Investigation on damage behaviors of cotton fabric in different fabric motion patterns during tumble-drying process

Abstract

To investigate the influence of fabric motion pattern on damage behaviors of cotton fabric during repeated tumble-drying in clothes dryer, smoothness appearance (SA), dimensional change, softness and microstructure were examined. Results indicated that repeated tumble-drying process led to several degrees of damages on cotton fabric owing to the continuous mechanical motion and the heat-humidity drying air environment. The morphological changes were primarily cracks, peeling-off, distortion, embrittlement and fracture, which depended on drying cycles and the distribution of force on fabric. These findings not only contribute to a better understanding of the mechanism of damage behaviors of cotton fabric in the tumble dryer, but also guide dryer manufactures to optimize drying programs for specific types of fabric.

Keywords:

• Damage behavior
• tumble-drying process
• fabric motion pattern
• physical properties
• microstructure

Disclosure of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.