Polymer Engineering and Science, Vol.43, No.2, 463-469, 2003
Attenuating PP/PET bicomponent melt blown microfibers
This research investigated the attenuation of polypropylene (PP)/poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) bicomponent (bico) filaments during the melt blowing (MB) process. It was found that both mono- and bi-component filaments attenuated from several hundred micrometers to a few micrometers in the first 5 centimeters from the die. However, fiber diameter distributions were found to be broad in these regions. The filaments were attenuated much slower but exhibited narrower diameter distributions as they moved further from the die. The diameters of bico MB filaments were between those of 100% PP and 100% PET filaments. The PET component in a bico filament controls the final fiber diameter. During melt blowing, filaments were aligned orderly with the airflow direction in a short distance near the die. Filament entanglements started at about 2.5 cm from the die and became more and more randomly oriented as the distance-from-the-die (DFD) increased. The fiber diameter distribution of bico filaments was broader than that of 100% PP filaments. A higher airflow rate led to a narrower fiber size distribution for bico filaments.