New Manual of Fiber Science Revised (Tet)

Laboratory Manual Fiber science
National Textile University

TE-3112
FIBER SCIENCE
Spring 2021
Laboratory Manual
National Textile University, Faisalabad

http://www.ntu.edu.pk
National Textile University
Sheikhupura Road Faisalabad
Copyright 2014 National Textile University
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Laboratory Schedule
Sr. No. Title of Practical Week

Overview of the Physical Testing lab, and analyze the standard
1. 1st
Temperature and R.H% for substrate Testing.
Determination of moisture regain, moisture content, correct invoice
2. 2nd
weight of cotton fiber lot of 7000 Kg.
Determination of cotton fibre 2.5 % Span Length, 50 % Span Length, UR
3. 3rd
% short fibre contents percentage on Spinlab Fibrograph 530
4.
Determination of standard test method for linear density of textile fibers. 4th
Determination of standard test method for crimp frequency of Kevlar
5. 5th
staple fibers.
Identification of cotton fiber, viscose rayon (both physical and chemical
6. 6th
test)
7. Identification of nylon, polyester (both physical and chemical test). 7th
8. Identification of Wool, Acrylic (both physical and chemical test). 8th
9. Identification of Jute fibers (both physical and chemical method) 9th
10. Determination of blend ratio of given polyester cotton blended sample 10th
11. Determination of cotton fiber fineness on spin lab Micronaire 675 11th
12. Determination of cotton fiber maturity through Spin lab Fibro-graph 530. 12th
13. Determination of cotton fiber bundle strength by pressley strength tester 13th
Determination of cotton fiber properties by High volume instrument
14. 14h
HVI)
15. Determination of cotton Trash% by Shirley analyzer 15th
16. Repeat All the practical by Students 16th
17. FINAL VIVA BY FACULTY 17th
Practical #1
Title
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Overview of the Physical Testing lab, and analyze the standard Temperature and R.H% for
substrate Testing.
Theory
Temperature and humidity have an obvious influence on the characteristics and properties of
textile fibers. Under different temperature and humidity conditions, textile test items, such as
breaking strength, uniformity of strips, thread density, pilling, static electricity, etc. will show
different test results. In order to ensure the validity of the test data, facilitate data statistics and
analysis, and promote the smooth conduct of both sides of the textile trade, ISO has developed
ISO 139 “Standard Atmosphere for Conditioning and Testing of Textiles”.
Effect of temperature and RH on the moisture absorption of cotton fibers
Cotton fibers have good moisture absorption, due to the different maturity of cotton fibers, the
size and amount of fiber curl varies, the moisture absorption varies. As the relative humidity of
the environment increases, the moisture absorption of the fibers will increase. In the case of
constant relative humidity, the moisture absorption of the fibers will decrease as the temperature
increases.
The effect of temperature and relative humidity on the strength of cotton fibers
Temperature and relative humidity affect the strength of cotton fibers; especially the relative
humidity has a significant effect on the strength of cotton fibers. When the relative humidity of
cotton fibers are in the range of 44% to 70%, the strength of the fibers changes more
significantly with the increase in relative humidity.
The effect of temperature and relative humidity on the elongation and softness of cotton
fibres
When cotton fibers are subjected to the tensile action of external forces, a corresponding
elongation deformation occurs. After moisture absorption, the elongation of the fibers increases
as the distance between the fiber molecules increases, resulting in relative displacement, so that
the relative humidity increases, the softness of the fibers increases, the hardness and brittleness
decrease and the plasticity decreases. The effect of temperature on fiber elongation is less.
Standard atmosphere for conditioning and testing, temperature (20.0±2.0) ℃, relative humidity
(65.0±4.0) %.
Lab Overview
Fiber testing equipment
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 Fibrograph 530
 Micronair 675
 Pressley strength tester
 HVI (High volume instrument)
 Shirley analyzer
 Oven
 Weight balance
 Digital Microscope
Yarn testing equipment
 Wrapping Reel
 Lea strength Tester
 Digital TPI tester
 Manual TPI tester
 Uster Tensorapid
 Yarn examination board
Fabric testing equipment
 Elmendrof Tear strength tester
 ICI pilling box
 Tensile strength Tester
 Martindale Abrasion tester
 Shade box
 Stiffness tester
 Crease recovery tester
 Digital tear strength tester
 Bursting strength tester
 GSM cutter
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Standard Temperature and R.H%

Standard atmosphere for conditioning and testing, temperature (20.0±2.0) ℃, relative humidity
(65.0±4.0) %
Practical #2
Title
Determination of moisture Regain, moisture content, correct invoice weight of cotton fiber lot of
7000 Kg.
Theory
Moisture Regain:
The amount of moisture that a material is able to reabsorb after drying. Moisture
regain expressed as the weight/weight percentage (w/w %) of water in a material versus the
material's dry weight.
Moisture Regain =Weight of water/oven dry weightX100
Moisture Content:
Moisture Content: Amount of moisture present in a sample. It is the ratio between the weights of
water with the total weight of the material express in percentage.
Moisture Content= Weight of water/ (Weight of water + Dry weight) X100.
Correct invoice weight:
The weight obtained after adding standard moisture regain of the material with the oven
dry weight is called the correct invoice weight or conditioned weight. It is expressed C.I.W
C.I.W = oven dry weight [100+ Standard moisture regain/100]
Standard moisture regain for cotton is 8.5%
Importance of moisture in Textile:
All textiles are hygroscopic. That is, they absorb or release moisture depending on the relative
humidity of the surrounding air. If the atmosphere is drier than the textile’s equilibrium relative
humidity then the textile will give up its moisture to the air. If the air is very humid then the
textile’s moisture content will increase. This moisture loss and gain occurs at every stage from
the initial processing of the fibers through to final garment manufacturing, distribution and use
by the consumer.
This change in moisture content has a direct impact on the properties of textiles, such as tensile
strength, elasticity, fiber diameter and friction. A drop in the equilibrium relative humidity of a
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textile may cause it to be weaker, thinner, less elastic and therefore more brittle. It will also have
more imperfections. By maintaining the air humidity whilst processing the fibers, this loss in
moisture to the atmosphere will be minimized.
Moisture loss during processing cannot eliminated, as the act of processing will increase the
temperature of the material, which will cause it to become drier. However, by increasing the
humidity of the air surrounding the textile directly after processing, the material experiences
“regain”. Moisture reabsorbed by the textile, thus improving the quality and performance of the
fabric.
This regain also has a direct impact on the weight of the textile. As textile yarns sold by weight,
if a drop in humidity leads to a 4% reduction in weight, this will require 4% more fiber to be
included in the sale product. For a mill manufacturing 80 tons of textile per day, this can lead to
a loss of 3,200kg of product per day due to incorrect humidity control.
Material &Equipment
 Cotton fiber
 Weight balance
 Oven
 Bottle with solid and perforated cap
Procedure
 Take the cotton sample.
 Open and mix it with the hands and clean it during this process of opening and mixing.
 Select about 10-gram specimen randomly.
 Put the selected specimen of cotton in the tarred bottle.
 Close the bottle with solid cap, weigh it and record.
 Replace solid cap with perforated cap.
 Push the bottle in to the drying unit and switch on the oven.
 Remove the bottle from the drying unit after 15 minutes.
 Replace perforated cap with solid cap and weigh the bottle.
 Push the bottle in to the drying unit.
 Remove the bottle from the drying unit after 5 minutes.
 Replace perforated cap with solid cap, weigh the bottle again, and record.
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 Repeat the process of weighing after 5 minutes drying and record until there is no change
in successive weighing.
Precautions:
 Carefully use the machine.
 Do not touch the machine with hand
 Use gloves before using machine
Conclusion:
Briefly describe your findings
Practical #3
Title
Determination of cotton fiber 2.5 % Span Length, 50 % Span Length, UR % short fiber contents
percentage on Spin-lab Fibro-graph 530.
Theory:
Span Length:
Span length is the distance exceeded by a stated percentage of fibers from a random catch point
in drafting zone. 2.5% and 50% span length are the most commonly used by industry.
2.5% Span Length and 50% Span Length:
x % Span length is the distance spanned by x %of fibers in the specimen being tested when the
fibers are parallelized and randomly distributed and where the initial starting point of the
scanning in the test is considered 100%. This length is measured using “Digital Fibro-graph‘.
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Significance of 2.5% Span Length-

American dept. of agriculture shows that 2.5% span length best matches with the staple length
assessed by the classer and hence 2.5%span has become a universal standard for evaluating
cotton. 2.5 % staple length is suitable for the spinning process.
The South India Textile Research Association (SITRA) gives the following empirical
relationships to estimate the Effective Length and Mean Length from the Span lengths.
Effective length = 1.013 x 2.5% span length +4.39
Mean length = 1.242 x 50% span length + 9.78
Uniformity Ratio:
The ratio between 50% span length and 2.5% span length is called uniformity ratio, express as
a percentage.
Uniformity ratio= 50% span length /2.5% span length x 100
2.5% span length (Inches) Designation Uniformity ratio (%) Designation
Below 0.97 Short Below 41 Very low
0.97-1.09 Medium 41-43 Low
1.09-1.28 Long 44-47 Average
|Above 1.28 Extra Long Above 47 Very high
Short fiber content
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SFC % = 50.01-0.766 x 2.5% span length – 81.48 x 50% span length

Material &Equipment
 Comb fiber sorter
 Forceps
 Black velvet pad or black foam pad
 Trace paper
 Fibro-graph 530
Preparation of the specimen
 Take the sample of cotton.
 Open, clean and mix it with the hands.
 Leave the sample on flat surface in standard atmospheric equilibrium.
 Place the fibro-graph brass comb in the comb holder of “Fibro-sampler 192” with
the teeth upper most.
 Place the conditioned sample of cotton in the cylinder of ‘Fibro sampler 192” and
press it against perforated sample plate.
 Rotate the operating handle, against pivot arm, for one complete counter clockwise
revolution, while maintain evenly distributed pressure over the surface of the
sample to load the comb with the specimen of cotton fibers.
 Take the loaded comb from the Fibro-sampler and close it.
Procedure
 Switch on the instrument and allow it to warm up for 1 hour.
 Check the fibro-graph both electronically and mechanically as follows.
 Compare the instrument measurement of length with the metal length standard. The
number displayed on the span length #1 should agree with the number stamped on the
metal length standard 0.13 mm.
 Raise the lens house door and place the loaded comb in the comb holder of the fibro-
graph.
 Remove trash or Neps from the beard and brush the fibers with firm strokes. The fibro-
graph brush to remove loose fibers and straighten the other fibers without disturbing their
distribution in the comb.
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 Lower the lens house door. The span length readouts will automatically count and stop.
 If the zero meter is not reading 000, 0.0001 at the end of the test, the test should be
repeated after the meter is zero. Sample size indicator should read between 600 to 900 for
the test to be acceptable, otherwise make new beard.
 Record the span length values in inches or millimeter directly from the dials digitally
display for selected %age.
 Raise the lens house door and remove comb.
Precautions:
 Keep the Instrument and lab clean.
 Work with great care and full attention.
Questionnaire:
 Measured how much short fiber are present in the sample
Conclusion:
Briefly describe your findings.
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Practical 4
Title:
Determination of standard test method for linear density of textile fibers.
Theory:
Linear density:
Linear density refers to the mass per unit length expressed as grams per 9000 or 10,000m
of fiber or yarn, which are known respectively as denier or decitex.
Denier:
Denier is the mass in grams per 9000 metres of the fiber.
Tex:
Tex defined as the mass in grams per 1000 meters.
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Dtex
A dtex is the mass in grams for every 10,000 meters of fiber.
Material &Equipment:
 Kevlar Fiber
 Weight balance
 Twitzer
 Measuring scale
Procedure:
• Take the Kevlar fiber sample
• Separated some fibers from given sample of Kevlar fiber.
• Placed the fibers on the black board and separated the individual fiber.
• Then measure the individual fiber length with the help of scale.
• Added the length of all fibers.
• Measure the weight of these fibers.
• Then calculated the fiber linear density by using formula:
Denier= 9000 x Weight in grams/ number of fibers x length
Precautions:
• Carefully Count the fibers.
• Measure the length of all fibers accurately.
• Noted the weight of fibers carefully.
Questionnaire:
What is the denier of the fiber?
Conclusion:
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Practical# 5
Title:
Determination of standard test method for crimp frequency of Kevlar staple fibers.
Theory:
 Crimp frequency:
Crimp in a textile strand is defined as the undulations or succession of waves or curls in the
strand, induced naturally during fiber growth, mechanically, or chemically.
Crimp in a fiber is thus considered as the degree of deviation from linearity of a non-straight
fiber. Fiber crimp is the waviness of a fiber expressed as waves or crimps per unit length.
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Material & equipment:

 Kevlar Fiber
 Weight balance
 Twitzer
 Measuring scale
Procedure:
 Test conditioned specimens in the standard atmosphere for testing textiles, which is 25
±4°C and 65-62 % relative humidity.
 Carefully remove 25 fibers at random from each laboratory-sampling unit, using
tweezers.
 Place these specimens on a specimen board.
Using fingertip pressure, flatten each specimen with the crimp in a plane parallel with the
board.
 Take care not to destroy the crimp.
 Count and record the number of crimp units along the entire length of the specimen.
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 For crimp percentage, measure the length of the fiber without any stretch (L1)
 Then stretch the fiber and again measure its length (L2).
 Calculate the increase in length (L) by following formula:
 L=L2-L1
 Calculated the crimp percentage by following formula:
 Crimp percentage= L/L2 x 100
Precautions:
 Measure the length of all fibers accurately.
 Press the fibers slightly during length measurement.
 Accurately noted the number of crimps
Questionnaire:
 Describe the importance of crimps
 What is the crimp percentage?
Conclusion:
Practical #6
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Title:
Identification of cotton fiber, viscose rayon (both physical and chemical test)
Theory:
 Technical and non-technical test
 Technical test are several methods that do not require any special equipment for
identification of textile fibres. Although they have certain limitations, they are useful
because they are simple to perform and under certain circumstances, provide ready
identification. E.g. feeling test and burning test
 Non-technical test are those where laboratory equipment is available, much more
reliable testing techniques may b employed, however these require technical knowledge
and skill, particularly in handling many of the chemicals and microscopic observation.
Material:
 Cotton fibers (loose form)
 Viscose fibers
 60% H2SO4
 58.5% H2SO4
 Sodium Zincate (Na₂Zn(OH)₄
Equipment:
 Microscope (magnification x 400)
 Beakers
 Flame burner
Procedure:
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 Skill perception is acquired only after handling many different fabrics over a period of
time.
Burning Test
 To recognize the fibre composition by the burning test, fibre should be moved slowly
towards a small flame and the reaction to the heat carefully observed.
 One end of the sample should then be put directly into the flame to determine its burning
rate and characteristics.
 After it is removed from the flame, the burning characteristics should continue to be
observed and the burning odour noted.
 After the sample has cooled, the ash should be examined for the characteristics such as
amount, form, hardness and colour.
 Cotton: Ignites on contact with flames; burns quickly and leaves a yellowish to orange
afterglow when put out. Does not melt. It has the odor of burning paper, leaves, or wood.
The residue is a fine, feathery, gray ash.
 Viscose: Same as cotton, but burns slowly without flame with slight melting; leaves soft
black ash.
Identification by microscope
 Knowing what the fibres look like under the microscope.
Longitudinal View of cotton
 Mature flat and ribbon-like with convolutions, thick wall and small lumen.
 Immature very thin wall and a large lumen with few convolutions.
 Dead very thin and almost transparent
 Mercerized smooth and cylindrical, fewer convolutions and lumen or sometimes may be
absent.
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Longitudinal View of Viscose

 Normal type fairly dense longitudinal striations or fine lines.
 Special type-may be smooth and Structure less

Chemical test
 In addition to the microscope, chemical tests are another means of identifying fibres
 Distinguishing the fibre from other fibres by use of different chemicals.
 Cotton fiber dissolve in 70% H2SO4
 Viscose fiber dissolve in 58.5% H2SO4 solution or pure Sodium Zincate solution
Precautions:
 Carefully work with microscope.
 Take great care while working with chemicals.
Conclusion:
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Practical #7
Title:
Identification of nylon, polyester (both physical and chemical test).`
Theory:
Description Nylon Polyester
Chemical Polyamide Polyethylene Naphthalate
Name
Manufacture Created as a liquid, mechanically Spun into thread from chemical
spun and dried into individual solution.
fibers.
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Uses More common to certain kinds of More widely used in all kinds of
apparel, including lingerie, tights, apparel. Carpets, drapes, and bedding.
raincoats, and swimwear. Carpets, Some industrial use.
drapes, and bedding. More wide
range of industrial uses.
Durability Exceptionally strong, abrasion Strong, resistant to stretching and
resistant, resistant to damage from shrinking, resistant to most chemicals,
oil and many chemicals. crisp and resilient wet or dry, abrasion
resistant.
Flammability Melts then burns rapidly Melts and burns at same time
Appearance Lustrous, wide range of colors. Wide range of colors, slightly slick.
Materials Polyamide made from petroleum. Polymer production of coal, air,
water, petroleum products.
Material:
 Nylon fiber
 Polyester fiber
 Meta-cresol
 Formic acid
Equipment:
 Beakers
 Glass slide
 Burner
Procedure:
time.
Burning Test
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 Nylon: Melts and shrinks away from the flame. It stops burning when removed
from the flame and smells like celery. The ash forms a round, dark bead that
won’t crush
 Polyester: it melts and burn at the same time. It shrinks from the flame and melts
burning slowly. It burns with difficulty and has a chemical odor. The ash is like
round black beads that will not crush. The smoke from polyester is black with a
sweetish smell.
Longitudinal View of Nylon
Structure-less, uniform diameter, rod-like appearance.
Longitudinal View of polyester

 Structure-less, uniform diameter, rod-like appearance
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
Chemical test
 Nylon fiber dissolve in Formic acid
 Polyester fiber dissolve in Meta-Cresol.
Precautions:
Conclusion:
Practical #8
Title:
Identification of Wool, Acrylic (both physical and chemical test).
Theory:
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Category Wool Acrylic
Origin comes from a variety of animals comes from a blend of chemicals
Construction all natural fibers man made fibers
Blending hard to blend with other fabrics easy to blend with other fabrics
Shrinking can shrink a lot when washed will shrink when the heat is on
Care not that easy to care for very easy to care for
Hypoallergeni usually but some people do have possibly but some people have allergies
c wool allergies to chemicals
Flammable resists flames and sparks highly flammable and burns easily
Breathability very good not good at all
very warm depending on
Warmth some versions are warmer than wool
weave,etc
can be soft but also itchy and not used to be rough and itchy now soft and
Softness
smooth smooth
Cost can be very expensive usually very affordable
Material:
 Wool fiber
 Acrylic fiber
 5% NaOH solution
 DMF
Equipment:
 Beakers
 Glass slide
 Burner
Procedure:
time.
Burning Test
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 Acrylic: Catches alight quickly and burns rapidly with splutters as it melts. It
smells like a chemical as it burns and the ash is made up of irregular beads that do
not crush.
 Wool: Smolders and curls away from the flame. Wool ignites slowly. Not
wanting to burn, it flickers and stops burning when it is away from the flame. It
smells like burning hair and has crisp dark ash.
Longitudinal View of Acrylic
Smooth surface, uniform diameter, rod-like appearance, some types with irregularly spaced
striations.
Longitudinal View of wool

 Cylindrical, irregular, rough surface, scale-like structure, dark medulla may appear on
coarse wool fibers.
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
Chemical test
 Wool fiber dissolve in 5% NaOH solution
 Acrylic fiber dissolve in pure DMF.
Precautions:
Conclusion:
Practical #9
Title:
Identification of Jute fibers (both physical and chemical method)
Theory:
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 Jute fibre has some unique physical properties like high tenacity, bulkiness, sound &
heat insulation property, low thermal conductivity, antistatic property etc. Due to these
qualities, jute fibre is more suited for the manufacture of technical textiles in certain
specific areas. Moreover, the image of jute as a hard and unattractive fibre does not
affect its usage in technical textiles.
Jute is 100% bio-degradable and thus environment- friendly. It is available in India at
competitive prices. Now it is not just a major textile fibre, but also a raw material for
non- textile products, which helps to protect environment, which is an integral part of
any development planning.
 Jute fibers always known as strong, coarse, environment friendly, and organic. The use
of jute was confine to marginal and small manufacturers and growers, but now it used as
important raw materials for several industries. It is unfortunate that jute still lags behind
other fibers like silk, wool, and cotton. However, at present time, jute is termed as a
favorite fabric for packaging materials and furnishings and as golden fibers for national
and international fashion world. Jute fibers used for making mats, gunny cloth, cordage,
hangings, paper, and decorative articles. Prevalent uses of jute in handicraft stuff, in
order to give an aesthetic appeal, have made it popular across the globe.
Material:
 Jute fiber
 70% H2SO4
Equipment:
 Beakers
 Glass slide
 Burner
Procedure:
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time.
Burning Test
 Jute: A cellulose fiber, burns quickly with bright flame. It leaves no melted bead and
after burning, no sign of flame is seen. It smells like burning leaves or wood. The ash is
gray and smoke has no fume hazard.
 Identification by microscope
Longitudinal View of jute
Look like smooth, lustrous cylinders.
Chemical test
 Jute fiber dissolve in 70% H2SO4
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Precautions:
Conclusion:
Practical #10
Title:
Determination of blend ratio of given polyester cotton blended sample
Theory:
Material:
 PC yarn
 70% H2SO4
 Meta-cresol
Equipment:
 Beakers
 Glass slide
 Burner
Procedure:
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time.
 Take 0.5 to 1.0 gms of blend sample, carefully weighed, and put it in a flask .
 Put in a water bath for one hour at 50+-5 deg C.
 Filter it, whatever is left is polyester.
 Wash it thoroughly.
 Dry at 110 deg C, cool and weigh to find the Percentage of Polyester and the other
cellulosic component.
 Weight of sample=X1
 Weight of sample after drying= X2
 Weight Loss=X= X1- X2
 Cotton percentage= X/X1 x 100
 Polyester percentage= X2/X1 x 100
 Precautions:
Conclusion:
Practical #11
Title:
Determination of cotton fiber fineness on spin lab Micronaire 675
Theory:
Micronaire (MIC) is a measure of the air permeability of compressed cotton fibers. It’s often
used as an indication of fiber fineness and maturity.
Fineness is one of the most important parameter determining the yarn quality characteristics.
Fiber fineness influences the number of fibers in the cross section of yarn.
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Thirty fibers are needed at the minimum in the yarn cross section but there are usually over 100.
One hundred is approximately the lower limit for almost all-new spinning process. This indicates
that fineness will become more important.
Fiber influence primarily:
 Spin limit,
 Yarn strength,
 Yarn evenness,
 Drape of the fabric product,
 Handle,
 Luster,
 Yarn fullness,
 Productivity.
Evenness is measured in Micronaire value (MIC).
Rating of MIC value:
 MIC value —————–>Fineness
 Up to 3.1 ————very fine
 3.1 to 3.9 ————fine
 4.0 to 4.9 ————medium
 5.0 to 5.9 ————slightly coarse
 5.9 To above ———coarse.
 Material:
 Cotton fiber
 Equipment:
 Spin-lab micronair 675
Procedure:
 Take the cotton sample.
 Open and mix it with the hands and clean it at the same time.
 Leave the sample on flat surface in standard atmosphere for moisture equilibrium.
 Switch on the compressor and the instrument.
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 Self-checkup will start and after few seconds, “CLOSE THE DOOR TO CONTINUE”
will appear on the screen.
 Close the door. Self-checkup will again start and after few seconds, following parameters
will appear on display screen:
[1] MAIN MENU [2] CHANGE DATE
 Press 1 then following parameters will appear on the screen:

[1] TEST [2] CALIB.
[3] DIAG. [4] STATUS
 Press 1 for the test then following parameters will appear on the screen:
ENTER MASS GR.
9.50 – 10.50 GRAMS
 Switch on the balance by pressing the bar.
 Weigh the cotton sample between 9.50 to 10.50 grams.
 Type the sample weight with the help of keyboard and press E then following parameters
will appear on the screen:
PLACE --------- GRAMS
SAMPLE IN CHAMBER
 Place the weighed sample in the chamber and close the door.
 Following parameters will appear on the screen after automatic testing:

ID MIKE MASS
------- --------
 Record the value of mike.
 Questionnaire
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 What should be weight of sample
 Why the sample should be mixed with hand &any dust should be removed from sample
 What is the mic value range of Pakistani cotton
 Is the rate of air flow more for thick fibers or thin fibers
 Define micronaire value & state its units
 Is mic value should be as high as possible n why

 Precautions:
 Carefully work with the machine.
Conclusion:
Practical #12
Title:
Determination of cotton fiber maturity through Spin lab Fibro-graph 530.
Theory:
The maturity of cotton is defined in terms of the development of cell wall. A fully mature fiber
has a well-developed thick cell wall. On the other hand, an immature fiber has a very thin cell.
The fiber is to be considered as mature fiber when the cell wall of the moisture-swollen fiber
represents 50-80% of the round cross section, as immature when it represents 30-45% and as
dead when it represents less than 25%.
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Immature fiber leads to:

 Nepping,
 Loss of yarn strength,
 Varying dye ability,
 High proportion of short fibres,
 Processing difficulties mainly at the card
 Mature fibre → Dye absorb↑
 Immature fibre → Dye absorb ↓.
 Material:
 Cotton fibers
Equipment:
 Fibrograph-530
 Fibro Comb
 Fibro Sampler 192
 Tweezers
 Brush
 Metal Length Standard Tool
 Digital weight Balance
Procedure:
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 Take the sample of cotton.

 Open, clean and mix it with the hands.
 Place the Fibrograph brass comb in the comb holder of Fibro Sampler 192 with the teeth
upper most.
 Place the conditioned sample of cotton in the cylinder of Fibro Sampler 192 and press it
against perforated sample plate.
 Rotate the operating handle, against the pivot arm, for one complete counterclockwise
revolution, while maintaining evenly distributed pressure over the surface of the sample
to load and comb the specimen of cotton fibers.
 Take the loaded comb from the Fibro Sampler and close it.
 Switch-on the instrument and allow to warm up for 1 hour.
 Check the Fibrograph both electronically and mechanically as follows.
 Compare the instrument measurement of length with the metal length standard. The
number displayed on the span length # 1 should agree with the number stamped on the
metal length standard  0.13 mm.
 Raise the lens house door and place the loaded comb in the comb holder of the
Fibrograph.
 Remove trash or neps from the beard and brush the fibers with firm strokes of the
Fibrograph brush to remove loose fibers and straighten the other fibers without
disturbing their distribution in the teeth of comb.
 Lower the lens house door. The span length readouts will automatically count and stop.
 If the zero meter is not reading 000  0.001 at the end of the test, the test should be
repeated after the meter is zeroed.
 Sample size should fall in the range from 600 to 900 for the test to be acceptable,
otherwise make new beard.
 Record the Span length values in inches or millimeters directly from the dials digital
display for selected % age.
 Raise the lens house door and remove the comb.
35
 Weigh the Brass-comb fibre samples at balance in mille gram

 Level the balance with the help of leveling screws.
 Adjust zero of the balance with the help of bar.
 Put the specimens one by one on the Balance.
 Record the weight of each specimen in grams up to three decimal places.
 Calculations
 Fiber Maturity= 176.0-1.23 (A2/W)-1.30 (2.5% Span length)
 “A” is the amount of fibers
 “W” is the fiber specimen weight in mg times 100
Precautions:
 Open and clean the sample with hand, remove naps and trash as well before place the
sample in fibrograph Dial
 Number of fibres range required for test is 600 to 900 .
 Brush the fibers after place the sample in fibrograph.
Questionnaire:
 How many fibers should be in the fiber comb at least
Conclusion:
Practical #13
Title:
Determination of cotton fiber bundle strength by pressley strength tester
Theory:
Toughness of fiber has a direct effect on yarn & fabric strength.
Fiber strength ↑→ Yarn & Fabric strength.↑
Very weak cottons tend to rupture during processing both in blow room & carding, creating short
fibers & consequently deteriorate yarn strength & uniformity.
Cotton strength is determined by how much force (in grams) is needed to break a one-tex fiber
bundle.
 32 and Above: Very Strong
36
 30-32: Strong
 26-29: Base
 21-25: Weak
 20 and Below: Very Weak
 Material:
 Cotton fibers
Equipment:
 Pressley strength tester
Procedure:
 Mix, open and clean the sample of cotton with the hands.
 Take two small pinches at random and place them one on top of the other to prepare a
tuft.
 Hold the tuft between the thumb and the forefinger.
 Comb the tuft from each end (approximately 10 strokes) with the coarse comb to remove
foreign matter and short fibers.
 Hold the specimen firmly from each end and pull the fibers through the fine comb (2~3
strokes) attached with the vise to remove loose fibers, neps and trash.
 Lock the fiber clamps in the vice and open the clamps.
 Hold both ends of the specimen, keeping the specimen width approximately 6 mm.
 Place it in the center of the open clamps.
 Apply sufficient tension to hold the fibers straight while the jaws of the clamps are
lowered and tightened.
 Tighten the clamp screws by applying an 8 lbs-inch torque, so that vice upper part can’t
rotate more than the mark punched on the lower part of vice.
 Remove the fiber clamps from the vice.
37
 Shear-off the protruding ends of the specimen with the shearing knife downward and
away from the leather face of the clamps.
 Insert the prepared clamps in the Pressley Strength Tester and level the tester with
leveling screw.
 Release the locking (trigger mechanism) to break the test specimen.
 Record the breaking load (lbs) from the scale.
 Weigh the broken specimen as follows:
 Level the locked balance.
 Unlock the balance and calibrate it, until the red needle comes in between the black lines.
Lock the balance.
 Again unlock the balance and check that red needle remains in center. Lock the balance
 Lift the door of the balance, put the tuft on the weighing pan with the help of a pair of
forceps and close the door.
 Unlock the balance; make the red line back at same position with the help of dial.
 Record the reading (mg) carefully.
 Lift the door, remove the fibers and close the door.
 Lock the balance again.
 Calculation
 Pressley Index (PI) = Breaking load in pounds/bundle weight in mg
 Tensile strength (g/tex) = 5.36 x PI
Precautions:
 work safely and keep the instrument and lab clean
 comb the fibre bundle before fix in clamp
 tightly fix the clamp after placing sample
38
Questionnaire:
 What is Pressley index
 What formula of Pressley Strength
 What is the strength of Pakistani cotton

Conclusion:
Practical #14
Title:
Determination of cotton fiber properties by High volume instrument HVI)
Theory:
High volume instrument
High volume instrument systems are based on the fiber bundle strength testing, i.e., many fibers
are checked at the same time and their average values determined. Traditional testing using
micronaire, pressley, stelometre, and fibro graph are designed to determine average value for a
large number of fibers, the so-called fiber bundle tests. In HVI, the bundle testing method is
automated. Here, the time for testing is less and so the number of samples that could be
processed is increased, quite considerably. The influence of operator is reduced.
Principles of fiber testing using HVI
Sample preparation
The fibro gram method is preferred while preparing the sample for fiber length estimation. The
sample has to be presented to the measuring zone by clamping the fibers at a random catch point.
Here the fibro sampler is used.
The test specimen obtained using the fibro sampler/comb combination is a beard of fibers with
individual fibers projecting to different length from the clamping point. In HVI, the strength
testing is also done on the same beard of fibers with individual fibers projecting to different
lengths from the clamping point.
In HVI, strength testing is also done on the same beard of fibers prepared for length
measurement. While using the low volume instrument -fibro stelo for strength measurement, the
sampling is done on the separate fiber bundles, of which 15 mm long is prepared after
39
remounting the short fibers by combing. For micronaire testing, a sample of cotton weighing
approximately 10 grams is used. For color testing, random mass of fibers sufficient to cover the
test window is used for measurement.
Measurement of different parameters using HVI & LVI
Length
Both the high volume instrument and the low volume instrument use an optical principle of
determination of fiber length. A narrow rectangular beam of light is allowed to fall on the
specimen beard. The attenuation of Light through the specimen at different areas of the beard is
measured and used to obtain the different span length values. In the HVI, the tip of the beard is
scanned first and scanning gradually proceeds towards the clamp while in the LVI, the beard is
scanned in the opposite direction. In both the instruments, the span length values are obtained by
actual measurement.
HVI 1000 Strength Measurement
HVI uses the "Constant rate of elongation" principle while testing the fiber sample. The available
conventional methods of strength measurement are slow and are not compatible to be used with
the HVI. The main hindering factor is the measurement of weight of the test specimen, which is
necessary to estimate the tenacity of the sample. Expression of the breaking strength in terms of
tenacity is important to make easy comparison between specimens of varying fineness.
The problem is overcome in the HVI 1000 by positioning the jaws and breaking the fibers at a
constant "Amount" location across the beard. By breaking the fibers at a constant amount
location, it is made sure that the samples are broken with a constant number of fibers between the
jaws.
Therefore, raw data strength is directly proportional to the force to break the fibers. The raw data
so obtained are then adjusted to desired Levels by testing samples of designated values. In order
to make the estimation of the specimen linear density accurate enough, a micronaire correction
factor is normally introduced so that the strength values are not affected by variations in
micronaire.
Fineness measurement
The micronaire module of HVI 1000 and the low volume fineness tester use the airflow method
to estimate the fineness value of cotton. A sample known weight is compressed in a cylinder to
known volume and subjected to an air current at a known pressure. The rate of airflow through
this porous plug of fiber is taken to be a measure of the fineness of cotton.
40
The number of fibers in a given weight of cotton will be more in the case of finer fibers than in
the case of finer fibers than in the case of coarser fibers. If air is blown through these samples,
the plug containing finer fibers will be found to offer a greater resistance than the plug with
coarser fibers. This is due to the fact that the total surface area in the case of the former will be
greater than the latter and hence the drag on the air flowing past will be more. This
differentiating factor is made use of to indirectly measure the fineness of cotton.
The instrument operates as follows. The chamber lid is closed; a piston at the chamber bottom
compresses the fiber to a fixed and known volume. A regulated stream of air is then forced
through the sample and the pressure drop across the sample is applied to a differential pressure
transducer. The transducer outputs an analog signal voltage proportional to the pressure drop.
This analogue voltage is applied to an analogue to digital converter, which outputs a digital
signal representing the voltage. Cotton with known fineness values is tested and the voltages
obtained are used to obtain the calibration curve, which is used for all subsequent testing to
display the cotton fineness.
The fineness is expressed in the form of a parameter called the micronaire value, which is
defined as the weight of one inch of the fiber in micrograms. Maturity of cotton also influences
the micronaire value.
Color measurement
The HVI color module utilizes optical measuring principles to define color. The color module
has a photodiode, which collects the reflected light from the sample. The photodiode output is
converted into meaningful signals using signal conditioners. The illumination of the sample is
done with the help of two lamps connected in parallel.
Light from the lamps is reflected from the surface of a cotton sample on the test window. The
reflected light is diffused and transmitted to the Rd and +b photodiode. These two signals are
conditioned to provide two output voltages, which are proportional to the intensity of light
falling on the respective photodiodes. These voltages are converted to digital signals from which
the computer derives Rd and +b readings to be displayed on the screen.
Material:
 Cotton fibers
Equipment:
 HVI 1000 Tester
41
Procedure:
 Mix, open and clean the sample of cotton with the hands.
 Take two small pinches at random and place them one on top of the other to prepare a
tuft.
 Hold the tuft between the thumb and the forefinger.
 Comb the tuft from each end (approximately 10 strokes) with the coarse comb to remove
foreign matter and short fibers.
 Hold the specimen firmly from each end and pull the fibers through the fine comb (2~3
strokes) attached with the vise to remove loose fibers, neps and trash.
 Lock the fiber clamps in the vice and open the clamps.
 Hold both ends of the specimen, keeping the specimen width approximately 6 mm.
 Place it in the center of the open clamps.
 Apply sufficient tension to hold the fibers straight while the jaws of the clamps are
lowered and tightened.
 Tighten the clamp screws by applying an 8 lbs-inch torque, so that vice upper part can’t
rotate more than the mark punched on the lower part of vice.
 Remove the fiber clamps from the vice.
 Shear-off the protruding ends of the specimen with the shearing knife downward and
away from the leather face of the clamps.
 Insert the prepared clamps in the Pressley Strength Tester and level the tester with
leveling screw.
 Release the locking (trigger mechanism) to break the test specimen.
 Record the breaking load (lbs) from the scale.
 Weigh the broken specimen as follows:
 Level the locked balance.
42
 Unlock the balance and calibrate it, until the red needle comes in between the black lines.
Lock the balance.
 Again unlock the balance and check that red needle remains in center. Lock the balance
 Lift the door of the balance, put the tuft on the weighing pan with the help of a pair of
forceps and close the door.
 Unlock the balance; make the red line back at same position with the help of dial.
 Record the reading (mg) carefully.
 Lift the door, remove the fibers and close the door.
 Lock the balance again.
 Calculation
 Pressley Index (PI) = Breaking load in pounds/bundle weight in mg
 Tensile strength (g/tex) = 5.36 x PI
Precautions:
 work safely and keep the instrument and lab clean
 comb the fibre bundle before fix in clamp
 tightly fix the clamp after placing sample
Questionnaire:
 What is Pressley index
 What formula of Pressley Strength
 What is the strength of Pakistani cotton

Conclusion:
43

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Laboratory Manual Fiber science

National Textile University

National Textile University, Faisalabad

Sr. No. Title of Practical Week

8. Identification of Wool, Acrylic (both physical and chemical test). 8th

9. Identification of Jute fibers (both physical and chemical method) 9th

16. Repeat All the practical by Students 16th

17. FINAL VIVA BY FACULTY 17th

Standard Temperature and R.H%

Significance of 2.5% Span Length-

SFC % = 50.01-0.766 x 2.5% span length – 81.48 x 50% span length

Material & equipment:

Longitudinal View of Viscose

Longitudinal View of polyester

Longitudinal View of wool

 Switch on the compressor and the instrument.

 Press 1 then following parameters will appear on the screen:

 Switch on the balance by pressing the bar.

 Weigh the cotton sample between 9.50 to 10.50 grams.

 Following parameters will appear on the screen after automatic testing:

 Record the value of mike.

 What should be weight of sample

 What is the mic value range of Pakistani cotton

 Define micronaire value & state its units

 Is mic value should be as high as possible n why

Immature fiber leads to:

 Take the sample of cotton.

 Weigh the Brass-comb fibre samples at balance in mille gram

 Hold the tuft between the thumb and the forefinger.

 Place it in the center of the open clamps.

 Remove the fiber clamps from the vice.

 Release the locking (trigger mechanism) to break the test specimen.

 Record the breaking load (lbs) from the scale.

 Weigh the broken specimen as follows:

 Level the locked balance.

 Record the reading (mg) carefully.

 Lock the balance again.

 Pressley Index (PI) = Breaking load in pounds/bundle weight in mg

 Tensile strength (g/tex) = 5.36 x PI

 What is Pressley index

 What formula of Pressley Strength

 What is the strength of Pakistani cotton

 Hold the tuft between the thumb and the forefinger.

 Place it in the center of the open clamps.

 Remove the fiber clamps from the vice.

 Release the locking (trigger mechanism) to break the test specimen.

 Record the breaking load (lbs) from the scale.

 Weigh the broken specimen as follows:

 Level the locked balance.

 Record the reading (mg) carefully.

 Lock the balance again.

 Pressley Index (PI) = Breaking load in pounds/bundle weight in mg

 Tensile strength (g/tex) = 5.36 x PI

 What is Pressley index

 What formula of Pressley Strength

 What is the strength of Pakistani cotton

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