Fractal geometry is used to objectively evaluate the surface ruggedness of
fabric wrinkles and seam puckers. To measure the fractal dimension (FD) of
wrinkles and puckers, both the spatial cubical box-counting method and the
cross-sectional method are employed. The results of the fractal dimensions
of wrinkles and puckers are compared with subjective evaluations of the AAT
CC rating method, and they show that the new objective fractal dimension gi
ves a quantitative practical value for evaluating fabric wrinkles and seam
puckers with more accuracy and reproducibility. Thus, the fractal dimension
can be used to evaluate the surface ruggedness of wrinkles and puckers. Re
liable objective five-rating and ten-rating methods using the fractal dimen
sion are suggested as substitutes for the conventional subjective AATCC fiv
e-rating test method to establish a new industrial standard.