The Performance of Kapok/Down Blended Wadding

Abstract

The thermal, bulk and compression properties of two types of kapok/down blended wadding made by our patent technology were investigated in this paper. By studying the relationship between the wadding properties and the content of specific combinations of kapok, divergent down and down fibrils, it was concluded that the comprehensive ability of the wadding to retain warmth increased with the increasing content of kapok, with resultant higher bulkiness. From our observations, the lumen of kapok collapsed gradually during multiple compressions, which compromised some performance aspects of kapok. Further investigation revealed that the performance attenuation of divergent down was less than that of kapok and the fibrils cut from divergent down.