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A new approach to pilling evaluation based on the wavelet reconstruction scheme using undecimated discrete wavelet transform (UDWT), which is shift-invariant and redundant, was investigated. A method of digital image analysis to attenuate the repetitive patterns of fabric surface and enhance the pills is presented. A preliminary evaluation of the proposed method was conducted to SM50 European standard pilling images. The results show that reconstructed resolution level, wavelet bases and subimage used for reconstruction can affect the segmentation of pills and thus pilling grading. The area ratio of pills to total image was effective as a pilling rating factor. The results suggest that the proposed method in this paper is applicable to the practical evaluation of pilling.

A wavelet-fractal method to calculate the fractal dimension is proposed to objectively evaluate the surface roughness of fabric wrinkle, smoothness appearance and seam pucker. The proposed method was validated using the fractal surfaces produced from the mathematical functions and compared with the box and cube counting methods. The more accurate three-dimensional mesh grid data points of wrinkle replicas, smoothness appearance replicas and seam pucker samples were obtained using a three-dimensional, noncontact scanning system. As a supplementary reference the standard roughness parameters, which differentiate the degree of fabric surface roughness, were also investigated. The results show that the fractal dimension measured by the wavelet-fractal method as well as the surface average mean curvature show the power to clearly discern the grades of wrinkle, smoothness appearance as well as seam pucker, and thus can evaluate the fabric surface roughness objectively and quantitativelyFabric appearance properties such as wrinkle, smoothness appearance and seam pucker are important factors for quality control during manufacturing as well as aesthetic aspects for consumer choice. Therefore both fabric and garment manufacturers have made considerable efforts to control the fabric roughness and to establish a test method to quantify roughness. The accurate measurement of fabric surface roughness will contribute to determining the optimum processing conditions to improve the dimensional stability of fabric properties. The evaluation method of fabric surface properties has been based on subjectively comparing the specimen with either the standard replica [2, 3] or a photographic replica [1] by well-trained observers. A considerable amount of work has been done [4, 10, 14, 18] by many researchers to precisely evaluate fabric surface roughness. In our earlier work [6, 7], we extracted the fractal dimension to describe the degree of fabric surface roughness from three-dimensional (3-D) surface data using a laser scanning method or stereo vision technique.The first critical step in grading the fabric surface properties is obtaining the 3-D coordinates of the fabric surface precisely and calculating the fractal dimension of it. With the rapid development of 3-D surface measurement technology, more accurate and finer 3-D surface data can be obtained. Using this system, it is expected that the fabric surface properties can be fully evaluated with greater accuracy. We adopted a 3-D non-contact scanning system to acquire 3-D data of the fabric surface of interest.The accurate calculation of the fractal dimension to represent the extent of the fabric surface roughness which, in our previous research, was evaluated by the application of an appropriate algorithm, remains a significant issue. Wavelet analysis has been a developing subject in recent years, especially in the field of surface metrology. Wang et al. [15,16] and Xiong et al. [17] proposed a wavelet transform method as a means to calculate the fractal dimension of surface p...

An objective and reliable evaluation method of fabric pilling using a three-dimensional scanning system with higher accuracy is presented. The overall fabric surface roughness together with the pilling characteristics were evaluated to comprehensively understand the fabric pilling phenomena and exactly grade the degree of pilling. The fractal dimension calculated by the wavelet-fractal method and the surface average mean curvature were used as descriptors of fabric surface roughness. Localization and characterization of pills was achieved by wavelet reconstruction. The number, area, and population density of pills were extracted as the parameters of pilling characteristics. In order to select features and then reduce dimensions, a Karhunen–Loève (K–L) transform was employed. Bayes, minimum distance, k-nearest neighbors, and neural network classifiers were used to classify the fabric pilling into objective grades. The experimental results demonstrated that the fabric pilling evaluation system developed in this study represented both the fabric surface properties and the pilling properties and also showed high accuracy in grading the degree of pilling.

Among the components of a disposable diaper, the top layer that comes into direct contact with the infant's skin is usually made of a nonwoven fabric. Therefore, the mechanical and surface characteristics of the nonwovens are important for the health of the baby's skin. In this study, we explored the mechanical and surface properties of some hygienic nonwoven fabrics that are used as the top layer and investigated consumers' preferences concerning these nonwovens. The variations in their properties with increasing abrasion cycles and in wet conditions were also examined. The hygienic nonwoven fabrics examined in this study were cotton spunlace, tencel spunlace, polypropylene (PP) thermal bonding and PP Thru-air bonded carded web (TABCW). The surface of PP nonwoven fabrics were treated with surfactant to obtain the required hydrophilic properties. From the results of KES-F analysis, it was found that PP TABCW had a low friction coefficient and showed little change in surface properties with increasing number of abrasive cycles, and moreover, it revealed superior quick-drying characteristics. However, the consumers showed a somewhat higher preference for cellulose spunlaces in comparison with surfactant-treated PP nonwoven fabrics. On the other hand, although they showed excellent absorption characteristics, the spunlace-type nonwovens made with cellulose tissue displayed higher surface friction coefficients and relatively low abrasion strength, especially in wet conditions. Disposable diapers are generally composed of a top sheet (or facing sheet), super absorbent polymer, the absorption part (fluff pulp ϩ tissue ϩ polymer), fastening tape, and waterproof film (back sheet). Among these components, the top sheet is very important because it comes directly into contact with the baby's skin and thus an inferior quality material could have a bad effect and cause a diaper rash.It has been reported that diaper dermatitis is probably the most common cutaneous disorder of infancy and early childhood Boiko et al. [1,7]. As most diaper rash is treated conservatively at home, the exact prevalence is unknown, but it is estimated that between 7 and 35% of infants are affected at any given time. Wolf. et al. [12] have reported that the following four factors are the etiologies of diaper dermatitis: (1) friction; (2) skin wetness; (3) urine and feces; and (4) micro-organisms such as bacteria and Candida sp. Carlos [3] reported wetness to be the primary problem for rashes, followed by chemical contaminants in the top sheet; thus leaving the diaper in place for a long period will generate rashes because prolonged contact between the baby and insult (particularly ammonium hydroxide, a breakdown product of urine) is the cause of diaper dermatitis. In addition, friction (skin-to-skin and skin-todiaper) may be an important predisposing factor. This is supported by the frequent predilection for the eruption of dermatitis at sites where the skin is in the closest contact with the diaper, including that of the buttocks, upper thighs, l...