Cotton Quality and Fiber Properties

A serious problem in single-fiber testing is the preparation of a homogeneous sample from which fibers may be selected in a random manner. Mechanical blenders, of the type developed for cotton by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, greatly improve the homogeneity of a bulk fiber sample. In the present work tests were made to show what changes in single-fiber proper ties result from the mechanical action of such a blender. Relatively small changes in mechanical behavior of the cotton fibers were observed as a result of blending. With the conventional three passes through the blender a small decrease in break ing load (less than 10%) was found, with corresponding changes in breaking stress and energy to break. A reduction of fiber crimp with a slight increase in fiber length by the fiber array method was also noted.