ESTIMATION OF THE COTTON FINENESS AND MAT URITY BY LIGHT-SCATTERING

The estimation possibility of the cotton fineness and maturity by usin g the scattering technique was studied. The cotton fiber contains a co re called '' lumen '' which etends to the tip. The maturity of a cotto n fibre is closely related to the secondary wall thickness in relation with the diameter of the fibre swollen ans therefore on the width of the lumen. Our simplified geometrical theory is based on the fact that the cotton fibre is progressively filled with cellulose at the time o f the maturity. The obtained results by using the scattering technique agree with those obtained by conventional methods used for this purpo se in the textile laboratories.