Abstract
A series of melt blown samples were produced from three hardness grades of ether based thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPU). The fabrics were tested to investigate their structure-property relationship in a melt blown process. Solution viscosities of the web were only 20–26% of there original values indicating a large loss in polymer molecular weight during melt blowing. Fiber diameter distributions measured on melt blown samples were found comparable to those made with more conventional polymers. The fiber orientation distribution functions (ODF) suggest slight fiber orientation in machine direction. Tensile and elongation properties depended on die-to-collector distance (DCD), polymer hardness and fiber ODF. A strong relationship between the tensile strength and die-to-collector distance was identified and attributed to reduced interfiber adhesion in the web with increasing DCD. The reduction in adhesion was attributed to greater extents of solidification before reaching the forming belt for longer DCDs. This paper is the first in a series relating the influence of the melt blowing process parameters on the polymer properties and the nonwoven fabric properties for block thermoplastic elastomers.