ABSTRACT

In this research, we have validated an imaging system for automatic grading of fabric smoothness that was developed at Texas Tech University. This system consists of a sheet-of-light, laser-line projector; a smart CMOS camera; a moving platform; and a PC. Its purpose is to provide the textile industry with a tool for rapid, objective evaluation of fabrics’ smoothness after home laundering. The validation study involved two cotton fabrics that were treated with increasing amounts of a textile-finishing agent to impart durable press properties. The UATR-FTIR was used as a rapid and precise technique to determine the amount of the cross-linking agent linked to the cellulose after the required laundering cycles. To demonstrate the potential of our newly developed imaging system, we have extracted five features from the acquired images and have related them to AATCC grading and to the amount of finish as evaluated by FTIR. The results obtained demonstrate that this new wrinkle measurement technology has the potential of discriminating between different levels of fabric treatments and different fabrics.