The influence of water jet pressure settings on the structure and absorbency of spunlace nonwoven

Abstract

Nowadays, the use of nonwovens as absorbent products is increasing. One of the most important methods for the nonwoven production is spunlace. This research evaluates the effect of spunlace nonwoven structures in wicking, water retention, water vapor permeability and porosity structural parameter of nonwoven. Carded webs from polyester fibers and viscous fibers of four different basis weights (35, 40, 45, and 50 g/m2) were hydroentangled using three different water jet pressures (50, 60, and 70 bar). To study the effect of these variables on the structure of nonwovens and absorbency related properties, sample’s characteristics such as thickness and mass density were measured. An electrical resistance technique was used to study the liquid penetration into nonwovens. The results showed that with increasing water jet pressure, mass density increased and other parameters like thickness, water retention, water vapor permeability and capillary pore size decreased. Also, it was observed with increasing basis weight, the sample thickness increased. On the other hand, with increasing weight, the amount of water retention, water vapor permeability and porosity structural parameter of nonwoven were reduced. The wicking characteristic of nonwovens using the least jet pressure and weight was the best of all the samples.