Numerical modeling,simulation, and experimental validation of predicting fiber diameter in wide‐slot positive‐pressure spunbonding process

An air‐drawing model of polypropylene (PP) polymer and an air jet flow field model in wide‐slot positive‐pressure spunbonding process are established. The influences of the density and the specific heat capacity of polymer melt at constant pressure changing with polymer temperature on the fiber diameter have been studied. The predicted fiber diameter agrees with the experimental data as well. The effects of the processing parameters on the fiber diameter have been investigated. The air jet flow field model is solved by means of the finite difference method. The numerical simulation computation results of distribution of the fiber diameter match quite well with the experimental data. The air‐drawing model of polymers is solved with the help of the distributions of the air velocity. It can be concluded that the higher air velocity and air temperature can yield the finer fibers diameter. The higher inlet pressure, longer drawing segment length, smaller air knife edge, longer exit length, smaller slot width, and smaller jet angle can all cause higher air velocity and air pressure along z‐axis position, which are beneficial to the air drawing of the polymer melt and thus to reduce the fiber diameter. The experimental results show that the agreement between the predicted results and the experimental measured data is very better, which verifies the reliability of these models. Also, they reveal great prospects for this work in the field of computer‐assisted design (CAD) of spunbonding process. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:1371–1380, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers