by

D.W.F. TURPIE and C.H. STEENKAMP

Gubb & Inggs Limited,

Uitenhage, South Africa.

with comments by L. HUNTER*

*CSIR Division of Textile Technology.

Port Elizabeth, South Africa

SUMMARY:

In a quest to find an objetive measure of those medullated fibres which “stand out” as being “optically different” and “objectionable” commercial mohair tops (including good quality tops containing relatively few such fibres), researchers at Gubb & Inggs have carried out exploratory studies using Cape, Texas and Turkish mohair spanning a wide range of diameter and “objectionable” medullated fibre count.

The results have indicated that there is a good statistical fit between the number of “objectionable” medullated fibres counted visually at Gubb &Inggs and the number of medullated fibres (excluding “flat” fibres) counted on the OFDA, the statistical fit passing through a peak at an opacity threshold level of approximately 92 percent.

This technique of measurement could, for the first time ever, offer a rapid, practical and cot-effective means for the objective measurement of objectionable medullated fibres in mohair, even at relatively low count levels down to 0.01 percent.

It is hoped the this introductory study will stimulate further work and lead to the establishment of commercially viable Test Method within the near future.

Download:Measurement of Medullated Fibres in Mohair Using OFDA-Turpie