The effect of fabric movement on washing performance in a front-loading washer

Abstract

Types of fabric movement inside a front-loading washer were analyzed in order to examine their effect on washing performance. A high-speed camera was used to record and track the outlines of the fabric inside a washer, and 13 movement indexes were derived. From this observation, fabric movements were divided into four categories, and the relationship between fabric movements and washing performance were examined. It was shown that the mechanical force from the complex movement where diverse fabric movements were mixed was stronger than that from the simple movement where only single fabric movement appeared. With regard to the detergency, it was also shown that complex movement was more effective than single movement. For fabric with a lower drape coefficient, there seemed to be a greater potential to generate more flexing under similar mechanical action, therefore resulting in higher washing performance.