Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Cotton Structure and Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #377025
Research Project: Improved Quality Assessments of Cotton from Fiber to Final Products

Location: Cotton Structure and Quality Research

Title: Assessment of cotton fibre length measurement methods

Author
item VAN DER SLUIJS, MARINUS - Deakin University
item Delhom, Christopher - Chris
item MARTIN, VIKKI - Non ARS Employee

Submitted to: Journal of Textile Institute
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/26/2020
Publication Date: 9/15/2020
Citation: Van Der Sluijs, M.H., Delhom, C.D., Martin, V.B. 2020. Assessment of cotton fibre length measurement methods. Journal of Textile Institute. 1-13. Available https://doi.org/10.1080/00405000.2020.1816684.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00405000.2020.1816684

Interpretive Summary: Length is one of the most important fibre properties in the valuation and processing of cotton. Recently, there has been interest in assessing the distribution of length in a fibre sample and other measurement parameters in addition to the mean value. A set of cottons representing a wide range of mean lengths was acquired for testing on an array of established and new methods. Positive and significant relationships were found between most fibre length measurements performed by the established methods. Measurement of short fibre content was the weakest area of agreement between established methods. The new methods showed positive and significant relationships between the fibre length measurements, including the measurement of short fibre content. The new methods offer a compromise between the speed and accuracy of short fibre content measurement by conventional methods. The new methods are more time consuming, but more accurate. Further investigation of the new methods is needed to determine how to utilize these methods to improve conventional cotton testing.

Technical Abstract: This study was conducted to explore new opportunities to deliver accurate and reliable measurements in terms of fibre length and distribution . Ten samples of cotton fibre with a wide range of mean length ranging from 24.28 to 32.38 mm and a short fibre content ranging from 7.3 to 17.4% were selected to compare the effectiveness and relationships among established, new, and unconventional testing methods for fibre length. In Part 1 of the study, the fibre was tested using the more traditional methods, which include HVI, AFIS, and Suter-Webb array. The results showed that there were strong positive and significant relationships between the various fibre length measurements provided by the three methods. Although there were moderate relationships between short fibre content as measured by HVI and AFIS, the relationship with Suter-Webb array was low and negative. In Part 2 of the study, cotton sliver, produced from the above-mentioned fibre was tested on AFIS, Almeter AL101, Fibrotest and OFDA 4000. The results showed that there was no significant fibre damage when processing the fibre into sliver, and there were also moderate and strong positive relationships between all the length measurements, including short fibre content as measured by AFIS, AlmeterAL101, Fibrotest and OFDA 4000.