Investigation on polyester woven fabric damage by tumble drying

The main goal of this study is to examine drying practices in order to make an objective evaluation of polyester woven fabric properties after several cycles of tumble-drying. Abrasion damage to polyester woven fabric during drying in a household tumble dryer are evaluated by SEM (scanning electron microscopy), smoothness appearance, dimensional stability and strain tests. Results showed that the surface of polyester fiber presented various damages after suffering from abrasion for a series of drying cycles, including peeling off, fragments flaking, spots and wrinkles, but no obvious fiber fracture or crack was found. And found that drying had little effect on smoothness appearance, dimensional stability and tensile strength. This indicated that drying had no overall effect on fabric physical and mechanical properties. Moreover, moisture loss patterns during drying as a function of time or temperature indicate possible ways to minimize dryer abrasion damage by reducing unnecessary tumble-drying time. This founding is helpful to understand of damage mechanism of polyester woven fabrics drying in dryer and proves that using tumble dryer to dry polyester woven fabrics is possible and effective.

Automated summary

The study aims to objectively evaluate the properties of polyester woven fabric after several cycles of tumble-drying by examining drying practices. The evaluation includes SEM analysis, smoothness appearance, dimensional stability, and strain tests to assess abrasion damage to the fabric. The results showed various damages on the polyester fiber surface after multiple drying cycles, but overall, drying had little effect on the fabric's physical and mechanical properties. The moisture loss patterns during drying provide insights into minimizing dryer abrasion damage by reducing unnecessary drying time.