ABSTRACT

An upgraded FMT instrument has been designed and a prototype instrument manufactured. One key new feature is that the sample size has been increased from 4 to 10 grams. In the instrument design the sample chamber has been scaled accordingly so that the numerical values of the measured so called P_L and P_H measurements are unaltered. In this way the existing empirical relations used to calculate fiber fineness and fiber maturity values that were originally derived with the original instrument remain valid. Early commissioning tests of the prototype instrument have validated the design.