#6- Research Initiatives- Sami Ford

Last week’s blog we learned about the different types of weaves and knits and started going into the different fibers that are used to make fabrics. As a review of last week, I will restate the different ways in which these fibers react to fire, then go into how cotton comes from the field all the way into being made into fabric, and how cotton is processed in factories.  

Fire (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2RyE7i0sCk) 

Fibers in fabrics can be identified by burning.  

Cotton and Flax- natural cellulosic fibers, burn but do not melt, smell like burning wood or paper, and have a fine gray ash residue.  

Wool and silk- natural protein fiber, burn but do not melt, smell strongly of burning hair or feathers, stops burning when it is removed from fire, and residues are like black hollow beads that can be crushed to black powder. Silk does not have as strong an odor because it does not contain Sulphur.  

Rayon- has the same reactions as natural cellulosic fiber; is an artificial cellulosic fiber, burns but does not melt, smells like burning paper or wood, and has fine gray ash residue.  

Polyester- is an artificial fiber that shrinks from heat, melts, burns, and drips, smells like sweet chemicals, and residues are a hard cream or black colored bead that cannot be crushed. Nylon- very similar, except it does not drip and can smell like celery.  

Acrylic- artificial fiber, shrinks from heat, melts and burns, can sputter when burning, acrid smell, and residues are a hard cream or black colored bead that can be partially crushed. 

Acetate- artificial fiber, shrinks from heat, melts and burns, smells like burning cellulosic fibers (of burning wood or paper), with a bit of vinegar, and residues are a hard cream or black colored bead that can be partially crushed. 

 

Field to Fabric (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHgNoSYlhYs) 

Cotton is a basic raw material for thousands of products, three billion pounds of cotton is consumed in the U.S. textile mills each year, which go into apparel, home furnishings and industrial products. Cottonseed oil is used in food products, such as margarine and salad dressing. Additionally, cottonseed and cottonseed meal are used in feed for livestock, poultry, and fish, additionally it can be used in toothpaste, ice cream, and paper money. Cotton production is at its highest level in over 50 years (9 years ago), with a retail value of over 100 billion dollars.  

The cotton belt covers the southern half of the United States, from Virginia to California, Texas being the leading cotton producer historically. The cotton industry is a diversified business requiring different skills. A successful producer must be an economist, a smart risk manager, being familiar with computers and accounting programs, and produce cotton of course. All of this must be done while taking care of the land. Preserving the environment and food safety are issues important for not only farmers, but many other professions. Modern cotton systems are designed to strike a balance between economic and environmental concerns.  

Variation in climate and soil requires different production practices from region to region. In windy areas, they leave crop residue on the soil year-round terracing and contour tillage are standard practices in sloping terrain to prevent washing of valuable topsoil. The wide use of minimum tillage and no-till systems contribute to reducing soil movement. Cotton producers constantly work to improve efficiency. New approaches in pest management are an area that is paying off, which depends on natural populations of beneficial insects, improved plant varieties, and cultural practices that require a shorter growing season. Additionally, research labs do genetic engineering to create resistance to pests.  

Cotton’s growing season is 5 to 6 months long, which is the longest process of any annually grown crop. Depending on the region, cotton can be planted in February to June the first size of the plant emerges within the first 2 weeks. About a month later flowers bud, called squares, 3 weeks later white blossoms bloom, then turn into pink and dark red before falling off. The remaining parts ripen into cotton bolls, opening 2 months after bloom, to allow air to dry and fluff the white clean fibers for harvest in July through October. Cotton is harvested with machines called stripper harvesters (which remove the entire boll) or spindle pickers (which pull the cotton from the bulb).  

From the field, it is transported to a local gym to separate the lint, dried, cleaned, then removes the lint. Fiber and seed are then separated. The fiber is pressed into bales and classed to determine the value of the cotton according to length, strength, fineness, color, and cleanness.  

Fiber is sold to a local buyer or merchant, which is then sold to a textile mill. The grower sells the seed to the gym, who sells it for feet or an oil mill. The fuzz of the seed, called linters, is bailed and sold to paper and plastic industries. The seed is processed into cottonseed oil, meal, and hulls.  

At textile mills, the bales are open, and the lint mixed and cleaned again, straightening the fibers and making them into a soft untwisted rope called a sliver. There are then 2 types of spinning, ring and opened end. The yarn is woven or knitted and sent to a finishing plant, where it is prepared for clothing or household products- apparel, home furnishings, and industrial province. It is used in items such as jeans, shirts, bedspreads, window shades, towels, sheets, wallcoverings book bindings, zipper tapes, medical supplies, industrials threads, and abrasives.  

Cotton is a major industry that provides jobs, generates income, offers programs that meet human needs, and provides a safe and dependable supply of food and fiber at the lowest cost in the world.  

How Cotton is Processed in Factories (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hoHvN289Xs) 

Before cotton arrives at the textile mill to be spun into thread and woven into fabric, it makes the journey from field to bale, as explained in the previous section. In the processing plant, sticks and burrs are removed, as well as any lingering debris and seeds. A truck then dumps the module into a feeder, which moves the packed seed cotton into a dispenser. The ground seed cotton falls onto a conveyor belt, which leads to the hot box. The hot box mixes the seed cotton with hot air, allowing moisture to evaporate, making it easier to clean. A wad buster then breaks up clumps of see cotton, then moves to the steady flow that divides it equally between 2 processing lines. Next entering the burr machine, shaking off the debris. The seed cotton is ready for the final stage of processing, gin stands separates the seed form the lint. The seeds are left behind, only the lint being dropped on the conveyor belt, where the flue leads to the packing area.  

Cotton lint is then formed into bales, where the tramper shoves, a press compacts it into bales, and tie wraps the bale. A conveyer belt then moves it to a bagging machine, and past gripper that pulls a sample from each side. The bale then slides into a protective bag, while the grippers deposit the sample, which is then labeled and bagged, which is then analyzed for fiber length, cleanliness, color, and other criteria by the department of agriculture, which then gives the bale a grade and can be processed accordingly.