Natural Computation and Process Modeling in the High-Performance Fiber Plant.

Fiber processing machines that use in-line sensors, chemical analyzers, and instrumentation generate data for process control and quality control assessment. Such novel adaptive learning techniques as artificial neural networks interpret online measured data. Other processing techniques include multivariate statistical process control, pr..

Dyeing of Polypropylene Fibers.

Polypropylene fibers, which have a nonpolar paraffinic character, are undyeable by conventional bath dyeing processes. Mass coloration includes dispergation and homogenization of pigments or dyes in a polymer before extrusion and spinning. Addition of concentrated dispersions to the polymer occurs by volume or weight dosing machines direc..

Wool -- An Important Natural Fiber for Apparel.

The leading woolen apparel consuming countries have high gross domestic products, high disposable income, and are responsive to fashion trends. The number of potential woolen apparel consumers should increase 60 percent by 2010. An overview of the wool industry addresses the woolen apparel value chain; such wool fiber properties as staple..

From Natural Silks to New Polymer Fibres.

An overview of the future of silk as an industrial fiber addresses fiber properties, advantages, and disadvantages; practical limitations of synthesizing silk and silk-like proteins in transgenic hosts; and difficulties in characterizing the complex hierarchical structure in silk and the poor reproducibility of silk tensile property measu..

New Equipment Provides Big Dividends.

One session of the annual Beltwide Cotton Conference addressed equipment developments, including automated lint cleaner louvers and a system for providing depth control on precision implements. More cotton ginners are installing the IntelliGin ginning system from Zellweger Uster. Although the system has been on the market for five years, ..

Spinning and Fabric Forming Trials on Naturally Coloured Cottons.

A study at the All India Coordinated Cotton Improvement Project determined the spinning potential of indigenous naturally colored cottons by subjecting several varieties to full scale spinning, weaving, and knitting trials. The colored cottons performed better than white cottons in prespinning processes, but were of inferior quality due t..

Tailored solutions for enhanced performance of fibers

Higher value applications for polyamide usually have more stringent requirements relating to thermo-oxidative and UV stability. The paper discusses tailored stabilization systems to enhance the performance of polyamide fibers and resins, especially for the automotive industry. Organic systems based on phenolic antioxidants, phosphites and..

The fine structure of mercerized and crosslinked cottons

A continuously recording X-ray diffractometer was used to study changes in the crystalline structure of cotton fibers subjected to a wide range of chemical and physical treatments. These included combinations of mercerization and bleaching and crosslinking utilizing either wet crosslinking with formaldehyde (Form W) or dry crosslinking wi..

The wonderful world of textiles

Outlined are some of latest developments and advanced applications of the textile industry. Apparel application, the major end use of textile fibres, is discussed with reference to textile manufacturing machinery and the developments of high performance fabrics. The progression of testing technology is also detailed, focusing on the inven..

Characterization of surface-modified poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibres by inverse gas chromatography

The effect of surface cleanliness on the alkaline hydrolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibres was investigated using inverse gas chromatography (IBC) in conjunction with mass loss measurements and electron microscopy. The sizing agent was removed from the fibres surface by two methods: soxhlet cleaning in acetone and washing in an a..