Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of cotton fabric damage by tumble drying

Abrasion and heat damage to desized and scoured cotton fabric during drying in a household tumble dryer are evaluated by SEM (scanning electron micros copy) and weight and tensile/strain tests for breaking strength and elongat ion. Wet fabric dried with heat shows severe fiber damage, and wet fabric t umbled at room temperature shows less damage than with heat. Dry fabric tum bled at a high temperature, equivalent to over-drying in a dryer, shows dif ferent but still severe damage compared to wet fabric. Moisture loss patter ns during drying as a function of time or temperature indicate possible way s to minimize dryer damage by reducing unnecessary tumble-drying time and e nergy input.