Janis W. Hughes, Alpharetta, GA; Glynis A. Walton, Roswell, GA; Patricia H. Calhoun, Alpharetta, GA; and Oomman P. Thomas, Alpharetta, GA.
Assigned to Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc., Neenah, WI.

Filed: 1/24/14
Issued: 8/8/17

A nonwoven composite having latent elasticity, the composite comprising a co-extruded, multi-layered elastic film laminated to a nonwoven web facing, the elastic film containing a base layer positioned adjacent to a skin layer, each layer being flat, wherein the base layer constitutes from about 85 wt. % to about 99.5 wt. % of the film and the skin layer constitutes from about 0.5 wt. % to about 15 wt. % of the film, wherein the base layer is formed from an elastomeric composition and the skin layer is formed from a thermoplastic composition, wherein about 55 wt. % or more of the polymer content of the elastomeric composition is constituted by at least one substantially amorphous elastomer and about 10 wt. % or less of the polymer content of the elastomeric composition is constituted by semi-crystalline polyolefins, and about 10 wt. % or more of the polymer content of the thermoplastic composition is constituted by at least one semi-crystalline propylene/α-olefin copolymer, wherein the elastic film is formed by stretching the elastic film in the machine direction at a stretch ratio of from about 1.5 to about 7.0 without applying external heat, further wherein the stretched elastic film is allowed to relax to achieve a relaxation percentage of about 10% or more, wherein the elastic film is in a relaxed and ungathered state during lamination to the nonwoven web facing, and wherein the composite exhibits a heat shrinkage of about 40% or more after heat activation so that the heat-activated nonwoven composite exhibits gathers that provide latent elasticity.