Apertured absorbent pads for use in absorbent articles

This invention relates to absorbent pads, and methods for fabricating absorbent pads, having improved fluid intake and preferential wicking in the longitudinal direction. The absorbent pads have patterns of apertures which encourage the preferential wicking. The apertures are characterized by size, spacing from each other, and depth of penetration into the absorbent pad, such that fluid intake rate is increased and distribution of fluid in the longitudinal direction is improved. Apertures are preferably spaced close enough to each other that aqueous liquid is preferentially transferred from aperture to aperture by capillary effect, along the length of the absorbent pad. Preferential wicking between apertures in the longitudinal direction increases the overall effective liquid absorption rate of the absorbent pad, thereby increasing overall effective liquid capacity of the respective absorbent article. A novel method of fabricating an absorbent pad of the invention includes penetrating into but not through the absorbent pad using heated pin elements. The heated pin elements form a plurality of apertures in a first surface of the pad, the pad having higher density proximate the apertures than the overall density of the absorbent pad. The lower density areas of the pad have greater aqueous intake rates than higher density portions of the absorbent pad.