Non-destructive evaluation of functional fabrics
The present invention provides a method for determining the functionality remaining in a functional fabric, the method comprising the steps of: providing a used functional fabric having a known original functionality, a current wear, and a current unknown functionality, providing a light source, providing a detector, optically measuring the current wear using the light source and the detector, and evaluating the current unknown functionality using a correlation that expresses the current unknown functionality as a function of the current wear, optionally the detector further comprises a digital camera, and wherein the method further comprises the step of: obtaining a magnified image of the functional fabric and quantifying the fractal dimension using a box-method fractal analysis on the image. The method may be applied the insecticide treated fabrics.
1. A method for determining functionality remaining in a functional fabric, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a used functional fabric having a known original functionality, a current wear, and a current unknown functionality, wherein functionality is insect repellency, insect mortality, insect knockdown or antimicrobial activity,
(b) providing a light source,
(c) providing a detector,
(d) optically measuring the current wear using the light source and the detector, and
(e) evaluating the current unknown functionality using a correlation that expresses the current unknown functionality versus the current wear.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:
(f) aligning the light source, the detector and the functional fabric and measuring reflectance of the light source off of the functional fabric, wherein the light source [ 20 ] is aligned relative to the functional fabric [ 10 ] at a first angle [ 21 ], wherein the first angle is from 0 to 180 degrees; and wherein the detector [ 30 ] is aligned relative to the light source at a second angle [ 22 ], wherein the second angle is from 0 to 180 degrees, wherein a sum of the first angle plus the second angle is at most 180 degrees.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:
(f) aligning the light source, the detector and the functional fabric and measuring a transmittance of the light source through the functional fabric, wherein the light source [ 120 ] is aligned relative to the functional fabric [ 110 ] at a first angle [ 121 ], wherein the first angle is about 90 degrees; and wherein the detector [ 130 ] is aligned relative to the light source at a second angle [ 122 ], wherein the second angle is from −5 to 5 degrees, wherein a sum of the first angle plus the second angle is at most 180 degrees.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the optically measuring the current wear using the light source and the detector further comprises a color temperature measurement.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the light source emits light with a wavelength from 10 nanometers to 100 micrometers.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the light source emits lights with a wavelength from 10 nanometers to 400 nanometers.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the light source emits light with a wavelength from 700 nanometers to 100 micrometers.
8. The method of claim 1 , where the light source emits light with essentially a single wavelength.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the functionality is insect repellency or mortality derived from an insecticide or an insect repellent.
10. The method of claim 9 , where the insecticide or insect repellent comprises a pyrethroid.
11. The method of claim 10 , where the insecticide or insect repellent comprises permethrin.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detector further comprises a digital camera, and wherein the method further comprises the step of:
(f) obtaining a magnified image of the functional fabric and quantifying a fractal dimension using a box-method fractal analysis on the image.
13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of:
(g) aligning the light source, the detector and the functional fabric and measuring a reflectance of the light source off the functional fabric.
14. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of:
(g) aligning the light source, the detector and the functional fabric and measuring a transmittance of the light source through the functional fabric.
15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of:
(h) measuring the transmittance of the light source through a reference material and quantifying the intensity or spectral distribution of the light source.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the digital camera is a smartphone, and wherein the step of obtaining an image of the functional fabric and quantifying a fractal dimension using a box-method fractal analysis on the image is performed using the smartphone.
17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:
(g) aligning the light source, the detector and the functional fabric and measuring a transmittance of the light source through the functional fabric.
18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of:
(h) measuring the transmittance of the light source through a reference material and quantifying the intensity or spectral distribution of the light source.