Journal of Textile Science & Engineering

Development of Nonwoven Fabrics for Clothing Applications

Abstract

Cheema MS, Anand SC and Shah TH

The apparel fabric manufacturing is a growing sector of the global textile industry and the fabrics used in this market are mainly produced by the conventional methods such as weaving and knitting processes. These methods of making apparel fabrics are length and costly. However, because of the advancements in nonwoven technology, nonwoven fabrics are finding a niche market in the clothing industry because of its cost effectiveness and high speeds of nonwoven production processes. We have carried out an extensive study on the development of apparellike nonwoven fabrics. The resultant fabric showed improved drape, hand, durability and thermophysiological comfort characteristics than the reference samples for apparel applications. Results of the study also showed that the developed nonwoven fabrics showed nearly 200% higher tensile strength than the reference nonwoven fabrics. Furthermore, it also showed improved air permeability, for example, the resultant nonwoven fabric exhibited 500% higher air permeability value as compared with the Evolon fabric at 100 Pa pressure. Thus the results of the study indicate that the resultant nonwoven fabrics may be used in a wide range of apparel applications, which can lead to additional benefits in terms of cost and time.