Calculation

of
absorption
absorbent materials

properties

of

1. Introduction
One of major applications of disposable nonwovens is in absorbent materials, which constitute a broad range of
products, ranging from baby diapers, personal hygiene & adult incontinent pads to tampons, paper towels,
tissues & sponges. Fig-1 shows anatomy of a diaper where key requirement for absorbent materials at cover
sheet is its ability to imbibe rapidly & hold large amount of fluid under pressure. Absorbency rate & absorbent
capacity are the two most important performance parameters to be considered for absorbent applications of
nonwovens. Absorbent capacity is mainly determined by interstitial space between fibres, absorbing and
swelling characteristics of material & resiliency of web in wet state. Absorbency rate is governed by balance
between forces exerted by capillaries & frictional drag offered by fibre surfaces. For non-swelling materials,
these properties are largely controlled by capillary sorption of fluid into structure until saturation is reached [1].
Absorbency rate & absorbent capacity are affected by fibre mechanical & surface properties, structure of fabric
(i.e., size & orientation of flow channels), nature of fluids imbibed, & manner in which web or product is tested
or used [2-7]. Among those factors, surface wetting characteristics (contact angle) of fibres in web & structure
of web, such as size, shape, orientation of capillaries, & extent of bonding, are most important.

Fig. 1: Anatomy of Diaper [10]

Polymer type of fibres in fabrics, hydrophilic or hydrophobic, influences inherent absorbent properties of
fabrics. A hydrophilic fibre provides capacity to absorb liquid via fibre imbibitions, giving rise to fibre
swelling. It also attracts & holds liquid external to fibre, in capillaries, & structure voids. On other hand, a
hydrophobic fibre has only latter mechanism available to it normally [7]. Effect of small amount of fibre finish
(generally 0.1 to 0.5% by weight) is also important since it is on fibre surface. Particular finish applied on fibre
can significantly change surface wetting property of fibre.
Fibre linear density and its cross-section area affect void volume, capillary dimensions & total number of
capillaries per unit mass in fabrics. Fibre surface morphology, surface ruggedness, & core uniformity can
influence absorbency performance to some extent. Fibre crimps influence packing density of fabrics & further
affect thickness per unit mass that affects absorbency of nonwoven fabrics. Nature of crimps, whether it is twodimensional or three-dimensional, also has some effect.
Size of capillaries is affected by thickness per unit mass & resiliency of web, & size, shape & mechanical
properties of fibres. Resiliency of web is influenced by nature & level of bonding of fabrics as well as size,
shape, & mechanical properties of constituent fibres [6].

2. Models & equations

Models have been built to characterize the two parameters, absorbent capacity (C) & absorbency rate (Q). C
(cc/g fluid/g) is given by volume/mass of fluid absorbed at equilibrium divided by dry mass of specimen, while
Q is given by slope of absorbency curve divided by dry mass of specimen. Model to calculate C is based on
determining total interstitial space available for holding fluid per unit dry mass of fibre. Equation is shown as
follow [5,6]:

.........(1)
Where, A is the area of the web
T is the thickness of the web
Wf is the mass of the dry web
f is density of dry fibre
Vd is amount of fluid diffused into structure of fibres
is the ratio of increase in volume of a fibre upon wetting to volume of fluid diffused into fibre.
In above equation, "the second term is negligible compared to the first term, & third term is nearly zero if a
fibre is assumed to swell strictly by replacement of fibre volume with fluid volume" [6]. Thus, dominant factor
that controls the fabric absorbent capacity is web thickness per unit mass on dry basis (T/W f).
For absorbency rate, the Washburn-Lucas's equation [8,9] is applied.

........(2)
Where, S is distance through which fluid penetrated in time t
r is mean pore radius of capillary
l is surface tension of fluid
is contact angle of fibre
is viscosity of fluid
t is fluid penetrated time
Modifications are given to Washburn-Lucas's equation when applied to nonwoven webs in which fluid spreads
radially outward from a point in centre. Modified equation is shown as follow:

...... (3)
Where, r is mean pore radius of capillary
l is surface tension of fluid

 is contact angle of fibre

is viscosity of fluid
T is thickness of web
Wf is mass of dry web
A is area of web
f is density of dry fibre
In a given web and fluid system, only mean pore radius r and thickness per unit mass (T/W f) in above equation
are not constant. Predicted value of r by following equation based on assumption that a capillary was bound by
three fibres, oriented parallel or randomly, & specific volume of capillary unit cell equalled that of parent web [3].

............(4)

for

Where subscripts 1 and 2 represent different fibre types and

is a constant with a value of 9x105
d is fibre denier
is fibre density (g/cc)
f is mass fraction of a fiber in blend (f1 + f2 = 1)

References
L. F. Fryer, B. S. Gupta, Determination of Pore Size Distribution in Fibrous Webs and Its Impact on Absorbency,
"Proceedings of 1996 Nonwovens Conference," 1996, pp. 321-327.
Chatterjee, P. K., "Absorbency," Elsevier, New York, 1985.
Gupta, B. S., Effect of Structural Factors on Absorbent Characteristics of Nonwovens, Tappi J. 71, 147-152 (1988).
Gupta, B. S., and Crews, A. L., Nonwoven: An Advanced Tutorial, "The Effect of Fluid Characteristics in Nonwovens,"
TAPPI Press, Atlanta, GA, 1989
Gupta, B. S., and Hong, C. J., Changes in Dimensions of Web During Fluid Uptake and its Impact on Absorbency, Tappi
J. 77, 181-188 (1994).
Gupta, B. S., Whang, H. S., Capillary Absorption Behaviors of Hydroentangled and Needlepunched Webs of Cellulosic
Fibers,
"Proceedings
of
INDA-TEC
96:
International
nonwovens
conference,"September
11-13,
1996, Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Crystal City, Virginia, USA.
Gupta, B.S., and Smith, D. K., Nonwovens in Absorbent Materials, Textile Sci. and Technol. 13, 349-388 (2002).
Lucas, R., Kolloid Z., "Ueber das Zeitgesetz des Kapillaren Aufstiegs von Flussigkeiten," 23, 15 (1918).
Washburn, E.W., The Dynamics of Capillary Flow, Phys. Rev. 17(3), 273 (1921).

Gupta, B. S. and L. C. Wadsworth, "Differentially Absorbent Cotton-Surfaced Spunbond Copoplyester and Spunbond PP
with Wetting Agent," Proceedings , Seventh Nonwovens Conference at 2004 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, San Antonio ,
TX , January 5-9, 2004