Simulation of the compression and recovery behavior of nonwoven fabrics under dynamic loading for automotive floor-covering application

Experimental methods have been successfully utilized in the textile industry for understanding the compression and recovery behavior of needle-punched nonwoven textiles under dynamic loading. However, these methods can only be performed after commercial production of textiles. An analytical approach is presented to estimate the Jeffery’s II model parameters and to simulate the compression and recovery behavior of needle-punched nonwoven textiles under dynamic loading before commercial production. These parameters are estimated by a viscoelastic model that explains the compression and recovery behavior according to ISO 2094. The model consists of a combined linear spring and a dashpot set parallel to each other and then connected to a linear dashpot in series. Using the Fourier transform, the periodic excitation is converted to the sum of harmonic forces and differential equations of the system motion are analytically solved. The predicted results of this analytical approach for the compression and recovery behavior of nonwoven textiles in dynamic loading showed the average error of 5.68% and 9.41%, respectively when compared to the experimental results. Therefore, the linear Jeffery’s II model is able to predict the compression and recovery behavior of needle-punched nonwoven textile under dynamic loading with high accuracy before commercial production of textiles.