Selected Single Fiber Mechanical Properties of Different Gossypium Barbadense Cotton Varieties

The mechanical properties, including the breaking twist angle (BTA) and flexural fatigue life, of fibers of a number of different cotton varieties belonging to Gossypium barbadense were determined. The BTA test was used to obtain an indication of their brittleness. The brittleness of the cotton fibers correlated significantly with their length, flat bundle tenacity, and elongation. It appeared to be independent of fiber fineness and wall thickness. Scouring caused a small decrease in BTA. Longer staple cotton fibers appear to be inherently more brittle than shorter staple fibers. Differences were observed between the flexural fatigue behavior of the long staple cotton fibers and that of the medium-long staple types tested in this study. Flexural fatigue properties appear to be inversely and significantly related to fiber brittleness and tenacity and also directly and significantly related to Micronaire reading.