The main objective of this research was to develop a knowledge base for tracing defects in woven fabrics to their origins. The following items were carried out to accomplish this objective:

1. A Unified List of defects in woven fabrics was proposed. The list was assembled from the names of fabric defects obtained from industrial and published reference sources. Specifically, this list pertains to plain weave sheeting and print cloth types of fabrics.
2. An attempt was made to define the characteristics of these defects; these descriptions help in identifying the defects.
3. Plausible sources for these defects were identified along with suitable remedies were applicable.
4. Knowledge about ten of the most commonly reported defects from an actual operation were incorporated in an expert system shell on the IBM 4341, and the feasibility of this approach was demonstrated.
5. An economic analysis was carried out to illustrate the need for controlling defects and the viability of the expert system approach to analyzing woven fabric defects in a textile plant.

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