Dependence of Sorption Properties of Fibrous Assemblies on Their Fabrication and Material Characteristics

Abstract

To characterize the sorption behavior of a fibrous assembly, an experimental method must measure the sorption rate and the capacity in conditions similar to those found in the real state. The gravimetric absorbency testing system (GATS) has advantages in that it can dynamically observe the spontaneous transplanar uptake of liquids by a fibrous assembly. and it can simultaneously obtain the sorption rate and the capacity of the specimen by observing the real-time sorption weight per second. Fibrous assemblies with the optimum sorption properties are obtained by analyzing the GATS sorption characteristics of woven and knit fabrics with different materials, structures, and pore sizes. For the greatest sorption capacity wiping cloths, the knit or woven density and fineness have to be as low as possible, the thickness and pore size have to be as large as possible, and the pile has to be formed so as to have as many inner spaces as possible. For the greatest sorption rate, the density has to be as high as possible, and the fineness has to be as low as possible in order to increase the surface area in contact with the fluid.