Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-2002

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major Professor

Dong Zhang

Committee Members

Kermit Duckett, Christine (Qin) Sun, Paula Carney

Abstract

The melt blowning process is unique because it is used almost exclusively to produce microfibers rather than fibers the size of normal textile fibers. With bicomponent meltblown bicomponent fabrics, PLA/PP and PLA/PTT, an alkaline treatment was applied to the fabrics, causing the dissolvable part (PLA) removed from the bicomponent fibers.

Alternatively, water treatment is preferred compared to alkaline treatment. Water dispersive Eastman AQ polymers were introduced to melt blown processing for the first time. After the water dispersive AQ polymer was determined to be able to be processed into a nonwoven fabric using the melt blowing processing line, the feasibility of processing bicomponent nonwoven with that polymer was proved. Then, AQ/PP bicomponent melt blown fabrics were produced with TANDEC Reicofil® Bicomponent Meltblown Line successfully. Water treatment was performed on the bicomponent webs, causing the dispersive part, AQ polymer, dispersed in soft water.

The effects of alkaline and water treatment on the properties of bicomponent melt blown webs were studied. After both treatments, bicomponent melt blown fabrics tended to decrease in fiber size, basis weight, thickness, tenacity and stiffness. Air permeability appeared to decrease for high PLA or AQ composition samples, and hydrostatic pressure as well as derived filtration efficiency increased for those samples. Elongation increased notably for most samples with different bicomponent ratios after water treatment.

The relationship between polymer ratio in a bicomponent fiber and the fiber cross-section geometry was mathematically investigated, as well as specific surface area change of a fiber after fiber size reduction treatments.

A preliminary experimental study was done to give some general optimized water treatment conditions for AQ/PP bicomponent melt blown fabrics. Also, an empirical rule was summarized about the treatment time of complete AQ polymer dispersion. Some DSC scans of AQ resins and AQ polymer nonwoven products indicated the possibility of recycling AQ polymer after the water treatment.

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