Evaluation of Wetting Behaviour of Nonwoven Fabrics by Different Test Methods

Nonwoven fabrics are used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products. Depending on the application, high-performance products can be obtained through raw material selection, web-forming and bonding methods, and advanced finishing processes to ensure cost-effective, flexible, and quickly produced products. One of the common qualifications sought in most nonwoven products is wetting and liquid transfer properties. Depending on the end-use area, this property significantly affects the comfort, functionality, and quick re-use properties of the product. Besides, there are several methods accepted to evaluate the wetting and/or water transfer properties of fabrics. Some of these methods need special testing devices, while some of them are easier to apply and more available. By considering these facts, the purpose of this study was to comparatively investigate the wetting/liquid transfer and drying properties of a wide range of nonwoven fabrics, addressing different technical areas such as wound dressings, cleaning cloths, apparel, and hygienic pads. For this purpose, 13 nonwoven fabrics were tested by the moisture management test (MMT), drop absorption test, drop spread test, contact angle test, and vertical wicking tests. Correlation analysis between different test methods highlighted that drop test results were in very good agreement with contact angle results, but due to the high level of absorbency of the selected samples, MMT and vertical wicking results performed better numerical distinguishability. In addition, the drop spread test provided visual data for the longer-time wetting property of samples compared to the drop absorption and contact angle results.