Absorbent article having an improved surge management

Generally stated, the present invention provides a distinctive absorbent article which includes a backsheet layer (30) and an absorbent retention portion (48) which is superposed on the backsheet layer (30). The retention portion (48) has a length and a width, and has laterally opposed side edges (76,78) thereof and longitudinally opposed end edges (80) thereof. A surge management portion (46) is located adjacent a bodyside surface (82) of the retention portion (48). The surge management portion (46) is constructed to temporarily hold received liquid and release the liquid to the retention portion (48). The surge management portion (46) has a width, opposed side edges (84,86) thereof and opposed end edges (88) thereof, and has a length thereof which is less than the length of the retention portion (48). The end edges (88) of the surge management portion (46) are located longitudinally inboard from the end edges (80) of the retention portion (48). A porous topsheet layer (28) is disposed in facing relation with the backsheet layer (30) to sandwich the retention portion (48) and the surge management portion (46) between the backsheet layer (30) and the topsheet layer (28). The topsheet layer (28) has marginal regions (94,96) thereof attached to marginal regions (98,100) of the backsheet layer (30). The attached marginal regions (94,96,98,100) of the topsheet (28) and backsheet (30) layers are located laterally outboard of the side edge regions (84,86) of the surge management portion (46). The surge management portion (46) comprises a fibrous nonwoven web having a basis weight of at least 20 grams per square meter, said web having a void volume of between about 80 and about 117 cubic centimeters per gram of web at 689 x 10N (689 dynes) per square centimeter pressure, a permeability of about 8,000 to about 15,000 darcy, a porosity of about 98.6 to about 99.4 percent, a surface area per void volume of about 10 to about 25 square centimeters per cubic centimeter.