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Title: THE IMPACT OF COTTON FIBER WAX, METALS AND OTHER NATURALLY OCCURING NONCELLULOSIC MATERIALS ON YARN PROCESSING PROPERTIES

Author
item Brushwood, Donald

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/28/2003
Publication Date: 9/15/2003
Citation: Brushwood, D.E. The impact of cotton fiber wax, metals and other naturally occuring noncellulosic materials on yarn processing properties. Proceedings of the Beltwide Cotton Conference, National Cotton Council, Memphis, TN. 2003. p. 2002-2010.

Interpretive Summary: Naturally occuring noncellulosic materials on raw cotton are generally considered to be surface related. Hence, they may affect fiber physical and frictional properties and the quality of yarns produced in processing. A single season collection of cottons from five U. S. growing areas that had been processed into both ring and open-end yarns and analyzed for their noncellulosic material contents and frictional properties. Very positive relationships between increases in yarn skein strength and single end yarn strength measurements and increases in the amount of fiber alcohol extractables, concentrations of the metals potassium and magnesium and RotorRing fiber-to-fiber friction values were found. High levels of the metal calcium tended to be related to decreases in yarn skein break factor and single end yarn strength. Increase in fiber wax content was highly related to decreases in fiber micronaire and rotor yarn Uster evenness thick and thin place measurements. Yarn evenness neps increased in ring spinning and decreased in open-end spinning as the fiber noncellulosic material content increased.

Technical Abstract: Surface extractable noncellulosic materials and metal contents on a series of single season domestically grown cottons that had been previously processing by ring and rotor yarn production systems were determined. Resultant concentrations were correlated with standard fiber High Volume Instrument (HVI) physical properties and produced yarn properties and spin performance. Very positive relationships were found between increasing total surface extractables and fiber/yarn strength, and decreases in short fiber content/evenness thick and thin places. Concentrations of the metals potassium and magnesium were found to be highly related to fiber and yarn color. Increasing levels of calcium tended to promote increases in measured short fiber contents and inconsistencies in produced yarns.