Cotton Fiber Imperfections and Their Probable Relation to Yarn Quality

Abstract

In this paper the common imperfections occurring in cotton fibers have been studied in order to determine (1) the growth factors contributing to the formation of such imperfec tions and (2) the importance of imperfections as factors which contribute to neppiness in spun cotton. An analysis was made of several hundred neps occurring in both carded and combed yarns which showed that they were composed of ten different elements. Although there is no con clusive proof that fiber imperfections are the cause of such neps it is shown that more neps contain immature fibers than any other element. It is also shown that fibers of large diameter and deformities are factors which contribute to neppiness and thus to spinning difficulties in greater proportion than their prevalence in cotton would indicate.