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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Cotton Ginning Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #236643
Title: Diagramming the path of a seed coat fragment on experimental lint cleaner grid bars

Author
item Armijo, Carlos
item Whitelock, Derek
item Hughs, Sidney
item BARNES, EDWARD - COTTON, INC.
item GILLUM, MARVIS - RETIRED ARS

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/13/2009
Publication Date: 5/15/2009
Citation: Armijo, C.B., Whitelock, D.P., Hughs, S.E., Barnes, E.M., Gillum, M.N. 2009. Diagramming the path of a seed coat fragment on experimental lint cleaner grid bars. National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference. 2009 CD 521-530.

Interpretive Summary: Seed coat fragments that remain in the lint after the ginning process decrease spinning efficiency at the textile mill, and ultimately affect the quality of finished goods. An experiment was conducted to determine how a seed coat fragment reacts after colliding with newly-designed grid bars mounted on a lint cleaner simulator. Results showed that grid bars with shapes that differ from conventional lint cleaner grid bars were effective in removing a seed coat fragment. Future work includes building and testing replicas of the experimental grid bars on a conventional lint cleaner. Reducing seed coat fragments in ginned lint will provide the producer with a profitable and desirable fiber.

Technical Abstract: An experiment was run to determine how a seed coat fragment reacts after colliding with newly-designed grid bars mounted on a lint cleaner simulator. A high-speed video camera recorded the action that took place. Ten experimental grid bars were used in the test. The included angle of the sharp toe of the grid bars (or the clockwise angle from vertical) ranged from 30' to 105' in 15-degree increments. A rounded grid bar with about a 0.76 mm (0.030 in) radius was also included in the test. Results showed that grid bars that had an included angle of the sharp toe of the grid bar larger than the included angle found on conventional grid bars appeared to adequately remove a seed coat fragment. Also, grid bars that had a second corner a short distance from the toe of the grid bar appeared to do a faster and cleaner job of removing the seed coat fragment the fiber bundle. Embedding a small groove onto the impact surface of an experimental grid bar did not help in removing the seed coat fragment. Future work includes analyzing the velocity and acceleration of the seed coat fragment after impact with the grid bar, and building and testing full-size replicas of the experimental grid bars and testing them on a conventional saw-type lint cleaner.