A quantitative evaluation of NaOH swelling and its effect on maturity of cotton fibers

✍ Scribed by Sheela Raj; G. B. Hadge; P. Bhama Iyer; K. R. Krishna Iyer

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1995
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 305 KB
• Volume: 55
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-8995
• DOI: 10.1002/app.1995.070551317

✦ Synopsis

This article presents the results of an investigation carried out to quantify the changes in the wall thickness-ribbon width ratio of cotton fibers from different varieties during swelling in 18% NaOH. While measuring the wall thickness and ribbon width before and after swelling, the identity of individual fibers was maintained such that changes could be followed up with precision. The data indicate not only varietal differences in the response to alkali but also a strong dependence of the extent of swelling on the initial wall thickness for fibers in a given variety. Thin-walled fibers seem to have a tendency to swell more than mature hairs. This tendency would cast doubt on the accuracy of maturity measured by the alkali swelling method, especially when the concerned variety has a substantial percentage of fibers having a wall-ribbon ratio falling in the 0.15-0.25 range before swelling.