SBIR-STTR Award

Diameter of wool and other animal fibers is the most important physical characteristic in terms of its end use in textiles and it is also the most important economic criteria in marketing these fibers. Visual appraisal of fiber diameter and variability of diameter is not an accurate, consistent method, but it is still used throughout the world. Microprojection is the most accurate method of determining fiber diameter but it is slow. tedious and expensive. Variability of diameter is extremely important to textile manufactures due to the advent of advanced high speed processing equipment. The Sirolan Laserscan. AFIS System. and OFDA are computerized methods of fiber diameter measurement that simulate microprojection and eliminate problems associated with microprojection. The objective of this proposal is to investigate the possibility of adapting new electronic technology to replace technology developed in the 1920's and still currently used today. Samples will be collected that represent all of the types of wool produced in the IJnited States. These samples will be measured by the microprojection method to provide average fiber diameter and variation in diameter. These samples will be used in correlation trails comparing new technologies with the standard microprojection method.Applications:These technologies would eliminate tedious and time consuming fiber diameter measurement by microprojection. It would improve qualitv control in textile laboratories. and provide affordable testing of individual stud animals for selection of uniform fleeces. which would in turn increase the value of the domestic wool clip. These methods would drastically reduce time necessary to measure samples and to report the information acquired.

Sirolan laserscan technology and ofda image analysis have proven comparable to projection microscope measurement in determining average fiber diameter. The textile industry requires fast, accurate knowledge of fiber diameter and variability for its high speed processing equipment. The objective of the proposed study is to obtain American society for testing and materials (astm) standards for laserscan and ofda to provide specific procedures for use of these instruments in trade and plant quality control in the United States. Astm standards will be developed to include wool, mohair and other animal fibers. This will necessitate measurement of additional mohair, cashmere, llama, and alpaca samples to support acceptance of these methods. Fiber diameter data generated by the laserscan and ofda systems will be standardized into databases in the windowstm environment. This software package would then be available to the textile industry for trade and quality control.Applications:Objective measurement technologies will replace slow and expensive microprojection to measure fiber diameter for competitive international marketing by domestic fiber producers. Textile manufacturers will increasingly demand fiber meeting their specifications for use in the latest high speed processing equipment. The establishment of astm standards for sirolan laserscan and ofda fiber diameter measurement systems will be implemented in u.S. Textile industry trade and quality control. Transfer of fiber measurement data from the laserscan and/or ofda systems into one database can be utilized in a windowstm environment for commercial application in industry trade and quality control.