Abstract
White specks are fiber clusters that appear as small whiteflecks on dyed fabrics. Their minute size and depth of shade increases thesubjectivity and complexity of detecting and/or measuring them. No standardmethods exist to quantify the level of white specks. Image analysis wasevaluated as a means to measure white specks in order to remove subjectivityfrom the classification of manual dye defects. This paper provides systematic procedures for the evaluation of white specks on dyed fabrics. Software,hardware, and methods to obtain the white speck count, average size, and percentagewhite area are discussed in detail. The Optimas 5.2 software program uses a computer, two monitors, a video camera, and a photographic camera stand. Thestudy involved eight plain weave fabrics each with visually distinct levels of whitespeck content. These fabrics were initially used to identify the system andsoftware best suited for white speck quantification. The manual thresholding methodwas precise for one operator, but showed significant differences betweenoperators. The fabrics were evaluated for their white speck content using themanual thresholding method (very operator dependent), and again using the newauto-thresholding method to minimize operator input. The auto-thresholdingmethod uses light meters to maintain constant lighting levels and thenautomatically sets the threshold levels. The system detected different levelsof white specks for these fabrics as expected. The auto-thresholding method wasmore accurate in actual count of white specks than the manual method. Thismeasurement system gives the textile industry a standard tool and procedure to measure fabric appearance. White speck measurements are necessary not to correctthe problem on the finished fabric, but as a way to measure changes in levelsof white specks as a result of breeding, fields, ginning, and mill processing studies.
Originally published in The Journal of Cotton Science:
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