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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #175548
Title: THE EFFECT OF AGEING ON COTTON FIBER FRICTION

Author
item Gamble, Gary

Submitted to: Journal of Cotton Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/1/2006
Publication Date: 4/1/2007
Citation: Gamble, G.R. 2007. The effect of ageing on cotton fiber friction. Journal of Cotton Science. 11:98-103.

Interpretive Summary: THE EFFECT OF EXTENDED WAREHOUSE HAS ON THE ABILITY TO PROCESS COTTON FIBER INTO A QUALITY YARN HAS NOT BEEN EXTENSIVELY INVESTIGATED. IN THE PRESENT STUDY, CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS OF COTTON FIBER WERE TAKEN BEFORE AND AFTER A 2 YEAR STORAGE PERIOD. THESE MEASUREMENTS WERE COMPARED TO FIBER PROCESSING ABILITY AS MEASURED BY THE AMOUNT OF FRICTION EXPERIENCED BY THE FIBER DURING PROCESSING. RESULTS INDICATE THAT STORED COTTON UNDERGOES A CHANGE IN SURFACE MOISTURE CONTENT WHICH IS ACCOMPANIED BY A CHANGE IN FIBER FRICTION DUE TO INCREASED ELECTROSTATIC FORCES. KNOWLEDGE OF THIS BEHAVIOR WILL AID THE INDUSTRY BY ALLOWING THE PREDICTION OF COTTON PROCESSING PERFORMANCE AS A RESULT OF WAREHOUSE STORAGE, AS WELL AS OPTIMIZING THIS PERFORMANCE THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF ANTI-ELECTROSTATIC AGENTS TO THE FIBER PRIOR TO PROCESSING.

Technical Abstract: THE EFFECTS OF AGEING AS A RESULT OF EXTENDED WAREHOUSE STORAGE ON COTTON FIBER PROCESSING CHARACTERISTICS HAVE NOT BEEN EXTENSIVELY INVESTIGATED. THE PRESENT STUDY ATTEMPTS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE BY CHARACTERIZING SOME OF THE CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL FACTORS OF THE COTTON FIBER BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER STORAGE FOR A PERIOD OF 2 YEARS, AND TO COMPARE ANY CHANGES WHICH OCCUR TO ANY CHANGES OBSERVED IN FIBER PROCESSABILITY AS DETERMINED FROM FIBER FRICTION MEASUREMENTS. RESULTS INDICATE THAT SUBSEQUENT TO STORAGE, FIBER FRICTION EXPERIENCES A LARGE INCREASE, AND THAT THIS INCREASE IN FRICTION IS ACCOMPANIED BY A CONCOMITANT DECREASE IN FIBER MOISTURE CONTENT WITH A HIGH DEGREE OF CORRELATION. THE CHANGE IN MOISTURE CONTENT THUS APPEARS TO BE DIRECTLY RELATED TO FIBER FRICTION, AND SUPPLEMENTARY EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT THIS MOISTURE LOSS IS DUE TO THE CONVERSION OF HYGROSCOPIC SURFACE SALTS BY FUNGI. THIS DECREASE IN MOISTURE ON THE SURFACE OF THE FIBER CAUSES AN INCREASE IN ELECTROSTATIC POTENTIAL DURING PROCESSING, LEADING TO THE OBSERVED INCREASE IN FRICTION. KNOWLEDGE OF THIS AGEING BEHAVIOR WILL AID IN THE PREDICTION OF PROCESSING PERFORMANCE OF STORED COTTON AS WELL AS POSSIBLE TUNING OF PERFORMANCE VIA THE APPLICATION OF ANTI-ELECTROSTATIC AGENTS TO THE FIBER.