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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Cotton Ginning Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #99224
Title: PRELIMINARY COMPARISON OF THE IMPACT OF MODERN GIN STANDS ON SHORT FIBER CONTENT AND NEPS

Author
item Buser, Michael

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/31/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: Buser, M.D. 1999. Preliminary comparison of the impact of modern gin stands on short fiber content and neps. National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference. Vol. 2: 1389-1391.

Interpretive Summary: Fiber quality is a primary concern in the cotton industry. In ginning, saw-type gin stands are the most common machines used to separate the fiber from the seed and are a primary source of fiber damage. During the last 40 years, gin stand designs have become more compact creating high ginning rates. A preliminary evaluation of the effects of modern gin stands on fiber quality was performed to determine if these modern designs produce greater fiber damage than their predecessors. Fiber analyses from this test showed that modern gin stands produce more fiber damage than previous designs. Based on this test, additional research to verify these results and to determine the effect of primary design components on fiber quality will be performed. This research will ultimately lead to a better understanding of the effect of modern gin stand design on fiber quality and development of alternative designs to reduce fiber damage associated with ginning.

Technical Abstract: A preliminary evaluation of the effects of modern gin stands on neps and short fiber content was conducted. The study consisted of 350-pound replicated lots of one cotton variety ginned on five different gin stands at normal ginning rates. Fiber moisture contents averaged 6.6% for the study. Total nep count per gram from gin stand A was significantly higher than those attained from stand D. Short fiber content by weight was significantly higher for stand E as compared to stand D and short fiber content by number was significantly higher for stands A and E than those attained from stand D. In essence, different gin stands produce different levels of neps and short fiber. Further studies will be conducted to substantiate these results on a broader spectrum of cottons and gin stand operating parameters, and to isolate the causative factors.