Study of the influence of synthetic filter media compressive behavior on its dust holding capacity

In depth filtration, a challenge is to obtain the highest dust holding capacity (DHC) reaching a critical pressure drop in order to improve the filter medium lifespan. Such property can be driven by the design of the fibrous structure. Indeed, various structural parameters and properties can influence the behavior of the fibrous filter medium and the evolution of its filtration properties during the clogging. These parameters are fiber properties, morphology and blend, medium structure such as multilayer architecture, thickness and pore distribution along with medium properties such as compressive behavior in the thickness direction and flexural rigidity. The focus of this work concerns the study of the relations between the DHC and the compressive properties of bilayer fibrous structures. A method for estimating the number of fiber-to-fiber contact points of a fibrous structure composed of three types of fibers is proposed. The results show the possibility to significantly increase the DHC performance by controlling the compressive behavior of the fibrous medium.