The Dimensional Stability of Carpets in Installations

Abstract

Dimensional stability of floor coverings to.forces encountered under end-use conditions has not been investigated extensively, although problems of wrinkling and puckering of carpets in stretch installations arise frequently. Changes in ambient humidity occur over broad ranges in most buildings; consequently, carpets which are not stable to changes in ambient humidity may be susceptible to puckering. A test procedure based on a method adopted by the British Standards Institution was used to characterize a large number of carpets for dimensional stability to changes in ambient humidity. Several carpet construction characteristics—total weight, pile yarn type, gage, and stitch density—were found to have little relationship to stability to humidity change. Large differences in stability were observed among manufacturers. Tufted carpets having jute backings were found to be less stable than carpets manufactured with synthetic backings.