Factors influencing air flow through unbacked tufted carpets

Through-air dryers are widely used for drying unbacked tufted carpets after dyeing-steaming-washing processes. Since the drying rate depends greatly o n air velocity, carpet air permeability is a very important parameter affec ting drying time. We study the effects of several carpet construction and p rocess parameters on the air permeability of unbacked cut-pile nylon carpet s with woven polypropylene primary barking using a modified Frazier air per meability tester and a laboratory through-air dryer. We then present a mode l predicting pressure drop over the carpets versus apparent velocity.