Compression Property of TPEE-3D Fibrous Material and Its Application in Mattress Structural Layer

oleh: Jiao-Jiao Fang, Li-Ming Shen

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-09-01

Deskripsi

Thermoplastic poly(ether/ester) elastomer (TPEE) has great potential as a mattress material due to its high resilience, breathability, and light weight. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of TPEE-3D fibrous material (T<sub>3D</sub>F), a three-dimensional block material made of TPEE fibers randomly aligned and loop-connected, for mattress application. After testing the compression properties of T<sub>3D</sub>F, the effects of T<sub>3D</sub>F structural layers on mattress firmness were investigated. The results showed that T<sub>3D</sub>F had good energy absorption capacity, broad indentation hardness range (126.94–333.82 N), and high compression deflection coefficient (2.79–4.39). The thickness and density of T<sub>3D</sub>F were the main factors influencing mattress firmness, and the impact of thickness was more significant (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Owing to the hard and soft segments contained in TPEE, T<sub>3D</sub>F could be used for both the padding and core layers of the mattress. The hardness value and <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>D</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>s</mi><mi>u</mi><mi>r</mi><mi>f</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>c</mi><mi>e</mi></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> of the mattress with a T<sub>3D</sub>F padding layer increased with T<sub>3D</sub>F density but decreased with T<sub>3D</sub>F thickness. Moreover, the hardness value and <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>D</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>s</mi><mi>u</mi><mi>r</mi><mi>f</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>c</mi><mi>e</mi></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> of the mattress with a T<sub>3D</sub>F core layer increased with T<sub>3D</sub>F density, while with T<sub>3D</sub>F thickness, its <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>D</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>s</mi><mi>u</mi><mi>r</mi><mi>f</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>c</mi><mi>e</mi></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> increased and <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>D</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>b</mi><mi>o</mi><mi>t</mi><mi>t</mi><mi>o</mi><mi>m</mi></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> decreased. Therefore, the thick and low-density T<sub>3D</sub>F padding layer could improve the comfort of the mattress surface, a thin T<sub>3D</sub>F core layer could satisfy both the softer surface and the firmer bottom of the mattress.