45—STUDIES OF ADHESIVE-BONDED NON-WOVEN FABRICS PART III: THE DETERMINATION OF FIBRE ORIENTATION AND CURL

Abstract

Experiments are described in which the orientation and curl of fibre segments in some random, parallel, and cross-laid fabrics were examined with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). A technique for the measurement of these parameters that consists in the enlargement of the SEM photomicrographs to obtain traces of fibre paths is outlined. The distributions of measured values are presented in histograms or frequency polygons to provide a basis for a comparison between different structures. It is also shown that these distributions can be expressed in mathematical formulae that yield a more accurate representation, are more suitable for comparison purposes, and also simplify the theoretical computations of the stress–strain behaviour of non-woven fabrics.