Further Studies of Mechanical Damage on Machine-Harvested Cotton Fiber via Coupling Effect of Moisture Regains and Low Temperature

ABSTRACT

Cotton is a crucial raw material for the textile industry, and the quality of its initial product greatly affects the properties of the yarn and fabric. However, the impact of low temperature and moisture regain during ginning on the mechanical properties has not been extensively studied. This paper aims to address this gap by designing and analyzing a strategy for evaluating the mechanical properties of machine-harvested cotton fibers pretreated at different moisture regain levels and temperatures. Regression models for the relationship between temperature and mechanical properties under different moisture regain conditions were also established, showing good consistency. Additionally, the study examines the mechanical damage mechanism of cotton fibers during the harvesting and ginning process by observing the fiber fracture interface of different samples. Especially, those with low moisture regain exhibit a V-type fracture, while those with high moisture regain display significant fibrils exposed on the fiber body, resulting in a tearing morphology at the fracture interface. In conclusion, this study provides theoretical support for optimizing the harvesting process in cotton processing enterprises in terms of moisture regain and low temperature and makes a significant toward sustainable cotton fiber harvesting and processing technology.

摘要

棉花是纺织工业的重要原材料，其初始产品的质量极大地影响纱线和织物的性能。然而，轧棉过程中的低温和回潮对机械性能的影响尚未得到广泛研究。本文旨在通过设计和分析评估在不同回潮率水平和温度下预处理的机采棉纤维的机械性能的策略来解决这一差距。还建立了不同回潮率条件下温度与力学性能关系的回归模型，表现出良好的一致性。此外，该研究通过观察不同样品的纤维断裂界面来研究棉纤维在收获和轧花过程中的机械损伤机制。特别是，回潮率低的纤维表现出V型断裂，而回潮率高的纤维则表现出明显的原纤暴露在纤维体上，导致断裂界面处出现撕裂形貌。综上所述，本研究为棉花加工企业在回潮率和低温等方面优化采收流程提供了理论支撑，对可持续棉纤维采收加工技术具有重要意义。

KEYWORDS:

• Low temperature
• machine-harvested cotton
• mechanics model
• fracture morphology
• fiber damage
• cotton ginning

关键词:

• 低温
• 机收棉花
• 力学模型
• 断裂形态
• 纤维损伤
• 轧棉

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledgements the financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the authors also thank College of Textile and Fashion, and the Ginning Company providing cotton sample, field investigation, and fiber testing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author’s contributions

Jiqiang Cao: Methodology, Software, Testing, Data curation, Writing-Original draft preparation. Lu Cheng: Visualization, Investigation Testing. Limin Zhang: Data handling, sample analysis. Xiang Liu: Software, Supervision, Validation, Writing- Reviewing. Hong Xu: Conceptualization, Writing- Reviewing and Editing, Funding acquisition.

Consent to publish

I confirm that any participants (or their guardians if unable to give informed consent, or next of kin, if deceased) who may be identifiable through the manuscript (such as a case report), have been given an opportunity to review the final manuscript and have provided written consent to publish.

Ethical approval

I confirm that all the research meets ethical guidelines and adheres to the legal requirements of the study country.

Ethics declarations

I confirm that all the research meets ethical guidelines and adheres to the legal requirements of the study country.

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15440478.2024.2309913.

Additional information

Funding

Funding was provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant 51963020).