Conference Speakers

Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Ph.D.

William A. Klopman Distinguished Professor, and Executive Director, The Nonwovens Institute, North Carolina State University

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi joined NC State immediately after completing his PhD at the University of Leeds in 1982. Soon, he left for other opportunities, Cornell (2 years), University of Maryland (11 years) and Georgia Tech (4 years) before returning to NC State in 1998-199 Academic year.

Behnam is the William A. Klopman Distinguished Professor of Materials in the Wilson College of Textiles at NC State University and is also an affiliated professor in the departments of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and the Biomedical Engineering. He also serves as Associate Dean in the Wilson College of Textiles and is the Executive Director of The Nonwovens Institute.

Early in his career, he focused on the development of tools for characterizing various materials including nonwovens, medical devices, composite materials, etc. For this body of work, he received the ASTM D-13 Dewitt Smith Medal. In particular, his work on image analysis won him the Fiber Society Distinguished Scientist award in 1994. He also was selected as the Fiber Society Lecturer where he travelled broadly to present his work to industry and academia. He later served also as the vice president, and the president of the Fiber Society.

He is best known for his contributions to nonwovens and establishment and the growth of nonwovens at NC State. His work in the area of filtration won him the O’ Max Gardner award in 2015 (The Highest award by the University of North Carolina System), and in 2018, he received The Holladay Medal for Excellence (The highest faculty award bestowed by NC State University). In 2020, Behnam was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors as a Fellow.

He joined NC State in part to lead the establishment of the Nonwovens Institute (NWI). NWI is the largest university-based research institute in the US across all disciplines. Today, NWI is the world’s first and only accredited academic program for the interdisciplinary field of engineered fabrics. Operating on an “Open Innovation” platform, the Nonwovens Institute engages experts from industry and higher education in building next-generation nonwoven applications while also providing training and guidance to the field’s future leaders.

Pourdeyhimi has published over 450 publications and 3 books, has presented over 250 conference presentations, holds 28 US patents and 65 international patents, and has founded or co-founded several spin-outs.  

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Effect of Critical Process Parameters on Particle Deposition in Coform Meltblown Process

This study investigates how process parameters affect particle incorporation in coform meltblown nonwovens. Using aluminum oxide particles (300-600 μm) with Pebax 2533 polymer, we evaluated the effects of particle size, particle insertion distance, and air pressure on loading efficiency and shedding. Results demonstrate that insertion points significantly impact particle loading (p<0.0001), with efficiency increasing at greater distances from the die. While smaller particles achieved higher initial loading, they exhibited increased shedding, revealing a fundamental trade-off between capture and retention. Particles introduced farther to the die showed superior entrapment. Air pressure had minimal impact within the tested range. Microscopic analysis revealed that particles are entrapped in fiber web- inside and the top of the fiber surface and molten fibers create stronger mechanical bonds by flowing and solidifying around particles. Surface treatments yielded only modest improvements in fiber-particle interactions. Our findings address a significant knowledge gap, as information on particle-loaded nonwovens has primarily existed in patent literature rather than academic publications that contributes valuable scientific understanding to this industrially important field.