Study on Frictional Characteristics of Medical Wipes in Contact with Mechanical Skin Equivalents

Abstract

The optimum surface and frictional properties of textiles depend on theirspecific application. In this study, we examined the frictional behaviour of medical wipes against 15 mechanical near skin equivalents using synthetic leather material and bovine leather. The frictional behaviour characteristics, both static and kinetic, were evaluated at four different normal loads. It wasseen that the static and kinetic frictional coefficients decrease with an increasing normal load for all the reference candidatesstudied. Higherfriction was experienced forthe movement of the cotton and viscose wipe against leather than that for synthetic polyurethane (PU) and silicone material. The friction of the wipe against any equivalent skin material was found to be dependent on its surface nature and the morphology of the material against which it is in contact and moves. Friction is necessary in real-time use for a wipe to have an inherent frictional resistance for movement against skin during use.