Description and Performance of the Optical Fibre Diameter Analyser (OFDA)

Abstract

This paper describes the development of an image-analysis system designed to determine rapidly and precisely the fibre-diameter distribution of a representative specimen of fibre snippets. The instrument hardware and software are described, together with the procedures developed for the measurement of wool samples. Other animal and artificial fibres may also be satisfactorily measured by the instrument. This paper includes details of system trials and of a round trial undertaken in October, 1991, for the purpose of assessing precision statistics on wool for a proposed IWTO Test Method under Examination. The round trial confirmed that the test method proposed has an over-all precision very similar to that of the Fibre Diameter Analyser (FDA) test method, which was recently accepted by IWTO as a Test Method under Examination for wool.