Lecture 10 (Non-Woven)

Dr. Muhammad Umair

umair.ntu@gmail.com
Non-Woven

o Definition of the American Society for

Testing Materials (ASTM D 1117-80)

o 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.
o The term does not include paper or fabrics
that are woven, knitted or tufted.

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Non-Woven

o Definition of Edana (European Disposables

And Nonwovens Association)

o “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.
o Felts obtained by wet milling are not
nonwovens.

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Manufacturing

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Manufacturing

o Two stages of Manufacturing

1. Fiber Processing
o preparation of the fibres into a form
suitable (web or batt) for bonding
o Web (2D)
o In fibre processing, first thin layer of fibre
o Batt (3D)
o To lay several webs on top of each other to form
a batt, directly goes for bonding
2. Fiber Bonding process
o Sticking of the fibers/fiber layers
together
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 Non Woven

Batt
Bonding Finishing
Production

Polymer Laid
Fiber laid Mechanical Chemical Thermal Coated
(Spunmelt)

Needle Same Melting

Dry Laid Wet laid Spunbond Saturation Laminated
punching point fibers

Hydro-
Carded Meltblown Foam Fusible Fibers Crimped
entanglment

Stitch Bi-
Air laid Flash spun Print Printed
Bonding Component

Spray Powder

Solvent
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 In-Plane with
Fabric (MD)
w.r.t Fiber
Orientation

Non-Woven
Perpendicular to
Fabric (CD)

Single Fiber

Mechanical
Fiber Bundle
Bonding

Thread
w.r.t Bonding Sites
All over

Thermal or
Segment
Chemical Bonding

Point

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Raw Material
1.50% Man-made Fibres
Raw Material 2.50%
2%

8%
10%

23%
63%

90%

Polypropylene Polyester
Natural Fibres Viscose Acrylic
Man-made Fibres Polyamide Other

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Non-woven

o Manufactured in one continuous process

directly from the raw material to the
finished fabric.
o Labour cost of manufacture is low.
o Mass-production
o Very wide range of fabric properties from
o open waddings for insulation to stiff
reinforcing fabrics
o With 2–3% to over 80% fibres by volume

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Non-woven

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Non-woven Life Span

Wi
pe
s

Tea
Bag
Surgical
Gowns

Liquid Filter

Air Filters

Crop Covers

Roofing Fabrics

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Properties
o Abrasion resistant o Foldable barrier)
o Absorbent o Glueable o Resilient
o Antistatic o Heat sealable o Rot and mildew
resistant
o Biodegradable o Impermeable
o Sewable
o Breathable o Ironable
o Smooth
o Colour fast o Kind to skin
o Soft
o Conductive o Light
o Stable
o Crease resistant o Lint free
o Sterilisable
o Dense o Liquid repellent
o Stiff
o Drapeable o Long-lasting
o Stretchable
o Dry cleanable o Mouldable
o Strong
o Durable o Non-conductive
o Tear resistant
o Dust free o Non-fading
o Washable
o Dyeable o Permeable
o Weatherproof
o Elastic o Porous
o Weldable
o Filtration o Printable
o Flame resistant o Protective (bacterial
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Applications

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 Carded

Batt Production
Dry Laid
Fiber laid Air laid
Wet laid

Spunbond

Polymer Laid
Meltblown
(Spunmelt)

Flash spun

WEB FORMATION
TECHNIQUES

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Parallel and Cross Laid

o Arrangement of fibres in the web i.e. fibre

orientation, governs the isotropy of fabric
properties.
o Most nonwovens are anisotropic.
o Measure the machine direction/cross
direction (MD:CD) ratio of the web or more
usually the fabric.
o This ratio of fabric properties, usually
tensile strength, measured in the machine
direction (MD) and cross direction (CD)
reflects the fibre orientation in the fabric.

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Dry laid (Carding)

o A mechanical process starts with the opening

of bales of fibres which are blended and
conveyed to the next stage by air transport.
o Then combed into a web by a carding
machine,
o A rotating drum or series of drums covered in
fine wires or teeth.
o Precise configuration of cards will depend on
the fabric weight and fibre orientation
required.

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Dry laid (Carding)

o Web can be
o Parallel-laid,
o Most of the fibres are laid in the direction of the web
travel

o Random-laid
o Parallel-laid carded webs result in
o Good tensile strength,
o Low elongation and
o Low tear strength
in the machine direction and the reverse in the cross
direction.

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Dry laid (Air laid)

o Very short fibres form randomly oriented

web
o As they are fed into an air stream and from
there to a moving belt or perforated drum
o Compared with carded webs, airlaid webs
have a
o Lower density,
o Greater softness and
o An absence of laminar structure (no control
over the fiber orientation in the final
prepared web or batt)

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Wet laid

o By EDANA
o more than 50% by mass of its fibrous
content is made up of fibres (excluding
chemically-digested vegetable fibres) with a
length to diameter ratio greater than 300.

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Wet laid

o Principle of wet laying is similar to paper

manufacturing.
o The difference lies in the amount of
synthetic fibres present in a wet laid
nonwoven.
o A dilute slurry of water and fibres is
deposited on a moving wire screen and
drained to form a web.
o The web is further dewatered, consolidated,
by pressing between rollers, and dried.

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Wet laid

o Impregnation with binders is often included

in a later stage of the process.

o The strength of the random oriented web is

rather similar in all directions in the plane of
the fabric.
o A wide range of natural, mineral, synthetic
and man-made fibres of varying lengths can
be used.

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Spunmelt

o A generic term describing the manufacturing

of nonwoven webs directly from
thermoplastic polymers.
o It encompasses 2 processes and the
combination of both.
o Spunlaid / spunbonded
o Spunmelt
o Meltblown
o Flashspun

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Spunmelt (Spunlaid/spunbonded)

o Polymer granules are melted and molten

polymer is extruded through spinnerets.
o Continuous filaments are cooled and
deposited on to a conveyor to form a uniform
web.
o Some remaining temperature can cause
filaments to adhere to one another, but this
cannot be regarded as the principal method
of bonding.
o Gives greater strength, but raw material
flexibility is restricted.

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Spunmelt (Meltblown)
o Low viscosity polymers are extruded into a
high velocity airstream on leaving the
spinneret.
o This scatters the melt polymer, solidifies it
and breaks it up into a fibrous web.

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Spunmelt (FlashSpun)

o A technique to produce very fine fibres without

the need to make very fine spinneret holes
o Polymer is dissolved in a solvent
o Extruded as a sheet at a suitable temperature
o Pressure falls on leaving the extruder solvent boils
suddenly.
o This blows the polymer sheet into a mass of
bubbles with a large surface area.
o Subsequent drawing of this sheet, followed by
mechanical fibrillation, results in a fibre network
of very fine fibres.

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 Needle
punching

Hydro-
Mechanical
entanglment

Stitch
Bonding

Saturation

Foam
WEB BONDING
Chemical Print
TECHNIQUES
Bonding

Spray

Solvent

Same Melting
point fibers

Fusible Fibers
Thermal
Bi-Component

Powder

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Web bonding

o Degree of bonding is a primary factor in

determining fabric mechanical properties
o particularly strength, porosity, flexibility,
softness, and density (loft, thickness)
o May be carried out as a separate and distinct
operation,
o but is generally carried out in line with web
formation.
o Sometimes more than one bonding process is
also used.

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 Mechanical
Needle
punching
Hydro-
entanglment
Stitch
Bonding

MECHANICAL BONDING
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Mechanical Bonding

o Mechanical bonding represents about 35% of

total nonwoven output.
o Frictional forces and fibre entanglements

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Mechanical Bonding (Needle punching)

o Batt is led between two stationary plates,

the bed and stripper plates
o Between the plates the batt is penetrated by
a large number of needles, up to about 4000/
m width.
o Needles are triangular and have barbs cut
into the three edges
o Needles descend into the batt, the barbs
catch some fibres and pull them through the
other fibres.

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Mechanical Bonding (Needle punching)

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Mechanical Bonding (Needle punching)

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Mechanical Bonding (Hydroentanglment)

o Producing an entanglement similar to that

made by a needle loom, but using a lighter
weight batt
o Jets of water working at very high pressures
through jet orifices with very small
diameters
o Batt is passed continuously under the jets
held up by a perforated screen which
removes most of the water
o Fibre ends become twisted together or
entangled by the turbulence in the water
after it has hit the batt
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Mechanical Bonding (Stitch Bonding)

o Uses mainly cross-laid and air-laid batts

o Batt is taken into a modification of a warp
knitting machine and passes between the
needles and the guide bar(s).
o The needles are strengthened and are
specially designed to penetrate the batt on
each cycle of the machine.
o The needles are of the compound type having
a tongue controlled by a separate bar.
o After the needles pass through the batt the
needle hooks open and the guide bar laps
thread into the hooks of the needles. 44
Mechanical Bonding (Stitch Bonding)

o As the needles withdraw again the needle

hooks are closed by the tongues, the old
loops knock over the needles and new loops
are formed.
o In this way a form of warp knitting action is
carried out with the overlaps on one side of
the batt and the underlaps on the other.
o Generally, as in most warp knitting continuous
filament yarns are used.

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Mechanical Bonding (Stitch Bonding)

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 Saturation

Chemical
Foam

Print

Spray

Solvent

CHEMICAL BONDING
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Chemical Bonding

o Treating complete or isolated portions of

batt with a bonding agent
o most important binders are latices (also
called latexes) of emulsion polymers
o fine dispersions of specific polymers in water
o Synthetic lattices
o Acrylic and Vinyl acetate
o Bonding agent must wet the fibers.
o Next stage is to dry the latex by evaporating
the aqueous component.

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Chemical Bonding

o Final stage is curing

o Batt is brought up to a higher temperature
than for the drying
o To develop crosslinks inside and between the
polymer particles
o To develop good cohesive strength in the
binder film.
o Typical curing conditions are 120–140°C for 2–
4 min.
o Binder forms an adhesive film across or
between fibre intersections and fibre
bonding is obtained

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Chemical Bonding (Saturation Bonding)

o Saturation bonding wets the whole batt with

bonding agents
o Not suitable for flash-spun or melt-blown
batts
o Damage fine fibers
o To saturate the batt, it is carried under the
surface of the bonding agent
o Batt thickness is reduce by liquid action and
squeeze rollers
o saturation bonded fabrics are generally
compact and relatively thin

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Chemical Bonding (Saturation Bonding)

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Chemical Bonding (Saturation Bonding)

o Drying is done by passing the web over

permeable conveyor
o hot air is blown at top and bottom surface
o Binder Migration Problem
o Hot air only penetrates immediate surfaces,
drying is confined to this area.
o Inner layers remain wet.
o Liquid wicks from wet to dry area, carrying
binder particles along.
o Solution: only one air stream is used to blow
down and through the fabric

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Chemical Bonding (Foam Bonding)

o Application of chemicals as a foam was

developed as a means of using less water
during application.
o Binder solution and a measured volume of air
are passed continuously through a driven
turbine
o which beats the two components into a
consistent foam
o Foam is then delivered to the horizontal nip
of the impregnating roller
o Foam delivery has to be traversed

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Chemical Bonding (Foam Bonding)

o Rollers serve the dual purpose of metering

the amount of foam applied and also of
squeezing the foam into the batt

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Chemical Bonding (Spray Bonding)

o Using spray guns, operated by compressed

air.
o liquid is atomised by air pressure, hydraulic
pressure, or centrifugal force
o On the first passage the spray penetrates
about 5 mm into the top surface,
o Then batt is turned over for a spray
application on the lower surface.
o Each spray application reduces the thickness
of the batt slightly
o Final product is thick, open and lofty fabric
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Chemical Bonding (Spray Bonding)

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Chemical Bonding (Print Bonding)

o Application is to limited areas and in a set

pattern
o Batt is first saturated with water
o Then printed with a printing roller or a rotary
screen printer
o Fabric properties depend upon
o printed/unprinted area ratio
o Fabrics are much softer in feel and flexible

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Chemical Bonding (Print Bonding)

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Solvent/Solution Bonding

o Solvent bonding involves softening or

partially solvating fibre surfaces with an
appropriate chemical to provide self bonded
fibres at the cross-over points.
o solvent can be recycled
o Spun-laid polyamide batt is carried through
an enclosure containing the solvent gas, NO2
o Which softens the skin of the filaments
o Solvent is washed from the fabric with
water.

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 Same
Melting
point fibers

Fusible
Fibers
Thermal
Bi-
Component

Powder

THERMAL BONDING
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Thermal Bonding

o Thermal bonding involves the use of heat and

often pressure to soften and then fuse or
weld fibres together without inducing
melting.
o Run at high speed obsoleting the need of
drying and curing
o Needs less space
o Less heat

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Thermal Bonding

o All same fibers with same melting point

o heat is applied at localised spots,
o if overall bonding, all fibres will melt into a
plastic sheet with little or no value
o Blend of fusible fibers; with 1 having higher
melting point
o If fusible fibre melts completely, lose its
fibrous nature and causing the batt to
collapse in thickness
o Bi-component fiber(a core of high melting point
polymer surrounded by a sheath of lower melting
point polymer);
o core of fibre does not melt but supports the
sheath in its fibrous state. 62
Thermal Bonding

o All over batt bonding

o Batt passes through hot air oven, with air
movement to cause the fusible portion to
melt.
o Fabric is too strong, stiff and non-textile like.
o Point bonding
o Calender rollers engraved with a pattern
o limits the degree of contact between the
rollers to roughly 5% of the total area.
o Bonding is confined to those points where the
rollers touch
o Leaves roughly 95% of the batt unbonded.
o Fabric is flexible and soft.
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Point Bonding

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Thermal Bonding

o Powder Bonding
o Thermoplastic powders may be used as an
alternative to thermoplastic fibres for
bonding
o in all the methods of thermal bonding except
for point bonding. Why ???
o Fabrics are soft and flexible
o Relatively low strength.

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