| MadSci Network: Engineering |
Hi Kunal Facts about Cotton can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co tton The individual fibers (staples) are thus only 20 micrometers thick and at most 6 centimeters long. Due to their crystalline structure, these are intrinsically very strong (in terms of load divided by cross section). Spinning involves aligning many staples side by side, with lengths overlapping, so that a continuous thread (yarn) can be formed. The strength of the thread relies on the intimate lateral contact among the staples, which adhere to each other by dipole and van-der-Waals forces. Cotton consists of nearly pure Cellulose, whose molecules contain many polar (hydroxyl) groups, which contribute to the adhesion between fibers. Spinning involves twisting of the bundle of fibers. This helps to bring the fibers into intimate contact and prevents them from gliding along each other lengthwise if the yarn is subjected to tension, since in a twisted bundle, the applied force no longer acts parallel to the staples, but at an angle. Best regards Werner Sieber
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