Hand Evaluation of Nonwoven Fabrics Using Friction-Based Method.

Nonwoven fabrics are used in advanced applications such as industrial and consumer wipes, medical and protective garments, face masks, etc. In all of these applications, the fabrics are often in close contact with the human body. Hence, the touch or hand of these fabrics is an important attribute that affects their performance and marketability. A simple friction-based hand evaluation method was used to quantify the hand quality characteristics of nonwoven fabrics. A composite fabric factor that takes into account the material and hand-related mechanical properties was used to quantify nonwoven fabric hand. Results show that the fabric factor was able to distinguish fabrics based on roughness, weight, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]