Orthotropic theory for the prediction of mechanical performance in thermally point-bonded nonwovens

The orthotropic theory is applied for the nonwoven fabrics that have a preferred orientation direction, the case if the structure is not isotropic. The polynomial regression analysis is employed to allow the attainment of more statistically meaningful information. A functional form based on the transformation rule is developed for the orthotropic approach. The predictions thus obtained are seen to be in excellent agreements with experimental data and the resulting compliances exhibit meaningful relationships for the processing conditions. The compatibility of the compliances from tensile and shear analyses has been explored prior to a practical application of the four compliances defining the in-plane strain-stress field.