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Abstract

The first section of this paper examines some of the major causes of appearance loss in tufted pile carpets due to foot traffic. The effects of shading, loss of tuft definition, fiber damage, and other factors are discussed, and a brief review is given of existing research in this field. The second section concerns a visual and microscopical study of nylon and polyester cut-pile carpets following wear trials in the traffic range 0- 100,000 treads. Optical and scanning electron microscopy are used to assess changes in pile geometry and the significance of fiber damage. The relative performance of nylon and polyester carpets is discussed in light of the differing mechanical properties of the two fiber types, in particular, the higher recoverability of nylon from large deformations. An interesting observation is the relatively poor retention of tuft defi nition in the nylon carpet, for which a possible explanation is offered in terms of fi ber crimp.

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Changes Due to Wear in Tufted Pile Carpets

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