The relationship between pore size and air permeability in two spunlaced fabrics and two spunbonded/meltblown/spunbonded (SMS) fabrics were investigated. Minimum, maximum and mean flow pore sizes were determined using liquid porosimetry. The influence of fabric weight and thickness on air permeability and pore sizes was also evaluated. For the spunlaced fabrics, air permeability was most highly correlated with mean flow pore size, while there was a significant correlation between air permeability and maximum pore size for the SMS fabrics. Liquid porosimetry is a useful technique in assessing pore sizes of nonwoven fabrics and can also aid in understanding the mechanism of air permeability.
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