The Effect of Breed Type, Fibre Length, and Fibre Diameter on the Efficiency of Dehairing Cashmere in Sample Test Dehairers

A modified Shirley Analyser has been shown previously to be effective in removing guard hair from down-bearing goat fleeces. The technique used was shown to be capable of dehairing fleeces of both cashmere and Angora x cashmere types. The latter fleece type is characterized by the increased length and fibre diameter of down fibres. This paper reports an investigation of the effect that fibre diameter and length and hence breed type had on dehairing efficiency. Findings indicate that fibre diameter per se had little effect on dehairing ability and that less fibre breakage occured in longer, coarser, and stronger fibres. However, there was a highly significant interaction between fibre length and machine type, indicating that some machines are able to dehair more efficiently and cause less fibre breakage than others.