Dynamics of cotton textile motion in a domestic tumble dryer and its effect on drying performance

Abstract

A high-speed video camera was used to track a tracer textile as it is tumbled among other textiles in a domestic tumble dryer under different operating conditions, with the aim of investigating the mechanisms by which the mechanical action is imposed on textiles and affects drying performance during drying. These mechanisms were first recognized by comparing the clothes drying process to other well-researched chemical engineering processes. From the observation of the recorded motion processes, cotton textile transverse motion can be divided into three categories and a motion index system was derived to characterize the type of motion undergone. The impact of textile transverse motion on drying performance was numerically discussed based on the results of an analysis of variance and regression analysis. Results indicated that textile dynamics with more complexity and flexibility tended to have more mixing, shortened distance of moisture migration inside the fabric layer and fewer wrinkles formed, resulting in higher potential to have a better drying performance.