Introduction: Fibre fineness is a measure of the thickness of a fiber or filament. It is an important parameter in the textile industry as it affects the appearance, feel, and performance of the finished product. In this lab experiment, we will determine the fibre fineness of a manmade fiber sample using the direct weighing method.
Objective: The objective of this lab experiment is to determine the fibre fineness of a manmade fiber sample using the direct weighing method.
Materials:
- Manmade fiber sample
- Analytical balance
- Scissors
- Glass beaker
- Distilled water
- Stirring rod
- Filter paper
- Tweezers
- Metric ruler
- Calculator
Procedure:
- Obtain a small amount of the manmade fiber sample and cut it into small pieces using scissors.
- Weigh a clean, dry glass beaker using an analytical balance and record the weight.
- Add a known amount of distilled water to the beaker and record the weight of the beaker and water.
- Place the small pieces of fiber sample into the beaker and stir gently using a stirring rod to ensure that all fibers are fully immersed in the water.
- Using tweezers, remove any air bubbles trapped in the fibers.
- Allow the fibers to soak for 10-15 minutes.
- Pour the contents of the beaker onto a filter paper placed on top of an analytical balance.
- Gently press the fibers down onto the filter paper using the stirring rod to remove excess water.
- Allow the filter paper and fibers to air-dry completely.
- Weigh the filter paper and fibers using the analytical balance and record the weight.
- Using a metric ruler, measure the length of a representative sample of 10 fibers.
- Using the formula below, calculate the fibre fineness of the sample:
Fibre fineness (denier) = (weight of fibers in grams / length of 10 fibers in inches) x 50,000
- Repeat steps 1-12 for at least two additional fiber samples to obtain a more accurate average fibre fineness.
Results: Record the fibre fineness values for each fiber sample tested and calculate the average fibre fineness for the given manmade fiber sample.
Discussion: Discuss the importance of fibre fineness in the textile industry and how it affects the appearance, feel, and performance of the finished product. Compare the fibre fineness values obtained for the different fiber samples and explain any variations observed. Suggest further experiments that could be conducted to investigate the fibre fineness properties of manmade fibers in more detail.