Mechanical behavior of irregular fibers part III : the flexural buckling behavior

Fiber buckling behavior is associated with fabric-evoked prickle, which affects clothing comfort and aesthetics. In this paper, the flexural buckling behavior of irregular or nonuniform fibers is studied using the finite element method (FEM). Fiber dimensional irregularities are simulated with sine waves of different magnitude, frequency, and initial phase. The critical buckling loads of the simulated fibers are then calculated from the FE model. The results indicate that increasing the level of irregularity will decrease the critical buckling load of fibers, but the effect of the frequency and initial phase of irregularity on fiber buckling behavior is complicated and is affected by fiber diameter and effective length

Fabric-evoked Prickle in Worsted Spun Single Jersey Fabrics Part 4: Extension from Wool to Optim^TMfine Fiber

The OptimTMfine process transforms the wool fiber to create a new range of fiber characteristics. Previous studies have identified and characterized the underlying mechanism associated with fabric-evoked prickle in wool fabrics. Coarse fiber ends in the fiber diameter distribution which protrude above the fabric surface exert sufficient force to trigger specific nerve endings which lie near the skin surface. This paper demonstrates that the existing mechanistic and predictive model of relative prickliness is applicable to fabrics manufactured from OptimTMfine fiber as well as wool. In general it was found that a fabric made from OptimTMfine fiber is less prickly than a similar fabric manufactured from the parent wool. This improvement in fabric-evoked prickle is linked to the reduction in fiber diameter associated with the Optim process. The measurement of the coarse edge of the diameter distribution of fiber ends, e.g. the percentage of fiber ends greater than 32 µm, is commonly used in assessing potential levels of prickle in wool samples. This is less useful in the case of Optim TMfine samples owing to potential artifacts in the measurement associated with the non-circular cross-sectional shape of OptimTMfine fibers. </jats:p

An Instrument for Determining the Average Fiber Linear Density (Fineness) of Cotton Lint Samples

No satisfactory technology has emerged for routine rapid measurement of fiber linear density at commercial speed for the cotton industry. This paper introduces the CottonscanTM instrument, a new technology designed to undertake this task. An inter-laboratory trial of the Cottonscan TM system to ascertain the performance of the technology is described. Overall, the 95% confidence limit for a single measurement was estimated to be ±10.4 mtex. Further, spinning trial results have confirmed that unlike the Micronaire value, average fiber linear density obtained from the CottonscanTM correlate well with measured yarn properties. These data indicate that the CottonscanTM instrument can be usefully employed to determine average fiber linear density, an important fiber quality parameter which can be a useful additional tool for the spinner in predicting yarn properties. </jats:p