Study on the Interactions between Mechanical and Structural Properties of the Thermobonded Nonwovens

Thermobonding is widely used in producing of nonwovens. In this study various layers of thermobonded nonwovens were produced by altering the pressure, binder fibres and quality of blending. Mechanical properties of the so-called layers such as breaking strength and breaking elongation, bending rigidity and air permeability were assessed consequently. The structure of the layers was then studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the interaction between the structure and mechanical properties and failure mechanism of the layers was investigated. This study shows that the interstructure appears in the form of point structure and agglomerate structure when bicomponent PET and PP fibers were used as the binder respectively. The detrimental effect of the interstructure on the mechanical behavior of layers was spotted during the experiments. The results indicate that the magnitude of the pressure, the type of the binder fibre and stages of blending affect the interstructure enormously. SEM examination of the fractured ends of the layers after stretching could assess the likely mechanism of failure of layers formed by bicomponent PET binder and polypropylene binder fiber.