Surface Roughness Measurement of Weft Knitted Fabrics Using Image Processing

Abstract

This paper focuses on measuring the roughness of knitted fabrics using a non-contact method. Research on objectifying the handle of textile fabrics is a very important factor in textile and garment manufacturing and retailing industries. Fabric handle is influenced by mechanical and surface properties. The KES-F system is a standard objectified method among different measurement methods. However, the KES-F system is time-consuming, and the translation of the data measured is difficult. In addition, the KES-F method as a contact-method is more easily affected by environmental conditions, such as moisture, and is not suitable as an on-line system in the manufacturing process. Hence the surface roughness of knitted fabrics without any deformation was measured by a non-contact method using a high resolution scanner. The data was controlled on a computer by using MATLAB software to obtain the roughness index. The results were compared with the surface characteristic values (SMD) measured by the KES-F system. The findings show a good correlation between fabric roughness values measured by the two different methods. Moreover, a negative correlation coefficient shows that the roughness value measured by Kawabata changes reversely proportional to those measured by the image processing method. Finally, the non-contact measurement of fabric roughness using a high resolution scanner is useful for the description of fabric roughness.