Nonwoven fabric, is heat-bonded by calendering and given a structure of alternating high and low compression zones to give a good fluid flow through without a backflow, and with mechanical stability. The nonwoven fabric is calendered with heat, to give a mechanically stable and functional structure to give a targeted fluid outflow coupled with resistance to mechanical loadings. The functional structure is formed by alternating zones with a high compression (2), with a maximum thickness of 30% of the starting thickness (A), and zones with a low compression (3), as a micro-padding with a thickness of at least 5% of the starting thickness.. The structured heat-bonded nonwoven fabric has high compression zones formed by parallel continuous or interrupted recesses with a width of at least 0.2 mm. The low compression zones are at least 0.2 mm wide. The ratio of the thicknesses of the high and low compression zones is at least 1:2 and a maximum of 1:50, and the ratio of their widths is at least 5:1 and a maximum of 1:50. The nonwoven is in one or more layers, as a melt-blown or carded nonwoven material or a combination of the two types, a spun-bonded nonwoven, or a combination of melt-blown and spun-bonded nonwovens. The nonwoven fabric is composed of thermoplastic micro-fibers in a thickness of 0.01-5.0 dtex, thermoplastic staple fibers or continuous filaments of 0.1-28.0 dtex. The fibers or filaments are crimped at a rate of at least 1 curve/cm. The nonwoven can also be composed of homopolymer fibers or filaments, bi-component or multi-component fibers or filaments. The fibers or filaments in the nonwoven can be a mixture of thicknesses and a mixture of different polymers. The structured nonwoven (4) has a weight of 10-500 g/m<；2>；, and a thickness of 0.2-10.0 mm. The cross section of the low compression zones has the profile of a semi-circle, balloon, cushion or trapezoid. The fibers for the nonwoven are durably hydrophilic, or durably hydrophobic, or are semi-hydro
