An Automated System for Estimating GSM Value of Fabrics using Beta Particle Absorption Characteristics

Grams per square meter (GSM) or Grammage is an ISO-recommended term to express the mass per unit area of papers, metal sheets, plastic-made products, and fabric materials. GSM tests are widely used in the textile industry to measure GSM of knitted fabrics, and to ensure quality and other standard fabrics' specifications. Meanwhile, most textile organizations prefer the manual GSM measuring procedure, which leads to many disadvantages, including fabric wastage. An automated non-contact type fabric Grammage measuring method is proposed as an alternative solution for this industrial issue. This paper introduces mathematical models for determining GSM values based on beta particle absorption characteristics of three selected fabrics. Moreover, this study discusses a real-time GSM measuring system, which utilizes the generated mathematical models. Through this paper, developed mathematical models are investigated over the goodness of fit parameters. Developed models are appropriate for GSM value estimation with R2 values over 0.99, and lower Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) Values. Error percentages obtained during the validation of these mathematical models are less than 1% for all fabric types.