The effects of the fabric properties on fabric movement and the prediction of the fabric movements in a front-loading washer

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of the fabric properties on fabric movement and to suggest a prediction model for the fabric movements in a front-loading washer. During a wash cycle, the fabric moves in many different ways depending on the mechanical and physiochemical properties of the fabric. In this study, 14 different fabrics were measured for their mechanical and physiochemical properties by the Kawabata Evaluation System (KES) and the water absorption test. From the observation of the fabric movements in the washer, 13 movement indexes were derived, and the relationships between the fabric properties and fabric movements were studied. The critical fabric properties that affected the fabric movements were determined by the analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) and the post hoc test using the Scheffe method. The major fabric properties that affected fabric movements were found to be fabric weight, drape coefficient, water content, shear recovery, compression linearity, and energy required for compression. These fabric properties were investigated for their relation with the fabric movement indexes. The predicting models for fabric movements were suggested by the multi-linear regression equations.