ABSTRACT

A nonwoven fabric is precisely what the name implies, a fibrous structure or fabric that is made without weaving. In a woven or knit fabric, warp and/or filling yarns are made and intertwined in various patterns (weaving or knitting) to interlock them and to give the manufactured fabrics integrity, strength, and aesthetic value. By contrast, in manufacturing a nonwoven fabric, the yarn formation and yarn intertwining steps (weaving or knitting) are bypassed, and a web (fibrous structure) is formed using dry-lay or wet-lay formation techniques. This web is bonded together by mechanical entanglement or by the addition of a binder to create a nonwoven fabric.