Rapid fibre diameter measurement in aqueous solutions with OFDA 2000

Abstract

In this paper, a new technique has been developed to enable fibre diameters to be measured in an aqueous environment using the OFDA 2000 instrument. The existing OFDA instrument has only been used to measure diameters of animal fibres under dry conditions. This new technique was utilised to assess the effects of pH and temperature on the diameters of merino wool fibres in aqueous environments. Significant changes in fibre diameter under aqueous conditions were found as a function of pH and temperature. Wool fibre diameters were at a minimum close to the wool isoelectric point (pH 4.8) and increased at both lower and higher pHs. Swelling of merino wool fibres was observed to increase linearly by around 15% as the temperature rose from ambient to 70 ° C.

Diameter and strength of Ethiopian pure and cross-breed sheep wool fibers

“…On the basis of the fiber diameter, the wool fibers can be classified into fine, medium, and carpet (coarse) or mixed wool. [20][21][22][23] Fiber diameter is used to grade the sheep wool fibers. Here, the fiber diameter is measured in micrometer (microns) but the values are described by other grading systems as American (blood) grade system and English (spinning or count) grade system.…”

“…18,19 On the basis of their wool characteristics, sheep breeds can be classified into fine, medium, and carpet (coarse) or mixed wool breeds. [20][21][22][23] Wool samples showed coefficients of variation of 29% and 36%, in diameter. 24 High genetic correlations among post-weaning traits across different ages suggest that a selection program would be most suitable with younger animals.…”

Analyzing the thermal and hygral behavior of wool and its impact on fabric dimensional stability for wool processing and garment manufacturing

“…The average diameters of wool fibers were measured with an OFDA 2000 (BSC Electronics) fiber diameter analyzer. 18 For each measurement, the whole plate was scanned at least five times and a minimum of 8000 fibers were measured in each scan.…”