A team of researchers at National Institute of Design (NID) had set about to develop high altitude clothing from Angora fibre and in the meanwhile ended up in inventing their own machine to complete the project.
This machine, named as 'single fibre friction and strength tester' (SFFST), is devised to measure friction between individual yarns and plays a crucial factor for any kind of textile application.
In an exclusive interview with Fibre2fashion, Professor Pradyumansinh Jhala of John Bissell Research Chair, NID, gave details about the workings of the machine. He asserted saying, “The SFFST works on the principle of friction in twist of two fibres with a well-defined line contact. The force necessary to slide the fibres in twist gives a measure of friction between the fibres and the force required to break a single fibre gives a measure of fibre strength.”
He further observed that, “For the spinning and weaving operation, it is desirable to know the fibre friction characteristics which will help in setting the machine parameters to achieve quality goods. It is therefore extremely useful for textile industry especially for woolen and man made sectors. Also, the machine will prove to be useful in the development of products for hair care such as shampoos, as it facilitates in determining the effectiveness of the product in smoothening hair.”
When asked about the approximate time taken for developing this unique machine, Professor Jhala stated, “It started with exploration of various ideas, rigging up of simple devices, verification of results and finally building a few prototypes for field testing. This entire process took about one year.”
Professor Jhala was quite confident that since there is no commercial equipment available in the country and aboard for the measurement of single fibre friction, the machine will have a good market in the textile sector.
Moreover, Professor Jhala affirmed that since the machine is sure to get into commercialization, restructuring of the equipment by way of increasing automation in the system and developing a specific design, is under progress.
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
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