Cotton fibre cross-section properties

Authors: GORDON, S - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO); Rodgers Iii, James

Submitted to: Cotton Fibres: Characteristics, Uses and Performance
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/12/2016
Publication Date: 4/2/2017
Citation: Gordon, S.G., Rodgers III, J.E. 2017. Cotton fibre cross-section properties. In: Gordon,S.,Abidi,N.,editors. Cotton Fibres: Characteristics, Uses and Performance. Hauppauge, New York: Nova Science Publishers,Inc. p. 65-86.

Interpretive Summary: From a structural perspective the cotton fibre is a singularly discrete, elongated plant cell with no junctions or inter-cellular boundaries. Its form in nature is essentially unadulterated from the field to the spinning mill where its cross-section properties, as for any textile fibre, are central in determining the properties of the yarn and fabric made from it. However, because the fibre is a plant cell its cross-section geometry includes a cell wall and a hollow cavity called the lumen. The dimensions of these features in any fibre sample are continuously distributed according to a normal probability distribution, albeit skewed according to the environment under which the cell develops. Thus a cotton fibre’s cross-sectional shape, which is hollowed, irregular and highly variable between individual fibres, brings challenges in measurement. In contrast, the equivalent properties of man-made fibres that compete with cotton, e.g. polyester, are more easily described because of their uniform symmetry and because they are usually solid.

Technical Abstract: From a structural perspective the cotton fibre is a singularly discrete, elongated plant cell with no junctions or inter-cellular boundaries. Its form in nature is essentially unadulterated from the field to the spinning mill where its cross-section properties, as for any textile fibre, are central in determining the properties of the yarn and fabric made from it. However, because the fibre is a plant cell its cross-section geometry includes a cell wall and a hollow cavity called the lumen. The dimensions of these features in any fibre sample are continuously distributed according to a normal probability distribution, albeit skewed according to the environment under which the cell develops. Thus a cotton fibre’s cross-sectional shape, which is hollowed, irregular and highly variable between individual fibres, brings challenges in measurement. In contrast, the equivalent properties of man-made fibres that compete with cotton, e.g. polyester, are more easily described because of their uniform symmetry and because they are usually solid.