National Institute of textile Engineering and Research (NITER), Nayarhat, Savar, Dhaka.
Fibre Length
Md. Rafiqul Islam,
Lecturer of YE, Dept. of TE, NITER
Fibre Length: Fibre length is the axial or longitudinal distance of a fibre.
A B
Here AB is fibre length.
Different types of fibre length:
Staple Length: The average or mean length of a fiber sample or staple diagram is known as Staple
Length .
The Staple Length groupings are currently used in the trade staple:
1. Short Staple: 1inch or less.
2. Medium staple: 1.03 to 1.125 inch.
3. Long staple: 1.16 to 1.38 inch.
4. Extra long staple: 1.09 and above.
1
National Institute of textile Engineering and Research (NITER), Nayarhat, Savar, Dhaka.
Effective Length: Effective length is the largest/longest/maximum fibre length of fibre bundle of
a sample or staple diagram.
Modal Length: Modal length is the fibre bundle length of a sample or staple diagram where
maximum fibres are in same or equal length.
*** Staple Length, Mean Length, average Length is similar.
Relation between Staple Length and Effective Length:
Staple Length = Effective Length (For Egyptian Cotton)
Staple Length = 0.91 X Effective Length (For American Upland Cotton)
Length Measuring method:
Shirley comb sorter
Baer sorter
A.N. Stapling apparatus
Fibrograph
Fibre Length assign by Shirley Comb Shorter:
Principle
A sample of fibers is arranged in the form of an array in the descending order of length, and from
a tracing of this array some fiber length parameters are calculated.
Apparatus
Two set of combs
Fiber grip
Teasing needle
Aluminum depressor
Velvet pad, and
Scale.
2
National Institute of textile Engineering and Research (NITER), Nayarhat, Savar, Dhaka.
Construction:
This instrument consists of a two set of combs (top & bottom) arranged at fixed intervals
to hold the fibers and keep them straight.
Here 8 top combs and 9 bottom combs are used, each comb are spaced 6 mm (¼ inch)
apart except the first two bottom comb which is 3/16 inch apart.
The distance from a row of bottom needles to a row of top needles is 3mm (1/8 inch).
An aluminum depressor, grip, teasing needles, velvet pad etc. are also used.
Procedure:
A bundle of fibers prepared by one of the zoning methods is straightened by hand and
pressed into the lower set of combs is impaled in the combs with the ends of fibers
protruding.
The end of the bundle is straightened by gripping the ends of the outermost fibers with a
wide clamp and withdrawing them a few at a time.
The whole sample is then transferred in this way, a few fibers at a time, to position at the
other end of the combs and placed there so that the fiber ends coincide with the first
comb.
The sample is pressed down into the bottom combs and the top combs are then lowered
onto the sample.
The rear combs are moved out of the way one at a time until the ends of the longest fibers
are exposed.
The exposed fibers are then removed by the grip and laid on a black velvet pad. The next
comb is then removed, so exposing the fibres which constitute the next length group and
these are removed and laid next to the first set of fibres, making sure that all the fibres are
laid with a common base line.
Then trace the outline of the fiber array prepared on a sheet of translucent paper.
3
National Institute of textile Engineering and Research (NITER), Nayarhat, Savar, Dhaka.
Assignment of Staple diagram:
OA = Maximum Length
LL’ = Effective Length
Area of OAB
Staple Length ¿
OB
RB
Short fibre content¿ X 100
OB
ML'
Length dispersion¿ X 100
¿'
Span Length: Span length is the length of fibre which is measured in terms of different
percentage of fibre.(Such as 50%, 2.5% etc.)
50% Span Length: It is the fibre length at the state where only 50% of fibre is exist than initial
no of fibre.
2.5% Span Length: It is the fibre length at the state where only 2.5% of fibre is exist than initial
no of fibre.
4
National Institute of textile Engineering and Research (NITER), Nayarhat, Savar, Dhaka.
50 % Span length
Uniformity Ratio(UR )= X 100
2.5 % Span length
Assignment of Fibrigram/Fibrograph:
P D’
C’
O D C B
OB
OC ¿ or 50% of OB
2
OD = 2.5% of OB
OP = Upper Half Mean Length (UHML)
OQ = Mean Length (ML)
ML
Uniformity Index(UI )= X 100
UHML
CC '
Uniformity Ratio (UR) ¿
DD '
Impact of fibre length:
In processing Parameter selection:
Grid setting depends on fibre length.
Card setting depends on fibre length
Roller setting depends on fibre length
Machine (Ring,Simplex etc.) speed depends on fibre length.
5
National Institute of textile Engineering and Research (NITER), Nayarhat, Savar, Dhaka.
In processing stage:
Ring breakage
Yarn productivity
Material wastage
Yarn Quality
In product:
Spinning limit and no of fibre in yarn cross-section.
Yarn strength.
Yarn evenness.
Yarn hairiness.
Handle property.
Luster of fabric.
Must be describe the impact.
