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Susie Kirsh: Blog #5 - Research Initiatives

 Research Initiatives

Part A

Fiber Identification By Burning

·        Cotton (natural cellulosic fiber) – burns, doesn’t melt; smells like burning paper or wood; residue is gray ash

·        Flax (natural cellulosic fiber) – burns, doesn’t melt; smells like burning paper or wood; residue is fine gray ash

·        Wool (natural protein fiber) – burns, doesn’t melt; strongly smells of burning hair or feathers; stops burning when removed from fire; residue is black hollow bead that can be crushed to black powder

·        Silk (natural protein fiber) – burns, doesn’t melt; smells of burning hair or feathers (odor is not as strong as wool, silk doesn’t contain sulphur); stops burning when removed from fire; residue is black hollow bead that can be crushed to black powder

·        Rayon (artificial cellulosic fiber) – burns, doesn’t melt; smells like burning paper or wood; residue is fine gray ash

·        Polyester (artificial fiber) – shrinks from heat, melts, burns, can drip; smells chemical, sweet; residue is hard cream or black colored bead that cannot be crushed

·        Nylon (artificial fiber) – shrinks from heat, melts, can burn; smells a bit like celery; residue is hard cream or black colored bead that cannot be crushed

·        Acrylic (artificial fiber) – shrinks from heat, melts, and burns; sputters when burning; acrid smell; residue is hard black bead that can be partially crushed

·        Acetate (artificial fiber) – shrinks from heat, melts, and burns; smells like burning cellulosic fibers (of burned wood, paper) with a bit of vinegar; residue is hard black bead that cam be partially crushed

Part B

Bamboo

·        Harvest the bamboo

o   Cuts are clean to allow new shoots to grow and replenish in a natural way

o   Stalks are cut into chips

·        Bamboo Pulp Produce after Soaking

·        Bamboo Pulp is Dried Into Sheets

·        Sheets of Pulp are Ground and Spun into Bamboo Fiber

Technical Cotton Fiber

·        Cotton

o   Seed fiber

o   Pods on bushes

o   Cellulosic fiber

o   Varieties as per staple length

o   Good moisture absorption

o   Types – Egyptian, sea-island, American, Indian, etc.

o   Vegetable fiber

o   Density – 1.52 gm/cm

o   Length – 10 to 65 mm

o   Classified as per length

§  Short Staple Length – 3/18” to 15/16”

§  Medium Staple Length – 1” to 1-1/8”

§  Long Staple Length – 1-3/16” to 2-1/2”

o   Diameter – 11 um to 22 um

o   Fiber length to breadth ratio – 6000:1 to about 350:1

§  Higher ratio is easier to spin

o   Cross Section – Kidney Shaped Fiber

§  Lumen – hollow center portion of the fiber

§  Thickness of Cell Wall – from the outer edge of the lumen to the out of edge of the fiber

·        Thicker cell wall = more mature fiber

·        Thinner = less mature fiber

o   Mature Fiber – when thickness of wall is large and lumen is small

o   Immature Fiber

o   Dead Fiber – when thickness of cell wall is very thin and lumen is larger

o   Longitudinal Section – ribbon-like structure

§  Convolutions – turns in the cotton fiber

§  Cuticle – outermost wax-coated layer of cotton fiber; smooth, water-resistant coating, which protects the fiber from chemical and other degrading agents

§  Primary Cell Wall – layer below the cuticle; consists of fibrils of cellulose spiral at 70 degrees

§  Secondary Cell Wall – concentric layers of cellulose below primary cell wall; fibrils spiral at about 20 to 30 degrees to the fiber axis

§  Lumen – central hollow region running along the fiber length; filled with cell sap during growth period

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