Overview
ISO 9073-10:2003 - Textiles - Test methods for nonwovens - Part 10: Lint and other particles generation in the dry state - specifies a laboratory test method to measure linting (fibre fragments and other particles released during handling) from nonwovens and other textile materials in the dry state. The procedure is a modified Gelbo Flex method: samples are flexed in a sealed chamber while airborne particles are drawn to a particle counter and classified by size.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Test principle: combined twisting and compression (modified Gelbo Flex) with air withdrawal and particle counting.
- Apparatus:
- Modified Gelbo Flex flexing unit (plates Ø 82.8 mm, 60 cycles/min, ±180° rotation synchronized with linear motion).
- Flexing chamber/air collector (antistatic perspex box ~300 × 300 × 300 mm) with intake probe centered 20 mm above base.
- Particle counter with 8 channels; overall size range from 0.3 µm or 0.5 µm up to 25 µm and sampling air flow (28.3 ± 1.4) l/min.
- Clean-air hood or ISO Class 5 cleanroom per ISO 14644-1; gloves and antistatic handling.
- Sample preparation: test pieces cut to (220 ± 1) mm × (285 ± 1) mm, formed into sealed tubes (longer side as circumference), five test pieces per side (A and B) with protective top/bottom pieces.
- Procedure highlights:
- Background checks with chamber open and closed; closed-chamber background count C is subtracted from sample counts.
- Each test: ten consecutive 30 s counting periods with 1 s reset; results recorded per particle size channel.
- Calculations & reporting:
- Linting = (sum of counts over ten periods) − C, reported per size class or total.
- Report mean linting for five pieces per side, standard deviation, coefficient of variation; optionally the coefficient of linting (log of total linting).
- Test report must state material type, particle counter model, number of pieces, and any deviations from procedure.
Practical applications and users
- Used to evaluate lint generation from nonwovens intended for sensitive environments: medical disposables, cleanroom wipes, electronics manufacturing materials, and other low-lint applications.
- Valuable for quality control, product development, supplier qualification, and comparative ranking of materials (rankings are generally reproducible even if absolute counts vary).
- Typical users: textile laboratories, R&D groups, quality engineers, standards compliance teams in medical device, semiconductor, and precision manufacturing sectors.
Related standards
- ISO 9073 series (other parts: mass per unit area, thickness, tensile strength, tear, absorption, etc.)
- ISO 554 (standard atmospheres for conditioning/testing)
- ISO 14644-1 (cleanroom classification)
Keywords: ISO 9073-10:2003, linting test, nonwovens lint, modified Gelbo Flex, particle counter, dry-state lint generation, cleanroom textile testing.
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