The modelling of porous properties regarding PES/CV-blended nonwoven wipes

Abstract

This paper reports the results from the modelling of porous properties of raw polyester/viscose nonwoven wipes. This was carried out on the basis of nonwoven construction parameters (fibre fineness, web mass per unit area, web thickness), mercury intrusion porosimetry, and a non-deterministic modelling method, e.g. genetic algorithms. Despite the fact that the nonwoven fibre webs had different porous structures as a result of varying their construction parameters, it was possible to very precisely develop predictive models of the porous parameters (pore volume, volume porosity, pore surface area, pore diameter). The results show that the genetic algorithm is a successful modelling tool in those cases where the testing population is limited but still different. The proposed models provide guidelines for the engineering of nonwoven wipes in order to fit the desired porosity properties.