Association study between basis weight distribution of melt-blown web and air velocity distribution on the collector

Basis weight distribution of melt-blown fibrous web is attracting considerable interest because it directly affects the application performance of nonwovens. Basis weight distribution is strongly determined by the air velocity distribution on the top surface of the collector. However, how the mentioned air velocity distribution affects basis weight distribution is still unknown. Measurement of the mentioned two distributions is the first step to investigate the influence mechanism. Thus, this work measures air velocity distribution on the collector under different processing conditions. Then the fibrous web is fabricated under same conditions. After fabrication, the basis weight distribution of fibrous web is analyzed by using image analysis method. The effects of processing conditions, including velocity of air jet and suction, die-to-collector distance, and pore size of the collector, on the air velocity distribution and basis weight distribution are quantitatively analyzed. The results demonstrate that higher suction speed and air jet velocity, smaller die-to-collector distance, and larger pores of the collector result in higher air velocity on the top surface of the collector. On the other hand, higher suction speed and air jet velocity, larger die-to-collector distance, and smaller pores of the collector create evenly distributed basis weight. In addition, the correlation between basis weight distribution and air velocity distribution is discussed based on the Spearman correlation analysis method. High correlation demonstrates that air velocity and basis weight display similar distribution on the collector. Namely, both of air velocity and basis weight in the central zone are larger than those in the fringe zone on the collector.