Nonwoven fabrics may be defined as fibrous webs that are bonded together by the addition of chemicals or by fusion of some constituent fibers, to impart strength and integrity to the final product. These planar textile structures can be made of fibers, yarns, rovings, etc. with or without a scrim cloth carrier.
The interfiber adhesion is created by mechanical, chemical, thermal, or solvent means or by various combinations of these processes.
The use of nonwovens is continuing to expand at a rate of 5-6 percent per year. 1 The main industries that use nonwoven products include clothing, automotive, filtration, geotextiles, roofing, hygiene, and home textiles. Key factors in the popularity of these fabrics are their versatility and ability to be combined with a wide range of materials to produce hybrid materials. Once a nonwoven textile is produced, however, it generally must be bonded to either itself or to another substrate.For example, nonwovens are bonded to cloth, leather, and other films for garments.