Determination of Porosity of Textiles with an Uneven Pore Size

The research studies in the porosity of textile macrostructures have always been relevant, but they have undergone significant progress with the development of optical devices and computer facilities. The main reason for this continuous interest is the strong correlation between textile porosity and the transfer of heat, fluids, and matter. Adequate porosity determination is needed for estimation of the influence of the macrostructure’s parameters on the transfer abilities of the textiles and their adequate design. The present study aims to experimentally determine the porosity of textile macrostructures with uneven pores, using image analysis. Microscopic images of seven fabrics were converted to binary images, and the pore content was assessed. The results were verified with a classical method for the determination of porosity of woven macrostructures. The obtained results show a very good correlation with the theoretical porosity of woven macrostructures. The proposed image analysis can be used for the determination of porosity of other types of textile macrostructures with uneven pore size.