Advances in Topographic Characterization of Textile Materials

Abstract

All textile materials, having periodic surfaces, show horizontal and vertical repetitive unities. For this reason, different length scales have to be taken into account by interpreting topographic data measured. In this study, a topographical characterization method for textile materials at different length scales is presented and justified. The topographical study of textile materials using different length scales permits us to characterize the surfaces considering their specific morphologies due to the type of weave, yarn and filament/ fibers separately. The use of a scale concept to characterize textile surfaces seems to be a new skill that helps to correlate textile parameters, topography, and topographical changes with interface phenomena such as spreading, wetting, capillary penetration, and soil release.