Journal of Textile Research ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (05): 123-132.doi: 10.13475/j.fzxb.20250600401

• Textile Engineering • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effective thermal conductivity modeling and simulation of nonwoven fabrics based on fiber volume fractions

YANG Renquan1, WANG Zexing1,2(), SHENG Weijian1, LUO Zhiyi1   

  1. 1 College of Textile and Fashion, Hunan Institute of Engineering, Xiangtan, Hunan 411104, China
    2 Intelligent Textile Institute of Innovation at Hunan Institute of Engineering, Xiangtan, Hunan 411104, China
  • Received:2025-06-01 Revised:2026-03-07 Online:2026-05-15 Published:2026-07-10
  • Contact: WANG Zexing E-mail:zexing.wang@hnie.edu.cn

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Abstract:

Objective This research focuses on polyimide (PI) nanofiber membranes and PI needle-punched nonwoven fabrics to investigate the thermal transfer properties of nonwoven fabrics. The importance and necessity of the study lie in addressing the limitations of existing thermal conductivity models, particularly the Woo model, and accurately modeling thermal properties affected by fiber volume fraction and fiber orientation.

Method Thermal conductivity tests were performed under varying pressure conditions following ASTM standards. Two major modifications were applied to the conventional Woo model, which are integrating the Hamilton-Crosser multi-phase mixture model to refine the composite thermal conductivity expressions for cylindrical fiber arrangements, and establishing a thermal resistance network model accounting for contact thermal resistance and spatial coordinate transformation. Additionally, innovative geometric models for finite element simulations were developed, utilizing randomly distributed cylindrical fibers.

Results Experimental data indicated that increasing fiber volume fractions led to reduced thermal insulation but enhanced heat dissipation. Comparative analyses demonstrated good agreement among the modified analytical models, finite element simulation results, and experimental measurements. Specifically, for the PI nanofiber membranes, because of their small fiber diameters, sensitivity to contact thermal resistance significantly affected thermal performance, resulting in improved heat dissipation capability. Conversely, PI needle-punched nonwoven fabrics exhibited less sensitivity to contact thermal resistance because of larger fiber diameters and structural support from fibers oriented in the Z-direction. This structural feature minimized thickness reduction under pressure, maintaining superior insulation properties. The established finite element models effectively predicted temperature distributions and confirmed the non-linear relationship between fiber volume fraction and effective thermal conductivity. Under identical pressures, PI nanofiber membranes displayed higher overall temperature and more pronounced changes in thermal conductivity compared to needle-punched fabrics, highlighting the significant impact of fiber contact points and associated thermal resistance.

Conclusion The use of modified thermal conductivity models leads to improved accuracy over the conventional Woo model, especially when considering fiber volume fraction effects on effective thermal conductivity, contact thermal resistance, and Z-directionl fiber penetration behaviors. The finite element simulation models demonstrated robust predictive capabilities and validated the theoretical assumptions regarding fiber arrangements. Future work includes developing a theoretical model for contact thermal resistance and extending analyses to incorporate external factors like airflow, tension, and varying ambient temperatures.

Key words: nonwoven fabric, effective thermal conductivity, fiber volume fraction, thermal resistance network model, heat transfer simulation

CLC Number: 

  • TS101.92

Tab.1

Thermal resistance of fabrics at different fiber volume fractions"

压力/N 纤维体积分数/% 热阻/(m2·K·W-1)
PI针刺 PI纳米膜 PI针刺 PI纳米膜
0 1.107 0.207 0.131 0.100
1 1.575 0.258 0.081 0.061
2 2.242 0.310 0.053 0.036
3 2.428 0.362 0.045 0.024

Fig.1

Transient temperature curves on upper surface of samples. (a) PI needle-punched nonwoven fabrics; (b) PI nanofiber membranes"

Fig.2

Ideal model of non-punctured biaxial orthogonal nonwoven fabric. (a) Local coordinate system-basic ideal element model; (b) Global coordinate system-ideal nonwoven fabric model"

Fig.3

Biaxial orthogonal thermal resistance network model"

Fig.4

Effective thermal conductivity model of nonwoven fabric with Z-direction fibers. (a) Spatial schematic of thermal resistance in Z-direction; (b) Spatial schematic of thermal resistance in X-direction; (c) Thermal resistance network model"

Fig.5

Combined model of fiber-air domains"

Fig.6

Modified combined model of fiber-air domains. (a) Type 1; (b) Type 2"

Tab.2

Structural parameters and simulation parameters of samples"

试样 生产
工艺		 纤维
材料		 厚度/
mm		 纤维体积
分数/%		 ε Z向纤维
体积分数/
%		 cos2β 纤维导热系数/
(W·m-1·K-1)		 对流换热系数/
(W·m-2·
K-1)		 热辐射
发射率
径向 轴向
I2 梳理成网 100%涤纶 4.50 1.000 1.25 — 0.70 0.157 1.257 12.1 0.90
I3 梳理成网 100%涤纶 4.50 1.400 1.25 — 0.70 0.157 1.257 12.1 0.90
R1 纺黏 100%涤纶 0.18 9.500 1.5 — 0.04 0.200 2.000 26.9 0.90
R2 纺黏 100%涤纶 0.26 10.300 1.5 — 0.04 0.200 2.000 78.0 0.90
M8 熔喷 100%丙纶 0.77 7.800 1.5 — 0.06 0.111 1.242 25.0 0.85
M9 熔喷 100%丙纶 0.90 6.300 1.5 — 0.06 0.111 1.242 24.0 0.85
S1 水刺 涤纶/木浆 0.34 10.700 2.0 0.200 0.07 0.243 2.879 22.9 0.85
R9 针刺 100%芳纶 2.04 11.000 2.0 0.500 0.07 0.035 2.900 14.8 0.90
A2 针刺 100%PI 6.36 1.107 1.1 0.110 0.87 0.200 1.700 16.0 0.80
A3 针刺 100%PI 5.12 1.575 1.1 0.335 0.87 0.200 1.700 17.1 0.80
A5 针刺 100%PI 4.14 2.242 1.1 0.578 0.87 0.200 1.700 17.0 0.80
A6 针刺 100%PI 3.56 2.428 1.1 0.630 0.87 0.200 1.700 16.9 0.80
B1 静电纺丝 100%PI 7.21 0.207 5 — 0.99 0.400 15.000 15.9 0.90
B2 静电纺丝 100%PI 5.77 0.258 5 — 0.99 0.400 15.000 15.6 0.90
B3 静电纺丝 100%PI 4.81 0.310 5 — 0.99 0.400 15.000 15.5 0.90
B4 静电纺丝 100%PI 4.11 0.362 5 — 0.99 0.400 15.000 15.6 0.90

Tab.3

Mesh quality indexes for different element sizes"

单元尺寸/
mm		 单元数 单元
质量		 纵横比 雅可比 扭曲度 平面均
温/℃
0.09 153 645 0.649 3.071 0.947 0.454 25.094
0.08 180 956 0.672 2.844 0.956 0.425 25.092
0.07 199 986 0.703 2.661 0.957 0.383 25.091
0.06 256 416 0.743 2.408 0.966 0.332 25.089

Fig.7

Isothermal surfaces of nonwoven fabric under different pressures."

Fig.8

Effective thermal conductivity and experimental errors of different models. (a) Non-punched samples; (b) Punch samples"

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