Melt Blowing: Advanced Modeling and Experimental Verification

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The goal of this project is to describe with an experimentally verified model the commercially important process of fiber melt blowing. Worldwide, about 150 10kg year of melt blown fabric is produced. Typical examples of this material are Pall Corporation's cartridge filters, Kimberly-Clark's Spunguard surgical gowns, and Du Pont's Tyvek. Tyvek is used for computer diskette sleeves, house wrap, sterile packaging, high strength envelopes, and many other uses. Melt blowing involves the impact of high velocity air streams upon a molten polymer to form fine webs of fiber. We propose to combine computational fluid mechanics CFD to describe the airside flow with a previously developed model by our group for the polymer side. The result should be an accurate, comprehensive model for melts blowing. This comprehensive model will be compared with experimentally determined fiber parameters. The experimental work will primarily be done with the spinning equipment available at the University of Oklahoma. In addition, pilot scale spinning will also be done at the 3M Research Center in St. Paul, MN. This project will expand the university/industry interface by using the 3M companies as an active collaborator with the university. A 3M research manager will serve as a co-advisor to the students involved in this project. Frequent visits will occur between the personnel at the university and 3M. The 3M companies will donate use of its pilot equipment and analytical facilities. The knowledge gained from this proposal will allow more economical production of nonwoven products that are used in a high-volume, rapidly expanding, billion-dollar market. In addition, the knowledge will help create entirely new processes and products