SANITARY ARTICLE CAPABLE OF IMPROVED FIT AGAINST THE BODY AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING SAME

An absorbent structure, such as a sanitary napkin (10), having a body facing liquid-acquisition layer (12) and a garment facing fluidly adaptive component (24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34) capable of continuously and simultaneously dynamically conforming or adapting the liquid-acquisition layer (12) to the body of the wearer in response to pressure. The fluidly adaptive component is filled with a fluid in an amount such that when pressure is applied to the surface of a first portion (20) of the fluidly adaptive component, a volume of fluid is transferred to a second portion (22) of the fluidly adaptive component and causes the surface of the second portion (22) of the fluidly adaptive component to bulge or expand. The fluidly adaptive component is fluid-impervious and is adjacent to and in dynamically responsive contact with the liquid-acquisition layer (12). In a preferred embodiment, the fluidly adaptive component further comprises a barrier layer (16) wherein two superposed fluid-impermeable layers (20, 22) define a sealed fluidly adaptive component (24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34) between them. The fluidly adaptive components of the present invention, when incorporated into an absorbent structure, dynamically urge a portion of the body facing liquid-acquisition layer (12) toward the body of the user.