A method for measuring the moisture content, the length and at least one dynamometric characteristic of textile fibers, includes pressing a layer of textile fibers between a pair of plates parallel to one another, withdrawing a line of textile fibers from said layer thus pressed and making the textile fibers of said line substantially coplanar and parallel to one another, bringing said line of textile fibers to a measuring area at which at least to perform one measuring step, moving the textile fibers away from the measuring area after having performed the at least one measuring step and measuring the moisture content of the textile fibers by means of microwave sensors.

An apparatus for counting textile cords in a tire reinforcement belt by cutting the reinforcement belt into a plurality of belt units and successively measuring the number of textile cords in each belt unit is provided. The apparatus includes a feed roller having wound therearound a reinforcement belt on which textile cords are arranged along a longitudinal direction of the reinforcement belt; one or more take-up rollers configured to collect the reinforcement belt from the feed roller; a plurality of guide rollers interposed between the take-up rollers and configured to support a top surface or a bottom surface of the reinforcement belt; one or more light sources, each configured to emit a line of light onto a surface of the reinforcement belt that is passing around the guide rollers; and one or more image sensors configured to capture images reflected off the surface of the reinforcement belt.

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for monitoring yarn quality in the textile industry. Textile yarn is checked for quality to meet the required criteria such as diameter evenness and unwanted foreign fiber presence. The invention utilizes an artificial light illuminating the yarn, focusing element, diffraction element and the image sensor for capturing of focused diffracted rays from illuminated yarn image. The presence of foreign fibres in yarn and yarn diameter is determined by processing of captured image.

There is disclosed a method and an apparatus for monitoring textile yarn quality. Textile yarn is checked for quality to meet the required criteria such as diameter evenness and unwanted foreign fiber presence by utilizing an artificial diffuse light illuminating image sensor, with the yarn placed as an obstacle, into the pathway of the light, the contours of the light being focused for sharp image capture. The yarn diameter is determined by processing of focused yarn image.

A measuring device for measuring stickiness, imperfections and impurities in textile fibers, such a device includes a housing inside which a pair of rollers are placed, arranged side by side to one another and rotating in opposite senses and between which a web of cotton fibers is made to pass. The rollers are heated, the sticky fractions of the web that adhere to the rollers after the passage of the web between them are detected, and the sticky fractions adhering to the rollers are removed, wherein the heating is controlled by a processing and control unit as a function of the temperature of the rollers detected by a temperature sensor associated with them.

Disclosed are acetate tow bands comprising identification fibers made of cellulose acetate which exhibit surface markings in a repeated pattern along the length of the identification fibers. The identification fibers can be incorporated into an acetate tow band. The surface markings and repeated pattern can be representative of a bale identifier. The identification fibers can be recovered from a cigarette filter, the repeated pattern decoded, and supply chain information associated with the acetate tow band used to make the cigarette filter can be obtained.

A method is provided for adjustment of a textile machine workstation based on yarn parameters measured by an associated yarn quality sensor at the work station. The method generates a first reference value of a selected yarn parameter by measurement of the yarn parameter or by calculation, wherein the first reference value is generated from the yarn parameter for a deliberately defective yarn intentionally produced at the workstation. The method then compares a current value or second reference value of the yarn parameter for yarn produced at the workstation of production quality or higher-than-production quality to the first reference value.

Disclosed are fibers which contain identification fibers. The identification fibers can contain a plurality of distinct features, or taggants, which vary among the fibers and/or along the length of the identification fibers, tow band, or yarn. The disclosed embodiments also relate to the method for making the fibers. Characterization of the fibers can include identifying distinct features, combinations of distinct features, and number of fibers with various combinations of distinct features and correlating the distinct features to supply chain information. The supply chain information can be used to track the fibers, fiber band, or yarn from manufacturing through intermediaries, conversion to final product, and/or the consumer.

A method of comparatively evaluating the efficacy of a series of hair products, the method comprising, in any order, the steps of applying each individual product or product system to an individual test hair switch; each hair switch being subjected to the same regime of two or more aggressors, once a day for 4 or more days; and the condition of the switches being assessed and compared.

Methods for non-destructive testing of synthetic ropes is described, where the rope in use is subjected to X-ray, terahertz, permanent magnetic field or electromagnetic analysis to determine a pattern, the results of the analysis are compared with a standard pattern determined by the analysis, and the results of the comparison are used in determining whether the rope is fit for use; where the rope comprises at least two types of fibers, the first fiber type has a density which differs from the density of the second fiber type and the second fiber type is of the same polymer material as the first fiber type, but provided with a high-density or low-density material. Ropes suitable for use in this method are also described.