Apparatus and method for testing air permeability of a fabric
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsRichard Wu, Shih-Jen Chang
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Abstract
An apparatus and a method for testing permeability of a clean room garment material are described. The apparatus is constructed by a flow regulator, a flow meter, a sample holder and a quantitative tube that is equipped with a fluid reservoir for generating a bubble through the tube. The components of the apparatus can be readily obtained and the apparatus can be constructed at low cost. The method for testing air permeability can be conducted easily by utilizing the present invention novel apparatus in a factory environment without elaborate and expensive equipment.
Claims18
An apparatus for testing the air permeability of a fabric comprising:
- a flow regulator for controlling the flow rate of an air flow therethrough;
- a flow meter in fluid communication with said flow regulator for indicating an air flow rate;
- a sample holder in fluid communication with said flow meter for holding a fabric sample therein such that said air flow passes through the fabric sample exiting an outlet tube;
- and
- a quantitative tube equipped with an enlarged portion that is optically transparent in fluid communication with a gas outlet on top of the quantitative tube and a fluid reservoir at a bottom of the quantitative tube, said fluid reservoir for holding a quantity of a fluid that generates bubbles when air passes over a top surface of the fluid and is connected to said enlarged portion by a tube section, said tube section is further in fluid communication with said outlet tube of said sample holder for admitting said air flow flown through said fabric sample and for exiting said air flow from said gas outlet on top.
A method for testing air permeability of a fabric comprising the steps of:
- providing a flow regulator for controlling the flow rate of an air flow therethrough;
- a flow meter in fluid communication with said flow regulator for indicating an air flow rate;
- a sample holder in fluid communication with said flow meter for holding a fabric sample therein such that said air flow passes through the fabric sample exiting an outlet tube;
- and a quantitative tube equipped with an enlarged portion that is optically transparent in fluid communication with a gas outlet on top of the quantitative tube and a fluid reservoir at a bottom of the quantitative tube, said fluid reservoir for holding a quantity of a fluid that generates bubbles when air passes over a top surface of the fluid and is connected to said enlarged portion by a tube section, said tube section is further in fluid communication with said outlet tube of said sample holder, said enlarged portion of the quantitative tube being provided with a lower mark and an upper mark located at two extreme ends of said enlarged portion;
- flowing an air flow through said flow regulator, said flow meter, said sample holder and said fabric sample such that a bubble is generated from said quantity of fluid and rises up through said lower and said upper mark of said quantitative tube;
- and
- counting the time required for said bubble to pass from said lower mark to said upper mark of said quantitative tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.