Cotton Wax and Its Relationship with Fiber and Yarn Properties: Part II: Wax Content and Yarn Properties

Skeins of yams spun from a wide range of cottons are dewaxed by Soxhlet extraction with ethanol. After drying, their mechanical properties are determined by single yarn tensile tests. Dewaxing produces a significant increase in yarn tenacity and a slight decrease in elongation at break. Yarn tensile properties are regressed on data sets of fiber properties that include wax content. Yarn strength is explained primarily by fiber strength and fiber fineness, although fiber strength and Micronaire value provided a reasonably good estimate. Wax content, which appears to be closely related to the specific surface area of the fiber, and hence Micronaire value, fails to qualify for entry into regression equations for yarn strength.