Physical analysis of the fleece of sheep for biological purposes. I. Actual and apparent cross-sectional areas of a staple of fleece wool under lateral compression

Abstract

An investigation has been made of errors associated with calculations of the sum of the cross-sectional areas of fibres in a staple of wool from the apparent cross-sectional area of the staple when compressed in a slot. The general mechanism of the compression process has been elaborated, and the errors associated with various conditions suggested. The staple size mainly considered was about that coming from one square inch of skin. The range of mean fibre diameter was from 16 to 32 microns.