An evaluation of cotton fiber cross-sections with an image analysis software

Cotton is a natural raw material used by the textile industry in the manufacture of spun yarns. Cotton fiber maturity is an important fiber quality characteristic as it relates to fiber breakage, yarn evenness, fabric defects, and fabric dye uptake. Immature fibers have a poorly developed secondary cell wall. Therefore, they are weak, and tend to break during processing. Fiber maturity can be determined by examining cotton fiber cross sections under a microscope. An image analysis software is then used to determine the physical characteristics of the fiber cross-sections; such as cell wall thickness, area of the secondary cell wall, and perimeter. These physical attributes are then used to determine cotton fibers maturity (Xu and Huang, 2004). The Fiber Image Analysis System (FIAS) is an image analysis software used to measure the fiber’s physical features from images of cotton fiber cross-sections. The algorithm used in the old version of the FIAS software often fails to properly measure the wall thickness, perimeter, and lumen of immature fibers. Thus, it tends to overestimate the average fiber maturity. A new version of the FIAS software has been developed and it is assumed to be better able to properly measure the features of immature fibers (Guo et. al., 2014). Reliable data necessary to calibrate the existing indirect instruments can be obtained from the unbiased measurement of fiber maturity. This research compares the two versions (Old and New) of the image analysis software. A better understanding of the performance of image analysis software will help to develop the desired reference materials for fiber maturity determination with indirect methods such as the Advanced Fiber Information System (AFIS) and the Cottonscope.