LPT 312: Abattoir Practices and Animal Products Technology (1+1)

DETERMINATION OF CRIMP AND MEDULLATION PERCENTAGE

Crimp

• Crimp is the fibre characteristic that largely determines the bulk, resistance to compression and lustre of wool. The bulk of a wool is related to its crimp characteristics (i.e., the crimp spacing or crimp frequency and its amplitude), and measures its ability to fill space and have a springy handle.
• Bulk is a particularly important property in selecting wools for knitwear and machine-made carpets, where good cover is desirable in the pile. The bulk test is mainly used to assess the suitability of wools for woollen processing into carpets and knitwear.
• Crimp promotes cohesion between fibres so that higher bulk wools are generally easier to process. In addition, because air is trapped in the spaces between crimped fibres, products made from high bulk wools tend to provide good thermal insulation and are warm. The measurement of bulk is being carried out by Instron with special attachment. However, this method takes a lot of time. There is necessity to develop a newer quick method for measuring bulk of the wool.

Medullation percentage

• Medullated fibres are examined with the help of projection microscope during measurement of fibre diameter. However, the medullated fibres could not be measured under any quick method like OFDA and laser scans. Hence, there is a need to develop some technique to examine the medullated fibres by Image analysis technique using computer technology for quickness and accuracy of the measurement.