The influence of calendering parameters on performance properties of needle-punched nonwoven cleaning materials including r-PET fiber

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of calendaring process parameters on performance properties of needle-punched nonwoven materials including recycled polyester (r-PET) fiber. For this purpose; nonwoven materials produced by carding and needling processes with two different blend ratios have been calendered with different temperatures and roll clearances. The physical and performance properties of the samples such as thickness, bulk density, abrasion resistance, water absorption properties have been determined according to the standard test methods. The results derived from the tests were statistically evaluated by Design Expert^® software and the effects of chosen parameters on physical and performance properties of the samples were assessed. It was observed that additional thermal bonding process with calendering enhanced the performance properties compared to non-calendered samples and the excessive increase in calendering parameters yields to decrease in abrasion resistance and water absorption capacity.