Nonwoven Fabrics

A brief description of nonwoven fabrics used as Technical Textiles Dr Muhammad Mushtaq Mangat www.mushtaqmangat.org Dec 24, 2012

Nonwoven fabrics
A nonwoven is a textile structure produced

by the bonding or interlocking of fibres, or both, accomplished by mechanical, chemical, thermal or solvent means and combinations thereof (ASTM D 1117-80).[1]

 Nonwoven fabrics are broadly defined as

sheet or web structures bonded together by entangling fibre or filaments (and by perforating films) mechanically, thermally or chemically. They are flat, porous sheets made directly from separate fibres or from molten plastic or plastic film. They are not made by weaving or knitting and do not require converting the fibres to yarn.

[4]

Conti
A nonwoven is a sheet of fibres, continuous

filaments, or chopped yarns of any nature or origin, that have been formed into a web by any means, and bonded together by any means, with the exception of weaving or knitting. [4]

[2]

[3]

Hygiene
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonwoven_Fabric]

baby diapers or nappies feminine hygiene adult incontinence products wet wipes bandages and wound dressings disposable bath and face towels disposable slippers and footwear

Medical
isolation gowns surgical gowns surgical drapes and covers surgical scrub suits caps medical packaging: porosity allows gas

sterilization

Filters
gasoline, oil and air - including HEPA filtration water, coffee, tea bags pharmaceutical industry mineral processing liquid cartridge and bag filters vacuum bags allergen membranes or laminates with non

woven layers

Geotextiles
soil stabilizers and roadway underlayment foundation stabilizers, erosion control, canals

construction

drainage systems, geomembrane protection frost protection, agriculture mulch, pond and

canal water barriers, sand infiltration barrier for drainage tile, landfill liners

Other

carpet backing, primary and secondary, composites chopped strand material, backing/stabilizer for machine embroidery packaging where porosity is needed, insulation (fiberglass batting), pillows, cushions, and upholstery padding, batting in quilts or comforters consumer and medical face masks, mailing envelopes tarps, tenting and transportation (lumber, steel) wrapping, disposable clothing (foot coverings, coveralls), weather resistant house wrap

Advantages of Nonwoven
A continuous process, straight from fiber to

finish product

Low labor cost

Mass-production approach Suitable for insulation containing only 23%

fibers by volume

For stiff reinforcing, fiber content may be

over 80% by volume

Nonwoven Production Methods

Laying of fibers and Bonding Direct membrane (electro spinning)

Difference of batt and web

Batt is first layers and web is the whole material [1]

Nonwoven Production
In three stages Web Formation

Web Bonding Finishing Treatments

Methods of batt production using carding machines

Two main steps Web manufacturing
Bonding of fibers; thermal, mechanical,

chemical bonding etc.

Parallel laying methods

[1]

[1]

Batt and Web

Web planner weight is normally low (thin web) Multiple webs increase planner weight and

uniformity

Parallel laying is easiest and cheapest way Mostly fibers are along the x-axis

Whatever method of bonding fibers not on the binding

Web strength depends upon the strength of

Laying processes
Dry, most popular:

parallel-laid
cross-laid

Wet

Parallel and Crosssectional

Special cards to make fibers more random,

which have short length

It increases the strength Gives buckling effect Card modification can avoid laying

unnecessary fabric

Increase in thickness decreases the width of

Cross laying
Cards are placed at right angles to the main

conveyor

card web is traversed backwards and

forwards across the main conveyor, which itself is moving. The result is a zig-zag [1]

[1]

Characteristics of Cross Web

Short width

Zig-zag marks

Edges are thicker than middle Mismatch between card and input layer speed Cross-laying angle is normally less than 10 Majority of fibres lie in or near the cross direction Cross-laid fabrics are very strong in the cross

direction and weak in the machine direction [1]

Air laying
Direct final layer than making first layer Production is high Wider width web is possible 34 m Unopened lumps of fibers are vey common

[1]

[1]

Air Laying Characteristics

Fabric made by air laying is more stronger More random arrangement of fibers, it is also

called random-laid fabrics

Wet Laying
Developed by paper industry Textile fibers and wood pulp is mixed More than 50% fiber makes it non-woven Fibers are used to control the cost Mostly disposable items are made by using

this technique

non-woven wet tissues

[http://www.engr.utk.edu/mse/Textiles/Wet %20Laid%20Nonwovens.htm]

Spun laying

Direct laying from extrusion Shortest way More versatile Small size machines have been developed Much useful for microfibers, ultimately fine filters are possible Membrane are possible with nano fibers Extra light weight fabrics are possible Becoming popular due to short and versatile process

[1]

Spun Laying Issues

Uneven batt Coagulation and agglomerations of fibers

give un-even surface

Variation in pores is possible Pore sizes and directions play a significant

role in strength and filtration process

Nano fibers mats

Flash Spinning

A process to produce fine fibers without the application of fine spinneret holes It depends upon intramolecular bonds of polymers Mainly polyethylene and polypropylene are used as substance to produce fabric Intramolecular strength of PE and PP is weaker as compared to PET Bending, twisting or abrasion is quite difficult for PE and PP fabrics fibrillation. In flash spinning the polymer is dissolved in

Flash Spinning
Polymer is dissolved in a solvent Extruded as a sheet

Blow is used to make polymer sheet

Mass bubbles have large surface area Low wall thickness Fibrillation is carried out, which makes a network

of fibers of very fine sheet

Desired GSM is obtain

Flash Spinning Products

Flash-spun material is only bonded in two ways:

melting the fibers under high pressure to make strong adhesion of fibers, negligible air permeability, stiff sheets are produced

Partially pressure and heat, it make strong sheets

but flexible called Tyvek. It is used for protective clothing in the protection for the armed forces and garments

chemical, nuclear and oil industries, probably as

Melt blown
Polymer is melted and passed through

extruders of large area

Hot air is put on polymer streams, which

converts it into fine fibers the fibers

Cold air is brought in contact, which solidify Fine fibers are collected on a perforated

conveyor

[1]

Flash Spinning Products

Ultrafine filters for air conditioning Personal face masks Oil-spill absorbents Personal hygiene products

Flash Sinning Products

Chemical Bonding

Batt and webs are bonded with adhesives partially or fully

Normally synthetic lattices are used Curing is done at higher temperature for

proper binding

Chemical bonding process

Saturation bonding

Whole batt is wetted with adhesive It is carried out undersurface of the bonding agent In this case batt has wide pores, need care to avoid distortion Thin batt is produced due to pressure during squeezing Such fabrics are compact Fibers are crushed and spin back Drying is done on dryers having perforated conveyor

Cont
Fabric is quite compact, all fibers are covered Sheet is possible Strong enough to withstand under higher

stretching

One of the major uses of saturation bonded fabric turns this apparent disadvantage clothing and as filter fabrics

Such fabric is used as interlining fabric for textile

Foam bonding
Foam reduces the demand of water

Air is used to make foam and then bat is impregnated

Foam Impregnating

[1]

Print Bonding
It is printing of designs with adhesive on batt

Batt is wetted then printed with any binding agents Print-bonded fabrics are quite flexible and soft

Fabric is weaker as compared to other fabrics Such fabrics are used as disposable/protective

clothing, cover stock and wiping cloths, dusting material

Print Bonded Fabric

Spray bonding
Latex binders are sprayed instead of printing with

the help of compressed air both sides of batt

It could be spray after laying another batt, or on It reduces the thickness Finally drying and curing is done

Fnal product is a thick, open and lofty fabric some upholstery and also for some types of filters [1]

Used as filling in quilted fabrics, for bedding for

Thermal bonding

Becoming popular due to easy and high production No drying and curing is required Less energy is demanded Suitable for:

Same types of fibers fibers can be bonded together by using partial binding or fully bonding due making it a sheet Blend of fibers, some fibers bonded together but few remains free, it make fabric soft and flexible Special fibers having different polymer in surrounding and in the core. External fibers are melted and inner remained intact

Thermal bonding without pressure

In this case batt is processed without

pressure,

Fibers are kept open and thick and highly

porous products are possible and porosity such fabric

Uniform bonding, more liberty in thickness Formula 1 cars fuel tanks are made by using

Thermal bonding with some pressure

Same as previous but the difference is

pressure

Product is used filters and packing More stiff and can have precise thickness Thermal bonding is used also in book

bindings, lamination with the help of thermal

Thermal bonding with point contact

Similar to printing or spraying Not whole batt is bonded Some selected area is bonded Fabric becomes flexible and soft feel Less strong than whole bonded Engraved calenders rolls are used for pointed binding It may be less than 5% of the whole area Used as geo textile, filters, tufted carpets , home products, covers

Powder bonding
Thermoplastic powders can be added to

any batt to produce thermal bonding in certain areas

Flexible fabric and having higher porosity Low strength Used as covers

Solvent bonding

Not much popular Needs more care to handle solvents Solvent can be recycled Less energy is required More eco friendly Solvent gas can be used Latent solvent are used, which becomes solvents at higher temperature Batt is impregnated in solvent then passed through a chamber at higher temperature, cooling is done to recover the solvent Special fabrics are produced by using this technique

Mechanical Bonding
Needle felting Hydro entanglement Fiber entanglements due to friction

Needle Felting

Batt is put between two stationary plates Batt is penetrated by a large number of needles entanglement

Needles have cuts to create more Needles are long enough to create a

uniform entanglement

Needle punching [1]

Needle Felting

Needle creates vertical loops, which are not sufficient Much align fabric is not suitable Need batt having vertical arrangement of fibers for horizontal loops, which are required for high strength Arrangement between needle movement and conveyor movement determines the amount of entanglement Number of needles per unit area of plate plays a crucial role in strength of fabric

Conti

There are two ways to increase production:

Increase of number of needles Increase speed of conveyor

There are more than 5000 types of needles available Needle felt has high breaking tenacity and high tear strength Poor extensibility Some binding chemicals are used for better stability Major advantage is that whole fabric is homogeneous ,

Cont
Needle felt fabric is used:

gas filtration, wet filtration

Needle punching line

Stitch bonding
Idea developed in Czechoslovakia Lot of variation in process is possible like:

Batt bonded by threads Stitch bonding without threads Stitch bonding to produce a pile fabric Batt looped through a supporting structure Laid yarns sewn together with binding threads

Hydro entanglement
Hydro entanglement is a process similar to

needle loom

Invented by by Du Pont in 1960s Much need is required to avoid turbulence Jet are at 90 angle to the perforated conveyor,

extra water is collected

Fibers become twisted together or entangled by

the turbulence in the water

Conti
Common use of such fabrics: wipes, surgeons gowns, disposable

protective clothing and backing fabrics for coating loose fibers are washed away processed

Wipes produced are guaranteed lint free, Light and heavy weight fabrics can be

References
[1] Smith, P.A., Technical fabric structures,

Nonwoven fabrics, in Handbook of Technical Textiles A.R. Horrocks, Anand, S. C., Editor 2000, Woodhead Publishing Ltd Cambridge.

[2] Source: CSIRO Textiles & Fibre Technology [3] The Australian Technical Textiles &

Nonwovens Industry Profile May 2006 non-wovensectors.html

[4] http://nonwovenbagmachines.com/