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Title: A Comparison of Methods for Measuring the Short Fiber Content of Cotton

Author
item Thibodeaux, Devron
item SENTER, HERMAN - CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
item KNOWLTON, JAMES - USDA-AMS
item Cui, Xiaoliang

Submitted to: Journal of Cotton Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/24/2008
Publication Date: 10/16/2008
Citation: Thibodeaux, D.P., Senter, H., Knowlton, J., Cui, X. 2008. A Comparison of Methods for Measuring the Short Fiber Content of Cotton. Journal of Cotton Science.12:298-305.

Interpretive Summary: Twenty-nine bales of cotton with short fiber content ranging from about five to twenty-five percent were selected for the purpose of comparing the effectiveness and relationships between current test methods for fiber length and short fiber. These various instruments/methods used to measure short fiber included: HVI, AFIS, and Suter-Webb array. Comparisons between the three methods indicate that they all correlate well with each other. The Suter-Webb array technique gives higher estimates of short fiber content than those of HVI and AFIS, and show greater discrimination among the samples. Highly significant regression models were developed to predict short fiber content from HVI parameters. The most significant predictor is HVI uniformity. Short fiber by the array method shows a good linear correlation with uniformity. The AFIS short fiber by weight shows an excellent correlation with a linear combination of uniformity, strength, and micronaire. The reciprocal of HVI short fiber index shows an outstanding correlation with a linear combination of uniformity and length.

Technical Abstract: The presence of excess amounts of short fibers can cause significant problems for the spinner including excess waste, loss of yarn strength, increases in ends-down, and yarn defects. Twenty-nine bales of cotton with a wide range of short fiber content were selected for the purpose of comparing the effectiveness and relationships between current test methods for fiber length. The methods used to measure short fiber included: HVI, AFIS, and Suter-Webb array analysis. Comparisons between the three methods indicate that they all correlate well with each other. Highly significant regression models were developed to predict short fiber content from HVI parameters. The most significant predictor is HVI uniformity. Short fiber by the array method shows a good linear correlation with uniformity, gives higher estimates of short fiber content than those of HVI and AFIS, and show greater discrimination among the samples. The AFIS short fiber by weight shows an excellent correlation with a linear combination of uniformity, strength, and micronaire. The reciprocal of HVI short fiber index shows an outstanding correlation with a linear combination of uniformity and length.