ABSTRACT

A major problem associated with cotton fiber quality is related to the control and management of cotton fiber maturity and fineness from breeding through spinning. At the center of the problem is the absence of rapid and accurate measures for cotton fiber maturity and fineness. The problem exists despite the very significant impact that fiber maturity and fineness can have in the spinning mill and on the quality of fabric. Confounding control of fiber maturity and fineness is the widely accepted and used Micronaire test method, an airflow technique that measures a combination of fiber maturity (fiber wall thickening) and fiber fineness (weight per unit length). A consequence of using the Micronaire is that cotton can be classified inappropriately. For example, fine mature cotton can have the same Micronaire value as coarse immature cotton. Thus, there is a need for a new measurement technique to separate these. Recognition of fiber quality is of particular importance to the Australian cotton industry where varieties of fine, mature cotton have been wrongfully discounted because low Micronaire values were taken as indicating immature cotton. Introduced in this paper are two prototype instruments, developed by CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology in conjunction with the Australian Cotton Industry, that measure cotton fiber maturity and fineness directly and rapidly.