Measurement of Three-Dimensional Fiber Crimp

Crimp form of textile fibers is essentially three-dimensional in character. Two parameters, geometric curvature and torsion, accurately describe the space path of fiber crimp. Measurements needed for determination of these parameters are tedious and impractical to obtain by manual methods. An instrument built by Du Pont makes these measurements automatically. It differs from published instrumental techniques by providing data which allow definition of torsion and curvature of crimp as well as the more usual crimp frequency and extensibility parameters. Measurements of a series of fibers shows that fiber crimp, expected to be planar by virtue of mechanical crimping processes, has a three-dimensional character.