Probabilistic Model Development of Web Structure Formation in the Melt Blowing Process

Abstract

A probabilistic modeling approach has been proposed to correlate motion of a filament to the web structural formation in single filament melt blowing. By treating fiber motion as a Markov process, a probabilistic space has been determined where fiber has a greatest chance of being present in the web structure and in its flight to the collection system. Based on the positional probabilities, a single fiber's motion space has been determined to be correlated to its diameter. Experimental data show that any process or material variable that leads to a variation in fiber diameter affects the lateral spread of fiber motion, and thereby web structure formation in a single filament melt blowing process.