National Cotton Council of America
Beltwide Cotton Conferences
January 8-11, 2008
Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center
Nashville, Tennessee
The Cotton Foundation

Recorded Presentations

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 2:15 PM

Innovative Technique to Evaluate Lint Cleaner Grid Bar Designs

Carlos B. Armijo1, Derek P. Whitelock2, Edward M. Barnes3, and Marvis N. Gillum2. (1) USDA-ARS Southwestern Cotton Ginning Research Laboratory, PO Box 578, Mesilla Park, NM 88047, (2) USDA-ARS, Southwestern Cotton Ginning Research Laboratory, PO Box 578, 300 E. College Dr., Las Cruces, NM 88047, (3) Cotton Incorporated, 6399 Weston Parkway, Cary, NC 27513

Controlled-batt saw-type lint cleaners remove undesirable contaminants from the fiber such as leaf particles, motes, grass, bark, and seed coat fragments.  Newly-designed grid bars may be effective in removing some of the contaminants, especially seed coat fragments.  A lint cleaner simulator was developed to imitate the action of a lint cleaner whipping fiber, with a seed coat fragment attached to it, across a grid bar.  High-speed digital video was used to photograph the whipping action.  The simulator and video enables researchers to evaluate numerous small-scale experimental grid bars before testing them on full-size lint cleaners.