OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

Marlborough Express, Volume L, Issue 89, 14 April 1916, Page 6

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER

ELECTRICITY Ji\ WOOL

[from our cokresponbkkt - BRADFORD, Feb. 25, 191G

There is no doubt that one of the finest discoveries during the past 25 yo^rs, has been electricity and the harnessing of same- for the good oi the world. Few readers; will need to h<j> reminded that even wool fibre contains a considerable amount of electricity, and under certain conditions sl> n^akes itself felt in a most unlook-ed-for and disagreeable way. The writer was talking to a well-known Bradford merino yarn spinner one day when ho narrated an experience ■which was highly novel and instructive. The man has been in the business all his life and is now fast bordering towards the allotted span of man. He narrated an experience which for the time baffled both himself and employees, and led to the opinion that wool was charged with ■electricity because it would not spia ■a. r; it ought to do. This was particularly in evidence in the drawing operation, and when the wool came to be spun, the breakage and the amount of waste was alarming. To all appearance there was nothing, ■whatever wrong with the tops, the combing had been well done, they were a good length, full of quality, and they ought to have spun most readily to the length required. Evidently, there was romething radically wrong with the whole thing, and to discover what it was and find a remedy was what taxed the thought of all concerned. L-et the reader bear in mind that this was no isolated case of spinning. Other firms in the trade were likewise troubled, arid f'.till the problem remained xmsolved. J.ob us now leave the subject where it stands until later in this article, when the writer will give the reader the xomedy.

RESEARCH WORK IN LEEDS

By a happy association of the- Textile Institute and the University of liaecis, a very important work of re.waavch, which may havo far-reaching effects in the wool textile trade ot Yorkshire, has just been undertaken ■■at the University under the direction of Professor A. F. Barker, research is intended to .discover nnct Jfiiid means of eliminating what is known as the "electrincatio n of fibres," which is' n, form of annoyance, and tho cause of much delay, in manufacturing processes. Wool, when it comes into the mills of the West Riding manufacturers, )s ftrsfc washed, carded, back-washed, .and coin bed. It is when the In.st■Ti'amed. "process lias been completed, that it is found that electrification ■of fibres has occurred. Tin's electrification arises in two ways—first, from the friction of wool on metal, ana •Koeondly from the friction set up between the fibres themselves. As the woo! passes through its various ■operations, both these causes take effect, the final result being that the wool is left positively charged with electricity. This is o state of tilings which has long boon accepted in the manufacturing industry as ?, necessary evil. Xvii it undoubtedly has .been, for it lias 'occasioned the laying-up for about three months of the partlymanufactured wool before the next operation could be proceeded with. That is- because the electrical charge j.n. the wool has caused the fibres to fly apart—to become so "wild," a? they say in the trade, that they would not smoothly follow the path "designed for them in their subsequent passage through machinery. It has ''been found in practice, however, that tops and rovirigs which have been allowed to rest for three months or so, 3w.ve almost lost their electrified ;Bi'.ate, nnd so it has been a recognised thing in the trade for many years that, after combing, the wool tops should be allowed to stand for three months.

Bo long as time was of no great importance, tho electrification of fibres was not a seridus matter. Owing to the Government, demand's for 3a.rgo and continuous supplies of yarns suitable for Army and Navy cloth, however, ./there- has been a ;Kpeeding-ui> of manufacture, and it is through the endeavor of spinners ta turn out ever-increasing quantities •of. tops, yarns, and fabrics that the difficulties of the electrification .\ot fibres have become emphasised. It has been found, as, of course, has long been known that the drawing ana spinning of wool in an "un-aged" condition cannot be done successfully. Either, therefore, the avool tops must ho allowed to stand their usual three months, or means must be found to eliminate that electrification of fibres which makes the three months' rest necessary.

It is to the fascinating task oi solving the latter problem that the researchers at the University are applying themselves. If they succeed— •ps there is good reason to believe they will do—in finding a means ol suppressing the generation of electricity in. fibres, they will not only •secure a more speedy output of tops,

yarns, and fabrics, but will ensure the production of stronger yarns, better capable of withstanding the .strain oi wearing.

Whilst silk and cotton, as well as wool, become electrified during their manufacturing processes, the difficulties arising therefrom are only oi consequence in wool manufacture That is because, wool, owing to its being a non-conductor and comparatively short in fibre, is markedly disturbed by electrification ; whereas cotton, which is a conductor (of electricity; is not seriously interfered with, and silk, owing to its length of fibre, !•> more susceptible to control.

THE REMFfD'Y

Let us now go back to where we started. We will leave the Textile Department of the Leeds University to announce the remedy for the above, which no doubt they will do m time. If they can instruct the trade what to f*.o to remedy this serious i fault and so make spinning less expeusive by eliminating waste, they i will certainly confer a boon on to the entire industry. But the spinner to j whom we have already referred sooli found the remedy which can be applied by everyone. All those having connections with the spinning of the wool tops already referred to were satisfied^ that there was nothing wrong with the woof fibres, they were simply charged with electricity." Experts said that there was an "escape iron; the main ana that the current was dominating the roving and spinning frames- Experiments proved that there was nothing of the sort whatever. Everything seemed to hinge upon the face.: that the tons we're being spun too soon after they had been combed, in other words, there was not sufficient' ''condition" or moisture in the woo! fibres. ICvidently this fact has been found out by the- professors at the Leeds University. If after combing the wool passes through a somewhat high, temperature some natural condition can be reinstated into the fibre, that will eert-mily remedy the drawback. What did the spinner m question do? He simply told hi? son to take three or four bobbins of rovings and wrap them in a damp cloth and leave- them overnight, which .he did. Next morning these bobbins were put back in the" spinning frame, j All the electricity had gone, the roving spun splendidly, while the very next cops in the spinning frame still manifested the same degree of electricity as they had done, before, and sp'.m badly, while those that had been riamped spun to perfection. The tops had been too dry, the air in the spinning room was also too dry, consequently the man went over to Lancashire to a well-known machinist, ordered a humidifier, installed same and has had no further trouble whatever with electricity in wool. Let no one think that the, use of this humidifier was or is dangerous to the operatives. Although one was installed in the drawing room, and another mi the spinning room, the latter is now never used and that in the drawing room is only used in the ex--Ireme heat of summer.-and when the. air outside is moist it is found absolutely unnecessary to use it. Let no one surmise that wool should*, be wet. The whole European trade has established conditioning houses for the benefit of the trade, experience having proved that wool in a natural state contains about 19 per cent, of moisture, this being the official gains of tho Bradford Con- , ditioning House when wool tops are j being treated. Anything above that \r, taken off the invoice, and anything below that is added.

THE BRADFORD MARKET

A change has come over this centre. Recent cable information stating that topmaking wools have fallen 10 per cent, at Melbourne have had a soniHwhat damping effect, and under the existent circumstances- spinners have become quite unwilling to indulge in further operation till^ it is seen how tho forthcoming series in London commence. Ideas respecting that event have had to be somewhat revised, .and even in crossbred worn there is .less confidence expressed respecting higher prices. This is r>o in spite of the- quantity of crossbreds available being no more than the trade -is likely to be able to use, bux as already suggested the recent turn has brought about a more reserved attitude.