Evaluation of key hypotheses associated with HVI and AFIS fiber quality measures

Abstract EN

This paper revisits two existing fiber testing systems and questions the validity of some of the parameters they generate.

These are the HVI system and the Advanced Fiber Information System.

Both systems are commercially produced by zelweger Uster of Knoxville, TN.

Using correlation and cluster analyses, four hypotheses about cotton fiber characteristics produced by the HVI and AFIS were examined.

A wide range of cotton and cotton waste categories was used.

As a result of evaluating these hypotheses, the analysis concludes that Micronaire value reflects the fineness and maturity of cotton fibers when samples of low trash levels are tested.

When samples of high trash levels are tested, the Micronaire reading becomes largely unreliable.

Cotton maturity as estimated by the AFIS exhibits a significant correlation with short fiber content.

This makes AFIS maturity measures largely in doubt when samples of high short fiber content are tested.

The color Rd value produced by the HVI system typically reflects the cotton sample color, not the cotton inherent color.

This is a result of the failure of the HVI system color meter to segregate between fiber color and trash color.

HVI and AFIS measures of trash largely agree in trend.

However, this agreement only holds up to a certain level of trash content beyond which the HVI trash measure becomes insensitive and fails to reflect the true trash content in the sample.