The fast-fashion summer garments have been accused of quickly losing shape after a few washes. This project aimed to assess how different laundering conditions affect clothing durability. The objectives are, firstly, to analyze the force-displacement behavior in fabrics using Material Testing System (MTS) and Digital ImageCorrelation (DIC) techniques; secondly, to compare the influence of spin rate, washing cycles, and temperature on clothing deformation. The experimental method primarily involves MTS measurement for force and displacement, coupled with the 2D DIC technique. First, four strips are cut 25mm x 150mm, two laterally and two longitudinally, with printed speckles. Each is attached to the grips to perform a tensile test on the MTS machine, operating at a rate of 50mm/min. The silicone sheets are used to avoid the stress concentration caused by the grips. MATLAB Ncorr
is used for 2D DIC analysis, while a microscope is employed to examine the fabric structure at different stages. The results of the tensile tests are plotted on a force-displacement curve, where“REF”, “Low”, and “High” represent unwashed, 3 washing cycles, and 10 washing cycles, respectively. The microscope images show the deformation process from stretching to breaking. The lateral strip withstands around 180Nforce with nearly 95%. The figure indicates that the primary fabric deformation occurs within the first three washing cycles, with subsequent cycles having minimal additional impact. This could be due to the initial washing cycles removing loose fibers and relaxing the fabric structure, leading to significant deformation [1]. In subsequent washing cycles, the fabric structure stabilizes and be adapted to the stress motion of the washing machine, resulting in reduced deformation. Moreover, the DIC analysis predicts the locations where the fabric ruptured by presenting numerous small high-stress concentration regions.
