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Title: Precision of the upgraded cottonscan instrument for measuring the average fiber linear density (fineness) of cotton lint samples

Author
item ABBOTT, A.M. - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item HEQUET, ERIC - Texas Tech University
item HIGGERSON, G.J. - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item LUCAS, S.R. - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item NAYLOR, GEOFF - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item Thibodeaux, Devron

Submitted to: Textile Research Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/15/2011
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: An instrument called the CottonscanTM has been developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) of Australia. The CottonscanTM measures the fineness or mass per unit length of cotton fibres. The present work documents a trial wherein five of these instruments were used to process the same identical five samples of cotton. Three of the instruments were located at CSIRO, one was at the Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX and the fifth was at the USDA Cotton Quality Research Station in Clemson. This study essentially duplicated a previous study conducted with the first version of the instrument. The present work examines a designeed and engineering upgrade that increased the speed of operation of the instrument. We have ascertained that the upgrade has not affected the precision of the instrument.

Technical Abstract: An inter-laboratory trial was conducted to validate the operation of the CottonscanTM technology as useful technique for determining the average fiber linear density of cotton. A significant inter-laboratory trial was completed and confirmed that the technology is quite acceptable. For fibers finer than 200mtex, the 95% confidence limit for a single measurement was estimated to be ± 12 mTex. A significant upgrade to the technology has been introduced to increase its speed of operation, reducing the cycle time from approximately six minutes to one minute. The CottonscanTM technology is now being used routinely at CSIRO in a number of on-farm and post-harvest research projects.