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ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Cotton Structure and Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #199676
Title: FIAS, A NEW METHOD OF FIBER MATURITY MEASUREMENT, IS IT A GOOD INDICATOR OF WHITE SPECK NEPS?

Author
item Bel, Patricia
item XU, BUGAU - U OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
item Thibodeaux, Devron
item Schexnayder, Mia

Submitted to: Autex World Textile Conference, Working Together... Academia, Industry, and Government
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/13/2006
Publication Date: 6/12/2006
Citation: Bel Berger, P., Xu, B., Thibodeaux, D.P., Schexnayder, M.T. 2006. Fias, a new method of fiber maturity measurement, is it a good indicator of white speck neps? 6th International AUTEX Conference. Raleigh, NC. p. 1-12.

Interpretive Summary: FIAS (Fiber Image Analysis System) was developed as a relatively high-speed method of measuring fiber maturity looking at ribbon width instead of the much slower method of making, cutting and analyzing cross-sections. An uncombed cotton sample is chopped and sprayed on a slide and then measured under the microscope using image analysis. The highly transmissive sections are detected by the system as “dead” fiber. These dead fibers become the dye defects known as white speck neps in finished fabrics. This work compares maturity measurements from bale fiber samples to the level of white specks on dyed fabrics. Five representative cotton from the 21 US cottons from the 2001 crop year study have a wide range of white speck neps in the fabric. They were processed identically in the mill through dyeing. We report here preliminary FIAS maturity data on these cottons and compare them to cross-section maturity data and white speck levels determined by image analysis.

Technical Abstract: Fineness and maturity parameters of cotton fibers are often derived from measurements of cotton fiber cross-sections. Currently, image analysis is used to measure cross sectional properties of cotton fibers such as total area, cellulose area, lumen area, fiber perimeter, lumen perimeter, circularity and calculated micronaire. Procedures for analysis include preparing a bundle of parallel fibers by carefully combing the representative tuft taken from the large sample, imbedding the fibers, followed by thin sectioning and then image analysis of the cross sections. Combing is known to remove neps. Most neps are composed of highly immature or “dead” fiber and because of combing, the cross section data may not include the maturity of those fibers and past studies have shown poor correlation to the level of white specks (undyed fiber neps) in dyed fabrics. FIAS (Fiber Image Analysis System) was developed as a relatively high-speed method of measuring fiber maturity looking at ribbon width instead of the much slower method of making, cutting and analyzing cross-sections. An uncombed cotton sample is chopped and sprayed on a slide and then measured under the microscope using image analysis. The highly transmissive sections are detected by the system as “dead” fiber. These dead fibers become the dye defects known as white speck neps in finished fabrics. This work compares maturity measurements from bale fiber samples to the level of white specks on dyed fabrics. The 21 US cottons from the 2001 crop year have a wide range of white speck neps in the fabric. They were processed identically in the mill through dyeing. We report here preliminary FIAS maturity data on these cottons and compare them to cross-section maturity data and white speck levels determined by image analysis.