Woven and nonwoven fabrics are useful in a wide variety of industrial, medical, and home environments where the fabrics may be subjected to sharp objects which can cut or penetrate the fabric. Nonwoven fabrics or webs are cost-advantaged in many of these applications. As used herein, the term “nonwoven fabric or web” generally refers to a web having a structure of individual fibers or threads which are interlaid, but not in an identifiable manner as in a knitted fabric. Examples of suitable nonwoven fabrics or webs include, but are not limited to, meltblown webs, spunbond webs, carded webs, etc. The basis weight of the nonwoven web may generally vary, such as from about 0.1 grams per square meter (“gsm”) to about 120 gsm or more.
In particular, a variety of protective garments may be formed from woven and nonwoven fabrics such as coveralls, gowns, gloves and protective sleeves. While such garments may offer protection from fluids and bacteria, it would be an additional benefit if such garments could also reduce the incidents of sharps injuries to the wearer from cuts and punctures. It would also be beneficial if these garments maintained their breathability, drapability and comfort.
In medical environments, nonwoven fabrics are also utilized in products such as sheets, drapes and sterilization wrap which is utilized to protect surgical instruments, etc. Specifically, a nonwoven laminate such as a spunbond-meltblown-spunbond (SMS) laminate may be useful and cost-effective in wrapping medical instruments for sterilization and storage. SMS laminates generally include nonwoven outer layers of spunbonded polyolefins and an inner barrier layer of meltblown polyolefin. As used herein, the term “meltblown web” generally refers to a nonwoven web that is formed by a process in which a molten thermoplastic material is extruded through a plurality of fine, usually circular, die capillaries as molten fibers into converging high velocity gas (e.g. air) streams that attenuate the fibers of molten thermoplastic material to reduce their diameter, which may be to microfiber diameter. Thereafter, the meltblown fibers are carried by the high velocity gas stream and are deposited on a collecting surface to form a web of randomly dispersed meltblown fibers. Generally speaking, meltblown fibers may be microfibers that are substantially continuous or discontinuous, generally smaller than 10 microns in diameter, and generally tacky when deposited onto a collecting surface. As used herein, the term “spunbond web” generally refers to a web containing small diameter substantially continuous fibers. The fibers are formed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material from a plurality of fine, usually circular, capillaries of a spinnerette with the diameter of the extruded fibers then being rapidly reduced as by, for example, eductive drawing and/or other well-known spunbonding mechanisms. The production of spunbond webs is widely known. Spunbond fibers are generally not tacky when they are deposited onto a collecting surface and may have diameters less than about 40 microns, and are often between about 5 to about 20 microns.
The wrapped medical instruments may be subjected to sterilization and stored in environments where the protective sterilization wrap may fail due to tears, holes or cuts from the contents of the sterilization wrap or by collision or abrasion caused by external objects. These tears, holes or cuts may create a breach in the fabric which renders the medical instruments unusable. While SMS and other nonwoven fabrics may be relatively durable and inhibit the strikethrough of fluids or the penetration of bacteria, their ability to provide adequate durability and cut resistance could be improved.
Hence, there is a need for a fabric that can reduce or eliminate tears, holes or cuts while maintaining the comfort, breathability, drapability and cost effectiveness of the original material.