Influence of Cotton Fiber Properties on the Microstructural Characteristics of Mercerized Fibers by Regression Analysis

Abstract

This study is conducted on a raw material imported from several countries for the purpose of promoting the development of the world’s cotton spinning industry. If the time for selecting the raw material as well as the quality of the cotton spinning is improved, then time and money will be saved and the spinning industry will be improved. For this study, different cotton fibers were selected from different ecological regions. The cotton fibers were processed using the mercerization process, and then they were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform IR (FTIR) and scanning electronic microscope (SEM). High-volume instrument study was conducted to evaluate the physical properties of cotton fibers, including short fiber content, tensile strength, elongation at break, Micronaire value, and upper half mean length. In addition a change in fiber strength, the degree of crystallinity, and degree of orientation of cotton fibers before and after mercerization was also examined. SEM results show that the surface of cotton fibers became smooth and shiny after the treatment. FTIR and XRD revealed that the chemical composition did not change, but the degree of crystallinity decreased and the degree of orientation of alkalized cotton fibers increased after mercerization. In the second phase of this study, a correlation analysis was made between the physical properties of cotton fibers and the microstructural properties of alkalized cotton samples. This analysis revealed that the breaking strength of cotton fibers is strongly negatively correlated with the crystallinity of cotton fibers. The higher the tensile strength, the lower the crystallinity of cotton fibers, which leads to better mechanical properties of the end product. The degree of the orientation of cotton fibers is highly correlated with a tensile strength of cotton fibers. Xinjiang-Cn, BG-Au, and BG-Tu samples exhibited relatively better physical properties.  BG-Au, BG-Tu, and Pakistan samples have higher values of tensile strength and lower values of yellowness; moreover, the raw material from these samples can be preferred according to correlation analysis. Correlation analysis between physical properties reveals that the tensile strength of cotton fibers is positively correlated with the Micronaire value; however, the correlation is not strong because of the lower value of the correlation coefficient as 0.4809.