Performance evaluation of trash analyzer and opener blender for opening cotton lint samples used in fibre quality testing

Cotton lint samples drawn from densely packed bales are required to be well opened and cleaned before being used for fibre quality assessment using modern testing equipment. Importance of proper opening of lint samples introduced into the porosity chamber for measurement of fibre fineness (micronaire) is well recognized to ensure not only correct micronaire but also strength values. If lint samples are tested as such without any opening and cleaning, there is every possibility of variations in the micronaire reading from the actual value. In this paper, performance of the two equipments namely trash analyzer and opener blender has been analyzed for opening of cotton lint samples to ensure accurate and precise measurement of fibre fineness using High Volume Instrument. It was observed that while both equipments gave similar quality of opening, the capacity of trash analyzer was nearly double due to its larger size when compared to opener blender.