Analysis of Blend Irregularity in Yarns Using Image Processing: Part II: Applying the System to Actual Blended Yarns

Abstract

Image processing has been applied to actual blended yarns made from wool/wool and wool/mohair, and the blend state (fiber arrangement) of the yarns analyzed. Yarn about 4 mm long (310 pixels) was processed in each image. The projected area of white and black fibers on the yarn surfaces, the blend ratios, and the sizes of clusters were determined. Further, when several scores of yarn images laid in a row were put into the system, blend irregularity curves could be obtained. From these curves, variance-length curves of blend irregularity were calculated, and a total variance, average values, etc., were determined. The analysis showed that the wool/wool yarn was well blended compared with the wool/mohair, because the former was smaller in blend ratio variance than the latter, was also smaller in cluster size and its variance, and further was smaller in the total variance of the variance-length curve for blend irregularity. With this system, such differences in the blend state of an actual blended yarn, which can hardly be distinguished with the naked eye, can be estimated.