Surface roughness measurement of nonwovens using three-dimensional profile data

The surface friction property changes of nonwovens under repetitive abrasions were observed. Surface data were acquired using a three-dimensional noncontact camera and fractal dimensions were calculated to evaluate surface roughness. The fractal dimensions showed a tendency to increase with the number of abrasions. They were compared with surface friction values measured by KES-FB system [Textile Res. J. 58(3), 129-136, 1988]. Pilling on the nonwoven surface prohibited accurate surface roughness neasurement, so they were detected using high-pass filtering of the surface data. The method needs instant measurment time and is highly objective, and therefore it is suitable for real-time on-line manufacturing systems.