Textile Research Journal

http://trj.sagepub.com Unsteady-state Liquid Transport in Engineered Nonwoven Fabrics having Patterned Structure
Ningtao Mao Textile Research Journal 2009; 79; 1358 DOI: 10.1177/0040517509342312 The online version of this article can be found at: http://trj.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/79/15/1358

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Textile Research Journal

Article

Unsteady-state Liquid Transport in Engineered Nonwoven Fabrics having Patterned Structure

Abstract

Ningtao Mao1
Centre of Technical Textiles, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom

The initial stage of liquid absorption in unsaturated nonwoven fabrics (e.g. dry wipes, absorbent materials and hygiene products) is an unsteady-state fluid flow. For the purpose of the engineering design of these nonwoven products, there is a need to predict the unsteady-state fluid flow in both homogeneous anisotropic nonwoven structures and heterogeneous patterned nonwoven fabrics having a dual-scale porosity structure. In this paper, the unsteady-state liquid wicking in homogeneous anisotropic nonwoven fabric structure has been modeled, and the relationship between unsteady-state liquid absorption in patterned nonwoven fabrics and its structural parameters has been established based on the fabric structural parameters. Unsteady-state, liquid, transport, nonwoven, heterogeneous, anisotropic, patterned structure

Key words

The finger flow front in fabric plane is often observed in non-homogeneous nonwoven microstructure, and nonwoven fabrics are frequently designed through exaggerating the fabric structural uniformity to form patterned nonwoven fabrics having periodic patterns in structure to assist controlled delivery and facilitate the preferential liquid transport in functional products. Two typical examples of such patterned fabrics are strip and point patterned fabrics, in which the porosity and permeability are usually in cyclic patterns and in dual scales, i.e. the Highly Permeable Area (HPA) and Less Permeable Area (LPA) [4]. The fabric structure within each type of patterned area is homogeneous, but the fabric porosity and the fabric surface properties between each type of fabric area in the pattern are in different scales of magnitude. Such patterned nonwoven fabrics could be widely used in wipes, medical absorbent materials, filter and artificial leather substrates to produce preferential liquid flow in the nonwoven fabric plane. Prediction of liquid transport through homogeneous nonwovens and heterogeneous patterned nonwoven fabrics is of practical use in the engineering design of end-use

nonwoven products (e.g. liquid flow through a saturated patterned fabric in drainage applications and in filtra1 tions). Models of the relationship between fabric permeability and fabric structural parameters for both homogeneous nonwoven fabrics [13] and patterned nonwoven fabrics [4] have been established in previous papers. For homogeneous anisotropic nonwoven fabric, the directional permeabilities in homogeneous nonwoven fabrics can be determined in equation (1) as follows [1, 3],
2 ST d 1 ----- k ( ) = ----- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------32 2 2 zS + ( 1 z ) ( ) T cos ( ) + S sin ( ) d 0

(1)

Corresponding author: Centre of Technical Textiles, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom. e-mail: n.mao@leeds. ac.uk

Textile Research Journal Vol 79(15): 13581363 DOI: 10.1177/0040517509342312 Figure 1 appears in color online: http://trj.sagepub.com

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where S = [2ln 4 + 3 + 2] and T =

1 - , ln + ------------2 1+ is the flow direction, is the fiber orientation direction in the fabric plane, k() is the directional permeability of the fabric, df is fiber diameter, () is the fiber orientation distribution function and z is the fraction of fibers aligned perpendicular to the fabric plane. In some technical applications, it is of great interest to study the liquid transport in dry nonwoven fabrics such as the initial stage of liquid absorption in dry wipes, absorbent materials and hygiene products. Liquid transport in such a dry or unsaturated nonwoven fabric is an unsteady-state fluid flow and the unsteady-state liquid wicking in homogeneous isotropic nonwoven fabrics has been studied [57]. However, little research has been done on unsteady-state fluid flow in homogeneous anisotropic nonwoven structures, and hardly any research exists on heterogeneous patterned nonwoven fabrics having a dual-scale porosity structure. In this paper, the unsteady-state flow in homogeneous anisotropic nonwoven fabrics has been studied by using a combination of Richards equation and Li-Horne equation for local permeability models in imbibitions; the relative directional permeability and directional capillary pressure in these models have been related to the fabrics structural parameters and the patterns geometrical dimensions. The unsteady-state flow in patterned nonwoven fabrics has also been modeled by using dual permeability models; the local relative permeability in these models has been related to the fabrics structural parameters.

- is the changing rate of the liquid content in where -----t p - is the pressure grathe unsaturated area at time, t, and ----x dient along the conduit length of the liquid flow x; and ke is the corresponding relative permeability. For one-dimensional unsteady-state liquid transport in a homogeneous anisotropic nonwoven fabric in the horizontal direction, the permeability in Richards law is directional permeability in the fabric plane dependent on the fiber orientation distribution, and ke in equation (1) is the corresponding relative directional permeability in the flow direction = 0, ke ( = 0), and can be determined by using equation (1). Equation (2) can be simplified as in equation (3) and solved to give an analytical solution of liquid contents function, (x, t), by using the Bruce and Klute approach [9] and Brutsaert expression [10], ------- = ----- D ( ) -----x x t where 2 D ( s ) ( n + 1 ) ke p - ------ and x = 1 n -----------------------------------D ( ) = ---2 n
12 12

(3)

One-dimensional Unsteady-state Liquid Transport in Unsaturated Homogeneous Anisotropic Nonwoven Fabrics

During the liquid spreading/penetration into a homogeneous dry nonwoven fabric, there are always two distinct areas: a saturated area and an unsaturated area in the wetted fabric. In the saturated area, all the voids in the fabric are filled with the liquids and this liquid flow is modeled by DArcys law and depends on the global permeability of patterned fabrics. In the unsaturated area, only part of the voids in the fabric is filled with the liquids and there is a saturation gradient in the direction of liquid flow. Such a one-dimensional unsteady-state liquid transport in a homogeneous isotropic nonwoven fabric in the horizontal direction (i.e. the effect of gravity is ignored) can be modeled by using Richards law [8] as follows, k e p ----- ------- = ----- --- x x t (2)

n is a constant dependent on pore size distribution 1 < n < 10, and D(s) is D() at saturation ( = s). For fibrous materials including nonwoven fabrics, the relationship between relative permeability, ke, the permeability in saturated area, ks, and the relative liquid contents in the unsaturated area, Se, is as follows [11], ke = ks ( Se )
3

(4)

r - , is the saturated liquid content in where S e = ----------------s r s the fabric and is dependent on the fabric porosity; r is the residual liquid content when the liquid is emptied from the wetted fabric and depends on the receding contact angle. It should be noted that the relative liquid contents in the wetted fabric area, Se, also associates with hydraulic pressure and can be determined in the Brooks-Corey equation [12] for liquid drainage away from the fabric [13, 14]; Li-Horne equation [15, 16] describing the liquid imbibitions into a dry porous media is used in this paper to account for the liquid transport into a dry fabric as follows, p max - S e = 1 -------- p

(usually 1 > > 1)

(5)

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ST ( ) cos d d cos 0 1 f 1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------D 0 = ----- . ( 1 ) ( ) 8 s r 2 2 zS + ( 1 z ) ( ) T cos + S sin d 0

where p is the hydraulic pressure in unsaturated area corresponding to the liquid content (), and pmax is the maximum hydraulic pressure. Based on the definition of D() in equation (3) and the derivation of Se in equation (4) and (5), we have equation (6) below, ke p Se - = D 0 ( 1 Se )( 1 + 1 ) ------- ------D ( ) = --- S e k s p max - . - -----------------where D 0 = -- ( s r ) Substituting equation (5) into (4), we have equation (7),
p max --------ke = ks 1 p 3

(6)

Thus the solution of Richards equation for unsteadystate liquid transport in an unsaturated anisotropic nonwoven fabric is shown in equations (3) and (9), and gives a relationship between liquid contents, , and a compound variable of both liquid transport distance and time, xt1/2.

(7)

One-dimensional Unsteady-state Liquid Transport in Patterned Nonwoven Fabrics

When liquid flows into dry patterned fabrics, as shown in Figure 1, there is a liquid exchange flow between adjacent local patterned areas having different permeabilities, HPA and LPA, due to the pressure difference in the interface of the two local areas. If it is assumed that the two local areas in patterned fabrics, HPA and LPA, are isotropic, a set of coupled Richards equations [8] is used to describe the liquid movement in a variably-saturated patterned nonwoven fabric. One coupled equation is for the highly permeable fabric area, HPA (subscript h), and the other one is for the less permeable fabric area, LPA (subscript l). There are two models available to describe the liquid transport in patterned fabrics, the dual permeability model [17] and dual porosity model [18]. If there is liquid flow through both HPA and LPA areas, the patterned fabric is described as dual permeability model; if the exchange liquid flows only from the area HPA into area LPA, and is stored there, such a liquid flow is described by dual porosity model. Dual permeability model [17] for fluid flow in patterned fabrics, h k h p h - ------- ----- ------------ = --- z x h t l k l p l - --- ------ + --------------------- = --- z x 1 h t

It is known that directional permeability ks in anisotropic nonwoven fabric is determined by equation (1), and the hydraulic pressure p and pmax in equation (7) are capillary pressures in the liquid wicking in unsaturated and dry fabric areas, respectively. In addition, capillary pressure pmax in anisotropic nonwoven fabrics is dependent on fabric structural parameters (fabric porosity, fiber diameter and fiber orientation distribution) as follows [16],

4 ( ) |cos ( ) d
0 P max = p ( = 0 ) max = -------------------------------------------------------------- cos (8) df ( 1 )

where is the flow direction and = 0 in one-dimensional liquid wicking, is the surface tension of the liquid and is the contact angle at the liquid-solid fiber-air interface. Therefore, the solution of unsteady-state liquid wicking in anisotropic nonwoven fabric can be obtained by substituting equations (5), (7) and (8) into equation (6) as follows, p max D0 - 1 --------- D ( ) = ---- p where 4 cos - ( ) cos d p max = --------------------df ( 1 )

p max - -------- p

( + 1 )

(9)

(10)

(11)

Dual porosity model [18] for fluid flow in patterned fabrics, k h p h h - ---- ------------- = --- - ------ z x h t

and

(12)

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Figure 1 Unsteady-state liquid flow in dry patterned nonwoven fabrics.

l -------- = -------------t 1 h

(13)

where h is the relative volumetric proportion of the highly sh - , and sh and s are the volumes permeable area, h = ------s of the highly permeable fabric area and the total voids in the whole fabric structure, respectively, and l = 1 h; is the liquid transfer term (m1) [19]. In addition, global properties of the patterned nonwoven fabric have the following relationships with the local properties of the two fabric areas, HPA and LPA, = h h + l l = h h + l l q = h qh + l ql = ( ph pl ) (14) (15) (16) (17)

tic length of the matrix structure (m) (e.g. half the spacing distance of highly permeable area in the direction perpendicular to the liquid flow), is a dimensionless scaling coefficient for which an average value of 0.4 was obtained empirically assuming parallel rectangular geometry of HPA and LPA, the value of the geometry-dependent coefficient, , is 3 for rectangular geometric shape of HPA and LPA; k is the effective permeability in the interface between the area having greater permeability (e.g. HPA) and the area having less permeability (e.g. LPA) in terms of both ph and pl. k = 0.5 k ( p h ) + k ( p l ) (18)

The parameters for k(p) are assumed to be the same as those for kl(p), and k(ph) and k(pl) can be obtained from equation (7) as follows,
p l max ---------k ( ph ) = kl 1 ph p l max - k ( p l ) = k l 1 --------- pl 3

where is fabric global porosity, is the global liquid concentration (%), q is the global volumetric liquid flow rate (m/s), is the first-order mass transfer coefficient (m1sl) k , and a is the characterisfor water flow [20], = ---2 a

(19)

(20)

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Textile Research Journal 79(15) zontal unsaturated homogeneous anisotropic nonwoven fabrics based on fabric structural parameters is given in equations (4) and (10). 2. The structure of two non-homogeneous strip and point patterned nonwovens is characterized as a structure having dual-porosity/dual-permeability porous media. Unsteady-state preferential liquid flow in unsaturated patterned nonwoven fabrics (e.g. liquid wicking or diffusion) is given in equations (10) to (21). 3. These models for liquid transport in patterned nonwoven fabrics predict a very rapid increase in both pressure and velocity in the fabric area having greater permeability (e.g. HPA) and a relatively slow increase in the fabric area having less permeability (e.g. LPA).

Thus,
3 3 p p 0.5 k l l max l max - 1 ---------- + 1 ---------- = -------------------( p p l ) (21) 2 ph pl h a

In isotropic fabrics, fiber orientation distribution, (), 1 is constant, i.e. () = - . Therefore, kl and plmax in equations (10) to (21) are obtained from equations (1) and (8) as follows, 3d f Sl Tl - - ------------------ ---k l = ---- 32 l 2 S l + T l 8 l cos p l max = ------------------------- df ( 1 l ) where S l = [ 4 l l 3 2 ln l ]
2 2

(22)

(23)

Literature Cited
1. Mao, N., and Russell, S. J., Directional Permeability of Homogeneous Anisotropic Nonwoven Structures, Part I: the Relationship between Directional Permeability and Fiber Orientation, J. Textile Inst. 91(2), 235243 (2000). Mao, N., and Russell, S. J., Directional Permeability of Homogeneous Anisotropic Nonwoven Structures, Part II: Permeability in Idealised Structure, J. Textile Inst. 91(2), 244258 (2000). Mao, N., and Russell, S. J., Modeling Permeability in Homogeneous Three-dimensional Nonwoven Fabrics, Textile Res. J. 73(11), 939944 (2003). Mao, N., Permeability in Engineered Nonwoven Fabrics having Patterned Structures, Textile Res. J. (in press). Landeryou, M., Eames, I., and Cottenden, A., Infiltration into Inclined Fibrous Sheets, J. Fluid Mech. 529, 173193 (2005). Ciegis, R., and Zemitis, A., The Mathematical Simulation of the Liquid Transport in a Multilayered Nonwoven, MMCA-97 Conference, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Vilnius, Lithuania, pp. 934 (1997). Landeryou, M. A., Yerworth, R. J., and Cottenden, A. M., Mapping Liquid Distribution in Absorbent Incontinence Products, Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. H 217(4), 253261 (2003). Richards, L. A., Capillary Conduction of Liquids through Porous Medium, Physics 1, 318333 (1931). Bruce, R. R., and Klute, A., The Measurement of Soil Moisture Diffusivity, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. Proc. 20, 458462 (1956). Brutsaert, W., The Adaptability of an Exact Solution to Horizontal Infiltration, Water Resour. Res. 4, 785789 (1968). Scheidegger, A. E., The Physics of Flow through Porous Media, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada (1974). Brooks, R. H., and Corey, A. T., Properties of Porous Media Affecting Fluid Flow, J. Irrig. Drain. Div. 6, 6188 (1966). Gardner, W. R., Some Steady State Solutions of the Unsaturated Moisture Flow Equations with Application to Evaporation from a Water Table, Soil Sci. 85, 228232 (1958). Russo, D., Determining Soil Hydraulic-properties by Parameter-estimation on the Selection of a Model for the Hydraulic-properties, Water Resour. Res. 24, 453459 (1988).

and

Tl =

1 l - , ln l + ------------2 1 + l

2.

is the fiber orientation in each direction in the fabric plane, l is the volume fraction of the solid material in LPA in patterned fabrics, kl is the permeability in the LPA in the fabric, df is the fiber diameter, () is the fiber orientation distribution function. is the surface tension of the liquid and is the contact angle at the liquid-solid fiber-air interface. Solving the equations (10) to (23) by using numerical method with various boundary conditions, the preferential liquid flow in the two patterned fabrics can be predicted based on the fabric structural parameters. These models for liquid transport in patterned nonwoven fabrics predict a very rapid increase in both pressure and velocity in the fabric area having greater permeability (e.g. HPA) and a relatively slow increase in the fabric area having less permeability (e.g. LPA).

3.

4. 5. 6.

7.

8. 9.

Conclusions
The models established in this paper are intended to provide a basis for the numeric analysis of the fluid diffusion in patterned nonwoven fabrics. The results of liquid diffusion in such nonwoven structures both from numeric simulation and from experiments will be reported in future papers. A summary of the conclusions is as follows: 1. The analytical solution of Richards equation for the prediction of unsteady-state liquid wicking in hori-

10. 11. 12. 13.

14.

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Unsteady-state Liquid Transport in Engineered Nonwoven Fabrics having Patterned Structure N. Mao
15. Li, K., Generalised Capillary Pressure and Relative Permeability Model Inferred from Fractal Characterisation of Porous Media, SPE Technical Conference and Exhibition, Huston, Texas, USA, pp. 2629 (2004). 16. Li, K., and Horne, R. N., An Experimental and Theoretical Study of Steam-water Capillary Pressure, SPEREE 4(6), 477 482 (2001). 17. Mao, N. and Russell, S. T., Capilary pressure and liquid wicking in three-deminsional nonwoven materiels, Journal Applied Physics, 104(3), 034911.1-9 (2008). 18. Gerke, H. H., and van Genuchten, M. T., Evaluation of a Firstorder Water Transfer Term for Variably Saturated Dual-porosity Flow Models, Water Resour. Res. 29(4), 12251238 (1993).

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19. imnek, J., Jarvis, N. J., van Genuchten, M. T., and Grdens, A., Review and Comparison of Models for Describing Nonequilibrium and Preferential Flow and Transport in the Vadose Zone, J. Hydrol. 272, 1435 (2003). 20. Gerke, H. H., and van Genuchten, M. T., Macroscopic Representation of Structural Geometry for Simulating Water and Solute Movement in Dual-porosity Media, Adv. Water Resour. 19(6), 343357 (1996). 21. van Genuchten, M. T., A Closed-form Equation for Predicting the Hydraulic Conductivity of Unsaturated Soils, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 44, 892898 (1980).

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