Abstract
Following the recent commercial availability of this polymer, needlepunch nonwovens have been prepared from staple fiber made from poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) and an analogous conventional polyester. After carding and cross-lapping, the web was consolidated to about 90 g/m2 by several passes through a 1 metre wide pilot machine. The webs were characterised for fiber structure, stiffness, strength and recovery from both compression and extension, the latter after both a single and multiple elongations. The PTT fabrics are softer than those from PET as shown in e.g. drape and flexural rigidity, and show similar or higher tensile strengths. The fabrics are difficult to distinguish in either compressive or tensile recovery tests, perhaps because elongation causes unravelling of the entanglements, rather than being dependant on the elasticity of the fibers.