Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Numerical modelling of thermally bonded nonwovens
T2 - continuous and discontinuous approaches
AU - Demirci, Emrah
AU - Hou, Xiaonan
AU - Acar, Memis
AU - Pourdeyhimi, Behnam
AU - Silberschmidt, Vadim
PY - 2012/5
Y1 - 2012/5
N2 - Nonwoven fabrics are web structures of randomly-oriented fibres, bonded by means of mechanical, thermal or chemical techniques. This paper focuses on nonwovens manufactured with polymer-based fibres and bonded thermally. During thermal bonding of such fibres, as a hot calender with an engraved pattern contacts the fibre web, bond spots are formed by melting of the polymer material. As a result of this bonding process, a pattern of bond points connected with randomly oriented polymer-based fibres form the nonwoven web. Due to their manufacturing-induced composite microstructure and random orientation of fibres, nonwovens demonstrate a complex mechanical behaviour. Two distinct modelling approaches were introduced to simulate the non-trivial mechanical response of thermally bonded nonwovens based on their planar density. The first modelling approach was developed to simulate the mechanical behaviour of high-density nonwovens, and the respective fabric was modelled with shell elements with thicknesses identical to those of the bond points and the fibre matrix having distinct anisotropic mechanical properties. Random orientation of individual fibres was introduced into the model in terms of the orientation distribution function in order to determine the material’s anisotropy. The second modelling approach was introduced to simulate low-density nonwovens, and it treated the nonwoven media as a structure composed of fibres acting as truss links between bond points.
AB - Nonwoven fabrics are web structures of randomly-oriented fibres, bonded by means of mechanical, thermal or chemical techniques. This paper focuses on nonwovens manufactured with polymer-based fibres and bonded thermally. During thermal bonding of such fibres, as a hot calender with an engraved pattern contacts the fibre web, bond spots are formed by melting of the polymer material. As a result of this bonding process, a pattern of bond points connected with randomly oriented polymer-based fibres form the nonwoven web. Due to their manufacturing-induced composite microstructure and random orientation of fibres, nonwovens demonstrate a complex mechanical behaviour. Two distinct modelling approaches were introduced to simulate the non-trivial mechanical response of thermally bonded nonwovens based on their planar density. The first modelling approach was developed to simulate the mechanical behaviour of high-density nonwovens, and the respective fabric was modelled with shell elements with thicknesses identical to those of the bond points and the fibre matrix having distinct anisotropic mechanical properties. Random orientation of individual fibres was introduced into the model in terms of the orientation distribution function in order to determine the material’s anisotropy. The second modelling approach was introduced to simulate low-density nonwovens, and it treated the nonwoven media as a structure composed of fibres acting as truss links between bond points.
KW - Anisotropy
KW - Bonding Point
KW - Finite Element
KW - Nonwoven Fabrics
KW - Orientation Distribution Function
KW - Polymer
KW - Randomly-Oriented Fibres
U2 - 10.4028/www.scientific.net/SSP.188.164
DO - 10.4028/www.scientific.net/SSP.188.164
M3 - Journal article
VL - 188
SP - 164
EP - 169
JO - Solid State Phenomena
JF - Solid State Phenomena
SN - 1012-0394
ER -