Innovative Approach to Textile Pilling Assessment Using Uniform Digital Imaging

During use, the surface of textile fabrics is prone to wear, which can cause changes such as pilling. Pilling (entanglement of fibers) is primarily assessed using the standard visual method EN ISO 12945-4:2020, but it can also be quantitatively measured by instrumental methods with image analysis software. Due to non-uniform digital imaging conditions, such as variations in magnification and analyzed surface area, the assessed area is often inconsistent. As a result, the total percentage of the fabric specimen surface area covered with pills is often omitted. To ensure uniform digital imaging, an innovative apparatus was designed and constructed in this research and applied to woven fabrics made from 100% cotton, wool, viscose, polyamide 6.6, polyester, and acrylic fiber. Pilling in the fabric specimens was induced by rubbing with the Martindale pilling tester (EN ISO 12945-2:2020) using two different abradant materials, through predefined pilling rubs ranging from 125 to 30,000. Pilling assessment was conducted using both the visual method and the improved instrumental method, following established grading classes based on the total percentage of the fabric specimen surface area covered with pills. The research results highlight the importance of uniform digital imaging and digital grading, as these demonstrate the high comparability of pilling grades assigned by the standard visual method while providing better distinction between consecutive grades.