Other Types

of Textiles
OBJECTIVES

♦ To explain how textile materials can be constructed by methods other than weaving and knitting.
♦ Tobe able to recognize their identifying characteristics.
♦ To kn th
· ow e end uses of these materials.

kEy TERMS
------ RELATED TO TEXTILES

bonded
foam laminate needle punch
b?nded Web nonwoven
d15Posable fusible
geotextiles spunbonded
durable
lace spunlaced
~rnbroidery
e1t
1 laminated tufted
foam-fl mali wet adhesive
aine bonding melt blown

Ill
 Use fabrics in Other Types of
Tex tiles section of the fabric
Science Swatch Kit for this
chapter.
wen and knitt ed fubrics, discussed in the two previous chap-
ters, represent the textile types mos t pred omin antly
however, a num ber of othe r meth ods for prod ucin g
used. There _are,
textile material~
and although each of these represents only a small perce
ntage of to~
textile production, their total annu al yardage is quite
. of these high. In aimos~
of the categones othe r types of texti.les, annu a1 cons umpuon
amounts to man y millions of yards.
. ·ca]
These othe r types of textiles are often used as ~m~
, but cnuel/
components of total garm ent or othe r textile appl
icauon. _s~ch · are
ments as lace trim, felt appl ique ~rim, and garm ent
interlin.:rg~ese
examples of these. The fact that failure or poor perfo
rmance for
small com pone nts could rend er a whole article usele
ss is one re~~~ 0(
the importance of unde rstan ding the prop ertie s and
charactenStl
the types of textiles included in this chapter.

Bo nd ed an d
Fo am -L am ina ted M at er ial s
i
/! bonded materiaJ is made from two fabrics which have been adher ed
ile tJie
together. The backing fabric is usually acetate or nylo
n tricot, wh
face fabric may be almost any conceivable type of cloth
..J d.he.red
A foam-laminated materiaJ usually consists of three
layers a _hall'
togerber: a face fabric, a midd le foam layer ( usua
lly polyuret
I.I.#. W.ii iLJJ i&.S S
 J, p,tr 7 I

l rtor,
~ INtvbl
p~ fo-,, mlli1"' , . ~ ~ - .

(.,,.m . n,n,1a h~ ~ m~ fahru u ~u1 h a{t1a~r ,, rm-, r tn--,,1 ,m\C'

thf
n .~ h,tr i i i.;,rw.i 4,"K.h«f hc'~"t."('T\ tt--c tau ~~t-n-. .and t1' r tlant ~" k -
., lr.t (.ahfl(t ,m: " Hrn t~Hni -un<h• ~<~ \.: ttun-1 tn l ~mHnlc- fa1'n.. ~
,r~-
arc UJmct1mC"'- rF,foccd ,.,,th<'ul a tilmt ha._\ rnF. nnlY "1th ., r.t1.r 1.1h
!'}( an<l ~ foam ~M~ -•nf In ,<'rrc. t iP<k l<'ff1Hnnlo~. the..- Rtl" ( .tlk d
.. r,h4(h <-'i l.1mma 1c~ althl"nlZ,h thq arr c:omC'llmc,, ~lkd (o~mh.ack fo h -
n...~
Thr J cfinr1mn\ d 1C".i at"<'l\T fnr ~nde,i and lamtn.11(.'d fah ru:~ M c
~ mrt1m~ u.c;cd 1nlcr'"l-"'n~c- 1~h. The rc41._tn, 1hcrcforr.. 1, c..iu t1o ncd to
Ja.<..4h' ~uch fahnc~ l~, then tn,r c01Ht rth lH,n.

♦ Typ ·es, of Bonded Fabrics and

Their Properties
J'llcre arr two basjc method., o f pro<locm~ h,(}ndcd fabr ic"; the weti"'
adhesiw process and the foam-ffame l)Qndi ng proce-,._, Thc_fq_rm eJ ,
apphe.s adhesi-\·es to the fabric, then p~>O rh~ fabnc lxtwe it: n rwo series
of bot ro!Jers to activate and set the adh~1\--c, 'fhe foam -flam e m eth o d
lL~ ~ extremely rhin -la)'CT of polyurethane foam -whichts hea ted to
make H tacky and adhesive-li.ke. The tad.1• foam is then sandwiched
between the face and back fab ri c: Heating of the foam is done over gas
it'ts, hence the term foam-flame bonding. ln this method, the foam is
rne-lted and practically disappears, although often the process is engi-
~etred so that a lay er of about a hundredth of an inch remains between
t' fuc-e and back and provides body to the cloth.
There is no evidence pointing to the superiority of either foam-

~r-
~Jes
&clha;-,, \ finished

-+---
adbesm
._. fa.bric

suppty
I I I

hut
chamber
for curing

figure 7.2

r
., The process ror maJdng
adhesive-bonded materlal .

•b,14Mi1•1N·1Mii 41111 ID
 flam e or we t-a dh es, ~ . bo nd ing a.lt hou gh the
ve , . . i'")am -th mc rn ' h
ore w1del y use d • wet-a dh esi ve bo nd ing 1s mo re lghly favo t\ ,\j
. h.
m · . . • r-c,t
f fab nc 1s ---f
one o op en or net -Eke con str u cti on bcc,n.1se th \J ll 1.,·t_
~ce .
1.ikeliboo d- th at-traces of foam will be see n on the f,1.1..:e if foa rntte .
,.:1 '' a
n din o is u ....:1:~~c
LUU -C- iJ
u.in,
bo - ~ 1-.. an infinite var iet • . ~
Th ere 1s nea n )' y of textile ma terials \vh ich
· . .
util. iz.e
. d
as th e face fab ric of bo.nd ed clo th. Prn na n\y, however L. can ~
. . _ .
fab ncs are ma de fro m lia . . . htw eig ht, face fab n~ s whKh , uonJ~
, becau'-c of h .
~ . . .
•
constn1ct1on , are of ·lo·w cos t and wh1ch the ms elv es dt't: unsuita , .' t ei.r
• · . ck' ble
app arel fub nc w he n bo nd ed to a tnc ot bl ang as an
. , they tak e
we1'gh t , st abil l,
"tvJ' and han d of a heaV1e . 0 11 the
• ul • r and no w • u sab le .tabric (fo• the
part.Jc ar en d use ) Th e tric ot bac kin g do
1
• th 1s l\ls
cost , and the bo nd ing pro cess . . _ . o ot relatively
ts rap 1d_an d ero no mt cul. Bo nde . 1o,v
the ref ore , find the ir place in d h1brics,
the text.J.le ma ~ke t as _a rne am
t \1e consun1er Wl'th relac tt·vely low -co st fab ncs to pro,~de
having the appear,1nce
surfuce, tou ch , stabil ity and ,
, wh en bo nd ed pro per ly, the
du rab ilit y of hig her -co st ma ter han d and
ial s. .
Qu alit y con tro l in pro du cti on
and the pro ~e r selectio n and
of com pon ent s is ver y im po balance
rta nt for the ul~ m~ te per for
dur abi lity of bo nd ed fabrics. mance and
A bo nd ed fab nc is not. one
pro duc ts com bin ed in one (fa , but thru
ce, adh esi ve,_~a cki ng) . Th e ~re
com bin ed und er carefully con e rnu~t be
tro lle d cond1t1ons or the y wil
(separate) . Dif fer ent rates of shr l delam 11111te
ink age of the face and bac k fabr
cause puc ker ing of the fabric ics wi~l
wh en dry -cl ean ed or lau nde
tio n, the inc orr ect adhesive or red . 1~ add_,-
im pro per app lic ati on of ~dh
result in the sep ara tio n of the es1v e will
face and bac k com po nen ts. ]

Ta ble 7. I No nw ov en En d Us es

Ind ust ry En d Use

Ag ric ult ure seed strip, gre enh ous e cover, and
oth ers
Apparel
int erf aci ng, bra pad din g, gloves
, sw imw ear , rai nw ear , an d oth
Au tom oti ve ers
bat ter y sep ara tor , car pet bac kin
g, ins ula tio n bat tin g, an d oth
Civil En gin eer ing ers
roa d covering, silt fence, lan dfi
ll und erl ine r, dra ina ge lin er,
Co nst ruc tio n and others
roo fin g and tile underlay, ins ula
tio n bat tin g, and oth ers
Ho me Fur nis hin g
qui lt, bed spr ead , ma ttre ss cov
er, tab lec lot h, uph ols ter y bac
shade, and oth ers kin g, window
Ho use hol d
· es, g1ove 1·
wip mer, vac uum cle ane r bag , lau
cloth, tea bag , pla cem at, iro nin · sbeet ' du 5t
nd ry sof ten er/ ant ista uc
Ind ust ria l g bo ard pad , and oth ers
filter, abrasive, tap e, cable ins ula
He alt h Ca re tio n, lab coa t, and oth ers
. 1
surgica
gown, ban dag e, den tal bib , bed
oth ers din g un der pad , cha ir headreS t and
'
Per son al Ca re
diaper, san itar y nap kin , cos me
tic app lica tor , and oth ers
Mi sce llan eou s
pen nan t, ma ilin g envelope, kite
, and oth ers

ill • ti•iii ►liii,ii·

 r,1 i t1 at ed Fa b ri c s
.. La . ·,. ,.
111
1foi . red (,Jbrics are s1 m1lar ~o the- l~am - 0,1me ~nd~J m.lleri -
lJrt11n" . fxcepl that a thicker la, er of foam is ut1lm~d Th ,
ij~ r j Jllo, e, . h th . . . t
rJ : :ri~· . th e la mina te w en e pro cess 1s com pleted . Fo.i m
5
v " ('r(n1.1 1Il J~ roduced with up to half- inch foam lawrs. thou~h
11
~$~J(e cJ be _P the range of one-eighth to th ree-sixt~nlhs of ;n
,.~, uall)' t n
...- rt' us
r;t' J . . a.ril .
. ch - ted fab ncs are pnm Y intended for clothing insul.1-
ir. ~3111-laminalatively lightweight in proportion to their tl~ckness~
, are re d d . Th , . . .
.;.,, 0. The) cru re entraps ea a.tr. e') ma y be lammated d1rect -
LI" _ nula r stru l .
outer fabric or the
t11tir Cfll
. foam anunate may. .be. used as a ...g:arment
fy to ~n. La minating direct.I)' to an o u ter fabri c is a more econo mi -
itttrr!Jningd of producing garmen ts because it eliminates the need for
~ ~e~o separate li ning. However, the foam laminates lack drapa -
S(Wlng ,n a d d . l· .
.. d most ga rments pro uce in t 11 s m.inncr appear stiff J nd
bu1ty an I . . d
' \,\Then the foam am mate ts use as an interlincr, the gar men t
d
boar y. ell retains all f · d
outersh o i ts rapa b·1 ·
l tty, so a coa t, for example does not
'
rakeon an unsightl y appearan ce.

Nonwoven Fabrics

1Nonwoven fabrics are defined as textile materials .m ade direc tJ y fro m

tibers and held together as a fabric by adhesives, heat fusio n (if ther-
moplastic fibe rs) or thro ugh en tanglem ent of the fibe3-lrhese ma teri-
~s aregeneralJy fla t, fl exible, po ro u s sh eet structures w ith high surface
areas-to-weight characteristics. \The firs t nonwovens we re introduced
in 1942. The nonwoven industry has grown very rapidly dur ing the
past twenty years, with sales increasing from $600 million in 1978, to
Sl. 7billion in 1985, to an estimated $3 billion in 1995. Major suppliers
now~dude Freudenberg Nonwovens Group (purchased Pellon Cor-
~rat:Ion), Kimberly Clark Corporation, E.I. DuPont de Nemours &
r pan?, Inc., Johnson & Johnson Company, and Veratec, Inc.
( _The_mput materials to produce nonwoven fabrics are the fibers
Prunarily lefin , polyester, and
bondin ° · · 1s ~uc h as ~
rayon) , the specialty chemica
beUselagents to provide strength, and the auxiliary agents, which can
alter ,_for example, to control flexibility, enhance surface texture, or
moisture t
ransport.] The production rates of nonwoven mac h mery ·
·
far exce d
thoseofh:e tho se Of modem weaving and kmttmg, · · and are approach'mg
the layersig~-s~eed papermaking. A scrim fabric, sandwiched between
strength_ aking the nonwoven material, can be used for added

•Durab1
~onw 0 e and Disposable
1'here ve n Fa b r i c s
,t are h ..
~· •~~ ner al categories of nonwovens--durable an deli spos-
D1q
~ able- l' . Figure 7.3
llgie 0 · hese
r li-·
... ,,nectmaterials are not intended to be thrown Some examples of end uses for non-
. away after a
.,,, number of applications. Examples mclude apparel woven products .
 t, . _
interlinin!',S, cn t back111 g:,. su -.oil cover, tl,r ro JJ ~c·d ~
rp< . , . · JrtJ. t,_1i
u so me ,tel1''- such '" r\Jlld,. W,p. <s. _ ,,
a ,p ace shut <- • n u ih 1ht"'" t\
sero,- du rnble- ''·'·:• '
" '' ' I
Disposable: hese' rna tern·-u's arc n1~nu fa ctu re w
d 1t · \1 tn1.. e rnt cnt1 (1 ·
being thrO'"mT ,,-av after a, s1·nole or \i.n n.tcd
a n \\ ff \

th ey are u. n l'-n0rtan· t ,,rh en the convenience f .i bcr. o. f a.pr\icat ,

0 •i'\ ,
_ _ a \., o throwmg
o-,erooni<:s addioon l cos~
l(> i\
.-c o r wh then-, · \
en cost o f th .
. . e p ro d u c ts 1s \e~s 3clwa•,
.nen
deaning or st
erilizaoon <X e se- f..,-urn p\es include dis . th n l
n
headrests, ~ tical go,Y11s- a
n
p o sa b le dia~t,·,
fi'- d
~
5 v fi
"'~ used in dis lt ers.
.1 b e ·ro· aiorfo pasab\e n o n ' '"
d u rab le ,voYem ,s r ,,y
roaior fibers n o nwo -.-ens . o n , wh\k th
ole fin. other br e
c se<l fo r durab ,n cl u d e r:1.yo n , po\yes ter,
le an d d ",~p o
. \I fS
ny\o. n , vm yo n , rv\iUc co tt o n a n d A sab \e nonwov a eA
h , ac, ,\ .
spht rav er ev b e "~ ee n, th
cetate - l:, h t:" to
e two ca te
, ~
tu 1hbCT µoun <1te
ens n11
d :we'
en Y " · go n.es , - d" .
,s\'.H)s~,bk _, \n1s·1
du rable.
♦ Methods
•"
and M a t e
r ia ls t o M
Nonwoven anufattu re
There are thre fabrics
e major man
woven materia ufa ctu ri ng m
ls. Each diffe rs eth o ds used
ties, and capit as to fibe r, u to prod uce non
alization requ tiliza tion , ra
irements. Th nge of prop«
ey are d ry la
poly(W miterh\athid . id , wet laid, and
e dry -laid syst
ing the fibers em, th e mate
manipulated w rial structure
system wor\dw hile in a dry is form ed by ha
id~ &,ith the state . This is v·
formed by havi w et -laid system, th e m ost used
ng the fibers the material
the \east used manipulated structure i1

I and spunlaceo
formed by blo
fibers are bein
system worldw
/ ,1th the poly
wmg thermop
ide and its m
mer-laid syst
lastic fibers o
while in a w
ethods inclu
em, th e mate
n to a collecti
et state. 1his0
de bonded web
rial structure ii
The followginegxtrud~ on surface as th
e
are examples .
preVIously nam o f nonwoven
ed metho d s - materials , mad
d r y laid, wet e by the
laid a n d poly
lt Needle-_P m er \aid.
unched M
are sometimes o n w ovens Nee
called r n e ~ dle-punched
they somewh c a l felt or no nonwov<\\I
wool) need\ at resem e. Unli _ _ d Jel, whicb
r'l..l, dl e-pu h ke felt ( h"
nc ed nonwo w h . d
1c
vens can b e m 1s m a e pnma ily frotn .
whu; ic,iheeinvoe-p unched nonw
lves ade from any r ·
th ovens (dry la staple &bet-
process for m id
~ ethintanglem ) are made
of fibers thro g s maten~ant o ff ih e rs to h o by a rne tb1od,
uh l co · ld th e m together. \
machine are a g a needle-punch ns1sts o f pass • · 0us,~e
multit d f h in m g a co n u nu
what resemble mac e. T h l ts of u, .,
and down. As s a Ii : he o e e sse n tia par e
parbed need e·
·
th s b o o kb \i s o r h o o ks
pierce through - e w e of fi arb) m o u n te d o n a grid (the barb solll V
the b ber that vibrates~ s
tliis occurs co s passes the
n m we a n d enta v ib
al If h
· t e fibers u o us y, ngle th e fibe rating g r i ~ ee"''
ell
Figure 7.4 The are th e fi be rs as th e withdraw, W
needleepunched
process for m
aking tens e stren . rs to rm an I' ·.
o t ermop1astl entangled m f
nonwovens.
Needl c, they can b ass OL ~ t1late ti
e punchm . e nonwove e heat- ~
· a relati n.
g is eas' ".
11 vely • 1

m e ~ e n s iv e
m e th o d for pr duol· 'o 1
o
 . br i. l he \•{~II -k no
w n type of flat
fj . d~ -fro m olef fe lt -like in do or /o ut
n1a in fiber s is the m os d .
. . . t po pu hr need I"-
ower applicatio ns m du de b~ . . oorhcdarpf ebr11_1g_
t pu nc e
. " and filte rs . Bra an ke t m a te na Js , .&e 3 nc . ,
,n ~ nd na ote.x ti1es, fl oo r co ver _.,,
Supa c® (Phillips Fi.
m es fo r ne ed le -p un ch

' B on d ed -W eb N
first 'n on w ov en s, pr
nonwovens are m ad
be rs ) an d Lyth er m

o n w o ~ en s Bon
o- du ~d m _the ea
ed m ater · l . l
® (Lydall, ln c. ). ·

de d-web noc~ nw
rly 1,940s. T he larg
rns m cu d e

1i<..oJ.
oven s were the
es t vo lu m e of 'fi
e us in g this m et h?
st a ~ ~ r, arid ar e d. _TheY ca n be m
? ro-duced b v fo:rm ad e fro m any
t h ~.} f? e w eb n g a web of fibe rs rb
_lS fo rm ed b y us m en bo nd in g
machine ), arr b lo g_ m ec ha ni ca l m ea
~~,,.of fi ~e rs ( dry ns (e.g. , carding
the fibers (w laid ) or us in g liq ui
et la1d )JJ} on di n d to m an ip ul at e
adhesive or th ro u h of fibers m a be
ac co m pl is he d w ith
he at fusion if the an
is being m ad e are of fi be rs fr om w hi c
the thermoplastic fib th e no nw ov en
vens m iy be un id ir er !) 'p e B on de d- w
ec ti on al , cross laid eb no nw o-
orie_!}tation of tl_le fi or ra nd om web, in
bers in a sp ec if ic di ca tin g the
fabric.
@on de d no nw ov en
s ar e us ed extensiv
as cooks' ha ts , ho sp ely in di sp osable ite
it al an d be au ty pa m s, such
bed sheets , towels, rl or pr otective gow
ta bl ed ns . disposab
web materials in cl ud e V ot h sand dr ap er ie §.,I B ra nd na m es for bo nd edle-
Hydraspun ® (De.,xt ile da ® (F re ud en be
er N on w ov en s) . rg ), Webril® (Verat
ec) an d

S p u n la ce d N o n
w o v en s Sp un la ce
the en ta ng le m en t d nonwovens are
of st ap le fibers, fo rm ed $ .J;,
water Jets on th e w us in g need le-like, hi gh -p
eb (w et fa id ). 'I he re ss ur e
m ~a ni ca l bi nd ing. N o bi nd fn ct lo n of th e
fib ers causes th e
tara® an d th e Jo hn er s are us ed) ~ h e
so n & Jo hn so n no D uP on t m at er ia l Son-
this metho ~ E nd nw ov en Duralace®
uses of th e m at er are m ad e by
backing 0£,quilted ta ia l include robes
blec lo th s and sa l]iWEY w 3 m at tress pads,
(. e4ucts. .
\J p u n b on d ed N
o n w o v en s Sp un
from the co nt in uo us bo nd ed nonwoven
ex tr us io n of filam s are m ad e
(The cons1st of ra ents in to a web (pol
nd om ly or ie nt ed
fi la m en t fibers su bs
vlRff )ei<lD
solidated by th er m eq ue n y co_n-
al bo nd in g, m ec
bon;!ing, or et ch ed aruca en an g em en
fi la m en t surfaces , esi~e
method pr od uc es th to interlock th e fib
e sec.:ond larg~st am ers. This
S un bo nd ed no nw ou nt of ne B w o: en
ov en s are m ad e in s. ) .
deg!:es of softness, a wide va ne ty of
an d dr ap ab ili ty . Th weights,
variety of en d uses, ey are us ed in an
in cl ud in g ge ot qt j] ~qu . Y w~de
e_rs'. backing for wal e~ envelopes, cl ot ~m
l pa pe rs an d vinyl g m te rh n-
hn1_ngs. ln general, th films, c~rpet backin
ey possess all of th g,. an d shoe
erties of the fiber fr e physical an d chem
om w hi ch th ey ar ical pr op -
60nded fabrics can e m ad e. Moreover,
be se w n w ith a m m os t sp un -
ex(llent st re ng th -t o- in im um of pucker
w ei gh t ra tio an d pu . They have
( \S pu nb on de d pr nc tu re resistance.
od uc ts in cl ud e
R.eernay, Inc.), an d A Tyvek® (D uP on t)
ccord® (Kimberly , Reemay®
C la rk0
\t1
i e1t-Blo w n N
n a Proc o n w o v en s M
_e lt - bl ow n nonwoveo
· ess s1•m il ar to sp un b d d s are ~roduced
ts Used \polvmer laig _o n_ e - ooo,wo
. -rtms ia th at fiber .
J. However, up on extrusi.on
passage th ro ug h th
e extrusion
orifice. the molt~n pohme:r is n<'W ~occletate-J t,v hi~h vt-lP\_ 1ty ho t ...~ir
jt>ts w~ich red uce th(: fiwnm~ to m~mer ~,re. The mdiviJu;u
fibers a.re propelled to a collection rurf.ta-. ~ust" lht fi~ art' ,n
tacky sta1e upon co!.lection, rohesi~ '"'-eh stru.ct u~s result. Seim~ of tha
pot.e.n tial shoro:ornin~ inclu<l~ low ~ . strc'.~th and low .ibrasiu;
resjstanc.e. End uses of tlus rn.at~-w mdude insuht1t")n \ Thim\.1btt~ by
the 3M Corporation ). filtration. d.:Ild battrr; se-r,a.rat-c-r.-,.)

Fusible Non wovens . An adrl.ition.J c,it~n· of nom,-ovens is

fusible no m-\~0\-ens. Jbese rn::mwo,~ are mddc_~~1 _!hc-r~,,pl.t~tk
fibe rs.. or th e,· may be thcrmorl.i_(.ttc fil m;) Thev arc lli---c-d more-,,.del,,
in cl o thm g th an a nv of th e o ther vaneties.. w t n1os t consumers 3~
unaw are of th em. The fusible no nwovcn~ arr u~ d pri mari ly as inter-
lin ing fo r clothing and have two m.3,or fun ctio ns: to provide shape to
cut parts of garments, o.nd to hold g.annenl parts, such as skirt hen, or
sh irt facing, togetJ,cr. Sh ape is provided sin ce these no nwovens are
ri gid . G arment p art.<- arc held 1ogcth cr by sand v,-ichin g the nonwoven
material between tl1 e doth pi eces. On applicatio n of h eat at the pro per
temperature, the n o m,'l"lvcn material softens, and ott aches itself to the
pa rts o f the garment with ,'1hich it 1s in co nl'act. Upo n cooling, the non-
woven mate r,i al is now firml y atta ched to th e ga rm e nt pa rt .
Of the two major (-u n ctions, prov iding shape to cut parts of the
garment is probabl y th e most import.a nt. lts develo pment in the late
1960s replaced th e need for the h ighly skilled tatl oring and stitd1ing on
the under-liner portions of tailored clo thin g (especiaJl y in men's suits) ,
which gave the garment fron ts their shaping. The use of fusibles i_n gar-
ment construction came at a time whe-n, to the great alarm of the tai-
lored clothing industry, a critical shortage of skiJled tailors was
developing.
Fu.sibles in shap ed garments are smooth and stable in_cleaning
processes. Moreover, with proper equipment in a garment factory, they
can be applied by personnel trained for this work in several days, rather
than requiring the many years of training and experience of the skilled
tailors who formerly performed these tasks.
The material Kiara® (Johnson & Johnson), and Pellon fusible
(Freudenberg) are of this type.

♦ Geotextiles-An Important
Usage of Nonwovens
Important usage of nonwovens is in the field of geotextiles. Geotextil~s
usage involves incorporation of a fabric as a portion of a civil engi-
neering structure. Nonwoven geotextiles are usu.ally made by needle
punching or by thermal bonding of the fibers. These materials are very
cost-effective in their application.
In geotextile applications, the nonwoven fabric performs one or
more of the following functions: filtration, drainage, reinforceme_nt,
and separation. The material is often custom-tailored to meet specific
requirements for the exact application site. The following are examples
in which nonwoven geotextiles are used.
 d fil tra tio n W ate r_i.n a nd
. ilSeoll aro un d bu iJd ing s, roadw
ays and
~1fl _1, strU Ctures is a ma Jo r ca us e of da ma ge an d d
D svW' th. t . ,.
i)ler · s can be use d to co ntr o1 is mo ist ure Th e en ora t,o n
o n11rovefl ·ngs small en ou g h . .
ma ten al ha s.
~o s or opeO\.. rough the ge to pre ve nt ind ivi· du ale soi
ote xti le, bu t un ifo rm . l . 1
ore
P rn pass. jog uu . . d pa rti c es
large quant1t1es o wa ter f
~o O aUoW b to po ur thr ouangh Th .
nu me rou s
e1101.1gh t line a drainage ~y • us 1t can
stem or e p 1ac~d un de r
05 ed to th t oth erw a roa dw ay to allow
be pass a ise wo uld be ret am ed .
1~ater to ma de xti l . .
ilt fence of a ge ote e is a ve ry effective me tho
As ff . b . ( . . dt d
. 5 frorn
water run o at a JO sit e. Silt 1s fin e-g rai ne d o re uce
1
silt os fil . . . san d di-
) Geo textile acts as a ter, ret am mg the sil t while allow·y seth
01ent. flow through. mg e
water to
jlization / Reinforcement
No nw ov en s are also use
Stab . force roadways, pa rk ing d to stabilize
and rein lot s an d bu ild ing sites. It
~ th ~
functions by kee pm . th 1 d b .
g e oa - ea nn g soi.ls
accomplish-
. . fro m the select fill
orroa d-base matenal.. It also rem for ce s the roa d base by
material and preventing loc al . co nfi nin g the
soil mo ve me nt.
Erosion Protection No nw ov
en s are ve ry effective in
erosion from the flow of riv ers pre ve nti ng soil
or the res ult of oc ean wa
e>..-tile acts as a filter, all ow ing ves. Th e geot-
wa ter to pa ss thr ou gh bo
protecting and ho ldi ng soil in th sides, while
pla ce.
Road Overlay In this ap pli ca
tio n, the no nw ov en fabric
just below the surface of a roa is po sit ion ed
dw ay . Th e fab ric ha s be en
to produce an almost im pe rm processed so as
ea ble me mb ran e, pre ve nti
entering the road base. Th us ng wa ter fro m
less roa dw ay ma int en an ce
and the roadway will ha ve a gre will be req uir ed
ate r life expectancy.
Underliner Geotextiles are be
ing pla ce d un de r or on top
to contain liquids or so lid wa ofl ine rs us ed
ste . Th ey pro vid e a cu sh
~ well as protection fro m pu ion for the lin er
nc tur e an d ab ras ion . Th
ticular interest where the re is is usage is of pa r-
an en vir on me nta l co nc ern
landfills and waste du mp s. , suc h as wi th

Felt
---=
¾~
th fuProbably the old est kn ow
n tex tile . Pr im itiv e ma n .
thee r •of h'is foot co ve rin gs en dis co ve red tha t
tan gle d an d for me d a so 'd
the tnfuoisture, body he at an d ag h ma ss w h en
rs. ita tio n of his foo t mo ve
' • me nt ac ted on
W
Uniqueool and related an im al
fib ers su ch as ca me l an d
a11.d en toperty. Th eir sca le- go at .h air
· h
, ave a
lik e s~ rfa ce ser rat ion s be
Pro_P er; ~te d wh~n su bje cte co me int erl oc ke ~
d to he at, mo ist ~r e, an d
ed tn. rtiach~he basis of felt fab ag ita tio n. Thi~
ric . Fe lt is ma de dir ect ly
lllre, and l~es de sig ne d to ~-om fibers tre~t
ac co mp lis h the felting ac
controu agitation) Th d tio n (he at, mo1s-
& ed fr · e en sit. y, h ar d ness, an d thi ck ne ss can be closely
om less ;h om on e thi rty -se . .ck n d
co nd to thr ee inc he s m
l'he fib an three ou nc es to ov er th1 tss an
six ty po un ds pe r sq ua re
er co nte nt of felt ran ge s ya rd.
fro m 50 pe rce nt to l 00
pe rce nt