Frictional Characteristics of Woven and Nonwoven Wipes

Demand for the fabric wipes is growing continuously. Wipes in industry are used for cleaning purpose. Cleaning involves rubbing action, so it is very important to know how much frictional force is encountered during the cleaning action. In this study the effects of normal load, sliding speed on frictional characteristics of nonwoven and woven wipes, both dry and wetted with different liquids, against glass and floor tile surfaces have been reported. With the increase in the normal load the coefficient of friction goes on decreasing for both nonwoven and woven wipes and this trend is observed in both dry and wet wipes. The coefficient of friction of both nonwoven and woven wipes against glass surface is in general higher than the floor tile surface. The wipes wetted with water shows an increase in coefficient of friction as compared to dry sample, but there is reduction in the coefficient of friction when the wipe samples are wetted with vegetable oil. In case of dry wipes, the coefficient of friction in case of nonwoven wipe is higher than the woven wipe. In case of woven wipes, the ranges of coefficient of friction either due to change in liquid type, normal load or sliding speed are in general smaller than that in case of nonwoven fabrics.