Influence of cotton variety on compression and destructuration abilities under elevated pressure

International audienceFourteen cotton samples of various strength, maturity and fineness were compressed in the same conditions at elevated pressure (2.0 GPa) and temperature (120 °C) in a home-made Bridgman anvil press designed to process samples of about 20 mm diameter. The influence of cotton properties to the abilities to be compacted into a solid 3D object was studied by mechanical measurements (nano-indentation and DMA) and scanning electron morphology observations. No influence of maturity ratio was observed. But strength and fineness were important parameters. It was shown that the lower are the mechanical properties of the cotton fibres (low strength or large fineness value), the easier it is to compact them. By observing the morphology of compacted samples, it was shown that compaction is linked to the destructuration of fibres under pressure down to the nanofibrillar level. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrech