Nonwoven Fabric Studies

Abstract

Webs of viscose rayon fibers that had been grafted with vinyl polymers were bonded to form nonwoven materials by the application of heat and pressure (heat-bonding) and by the application of an acrylic binder (saturation-bonding). The physical properties of the products were determined. The results obtained with the heat-bonded materials indicate that, for the experimental conditions used, the self-adhesive power of viscose rayon fibers containing poly- n-butyl methacrylate is greater than that of viscose rayon containing polymethyl methacrylate, polymethyl acrylate, or poly- n-butyl acrylate. In the case of the saturation-bonded materials, the results show that grafting n-butyl acrylate to viscose rayon can increase the strength of fabrics produced from these fibers with an acrylic binder of polymer composition of n-butyl acrylate/acrylic acid 95/5. The increase in strength becomes more marked at higher binder contents. It is suggested that the grafting has increased the adhesion between the binder and fiber. Grafting acrylic acid to the fibers does not have any effect on the strength of saturation-bonded fabrics produced from the fibers. A comparison of the tensile properties of the heat-bonded and saturation- bonded fabrics shows that, for a given strength, the former materials have considerably higher initial modulus.