Hydrodynamic modeling of e-textile fabric washing behavior by the Coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian method

Abstract

The paper examines the washing behavior of fabric by using the finite element method (FEM) along with the Coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian (CEL) approach. Many prototypes of e-textiles with different functions have been developed for various applications in laboratories worldwide, but only a limited number of products exist on the market. The washing process, even for mild wash cycles, damages mainly conductive yarns and electrical contacts on wearable fabrics. A hydrodynamic simulation method is proposed to investigate the mechanical response of fabric during a washing cycle, using the FEM and CEL approaches with the Abaqus finite element solver. The FEM is described with the following inputs: the fabric properties; the Mie–Grüneisen equation of state (EOS) for water; the ideal gas EOS for air; the geometry of the model; the drum spin data; and the boundary conditions. The movement of fabric inside the drum and reaction forces on the drum are utilized to verify the simulations. The fabric movements that are attributed to be the reason for damage in a conductive yarn showed a typical washing response. The frictional dissipation energy results show different regions depending on the motion and interaction of the components inside the drum. Also, the contact forces were determined. These forces can be input for future damage modeling studies. The findings of the study are expected to be used in development phases of reliable e-textile products with an extended life of service and readiness for the market.

Investigation of the explosive type on the high strain forming of OFHC copper tube

“…19–21 The Eulerian elements could bear large deformations without any elemental distortion in the mesh during the simulation. 22 Thus, the Eulerian domain was used to model the air and explosive. On the other hand, the Lagrangian mesh was used to model the die and blank metal.…”

Emerging washable textronics for imminent e-waste mitigation: strategies, reliability, and perspectives

“…The overall movements are executed following three major motions such as spinning, sliding, and falling. 276 Washing speed settings from various types of washing programs (e.g. cotton, wool, and silk) have been explored by researchers to wash e-textiles.…”

“…Textronic researchers have already started using hydrodynamic washing simulations and modeling techniques to verify their analytical results by comparing input mechanical stresses, fabric properties, drum movements, and model geometry. 276 Nonetheless, a more realistic microscopic damage model should be constructed to fully realize the washing process in terms of textile yarn/ply geometries, adhesion strength of coatings, dissipation energy, and Martindale movements. It is anticipated that the adoption of a hybrid damage model can make it simple to determine the interaction of major washing inuencers on e-textile damage without additional experiments.…”

Detergency prediction in front-loading washing machines using discrete element method

“…20 However, compared with a relatively large number of experimental studies on FLWMs, only a few theoretical and computational studies have been conducted. [21][22][23][24][25] Moreover, all existing studies have focused only on the movement of fabrics in washing machines, and the detergency of washing has not been addressed. In particular, there is a lack of simulation studies on FLWMs because there is no methodology for representing the movement of fabrics in washing machines.…”

“…Coupling computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with finite element method (FEM)-based analysis is possible, however, only for cases involving one fabric owing to the difficulty of handling the collisions of fabric pieces. 25 Fluid flow is the primary driver of washing mechanics in TLWMs, whereas it considers the collisions of fabrics as secondary. However, in FLWMs, fabric collision is the main determinant of washing mechanics, whereas fluid flow is considered as secondary.…”