquid permeability in the direction within the plane as well as across the plane allows the efficient distribution of the body fluids acquired within the liquid handling member of the present invention, in particular the distribution against gravity and flow rates relatively high. For the purpose of the present invention, the permeability across the plane is quantified by the permeability test defined hereinafter. However, it is recognized that members that have high permeability within the plane are also part of the scope of the present invention. The liquid handling member of the present invention has a permeability of at least 2 Darcy, preferably at least 5 Darcy, more preferably at least 10 Darcy, and most preferably a permeability of at least 20 Darcy. It is another aspect of the present invention to provide the liquid handling member that combines a high liquid suction capacity with a rapid rate of absorption as for example expressed by a rapid absorption time at 80% capacity in the absorbency test by demand. A rapid absorption time at the 80% capacity is representative of the ability of the liquid handling member to efficiently utilize most of its absorbent capacity in a fast and efficient manner in order to prevent liquid storage from return the speed limiting step for the operation of the device. For the purpose of this invention, the liquid suction is quantified by the capillary absorption test defined hereinafter. The liquid handling member of the present invention has a capillary sorption absorption height at 50% of its capacity at an absorption height of 0 cm of at least 50 centimeters, preferably at least 80 cm, more preferably of at least 100 cm. For the purpose of this invention, the absorption time at the 80% capacity is quantified by the demand absorbance test defined herein. The liquid handling member of the present invention has an 80% absorption time of less than 5 seconds, preferably an 80% absorption time of less than 2 seconds, more preferably less than 1.5 seconds, most preferably less than 1 second. It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a liquid handling member having a capillary absorption capacity of at least 5 g / g, preferably at least 10 g / g at a high hydrostatic height of at least 50 cm, preferably at least 100 cm. A high absorbent capacity allows the storage of large amounts of body fluids such as, for example, jets of urine. Next, a suitable embodiment of the liquid handling member will be described. The liquid handling member is assembled from an internal material which is completely covered by a membrane. A suitable membrane material is available from SEFAR of Rüschlikon, Switzerland, under the designation SEFAR 03-10 / 2 and under the designation SEFAR 03-5 / 1. A suitable foam material is available from Recticel of Brussels, Belgium, under the designation Bulpren S10 black. Other suitable internal materials can be obtained by punching holes of 2 mm in diameter at a density of approximately 2 holes per cm2 in part available materials. of Fisher Scientific of Germany, under the designation D &N ball size 5. A suitable technique for completely covering the foam material with the membrane material is to wrap the membrane material around the foam material and then heat seal all open edges of the membrane material. It will be readily apparent to those skilled practitioners to choose other similarly suitable materials. Depending on the specific intended application of the liquid handling member, it may also be necessary to choose similar materials with slightly different properties. After assembly, the liquid handling member is activated by immersing the liquid handling member in water or in synthetic urine until the liquid handling member is completely filled with the liquid and until the membrane is completely wetted or moistened with liquid. the liquid After activation, a portion of the liquid within the liquid handling member can be excluded by applying an external pressure to the liquid handling member. If activation of the liquid handling member was successful, the liquid handling member should not suck air through the membranes. Other liquid handling members suitable for the purposes of the present invention are described for example in PCT patent application No. PCT / US98 / 13497 entitled "Liquid transport member for high flow rates between two port regions" filed in the name of Ehmsperger et al. filed on June 29, 1998, and in the following PCT patent applications co-filed with the present application entitled "High-flux liquid transport members comprising two different permeability regions" (Case P &G CM1840MQ ) filed in the name of Ehrnsperger et al., "Member of liquid transport for high flow velocities between two port regions" (Case P &G CM1841 MQ) filed under the name of Ehrnsperger et al., "Member of liquid transport for high flow velocities against gravity "(Case P &G CM1842MQ) submitted to name! from Ehrnsperger et al., "Liquid transport member having regions of high permeability volume and port regions with high bubble point pressure" (Case P &G CM1843MQ) filed in the name of Ehrnsperger et al. All of these documents are attached here by reference. The particular geometry of the liquid handling member of the present invention may be varied according to the specific requirements of the intended application. If, for example, the liquid handling member is intended to be used in an absorbent article, the liquid handling member may be defined such that its intended liquid acquisition zone fits between the legs of the user and further that its area of attempted liquid discharge coincides with the shape of the storage member associated therewith. Accordingly, the external dimensions of the liquid handling member such as length, width or thickness can also be adopted to the specific needs of the intended application. In this context, it is to be understood, however, that the design of the external shape of the liquid handling member can have an impact on its operation. In one embodiment of the present invention, the liquid handling member of the present invention is geometrically saturated or substantially saturated geometrically with the free liquid. The term "free liquid" as used herein refers to a liquid that is not bound to a specific surface or other entity. The free liquid can be distinguished from the bound liquid by measuring the spin relaxation time of proton T2 of the liquid molecules according to the NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy methods well known in the art. The term "geometrically saturated" as used herein refers to a region of the porous material in which the hollow spaces accessible for the liquid have been filled with the liquid. The hollow spaces referred to in this definition are those that are present in the actual geometric configuration of the porous material. In other words, a geometrically saturated device may still be able to accept additional liquid by and only changing its geometric configuration for example by inflating, although all the gaps in the device are filled with the liquid in the actual geometrical configuration. A device for handling liquids is called geometrically salted, if all the porous materials that are part of the device and intended for liquid handling are geometrically saturated. The term "porous material" as used herein refers to materials comprising at least two phases a phase of solid material and a gas phase or hollow, and optionally a third liquid phase that may be partially or completely filling the spaces holes. The porosity of a material is defined as the ratio between the hollow volume and the total volume of the material, measured when the material is not filled with the liquid. Non-limiting examples for porous materials are foams such as polyurethane, HIPE, (see for example PCT patent application WO 94/13704), superabsorbent foams and the like, fiber assemblies such as meltblown webs, spunbond, carded , cellulose webs, fiber layers and the like, porous particles such as clays, zeolites and the like, geometrically structured materials such as tubes, balloons, channel structures, etc. Porous materials may absorb liquids even if they are not hydrophilic. The porosity of the materials is therefore not linked to their affinity with the liquid that could be absorbed. The term "substantially saturated geometrically" as used herein refers to a member in which at least 90% of the volume The macroscopic hollow of the member is geometrically saturated, preferably at least 95% of the macroscopic hollow volume of the device is geometrically saturated, more preferably 97% of the macroscopic hollow volume of the device is geometrically salted, most preferably 99% of the hollow volume The macroscopic device is geometrically saturated. It is another aspect of the present invention to provide an absorbent structure comprising a first region for the acquisition / distribution of fluid and a second region for fluid storage. The first region comprises at least one member for acquiring / transporting liquid such as those well known in the art. The second region comprises a liquid handling member according to the present invention.

Device to handle body fluid It is an aspect of the present invention to provide a device for handling body liquids which comprises a liquid transport member according to the present invention and / or an absorbent structure according to the present invention. These devices include but are not limited to disposable absorbent articles such as baby diapers or training pants, adult incontinence products, and feminine hygiene products and other body fluid handling articles such as catheters, urinals, and the like. One embodiment of the present invention, the absorbent article is a disposable absorbent article such as a diaper, a training pant, a sanitary napkin, and an adult incontinence article, or the like comprising the liquid handling member of the present invention. invention. Such an absorbent article may further comprise a liquid pervious topsheet, a backsheet impervious to the liquid at least partially attached peripherally to the topsheet. The absorbent article may further comprise a first liquid handling member that can serve as an acquisition and / or distribution member for body fluid. The topsheet, backsheet and absorbent core suitable for the present invention are well known in the art. In addition, there are numerous additional features known in the art that can be used in combination with the absorbent article of the present invention such as, for example, closure mechanisms for attaching the absorbent article around the wearer's lower torso.

METHODS Unless stated otherwise, all methods are carried out under ambient conditions, ie 32 +/- 2 ° Celsius and 30-50 relative humidity. Unless stated otherwise, the synthetic urine used in the test methods is commonly known as Jayco SynUrine and is available from the Jayco Pharmaceuticals Company of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. The formula for synthetic urine is: 2.0 g / l: KCl; 2.0 g / l of Na2SO4; 0.85 g / l of (NH4) H2PO4; 0.15 g / l (NH4) H2PO4; 0.19 g / l of CaCl2; ad 0.23 g / l MgCl2. All of the chemicals are in reactive grade. The pH of the synthetic urine is within the range of 6.0 to 6.4.

Capillary Absorption Test Purpose The purpose of this test is to measure the capillary absorption absorbing capacity, as a function of height, of the liquid handling members of the present invention. The test was also used to measure the capillary absorption absorbing capacity of liquid handling devices according to the present invention. The capillary absorption is a fundamental property of any absorbent that governs how the liquid is absorbed in the absorbent structure. In the capillary absorption experiment, the capillary absorption absorbing capacity is measured as a function of fluid pressure due to the height of the sample relative to the test fluid reservoir. The method for determining capillary absorption is well recognized, see Burgeni, A.A. and Kapur, O, "Capillary Sorption Equilibria in Fiber Masses," Textile Research Journal Journal, 37 (1967), 356-366; Chattenjee, P.K. Absorbency, Textile Science and Technology 7, Chapter II, p. 29-84, Elsevier Science Publishers B. V, 1085; and U.S. Patent No. 4,610,678, issued September 9, 1986, to Weisman et al., for a discussion of the method for measuring capillary absorption of absorbent structures. The description of each of these references is incorporated herein by reference.

Principle A porous glass frit was connected through an uninterrupted column of fluid to an equilibrium fluid reservoir. The sample was kept under constant confinement weight during the experiment. Since the porous structure absorbs fluid after demand, the weight loss in the equilibrium fluid reservoir is recorded as fluid consumption, adjusted for consumption of the glass frit as a function of height and evaporation. The consumption or capacity in several capillary suctions (hydrostatic stresses or height) was measured. Increasing absorption occurs due to the increased reduction of the frit (i.e. reduction of capillary suction). Time is also verified during the experiment to allow calculation of the initial effective consumption rate (g / g / h) at a given height, such as 200 cm.

Reagents Test Liquid: Synthetic urine prepared by completely dissolving the following materials in distilled water: Compjesto PF Concentration (g / L) KCl 74.6 2.0 Na2SO4 142 2.0 (NH4) H2PO4 115 0.85 (NH4) H2PO4 132 0.15 CaCl2: 2h2O 147 0.25 MgCI2 6 H2O 203 0.5 General Description of Apparatus Establishment The capillary absorption equipment, illustrated generally at 520 in Figure 3, used for this test is operated under TAPPI conditions (50% RH, 25 ° C). A test sample was placed on a glass frit shown in Figure 3 as 502, which is connected through a continuous column of test liquid (synthetic urine) to an equilibrium liquid reservoir, shown at 506, containing liquid test. This deposit 506 is placed on a balance 507 that is interconnected with a computer (not shown). The balance should be able to read at 0.001 g; said equilibrium is available from Mettler Toledo as PR1203 (Hightstown, NJ). The glass frit 502 is placed on a vertical slider, generally shown in Figure 3 as 501, to allow vertical movement of the test movement to expose the test sample to variable suction heights. The vertical slider can be a rollerless actuator, which is attached to a computer to record suction heights and corresponding times to measure liquid consumption through the test sample. A preferred rollerless actuator is available from Industrial Devices (Novato, CA) as article 202X4X34N-1 D4B-84-PCSE, which can be driven through a motor driven with ZETA 6104-83-135, available from CompuMotor ( Rohnert, CA). When the data is measured and sent from the actuator 501 to the equilibrium 507, the capillary absorption absorber capacity data can be easily generated for each test sample. Also, the computer connection to the actuator 501 may allow controlled vertical movement of the glass frit 502. For example, the actuator may be directed to move the glass frit 502 vertically only after "equilibrium" (as defined more forward) is reached at suction height. The bottom of the glass frit 502 is connected to the Tygon® 503 pipe that connects the frit 505 to a three-way drain plug 509. The drain plug 509 is connected to the liquid tank 505 through a glass pipe 504 and plug 510. (Plug 509 is open to drain only during cleaning of the apparatus or any removal of air bubbles). The glass tubing 511 connects the fluid reservoir 505 with the equilibrium fluid reservoir 506, through the plug 510. The equilibrium liquid reservoir 506 consists of a 12 cm light weight glass dish, 506A and cover 506B . The cover 506B has a hole through which the glass pipe 511 makes contact with the liquid in the tank 506. The glass pipe 511 should not contact the cover 506B or an unstable equilibrium reading will occur and can not be made. Use the test sample measurement. The diameter of the glass frit must be sufficient to adapt the piston / cylinder apparatus, discussed below, to support the test sample. The funnel has a glass frit 502 is jacketed to allow constant temperature control from a heating bath. The frit is a specific 350-ml frit disk for having 4 to 5.5 μm pores, available from Corning Glass Co. (Corning, NY) as # 36060-350 F. The pores are thin enough to hold the first wet surface at the specified capillary suction heights (the glass frit does not allow air to enter the continuous column of the test liquid below the glass frit.) As indicated, the frit 502 is connected through the pipe to the fluid reservoir 505 of the equilibrium liquid reservoir 506, depending on the position of the three-way plug 510. The glass frit 502 is jacketed to accept water from a constant temperature bath. The glass frit is maintained at a constant temperature of 31 ° C during the test procedure.As illustrated in Figure 3 the glass frit 502 is equipped with an input port 502A and a 502B outlet port, which make a closed circuit with a circulating hot bath generally as in 508. (The glass cladding is not illustrated in FIG.

Figure 3. However, the water induced towards the jacketed glass frit 502 from the ^ 508 bath does not make contact with the test liquid and the test liquid does not circulate through the constant temperature bath. The water in the constant temperature bath circulates through the jacketed walls on the glass frit 502). Tank 506 and balance 507 are enclosed in a box to minimize evaporation to the test liquid from the equilibrium tank and to improve equilibrium stability during the operation of the experiment. This box, generally shown as 512, has an upper part and walls, where the upper part has a hole through which pipe 511 is inserted. Glass frit 502 is shown in greater detail in Figure 2B. Figure 2B is a cross-sectional view of the glass frit, shown without the inlet port 502A and the outlet port 502B. As indicated, the glass frit is a frit disk funnel of 350 ml having specified pores of 4 to 5.5 mm. Referring to Figure 2B, the glass frit 502 comprises a cylindrical jacketed funnel designated at 550 and a glass frit disk shown at 560. The glass frit 502 further comprises a cylinder / piston assembly generally shown at 565 (the which comprises cylinder 566 and piston 568), which confines the test sample, shown at 570, and provides a small confining pressure to the test sample. To prevent excessive evaporation of the test liquid from the glass frit disk 560, a Teflon ring shown at 562 is placed on top of the glass frit disk 560. The Teflon® 562 ring has a thickness of 0.0127 cm (available as a McMasterCarr sheet as # 8569K16 and cut to size) and used to cover the surface of the frit disk out of cylinder 566, and thus minimize the evaporation of the glass frit. The external diameter of the ring and the internal diameter are 7.6 and 6.3 cm, respectively. The internal diameter of the Teflon® annulus 562 is approximately 2 mm smaller than the outer diameter of the cylinder 566. An O-shaped Vitron® ring (available from McMasterCarr as # AS568A-150 and AS568A-151) 564 is placed over the top of the Teflon® 562 ring for seal the space between the inner wall of the cylindrical jacketed funnel 550 and the Teflon® 562 ring to further assist in the prevention of evaporation. If the outer diameter of the O-shaped ring exceeds the internal diameter of the cylindrical jacketed funnel 550, the diameter of the O-shaped ring is reduced to fix the funnel as follows: the O-shaped ring is cut to be open, the The required amount of the material of the O-shaped ring is cut off, and the O-shaped ring is glued back together so that the O-shaped ring makes contact with the inner wall of the cylindrical jacketed funnel 550 around its periphery. Although the above-described frit represents an example of a suitable frit, it may be necessary to use a frit having different dimensions from the previous dimensions in order to better suit the member dimensions or the liquid handling device to be tested. The surface area of the frit should resemble as closely as possible the surface area of the acquisition zone of the liquid handling member or device in order to fully utilize the acquisition zone and in order to minimize evaporation from the fried As indicated, a cylinder / piston assembly shown generally in Figure 2B at 565 confines the test sample and provides a small confining pressure to the test sample 570. Referring to Figure 2C, the 565 assembly consists of a cylinder 566, a cup-type Teflon® piston indicated with 568 and, when necessary, a load or loads (not shown) that is fixed within the piston 568. (The optional load will be used when it is necessary to adjust the combined load of the piston and the optional load so that a confining pressure of 1.4 kPa is obtained depending on the dry diameter of the test sample, this is discussed below). Cylinder 566 is a Lexan® bar and has the following dimensions. An external diameter of 7.0 cm, an internal diameter of 6.0 cm and a height of 6.0 cm. The Teflon® piston 568 has the following dimensions: an outer diameter that is 0.02 cm smaller than the internal diameter of the cylinder 566. As shown in Figure 2D, the end of the piston 568 that does not contact the test sample is perforated to provide a diameter of 5.0 cm by approximately 1.8 cm depth in a chamber 590 to receive optional charges (dictated by the actual dry diameter of the test sample) required to obtain a test sample confining pressure of 1.4 kPa . In other words, the total weight of the piston 568 and any optional load (not shown in the figures) divided by the actual diameter of the test sample (when dry) should be such that a confining pressure of 1.4 kPa is obtained. . Cylinder 566 and piston 568 (and optional loads) are equilibrated at 31 ° C for at least 30 minutes before conducting the measurement of capillary absorption absorbent capacity. Again, the dimensions described above are chosen to suit the exemplary frit described above. Of course, when choosing a different frit the dimensions of the cylinder / piston assembly need to be adjusted accordingly. A film treated with no surfactant or with incorporated openings (14 cm x 14 cm) (not shown) is used to cover the glass frit 502 during capillary absorption experiments to minimize the destabilization of air around the sample. The openings are large enough to prevent condensation from forming on the underside of the film during the experiment.

Preparation of the Test Sample For the present procedure, it is important that the dimensions of the sample and the frit should not be sufficiently different. To achieve this, two approaches can be taken: a) For the test samples, which can be easily adjusted to an appropriate size, such as cutting them, both the size of this cut and the frit are chosen to be a circular shape structure of 5.4 cm in diameter, as can be done using a conventional arc punch. b) When the test sample can not easily be cut to this dimension, the size and preferably also the shape of the frit has to be adjusted to the size and shape of the test sample. In both cases, the test sample may be an easily separable member of a member or a device, this may be a particular component of any of these, or it may be a combination of its components. It may also be necessary to adjust the size of the liquid reservoir to match variable requirements. The dry weight of the test sample (used below to calculate the capillary absorption absorber capacity) is the weight of the test sample prepared above under ambient conditions.

Experimental Installation 1.- Place a clean dry glass frit 502 in a funnel holder attached to the vertical 501 slide. Move the funnel holder of the vertical slide so that the glass frit is at a height of 0 cm. 2.- Install the components of the apparatus as shown in Figure 3, as discussed above. 3. Place a tank of equilibrium liquid with a diameter of 12 cm, 506, on the scale 507. Place a plastic cap 506B on this tank of equilibrium liquid 506 and a plastic cover on the balance box 512, each with small holes to allow to fix the glass pipe 511. Do not allow the glass tube to touch the lid 506 P of the equilibrium liquid tank or an unstable equilibrium reading will result and the measurement can not be used. 4. A stop valve 510 is closed towards the pipe 504 and open towards the glass pipe 511. The fluid tank 505, previously filled with the test fluid, is open to allow the test fluid to enter the pipeline 511 for filling the equilibrium fluid reservoir 506. 5. The glass frit 502 is beveled and secured in place. Also, ensure that the glass frit is dry. 6.- Join the Tygon® 503 pipe to the stopcock 509. (The pipe must be long enough to reach the glass frit 502 at its highest point of 200 cm without any connection). Fill this Tugon® tubing with test liquid from the 505 fluid reservoir. Join the Tygon® 503 tubing to the level of the 502 glass frit and then open the 509 stopcock and 510 stopcock from the reservoir. fluid 505 towards the glass frit 502. (The stopcock 510 must be closed towards the glass pipe 511). The test liquid fills the 502 glass frit and removes all trapped air during filling of the glass frit of the level. Continue filling until the fluid level exceeds the top of the glass frit disk 560. Empty the funnel and remove all bubbles in the pipe and inside the funnel. The air bubbles must be removed by inverting the glass frit 502 and allowing air bubbles to rise and escape through the drain of the stopcock 509. (Air bubbles typically gather at the bottom of the frit disk. of glass 560). Re-level the frit using a level small enough to be fixed inside the jacketed funnel 550 on the surface of the glass frit disk 560. Zero the glass frit with the equilibrium tank 506. When doing this, take a piece of Tygon® tubing of sufficient length and fill it with the test liquid. Place one end in the equilibrium liquid tank 506 and use the other end to place the glass frit 502. The level of test fluid indicated by the pipe (which is equivalent to the equilibrium liquid reservoir level) is 10 mm below the top of the 560 glass frit disk. If this is not the case, either adjust the amount of liquid in the reservoir or reset the zero position on the vertical 501 slide. 9. - Connect the outlet and inlet ports of the temperature bath 508 through the pipe to the inlet and outlet ports 502A and 502B, respectively, of the glass frit. Allow the temperature of the glass frit 560 disc to reach 31 ° C. This can be measured by partially filling the glass frit with the test liquid and measuring its temperature after it has reached the equilibrium temperature. The bath will need to be set to a bit greater than 31 ° C to allow heat dissipation during the water run from the bath to the glass frit. 10.- The glass frit is balanced for 30 minutes.

Parameters of Capillary Absorption The following describes a computer program that will determine how much the glass frit remains at each height. In the capillary absorption software program, a test sample is at a certain specific height of the fluid reservoir. As indicated above, the fluid reservoir is on a balance, so that a computer can read the balance at the end of a known interval and calculate the flow rate (reading interval / Delta time) between the test sample and The deposit. For the purposes of this method, the test sample is considered to be in equilibrium when the flow velocity is less than a specific flow rate for a specific number of consecutive intervals. It is recognized that, for certain materials, the actual equilibrium may not be reached when the specified "CONSTANT OF BALANCE" is reached. The interval between the readings is 5 seconds. The number of readings in the Delta table is specified in the capillary absorption menu as "BALANCES SAMPLES". The maximum number of deltas is 500. The flow rate constant is specified in the absorption menu as "BALANCED CONSTANT". The Balance Constant is entered in units of grams / second, varying from 0.0001 to 100,000. The following is a simplified example of logic. The table shows the Delta flow equilibrium reading calculated for each interval. Equilibrium Samples = 3 Balance Constant = .0015 • Delta box: The equilibrium consumption for the previous simplified example is 0.318 grams. The following is the code in C language used to determine the equilibrium consumption: Take data.c int take_data (int equil_samples. double balance_constant). { double delta: static double deltas [500]; / * table to store up to 500 aeltas * / double value; double value_prev; rej_j next_time; int i; for (i = 0; i < equil__samples; i **) deltas [i] = 9999; / * initialize all values in the delta table to 9999. g / sec * / delta_table_index = 0; / * initialize in table to store the next delta * / equilibrium_set = 0 / * initialize flag to indicate that the balance has not been reached next time = clock (); / * initialize when the next reading is taken * / reading_prev = 0; / * initialize the value of the previous reading of balance 7 while (equilibrium_e? reached)} / * start loop to check the balance 7 next_time H- = 5000L; / * calculate when the next reading is taken 7 while (clock () <nexttime); / * calculate until 5 seconds have passed since the previous reading 7 value = getBalance_Report (); / * read the scale in grams 7 delta = fabs (value _prev - value) / 5.0; / * calculate absolute value of flow in the last 5 seconds * / value_prev = value; / * store current value for the next loop 7 deltas [deltajablei index] = delta; / * store current delta value in the table of deltas 7 deltajabal ndic €! ++; / * increase the pointer to the next position in table 7 if (delta Jabla n ice == equilj samples) / * when the number of deltas = the number 7 of the index table = 0; / * specified equilibrium samples, / *? reset the pointer to the beginning of the table. This form * '/ * the table always contains the last xx current samples. 7 equilibrium_short = 1; / * set the flag to indicate that the equilibrium has been reached 7 for (i = 0; i <equilibrium_samples; i ++) / * verify all values in the delta table 7 if (deltas [i] > = equilibrium_constant ) / * if any value is > o = to the equilibrium constant 7 equilibrium_short = 0; / * set the balance flag to 0 (not balance) 7} / * return to start of the loop7} Parameters of Capillary Absorption Description of charge (Confinement Pressure): (1.4 kPa) of charge. Balance samples (n): 50 Balance constant: 0.0005 g / sec. Installation height value: 100 cm Finishing height value: 0 cm Hydrostatic head parameters: 200, 180, 160, 140, 120, 100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5 and 0 cm. The capillary absorption process is conducted using all the heights specified above, in the established order, for the measurement of capillary absorption absorbent capacity. Even if one wishes to determine the absorbing capacity of capillary absorption at a particular height (e.g., 35 cm), the entire series of hydrostatic head parameters must be completed in the specified order.

Although all these heights are used in the operation of the capillary absorption test to generate capillary absorption isotherms for a test sample, the present disclosure describes the absorbent storage members in terms of storing their absorbent properties at specified heights of 200, 140, 100, 50, 35 and 0 cm.

Capillary Absorption Procedure 1) Follow the installation procedure experienced. 2) Make sure that the temperature bath 508 is turned on and the water is circulating through the glass frit 502 and that the temperature of the glass frit disk 560 is at 31 ° C. 3) Place the glass frit 502 at a suction height of 200 cm. Open the stopcocks 509 and 510 to connect the glass frit 502 with the balance liquid tank 506. (The stopcock 510 is closed towards the liquid tank 505). The glass frit 502 is balanced for 30 minutes. 4) Enter the previous capillary absorption parameters in the computer. 5) Close the stopcocks 509 and 510. 6) Move the glass frit 502 to the installation height. 100 cm 7) Place the Teflon® 562 ring on the surface of the glass frit disk 560. Place the O 564-shaped ring on the Teflon® ring. Place the preheated cylinder 566 concentrically on the Teflon® ring. Place the test sample 570 concentrically on the cylinder 566 on the glass frit disk 560. Place the piston 568 on the cylinder 566. Place additional confining loads in the piston chamber 590, if required. 8) Cover the 502 glass frit with the film with openings. 9) The scale reading at this point is set to zero or the tare reading. 10) Move the glass frit 502 to 200 cm. 11) Open the stopcocks 509 and 510 (the stopcock 510 is closed to the fluid tank 505) and start the balance and time readings.

Glass Chip Correction (correct template consumption) Since the glass frit disk 560 is a porous structure, the capillary absorption consumption of glass frit (502), (correct consumption of template) must be determined and subtracted for obtain the consumption of capillary absorbent of the true test sample. The glass frit correction is made for each new glass frit used. Performing the capillary absorption procedure as described above, except that without the test sample to obtain the template consumption (g) The time elapsed at each specified height is equal to the template time (s).

Evaporation Perdiction Correction 1) Move the glass frit 502 to 2 cm above zero and let it equilibrate at this height for 30 minutes with the 509 and 510 stopcocks open (closed towards tank 505). 2) Close the stopcocks 509 and 510. 15 3) Place the Teflon® 562 ring on the surface of the glass frit disk 560. Place the O 564-shaped ring on the Teflon® ring. Place the preheated cylinder 566 concentrically on the Teflon® ring. Place the piston flk 568 on the cylinder 566. Place the film with openings on the glass frit 502. 4) Open the stop valves 509 and 510 (closed towards the tank 505) and record the reading of balance and time for 3.5 hours. Calculate the sample evaporation (g / hr) as follows: [equilibrium reading at 1 hour - equilibrium reading at 3.5 hour] /2.5 hours. Even after taking all the above precautions, some evaporation loss may occur, typically around 0.10 gm / hour for both the test sample and the frit correction. Ideally, sample evaporation is measured for each newly installed glass frit 502.

Equipment Cleaning A new Tygon® 503 pipe is used when a 502 glass frit is newly installed. The glass tubing 504 and 511, the fluid reservoir 505 and the equilibrium liquid reservoir 506 are cleaned with 50% of the Clorox Bleach® bleach in distilled water, followed by rinsing with distilled water, if any microbial contamination is visible. to. Cleaning after each experiment At the end of each experiment (after the test sample has been removed), the glass frit is washed (that is, the test liquid is introduced into the bottom of the glass frit) with 250 rnl of test liquid from the 505 liquid reservoir to remove the residual test sample from the pores of the glass frit disk. With the stopcocks 509 and 510 open towards the liquid tank 505 and closed towards the equilibrium liquid tank 506, the glass frit is removed from its support, turned downward and rinsed first with the test liquid, followed by rinses with acetone and test liquid (synthetic urine). During rinsing, the glass frit must be tilted down and the rinsing fluid is thrown onto the test sample contact surface of the glass frit disk. After rinsing, the glass frit is washed a second time with 250 ml of test liquid (synthetic urine). Finally, the glass frit is reinstalled in its support and the frit surface is leveled. b. Verification of the operation of the glass frit The operation of the glass frit must be verified after each cleaning procedure and for each recently installed glass frit, with the installation of the glass frit to a position of 0 cm. 50 ml of test liquid is emptied onto the surface of the flat glass frit disk (without the Teflon® ring, O-ring and the cylinder / piston components). The time it takes for the guide fluid level to fall to 5 mm above the surface of the glass frit disk is recorded. Periodic cleaning should be performed if this time exceeds 4.5 minutes. o Periodic cleaning periodically (see verification of operation of frit, previous) the glass frits are thoroughly cleaned to avoid plugging. Rinsing fluids are distilled water, acetone, 50% Clorox Bleach® bleach in distilled water (to remove bacterial growth) and test liquid. The cleaning does not remove the glass frit from the support and disconnect all the pipes. The glass frit is washed (that is, the rinse liquid is introduced into the bottom of the glass frit) with the frit down with the appropriate fluids and quantities in the following order: 1. 250 ml of distilled water. 2. 100 ml of acetone. 3. 250 ml of distilled water. 4. 100 ml of 50:50 of a Clorox® / distilled water solution. 5. 250 ml of distilled water. 6. 250 ml of test fluid. The cleaning procedure is satisfactory when the operation of the glass frit is within the criteria set for the fluid flow (see above) and when no residue can be observed on the surface of the glass frit disk. If the cleaning can not be carried out successfully, the frit must be replaced.

Calculations The computer is installed to provide a report that consists of the capillary suction height in cm, time and consumption in grams at each specified height. From these data, the capillary suction absorber capacity, which is corrected for both the consumption of frits and the loss of evaporation, can be calculated. Also, based on the capillary suction absorbing capacity at 0 cm, the capillary absorption efficiency can be calculated at the specified heights. In addition, the initial effective incorporation speed at 200 cm is calculated.

Correct Template Consumption Correct template consumption (g) = template consumption (g) - template time (s) * sample evaporation (g (time) 3600 (s / hr) Capillary Suction Absorbing Capacity ("CSAC") Time Sample (s) * Evap Sample (q / hr) CSAC (g / g) ^ Sample consumption (q) - 3600 s / hr - correct consumption template Sample dry weight (g) Initial Effective Consumption Rate at 200 cm ("I EUR") IEUR (g / g / hr) = CSAC at 200 cm (q / q) Sample time at 200 cm (s) Report A minimum of two measurements should be taken for each sample and the averaged consumption at each height to calculate Absorbing Absorption Capacity Capillary (CSAC) for an absorbent member or a high surface area material. With these data, the respective values can be calculated: The capillary absorption desorption height at which the material has released x% of its capacity achieved at 0 cm (ie from CSAC 0), (CSDH x) expressed in cm; The capillary absorption height to which the material has absorbed and% of its capacity is achieved at 0 cm (ie, CSAC 0), (CSAH) y) was expressed in cm; The absorbing capacity of capillary absorption at a certain height z (CSAC z) expressed in units of g. { of fluid} / g. { of material} : especially at a height of zero (CSAC 0) and heights of 35 cm, 40 cm, etc. The capillary absorber absorption efficiency has a certain height z (CSAE z) expressed in%, which is the ratio of the values for CSAC 0 and CSAC z. If two materials are combined (such as the first being used as the acquisition / distribution material, and the second being used as the liquid storage material), the CSAC value (and therefore the respective CSAE value) of the second matter can be determined by the x value of CSDH of the first material.

Demand Absorbency Test The demand absorbency test is intended to measure the liquid capacity of the liquid handling member and to measure the absorption rate of the liquid handling member against the hydrostatic pressure to zero. The > Testing can also be carried out for devices that handle body fluids containing a liquid handling member. The apparatus used to conduct this test consists of a square basket of a size sufficient to retain the liquid handling member suspended in a structure. At least the lower part of the square basket consists of an open mesh that allows the penetration of the liquid into the basket without substantial flow resistance for the liquid toa. For example, an open wire mesh made of stainless steel, having an open area of at least 70 percent and having a wire diameter of 1 mm, and an open mesh size of at least about 6 mm, It is suitable for the installation of the current test. In addition, the open mesh must exhibit sufficient stability so that it substantially does not deform under the load of the test sample when the test sample is filled to its full capacity. A container of liquid is provided under the basket. The height of the basket can be adjusted so that a test sample that is placed inside the basket can be brought into contact with the surface of the liquid in the liquid container. The liquid container is placed on the electronic balance connected to a computer to read the weight of the liquid, approximately every 0.01 seconds during the measurement. The dimensions of the apparatus are selected so that the handling of the liquid to be tested fits within the basket and so that the designated liquid acquisition zone of the liquid handling member is in contact with the bottom plane of the basket. The dimensions of the liquid container are selected such that the level of the liquid surface in the container does not change substantially during the measurement. A typical container useful for testing the liquid handling members has a size of at least 320 mm x 370 mm and can retain at least about 4500 g of liquid. Before this test, the liquid container is filled with synthetic urine. The amount of synthetic urine and the size of the liquid container must be sufficient so that the level of liquid in the container does not change when the liquid capacity of the liquid handling member is tested and removed from the container. The temperature of the liquid and the environment for the test should reflect the conditions in the member's use. The typical temperature for use in baby diapers is 32 degrees Celsius for the environment and 37 degrees Celsius for synthetic urine. This test can be done at room temperature if the tested member does not have a significant dependence on its absorptive properties on temperature.

This test is established by lowering the empty basket to the mesh that is completely immersed in the synthetic urine in the container. The basket is raised again to approximately 0.5 to 1 mm in order to establish a hydrostatic suction close to zero, taking care that the liquid remains in contact with the mesh. If necessary, the mesh needs to be retracted in contact with the liquid and the zero level is readjusted. This test is initiated by: 1. Starting the measurement of the electronic balance; 2. Place the liquid handling member on the mesh so that the member's acquisition zone is in contact with the liquid; 3. Immediately add a low weight on the top of the member to provide a pressure of 165 Pa for better contact of the member with the mesh. During the test, the uptake of liquid from the liquid handling member is recorded by measuring the decrease in the weight of the liquid in the liquid container.

The test is stopped after 30 minutes. At the end of the test, the total fluid uptake of the liquid handling member is recorded. In addition, the time after which the liquid handling member has absorbed 80 percent of its total liquid uptake is also recorded. Zero time is defined as the time where member absorption begins. The initial absorption rate of the liquid handling member is from the initial linear inclination of the weight versus time measurement curve.

Saturated Liquid Permeability Test In order to measure the permeability to the saturated liquid, the liquid permeability test was performed as described below with the test sample that is at 100% saturation. Saturation within this context is defined as the test sample that has absorbed 100% of its capacity in the demand absorbance test. Generally, the test should be carried out with an appropriate test fluid representing the transport fluid, such as with Jayco SynUrine as available from the Jayco Pharmaceuticals Company of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, and can be operated under controlled laboratory conditions. approximately 23 ± 2 ° C and 50 +/- 10% relative humidity. However, when polymeric foam materials are used, as disclosed in U.S. Patent 5,563,179 or U.S. Patent 5,387,207, it has been found more useful to operate the test at an elevated temperature of 31 ° C, and using deionized water as test fluid. In principle, these tests are based on the law that Darcy, according to which the velocity of the volumetric flow of a liquid through any porous medium is proportional to the pressure gradient, with the constant of proportionality related to the permeability. Q / A = (k /?) * (? P / L) where: Q = Volume Flow Rate [cm3 / s]; A = Cross Section Area [cm2]; k = Permeability (cm2) (with 1 Darcy corresponding to 9.869 * 10"13 m2); ? = Viscosity (Poise) [Pa * s]; ? P / L = Pressure Gradient [Pa / m]; L = sample size [cm]; On the other hand, the permeability can be calculated, for a fixed cross-sectional area or €? Terminated, and the viscosity of test liquid, through the measurement of the pressure drop and the volumetric flow velocity through the sample: k = (Q / A) * (IJ? P) *? The test can be executed in two modifications, the first one referring to the transplanar permeability (that is, the direction of the flow that is essentially along the thickness dimension of the material), the second being the permeability in the plane ( that is, the direction in the flow that is in the x direction of the material). The test facility for the transplanar permeability test can be seen in Figure 1 which is a schematic diagram of the general equipment and, like an inserted diagram, a partially exploded cross-section, not a scale view of the sample cell. The test installation comprises a generally circular or cylindrical sample holder (19120), having an upper part (19121) and a lower part (19122). The distance of these parts can be measured and therefore adjusted through each of the three circumferentially placed flat gauges (19145) and the adjustment screws (19140). In addition, the equipment comprises several fluid containers (19150, 19154, 19156), which includes a height adjustment (19170) for the inlet vessel (19150) as well as pipes (19180), quick release settings (19189) to connect the sample cell with the rest of the equipment, additional valves (19182) , 19184, 19186, 19188). The differential pressure transducer (19197) is connected by means of the pipe (19180) to the pressure detection point (19194) and to the lower pressure detection point (19196). A computer device (19190) to control the valves is connected by means of the connections (19199) to the differential pressure transducer (19197), the temperature probe (19192), and the load cell of the weight scale (19198). ). The circular sample (19110) having a diameter of (approximately 2.54 cm) is placed between the two porous screens (19135) inside the sample cell (19120), which is made of two 2.54 cm cylindrical pieces (19121, 19122) connected by means of the internal connection (19132) to the input container (19150) and by means of the external connection (19133) to the outlet container (19154) by the flexible pipe (19180), such as tygon pipe. Closed cell foam gaskets (19115) provide protection against spillage around the sides of the sample. The test sample (19110) is compressed from the caliper corresponding to the desired wet compression, which is set at 0.2 psi (approximately 1.4 kPa) unless otherwise stated. The liquid is allowed to flow through the sample (19110) to achieve a steady state flow. Once the steady state flow through the sample (19110) has been established, the volumetric flow rate and pressure drop are recorded as a function of time using a load cell (19198) and the pressure transducer difference ^ (19197). The experiment can run at any hydrostatic head up to 80 cm of water (approximately 7.8 kPa), which can be adjusted by the height adjustment device (19170). From these measurements, the flow velocity at different pressures for the sample can be determined. The equipment is commercially available as a permeameter as supplied by Porous Materials, Inc., Ithaca, New York, US under the designation of liquid permeameter PMI, as described in the respective user manual of 2/97, and modified from according to the present description. This equipment includes two Stainless Steel Frits as porous sieves (19135), as specified in this manual. The equipment consists of the sample cell (19120), the input container (19150), the outlet container (19154), and the waste container (19156) and the respective fill and drain valves and connections, a balance electronics and a computer control and valve control unit (19190). The joint material (19115) is a closed cell neoprene sponge SNC-1 (Soft), such as that supplied by Netherland Rubber Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. A., the set of materials with variable thickness in the steps of approximately 0.159 cm should be available to cover the range from approximately 0.159 cm to approximately 1.27 cm in thickness. In addition, a supply of pressurized air of at least 4.1 bar) is required to operate the respective valves. The test is then executed through the following stages: 1) Preparation of test samples: In a preparatory test, it is determined, if one or more members of the test sample are required, where the test as determined below is operated at the lowest and highest pressures. The number of members is then adjusted to maintain the flow velocity during the test between 0.5 cm3 / sec at the lowest pressure drop and 15 crrrVseconds at the highest pressure drop. The flow velocity for the sample must be less than the flow velocity for the model at the same pressure drop. If the sample flow rate exceeds that of the model for a given pressure drop, more layers must be added to decrease the flow velocity. Sample size: Samples are cut approximately 2.54 cm in diameter, using an arc punch, as supplied by McMaster¬ Carr Supply Compary, Cleveland, OH, US. If the samples have very little internal strength or integrity to maintain their structure during the required handling, conventional low weight base support means, such as a PET net or thin canvas, may be added. Therefore, at least two samples (made of the number of layers required each, if necessary), are pre-cut. Then, one of these is saturated in deionized water at the temperature of the experiment to be executed (31 ° C) unless noted otherwise). The caliber of the wet sample is measured, (if necessary after a stabilization time of 30 seconds) under the desired compression pressure for which the experiment will be operated by using a conventional flat gauge (such as supply). described by AMES, Waltham, MASS, US) having a pressure diameter of approximately 2.86 cm, exerting a pressure of approximately 1.4 kPa on the sample (19110) unless otherwise desired. An appropriate combination of joint materials is selected, so that the total thickness of the bonded foam (19115) is between 150 and 200% of the thickness of the wet sample (note that a combination of varying thicknesses of the joint material may be necessary to achieve the general desired thickness). The joint material (19115) is cut to a circular size of 7.62 cm in diameter and 2.54 cm of the hole is corlanded in the center by using the arc punch. In case the sample dimensions change with wetting, the sample must be cut so that the required diameter is obtained in the wet stage. This can also be determined in your preparatory test, with the monitoring of the respective dimensions. If this changes so that any space is formed, or the sample forms folds that would prevent uniform contact of the porous screens or the frits, the cut diameter should be adjusted accordingly.

The test sample (19110) is placed inside the hole in the joint foam (19115) and the composite is placed on top of the lower half of the sample cell, ensuring that the sample is in uniform and flat contact with sieve (19135) and spaces are not formed on the sides. The upper part of the test cell (19121) is placed flat on the laboratory table (or other horizontal plane) and the three flat calibres (19145) mounted on it are set to zero. The upper part of the test cell (19121) is then placed on the lower part (19122) so that the joining material (19 15) with the test sample (19110) is located between the two parts. The upper and lower part are then adjusted by fixing screws (19140), so that three flat gauges are adjusted to the same value as measured for the wet sample under the respective pressure in the previous one. 2) To prepare the experiment, the program on the computerized unit (191 SO) is started and the sample identification, the respective pressure, etc. are recorded. 3) The test will be operated on a sample (19190) for several pressure cycles with the first pressure that is the lowest pressure. The results of the individual pressure operations are placed in different results files through the computerized unit (19190). The data is taken from each of those files for calculations as described below. (A different sample must be used for any subsequent operations of the material). 4) The inlet liquid container (19150) is set to the required height and the test is started in the computerized unit (19190). 5) Then the sample cell (19120) is placed in the permeameter unit with Quick Disconnect devices (19189). 6) The sample cell (19120) is filled through the opening of the vent valve (19188) and the lower fill valves (19184), 19186). During this stage, care must be taken to remove air bubbles from the system, which can be achieved by placing the sample cell vertically, forcing the air bubbles, if present, to exit the permeameter through the drain. Once the sample cell is filled until the tygon pipe attached to the top of the chamber (19121), air bubbles are removed from this pipe in the waste container (19156). 7) After having carefully removed the air bubbles, the bottom fill valves (19184), 19186) are closed, and the top fill valves (19182) are opened, to fill the top, also carefully removing all the air bubbles. 8) The fluid container is filled with the test fluid to the filling line (19152). Then the flow begins through the sample initiating the computerized unit (19190). After the temperature in the sample chamber has reached the required value the experiment is ready to start. When starting the experiment by means of the computerized unit (19190), the liquid outflow is automatically derived from the waste container (19156) to the outlet vessel (19154), and the pressure drop and temperature are monitored as a function of time for several minutes. Once the program has finished, the computerized unit provides the data; registered (in numerical and / or graphic form).

If desired, the same test sample can be used to measure the permeability in various hydrostatic loads, thereby increasing the pressure from one operation to another. The equipment should be cleaned every two weeks and calibrated at least once a week, especially the frits, the load cell, the thermocouple and the pressure transducer, thus following the instructions of the equipment supplier. The differential pressure is recorded by means of the differential pressure transducer connected to the pressure probes at the measurement points (19194, 19196) at the top and bottom of the sample cell. Since there may be other flow resistances within the chamber added to the pressure that is recorded, each experiment must be corrected by a sample operation. A sample operation must be done at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 cm of pressure required each day. The permeameter will emit a Mean Test Pressure for each experiment and also an average flow rate. For each pressure that the sample has tested, the flow rate is registered as the Model Corrected Pressure through the computerized unit (19190), which is also correcting the Average Test pressure (Real Pressure) in each of the differentials. registered height pressure to result in Corrected Pressure. This Corrected Pressure is the DP that must be used in the following permeability equation. The permeability can be calculated at each required pressure and all permeabilities must be averaged to determine the k for the material being tested. More than three measurements should be taken for each sample in each hydrostatic head and the averaged results and the standard deviation calculated. However, the same sample must be used, the permeability measured in each hydrostatic head and then a new sample must be used to make the second and third replicas. The measurement of plane permeability under the same conditions as the transplanar permeability described above, can be achieved by modifying the previous equipment as shown schematically in Figures 2A and 2B which show a view that is not to scale and partially exploded only from the sample cell. Equivalent elements are denoted equivalently, so that the sample cell of Figure 2 is denoted (20210), correlating with the number (19110) of Figure 1, and so on, therefore, the sample cell Transplanar (19120) of Figure 1 is replaced by the plane simplified cell (20220), which is designed so that the liquid can flow only in one direction (either the machine direction or the transverse direction depending on how place the sample in the cell). Care must be taken to minimize the channeling of the liquid along the walls (wall effects), as this can give an erroneously high permeability reading. The test procedure is then executed analogously to the transplanar test. The sample cell (20220) is designed to be placed in the equipment essentially as described for the sample cell (19120) in the test transplanar above except that the filling tube is directed towards the inlet connection (20232) to the bottom of the cell (20220). Figure 2A shows a partially exploded view of the sample cell and Figure 2B a cross-sectional view through the sample level. The sample cell (20220) is made up of two pieces: a lower part (20225), which is similar to a rectangular box with flanges, and an upper part (20223) that fits inside the lower part (20225) and has eyelashes too.

The test sample is cut to a size of 5.1 cm by 5.1 cm and is placed on the bottom piece. The upper part (20223) of the sample chamber is then placed inside the lower part (20225) and sits on the test sample (20210). A non-compressible neoprenc rubber seal (20224) is attached to the upper part (20223) to provide a hermetic seal. The test liquid flows from the inlet vessel into the sample space via the Tygon pipe and the inlet connection (20232) through the outlet connection (20233) to the outlet vessel. As in this test run, the temperature control of the fluid passing through the sample cell may be insufficient due to the low flow rates, the sample is maintained at the desired test temperature by the heating device (20223 ), so the water that passes through the thermostat is pumped through the heating chamber (20227). The space in the test cell is set to the gauge corresponding to the desired humidity compression, normally around 1.4 kPa). Baffles (20216) that vary in size from 0.1 nm to 20.0 mm are used to set the correct gauge, optionally using combinations of several deflectors. At the beginning of the experiment, the test cell (20220) is rotated 90 ° (sample is vertical) and the test liquid is allowed to enter slowly from the bottom. This is necessary to ensure that all air is extracted from the sample and the inlet / outlet connections (20232/20233). Next, the test cell (20220) is rotated back to its original position to make the sample (20210) horizontal. The subsequent procedure is the same as that described above for the transplanar permeability, that is, the inlet vessel is placed at the desired height, the flow is allowed to equilibrate and the flow velocity and pressure drop are measured. Permeability is calculated using Darcy's law. This procedure is repeated for higher pressures as well.

For samples that have low permeability, it may be necessary to increase the pulse pressure, such as by extending the height or by applying additional air pressure on the vessel in order to obtain a measurable flow velocity. In the flat permeability can be measured independently in the machine and cross directions depending on how the sample is placed in the test cell.

Claims (10)

1. A liquid handling member for absorbing body liquids such as urine characterized in that the liquid handling member has a capillary sorption absorption height at 50% of its capacity at an absorption height of 0 cm (CSAH50) in accordance with the capillary absorption test of at least 50 cm and in that said liquid handling member has a liquid permeability of at least 5 Darcy according to the saturated liquid permeability test.

2. A liquid handling member according to claim 1, wherein said liquid handling member has a liquid permeability of at least 10 Darcy according to the saturated liquid permeability test.

3. A liquid handling member for absorbing body liquids such as urine characterized in that the liquid handling member has a capillary sorption absorption value at 50% of its capacity at an absorption height of 0 cm (CSAH50) of According to the capillary absorption test of at least 80 cm and because liquid handling member has a liquid permeability of at least 2 Darcy, according to the saturated liquid permeability test.

4. A liquid handling member for absorbing body fluids such as urine characterized in that the liquid handling member has a capillary sorption absorption height at 50% of its capacity at an absorption height of 0 cm (CSAH50) of according to the capillary absorption test of at least 80 cm and because liquid handling member has an absorption time at 80% of its capacity of less than 5 seconds according to the demand absorbance test defined here.

5. A liquid handling member according to any one of the preceding claims, which further has a capillary sorption absorption capacity at an absorption height of 100 cm of at least 5 g / g according to the defined capillary absorption test here.

6. A device for handling body liquids comprising a liquid handling member according to any of the preceding claims. An absorbent structure comprising a first region for the acquisition / distribution of fluid, said first region comprising at least one member for acquiring and / or transporting the liquid and a second region for fluid storage, said second region comprising a member of liquid handling according to any of claims 1 to 5. 8. A device for handling body liquids comprising an absorbent structure according to claim

7. 9. A device for handling body fluids according to ia Claim 6 or 8, wherein said device is a disposable absorbent article. A device for handling body fluids according to claim 9, wherein said device is a disposable diaper.