Importance

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Abstract

A nonwoven fabric having no pattern and composed of 100% synthetic fibers, wherein individual fibers are held together by three-dimensional entanglement into a stabilized sheet form without being subjected to any bonding treatment, which nonwoven fabric has a structure characterized by a specific volume of the nonwoven fabric of 3.5 cm.sup.3 /g or less, a bending index (in terms of R) of individual fibers of 4.0 or more, and a strength efficiency (in terms of S) of the nonwoven fabric of 90% or more. Such a nonwoven fabric has excellent properties which are comparable to conventional woven fabrics in not only hand but also practical performance characteristics. This nonwoven fabric is manufactured by a method which comprises placing on a substantially smooth supporting member a web, 35 to 170 gm/m.sup.2 in basis weight, composed of highly shrinkable synthetic fibers having a potential heat shrinkage of 50% or more, exposing said web to the impact of fine jet streams of water discharged under a pressure of 10 to 35 kg/cm.sup.2, whereby allowing individual fibers to entangle one another, thereafter subjecting the web to wet heat treatment at free length conditions to allow the web to shrink by 50% or more in area, drying the shrunk web at a temperature at which no change takes place in the shape and internal structure of individual fibers, and then subjecting the dried web to heat setting under an applied pressure of 200 g/cm.sup.2 or more.

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First Claim