Feltability of cashmere and other rare animal fibres and the effects of nutrition and blending with wool on cashmere feltability

Felting is a unique attribute of animal fibres used for the production of a range of industrial and apparel textiles. Felting can be an adverse attribute as a consequence of dimensional shrinkage during laundering. As there is little objective information regarding the feltability of rare animal fibres or the factors which may affect felting three investigations were undertaken. A survey (n?=?114) of the feltability of cashmere from different origins of production, cashgora, quivet, camel hair, llama, guanaco, bison wool, cow fibre and yak wool quantified the large variation between and within these fibre types. Cashmere from some origins and cashgora produced higher feltball density than the other fibres. Different nutritional management of cashmere goats (n?=?35) showed that cashmere grown by poorly fed goats had a lower propensity to felt compared with cashmere grown by better fed goats. A consequence of the progressive blending of cashmere (n?=?27) with a low propensity to felt superfine wool (high fibre curvature) increased the propensity of the blend to felt, but when the same cashmere was blended with low curvature superfine wool, there was little or no effect on feltability. The mechanisms which lead to variance in feltability of these fibres were quantified with multiple regression modelling. The mechanisms were similar to those reported for wools, namely variations in the resistance to compression, fibre curvature and mean fibre diameter, with likely effects of fibre crimp form. It is possible to source cashmere and other animal fibres which have different propensities to felt and therefore to produce textiles which are likely to have different textile properties.     

Cuticle and cortical cell morphology of alpaca and other rare animal fibres

The null hypothesis of the experiments reported is that the cuticle and cortical morphology of rare animal fibres are similar. The investigation also examined if the productivity and age of alpacas were associated with cuticle morphology and if seasonal nutritional conditions were related to cuticle scale frequency. Cuticle and cortical cell dimensions and ellipticity of the fibre cross section were investigated in 32 samples of cashmere, alpaca, mohair, bison, qiviut and vicuña from various origins. In addition, 24 Peruvian alpaca samples from animals ages 2–6 years and of varying fleece productivity were examined. Cuticle scale frequency, cuticle thickness and cortical cell dimensions (length, diameter, volume and ratio of length to diameter) and ellipticity differed between fibres and cuticle scale frequency also varied with mean fibre diameter. For Peruvian alpaca fleece samples, cuticle scale frequency varied with the age of alpaca and fleece productivity. Fibre ellipticity increased with increasing fibre diameter. Cortical cell length was strongly related to cortical cell diameter. The cuticle scale morphology of these rare animal fibres did not have fixed dimensions. Using cuticle scale morphology as a diagnostic tool to positively identify rare natural animal fibres needs to standardize measurements for fibre diameter but will still be affected by differences in animal productivity.     

Comparisons of the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectra of cashmere,guard hair,wool and other animal fibres

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), identifies chemical bands related to chemical bonds including amino acid groups. The potential for FTIR to differentiate animal fibres from different origins was investigated using cashmere (Chinese, Australian, Iranian), wool (Chinese, Australian), bison wool, qiviut from Musk-ox, vicuña and guard hairs present in these raw fibre samples. Cashmere from a controlled nutrition experiment with known amino acid composition was included in the study. While the intensity of FTIR spectra were moderately correlated with the content of some of the amino acids in cashmere, this investigation did not detect any significant systematic effects of nutritional manipulation of cashmere goats on the FTIR spectra of their cashmere. Significant differences were detected in the intensity of FTIR spectra between cashmere and wool, cashmere from different origins, white and coloured cashmere, and between cashmere and hair. The FTIR spectra of cashmere and wool overlapped with those of bison, qiviut and vicuña. The intensity of FTIR spectra were not correlated with the mean fibre diameter of samples but the intensity of most spectra bands were positively correlated with the fibre curvature of the samples (r = 0.27–0.38). Based on these results it does not seem likely that FTIR spectra offer a reliable method to distinguish between pure cashmere and blends of cashmere with wool or other animal fibre for diagnostic tests to determine the fibre composition in finished textiles.     

羊毛和羊驼毛纤维弯曲性能的评价

单纤维弯曲性能的评价是研究纤维自身弯曲性质和纺织品柔软性能的重要方面.文章采用纤维轴向压缩弯曲法测量了单纤维弯曲性能.结果表明,羊驼毛比羊毛有更高的抗弯性能,即较刚硬,但羊驼毛纤维表面摩擦阻力较低,即纤维间易于滑移,因此羊驼毛织物手感柔软的主要原因是纤维间的滑移.     

Cuticle and cortical cell morphology and the ellipticity of cashmere are affected by nutrition of goats

Cuticle scale edge height and frequency are used to identify animal fibres but exhibit a large range in dimensions, the reasons for which have not been elucidated. Cuticle and cortical cell dimensions along with the ellipticity of fibres were investigated in cashmere samples from a controlled nutrition experiment. Cuticle scale frequency, cuticle thickness, cortical cell dimensions and ellipticity were affected by nutritional treatment, with significant differences between cashmere from goats fed to grow and those which maintained live weight or lost weight. Cuticle scale frequency, cell thickness and ellipticity (contour) varied with fibre diameter, fibre growth rate and the size of the animals. Cuticle thickness and ellipticity were related. Cashmere grown by goats with higher levels of nutrition had longer cortical cells with greater diameter, volume and a higher length:diameter ratio compared with cashmere grown by goats in restricted nutrition treatments. The results show that the fundamental physical structures of cashmere do not have fixed dimensions. The consequences of the variations in cuticle morphology and ellipticity will be variation in surface friction, bending rigidity, softness, lustre, colour attributes, fibre cohesion during processing, felting and wear properties of textiles. There are also important consequences upon the determination of cashmere origin.     

Weathering,fibre strength and colour properties of processed white cashmere

Weathering refers to the degradation of wool fibres that occur during growth from exposure of the fleece to sunlight, water and air. Weathering damage to Merino wool reduces quantities of fibre that are harvested, reduces length in both raw and processed wools, reduces spinning performance and dyeing outcomes. This work aimed to aimed to quantify if and to what extent weathering occurred in 38 lots of commercial dehaired white cashmere and cashmere top sourced from traditional and new origins of production and the extent of any association between weathering and tensile strength properties of the dehaired cashmere and cashmere top. The cashmere was tested for physical properties, bundle tenacity and extension, tristimulus values brightness (Y) and yellowness (Y-Z) and reflectance. Dye uptake was used as an index of weathering. Linear models, relating to weathering, bundle tenacity and Y-Z were fitted to origin and other objective measurements. Mean attributes (range) were: mean fibre diameter, 17.0 μm (13.5–21.3?μm); bundle tenacity of tops, 10.3 cN/tex (8.3–12.9?cN/tex), for dehaired fibre, 10.1 cN/tex (9.1–11.4 cN/tex). Stain uptake varied from 0.92 to 6.34 mg/g fibre indicating a six-fold variation in the extent of weathering. Both the extent of weathering and the bundle tenacity of commercial lots of cashmere were affected by the origin of the cashmere. Increased weathering reduced bundle tenacity, bundle extension, increased the yellowness and reduced reflectance of white cashmere. Bundle tenacity of cashmere declined as fibre diameter variability increased from 20 to 22.5%. For the samples tested, the cashmere from China, Mongolia, Afghanistan and Iran showed more weathering than cashmere from Australia, New Zealand and the USA. The differences in the extent of weathering and of bundle tenacity between cashmere from different origins were of commercial significance.     

Rapid fibre diameter measurement in aqueous solutions with OFDA 2000

In this paper, a new technique has been developed to enable fibre diameters to be measured in an aqueous environment using the OFDA 2000 instrument. The existing OFDA instrument has only been used to measure diameters of animal fibres under dry conditions. This new technique was utilised to assess the effects of pH and temperature on the diameters of merino wool fibres in aqueous environments. Significant changes in fibre diameter under aqueous conditions were found as a function of pH and temperature. Wool fibre diameters were at a minimum close to the wool isoelectric point (pH 4.8) and increased at both lower and higher pHs. Swelling of merino wool fibres was observed to increase linearly by around 15% as the temperature rose from ambient to 70°C.     

不同动物纤维的毡缩性能分析

应用毡缩球法研究了羊毛、马海毛、兔绒、山羊绒、绵羊绒和牦牛绒的毡缩性能.先测量出6种纤维的摩擦因数,然后采用毡缩球法分别测量6种纤维的毡缩性能,分析兔绒与羊毛混纺以及马海毛与羊毛混纺时混合比对纤维毡缩性能的影响.此外,还分析了羊毛和马海毛长度对纤维毡缩性能的影响.得出兔绒与羊毛混纺、马海毛与羊毛混纺时混纺比对混纺纤维毡缩性能的影响规律,以及纤维长度对其毡缩性能的影响规律.     

Contribution of objective and subjective attributes to the variation in the whiteness and brightness of commercial mohair sale lots

Colour properties are measured prior to the sale of merino wool as they are of commercial importance when greasy wool is sold and when wool is dyed. With the paucity of knowledge of the colour properties of commercial mohair, this study aimed to identify and quantify the factors affecting the brightness (Y) and yellowness (Y-Z) values of commercial lots of Australian mohair. The research database comprised 520 sale lots (>500,000 kg mohair), which had tristimulus tests, and was sold during the period 2001–2009. Mohair was subjectively classed and sale lots objectively tested using international standard methods for mean fibre diameter (MFD, μm), fibre diameter coefficient of variation (%), International Wool Testing Organization (IWTO) clean wool base (IWTO yield, %w/w), vegetable matter (VM, %w/w) and the tristimulus values X, Y and Z (T units). The tristimulus values of Australian mohair were affected by the objective measurements of MFD, VM%, the subjective classing of stain, cotting, kemp and length and by the year and selling season. Variation in Y was more easily predicted with 90.5% of variance explained by the best model compared with variation in Y-Z, where the best model explained 51.6% of the total variance. Visually assessed properties of the mohair were very important in separating mohair of different Y properties, accounting for almost 80% of the total variance, but were far less important in accounting for the variance in Y-Z, accounting for about 9–10% of the total variance. The most important effects on the Y of mohair were associated with subjectively determined fault categories determined before the sale of mohair. In particular, stain fault explained about two-thirds of the variance in brightness of mohair sale lots. Stained mohair had much lower brightness than mohair free of stain but stain fault explained very little of the variation in yellowness of mohair sale lots. The extent of the differences in tristimulus values between seasons and years were not large for Y but were more important for yellowness (Y-Z), and these effects are likely to be of commercial importance. Generally, brightness decreased and yellowness increased as MFD increased up to about 30 μm. Both cotting and kemp fault were associated with reduced brightness and increased yellowness. The effects of VM% on tristimulus values were small. IWTO yield was associated with changes in tristimulus values, but in the best model, IWTO yield was not a significant determinant. This study indicates that commercial Australian fleece (nonfaulted) mohair was essentially white. Faulted mohair on the other hand exhibited poorer colour characteristics. The mohair subjectively identified as stained prior to sale comprised all the mohair which would be regarded as not white, and this investigation indicates that the effect of staining is on the brightness of mohair rather than the Y-Z measurement. Unlike the situation with merino wool, there was little relationship between the naturally occurring contaminants, as measured by the IWTO washing yield, and either Y or Y-Z.     

羊绒、羊毛（改性羊毛）的定性鉴别与定量分析

从羊毛及羊绒的组织结构及物理,化学特性方面的差异进行分析,结合实际生产情况,总结了染色法,着色剂法,溶液鉴别法,电子显微镜观察法等定性与定量鉴别羊毛（改性羊毛）与羊绒的原理和方法。     

Determination of the Most Commonly Recognized and Used Keratin Based Luxury Fibers

There is a group of animal fibers known as “luxury fibers.” These are mohair, cashmere, camel hair, lama, alpaca, vicuna, guanaco, angora, yak, and quivit. In this study, the effects of demographical variables such as gender, education, age, sector, and income on the recognition and usage of luxury fibers in Thrace Region of Turkey were investigated. In order to analyze the obtained data, crosstabulation and chi-square statistical methods are used. According to the experimental results it can be said that the most commonly known and used luxury fibers are cashmere, mohair, and angora. The most important (37.6%) reason for participants to use luxury fibers is their warm feeling. On the other hand the most important (approx. 30%) reason for participants not to use them is that they do not have sufficient information about these fibers. It was determined that the most commonly (37.8%) used textile product made of luxury fibers is outerwear. Furthermore, it was found out that approximately 75% of participants accept paying more for garment containing luxury fibers because of their high quality.     

The Effect of Breed Type,Fibre Length,and Fibre Diameter on the Efficiency of Dehairing Cashmere in Sample Test Dehairers

A modified Shirley Analyser has been shown previously to be effective in removing guard hair from down-bearing goat fleeces. The technique used was shown to be capable of dehairing fleeces of both cashmere and Angora x cashmere types. The latter fleece type is characterized by the increased length and fibre diameter of down fibres. This paper reports an investigation of the effect that fibre diameter and length and hence breed type had on dehairing efficiency.

Findings indicate that fibre diameter per se had little effect on dehairing ability and that less fibre breakage occured in longer, coarser, and stronger fibres. However, there was a highly significant interaction between fibre length and machine type, indicating that some machines are able to dehair more efficiently and cause less fibre breakage than others.     

半精纺机织衬衫面料的设计与性能研究

对半精纺机织衬衫面料的设计与服用性能进行了研究.选用丝/绒、丝/麻、毛/绒、纯绒4种半精纺纱线,设计了9种不同织物组织和密度的半精纺机织物,并对织物的规格,透气性、透湿性、吸水性等吸湿排汗性能,刚柔性、折皱回复性、抗起毛起球性及抗静电性等服用性能进行了测试与分析,以选择能够满足夏季衬衫服用要求的半精纺织物的组织结构和半精纺织物.其研究结果对半精纺机织衬衫面料的设计开发具有一定的参考价值.     

Frequency dependence of ultrasonic wool scouring

Conventional aqueous scouring of greasy wool promotes wool felting and can be energy and water intensive. Ultrasonic wool scouring could be an alternative technology to minimise the negative impact, provided that the cleaning efficiency and fibre quality are not compromised. This study examined the influence of ultrasonic irradiation frequency and ultrasonic power variations on wool scouring performance at different liquor ratios. Scoured fibre, residual ash content, residual grease content, whiteness and yellowness were evaluated. The impact of liquor degassing on wool scouring effectiveness was studied. Fibre surface damage was also assessed in this work. It was observed that while there was no significant influence of ultrasonic frequency on the whiteness or yellowness of the scoured fibres, wool scoured at frequencies of 28 kHz and 80 kHz had more grease and dirt removed than that scoured at 45 kHz. Low ultrasonic power and degassed bath liquor increased wool grease removal ability. Ultrasonic treatment caused scale cracking/peeling in some wool fibres. More severe cuticle damage was observed in fibres scoured at the lower frequency. This damage resulted in increased dye uptake by the fibres.     

羊绒与羊毛的定性鉴别与定量分析

从羊毛及羊绒的组织结构及物理、化学特性方面的差异进行分析，结合实际生产中的一些情况，总结了定性与定量地鉴别羊毛（改性羊毛）与羊绒的原理和方法。     

几种动物毛纤维的结构与性能研究

介绍了绵羊毛、羊驼毛、马海毛三种动物毛纤维的微细结构特征,并对三者的强伸性能、卷曲性能、摩擦性能进行了测试比较。结果表明:羊驼毛和马海毛的鳞片薄而紧密,但羊驼毛有间断或通体宽大的髓腔,其鳞片不及马海毛和绵羊毛清晰可见;马海毛和羊驼毛初始模量大,强力高,卷曲少,摩擦因数小,缩绒性较差,纺纱加工困难,但其制品具有优良的弹性、抗皱性和尺寸稳定性。     

山羊绒、细支绵羊毛纤维集合体压缩性能研究

采用ＤＣＳ－５００型岛津强力机，测试分析了内蒙产３种不同直径、不同卷曲密度的分梳山羊绒纤维集合体的压缩性能，并与细支绵羊毛作对比。可对山羊绒、羊毛的客观检验和评价提供参考。     

Influence of yarn structures; part A: on carpet compressional performance under static and dynamic conditions

Three different Indian wools viz. Malpura, Magra and Chokla, significantly different in terms of fibre diameter, proportion of medullated fibres and extent of medullation are selected for this study. Two different mixing approaches i.e. homogeneous and strategic mixing of fibres of different characteristics were used. Three-layered yarn structures were developed to exploit the advantages of the strategic mixing, where wool fibres of different characteristics are positioned in different layers of the yarn as proposed by one of the author of this paper. The compressional performances of handloom carpets made from structurally different yarns were studied using newly developed carpet compression tester measured under static and dynamic conditions.     

Innovative critical solutions in the dyeing of protein textile materials

Even though animal fibres contribute a comparatively low proportion of world fibre production, they are highly sought after and play a significant role in the luxury, high value-added end of the market. Natural protein fibres have two major classes, which may be categorized as keratin fibres (hair or fur), such as wool, cashmere, and other animal hairs, and secreted (insect) fibres with silk as the main fibre in this category. Colouration of protein fibres is characterized by many variables, each with a different effect on the final product. Indeed it is quite complicated to achieve the intended colour in the first dyeing attempt. Dyeing defects are not always due to the actual dyeing process, but may be introduced in earlier production and processing stages. This work attempts to provide a detailed review of the major issues in the dyeing of various protein textile materials in different forms such as loose fibre, yarn, fabric, and garment. An overview of different types of protein fibres is given and a summary of current industrial practices for the dyeing of protein fibres is provided followed by key variables that affect the control of colour in the dyeing of protein fibres. Key steps and critical factors involved in the production of dyed protein textile materials are described in detail and solutions to the problems that may arise at each stage are provided.