Plasma Surface Treatments of Nonwovens

Plasma treatment has been used for surface activation and modification of textiles. The ionized, highly reactive species, such as ions, electrons, and radicals, in plasma modify the surface of the substrate material, and the composition of plasma depends on the gas used. Plasma technology is an environmentally friendly process and resource-efficient in nature. There is no solvent emission or wastewater in the process and drying processes with high energy and time consumption are not required. The textile applications of plasma include sterilization, wettability and hydrophobicity, dyeability enhancement, flame-retardant finishing, and antimicrobial properties. Plasma surface modification applied to fiber is a way to add value to a nonwoven fabric and enhance the functional performance of the final product. This chapter provides an overview of the plasma treatments of nonwovens that enhance their surface-related properties

Seam properties of ultrasonic welded multilayered textile materials

This study examined the effects of ultrasonic welding parameters on bond strength, seam thickness and seam stiffness, as well as water permeability. For study purpose, two types of four-layered fabrics with same compositions and different areal densities suitable for inner part of sport shoes were used. Two different types of seams, lapped and superimposed, were applied for ultrasonic welding and also compared by traditional seam applied by shoe manufacturer. The morphology of different type of seams was also analyzed to observe the influence of welding parameters on the layers during the ultrasonic welding process. Bonding strength was found to depend on the seam type and composition of the joined fabric layers. It was confirmed by the shoe manufacturer that all the produced welded seams provided the requested minimum bond strength to be suitable for the use of the shoes. The traditional seams applied by the shoe manufacturer were thicker but had lower stiffness in comparison to all welded seams. It was also found out that ultrasonic welding damaged the membrane, which was confirmed by no water resistance of welded seams. Statistical analysis showed that ultrasonic welding parameters, such as welding frequency and velocity, influence the bond strength, thickness, and bending stiffness of welded seams, but the obtained results were statistically insignificant. © 2015, © The Author(s) 2015