Improvement of Luster of Cotton

Abstract

The basic features of staple yarn structure which can vary in cotton yarns include those which depend on fiber factors such as fiber fineness, maturity, and staple length. Then there are mechanical processing factors, such as rate of carding, combing, and singeing, which affect fiber arrangement in or on the surface of the yarn. Finally, there are whole-yarn factors, such as twist, plying, and yarn fineness, which affect luster. These are discussed in three sections, which are presented together because of the use of experimental material which compares more than one type of factor at the same time. The results show that the three main means of improving luster by yarn structure factors are: ( 1) lowering of twist; ( 2) use of optimum plying twist, as shown by Adderley and Oxley ; ( 3) singeing to remove free surface fibers. Two additional structure factors, which, however, will not usually produce as great an effect on luster at the same cost, are: ( 4) using finer yarns; ( 5) combing.