For care of the elderly in a rapidly aging society, a new type of nonwoven fabric care sheet made from cellulosic fibers laminated with a plastic film has been developed. Fiber orientation, friction, tensile strength, local deformation distribution during a tensile test and water absorbency were examined, with a view to practical application. The best fiber mixture ratio in the trial sheets was concluded to be 75% Manila hemp and 25% rayon fibers. In comparison with a linen cloth the addition of rayon fibers at about this ratio gives the most satisfactory properties in terms of soft touch and sensory smoothness to the nonwoven fabric as well as not being slippery. It also gives relatively high water absorbency and moderate elongation under tensile force providing shock-resistance, in spite of a rather low tensile strength, to the nonwoven fabric. Uniquely, a new method to analyze the tensile deformation distribution of nonwoven fabrics using a pattern-matching technique has been developed and demonstrated. Using this method it was found that, during tensile deformation in the machine direction, the addition of rayon fibers allows even elongation in that direction but increases contraction in the cross direction.
In this study, FeSi2 bulk specimens were prepared by mechanical alloying, spark plasma sintering, and subsequent annealing. The annealed FeSi2 bulk specimens consisted of the β-FeSi2 phase and exhibited high Seebeck coefficient values. The maximum Seebeck coefficient of 356 μVK−1 was achieved in the FeSi2 bulk specimen annealed at 1173 K for 6 h. However, the power factor of the FeSi2 bulk specimen was quite small due to its high electrical resistivity, and a drastic improvement is required. Therefore, Mn- and Co-substituted specimens, Fe1−xMnxSi2 (x = 0.2–0.8) and Fe1−xCoxSi2 (x = 0.2–0.8), were produced, and their thermoelectric properties were evaluated. The Mn- and Co-substituted specimens exhibited lower electrical resistivity and a higher power factor than the FeSi2 bulk specimen. The Fe1−xMnxSi2 (x = 0.2–0.8) bulk specimens were p-type thermoelectric materials, and a Seebeck coefficient of 262 μVK−1 and a power factor of 339 μWm−1K−2 were achieved in the Fe0.94Mn0.06Si2 bulk specimen. On the other hand, the Fe1−xCoxSi2 (x = 0.2–0.8) bulk specimens were n-type thermoelectric materials, and a Seebeck coefficient of −180 μVK−1 and a power factor of 667 μWm−1K−2 were achieved in the Fe0.96Co0.04Si2 bulk specimen.
