1. An absorbent composite, comprising:
a biodegradable superabsorbent material; and
a plurality of thermoplastic biodegradable reinforcing fibers.
2. The absorbent composite of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic biodegradable reinforcing fibers comprise poly(hydroxyalkanoate) fibers.
3. The absorbent composite of claim 2, wherein the thermoplastic biodegradable reinforcing fibers comprise poly(lactic acid) fibers.
4. The absorbent composite of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic biodegradable reinforcing fibers are un-bonded.
5. The absorbent composite of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic biodegradable reinforcing fibers are wettable.
6. The absorbent composite of claim 5, wherein the composite is free of wetting agents.
7. The absorbent composite of claim 1, further comprising pulp fibers.
8. The absorbent composite of claim 1, wherein the biodegradable superabsorbent material comprises carboxymethyl cellulose.
9. The absorbent composite of claim 1, wherein the biodegradable superabsorbent is present in a loading from about 10 wt % to about 70 wt %.
10. The absorbent composite of claim 7, wherein the pulp fibers are present in a loading from about 25 wt % to about 85 wt %.
11. The absorbent composite of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic biodegradable reinforcing fibers are present in a loading from about 5 wt % to about 30 wt %.
12. The absorbent composite of claim 1, wherein the gel strength of the superabsorbent is from about 500 dynescm2 to about 80,000 dynescm2.
13. An absorbent composite, comprising:
a superabsorbent material having a gel strength from about 500 dynescm2 to about 80,000 dynescm2; and
a plurality of thermoplastic biodegradable reinforcing fibers.
14. The absorbent composite of claim 13, wherein the thermoplastic biodegradable reinforcing fibers comprise poly(hydroxyalkanoate) fibers.
15. The absorbent composite of claim 14, wherein the thermoplastic biodegradable reinforcing fibers comprise poly(lactic acid) fibers.
16. The absorbent composite of claim 13, wherein the thermoplastic biodegradable reinforcing fibers are un-bonded.
17. The absorbent composite of claim 13, wherein the thermoplastic biodegradable reinforcing fibers are wettable.
18. The absorbent composite of claim 17, wherein the composite is free of wetting agents.
19. The absorbent composite of claim 13, wherein the superabsorbent material comprises carboxymethyl cellulose.
20. The absorbent composite of claim 13, wherein the superabsorbent is present in a loading from about 10 wt % to about 70 wt %.
21. The absorbent composite of claim 13, further comprising pulp fibers.
22. The absorbent composite of claim 21, wherein the pulp fibers are present in a loading from about 25 wt % to about 85 wt %.
23. The absorbent composite of claim 13, wherein the thermoplastic biodegradable reinforcing fibers are present in a loading from about 5 wt % to about 30 wt %.
24. An absorbent composite, comprising:
from about 10 wt % to about 70 wt % of a biodegradable superabsorbent material;
from about 25 wt % to about 85 wt % of pulp fibers; and
from about 5 wt % to about 30 wt % of poly(lactic acid) reinforcing fibers.
25. The absorbent composite of claim 24, wherein the poly(lactic acid) reinforcing fibers are un-bonded.
26. The absorbent composite of claim 24, wherein the poly(lactic acid) reinforcing fibers have a length from about 2 mm to about 60 mm.
27. The absorbent composite of claim 24, wherein the poly(lactic acid) reinforcing fibers have a diameter from about 1.5 denier to about 6 denier.
28. The absorbent composite of claim 24, wherein the poly(lactic acid) reinforcing fibers have from about 0 crimps per inch to about 12 crimps per inch.
29. The absorbent composite of claim 24, wherein the composite has a permeability of at least 10 darcies.
30. The absorbent composite of claim 24, wherein the composite has a density from about 0.09 grams per cubic centimeter to about 0.3 grams per centimeter.
31. The absorbent composite of claim 24, wherein the composite is free of wetting agents.
32. The absorbent composite of claim 24, wherein the weight ratio of pulp fibers to poly(lactic acid) reinforcing fibers is from about 1:1 to about 5:1; and the weight ratio of biodegradable superabsorbent material to poly(lactic acid) reinforcing fibers is from about 1:1 to about 4:1.
33. A method of forming an absorbent composite, comprising:
combining a superabsorbent material and a plurality of biodegradable reinforcing fibers into a mixture; and
compressing the mixture in a dry state into a composite having a density from about 0.09 grams per cubic centimeter to about 0.3 grams per centimeter;
wherein the biodegradable reinforcing fibers remain un-bonded.
34. The method of claim 33, wherein the biodegradable reinforcing fibers comprise poly(hydroxyalkanoate) fibers.
35. The method of claim 34, wherein the biodegradable reinforcing fibers comprise poly(lactic acid) fibers.
36. The method of claim 33, wherein the composite is free of wetting agents.
37. The method of claim 33, wherein the combining comprises air-forming the superabsorbent material with the biodegradable reinforcing fibers.
38. The method of claim 33, wherein the combining further comprises combining pulp fibers with the superabsorbent material and the biodegradable reinforcing fibers.
39. The method of claim 38, wherein the combining comprises air-forming the superabsorbent material with the biodegradable reinforcing fibers and the pulp fibers.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An apparatus for detecting subsurface anomalies, comprising:
(a) a detector for determining the existence of a subsurface anomaly at a location behind a surface and generating a signal representative of the anomaly; and
(b) a projector mounted in image alignment with the detector for receiving the signal, converting the signal into a visual representation of the anomaly and projecting the visual representation of the anomaly onto the surface at the location on the surface behind which the subsurface anomaly is present.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector comprises an infrared detector.
3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector comprises a thermal infrared camera capable of temperature measurement.
4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector comprises a thermal infrared camera capable of temperature measurement, and including a data store for storing digital data representative of temperature measurement.
5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the projector comprises a video projector.
6. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the projector comprises a DLP projector.
7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector and projector are separate devices connected by a data transfer cable.
8. An apparatus for detecting subsurface anomalies, comprising:
(a) an infrared camera for determining the existence of a subsurface anomaly detectable by the infrared camera at a location behind a surface and generating a signal representative of the anomaly; and
(b) a projector mounted in image alignment with the detector for receiving the signal, converting the signal into a visual representation of the anomaly and projecting the visual representation of the anomaly onto the surface in alignment with the subsurface anomaly.
9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the camera and projector are mounted on a common mounting device.
10. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the camera and projector are mounted in vertically spaced-apart relation to each other, and are parallax-corrected for projecting the visual representation of the anomaly at the precise location on the surface behind which the anomaly is present.
11. A method for detecting subsurface anomalies, comprising:
(a) providing a detector for determining the existence of a subsurface anomaly at a location behind a surface;
(b) utilizing the detector to determine the existence of a subsurface anomaly at a location behind the surface;
(c) generating a signal representative of the anomaly;
(d) transmitting the signal to a projector mounted in image alignment with the detector;
(e) converting the signal into a visual representation of the anomaly; and
(f) projecting the visual representation of the anomaly onto the surface at the location on the surface behind which the subsurface anomaly is present.
12. A method according to claim 11, wherein providing a detector comprises providing an infrared detector.
13. A method according to claim 11, wherein providing a detector comprises providing a thermal infrared camera capable of temperature measurement.
14. A method according to claim 11, and including storing digital data representative of temperature measurement.
15. A method according to claim 11 wherein providing the projector comprises providing a video projector.
16. A method according to claim 11, wherein the projector comprises a DLP projector.
17. A method according to claim 11, and including positioning the detector and projector in spaced-apart relation to each other and correcting any parallax between the detector and projector.
18. A method according to claim 11, and including the step of projecting the visual representation of the anomaly onto the surface at the location on the surface behind which the subsurface anomaly is present simultaneously with detecting the anomaly.
19. A method for detecting subsurface anomalies, comprising:
(a) providing a thermal imaging infrared camera for determining the existence of a subsurface thermal anomaly at a location behind a surface;
(b) utilizing the camera to determine the existence of a subsurface thermal anomaly at a location behind the surface;
(c) generating a signal representative of the thermal anomaly;
(d) transmitting the signal to a projector mounted in image alignment with the camera;
(e) converting the signal into a visual representation of the thermal anomaly; and
(f) projecting the visual representation of the anomaly onto the surface at the location on the surface behind which the subsurface anomaly is present simultaneously with the detection of the thermal anomaly by the camera.