Effect of water pressure on absorbency of hydroentangled greige cotton non-woven fabrics

• Published in: Textile research journal Vol. 82; no. 1; pp. 21 - 26
• Main Authors: Sawhney, Paul, Allen, Chuck, Reynolds, Michael, Condon, Brian, Slopek, Ryan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 2012; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Cotton; cotton fabric; Cotton fabrics; Fabrics; hexane; Hexanes; lint cotton; Moisture absorption; Non-woven; Nonwoven fabrics; pressure treatment; Studies; sugar content; Sugars; Water; Water pressure; Waxes; absorbent non-wovens; hydroentangled; greige cotton lint
• ISSN: 0040-5175; 1746-7748
• DOI: 10.1177/0040517511416276

A greige (non-bleached) cotton lint was used to fabricate non-woven fabrics on a Fleissner MiniJet, using different water pressures for the fiber entanglements. The greige cotton and its hydroentangled non-woven fabrics were primarily tested for their hexane extracts (waxes) and water-soluble (sugars) contents using the AATCC TM97 Standard Extraction Test. Tests have shown that a water pressure of 125 Bar or higher almost totally removed the greige cotton’s inherent hydrophobic waxes and water-soluble sugars. This discovery is a significant milestone in the development of greige cotton-based non-wovens because it could change the greige cotton’s native hydrophobic character into a desirable hydrophilic character for many end-uses. In fact, the AATCC Test Method 79-2007 has confirmed that the greige cotton non-wovens fabricated with high water pressure of 125 Bar are absorbent, as indicated by the 1-second time or less it took for the water drop to completely diffuse onto the fabric surface.