Microstructural analysis of melt-blown nonwoven fabric by X-ray micro computed tomography

The structures of melt-blown nonwoven fabric, including the fiber volume fraction and fiber orientation, are decided by the melt-blowing conditions, such as the die-to-collector distance (DCD), air suction and air flow rate. In this study, the effects of these melt-blowing conditions on the structur...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Textile research journal 2019-05, Vol.89 (9), p.1734-1747
Main Authors: Ishikawa, Tatsuya, Ishii, Yujiro, Ohkoshi, Yutaka, Kim, Kyoung Hou
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air flow
Blowing rate
Computation
Computed tomography
Fabrics
Fiber orientation
Fiber volume fraction
Flow rates
Flow velocity
Materials research
Microstructural analysis
Nonwoven fabrics
Scanning electron microscopy
Standardization
Suction
Surface roughness
Thickness
Tomography
Weight
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The structures of melt-blown nonwoven fabric, including the fiber volume fraction and fiber orientation, are decided by the melt-blowing conditions, such as the die-to-collector distance (DCD), air suction and air flow rate. In this study, the effects of these melt-blowing conditions on the structure of melt-blown fabric was investigated by X-ray micro computed tomography with a resolution of 1 µm/voxel and a measurement area of 1 mm2. The structural profile along the thickness direction of the fabric was also analyzed. Obtained averages of fiber diameter and basis weight were almost identical to the results of scanning electron microscopy measurements and tests following the standard of International Organization for Standardization. Samples produced with insufficient air suction showed larger deviation of basis weight on the 1 mm2 scale compared with those produced with sufficient air suction. The fiber volume fraction changed steeply around the fabric surface, which was attributed to surface roughness. Insufficient DCD increased the fiber diameter and surface roughness, and decreased the thickness of the fabric. The fiber volume fraction gradually decreased from the collector side to the die side for fabrics with sufficient DCD. The fibers were oriented along the machine direction rather than the cross-machine direction for all layers and samples, and orientation profiles corresponded to the zero-span tensile strength of corresponding samples.
ISSN:0040-5175
1746-7748
DOI:10.1177/0040517518779255