Degree of Polymerization as Evidence of the Damage to Cotton in Mechanical Processing

Mechanical processing of cotton causes two types of damage: the first type is physical in nature, resulting from the breaking and bruising of fibers; the second type is chemical in nature, as shown by a decrease in D.P. This change in D.P. is brought about by a mechanical-chemical rupture of molecular bonds and not through a thermal mechanism. A quantitative estimate of the relative damage occurring in each mechanical operation investigated is presented. A loss in D.P of 30 percent was measured as a result of the mechanical operations which converted an Empire seed cotton into yarn.