Nonwovens used in horticulture – optimization of needle punching process parameters

Abstract

Textile fabrics have a long history of use in agriculture. The term “agrotextile” now is used to categorize the woven, nonwoven and knitted fabrics used for agricultural and horticultural applications. Among the major sectors and specific applications that are considered to have potentials for jute/synthetic nonwovens in agriculture/horticulture are frost protectors. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of needling punching process parameters on functional properties of nonwovens used as frost protectors. The study was focused on the influence of needling density and needle gauge on jute/polypropylene nonwoven density and water vapour permeability by using a central, composite design for second-order. The results show that the process parameters have a significant influence on nonwoven characteristics. The higher of process parameters values, the higher is fabric density. A less porous nonwoven have a lower water vapour permeability which means that the agrotextile conserves water by reducing evaporation.