Grs. Naylor et Ka. Hansford, Fibre end diameter properties in processed top relative to the staple for wool grown in a Mediterranean climate and shorn in different seasons, WOOL TECH, 47(2), 1999, pp. 107-117
This study examines the relationship between the fibre diameter characteris
tics of mid-side staple profiles with the diameter characteristics of the f
ibre ends of tops produced from single fleeces grown in a Mediterranean env
ironment. The rationale being that any reduction in the diameter of the pro
cessed fibre ends could lead to a potential for improved fabric skin comfor
t.
For fleeces grown in Western Australia, shearing at the point of minimum di
ameter reduces the mean diameter of the processed fibre ends by approximate
ly 2 mu m relative to similar wool shorn at the point of maximum diameter w
ithout effecting the standard deviation of the fibre end diameter distribut
ion. This is accompanied by a reduction in the percentage of processed coar
se fibre ends. It is predicted that this will translate into an improvement
in fabric skin comfort commensurate with this change in fibre end mean dia
meter.
The change in the mean diameter of the processed fibre ends relative to the
whole top mean fibre diameter was found to be related to the mid-side fibr
e diameter profiles. Approximately 40% of the difference between the diamet
er of the fibre ends and the mean fibre diameter of the staple remained in
the processed top e.g. for Summer/ Autumn shearing, 40% of the reduction in
the diameter of the fibre ends in the staple is still present in the top.