Nonwovens Glossary - INDA

Secondary backing
A layer of material laminated to the underside of a carpet to lock in carpet tufts, improve
abrasion resistance, dimensional stability and strength.
Seconds
Imperfect roll goods that have various flaws, such as weight lower or higher than specified,
poor bonding, inconsistent web formation, poor tensile strength and many more.
Short fiber
Staple fiber less that 0.5 inches long. Typically used in wet laid processes, to make fabrics, or
as fillers in the absorbent cores of disposable diapers.
Short-life nonwoven
Synonymous with Disposable nonwoven.
Shrinkage
A reduction in length or width due to the effect of heat, moisture or chemical action.
Sintering
The process of adding a dry adhesive to a web and heating the web to the point that the
adhesive melts and flows to bind the web once cooled. The sintering process is commonly
done as a finish to apparel interlining. The adhesives are added to the nonwoven surface in a
discrete pattern. The sintered interlining will adhere to the apparel fabric when reheated.
Sisal
A tropical plant by the same name with fibrous leaves that are used to make rope and other
miscellaneous products.
Smog
A mixture of gases and aerosols generated from a variety of sources, such as automobiles’
exhaust, burning coat for electricity generation and discharges from many industrial
processes. Smog can contain noxious substances and acids that have a damaging effect to the
environment and respiratory organs.
Smoke
An aerosol of particles usually solid formed from combustion of organic materials, such as
wood, coal, oil, etc. It usually refers to the soot or carbon particles less than 0.1 mm, which
results from incomplete combustion.
Smouldering
A slow, flameless, smoking burning of a fabric.
Solution-dyeing
Adding pigments or insoluble dyes into the polymer melt or spinning solution prior to
extruding a manmade fiber.
Nonwovens Glossary
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