Fibre Diameter Control and Microfibre Production
topic
Meltblown fibre diameter is controlled by polymer melt viscosity, polymer throughput per orifice, and air velocity with lower throughput and higher air velocity producing finer fibres, with commercially produced meltblown fibres averaging 1 to 4 micrometres median diameter for filtration applications and 0.5 to 2 micrometres for barrier applications, measured by scanning electron microscopy image analysis on fabric cross-sections.
Role
Determines the filtration efficiency and barrier properties of meltblown fabrics through fibre diameter that governs interfibre pore size and surface area, with finer fibre diameter providing superior filtration by creating smaller interfibre pores that capture fine particles by interception and diffusion, making fibre diameter control the primary process variable for achieving filtration efficiency targets in respiratory protection and HVAC filter applications.