ABSTRACT Vyas, Khyati
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ABSTRACT Vyas, Khyati. Microfiber Nylon Spunbond: Production and Characterization. (Under the direction of Dr. Trevor Little) The research is to produce and characterize microfiber nylon spunbonds using Sixteen Segmented Pie bicomponent configuration with one of the components as water-soluble polymer. In addition, the entire process of making microfiber nylon spunbond is optimized. The influence of fiber size and the basis weight of the fabrics on ExcevalTM removal process and the properties of nonwoven fabrics at each process are analyzed. Combining aqueous polymer removal with Sixteen Segmented Pie bicomponent fiber cross- section, microfiber spunbond nonwovens of various basis weights and fiber size were produced. The spunbond fabrics of solid Sixteen Segmented Pie bicomponent fibers using Nylon (70%) and ExcevalTM (30%) as alternate components were made, and then fabrics were recalendared at an optimized calendaring condition to increase web integrity and achieve web strength to withstand washing treatment as well as to facilitate ease of ExcevalTM removal. FTIR and SEM were used to verify ExcevalTM removal. As a next step, the recalendared fabrics were processed for the washing treatment to remove water dispersive polymer ExcevalTM from the fabrics without causing damage to the Nylon component and suggestions were made about optimized washing conditions for the removal of ExcevalTM from the fabrics of different basis weight and fiber size. Hydroentangling was carried out for all fabrics to improve strength and aesthetic properties of the washed fabrics. Further, characterization of the fabrics was made using FAST (Fabric Assurance by Simple Testing) system and MTS Sintech tensile tester. Properties of the fabrics including basis weight, tensile strength, elongation, compression, surface thickness, bending and extensibility (%), were analyzed for each process. Additionally, the influence of fiber size (denier per filament) and basis weight of the fabrics on ExcevalTM removal process as well as the fabric properties were studied. Microfiber Nylon Spunbond: Production and Characterization by KHYATI B. VYAS A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science DEPARTMENT OF TEXTILE AND APPAREL TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT RALEIGH 2005 APPROVED BY: Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi Dr. Stephen Michielson Co-chair of Advisory Committee Member of Advisory Committee Dr. Trevor J. Little Chair of Advisory Committee Dedicated to my parents Dr. B hasker Vyas and Dr. K alpana Vyas ii BIOGRAPHY The author was born in Ahmedabad, India on April 21st, 1979. She received her Bachelor of Engineering in Textile Technology from Gujarat University, India in June 2000. She is a valedictorian and a recipient of a Gold Medal for the same. In August 2002, she joined College of Textiles at North Carolina State University to purse Master of Science in Textiles. She is elected by National Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi, for academic excellence. She is enthusiastic and passionate about research related with nonwovens and wants to pursue it as her career path. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is a pleasure to acknowledge those who have helped me throughout this research work both professionally and personally. First of all, I express my heartfelt gratitude to my advisor Dr. Trevor Little for his invaluable guidance and support throughout my studies at NC State University. He has been kind enough to guide me from time to time, inspiring a lot and rectifying my all mistakes. His untiring help, inspiration and kindness have made my research successful and productive. I have no words to describe his fairness and readiness to help the students like me. I also wish to express my sincere appreciation to Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Co-Chairmen of my advisory committee, for his undivided attention and professional guidance throughout the period of my research work. I am deeply thankful to him for his help and encouragement from time to time. I would like to thank my committee member Dr. Stephen Michielsen for his interest, assistance and recommendations throughout this research effort. His suggestions were extremely useful. I would also like to thank Dr. William Oxenham for being one of my examiners. My thesis would not have had completed on time without his kind approval for my thesis defense. I also acknowledge the support of the College of Textiles, North Carolina State University and the Nonwovens Cooperative Research Center (NCRC), in providing necessary help and machines to carry out this research. I sincerely appreciate NCRC staff, Mr. Sherwood Wallace, Mr. Stephen Sharp, Mr. Ben Lambert, Mr. Patrick Fitzsimons, Mr. Alvin Fortner and Mr. Rob Byron for all the help they provided me during this research. I am very much grateful to Mr. Jeffrey Krauss, Dyeing and Finishing Lab, College of Textiles, for teaching me the machines I used for washing treatment of my fabrics and allowing me to use them at a very short notice. I take this opportunity to appreciate Kuraray Co. Ltd, Japan, for supplying ExcevalTM and Hills Inc., USA, for conducting experimental trial of making spunbond nonwovens. Further, I iv am grateful to Fleissner, GmbH, for their kind and timely help in hydroentangling my fabric samples using the aqua jet, without which my research would not have had completed. I can’t forget my parents, who by profession are consultant Doctors, have helped, inspired and encouraged me all the time during my studies, this research and in my life. I am extremely grateful to them. I also owe a great debt to my family members (Bhakti, Nitant, Kaushal and Sima) for being there for me all along, and without whom I wouldn’t have been where I am today. I would like to thank Qasim for being a great friend, encouraging me and for standing by me when I needed him most. He has always had time to hear my problems and come up with wonderful solutions. I would always be appreciative to Rahul for giving me good support to accomplish my goals. I would also like to acknowledge my friends Qasim, Ajit, Hari, Pratik and Anindita for making my stay at NC State, a memorable one. Finally, I reserve my highest gratitude to GOD and my motherland INDIA for making me the person I am today. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLE............................................................................................................................................. viii LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................................................................................xii CHAPTER – 1..........................................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................1 PURPOSE OF THE CURRENT RESEARCH........................................................................................3 CHAPTER -2...........................................................................................................................5 LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................................................5 2.1 MICROFIBERS.................................................................................................................................5 2.2 BICOMPONENT FIBERS.................................................................................................................7 2.2.1 Side-by-Side......................................................................................................................9 2.2.2 Sheath Core......................................................................................................................9 2.2.3 Matrix-Fibril or Islands-in-Sea.....................................................................................11 2.2.4 Splittable Fibers or Segmented Pie...............................................................................12 2.3 SPUNBOND TECHNOLOGY.........................................................................................................15 2.3.1 Manufacturing Procedure.............................................................................................16 2.3.2 Basic Properties of Spunbond Fabrics.........................................................................17 2.3.3 Application of Spunbond Nonwovens..........................................................................18 CHAPTER – 3........................................................................................................................19 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES....................................................................................19 3.1 MATERIALS....................................................................................................................................19 3.1.1 Nylon 6............................................................................................................................19 3.1.2 ExcevalTM........................................................................................................................21 3.2 SPUNBONDING..............................................................................................................................26 3.3 MARKING OF THE SAMPLES......................................................................................................28 3.4 EXCEVALTM REMOVAL PRELIMINARY STUDY.....................................................................29