Evaluation of Wetting Behaviour of Nonwoven Fabrics by Different Test Methods

Öz

Nonwoven fabrics are used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products. Depending on the application, high-performance products can be obtained through raw material selection, web-forming and bonding methods, and advanced finishing processes to ensure cost-effective, flexible, and quickly produced products. One of the common qualifications sought in most nonwoven products is wetting and liquid transfer properties. Depending on the end-use area, this property significantly affects the comfort, functionality, and quick re-use properties of the product. Besides, there are several methods accepted to evaluate the wetting and/or water transfer properties of fabrics. Some of these methods need special testing devices, while some of them are easier to apply and more available. By considering these facts, the purpose of this study was to comparatively investigate the wetting/liquid transfer and drying properties of a wide range of nonwoven fabrics, addressing different technical areas such as wound dressings, cleaning cloths, apparel, and hygienic pads. For this purpose, 13 nonwoven fabrics were tested by the moisture management test (MMT), drop absorption test, drop spread test, contact angle test, and vertical wicking tests. Correlation analysis between different test methods highlighted that drop test results were in very good agreement with contact angle results, but due to the high level of absorbency of the selected samples, MMT and vertical wicking results performed better numerical distinguishability. In addition, the drop spread test provided visual data for the longer-time wetting property of samples compared to the drop absorption and contact angle results.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Nonwoven fabrics
• Wetting
• Drying
• Moisture management tester (MMT)
• Test methods

Dokusuz Yüzey Kumaşların Islanma Özelliklerinin Farklı Test Metotlarına Göre Değerlendirilmesi

Öz

Dokusuz yüzey kumaşlar çeşitli tüketim ürünleri ve endüstriyel ürünlerde kullanım alanı bulmaktadır. Uygulamaya bağlı olarak; hammadde seçimi, tülbent oluşturma ve bağlama yöntemleri ve gelişmiş terbiye işlemleri yoluyla yüksek performanslı ürünler elde edilerek uygun maliyetli, esnek ve hızlı üretim sağlanabilir. Çoğu dokusuz yüzey üründe aranan ortak niteliklerden biri ıslanma ve sıvı transfer özelliğidir. Bu özellik, son kullanım alanına bağlı olarak ürünün konforunu, işlevselliğini ve hızlı tekrar kullanım özelliklerini önemli ölçüde etkiler. Kumaşların ıslanma ve/veya sıvı transfer özelliklerini değerlendirmek için kabul görmüş çeşitli yöntemler bulunmaktadır. Bu yöntemlerden bazıları özel test cihazları gerektirirken, bazıları ise daha kolay uygulanabilir ve daha erişilebilirdir. Bu çalışmanın amacı; yara örtüsü, temizlik bezi, giysi ve hijyenik ped teknik alanlarında kullanıma uygun çeşitli dokusuz yüzey kumaşların ıslanma/sıvı transferi ve kuruma özelliklerini karşılaştırmalı olarak incelemektir. Bu amaçla, 13 farklı kumaş tedarik edilmiş ve nem yönetimi (MMT), damla, yayılma, temas açısı ve dikey emicilik testleri ile test edilmiştir. Farklı test yöntemleri arasındaki korelasyon analizi; damla testi sonuçlarının temas açısı sonuçlarıyla çok iyi uyum gösterdiğini, ancak seçilen numunelerin yüksek emicilik seviyesi nedeniyle MMT ve dikey emicilik sonuçlarının daha ayırt edici olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Ayrıca, damla yayılma testi, numunelerin damla ve temas açısı testi sonuçlarına kıyasla daha uzun süreli ıslanma özelliğine dair görsel veriler sağlamıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Dokusuz yüzey kumaşlar
• Islanma
• Kuruma
• Nem yönetimi testi (MMT)
• Test metotları

Kaynakça

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