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ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Cotton Chemistry and Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #179937
Title: BASIS WEIGHT UNIFORMITY OF NEEDLED AND NEEDLED/HYDROENTANGLED WEBS CONTAINING COTTON

Author
item Parikh, Dharnidhar
item BRESEE, RANDALL - UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE
item Sachinvala, Navzer
item CROOK, LEGRAND - JOHN D. HOLLINGSWORTH
item MUENSTERMANN, U. - FLEISSNER GMBH & CO
item WATZL, ALFRED - FLEISSNER GMBH & CO
item GILLESPIE, DON - FLEISSNER GMBH & CO

Submitted to: Textile Research Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2006
Publication Date: 10/1/2006
Citation: Parikh, D.V., Bresee, R.R., Sachinvala, N.D., Crook, L., Muenstermann, U., Watzl, A., Gillespie, D. 2006. Basis weight uniformity of needled and needled/hydroentangled webs containing cotton. Textile Research Journal. (1):1. p. 1-15.

Interpretive Summary: To facilitate development of new cotton nonwoven products containing manufactured fibers, using nonwoven technologies of needlepunching and spunlacing (hydroentaglement), the SRRC collaborated with industry in the United States and in Germany. The SRRC also collaborated with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN to characterize the structure of nonwoven fabrics based on a computer-controlled image analysis technique. We observed that blending manufactured fibers with bleached cotton and bleached cotton noils improved the web processability and uniformity of both types of nonwovens substantially. This observation is of immediate practical value in R&D and manufacture of cotton nonwovens.

Technical Abstract: New cotton nonwoven products containing manufactured biodegradable cotton-like Tencel or low temperature thermal-bondable bicomponent olefin/polyester were developed along with cotton nonwovens containing comber noils using the technologies of needlepunching and spunlacing (hydroentanglement). Webs containing five different fiber blends that included cotton were prepared by either needlepunching, or needlepunching followed by hydroentangling. We acquired detailed basis weight uniformity measurements to learn about processing and the influence of fiber blend composition on uniformity. Basis weight uniformity was evaluated without regard to web direction ("Total" uniformity), along the machine direction (MD uniformity) and along the cross direction (CD uniformity). Uniformity spectra were obtained for each of these uniformity evaluations by assessing each measure of uniformity for numerous size resolutions. We observed that blending manufactured fibers either Tencel or olefin/polyester with bleached cotton and bleached comber noils improved basis weight uniformity of both types of nonwovens substantially. We also observed that subjecting needled webs to hydroentangling significantly improved Total and MD uniformities.