| abstract |
Spinnerets are used to make synthetic fibers having the unique property of spontaneously transporting water on their surface. The synthetic fibers satisfy the equation(1-X cos theta a)<0,wherein theta a is the advancing contact angle of water measured on a flat film made from the same material as the fiber and having the same surface treatment, if any, X is a shape factor of the fiber cross-section that satisfies the following equation <IMAGE> wherein Pw is the wetted perimeter of the fiber and r is the radius of the circumscribed circle circumscribing the fiber cross-section and D is the minor axis dimension across the fiber cross-section, and wherein the uphill flux value of said fiber is from 2 to 60 cc/g/hr when measured from a reservoir of synthetic urine test fluid along a 20 cm long ramp to an absorbent on an attached platform at 10 cm height. |